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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 1946)
Oregon Emerald MARGUERITE WITTWER-WRIGHT Editor GEORGE PEGG Business Manager BOB FRAZIER, MARILYN SAGE Associate Editors JACK L. BILLING& Managing Editor MARYANN THIELEN and WALT MCKINNEY Assistant Managing Editors HERB PENNY News Editor BOBOLEE BROPHY and BRUCE BISHOP Assistant News Editors JEANNE SIMMONDS Women’s Editor PAT THOMPSON Executive Secretary JUNE GOETZE Assistant Women’s Editor BOBBIE FULMER Advertising Manager EDITORIAL. BOARD Tom Kay, Byron Mayo, Bea King, Billie Johns Faculty Adviser—Dean George Turnbull Signed editorial features and columns in the Emerald reflect the opin ions of the writers. They do not necessarily represent the opinion of the editorial staff, the student body, or the University. Entered as second class matter at the postoffice, Eugene, Oregon. Religion and the Emerald Wednesday’s column under the heading “Soapbox Derby’’ concerning the University’s Religious Emphasis'Week has been widely misinterpreted. Students and faculty members have com plained that the article was in bad taste or accused the Emerald of inciting anti-religious feelings. Unfortunately, some of those most unhappy with the column neglected to read it through carefully. Those persons read only to a point where they become emotionally aroused, and then con demn the whole thing. First, let it be made clear that the Emerald does not oppose religious activity of any,kind—much less a University-sponsored project like this Emphasis Week. Exhibit A (for the defense) : the editorial entitled “God and Caesar” (Emerald for September 27) urging students to “render unto God the things that are God’s.” Excerpts from the editorial: . . Human progress in fields of physics, medicine, and chem istry does not compensate for our utter failure to find peace, personal or social, happiness. Except for temporary escapes from reality through the many inventions which bring partial oblivion to the mind, no thinking individual can be happy knowing that there is no free dom for his brothers because war, disease, and starvation walk nakedly unchained across the earth. “For 20 centuries Christianity’s persistent voice has pointed out the answers. For 20 centuries Christ’s exhortations to love all man kind and to consider first the things of the spirit have been unheeded. Perhaps now when all men awake to listen fearfully for the news of another war, they will discover that they have paid already too much tribute to Caesar. . . .” The Emerald believes that one purpose of a University is to develop each student’s personality to an extent where he can adjust himself readily to the problems of living. No one can deny that for many individuals religion is an important part of this development of character and moral and ethical values. There fore, it is only reasonable that a University should pay some attention to that particular phase of living . . . as much as it pays to appreciation of the arts, physical education, and sex adjustment. We believe, for example, that a University chapel, with serv ices conducted bv leaders from various denominations, would not be out of place on the campus. And we certainly recognize the value of organizations like YMCA, YWCA, Wesley house, New man club, Westminster house, et cetera, sponsored by the Church. Now we must point out that the allegedly objectionable article by Roy brands did not oppose religion as such. 11 is criticism was constructive; he proposed that the Religious Emphasis Week be changed to Religious Evaluation Week. And he used an analogy to illustrate the point. Indignant individuals have held that his analogy was facetious. Not so. Let it be remembered that the parables used by Jesus consisted of just such homely comparisons as that used by Mr. Erancis. .1 lis ideas are his own. 1 Upright to them certainly should not be disputed by even the most fanatical believers in their own kind of Christianity. The right of the Emerald to publish an article expressive of the attitudes of a minority group can also not be disputed. And may we humbly suggest that those of you who advocate the principles of Christianity and are the first to rise in righteous wrath when some criticism is directed toward them should think first about their own sincerity. * * * Postscript: It is the privilege of the editor to publish two kinds of newspaper. One, a spineless, unobtrusive, snivelling, whitewashed sheet which offends no one, says nothing contro versial, and goes about with its tail between its legs, whining for recognition. Two, a newspaper conscious of its heritage of cour ageous editors wdio wrote w hat they believed, published what ever they considered of interest to the public—regardless of per sonal criticism or social ostracism—and who sometimes died dishonored and broke, but with their self-respect untarnished. God help the Emerald from ever acting like a whipped cur. Is AWS Necessary? Mortar Board, senior women's honorary, will attempt this year to help Bea King, AWS president, to reorganize and reacti vate the Associated Women Students. Just exactly what is AWS ? It is an organization to which all women students automatically belong. It is designed to acquaint University women with each other and to promote their interests. It is one of those loose, unwieldy organizations which evokes little loyalty from its membership and, except for a few times each year when it takes the limelight, is all but forgotten by the student body. Fall term AWS members help to orientate freshmen women by introducing coed bigwigs to them, urging them to participate in activities and make good grades. When prominent visitors come to the campus AWS usually manages to give a tea in their honor. AWS sponsors semi-annual auction sales of unclaimed lost articles. Another very commendable project is the awarding of AWS scholarships. * * * The time-honored tradition of Coed Capers, annual AWS sponsored frolic for women exclusively, was cancelled last year because the coeds were a bit too high-spirited, told the kind of suggestive stories common over bridge tables and cokes, and generally raised more of a rumpus than our staid and honored elders approve of. Sure, everyone had fun, but, tut, tut, one mustn’t, you know! And besides, high school girls were there as guests. So Coed Capers, the only excuse for the existence of AWS that we can find, has been liquidated. The question now is, is AWS necessary? As it now stands, AWS is simply excess baggage. All of its activities listed above, except Coed Capers, could be taken over by some other women’s group. Neither the Emerald nor well-intentioned Mortar Board indicts the present officers of AWS, Miss King and her able staff. These*women.were elected to office and handed a not-too-well defined job. They have already indicated their appreciation of the proposed efforts of Mortar Board, which, incidentally, should be commended for its grasp of the situation. As a social organization, AWS is kaput. The educational activities board, the student affairs committee, Panhellenic, Heads of Houses, Women's Athletic association, Orides, Kwama, Phi Theta Upsilon, and Mortar Board, all are groups which could handle women’s social affairs capably and efficiently —and do. Why have AWS, too? * * * We see a revived AWS of no value except possibly in a political sense. In many eastern universities where the student body is too numerus for one student government, there exists a duo-cameral government, so to speak. This consists of a govern ment of men, parallel to our ASUO, and a government of women, possibly parallel to our AWS. In the event that this University grows to such an extent, our present AWS may become a political governing body which has jurisdiction over all women, inde pendent and Greek. It should be noted that this type of student government tends to drown out or obliterate altogether the kind of vicious Greek versus Independent politics rampant on our campus. In view of these facts, correct as far as we know, we strongly suggest that AWS be discontinued at the end of winter term (when its elections are usually held) or that the proposed re organization of this group take into consideration its political potentialities. left ——. of CCntCr By G* Holcomb Does anyone please know a plumber who wants a job? It ain't funny; we'd like to have a bath room in our home! And while grip ing, as long as the government is good enough to give us uni-vets subsistence pay, why must the sub sistence be so precariously meager ? Unlike the unions, we haven't any bargaining power. Except for the veterans’ organizations, there isn't anyone who can open negotiations for us now that the OPA, that body of planless economists, is slithering down the political drainpipe. We vets aren't alone. We aren't the only ones suffering from lack of housing and the high price of steaks. The people as a whole, ac cording to the National Opinion Research poll, were not in favor of the removal of price control, for ex ample. Obviously the present price altitude is the result of wallowing by the two so-called parties in the pre-election political mud. We can’t get steaks, we haven't a decent place to live, etc., and with the election coming up, this being a democracy (in many ways) we would like to vent our wrath by vot ing for the party that caused the least of the trouble. This desire pre sents somewhat of a predicament! But one thing certain, it was I mainly Republicans who bogged down the administration’s efforts. Things won’t be helped by putting the same ones back into congress stifle any attempts of the present Democratic administration to func tion progressively. Whether you can blame the weakness of the Dems on the strength of the Reps is some what conjectural, natch, but you get the point. Mr. Ellsworth Now when I say “Republican,” in this fourth district of Oregon that means Mr. Harris Ellsworth, incum bent representative. “Tune in” next column for a looksee at his voting record, which may help you make a decision to better enable you to vote come Nov. 5. To turn to another subject, per haps you noted above that National Opinion Research poll showed that the people didn’t concur with their representatives in congress. The public opposed the price control..^ moval; the representatives favored the old style “devil take the hinder most” economy. Forgetting the problem of who was right, in gener al it is evident that neither that vague theoretical unit, people, nor congress is infallible! And that in troduces a question you’ll hear more about in future columns here. “The People” The question? “How capable are the people of assuming their respon sibilities in this democratic repub lic?” The field is almost infinitely broad in scope but of undeniable importance. To touch upon it brief ly, it might be apt to observe that Senator Morse said last spring that he votes according to his belief de spite that of the people, because the people may be less informed than he. In the USSR that policy is carried to the extreme that only from four to six million persons belong to the “elite” Communist party, which steers the country. According 'Uto some observers, the party members believe that the rest of the Russian populace is an ignorant, confused mass that should not do more than indicate satisfaction or dissatisfac tion in the “Da” or “Nyet” one party elections. What do you think of that omi nous “mass” outside our- college tower? What about it, that 31 per cent of it in this country doesn’t know what the Bill of Rights is ? Do you ? Do I? Such few observations are only pin-pricks in the problem, but space is limited. Next column will contain more notes of info—what an inter nationalist anarchist opines about Russia; what an American publisher has to say about translations of Russian manuscripts; and Repre sentative Ellsworth’s record. I WE OFFER THE BEST KIND OF ALL ’ROUND SERVICE— WALDER'S ASSOCIATED SERVICE 11th and Hilyard FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH Broadway at High Dr. Vance H. Webster, Pastor Extends a special welcome to University students University Class—9:45 a. m. University Fellowship—6:30p. m. Morning worship at 11. Evening worship at 7 -30