Oregon Hf Emerald
MARGUERITE WITTWER-WRIGHT
Editor
GEORGE PEGG
Business Manager
JACK L. BILLINGS
Managing Editor
HERB PENNY
News Editor
BOB FRAZIER, MARILYN SAGE
Associate Editors
MARYANN THIELEN and
walt mckinney
Assistant Managing Editors
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
BERNIE HAMMERBECK
Sports Editor
BILL STRATTON, WALLY HUNTER
Assistant Sports Editors
ROGER TETLOW DON JONES
Chief Night Editor Staff Photographer
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.
Are Veterans Playing Fair?
How many veterans in this University and others are grop
ing through their respective programs with no definite objec
tives in view? How many feel certain they are pursuing
courses that will actually equip them for useful and gainful
.occupations in the future? .
The Veterans Administration is urging those who feel
doubtful about any phase of their educational training to apply
for counseling at their nearest Veterans Administration Guid
ance Center. Although these centers were established pri
marily for disabled veterans seeking educational or vocational
training, their facilities are available to all veterans with occu
pational adjustment problems.
This University’s center has processed more than 1800
veterans since it was opened two years ago. These men have
received practical vocational guidance after careful prelimi
nary interviewing and testing. Most of them feel more secure
in the- knowledge that their individual programs are based on
a scientific estimate of their interests and capabilities. And
the Veterans Administration feels that the money alloted for
the education and training of these men will be wisely spent.
Most veterans now attending college are seriously intent
upon completing their studies in the shortest possible time.
Their grades have consistently been above average, and their
adjustment to academic routine rapid. To date, there seems to
be little evidence to bear out the prediction of the University of
Chicago's Robert M. Hutchins that the G. I. Bill would make
“educational hobo jungles” out of American colleges and uni
versities.
But at the same time, the veteran owes it to himself and (
[to his country to make certain he is spending his own time and
Jhe government’s money to advantage. This can be accom
plished by the careful screening of all veterans who apply for
educational benefits under the G. I. Bill. This plan must not
Jbe undertaken with the idea of eliminating men who are quali
fied for and entitled to these benefits. Rather, it must be con
sidered a personal service to the veteran in furnishing him
jwith invaluable information regarding his own potentialities
land with practical advice on achieving his personal objectives.
Of course, the final decision will be made by the individual,
&s it is now. Few veterans will reject recommendations of
these centers, especially when they are shown convincing facts
•and figures.
From a strictly financial standpoint, the government is en
titled to some insurance against the reckless squandering of
the billions alloted under the G. I. Bill. In a program of such
tremendous scope, a certain amount of waste is inevitable. No
one agency can make the system perfect. However, the utiliza
tion of guidance center facilities by all veterans concerned
jshould be a step in the right direction.
CHARLES GLEASON.
But love can hope where reason would despair.—Lord Lytle
ton.
The empty vessel makes the greatest sound.
Correction does much, but encouragement does more.—
.Goethe.
Books, like friends, should he few and well chosen.—Samuel
(Patterson.
Unwilling Bookworms
Since fall term a year ago the University population has
exactly doubled, according to figures recently released by the
registrar’s office. With this influx quite naturally has come
an accommodating building program and an increase in class
room facilities. The school has done all it can to take care of
this swelling, but the Jiouses on the campus have not been so
cooperative.
For a long time at the University it has been customary for
sororities to require their new stock to spend all non-classroom
time in the library, starting at S in the morning and continuing
until 4 in the afternoon, regardless of whether there was any
academic need or not. Originally this regulation was designed
to assure each pledge of making her grades so she could go
on the active list the following term. It was reasoned that if
the person had to be in the library she would be forced, through
complete boredom, to resort to passing the time reading books,
and probably this was a good idea, but with these new changes
in the University there has developed what sociologists would
term a cultural lag.
Oregon’s library just isn t big enough to accommodate an
the students who want to study plus all the do-eds who are
forced to make it their headquarters for the day. Most of the
men and women, and a lot of them are veterans who really
want to get the most out of the GI bill, find to their dismay
when they drop into the libe that every available spot is taken
by a letter-writing coed, or maybe just by her coat thrown over
the back of the chair. She is probably out in the hall making
social arrangements which could more adequately be made at
the Side.
Without disturbing the whole sorority system it would
seem that some sort of agreement could be worked out whereby
the pledge could be encouraged to make her grades and yet
not inconvenience many who also want to learn something
voluntarily. Perhaps the new girls could spend that free time
at study tables at the individual houses. Or maybe the sorori
ties could relax the rule altogether. Something should be done.
There are too many people at the University for the regula
tion to stand as it is.
ROY PAUL NELSON.
LEFT
of CCHLt0r By G* Holcomb
The “Case of the TNE” only
brings to focal point of attention
the reasons behind the existence of
such.
It’s really all your fault. The in
dividual members of this university
group, students and faculty, are
only typically apathetic, APA
THETIC parts of a community.
Quite likely, the apathy will contin
ue beyond the environs of U. of O.,
in two similar ways—
either the individual—you—will
go beyond this particular area and
continue being led by the nose along
one tangent or another by such per
sons as would be qualified for Theta
Nu Epsilon,
or you will go on leading your
complacent, uninterested (except
in trivia) life, refusing to be led,
pulling in your own individual di
rection,
and in either event you will end
up like so many sheep in the vari
ous slaughter houses, where you
will be bought and sold at the price
of another WAR,
in the occasion of which you will
only be proving that such men as
are active in “groups like TNE are
CORRECT in their attitude that
you have no more initiative than to
let them be Judas-goats for you.
Democracy cannot be rational
ized into existence; like a tentative
hypothesis, it depends upon “induc
tive” action whether it survives or
becomes decadent. And the tragic
aspect of today's world is that the
TRADITIONAL view that a demo
cratic people will come through in
time of crises BECAME OUTDAT
ED AS OF August 15, 1945, the day
Hiroshima ceased to live.
Ah, yes, the “people” have always
come through with flying colors,
BUT over a period of months, even
years. The next crisis may endure
only a few days.
You, we, the people of a com
munity or nation can nurture ac
tive leaders, adequate representa
tives; OR, by lackadaisically vot
ing our “complaints,” can instead
hread the Machiavellian path to
the rule of the despots, or the atom
ic road to destruction.
The alternative to destruction or
oppression through apathy is accep
tance of responsibility and then ac
tion. Individual action, this;
INFORM YOURSELF — VARI
ETY is the enemy of bias, both opin
ion and fact.
THING FOR YOURSELF —
EVALUATE according to history,
not tradition or prejudice. Every
thought you have should be a ten
tative hypothesis, held to act on
while collecting evidence of its
worth, TO BE LDISCARDED if in
ductively disproven, NOT to be ra
tionalized stubbornly.
ACTIVATE YOURSELF — If
you don’t like the Emerald and
haven’t time to work on it, offer
constructive suggestions; if you
don’t like a union leader, work on
the members of the union, not the
leader; and if you want a voice in
the world join a group and make
it tick unless you have individual,
worthwhile contributipns which
can be voiced outside of a group.
REMEMBER, there may not be
an ultimatum—just a bomb; we are
not an isolated part of the world—
and all parts have meritorious ideas.
Traditions, even ideals or principles,
are only to be used as MEANS to
ward evaluation, NOT AS ENDS in
themselves. Don’t worry about ap
peasing the rest of the world; liv
ing democracy does not appease—
but it does COMPROMISE. The in
dividual has had his day in this
world; it’s about lime the world gets
it chance. THETA NU EPSILON
and its ilk stands or falls in direct
proportion to your ACTIVITY, NOT
APATHY, RESPONSIBILITY,
NOT EGOTISTIC RIGHTEOUS
NESS.
Banter
By LeJELNE GRIFFITH
Favoite “slip that passed in the
type”—An Eastern paper in refer
ring to a venerable war veteran of
the glorious past, made the embar
rassing error of calling him a battle
scared veteran. With the indig
nant remarks of the old soldier’s
family ringing in his ears, the edi
tor quickly ordered that a correc
tion be made. This was done, and
the item apologized for the error
stating that they really meant to
call the man a “bottle-scarred
veteran.”
English as she is Japped—Japan
ese advertisement for a coffee sub
stitute as reported in Things Jap
anese (1891) by Basil Hall Cham
berlain :
Japan Insted of Coffee
More men is not got dropsy of
the legs who us this coffee, which is
contain nourish.
•!• H
H. L. Mencken said it: An Idealist
is one who, on noticing that a rose
smells better than a cabbage, con
cludes that it is also more nourish
ing.
“Quick, Henry the snowplough!”
—From the June Photoplay:
“There’s something about Paul
Henreid that does the same thing
for the average woman as a dab of
one of those darlingly named per
fumes behind her ears—elevates her
ego and fills her with a delightful
portentousness of things romantic
about to happen. . .
Smoke: Then there was the Chi
cagoan who thought the police were
being quite ridiculous when they
accused him of setting a church
afire since he had made his living
for nearly half a century rotting
poor boxes.
* * *
Dr. Johnson and the word: From
Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the
English Language, (1775): “R is
called the canine letter, because it
is uttered with some resemblance
to the growl or snarl of a cur.”
Atlantic City Memory: City of old
people during winter . . . city of un
limited summer crowds which sleep
under the stars rather than pay the
exhorbitant rents . . . Absecon is
land city . . . boardwalk town,
where one-legged veterans from
England general hospital sit on the
walk railing and whistle thinly, self
consciously, at passing girls . . .
city of sharp winter winds and
summer breezes full of carnival...
Irish and Jewish merchants com
peting for trade . . . jitney passen
gers who risk missing their “Iowa
avenue” stop unless they pro
nounce “Iowa” with an accent on
the “o” .... miniature bombard
ments on the boardwalk when sea
gulls drop clams to open them ...
gossipy women being pushed along
in roller chairs by bent old men . . .
limbless soldiers being pushed in
wheel chairs by young wives . .. .
Steel Pier jutting like a silver fin
ger into the black of the Atlantic
night . . . white-capped waters
washing over a humanity-infested
beach, mixing ocean debris with
holiday refuge . . . fortune tellers
. . . salt water taffy .. auctions of
art objects . . . old-time movies . ..
beauty pageants . . . narrow streets
. . . Convention hall . . . city to for
get because of its dirt and smells
. . . city to remember because of its
sharp sea breeze and reckless free
dom. 1
Picture Deadline Set
The deadline for make-up of in
dividual pictures at Kennell-Ellis
studio for 4he 1947 Oregana has
been extended to Friday, Warren
Miller, associate editor, announced
Tuesday.
“Pigging” is regarded as an orig
inal Oregon expression.