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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1946)
REGDN'lf Emerald MARGUERITE WITTWER-WRIGHT Editor GEORGE PEGG Business Manager BOB FRAZIER, Associate Editor JACK L. BILLINGS Managing Editor HERB PENNY News Editor 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 BOBEIE FULMER Advertising Manager BERNIE HAMMERBECK Sports Editor BILL STRATTON, WALLY HUNTER Assistant Sports Editors ROGER TETLOW DON JONES Chief Night Editor Staff Photographer 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. ‘Puddles’ and the ‘War’ An editorial in Thursday’s Barometer appeals to the Bea vers to pull in their necks Saturday night after the game and waddle quietly home, avoiding any display of fisticuffs with the rough and tough Webfoots. The editorial lauds the clean competitive spirit which characterizes college football ’ and deplores occasions when “tine mob has taken command over all reason to plunge into an outrageous struggle . . “Is there any method by which this struggle can help es tablish Oregon State as a center for the advancement and de velopment of American culture ? Who wi'ns such fights ? W ould Oregon State college, by virtue of. superior numbers, be the victor? Or can any individual be declared the winner, 01 am student body point with pride to triumph in such random ac tivity as an inter-school fist fight, the essay asks. The whole thing leaves us cold. Does Oregon State suppose that abducting “Puddles,” the beloved Webfoot mascot, contributes to the advancement of culture on the Aggie campus? Do our friends on the Barometei staff feel that their journalistic crowing over Puddles’ presence on their campus think their attitude is the height of enlightened intcllectualism ? After printing the threats to poor Puddles’ nervous stability, the Barometer has the naivete to suggest there be no “general display of boxing and wrestling ability after two hours of good football. The Emerald certainly takes a somewhat disdainful view of instigating any riots among the contented cowhands of Ore gon State. We think they should not be given the satisfac tion of running any Webfoots out of town. \\ e hope the Uni versity of Oregon visitors show enough good sense to refrain from damaging property. But after the Puddles kidnapping we think the Staters should be a little wary of just how they treat our angry Oregon men. Shame, Shame on You Friday’s Emerald ran a letter to the editor signed “Anne Brady.” The letter, in no uncertain terms, criticized certain professors who treat women students in an uncomplimentai} manner. Since it is the Emerald's policy to print signed letters of general interest to the campus, there was no question about the letter’s origin when it was sent to press. Now it turns out that the real Anne Brady, sophomore in journalism, did not write the letter or sign it. If Miss Brady were not an unusually reasonable and understanding woman, the Emerald might have found itself threatened by a suit. It seems that there is some law against publication of defamatory material without the consent of the author. We have the greatest contempt for the type of individual who will disguise his complaints, legitimate or not, by the fraudulent use of an unknowing person's name. A character of this caliber has no place in a University. The Emerald is ashamed to have had even an innocent part in such a display of chickcn-livered weakness. To Anne Brady, our sincere hpologies. . . The letters to the editor column is one ot our widely ieau features, but if this sort of misuse of the privilege of the students to express their own opinions continues, the column will he dropped'. Common sense is not so common. Aoltahe. The best prophet of the future is the past.—Byron. Toivard Better Understanding... Professor LeSage Tells Experiences With Post-War Japanese Thought By ONE WOULD CLUB During the war I served in various places in the Pacific as interrogator of Japanese prisoners of war. Later, in Japan, my contacts with Japanese were so cial as well as in my capacity as a member of the oc cupying forces. I had, therefore, ample opportunity to talk with all sorts of Japanese of every rank and station in life. While certain ideas lost some of their strangeness through proximity, other aspects of Japanese psy chology appeared increasingly remote. Consider, for example, the role of the individual. It seemed incon ceivable that a Japanese could be devoid of opinions on sociological or political questions. Some of the questions I put to them had never been previously considered at all. The attitude towards democracy illustrates this. Last January the library of the Im perial university of Tokyo featured in their “brows ing room” books on democracy. Apparently people were expected to read up on the subject in view of its topical nature. In the matter of vote, especially suffrage for women, the Japanese attitude on the whole seems marked by good will, but rather an ea gerness to do what they were told more than a burn ing need to express an individual opinion. Some were even hostile. One Japanese lady exclaimed that what they needed was rice not votes! A highly educated gentleman insisted it was unwise to treat Japanese women as if they had a western background. Accord ing to him, they were not at all prepared to vote in telligently. The shortsightedness of such views may be annoying, but they indicate'how little prepared the Japanese are to think as individuals in political matters. Individual thinking implies a responsibility that they seem unwilling to face. Previously they had been asked merely to obey. That was much simpler. Japanese submissiveness and western self-reliance, self-assurance are worlds apart. The whole system of social ethics, product of his tory and economics, seems diametrically opposed to ours. It is hard for the Westerner to consider blind obedience as the chief virtue. And yet in discussing the matter of war crimes with some university grad- j uates, I astonisnea mem uy suggcoimg might be justified in disobeying an order which vio lated his own individual sense of right or wrong. The idea seemed genuinely novel. To submit grimly a.nd uncritically to a bad situation is a concept of viitue born quite naturally of the sociological history of Japan, One might almost make up the maxim What ever is- difficult is good." It serves as a. key to Jap anese psychology and has interesting implications in Japanese esthetics, in the Japanese language, etc. It was certainly evident in their war psychology. Time and time again Japanese boasted that Japan was a poor country. The idea of puny Japan challenging giant countries to mortal combat seemed quite intox icating. Great achievement, overcoming great ob stacles, excites Japanese praise. All the Japanese | with whom I discussed the atom bomb praised tifc invention rather than deplored the destruction O', the cities. The latter they dismissed philosophically, say ing, “Shigata ga nai.” (It can t be helped.) The deep admiration of the Japanese for us for having won the war plus their philosophic resigna tion towards their defeat may help us understand their attitude toward the occupation. After all, their adjustment is merely one of taking orders from some one else. But developing a democratic nation of think ing individuals will be a long arduous task. It is a task which will call for our greatest understanding. To graft occidental standards and democratic ways on a culture whose roots are deep in another soil is a delicate operation. How successful, how harmonious a combination can be accomplished remains to be seen. There are those who feel It is quite impossible, that the only solution for Japan is either a complete departure from her culture in favor of occidental imitation, or complete isolation whereby Japan would be merely a quaint island for tourists. It is indeed a dilemma, for both these extremes are impossible to achieve, even if they were desirabl. My personal hope is that we find it unnecessary to meddle with Japan’s culture except where it may have potentially dangerous features. I By LeJEUNE GRIFFITH Morals and pin-ups — We note with some amusement that John Bull is still in there pitching to in sure that the war was not fought in vain. Under the heading of “im provements in the way of life of the soldier,” British military authori ties at the Aldershot, Hampshire, army depot have banned pin-up girls in officers’ and non-commis sioned officers’ quarters. Authori ties said they are attempting to pro tect the morals of many youths training there. “Oh, come now” department — The Tuesday, November 5 Emerald contains an advertisement which hails “Wolf Gal” nail polish and lipstick as “the greatest news event since the atom bomb.” Statistics and logic — According to Sam’s “fiction and fact” on the ABC “Breakfast Club,” half of all the married people in the United States are men. According to the U. S. Bureau of the Census in the 1946 World Almanac (Page 487), the laundry by larry lau i!:ii!iiiiiiiiMiuiiiiuiii!iuiiiii]iuiiiiii!iii>iiiii»iiin>iiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiin|i»iiiiniiiuinuiii!ii!i!iiini Well, whaddaya know! The ed slips down to ye olde Side for the big cuppa Joe so methinks I’ll sneak in another bundle of laundry. The repercussions from the one yester day are still causing shock waves all over the campus. One gorgeous little dark haired gal did three flips and a half-gainer at the breakfast table when she spotted her name, but still, there’s something gay about the whole business. The profs have been mumbling nervously, in quiring of their students whether they’ll be there for class this morn ing. Of course, all bobbed their heads and lied that sweet lie, “yes.” The team that will be fired up en route will probably be lit up coming back. Fraternity men are digging the brass knuckles out of the bow els of their chapter rooms, just in case the Beavers don't take their licking graciously and the T.G.I.W. crowd marvels at the steadiness of their newest pledges, Lulu Preston and Bill Hanna. Speaking of corn valley, we almost lost one of the campus bright lights over there re j cently. lll|l!lllllllllllllllllll!lllll!i;illi!!!!l!llUlllllli:i!)l!llllllll!lllllllllllllll!l!lllllllllll!lllllll»!!iiM|ll Perry Holloman’s OSC true love wanted to quit school and go to work so they could pay a non-social call on the minister (legalize my name, la de dal. Pi Phi Peggy Fennel may be an “unknown sweetheart,” but .she’s certainly not unappreciated; Marsh Glos, who she’s knitting socks for, is pretty well sold (oh I am a weaver and I work at my trade). The disappearance of the phonograph at the Alpha Xi house has forced Delores Becker and DU Lou Wright to spend more and more time out on the terrace (some guys got it tuff!). Phi Anne McGeorge and KS pledge Vic Kisley seem to have one of those quiet, comfortable arrange ments on tap. In the “Nobody fooled nobody” dept., we have the story of Jack Daly, who shoved off for Seattle and a sly date with an unnamed Theta. His girl, Sue Mer cer, in the meantime had a sly date with a much pleased Gabby Mar tinson (just how sly can we be?). K-Sig pledge Jim Snyder, risking health and comfort in a liand-hold I (Please turn to page seven) of the 1944 population over 14 years of age, there are 29,690,000 par ried males and 32,850,000 married females. These numbers exclude widowed and divorced. That would leave us with the disturbing fact that there are over 3 million more married women than men. Maybe only the -women will admit being married. “Excuse it, please, we didn't un derstand.” — Representative John E. Rankin D., Miss.) claims that he did not snatch Dr. Harlow Shap ley's personal documents from the Harvard proffessor’s hands during a committee hearing on un-Ameri can activities as charged. He mere ly took hold of the papers and they were torn because Dr. Shapley wouldn't let go. * * * Twenty-five years ago via the New York Times — At an interna tional conference, Japan was insist ing upon changing the Hughes for mula for the composition of future, battle fleets of the United States, Great Britain, and Japan. The A. F. C. endorsed as a “magnificent pro posal” the American plan for reduc- , tion and limitation of naval anna-1 ment, and Japan voiced good will to China and avowed an “open door policy.” An army wife returned from Germany with the observation! that American soldiers in Germany had a soft snap and balked at com ing back to the States. A local de partment store was offering ankle length pantelettes with shirred ctiffs at only $2.95, and ladies’ head bands, the hazard of the raised eye brow, were the rage. A “modem miracle” as “marvelous even as Burbank’s wonderwork with fruits, vegetables and flowers, or the pres ervation of meats and milk was claimed by Kraft when their new cheese loaf hit the market. Longshoreman’s Lingo — (From a compilation by John A. Knoetgen) Center-fielder—someone who wants to get in on the racket but is afraid * to take the risk; flame-thrower— lady-killer, boastful Romeo; * in the garden—tale-bearers in tW gang.
