Oregon W Emerald
MARGUEPJTE WITTWER-WRIGHT
Editor
GEORGE PEGG
Business Manager
BOB FRAZIER, TED GOODWIN
Associates to Editor
JACK L. BILLINGS
Managing Editor
BILL YATES
News Editor
MARYANN THIELEN and
WALT MCKINNEY
Assistant Managing Editors
BOBOLEE BROPHY and
JUNE GOETZE
Assistant News Editors
JEANNE SIMMONDS
Feature Editor
DOUG EDEN
Advertising Manager
BERNIE HAMMERBECK
Sports Editor
BILL STRATTON, WALLY HUNTER
Assistant Sports Editors
DON JONES .. DICK BYFIELD
Staff Photographer Chief Copy Desk Editor
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 saatter at the postoffice, Eugene, Oregon.
Our Achin’ Back
The score last night was sad enough. Letting those corn
growers go hack to their northern farm was bad enough.
But to have the public address system konking out right
at half-time . . . what a snafued situation !
So Oregon’s new football coach, Jim Aiken, wasn t intro
duced to an iglooful of students and townspeople, eager to
welcome him to the fold.
So the March of Dimes collection flopped completely. That
means a loss of an estimated $600.
Yell King Tom Hazzard reports that a PA technician told
him the McArthur court set-up was six years old. It should
have been replaced or improved four years ago. Huh!
We don’t know who is responsible. We intend to find out.
We hope someone will exert enough 'pressure somewhere to
insure an adequate public address, system next time.
We’re sorry, Mr. Aiken. We’re sorry, litte polio victims.
Change Step
Lt. Gen. Lucius D. Clay who bosses military government in
'Germany has ordered his forces to adopt a "hands off policy
in Germany, and to .give the Herrenvolk a free reign. This,
says the General, is an "effort to restore democracy.”
This new policy may be a good one. It would be presump
tions of the Emerald to offer easy answers to the war and state
departments’ tough problems.
lt is apparent, however, that this latest policy shift is just
another in a long line of about faces on the.part of the United
States—policy changes that make other peoples wonder a little
about our sanitv.
First there ivas the non-fraternization fiasco, which was so
absurd that most good officers refused to enforce it. 1 hat was
followed by the “talk to 'em on the street but don't go in the
house" policy which was equally unenforceable. On each of
them the United States gave ground and lost face among the
conquered people who were ready to do our bidding'.
The big "de-nazification" campaigns followed and General
George Patton was soundly reprimanded for stating an ele
mental truth. Military government limped along, using mis
fits, the aged, and the children to operate the railroads, the post
al system, and the local governments. Eventually somebody
saw that we were not about to let the Germans starve—that
either we would have to feed them or we would have to allow
them to feed themselves.
As a “Christmas present” military government big-wigs
granted "amnesty” to the "little Nazis," the small fry who could
have been running the railroads, the postal system and the
rathauser for a year and a half — if the United States had been
ready to make up its mind.
The horror films, showing %the concentration camps and
the pogroms were suddenly withdrawn from army units and
troops were instructed to help the poor Germans now, to make
them see the light by kindness, to treat them as victims of nazi
wrath. Maybe this was a good idea, too, but it made all our
threats sound hollow. I he tlermans certainly had reason to
question the wrath behind the American big stick.
This most recent policy shift may result in good things of
itself, but, as a further expression of America > indecision, is
likelv to make ns even more a laughing stock among a people
who were ready to accept us as masters less than two years ago.
Reading w ithout thinking gives one a disorderly mind; and
thinking without reading makes one flighty.—Confucius.
Here's my strength and weakness, gents. 1 loved them until
they loved me.—Dorothy Parker.
By BOY FRANCIS
The American infatuation with
all things speedy, and the result
ant hurried mode of life, has result
ed in a form of expression which,
while legally within the bounds of
democratic freedom, and the cur
tailment of which would constitute
undemocratic action, has within it
self the seeds of destruction of dem
ocratic government. I refer, of
course, to the many and diverse col
umns explaining things in the news
papers and the equally large num
ber of radio commentators.
Experts
It is true that our complex society
almost requires a citizen to be an
expert on everything in general be
fore he can advance an intelligent
opinion, and that the columnists and
commentators at least enable him
to engage in what passes for intelli
gent conversation. Notwithstand
ing such possible vaTUe, I believe
that the column purporting to “ex
plain” policies or facts is a most
pernicious form of adult education.
Unless its purpose is more to stim
ulate than to convince, the mode of
expression is a very perverse form
of enlightenment.
In our every day hurry to do
things to have time to do those
things which we don’t want to do
but which are necessitated by our
concept of ourselves and attitudes
of others, we hurriedly scan the
headlines, and approve or disap
prove according to whatever bias,
right or left of center, we happen
to possess.
Columnists
Or else we read the columns and
agree or disagree; then, while shav
ing, or performing some other task,
we listen to a commentator and
agree or disagree. If it happens to be
a newscast, we listen just long
enough to approve or disapprove
whatever action has been de
scribed.
Approval or disapproval; agree
ment or disagreement; these are not
the criteria, are not the essence of
democracy. Democracy denotes so
cial activity representative of the
general will; it is purposive voli
tional social behavior. It ste'ms
from a positive mental process;
agreement and approval are nega
tive instances at best. The situation
we are facing is that we are losing
the habit of positive thought which
is essential to democratic living.
Telling the Editor
ABOUT COAL MINERS
Having just read your blast di
rected at me in today’s Emerald, I
am frankly shocked and absolutely
incredulous—and amazed at the
thought that my purposely humor
ous and thoroughly innocuous little
article should bring such results. I
am not only surprised to find that
anyone read it in the first place, but
I am speechless at the thought that
anyone could take offense from it,
for never at any time was it intend
ed as the "bleating of one more
sheep” against labor unions and fed
eral decisions. Far be it from me to
Oppose either.
What really amazed me most is
that you, who at least think of your
self as a sensible, clear-thinking
college student, would receive such
a nasty connotation from what was
intended merely as a light, humor
ous bit about national affairs; and
one that was liberally sprinkled
with “if’s” and "should-this-hap
pen’s.” I was not trying to solve the
problems of the universe nor defy
governmental authority.
All I ask of you, Mr. Bishop, is
that you read again my first and
only contribution to the literary
world—not with an eye toward my
criticism of labor, but with an eye
to what I considered the humorous
possibilities latent in the situation.
One final word, Mr. Bishop. Al
though I do not resent your derision
of my writing—I am an art major,
not a journalist—I take particular
offense at your reference to my so
called useless life. True, I have never
been a coal miner, as you have, but
I seldom have felt the need to file
my nails merely for the lack of
something to do.
Carolyn Hinson
FOUND: Parker pen Saturday.
Mervin Englund, Rm. BB-11,
Vet’s Hall.
FOR SALE. All wool double
breasted blue-grey shark skin
suit, size 40 long. $40.00. 922 5th
St., Springfield. Phone 2378.
, ABOUT JIM CROW
The Eugene chapter of the Amer
ican Veterans Committee, after a
preliminary hearing of facts from
the One World Club concerning Jim
Crow methods in operation in con
nection with campus housing,
wherein a colored and a white girl
were not allowed to room together
as friends, wishes to announce its
support of all groups which are
seeking to democratize the Univer
sity.
It is an intellectual farce if an
administration of a university which
teaches racial and religious toler
ance should revoke that theory by
an opposite practice. Such a prac
tice should be immediateely abro
gated in favor of voluntary freedom
as opposed to involuntary discrim
ination.
Sincerely,
Ray Johnson, Chair.
Jack Caldwell, Vice Chair.
Bruce Bishop, Treas.
George Holcomb.
Clips
and
Comments
(Editor’s note: This column wlg
originated three years ago by the
present editor. Miss Hayden is con
tinuing “Clips and Comments” $ '
inform the Ducks of interesting
happenings on Pacific coast cam
puses. Readers are invited to send
in verified items of interest from
ether schools.)
Spectacular plays and touch- 1
downs which sent UCLA Bruins to
the Rose Bowl to suffer humiliating
defeat at the hands of a power&J.
Illinois eleven will be reviewed nr]
films entitled “Bruin Grid Thrills
of 1946 and Rose Bowl Highlights”
as this year’s annual UCLA alumni
grid show.
Lavish to say the least was the
“Orchid Bali” at Southern Cal. I
The Junior all-university Candle- (
light-Orchid ball concluded a i
week of junior activity which in
cluded a tree planting ceremony,
all-U assembly, and girls’ baseball j
team with UCLA. Reportedly it 1
W»s the “biggest, bestest, most
lavishly decorated dance of its I
type ever to be held in America.” j
From Cal at Berkeley comes the!
most interesting excuse for getting.*;
a D in a final that we have ever
heard. The girl concerned had faints
ed in the library and hit her head
on the floor. The next day she took
her final, and then she found out
that she had a brain concussion.
When she got out of the hospital she
went back to her instructor with the
D final saying, “I’m sorry I had a
concussion and wasn’t quite right
when I took this.” w
And then there was the girl who
swears up and down that she
watched a pogo stick race on
New Year’s eve.
Oregon is not alone in low GPA
circles. Three campus leaders at the
University of Washington received
the low-grade axe. “The failure to
hit 2-point may knock 25 other cam
pus bigwigs out of office,” reports j
the*University of Washington Daily.
LOST: Black and Grey Parker
“51” pen. Phone 569. E. Jean
Johnson.
DANCING
Saturday
Nights
to
Art Holman’s
Orchestra
Willamette
Park
Ph. — Springfield 326
HEY MEN! SHOES! JUST IN!
A large shipment of "TRIPLE
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you fellows who have been
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