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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 1948)
Silver Threads: Second of the Mosaic Series By LARRY LAU They called him “Old Timor.” It was an affectionately sar castic acknowledgement of his 23 years. His participation in their activities was a source of de light. His occasional periods of recluse and sobriety? They were laid understandingly at the door • >f Time. His ability to make peo ple laugh stemmed from a good humored warmth, bred of expe rience and nurtured by accep tance. Being twenty-six had its re sponsibilities. He was expected to give fatherly advice to the fresh men, to be able to consume great quantities of alcohol and remain clear-eyed, and to be sympathet ic when one of the youngsters got sick in his car. He had to take his place with ! broom and mop when there was cleaning to be done, and to re spond with forced cheerfulness to a pillow fight at three in the morning. No groanings about their vexing bursts of energy, no grumblings about their heartless ness . . . jump out of bed, grit his teeth and play horse with the rest, though his eyes were fat with sleep and his twenty-six year old bones protested this lack of prudence. Above all, he was supposed to be slick and smooth with the wo men. No excuses . . . when you're twenty-six you should have wom en all figured out. He accepted this responsibility good-natured ly and did his besUto appear ju dicious and wise, dashing and typically collegiate. He had a friendly audience and a star on his dressing' room door . . . and of course he' enjoyed the role. . . . It was Monday. They asltcd, “Got a date yet, Dad?” They knew he hadn’t, and a series of sly smiles passed from one face to another. They hugged them selves, delighted to have the Old Timer on a spot. “Not yet,” he answered. “Plen ty of time . . . plenty of time. No sense being too hasty, it’s only Monday.” He looked as serious as he could and awaited their reac tion. “Ha! You’ll never get one now,” they shouted irreverently, “it’s Monday, Dad!" The young men all bobbed their heads and agreed he’d never got a date this late. Their own arrangements had been made weeks before. They felt comfortably secure in this possession. Life was simple and exciting. They clucked happily over their Portland party plans. The days went by clip-clop . . . clip-clop . . . clip-clop. It was Thursday night and the SC game was on everyone’s lips. And they kidded the Old Timer unmerci fully. “How about it, Dad, got a date yet?” They chuckled over the hopelessness of his predica ment. “Plenty of time yet,” he as sured them, “plenty of time. I've been thinking of taking whatcha maeallit.” He mentioned a beau tiful girl up the row. The raised eyebrows around the room were amused, pitying and scornful. “Who you trying to kid. Bet she’s been dated for a month!” Their eyes dared him to relate a past experience rlow, in the face of this momentous fail ure. “Maybe you can pick up a stray at the dance,” someone laughed. “Don’t worry about me,” he said blandly. “None of this dat ing months in advance for your old Dad. Be casual, that’s the thing.” The young faces were etched in disbelief. The star had forgot ten his lines. They left the room, chattering, leaving the Old Tim er with a faint smile, eased into a big red leather chair. The stage was set. . . . The front lawn -was massed with young men and women all talking and laughing and being excited. Automobiles, all freshly scrubbed and beribboned, were jammed tightly in the driveway and parking strip, their noses crinkled toward Portland. A small sleek coupe swung into Side Show: Variety Often Confuses By 1)1 ANA DYE Will Rogers once said: “All I know is what I read in the pa pers."Maybe he uttered pearls of wisdom. For some his state ment means nothing. But it is a cure for the confusion caused by n. variety in reading. Most people are not satisfied with what they lead in the news papers and rightly so. Reading presents conflicts. Af ter reading a variety of things, the reader is required to form his own judgment. Just the other night, I sat down with the New Yorker. Ir the course of the evening I read John McCarten’s comment on the movie “Hamlet." The New Yorker usually pans “good” movies. But it had compli mentary things to say about Sir Lawrence Olivier’s latest produc tion. The column is even headed "Not Much Wrong at Elsinore.” McCar'ten praised the compact ness of the movie and the “elim ination of such nuisances as Ro sencrantz and Guildenstern.” He also comments on the static qual ity of the movie due to the con finement of the set. “It must be remembered that the action of one of Shakespeare’s plays is only a snare designed to capture a thousand and one ideas. No matter how agile the camera, it can’t move when Shakespeare is presenting philosophy.” After finishing the New York er, T formed an impression of just what “Hamlet” was going to be like. A few nights later I picked up another magazine. Lo and behold a review of “Hamlet" written by Robert Hatch. He is as favor ably impressed as McGarten, but his criticisms are opposite. Hatch says: "His ((Olivier’s) film sweeps and plunges and hov ers.” He has freed himself not only of the physical but of the mental limitations of the stage, and works and thinks completely through the camera.” Concerning the “nuisances," this critic says “the decision to throw Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Fortinbras out of the play seems both unnecessary and un wise.” Now I have formed a different idea and wonder. Tiie only solu tion is to see the movie. Whether or not Rosenerantz and Guildenstern are left in the movie is not a world shattering problem, but it forms food for thought. Those who read the newspapers will not be confused. But “thinkers” will weigh many sides before deducing a plausible solution. Healthy Symptoms A newcomer among the ranks of foreign language clubs on the campus is a Russian club recently okayed by the L niversity. it will follow the usual pattern of such groups, we under stand; lectures, movies—a general excuse for persons interest ed in Russian language and Russian culture to get together. It's a good idea, we think, for its more difficult to feel un friendly toward a nation whose culture you understand and appreciate. Prejudices are based on ignorance. Language clubs in general are a symptom of a healthy interest in language, in literature, and broad-mindedness toward foreign achieve ments. There’s another symptom we have diagnosed as healthy— this time a svmptom of increasing interest in study. It s the formation of a chapter on this campus of Phi Eta Sigma, a national scholastic honorary for freshman men. A 3.5 accumulative grade point average is required for membership. This might encourage scholarship, and it might encourage the desperate scramble after grades for the sake of grades, but even if it produces only the latter effect, the freshmen who hit 3.5 are bound to learn something.—B. H. DhegdnWEneralo The Oregon Duty Emeratd. published daily during the college year except S unde vs Mondays, holidays, and final examination periods by the Associated Students, University o. Oregon. Subscription rates: $2.00 per term and $4.00 per year. Entered as second-class matter at the postoflace, Eugene, Oregon. BILE YATES. Editor Don Fair. Managing Editor VIRCilL TUCKER. Business Manager Torn McLaughlin. Adv. Manager Associate Kditors: Time Goetze, Boboiee Bropliy. Diana Dye. Barbara Heywood, „ ' hob Reed. Assistant Kditor UP PE Mike Callahan. Stan Turnbull Co*News Editors Glenn Gillespie. Sports Editor V'inita Howard. Women's Editor Hol> Funk. Church Evlitor UPPER Beth Miller, Circulation Mgr. Eve Overbeck. Nat'l Adv. Mgr. Sally Waller. Assistant Adv Mgr. Joan Mimnaugh, Assistant Adv. Mgr. NEWS STAFF Don Smith. Assistant Managing Editor Evelyn Nill and Ann Goodman Assistant News Editors Phyllis Kohlmeier, Editorial Secretary JSINESS STAFF Virginia Mahon. Assistant Adv. Mgr. Donna Brennan, Asst. Adv. Mgr. Jack Schnaidt, Asst. Adv. Mgr. the yard and parked at an an gle. The girl behind the wheel waved and shouted something to the crowd. “Hey, Dad, somebody wants you!” They stole admiring glanc es at the girl and whispered to themselves concerning her identi ty, morals and vital statistics. The Old Timer passed jauntily through the crowd, a wide grin on his face, only half answering the remarks and farewells that splashed against him from all sides. He got into the car from the driver's side and the Beauti ful Girl slid dutifully over. The whisperings and craning of necks increased considerably. The Old Timer leaned from the car win dow, said a few goodbyes, spun the little coupe arounu auu wao gone. The young men stood there looking at each other, dumb founded. “Well, whadda know, the old bastard did it after all!” “How about that!” “What a smooth old dog he is . . . and a car to boot!” “What’s he got that I haven't ? He didn’t even start phoning un til last night.” They sighed per plexedly and fervently wished to be twenty-six. . . . The Old Timer smiled happily to himself, waved at passing cars and patted the Beautiful Girl ir reverently on the knee. “Your folks know you’re coming?” “Oh sure,” she smiled back at him, “I wrote them as soon as you asked me, three weeks ago.” In Retrospect ONE YEAR AGO The Henry Wallace wing of the Democratic party will have to stay in the party and will have to support Truman in 1948, in the opinion of Ellis Arnall, former governor of Georgia who spoke at McArthur court last fall term. Enrollment at the University hit a new high with 5,776 stu dents registered. Men students outnumbered the co-eds 3,889 to 1,887 with veterans comprising a major portion of the student body. A total of $19,403.62, accumu lated from the profits of the edu cational activities board over a period of years, was added to a fund of $10,000 set aside last year to furnish the Student Union building. The Emerald moved from the basement of the journalism school to the now-familiar quonset hut during the first week of school. The chemistry department in vaded the former home of would be journalists. The executive council went on record as favoring a $5 raise in tuition for ten terms: the extra amount to be put into the Stu dent Union fund. The Oregon football squad, un der the guidance of Jim Aiken, won their first grid battle of the season, defeating Montana State. Loretta Young spoke to mem bers of the Newman club on her only public appearance in Eu gene. She was here during the filming of “Rachel.” Thanks to bad driving condi tions, there has been in 1948 a ser ious setback to the movement for 52 Mother-in-law Sundays every year. ^Jhe A'UiiocnxU ajj Day's College Cords * Super Twillback— The Finest Corduroy Made. Campus Cream, a New, Rich, Velvety Color. Superb STYLE. Premium QUALITY. Perfect FIT. 15-oz. Heaviest Fabric Woven Expressly to DAY'S own Rigid Specifications. FENNELL Campus Jjopari meru i>tor& l