New or Old Look?
(Editor’s Note: Homecoming Chairman Bob Don came
Bursting into our office yesterday atfernoon. He was plenty
burned. The “New Look’’ he and Iris committee had planned
for the Homecoming celebration this weekend was already
assuming the same spiritless “Old Look’’ of former campus
celebrations. We sympathized with Don when he bemoaned
the apathy of University students. We’d heard the story be
fore. However, we agreed to print the following letter.)
To All UO Students:
Bv all that’s right I shouldn’t have energy enough to sit
down and write this letter. That is saying that I am a typi
cal Oregon student.
The energy on this campus seems to flow through the few
and not the multitude.
WAKE UP OREGON! Your alums are going to be re
turning in another twenty-four hours. My committee and I
don’t want them to see the sleepy, drowsy little school I see
today.
As yet T havent heard the lirst noise mailing unm, um
have I seen a stick go up in front of any house toward a sign!
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DANCE TICKETS HAVE
BEEN SOLD SO FAR.
It looks as if the alums will have to enjoy the dance alone
this year.
jjF.Y OREGON, it’s homecoming. ITow about some life
and spirit around here—that would really he “A New Look”
at Oregon.
Bob Don
Homecoming Chairman
'Ike' and Education
General Dwight D. Kisenhower, now president of Colum
bia University, has written an article in the current issue of
the Reader’s Digest, which all students would do well to pe
ruse. The article, called “An Open Letter to America’s Stud
ents" may sound like flag waving at times, but it contains
some fundamental truth, too.
In brief, General Ike says that the biggest job that any
young person in the country must face at this time is the career
of being an American, lie admits that “a job and the stimu
lus of productive work” may sometimes seem more import
ant than an education, but he asks ‘That will it profit us to
ant than an education, but lie asks “what will it profit us to
for, unless we know what purpose animates America?"
The general claims that there is a very practical purpose
behind this appreciation of the “what” and “why” of America.
He explains that it is exremely dangerous to assume that our
country's welfare belongs alone to that mysterious mechan
ism called “the government.”
“Kvcrv tune we allow or lorce the government, because ot
our own individual or local failures, to take over a question
that properly belongs to us, by that much we surrender our
individual responsibility, and with it a comparable amount of
our individual liberty.”
Eisenhower doesn’t stop there. Tie has another practical
point to cxpalin. He warns students that after they get a
job they may fall into the “rut and routine” of it. become a
cog in the wheel, with no understanding of the over-all pic
ture. This situation is not only detriment to the country,
but he implies that it is also a detriment to the individual's
enjoyment of life. As he expresses it, “each day (education)
will add breadth to your view and a sharper comprehension
of your own role as an American . . .To know your own char
acter is to know your country’s character."
And he has another warning—“If your generation fails to
understand that the human individual is still the center of
the universe and is still the sole reason for the existence of
all man made institutions, then complexity (of the modern
world) will become chaos,”
What the general says is undoubtedly true. Awareness
of the world as a whole and America in particular is a neces
sary thing and should be one of the results of an education.
Hut the general mav be overestimating the powers of compre
hension and initiative of the average student with the average
12-year or 16-year education, and also overestimating the
powers of the American colleges and universities.
Tiu' Orkuon D 4ti y Kmkrat.d. published daily during: the college year except Sundays.
Monda\ s. holiilavs, and final examin ition periods by the Associated Students. University of
Oregon. Subscription rates; $d.0«> per term and $4.00 per year. Entered as second-class matter
nt the nostoffice. Eugene. Oiegon.
BILL Y \ rFS, E
Hob Riwl. Managing' Editor
VlRclll. Tl’CKKR. Business Manager
Torn McLaughlin. Adv. Manager
Associate Editors: June Oort tec. Uobolee Brophv. Diana Dye. Barl»ara I toy wood,
The Latest
In Books
By TERRY REVENAUGH
“Chinatown Family.” Lin Yu
tang. John Day company. 307
pages. $3.00.
Turning from Asia and philoso
phy, Mr. Lin Yutang (“Moment
in Peking” and “The Importance
of Living”) writes of the Chinese
in America. Specifically, he tells
the story of the Fong family in
New York’s Chinatown of their
adventures, their romances and
their struggle to find happiness
in a new world.
“Chinatown Family” is written
with such gay humor and whimsi
cally penetrating observations on
American life, that you will find
it hard to lay aside. The setting
is New York, between Pell and
Mott streets; the time is the
present.
Mother Fong is the dominating
character, a gentle lady who pre
serves the dignity and tradition
of old China while helping her
family meet the problems of-the
new world. Tom Fong, the father,.
came to America during the Alas
kan gold rush, to build roailroaas.
When the boom died, he struggled
across the continent to New
York and, with his two eldest
sons, toiled for ten years in his
laundry to bring the rest of his
family to America.
With Mother Fong come young
and eager Tom, Jr. and Eva. The
story follows the growing up of
these two children, the yearning
of Tom to study science and the
wistful struggle of Eva to re
main a dignified Chinese lady
and at th esame time to enoy the
freedom of American girls.
Sometimes the family fails, as
with second eldest son, Yiko.
Yiko, struggling to find the true
America, falls into the pitiful de
lusion that the secret is the glad
hand, the slang and the easy
money. He becomes Frederick A.
T. Fong, insurance agent, poli
tician and small time chiseler.
One of the most revealing pas
sages deals with the difference
in sex education of Chinese chil
dren and American children.
Young Tom cannot understand
the stories of storks and garbage
cans told by American parents
to their children. He comes to
the conclusion that Americans
are not ashamed of sex—they are
ashamed only of childbirth.
Mr. Yutang occasionally for
gets he is only the teller of the
tale and the story loses itself
while he makes his own com
merits on America. But the com
ments are so witty and so gentle,
the interruption is easily forgiv
en. Not so easy to forgive are
philosopher Yutang’s long discus
sions on the origins of life and
matter or the merits of Laotse.
To be sure, these discussions
come from the mouths of young
Tom and Elsie, but they are ob
viously mouthpieces.
Yet, with “Chinatown Family,”
Lin Yutang has proven that an
Olympian philosopher can know
and write of people, their
strength struggles and foibles.
The story of the Fong family, as
its members discover America,
meet prejudice and make paths
to success and happiness, is well
told and genuinely human. When
you have finished you will have
made warm and lasting friends.
Part of the routine of taking a
girl to a party is waiting an hour
While she sits before the mirror
taking 10 years off her life.
Eisenhower said he thought mill*
tary men shouldn’t run for office,
but that was just one General's
opinion.
•In MY Opinion..."
FROM OUR READERS
On the evening of June 27, 1947 gambler Benjamin (Bugsy),
Siegel was killed by a shotgun blast as he sat in the living
room of Virginia Hill’s mansion in Beverly Hills. Now the
Beverly Hills chief of police says he knows who did it, but
“the persons involved are so big that we can’t go out and give
them the bum’s rush. This was no ordinary shooting,” he -
added. “There was big money behind it.”
The foregoing paragraph is part of an AP dispatch print- .
ed in yesterday’s Emerald, and it goes to show what happens
to law enforcement when big money is made an excuse for
murder. Maybe Siegel wasn’t the kind of man you or I would
want for a neighbor, but the law is supposed to punish mur
der, no matter who the victim is. Now big money stands in
the way of the killer’s arrest.
If police in other parts of the country are in such awe of
big money as the Beverly Hills department seems to be, it
won’t be long before man-hunting licenses are issued—for a
$50,000 fee.
Dean Pass.
-The Lowdown
Critic Hurst Turns From
Music to the Silver Screen
By BUD HURST
.. .A few years ago William Sa
royan wrote a stage play about
people and entitled it THE TIME
OF YOUR LIFE. It was good
enough to win him a Pulitzer
prize. Now the Cagney brothers,
James and William, have taken
the play and transplanted it, al
most word for word, to the silver
screen. It is a thing of beauty.
Once upon a time they was a
guy in the city by the Golden
Gate what ran a bar named
Nick’s. The guy’s name was Nick.
This here Nick had a sign outside
his place what read “Come in and
be yourself” and you shoulda seen
the results that sign got. There
was Joe and Tom and Kitty and
that fool dancer and the old timer
what was off his nut and that
Schmoe what kept beatin’ the
daylights ou'ta that pinball rig.
Darndest outfit ya ever saw.
Take Joe f’r instance. This
character musta had a stack of
lettuce a mile high on account of
he’d just come in Nick’s and sit
there drinkin’ ehampain and
spendin dough to make folks
happy. It musta got results cause
he seemed to be havin’ a good
time of it and he sure did work
wonders with a lot of folks.
Like the time he tooK this Kit
ty under his wing. Kitty was a
little twig off the tree of life what
had a consheeance and the curves
to go with it. She bept the con
sheeance inside her and sold the
curves on the open market. Some
doll she was.
Well, anyway, this Joe intro
duced her to his stooge named
Tom who they say was even
dumber than me and what hap
pens but they hit it off right off
the bat and get all tangled up in
this love racket. Joe does all this
and by get'tin’ Tom a job gets
them all set up and stratened
out. And just like that there hap
py
Then in walks this old stoop
who starts unravellin' this wild
tale about when he ran the wild
wTest and this Joe says he believes
him and you should see this old
boy light up all over. And this
Joe guy keeps it up all night and
makes some folks cry and others
laugh and spends his time doin
things he’s always wanted to do
like seein' how much gum he can
chew at once and playin' with
toys and passin’ out stogies to
society dames and stuff like that.
There's something about him
what makes you feel kinda funny
and sorta makes you wish you
could do all them things too like
makin’ people feel good and feel
in’ sorry for them when they need
feelin’ sorry for.
Me, I’d like to get to know the
guy better because I seemed to
be livin’ a whole life in the two
hours what I was around. Maybe
if I hung around and went back
and saw him again he’d teach me
some of spellin’ and grammer
cause my old lady says J ain’t so
hot on that stuff and if I wanta
write for one of them big papers
I gotta get off the fence.
But this guy is gonna be around
again soon, Joe tnat is, and you
oughta go down and meet him
and all those other folks. No
kiddin, you’ll have the time 'of
your* life.
Today’s Staff
Cork Mobley
Day Manager
Advertising Staff:
Staff: Ken Hodge, Sue Maddock,
Barbara Williams, Shirley Hillard,
Rosemary Beatty.
NightStaff: Night editor, John
Roaney, Nancy Wright, Jane
Smith, Joan Gorlenski, Edith Ha
ding.
Bob Gohrke
City Editor
Copy Desk: Patricia Potts, Le
ona Kohler, Elizabeth Erlandson,
Virginia Bond, Victor B. Fryer.
Campus
Calendar
4:00—Junior commission meet
ing of the YWCA.
4:00—Service committee meet
ing of the YWCA, held at the
YMCA.
6:30—ISA elections in 105 Com
merce.
7:30—Ski club meeting in the
band room of the military building.
YW Position Open
The-YWCA cabinet is accepting
petitions for house, chairjnan until
5 Friday, announced Laura Olson,
president. Any sophomore, junior
or senior is eligible and will be in
charge of all equipment, grounds,
improvements, and upkeep of the
Y bungalow.