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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1949)
Just Wait Until January This is the last edition of the Emerald this term. (Brief pause for cheers from staff workers, perfectionists, the PE school, and the Inter-Fraternity Council.) With so many controversial issues under discussion it seems like kind of a shame to stop publication now. But then with Christmas coming up perhaps it is best we stop talking about PE school purges, deferred living, deferred rush ing (which incidentally is a good idea), and hardly-more-than adequate dramatic productions. If we are to get in the feeling of love your brother, good will toward men, and peace on earth, it may be well that this is the last edition of the Emerald this term. So have fun with your finals and Merry Christmas to one and all (Greeks and administration included). This week is so close to finals and there is so much happening, the Student Affairs Committee decided that there should be no late permis sion granted for Carmen Cavallcro this evening. Personally we feel that the students should be allowed to determine for themselves what events they should take advantage of; and if they prefer to see Carmen Cavallcro rather than Dorothy Thompson, that’s a choice they can best make themselves. • • • • We got a postcard the other day with the following query on it: We can’t help but wonder if the PE school will be next in line to re quire loyalty oaths? Qua (leaded Speak-About George Spelvin To the Editor of the Oregon Daily Emerald Dear Editor Re the critique of “Winterset.” For the benefit of the uninitiate, “George Spelvin ’ is a pseudonym used for an unnamed drama critic. It is doubtful that the Emerald’s George qualifies. Rather, George seems to quite a few people an im mature and frustrated thespian who may not have quite made the grade in last year’s University The ater's productions. For the future, Mr. Editor, in fairness to the actors and the next audiences, if a production is, in your opinion, to be panned, before you take the matter to print, why don’t you wait a performance or two for the opening night jitters to become quiescent? I believe that you owe Miss Pas quan and Mr. Ericksen a sincere apology for this premature con -demnation. Further, I believe that you owe your readers the chance to consider the source. Perhaps George isn’t as omniscient as he apparently feels he is. Sincerely yours Michael Madden Mr. Spelvin at least attended a performance before passing judg ment on the production of “Winter set,” Mr. Madden. As far as we could determine, from information secured at the University Theater box office, you have not yet seen the play. True, George Spelvin is a pseudo nym. It is a familiar term in the theater, as any drama student could tell you, used in programs when an actor in a small part wishes to be unnamed. It is fre quently used when the person plays two roles, or when a director plays a small role In his play. As for Mr. Spelvin’s qualifica tions, he has worked in the Univer sity Theater for the past two years and is still active in the Theater. He is a member of the advistory board of the theater, has partici pated in back stage, on stage, and box office phases of drama. We feel that Mr. Spelvin is quali fied to review the University The ater productions. It is certainly your privilege to disagree with his opinions. But we do suggest you see the play, and know what you are speaking of, be fore you become too indignant.— The Editor. A Merry Christmas Story By BARBARA HEYWOOD The radio played “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” for the third time that evening, launched into the “Star Spangled Banner,” said goodnight, and stop ped. It was midnight. Jim layed down his analytics textbook—he’d read two pages in the last hour—switched off the radio and looked broodingly around the apartment. He looked at the dirty dishes, at the clothes strewn over the unmade bed, at the feathers of lint on the hooked rug askew on the floor. “Well, I’m a fathe^r now,” he said aloud to Fred, the cat. “It’s a hard life any way you look at it.” He pressed with both fists against his aching temples and the cal stared at him, eyes Rowing and round like a night animal. Jim uncovered his eyes and glared back at the cat. If he didn’t keep them open, or keep them away from the even lines of the book he saw Jean. He saw her, face lined with control on the ambulance stretcher, he saw her rolling her head back and forth pendulum like on the pillow, or times when she was quiet look ing at him with her blue eyes round and black—some thing like the cat’s. Wearily Jim went to the sink to stack the gummy dishes. “Damn the race,” he said out loud. “Damn everybody. Especially damn babies. Especially damn babies that come early. And the night before my last final yet. “And God bless the American Flag.” He held up a plate and looked at it absorbedly. He didn’t realize he’d stopped working. On the plate he saw two busi ness-like ambulance drivers. Then the picture shifted to the grey haired, neat, bleak face of Dr. Smith who taught Analytics 497 and shared honors with few for being the toughest professor in the University. Jim grunted and put the plate down with a bang. “Would you take that final tomorrow or wouldn’t you?” he asked Fred. “Unless I study some more, I’ll flunk the final. If I flunk the final, I’ll flunk the course. And if I flunk the course I won’t graduate this term.” Fred yawned and turned around to curl up in a big wrinkle in the rug. "It’s sure quiet here,” said Jim. "I wonder why the radiator rattles everytime but now.” He went back to the dishes, slamming them to gether and talking aloud to drive away the vacuum like stillness. “Well,” he said, “I quote Dr. Smith in our recent interview: ‘Other men have earned their living, raised families, moved several times, repaired broken-down cars and still managed to turn in their papers, get A’s in finals, and graduate.’ I wonder if Jean’s asleep now.” “Two hours short of graduation if I flunk.” He’d stopped working again. “Heck with it. I'm going to bed.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly un did three buttons on his shirt. Then his hands gradu ally lowered to his side. A tingling feeling of realiza tion started somewhere inside and grew. He jumped up and kicked the cat. ‘‘My God, Cat! Wake up! I’m a father now . . . Merry Christmas!” He sat down heavily and looked unbelievingly around at nothing. “It’s sure quiet in here.” Jim walked to his 8 o’clock final the next morning in the cold, blue semi-twilight. The colored Christ mas lights still on in a few shop windows seemed as unreal as the last 24 hours. He still couldn’t concentrate. Sometimes he felt jubilant, sometimes just tired', and all the time flash es of last night stopped him and blanked everything else from his mind. When he got to class and picked up his mimeo graphed final he could feel perspiration on his fore head and down his back. I don’t know it, don’t know it. But if I think hard I can bluff . . . not bluff to a passing grade, though. When I get out of this I can go and see Jean. Won’t graduate. Wish I’d stop hearing God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen. Head aches. Jim sat for a while. Then he gave up. And when he did, he relaxed. An inspiration came to him. He wrote an explanation to the forever buzzing tune of God Rest Ye, Merry, and turned in his paper otherwise blank: God Rest ye merry, Dr. Smith Let nothing you dismay; Remember sharper men than I Have oft flunked out this way— And note, too, that my son Was born almost on Christmas day. Oh tidings of comfort and joy . . . - That afternoon as Jim was putting finishing touches on a cleanup of the apartment, he heard a knock. Dr. Smith stood there. He smiled experimen tally, took off his hat, and said: “Good afternoon, Mr. Johnson.” Jim invited him in. After inquiring after respective healths and tendering congratulations he said to Jim, “I thought you might be worrying about your exami nation this morning—yes, I’ve already looked it ov er. I considered it awhile and—now I don’t want you to broadcast this—but in view of the circumstances, I think a can give you a passing grade if you will pledge yourself to write a paper and mail it back to me by the end of next term. “And one other thing. Mrs. Smith says if you have no other engagement this evening, we would enjoy your company at dinner.” That off his chest, Dr. Smith told a joke—more or less. They both laughed loudly and with comraderly. Then he left. “Merry Christmas—to you and your little family,” said Dr. Smith. “Merry Christmas, sir,” Jim answered with the first real smile in a long time. Oui Readleu Speak-- Concerning PE Chemistry and Deferred Living Chemistry Practices To the Oregon Daily Emerald Editor: In the Oregon Daily Emerald of Thursday, you quoted Dr. Leigh ton. Dean of the School of Physical Education, "There were admitted ly some poor practices in the teach ing of chemistry,” and "We set up tutoring classes in chemistry and one in physics, to help those stu dents having difficulties.” Since these were direct quotations I pre sume they are exact reproductions of his statements. It is not clear from the quota tions, who admitted the poor prac tices. Even though the statements •were made in a conference which I thought was confidential, I am will ing to admit publicly also that it was I who made the admission. The conference I refer to was held on October 27 prior to the P E meeting ■which has since become first page news. I do not agree with those who claim no controversial subject should be discussed in the Emerald. I consider these discussions a heal thy indication of interest in im provement of the University. . Certainly there were some bad practices in Elementary Chemis try. There still are some bad prac tices in other courses in chemistry also. We recognize many of these and are doing our best to correct them. I presume there are some poor practices we don't even sus pect. At least we are aware of many of our deficiencies. Neither is it clear whom Dean Leighton meant by “we” who set up tutoring classes in chemistry. The implication is that the School of Physical Education did. Perhaps it did, but partially as the result of our conference, the Department of Chemistry also set up a help ses sion (not “tutoring” in the com mon usage of that word) to meet every Tuesday night. This was not done for physical education majors only. The sessions are open to any one in Elementary Chemistry. I do not blame the girls for won dering why chemistry and physics should be made a requirement in physical education. I often wonder about it myself. My only answer is that these courses are part of a lib eral education. One year of chemis try does not make a student a pro fessional chemist. We have other courses for that and Elementary Chemistry is not accepted as part of that program. I do not believe in special courses for special major in terests. We don't have the staff nor the budget to permit giving them and, more important, I consider such courses educationally un sound. This is not a trade school. An examination of the records of the P E majors taking Elementary Chemistry discloses that few of them have an adequate foundation in high school algebra. That is why chemistry is so hard for them. Ele mentary Chemistry is not a course in mathematics, but it cannot be taught without the use of numbers. The other students in the class, as a rule, have a similiarly poor grasp of arithmetic. We do not believe these students should be prohibited from taking any chemistry just because they are weak in mathematics. That is the reason we have two beginning courses in chemistry, General Chemistry for science majors or students who have the prerequi sites, and Elementary Chemistry for P E majors and others who do not expect to take a second year of chemistry. We shall continue to strive to make Elementary Chemistry as valuable a one year course as pos sible but we shall not eliminate anything just because it is hard. A. H. Kunz We appreciate your letter Mr. Kunz, am! are particularly inter ested in your statement to the ef fect that you consider discussions in the Emerald a healthy indica tion of interest in improvement of the University. If we may be allowed to draw conclusions from recent actions. Dean Leighton apparently believes any discussion of administrative practices by students (in Emerald or in meetings with other students) is not only an unhealthy situation, but an indication of an improper at titude, also. Dean Leighton informed the Em erald last week, that tutoring class es had been set up and instructed by “our town people,” meaning, as we understood it, persons from the department. We are sure chemistry students, whether PE majors or not, appreci ate and will cooperate with your at tempts to make elementary chem istry as valuable a one year course as possible. We are sure, too, that the conscientious student (and there are probably more of them than one might imagine) does not want anything of value eliminated simply because it may be difficult. —The Editor. Help Appreciated Dear Emerald Editor, This is not written in reference to last Saturday’s editorial since the council believes that “ten times worse” is an individual controversy between yourself and one council member. In discussing the “Deferred Liv ing Plan’’ the Inter-Fraternity Council agreed to accept the re- , sponsibility offered to it by the ad ministration of devising the most expedient rushing system in rela tion to the student, dormitory, and fraternity. In working out our problem the Inter-Fraternity Council will ap preciate any advice proffered by the ASUO committee, your Emer ald, or any other interested party. This will ameliorate the Cowncil’s decision to the best interests of the entire student-body. Respectfully yours, IFC The Oregon Daily Emerald publ,fhed daily during the college year except Sundays. Mondays, holidays and final exam,nat.on periods by the Associated Students, University'of Oregon Subscription rates: $3^00 a term, $4.00 for two terms and $5.00 a y^ar. Entered as second class matter at the postoffice Eugene, Oregon. J Onv A Smtttt F. Hit nr _Tn»y MrvvArr.TT. Puvinp.cc AT ar>no*+ Glenn Gillespie, Managing Editor Marge Scaxdling, .S>crw/ Edit,,,,. £rf,70r n.ARDARA Heywood, Helen Sherman, Associate Editors. Cork Mobley, Advertising Manager News Editors: Anne Goodman, Ken Metzler. Assistant News Editor: Mary Ann Delsman. Assistant Manager Editors: Hal Coleman, Vic Fryer, Tom King, Stan Turnbull. Women’s Editor: Connie Jackson. Sports Editor: Dave Taylor. Desk Editors: Marjory Bush, Suzanne pock eram, Bob Funk, Gretchen Grondabl, Lorna Lhief Night Editor: Lorna Larson. Larson. *