The Blue Boy's Conversation in
Barber's Chair
hi Bab tf-Mtk
“The quality of mercy is not strained,” he whis
pered under his breath.
“What did you say?” the barber leered down at
Irim. “Here, we’ll turn you around.” The chair
whirled, and he caught a fleeting glimpse of himself
staring wildly at
himself from a blue
glass mirror. “Now
how do we look? Is
that about short
enough for us?”
“We look just
fine,” he said. “In
fact, I can’t remem
ber when we’ve
seen us looking fin
er.” And take that
and burn it in your
coal-oil lamp, he
thought. He was
thinking a great
many things, most
of them bitter
things about the barber. So far the barber had
pumped him on politics, love, and GPA.
“I thought maybe you said something,” the barber
said. “Sometimes my customers talk in very low
voices, and I can’t hear. I ask them if they’ve said
something, and sometimes they haven t. I never
know. Sometimes I think they’ve said something,
you see.”
“Of course. People aren’t speaking very clearly
these days. I, now, I have a lateral lisp. But I can
talk real loud, otherwise.” He closed his eyes. I am
going to sleep, he hoped.
“There are three newspapers that come out in the
morning in this state—say, do we want a neck
shave?”
“No. Not this time.” Dear me. Three morning
newspapers. And we’ve only been reading one. With
our unshaven neck. “I’ll be down to get you in a taxi,
honey . . .” he hummed low in his throat.
"What’s that?” the barber asked.
“I said,‘I want to be there when the band starts
playing.’ ”
“Oh, I didn’t get the first part of the sentence,
though.”
“It wasn’t a sentence. It’s a song, and it starts
‘I’ll be down to get you in a taxi, honey,’ and then
goes on to the part you heard me singing, and then
goes on some more.”
“That’s funny. I know that song too, but I couldn't
quite get the tune. You didn’t sing it very loud. I
thought you were talking.”
“I was talking. I talk all of my songs. I hate music.
Next year the Met is going to have me come and talk
‘Samson.’ Kirsten Flagstad is going to talk Delilah.
She’s a monotone.”
“You mean you just say all your songs, like they
weren’t songs at all?” The barber looked back over
his shoulder into the blue mirror, as if to re-identify
himself and his place in the world.
“Yes, I talk all my songs. I can talk in three keys.
Two major and one harmonic minor. I have perfect
pitch and can tell anybody what key they are talking
in, only I only talk in three. I think if you do just a
little and do it well, you have a better chance of
reaching the zenith of your art.”
“I imagine so. You ought to be in one of those
talent contests. You know. Where people talk like
dogs over the radio and things. You might get some
place.”
“Only I can’t talk like a dog. I just talk like me. la
three keys. The harmonic minor may sound just a
little like a Doberman-Pinscher, but I doubt it.”
(Please turn to page six)
Thank You, Father
One Dad, standing at the window watching it snow, voiced
the thought of many:
“I didn’t have to come down here to see snow. That’s all
we’ve got at home.”
But there’s more to Dads’ Day than looking at the campus
greenery, so the weekend shouldn’t have been disappointing.
As long as there weren’t any paternal casualties from acute
contusions by snowballs, dislocated spines fram falls on the
ice, and drownings from stepping into snow-camouflaged holes,
we can consider that the weekend was successful.
Dad got to see Oregon win two basketball games, he got to
inspect the current boyfriend (or vice-versa), and he had his
long-awaited opportunity to view the Museum of Natural His
tory and the Oriental art museum—as well as getting the lat
est scoop on inflation and the high cost of living at Oregon.
And we hope that he was allowed time for a good visit with
his image—that’s probably what he came down for in the first
place.
While we're rehashing the weekend, may we congratulate
all persons assigned to campus clean-up on their rare good
luck. It’s not often that Jupiter Pluvius, or whoever it is that
governs such things, saves the crew from going out with their
little pointed sticks, and gunnysacks to pick up candy bar
wrappers. You see? There’s a silver lining to every snowcloud.
And so—long live Dad—and all the snowplows that eased
his way home.—B.H.
Thank You, AGS and USA
If we may pat ourselves on our backs a little, we’d like to
say we are rather proud of the freshmen candidates for num
ber two position ^ Helen Jackson and Jackie Wilkes (alpha
betical, J before W), both of whom have been loyal Emerald
workers Fall and Winter term.
There may be reason to be proud of the number one can
didates, too; but since they are “outsiders"—haven't worked
on the Emerald—we’ll leave them out of this discussion.
Not only have Miss Wilkes and Miss Jackson (turnabout is
fair play) been "rewarded” for diligent Emerald work by re
ceiving the nomination, but they both won by rather close
votes over two girls who also worked on the Emerald—Rusty
Holcomb, reliable night editor, and Twila Kevin, fall term
headline writer (names alphabetical).
Now we would like to mention how hard the two candidates
have worked on the paper; but in doing so we might slip up
and write an additional adjective or two about one of them.
This naturally would leave us open to charges of partiality,
bias, prejudice, and playing politics from representatives of
the party whose girl was “slighted."
And readers must be fully aware how sensitive we are to
any such remarks.)
So we will just let it go, and say that we are happy to see our
“local girls" make good in other fields; especially since they
both continue to work as hard as ever on the paper.
And if any other freshmen want a start on the activity road,
step right up.
0*t the Ai/i
Best Sports Show >
Returns to KOAC
hy MaSitif. Ifi/eitfr+tesi
The best sports radio pro
g-ram in the state is coming
back. “Webfoot Huddle
Time,” sidelined when it’s
personnel, namely footballer
Bob Roberts, graduated last
term,-will be heard again over
KOAC. The first broadcast is
slated for sometime early
next week. We wish we were
able to tell you the time, since
the organizers of the show
are as eager for the campus
to hear it as well as the rest of
the state. Under Roberts’
guidance, “Huddles” enjoyed
air time from Coos Bay to the
wheat fields of eastern Ore
gon, and had a long list of
stations which eagerly await
ed recordings of the session.
The new version promises
to be even better. Under the
direction of Tom King and
Rav Crumme, we will get all
the insides about locker room
strategy, and why somebody
did or didn't can the winning
basket. For the first show,
Bob Lavev, (perpetual mo
tion's gift to Oregon basket
ball), and towering fresh
man star Chet Noe will 1 is
cuss the future of the court
game at the University. Fu
ture guests will include Jim
Aiken, Bill Bowerman, Dick
Wilkins. Norm Van Brock
lin, and other coaches and
players.
Another feature will be a
session in which the boys tear
into some phase of Oregon
sports. They may lay a
coach’s head on the block be
cause of a bad bit of judg
ment, or they may go into the
background of one of our ath
letes. Both broadcast ers
possess enough sportswrit
ing experience to be able to
call what they see. Tom, as
you know, was sports editor
of the Emerald, while Ray
has had professional experi
ence in California.
We’ll try and get time and
more facts in. time for you to
catch the inaugural show.
Speaking of programs and
recordings, the Radio Work
shop has come up with a pro
gram that ought to be record
ed for use in high schools and
even the lower grades. The
show is an hour version of
“MacBeth”, to be presented
over KOAC Feb. 11. Too
many high school students
are scored away from Shake
speare by the difference be
tween the language he used
and our colloquial speech.
The program will retain
much of the original Shake
speare, and by listening in
stead of reading, many young
sters, and older people too,
would be stimulated to read
the play and other of the mas
ter’s works in full.
And don't forget another
show that’s new to KOAC
this term. “Campus News
and Previews,” heard at 8:15
to 8:30 every Monday night,
is being produced by stu
dents in radio journalism.
As a final note, can you
think of any weekend pro
gram or programs that made
better listening than our
double win over Washington ? !
„ The OREGON DAILY EMERALD, published daily during the college year except
Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and final examination periods by the Associated Students,
University of Oregon. Subscription rates: $2.00 a term, $4.00 for two terms and $5.00 a
fear. Entered as second class matter at the postoffice Eugene, Oregon.
Opinions expressed in editorials are those of the writer, and do not claim to represent the
opinions of the ASL O or of the University. Initialed editorials are written by associate editors,
unsigned editorials are written by the editor.
Opinions expressed in an editorial page by-lined column are those of the columnist, and
io not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editor cr his associates.
[)qn A. Smith, Editor Joan Mimnaugh, Business Manager
Barbara Hey wood, Helen Sherman, Associate Editors.
Glenn Gillespie, Managing Editor
Don Thompson, Advertising Manager
News Editors: Anne Goodman, Kei
\ssistant .News Editor: Mary Ann
Assistant Managing Editors: Hal
Toni King, Bill Stanfield, Stan
Emerald Photographer: Gene Rose.
Aomen’s Editor: June Fitzgibbons.
Metzler.
Delsraan.
Coleman.
Turnbull.
Spc-ts Editors: John Barton, Sam Fidman.
t 'hit f Night Editor I .orna Larson
Copy Editor: Marjory Bush.
Desk Editors: Marjory Bush, Bob Fu»k»
Gretchen Grondahl, Lorna Larson,
Meiser.