THE OREGON DATT/y EMERALD it published Monday through Fridty during the college year except Oct. 39; Nov. 22. 23, 26; Dec. 5 through Jan. 3; Mar. 4 through April 1 ; ami after Mav 29; with issues on Nav. 24 and May 10, by the Associated Students of the University of’ Oregon. Entered me second class matter at the post oii»ce, Eugene, Oregon. Subscription rates: $5 per school yetr, $2 per ‘cttp. Opinions expressed on the editorial s^ige are those of the writer and do not pretend to represent the opinions of the ASUO or of the University. Initialed editorials arc written b* the associate editors. Unsigned editorials written bv the editor. LoaNA Lasson, Editor Abbott Paine, Business Manager Phil Bettens, Managing Editor Gsetchen Grondahl, Bill Clothier, Don Dewey, Associate Editors G&etcuen Grefe, Advertising Manager News Editor: Larry Hobart Ass’t. News Editors: Ai Karr, Kathleen Assistant Managing Editor: Bill Frye Fraser, Bob Ford. Sports Editor: Phil Johnson N»>ht F.ditor: Sarah Turnbull Feature Editor: Ward Lindbeck Wire Editor: Tom Jaques More Than Just A Speech President Harry K. Xewburn’s speech about this University of ours is one which students can help footnote—if they're interested enough. And they can help set a precedent. This is the first time a student assembly has featured the University President speak ing to the students and the students speaking back to the president through the medium of written questions. Thank Merv Hampton for this one. If it’s a successful experiment other such assemblies will probably follow the same pattern. We think it’ll be worthwhile to assemble for this assembly. For years students have made the complaint that education has become a cold, impersonal procedure where the student starts in at one end of the machine and comes out the other end more or less a finished product—even to a numerical sym bol indicating his quality. Nothing personal nowadays, they say, in obtaining a degree in big-time education. You just fill out the necessary forms, write the necessary answers to questions and answer roll at prescribed intervals. If you fall by the wayside, it’s tough. There isn’t enough time to give each student individual attention. Besides, there are always plenty more where you came from. And they’re right up to a certain point. Sheer weight of numbers in a classroom or student body leaves no other course. That’s why we like the idea of this student assembly where the president and students have a chance to size each other up. Perhaps it’s not a big step, but it’s the first such step around here for the big man on the campus to revive the personal as pect between students and that fearful group, “the adminis tration.” We figure the students attending this one o’clock Tuesday can learn a thing or two. Perhaps even enjoy the experi ence.—B. C. Might As Well Relax It’s all over but the shrieking now. Early-morning breakfasts at 16 sorority houses this morn ing will bring to a close Oregon’s latest women’s formal rush period—one distinguished by many innovations. While all the furor is still fresh in our minds, we’d like to make a few suggestions regarding next year’s rushing. First, it seems to us that it would have been advisable to continue the practice of having open houses, which give all women interested in rushing a chance to see all of the sorority houses, and vice versa. It would have been possible to have such a period this year, on the Sunday preceding rushing, when the fraternities held open house. The chief benefit of the open houses to women from small towns who may not be known by sorority actives. Frequently a.sorority will become interested in such a woman after having met her. Panhellenic, however, reports that they have not al ways been satisfied with the results of open houses and the thought was to try something different this year. Second, it seems unfair to ask a rushee to cut down to three houses after only two rush periods, and continue carrying only three houses for her last three days. It seems to us that early in the period a rushee should not be asked to limit herself so strictly, as it gives her very little leeway if she should be dropped or become disinterested in one of her three houses. We realize that the time factor was an important consideration in this year’s ultra-condensed rush period, but adding one more date to the third rush period schedule should not cause much inconvenience. Panhellenic’s answer to this is that by cutting down early, a rushee gets to know the actives in the houses in which she is interested better; and also, since sororities are cut down more rapidly on the number of rushees which they can invite back, it gives the rushee a better idea of how she stands with each house. We give Panhellenic credit for not being afraid to try some thing different; but we feel that suggestions for improvement are in order, and'should be given consideration in planning fA r —tV tV _ fynxHH ^Jlte Shelf, Moral Not Clear; But Story Is Good By Allyn Herzog Allen Rfed Catcher In The Rye, by J. D. Salinger There is often a thin dividing line between pornography and lit erature. "Catcher in The Kye" is saved from the former by Salin ger’s insight into the adolescent mind and by a less than success ful attempt to emphasize youth ful sensitivity to beauty in con trast to cultural vulgarity. The novel is centered around the experiences of Holden Caul field, a sixteen year old neurotic boy who flunks out of a "ritzy” preparatory school and goes on a wild, emotional drunk for three days In New York City. Narrated in first person, it exploits Hol den's meditations regarding wom en, sex, perversions, schools, peo ple and the "existential” problem of life’s value to youth. The nar ration flows smoothly and rapidly over a series of violent emotionul episodes so dear to the hearts of the leisured, intellectually incom petent middle class. Holden, philosophizing all the way, fights with his room-mate because he feels that his room mate had seduced a girl that Hol den knew and liked; gets drunk in a New York bar with some women tourists from Seattle; calls a hotel prostitute into his room; is beaten up by her pimp; has a long, incomprehensible talk with his ten year old sister ("the only real person he knows”); is accosted by a homosexual teach er; and ends up suffering ecsta cies at the sight of his little sister riding on a merry-go-round. Holden’s favorite words, which are used liberally, are "crumby", "punkey" and "crap". His favor ite complaint is that most people are “phonies". Holden is a mix ture of sensitivity and vulgarity, sophistication and callowness, of insecurity and independence. In short, he is, to our only recently vacated adolescent perspective, a fairly accurate portrait of our selves and our friends. From these grim cirumstances Salinger manages to create a character of almost sentimental stature. The reader who can view the events calmly and who isn't disturbed or pleased by the nu merous four letter words with which the text abounds (some of which are a rarity, even in the roughest of modern literature) will come away from the book with the feeling that he has met an extraordinary and very real character. Holden is a well-potrayed ado lescent, but he is an adolescent endowed with an extreme degree of artistic sensitivity toward the people and objects around him. Although his speech In vulgar ami many of the things he sees are vulgar. (Serially speaking) he Is not a vulgar person. Ills pre dilection for the lM-autlful carries him to the point of neurotirlsin and simultaneously rulses him uhove vulgarity. Salinger's moral, which Is rath er maladroltly inserted Into the novel thru a long speech by the homosexual teacher via a quota tion from the psychoanalyst Stekel is we quote, "An immature person is characterized by the de sire to give his life nobly for some cause, whereas a mature person is one who will suffer humbly for the same cause." This ties up with the title of the novel, but unfortunately it han little near ing on the rest of the text. The more obvious theme aroma to ua to be that in a aoclety constituted as our own la, in order to be hap py it Is necessary to become less sensitive, less critical, and more plastic and adjustable. We don’t agree with this thesis but there it Is for what its worth. In "Catcher In The Rye”, Salin ger transcends his usual New Yorker preciosity and in selecting this volume, the "Book of The Month Club" also reaches some what above its ordinary low level. This may be praising with faint damn. The book, however, is en joyable. So THIS Is Oregon Hit The Deck, Chum The Outlook Seems Glum — By Jim Haycox This story, for what it’s worth, comes from a friend of mine. He met a gal the other duy who was slightly goofball over some guy . . . and probably said so to this friend of mine so he'd run and tell this other guy. It's very involved. Anyway, according to my friend, she has become a walking dictionary (unabridged) of this guy's habits, likes, dislikes, pleas ures and pains. Doubtless she plans to sink her hooks in him and eventually winch him up to the altar. If she does so it will serve her right for I know some thing about this medium-Bie«d god that she doesn't (or should n't! know yet. Jones (which we will call him) is one fine fellow all right. He Is all she says he is. However, he is not and probably never will be fit for marriage. He does not get up in the mornings. . . the downfall of even the most happily married. I come to know ubout Jones and, for that matter, about quite a few people through the use of the wake-up list on the tong. It is a very simple device, this list, a piece of paper divided into 4 sections marked 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8. Nobody, incidentally, gets up at 6:30 of their own volition. The analysis of the individual comes through study of their method of signing this thing. The average guy just puts his name in the last convenient slot before him and his class and that's the end of it. The first indication of irregu 1 Sorority Row gyess is, t^ip first .spcorlty to have an outside dressing table—vve use it to get ready to go in.” larily is a parenthesis following the name with the word Hard inscribed. At this atago, however, it is difficult to tell If waking him up hatd will do the trick . . . or if he's really kidding himself. In the list of importance, the next inscription in Very Hard which is supposed to be just that. The sleeper now admits that it's partially out of his hands. Next in importance is Blank ets Off! This guy knows it’s go ing to be a struggle but ho(>es the wake-up man can outwit him. Beyond this point people seem to take off in all directions, each choosing what, to him. seems most emphatic. Very often it is a frank plea for help which goes Please, GET ME UP. From here it is only a small step to final admission of defeat Water! The guy who puts this up has lost the fight and knows it. But his only alternative is staying up all night. So it's the squirt gun in the kisser every a.m. But back to Jones, whose most recent theory seems to be. "Given enough time, I'll be all right." So he starts off at 6:30 with merely his name. This call is sup posed to disturb him . . . but not to wake him up. It's a fine point the wake-up man must draw. At 7 he gets down to business. —Hard This is important—, at 7:30 it’s Very Hard, Blank et's Off—Pull Me Out If You Have To and at 8 Water I Must Get Up This Morning. Ami* he generally does make It down by noon. Saturday and Sunday morn ings, the tone sometimes changes noticeably. The list becomes a place for cross and intimate re marks . . . except for one which, if I recall, went Hit Me Easy, I Am Full Of Popcorn. I never went up to find out. fyna+H tlte Mvujue... 20 YEARS AGO Oct. 9, 1931—Houses favor con tinuing the “Bunion Derby” ac cording to an all-campus |m»I1. Only three living organizations cast negative votes. The opening nr it faculty golf tournument was announced. The two teams will be captained by Howard Taylor, associate pro fessor of psychology, and Donald Erb, professor of economics. 10 YEARS AGO Oct. 9, 1941—(’apt. Harry Bly the’s women’s rifle class shudder ed with apprehension when one of the timbers supporting the roof of the rifle range split. The general extension division has scheduled evening classes in mathematics for army, navy, and air aspirants. 5 YEARS AGO Oct. 9, 1946—A special plan to alleviate campus traffic prob lems will be recommended to th