Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 25, 1955)
+ EMERALD EDITORIALS + Worth Continuing? Activity for activity's sake must have reached the height of self-delusion Friday night in the preparations for the annual WRA Carnival. Paired living organizations labored long, collecting cardboard and nails, twisting crepe paper and nailing frames to gether. For what? Each booth received 90 per cent of its intake, in many cases a percent age which didn’t pay the cost of construc tion. \\ RA, sponsors of the carnival, re ceived 10 per cent of the money collected at each booth and 25 cents admission from each person who attended. It seems a bit presumptuous for any group, particularly one limited in scope, to prey upon the time and effort of the living organizations to earn money for WRA activities such as the intramural and club programs. It is rather unfair to ask the men, who do most of the booth construction, to support WRA activities. Contribution of the carnival should be given careful consideration by the student affairs committee. Somehow it doesn't seem to fit last year’s policy of limiting the number of pairings. It would seem that quite possibly it provides a disproportion ately large part of busy work for what it does accomplish. And if there was too much activity push ing in the cases of the Military and Mortar Board balls, possibly interest in the WRA Carnival does not warrant its continued ex istence. It certainly doesn’t under current conditions, with an already crowded social calendar. — (S.R.) Greek Week Oregon is to have another major "activi ty’’ weekend, if the Panhellenic council en dorses the Inter-fraternity council resolu tion setting aside the first weekend spring term for the celebration of "('.reek Week.” The idea would seem to have some merit. Other universities have success fully held such events. An all-Greek pro gram could go far in binding together the 21 fraternities and 16 sororities on cam pus. However, we question the timing of the event. Greek Week, if held on the date sug gested by IFC would precede Duck Pre view by three weeks and Junior Weekend by six weeks. Thus there would be a major campus function for ('.reek living organiza tions every third week during spring term. Coupled with house dances, the inevitable picnics and spring term elections, this means a crowded activity calendar for April and May. How much work on the part of campus Greeks is this weekend going to take? Is it putting an extra burden on house members? These questions should be an swered before the University definitely commits itself to a Greek Week. We had thought that the trend was away from activities on the Oregon campus. With the current prospect of another major cam pus weekend in sight, we doubt that anyone could seriously point to a de-emphasis of ac tivities at Oregon. INTERPRETING THE NEWS Columnist Sees War Danger In Military Aid to Formosa w • 1VK. WWUCI IS Associated Press News Analyst Tor seven years the United States has been working toward the point where, in full knowledge of her strength, she could say to the Communists “Thus far and no farther." Now, on the Pacific perimeter of the great world-wide boun daries of conflict, she is saying it. The Chinese Reds have been threatening to carry their incipi ent war with Chiang Kai-Shek to r ui muss, xuai, me rresiaeni 101a a Congress which obviously agrees, would threaten the chain of island barriers which in the North Pacific represents the de marcation line between East and West, and cannot be permitted. Not a New Policy It was not a new expression of policy. He and Secretary of State Dulles already had expressed it. and the resolution before Con gress goes no farther than the de fense treaty with Formosa now Pride Claims His Fleet Ready for Any Event TAIPEH, Formosa (APi—Vice Adm. Alfred M. Pride declared Monday his 7th Fleet was ready to cope with any situation in the perilous waters north of For mosa, where the first civilians have left the menaced Tachen Is lands. President Eisenhower’s “read iness to fight" for Formosa speech was received in unoffi cial quarters with some mixed reactions. But these quarters expressed belief orders for the 7th Fleet to bring off Nationalist soldiers from the Tachens would go out as soon as the US Congress ap proves the President’s recom mendations. Fleet Beady Pride’s 7th Fleet was in posi tion to evacuate the soldiers, who are expected to follow the withdrawal of all civilians who wish to quit the islands 200 miles north of Formosa. Pride told a news conference Eisenhower was consulting Con gress on the use of the fleet be cause to employ warships to evacuate the Tachens “would be a very grave move." Pride emphasized that his fleet, bolstered by three aircraft car riers rushed up from Manila Bay, was strong enough to cope with any eventuality in the Ta chens. The carriers Essex, York town and Kearsage joined the Wasp with the 7th Fleet. Unofficial quarters expressed some disappointment that Eisen hower did not mention specific ally in his message to Congress the defense of Quemoy, across the strait from Formosa, and the Matsu group near the main land 100 miles northwest of For mosa. They were certain, however, that the President had the is lands in mind when he said the danger of armed attack against Formosa and the adjacent Pesca dores “compels us to take into account closely related locali ties and actions which under cur rent conditions might determine the failure or the success of such an attack.” They saw this as an indication the United States would inter vene against any major Com munist assault on any of the more important offshore islands. pending, wnicn was drawn up some time ago. In the light of Red mobilization opposite the Tachen Islands, how ever, the President wanted to make it' absolutely clear in Pei ping that their capture would not mean that they could be used as stepping stones toward Formosa, the Pescadores, or any other Chinese Nationalist positions which might be considered valu able to the strategic position of the West in the Pacific. The President didn’t make it sound like a war emergency, but as a war deterrent. It was, how ever, a very serious moment in the long East-West conflict. The Reds were defiant. They assailed the right of the United States or the United Nations to intervene in any fashion. Danger of War If the 7t.h Fleet should be used for redeployment of Nationalists forces as now expected, and should be attacked by Red planes, the world would be brought face to face with the prospect of a great new war. There was another danger in herent in the situation, too. By drawing one line, the Reds might infer that others had been left open. Years ago Secretary Ache son drew the line almost where it is now. He omitted Korea, and a serious war developed there. Line “Nbt Alone” This time the "island line” does not stand alone. There is one in Korea which the West has prom ised to defend and to extend if there is any violation of the ar mistice there. There is another being drawn, at least inferentially, through the Southeast Asia pact. The latter is and will be infirm. The danger that the Communist tide, if dammed in one place, will spill over in another, is constant ly present. the 1 poking mass Sex-Music Combined In Cinema Carmen By Un Calvart Em*r«M Column!*! Al! Joe wanted to do wan to go to flying school \int1l he met Carmen, "Carmen Jones” that la, one of the sexiest women ever seen on the silver screen. Georges Biset's and Oscar Hammerstein IPs "Carmen Jones" has come to Kugene in all her glory in an adult film based on the famed opera "Car men.*' Using Biset's music, with an up-dated plot and setting, the story Is essentially that of the strong hero who is led astray by the local siren, while his Inno cent "steady” proclaims her love for and belief in him up to the next-to-last scene. An all-Negro cast under the di rection of Otto Preminger has brought the classic opera with modern words and Hets to the screen with lots of hlp-swtnging sex in CinemaScope. Dorothy Dandridge Is undoubt edly one of the most seductive women ever to sway through any film. Dressed in tight skirts and her golden-colored skin, Miss Dandridge completely out-sexe* such routine cutiea as Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner and Rita Hayworth. Harry Belafonte as “Joe” Is then*, too, getting into alt sorts of trouble just for Car men. The popular singer turns In a good performance, par ticularly as a lo\e-inaddencd killer. Old-standby Pearl Bailey a* “Frankie" is good for several laughs and some good songs as she sash-shays through her role. Miss Bailey, one of the few peo ple in the film who's own voice is heard, has some of the best lines in the show. A sample: Carmen: I'm not the two-tim ing type. Frankie: Well shift gears, honey, and join the rest of the female race." aiho lending their talent* t„ the movie are Olga James ,lM Kwwt, innocent “Cindy j,<„, •> Carmen's antithesis, and Jo<* Ad am* as “Husky Miller,” the fighter who takea Carmen from Joe. Neither Miss Dandrldge or Bclnfonte use their own voters In the arias. However, the dub bing is excellent and scarcely, If at all, perceptible to the au dience. Although “Carmen Jon<- “ showa what Hollywood can do if it want* to, the show doe* have some faults.. However, all these are not the fault of the movie, but of Mr: Hammerstdn who adapted the opera for popular taste. The famous “Torreador Song” becomes "Stand-up and Fight” when sung by “Husky Millei” and the words Just don't quit.- fit the music. Another jarring note, we thought, was the duet sung by Joe and Carmen Just before she die* a just death. The feelir.; ,,{ tension created up to that point is fine, but when the two break into song, the effect suddenly vanished. fine of the best scenes In the entire movie was the night club scene featuring a qtwrtef, I'earl Hailey singing "Jlcat Out That Khythni on a Drgm" and some excellent dancing in the background Here, words, mu sic and action alt tdend to new perfection. "Carmen Jones" will ap|>cal to most people who enjoy got*) mu sic accompanied by fine acting. The film, "artier" than most Hol lywood products, has much to commend it and we hope to e more of its quality come from California way. It also points up the movies are not making the use of Negro performers that they could. Worth Waiting For THANKS FCK ’ CALLING, tO-' THINK W6 OUSWT TCl ttP RIGHT THRUtH' House Even at this iat£ hour huh? c»«?rA7// '3l£Wt '\ii '((lift Nice OF YOU TO CALL US, ED, SURE ~ NCTAS|R£»J Until vtt'RC AT TH' fRONT DOCK. - 4 'TUB IS fD, FRAN< / LOOKS LIKE IT'3 FINALLY HAPPENED- A MIONITF WIND HA5 FANNED A SPNi* W/SLOUf tKASH FILE RACK OF PHi Mfw SORORITY— LIKKlFS GONNA , GET OUT of HAND_ I YEAH, HEH, HfH-y£AN' Entered a. .econd claw matter ilk! ,S "T » tlkl.r al.on. Hoard of the llr.lver.ltv of Orrtion. school year; 12 a term. IO Eugene, Oregon. Suhncrlplluu rute»: If> p** lent the opinion. "ft he"ASUo'1' ZZ 'l*r.P ,lf ,,ir and do not pretend to Tepee nitifled “[ Z KSS'tJ "*.. - »> «*" '•*»«» rOE GARDNER, Editor JEAN SANDINE, B wines* Manager