BOOK REVIEW
'The Subterraneans
'chaotic; but powerful’
By BEN TROWBRIDGE
Emerald Staff Writer
Jack Kerouac, “The Subterran
eans," Grove Press, $1.45, New
York, 1958; Evergreen Review,
“San Francisco Scene,” Ever
green Press, $1.00, New York,
1957.
In William Carlos William’s in
troduction to Allen Ginsberg's
violent poetic spasm “Howl,” he
warns the reader, "Hold back the
edges of your gowns, ladies, we
are going through hell.”
An appropriate enough warn
ing for “Howl” to be sure, but
just as apropos for Jack Ke
rouc’s "The Subterraneans.”
By now those strange inhabi
tants of San Francisco, known
as the "Beat Generation,” or "The
Subterraneans,” are familiar to
many. What and why they exist
the way they do is not so well
known. Most people refer to them
as “terrible Bohemian” and leave
it at that.
•Chaotic Prose’
Kerouac’s book is referred to as
a testament of this group. It is
a messy affair, the book and the
subject, but powerful, at times,
in its chaotic prose. What you see
here is a group of misfits, dis
content with society and them
selves. They are not a sympa
thetic group.
The “stream of consciousness”
writing style will give the reader
no end of trouble. Words are
hopelessly scrambled. Every rule
of the English language goes
down for the third time.
Kerouac says of the "beat gen
eration;
“They are hip without being
slick, they are intelligent with
out being corny, they are intel
lectual as hell and know all
about Pound without being
pretentiousness or talking loo
Dean Wickham
to host women
Golda Wickham, dean of wom
en, will host the Faculty at Home
Evening Wednesday. The purpose
of the informal gathering is to
acquaint the students with mem
bers of the faculty and admin
istration.
Dean Wickham will speak on
her travel experiences. Women
interested in attending are asked
to meet at 7:40 p.m. in front of
Gerlinger Hall. The dean’s address
is 1746 19th Ave. E.
Windows...
(Continued )rom page one)
commonplace in Adams and
Clark dorms. One Douglas man
went further by saying, "life is
now worth living.”
Offense Formerly Flneable
Until Friday Walton Hall resi
dents were not allowed by dor
mitory policy to open their up
per (larger) room windows. A
safety screw in the window latch
kept them closed. The only way
the windows could be opened was
by removing the hinge screws.
If this was done, however, a $10
fine was imposed.
The policy is based on the idea
that the new dormitory, as built
is sufficiently ventilated with
out opening the windows. How
ever last week’s warm weather
hiked Walton room temperatures
and aroused student opinion
against the closed windows.
Several men from Douglas
dorm conferred with the Lane
County building inspector and the
campus health service. They were
assured that the matter would be
looked in to.
much about it, they are very
quiet, they are very Christlike."
Book Cleared of Obscenity
For the adventurous reader
planning to tackle this slim
volume I would suggest as back
ground reading "The San Fran
cisco Scene,” an Evergreen Re
view collection of works by the
"beat generation.” The most im
portant entry is Allen Gings
berg’s “Howl.”
"Howl” has a stormy history,
brewed mostly in the California
Supreme Court, where it was
being tried as obscene. Cleared
of the charges this long, jazz
beat piece of poetry, is now avail
able and of great importance in
understanding the true problem
of the San Francisco malcon
tents.
Confession of Faith
The “high potentate" of this
literary group. Kenneth Rexroth.
said. 'Howl' is the confession of
faith of the generation that is
going to be running the world in
1965 and 1975—if it's still there
.to run.”
What this controversial work
points out is that the “Beat Gen
eration" is going through mental
hell in these times of unrest and
conformity, but that they are
holding their heads high and si
lently ploaing on in their dark
back alleys with humanity's
cross on their backs.
Annual tug-of-war
set for Wednesday
Wednesday the freshmen will
again challenge the sophomores
to a tug-of-war for the honor of
becoming social sophomores.
The contest is traditionally held
at the millrace with the sopho
mores on one side and the fresh
men on the other. If the fresh
men win they will be able to dis
card their ribbons and beanies
and become social sophomores. If
they lose they will remain fresh
men and will continue to wear
their ribbons and hats. In the
past years freshmen have rarely
lost.
The "war" begins at 4 p.m.'at
the millrace. All freshmen and
sophomores may participate.
Awards, tapping
highlight dinner
Monday nignt Kappa Rho Omi
cron, radio honorary, held an
awards dinner that included tap
ping of new members.
The six awards given were
the KVAL-TV award to Bob
MacN'ab, the KUGN Award to
Jim Dutcher, the KERG Award
to Claire Kelly, the KEED Award
to Donnalee Dunkeson. the KORE
Award to Joe Mayer and the
KASH Award to Dick Bond.
?Jew members chosen were
Judy Andersen, Linda Luper,
Errol Loving, Jan Sorrels, Gary
Wills, Tom Y'Blood, Greg Mc
Leod, Dave Whitbread, Dean
Woodring, Ron Ogle, Bruce
Trafton, Bob Stalick and Barton
Cronin.
’Good taste topic
of today's speech
uooa rant*' l.osts no More
will be the contention of Richard
Gump, artist, architect, compos
er, and art collector us he speaks
today at 1 p.m. la the Student
Union ballroom.
Third in his family to head
Gump's department store of San
Eranciaco. he has recently re
turned from buying trips in In
dia, Turkey, Italy, Germany, Ha
waii, Japan, Scandinavia, and
England. His topic is derived
from his book, "Good Taste costs
No More" published In 19.r*l.
He also spoke in a coffee hour
at 4 p.m. in the SU.
“Many people have good de
sign in their homes, but it is
anything but good taste,” he says,
and it is to correct this that he
lectures on some of the follies of
"keeping up with the Joneses" in
home furnishing.
Art Tradition Long
The art tradition in the Gump
family began in 1865 when Solo
mon Gump, a former ship’s chan
dler, began to sell mirrors and
bric-abrac to the newly prosper
ous west. Business boomed and
by the second generation Gump's
had added Oriental art to the
stock of European paintings.
Expensive Jade Collection
The store is most famous for
its Jade collection which includes
all colors and shades from the
dark green shade flecked with
black in which large decorative
pieces were carved to "Imperial
emerald over wnose possession
wars were fought. According to
publicity releases the pieces
range in value from $25 to
$100,000.
Ah third-generation manager,
Richard Gump, the store kept its
buyera at "home” in order to
neck art from the American cul
tures. In 1043 Gump opened a
new department In the store to
display and sell the creative
work of artists of the San Fran
cisco area. He has also helped
develop Mexican crafts for the
American market.
‘Accident’ Begins C'urrcr
Gump's hopes for a career In
baseball were shnttercd at age
10 by a shotgun accident. During
the convalescence he became in
terested In art, music, architec
ture, and design. Since then he
has designed furniture which is
still being produced and sold in
Gump's. He has also written chor
al, symphonic, and chamber mu
sic, all of which lias been per
formed in public concert. On the
light'side he plays the clarinet In
an eight-piece German band,
"The Guckcnhcimer Sour Krauts.”
which he organized.
Reuther proposal
DETROIT iff! Walter P.
Reuther proposed Saturday that
economic demands of his United
Auto Workers, including profit
sharing, be submitted to binding,
impartial arbitration.
MEN OF AMERICA:
ON VACATION
Soakin’ up a tan
l In the summer sun.
Smiles come easy
And the livin's funl
Make it part of your
Vacation plan
To take big pleasure ,
When and where you can ...
CHESTERFIELD i
.•::: &.. ...
<3> liggeti & Myers Tobacco Co.
Nothing satisfies like the (.
BIG CLEAN TASTE OF TOP-TOBACCO
I v
REGULAR
KING