THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
Tuesday, May 28, 1 940
VbuvJu (RoundupL
By Norbert Mahnken
Cui.iki JNIQUES.
From the French battlefields still come nothing
but reports of additional German victories. The
latest Nazi push yesterday rolled on in Flanders
without meeting too much allied resistance. The
French war ministry admitted that the Germans
had succeeded in crossing the Lys river at several
points. By moving their forces across this Belgian
stream, the Germans are in position to strike with
renewed vigor and speed towards their objectives,
the channel ports. The action along the Lys river
indicates that the attack for the moment has shifted
to the northern Nazi armies. The openly-declared
objective is to have the northern wing meet the
German motorized units advancing from Boulogne
and Calais towards Dunkerque. When once the two
forces have met the ring of steel around the trapped
allied forces in Flanders will be completely forged
and the Nazi force3 will be able to cut the defend
ers to pieces at their leisure. Meanwhile an attack,
doubtless designed as a diverting movement, took
place in the Valenciennes sector, where a forced
retreat of the French forces prevented their launch
ing any effective drive against the German arm to
the sea, while at the same time making it improb
able that any sizeable forces could be sent to the
real danger points farther west.
The tone of the news coming from the French
capital indicates better than anything else the true
nature of the picture. Chief emphasis in yesterday's
dispatches was laid on the "tremendous losses"
which the Germans were suffering as they drove
Lack the French forces on practically every front..
Setbacks were admitted, as usual they were labelled
"unimportant," but most of the words were devoted
to picturing the bloody losses which the enemy was
suffering. This shift of emphasis is very revealing.
It is a standard device, which to the ncutril ob
server demonstrates more than anything else th
desperate straits in which the government issrirg
the communiques finds itself. For by pointing to
the huge enemy losses the government attempts to
bolster its citizens at home, citizens who are begin
ning to realize that the steadily-mounting list of
enemy victories can foreshadow nothing but defeat.
NEW COMMANDS.
The past weekend saw the British follow the
example which their allies set the week before and
change their high command. General Ironside was
lemoved and his position as chief of the imperial
general staff taken by Sir John Greer Dill. The
demotion of General Ironside was not as .'Hiking
as that of the French General Gamelin, for the dis
placed British leader was placed in charge of home
defense, which will doubtless become a real prob
lem within a few weeks.
The removal of army heads by the allies in
dicates the complete misconception of the nature of
modern waif a re which had gained acceptance in
Fiance and Britain. General Gamelin was the titular
leader of the French group which believed that a
war of defense was the only logical course to fol
low, that the Maginot line was strong enough to
break any German advance. The German break
through at Sedan which smashed not only the west
ern extremity of the Maginot line but Gamelin':: of
ficial career as well, graphically demonstrated the
falsity of the defensive warfare.
Yet in one respect removal of the generals fails
to get at the real weakness of the allies. It is not
primarily the mistakes of the general staff that is
responsible for 'ha tt 'ady stream of allied defeats.
Bather, it is the mistake? of the past years, of lack
of preparedness on the part of the allied countries.
Weak in the air, with no effective mechanized
ground forces, and possessing no adequate means
of repelling the mechanized attack of the huge
German tanks, the allies have paid in successive
defeats and countless lives for the mistakes not of
today, but of the past five years. Modern warfare
does not wait until any nation can get its industrial
if sources into action, and a nation when attacked
is not allowed to pick the time when it wishes to
fight.
TRIPLE DAMAGES.
Shunted to the back pages by the war news is
a court decision of no little importance. The Su
preme Court yesterday decided that sit-down strik
ers were not liable for triple damages under the
Sherman anti-trust act. The case involved the suit
of the Apex Hosiery Co. of Philadelphia against a
local unit of the AFL which conducted a sit-down
strike in its plant In 1937. The courl ruled that the
activities of labor unions are not subject to the
federal anti-trust laws unless they "restrain com
mercial competition In some substantial way."
The decision will doubtless be greeted as "far
reaching," but in reality it indicates little more than
that the court is determined that restriction of com
petition by labor unions must be a real and proven
thing before prosecution can be started.
I ScAafL 9hom
Our day is done - at least for three months.
My column and I celebrated our first birthday yes
terday. It was a simple affair. No one there but me
and the column. We didn't feel much like a big
party.
We took the files to our party. And there was
a cup cake there with one candle on it. 'We sat for
a while just looking at that candle. It meant a lot
to us. New friendships. And friendships with those
many readers whom we never saw.
Then we began to go over the files. We sorta
chuckled between ourselves when we read our ad
vice to freshmen. It was the first column of the
year. Then we came to the part that said "The only
way to get ahead in this school is to make hay
out of the grass that grows under the other fellow's
feet." That made us stop and think. We wondered
how many frosh let the grass grow.
We thumbed on through the files. Then our
one sin flashed up. It was a bit entitled "How To
Make the Weaker Sex Stronger." We thought it
was pretty good when we wrote it way back then.
The Publications Board didn't like it. As we read
it over, we could see why. We could see why be
cause we are old now a year old. Wisdom gathers
with age.
lkre pages and we came to our column on our
Girl Saturday. There were three of us for a while.
And a Buick. But our Girl Saturday passed on to
be a beauty queen. My column and I kinda laughed
when we thought back and then decided that she
might come back to once again be Girl Saturday
- sometime.
Then there was the "Tootie-fruity, Joey Venu
ti" bit on the j roin committee. Ambiguity in that
case was an asset. At lenst that's what the column
ami I decided. That was the night that the titian
haircd one came around. Real red activity. My col
umn Miid the Kappa's like that one. We decided
that the Kappas have our blessings. And the Theta's
and the Pi Phi's and the DCs and the Chi O's and
the .
Then my column and I had a cold. It developed
into double petunia. We told our tale of woe. It
was then that some of the other college papers
wrote us and asked us to write columns for them.
We have been since, for a meager fee but maybe it
will turn into something worthwhile -maybe next
year.
Then one night, somewhere, I don't remember
where, we got the idea of surrealism in "writing.
We wrote surrcalistically on life and sent the bit
to Esquire. They suit it back. Said we had some
thing that needed more practise. So my column and
thing that needed more practice. So my column and
I have been practicing. People have told us that
try again. And they'll probably send it back. And
we'll try again.
Then we came to last Sunday's column. It was
to the seniors. My column and I read it and then
sat back. We were glad that we have two more
years to sit here and put our thoughts to you read
ers. We'd be just a bit lost if we were leaving this
year.
The column and I thought that it was a good
year. It wasn't hard work. It wan a most pleasant
pastime. We hope we can be back again in our same
old spot again next year.
The candle was burning low on the cup cake.
Finally it flickered out. I cut a piece for the both
of us. Mine didn't go down so good when I swal
lowed. I don't know about the column. It didn't say
anything. Our birthday party was over. We are one
year old.
''It become imperative that leader in ulu ca
tion and teacher in educution oppose any tendency
vr dipoilion to ue the educational ytem 'for po
Utital reaioni, and to in tint and demand that con
trol and direction of educational practice he and
remain in the hand of thoe who are profeuionally
prepared," Dr. W, W. Trent, West Virginia ttate
superintendent of tchoolt, caution education again!
sacrificing it voire to politic.
Military authorities predict
uni ROTC to be artillery unit
By Chris Petersen.
From little acorns, mighty oaks
grow.
Four years ago, the United
States army planted an acorn at
the university, a field artillery
unit to serve as a part of ROTC
training on this campus. That
aqorn has grown, rapidly, until
some authorities say that the time
is not far distant when ROTC
training on this campus will be
entirely confined to the artillery
unit.
In the fall of 1936, masons fin
ished erecting a new building on
ag campus, a few guns were
wheeled in, the army gave a few
trucks and some sergeants, and
Major R. G. - Barkalow, Major
W. R. Philip, and Captain W. R.
Grove began to train 400 students
in field artillery tactics and man
euvers. ,
Job well done
The ensuing four years were
ones of hard work and organiza
tion for the three officers. This
spring Major Barkalow, who has
served as commander of the unit,
and Captain Grove, who has been
in charge ot freshmen training,
leave the university satisfied that
their work here has been well done
for the ranks in artillery have been
growing steadily for the past four
years until now more than 800
students receive training in that
unit annually.
In short, the field artillery unit
has become of age. Those men
who began their freshman train
ing in 1936 and who have followed
ROTC work through advanced
training are graduating this
spring, completing the first cycle
of training.
To war college
M;iior Barkalow is leavinsr Ne- .
braska for the War College in
Washington, D. C. lor training.
After his course is completed there
he will probably receive a promo
tion in ranks, captain move win
go to Fort Sam Houston for the
summer and then to Commander's
General Staff School at Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas for further
training.
Remaining on this campus will
be Major Philip to take charge, of
the unit and carry on the work
that the three men started four
years ago. He will be assisted by
two new officers, yet to be named.
Remarkable record
Remarkable is the record of the
unit for its four years of exist
ence. During that time, it has
strived to be the best in every
thing and get the best in every
thing. The record gives ample
proof of the fulfillment of that de
sire. Included on that record are:
Since the origin of the field ar
tillery, the Best Basic award has
been made to students in this or
ganization. This award is made
annually from all basic students
in infantry, engineering and ar
tillery to the basic student who
has made the most outstanding
scholastic record.
During the last three years, the
unit's cadet commanding officers
have attained PBK and Sigma Xi
membership. They are Bob Beaver,
1938; Harrison Epperson, 1939;
and Ray Harrison, 1940.
The establishment of the Red
Guidon society, the only military
organization on the campus where
all advanced course students are
voluntary members. The purpose
of this group is to foster the spirit
of good fellowship and to provide
a means of attaining increased
knowledge concerning field artil
lery technique.
It was the first ROTC artillery
unit to go to summer camps com
pletely equipped with all of its
own equipment. .
A four year training course in
which advanced stuednts when
done have learned as much about
infantry as artillery.
The graduation of many seniors
who are now actively engaged in
regular army work.
Cream of the crop
The unit is equally proud of the
sponsors which they select each
year for the military ball and com
pet. Termed as the "cream of the
crop of sponsors" by members of
the unit, the women this year are:
Beth Howley, Jane Pratt, Harriet
Jane Bowman, Bettie Cox, Peggy
Sherburn, Gwen Jack, Priscillal
Reitz, and Dorothy Wear.
The training received in the ar
tilleiy unit is beneficial to the stu
dent regardless of whether or not
he chooses to follow the army
Students are given a thorough
course in communications, motors
and trucks, instruments which are
not only used in the army, and
full training in leadership. As al
typical example of the work car
ried on there, a student who has
never learned to drive is taught
how to operate a motor vehicle.
Summer camp
Biggest event in the advanced
student's training, is summer
camp. Each year, junior and sen
ior cadet officers spend six weeks
at Fort Riley, Kansas putting into
practice those things which they
have studied for three or four
years, living a regular army life
complete with the early to bed
early to rise law.
There is very little marching in
the artillery. When the unit moves,
it moves in trucks. Most interest
ing class periods are those in
which the guns are hooked onto
the back of the trucks and the en
tire battery drives into the coun
try north of Lincoln to theoretical
ly blast the capitol out of exis
tence or shell O Street with their
big guns.
And compet '"
On compet day, once again, the
aitillery breaks the monotony of
marching men with their big guns,
gun drills, many instruments, and
communications including tele
phone and portable radio, rrob-
Initio i iimi'1nil -1ni-irr Knt
time in whic h the practical appli-f
cation of the training can be
shown to the spectators.
The artillery course is not a j
snap, mere is no opportunity to
cheat in the many .tests that are
. . ai '
Kivrn. Answers lU'ine questions
cannot be copied out of text books
or gotten from your nearest neigh
bor for those tests which are not
given orally are not given on the
honor system. A student either
does or docs not know the ma
terial. Since the entire grade for
the course is given on test grades,
students make it a practice to
know the material. That this sys
tem has been for the betterment
of Ihe unit is evidenced by the
splendid scholastic .ratings made
by all of the batteries.
Class attendance
It is impossible for a student not
to attend class and. still pass the
course. You cannot have ypur best
friend or roommate answer for
you for the instructors make it a
practice to know every man in the
class personally. In short, a man
trained in the artillery course is
trained thoroughly.
Training is highly diversified.
Freshmen students spend their
time studying the guns and how to
opeinte them, map making i ml
map leading, and marching.
Sophomores learn how to operate
and care for motor vehicles, study
fire control instruments and how
to use them, and go through a
thorough course on the radio and
telephone. Juniors renew basic
work, learn how to compute fire
data, how to conduct a battery of
guns, and how to lead men in
marching. Seniors spend most of
their time in instruction and lead
ership, supervise field problems,
supervise tactics of arms and are
ir charge of the marching units.
Roie of honor v
No little credit for the nuccess
of the artillery unit should go to
the following non-commissioned
men for the work that they have
done on this campus: Sgt. Carl E.
Hoffman, Sgt. William M. Smith,
Sgt. Harold L. Sims, Sgt. Ralph B.
Damon, Sgt. Charles S. Gage,
Private Aaron A. Long, Private
John R. Parker, Private Charles
L. Clapper, and Private Cecile W.
Foley.
And so it is that these men and
their officers have seen the artil
lery unit grow and thrive for the
last four years. Perhaps, as some
authorities say, they will see their
work dvelop until someday all
ROTC students in the university
will take their woik in the artil
lery unit.
mm
StftfiQ
Before the era of jitter
and jive ... in the day
of the clu of 1905 , . ,
"YessireeH"
STUART
TOMORROW!
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