THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
Thursday, February 23, 1950
PAGE 2
Jhsi (Daily. TMhadJiarL
Member
Intercollegiate Press
FOKTY-SLVENTH JtAK
Th Dally Nsbraskan la published by the students of the (Jnlverstty of Ne
braska, as expression of students' news and oplnlona only. According to Article 11
of the By Lawa governing student publications and administered by the Board
of Publication, "It la the declared policy of the Board that publication, uniirr
Its Jurisdiction shall be free from editorial censorship on the part of the Board,
or on the part of any member of the faculty of the University but members o.
the staff of The Dally Nebraskan are personally responsible lor what they say
or do or cause to be printed.
Subscription rates are J2.00 per semester, 12.30 per semester mailed, or 13.00
for the oollene year. 4.00 mailed. Sinsle copy nc. Published dally durlns. the
school year except Mondays and Saturdays, vacations and examination periods, by
the University of Nebraska under the supervision of the Publ cations Board. En
tered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office In Lincoln, Nebraska, under Act
of Conirress, March 3, 1879, and at special rale of postage provided for In Sec
tion 1103, Act of October , 1917, authorized September 10, 1022.
EDITORIAL
Editor
Awociatt Editor
,' ,',',".'
Manaffinff Vriltnre
Nw! Efitors
KSWS SlltOrS
ACUISCI, .to, ...-v .
,.t. pn. Klmon Karahataos
ST..: P"t Wiedman
Society Editor Kmllv Heine
&p:.;:::::::.v:
BUSINESS
. .. Keith O'Bannon
;t BurnV. m;;-:::::::::
Circulation Mantinr
M(ht w Editor
'Good Old Days" . . .
For years the older generation has been crying for a
return to the "Good Old Days," claiming that the present
generation is living too fast.
With the advent of the second half of the 20th cen
tury, it looks as if Mom and Dad will have their wishes
granted at least in part.
The time is fast arriving when the young people of
today particularly the young women won't be able to
look at pictures of their mothers taken during their hey
day, and laugh. For according to the fashion experts', the
1920 look is returning.
After following the Gibson Girl styles of the L.ay
Nineties" for a few years, the modern woman is advanc
ing to the styles set during the "Flipper Age." Short hair
has returned; shorter skirts are returning; and soon young
women are expected to dress in the fashions which offer
bo much entertainment to the owners of family photograph
albums.
iii uiiik uiLica tiic uaiaco
lar, and for several years young people have been singing ,
the songs their parents sang. !
The girls of 1950 now need only un-z.p their
boots, (the sign ol tne Flapper was unuuu.oneu gaiunt-0,
and swing into a fast Charleston to see if they can keep
up with the pace of the "Roaring Twenties" "The Good
Old Days." Daily Kansan.
Editorial
This is no drill. But it might well be, for the Nebraska
Well Drillers association begins its nineteenm ariiiudi iucvL-; mcans Very nine to me. ah
ing here today. Most of us are so occupied with tripping to
, j r. no- hnmp florin that we never truim oi,
the University as anyining omer man . xt k ir shovv lor d!,ys-
The drillers' conference, however, is typical of MebrasKa s, Few Reartions,
"extra-curricular" activities. Not only is it concerned witn Tne quCstion "What are you
Vnnrkine a little knowledge into our heads, but its service: giving up for Lent and why?"
KnoCKing a.UL"eJR"lc"fa. . . Tf hoa ir fincrpr in iust! d dn't faze many. "Oh I'm giv
extends to include the whole state. It has its tinker in jusi, emay j -. Vause (,m
about every pot, rrom agncuauie lu mu'j
In a sense, the University has set as us goai uie juu ui
giving a higher education to the whole state of Nebraska.
-Alexander will be set back a notch or two Sunday
afternoon when the ROTC Symphonic band gets out its
horns and drums for a University concert. The program
lists a collection of compositions which any University
student or faculty member would enjoy.
,.,ri cpomc, to he srreatlv concerned with how the
r
university student makes use 01 nis summci vawu...
Collegeiate Council for the United Nations has announce
tnnrr and conferences which will take students to almost
A Switzpr-'
land Italy, The Netherlands and France. These trips
promise student travelers such opportunities as interna
tional conferences of college United Nations associations
and general meetings on various phases of world govern
ment, plus side trips to famous sites in Europe. A chance
for experience such as these conferences offer comes once
in a life time. Any student who has that chance might
well consider the offer.
a
H Tl V IIIHLC 111 Cilll "Vtti
You've complained for years mat classes are uuij mu(.h th0UBht to Unt
specialized that there is little effort made to correlate, r,KareUe sacrifice,
separate subjects. The first attempt ever made at the. According to the number of
University to bring music, art, literature and history closer; people giving up cigarettes, ram
together is the newly organized extra-curricular humani-; ZrJocl
ties course. Interested students and faculty members are ()vcr a fjf(h ()f ,hc pcnplc polrd
Invited to attend the second session of the course, at 7:30 stat(,d ;im,)I1R other things that
pm Thursday in Morrill hall art gallery. Literature, musicj they supposed they would give
art and history of the Greek period will be discussed at -nfthcimpros.sions of Lent
this time. According to the present plan, faculty repre-; J ....
Bentatives from each of the included departments will beici7l0 m,r.v4r
the chief speakers. It is a project worthy of enthusiastic 75 IV It- sTJiiuw ...
support, if successful, the subject might be included in f continued from Pago i )
the curriculum as a regular University credit course. The n.,skin jonn skuHus. Alice Bos
majority of American universities now feature such a well. Ann Webster. Eloise Jones,
program. Students who have taken the humanities course My T, BV,S, ,e njrw.und. A,
at other schools consider it one of the outstanding courses ei"t lone F.'sgort.
of their entire college career. in the "Tailored Touch" croup
will be Jackie Jensen. Bonnie
,,,,,, . , , Washington, Esther Schocn,
A vote of thanks should be given to members ot thci Molly Mvnrei Marilyn Boettcer,
Union board and students working with the Stan Kenton1 Viicinia Hageman. Joan Mover,
concert committees. Why? When the thought first formed, Polly Ludlow and Twyla Bur
in their minds, the Union board was busy organizing a KCf: , , Janct Pier(.Pi
committee to look into the
Vantnn t,na rynnytr-aA
a service of the Union, it was decided that the profit should
go to this enlargement project fund. With this in mind,
Union committees went all out with the Union and serv
ice to the University in mind to sell as many tickets to
the concert as possible. The
i j, - ;aa r
repaid tne commiuees lor ineir eiions, uul univcioiLy
students, helped themselves too by practically contributing
to the betterment of their Student Union.
The Dailv Nebraskan has
practice of rushing to the aid of its partners in crime,
the Cornhusker and Corn Shucks. But in view of the
circumstances, we wish to help clear up a minor matter.
Word has reached us that some students doubt the authen
ticity of Harold Lloyd reading a Corn Shucks as pictured
in that publication's last issue. However, we know the
picture ia completely authentic. How do we know? The
picture was taken by a Daily Nebraskan photographer.
Respect for the other person is not hard to explain
or understand. But it certainly seems difficult for some
students to practice it. Take the Union lounge on first
floor for example. The numerous armchairs and couc.es
have been provided for the benefit of the students. Yet
gome students persist in flicking ashes on the rug, dis
carding papers on the floor, or putting their feet on the
furniture. This abuse by the students for something for
the students is not very understandable. Exercise of a
little common courtesy and respect for the other person's
property will certainly improve and preserve the appear
ance of the Union lounge.
Fritz Simpson
.'..'.'.'..".'. K'isie Reed
tiruce reiineiiy,
NO" Chubbuck, Poochle
l... ..... L'.nl Alpll
-R.nd.iph. jack cohen. -j
.""'Norma fhuhburk
ui i..v.v.w - t-t - ,
Briefs
r- The
. - o . .
... , i..Un hnsv wilh school that I never
Union enlargement porject.;
fr. lAar at the ITnivPrsitV PSlI
capacity crowd at the concert
il rr l i i. TT:..nnJ4..
not. in the past, made a;
To the Editor:
Most of us are in the habit
They are little things, but they help
Religion has a claim on our lives.
To give up candy, cokes or
ting the money to work for God
contains a place for 'a dime a
God's work money that we save
point to 'giving up' something for
Besides our means, we want
to God. Lent should be a time
devotion.
Whatever it is that we plan to
and with cheerfulness. Lent isn't a
God the gifts that you will make.
The service schedule will
for increased devotion and
mean willingness to be regular in Sunday church attendance. For
others it will mean an opportunity to offer additional services of
worship.
All of us are called upon ,not
but to be concerned and interested
ciitu ui us can iimuence some
sponsibility this Lent.
So you see the end .of result
really means the willingness to undertake some additional religious
responsibilities. Lent is not a negative self-denial, it is positive. It is
purposeful!
To what purpose will your L?nten observance be put?
Father H. B. Whitley
Episcopal Student Pastor
Reporter Discovers Minor
Campus Interest in Lent
BY PAT WIEDMAN.
Wednesday was the first day
of Lent, Ash Wednesday. In
spired by the Letterips and Lent
en messages, the inquiring re
porter set out to find the stu
dents' conception of the Lenten
an. i
wcre. Wh;il ,ire you Kiving up
for Lent? if so, why? what
1"!
many and
varied. The first three persons
encountered replied with a grin,
"Oh ;isk someone else, I don't
believe in that sort of thing!"
The next four didn't know what
they would give up "We haven't
decided yet," was their stock
answer.
One girl gave her honest opin
ion thusly: "So many people
that you encounter are giving
up things purely for show or
sympathy, as a result tne idea
cuing on a diet." or "im giving
up cigarettes, I cant alford to
buy them anymore." And so it
goes. Movies, candy, cokes, and
alcoholic beverages. One of the
best reasons for the exclusion
of the latter was "I'm giving up
liquor because it's bad for me,
bad for other people around me,
and maybe I could get to church
Sunday morning if I gave up the
stuff."
A social worker on campus
defined Lent as a time not only
net men
fnr vinR up but for continuim,,
renewinKi or beginning personal
devotion. And another stated
thnt tnkine on religious duties
!.... .
was another way 01 "KivinK up
something for Lent. One reason
for the laxness of his fellow stu
dents was given by a young man
who reasoned that "business
keeps us all so busy that we for
cet Lent and its significances. I
think there has been a marked
decline in Lenten observance."
A girl repeated his statements
in much the same manner: "I'm
Mary ceriach, Donn i Rudisil and
.l.-ickif .lensen will shOW Silk
prints In "Fli'k of color.
In the "Feminine Follies'
group, date dresses, will be Bon
nie Washington, Delilah Hnlstein.
Annete Carnahan, Marcia Adams,
Esther Schoen, Molly Mvhre.
Marv Ann Grundman, x'ctty
Chri'stiancy. Jane Carter, Carol
Higgins, Dot Bowman, Annette
StoDDkotte. Sally Hartz, Elaine
Laucr and Janet Pierce.
Formal Models
Bringing things to a close will
be the girls modeling formals in
"Sheer Delight." They are Mar
ilyn Boettger, Arlie Mae Olson,
Marilyn Brewster, Mary Gerlach,
Delilah Holstein and Bonnie
Washington.
Commentators for the style
show are Jean Fenster, Donna
Schreiner, Peg McGeachin and
Marilyn Nuss.
Committees are: Styling com
mittee Alta Beach, Jackie Jen
sen. Marilyn Nuss and Bonnie
Washington: decorations Janet
Pierce, Donna Schreiner, Carol
Higgins and Molly Myrhe; script
Mary Gerlach, Marilyn Boett
ger, Jean Fenster, Peggy McGea
chin and Delilah Holstein.
Tickets will be sold at le
door. They are priced at. 40 cents
and will rover both the style
show and the refreshments.
Mrs. H. M. Hall is class In
structor for the fashion merchan
dising class, hicli plans the
show. i
an put uu a git-'tu
of 'giving up something for Lent.
to remind us that the Christian
cigarettes for Lent without put
is pointless! The church folder
day.' If we can regularly offer to
in self-denial, there will be real
Lent.
to give some more of our time
for taking on acts of study a.nd
give let us do it with simplicity
sad ordeal, unless you begrudge
provide ample opportunity
study. For some it will
only to deepen our own faith,
in the spiritual welfare of others,
omer person 10 accept nis re
of 'giving up' things for Lent,
was one which was particularly
outstandings. "Lent is a time
for giving up something that
means a great deal to you. The
more difficult to give up the bet
ter, and it should give you per
sonal strength more than loss of
weight or increased pocketbook,
you know the things everybody
says."
The last two people polled
stated that they were abstaining
because everybody does it. "I
guess we kind of make up
the rest of the year."
for
Worth
Reading
By Arthur J. Vennix
Truth is not only stranger, but
is sometimes more entertaining,
than fiction. The best of who
dunnits is not likely to provide
a greater number of amazing in-
irionlc IVinn rlnoc Alan Hvnd's
The Giant Killers (Social Studies
Reading Room. 351.74Ha!lg). : cuinmuiis. me p.u ly ui me nm
The Giant Killers is a story of ! jority will form a new govern
thc "big shots" of the blue-sky ment. The sometimes unreliable
era. Chapters are devoted to Gallup poll in the News Chron-
such characters as Al "Scarfacc"
Capone, the
king of the
u n d erworld;
Thomas J.
P e n d ergast,
the mad mil
1 i o n a i r e of
M i ssouri;
"Moe" Annen
b e r g, who
made upwards
lat, syphilitic.
of 20 million
dollars on race
track dope, f i v
and several
leaser lights of
the day. Vennix.
Have you ever heard of Elmer
Irev? He's the man who holds
down in the Treasury Depart
ment a position similar to
J. Edgar Hoover's in the Federal
Bureau of Investigation. The in
telligence unit of the Treasury
department, or "T Men" as they
arc more frequently called, was
the Nemesis that ultimately
caused the downfall of these
characters w. ' considered them
selves biggi than the govern
ment. IT TOOK THE "T" Men" the
better part of ten years to net
the goods on Capone. They sus
pected him of being guilty of half
a hundred murders, but Al was
j too crafty to leave a trail, liow
' ever, he neglected to report a
! tew million dollars of income to
the government, income derived
Irom all soris oi iiicKuuiiaie uum
nesses, including brothels and
breweries. Ircy's whip cracked!
Carey Judson Harper played
the stock racket in Texas and
Oklahoma to a fare-thee-wcll for
awhile. He was such a smooth
operator that he successfully
represented himself as a 32nd
degree Mason, a Knight ol
Columbus, and a member of Hie
B'nai B'rith. But he forgot to
accurately report his income to
Uncle Sam. Whammo!
EIGHTEEN years ago on
March 1, Charles Augustus Lind
bergh, Jr., was kidnapped from
the parental home near Hope
well, New Jersey. The greatest
manhut in the history of this
or any other nation was in
stituted. But, had it not been for
the givilance and intelligence of
the "T Men" Richard Bruno
Hauptmann might still be wan
dering among the living. As it
was, it required nearly three
years for lrey's men to catch him
up and pin him down, ihe cnair:
Mae (Billie) Scheible, dark,
plump, beautiful Billie, became
Pittsburgh's Public Hostess. Hers
was no common house of
prostitution. It was her aim to
provide only the best of girls tor
the wealthiest Ot citizens. And
she succeeded to a remarkable
degree. Photographs and auto
graphs of her customers 'be-ja me
useful blackmail weapons in hei
hands. She, too, overlooked the
fact that a beneficient uncle was
interested in getting a fair per
centage. Her activities as a "host
ess" were severely curtailed!
THE STORV of Moses "Moe"
Annenberg is the life-version of
an Horatio Alger tale. An ema
ciated, cadaverous, starving im
migrant from Prussia, Moe took
advantage of democracy's equal
ity of opportunity. In a decade
or two of self-application, with
out benefit of conscience, he built
up a fortune that was so ticmen
dous that it any one moment he
couldn't have figured out his
wealth to within a couple of mil
lion dollars. He ignored his obli-
(A
'fc. r s
I News & Views
BY GEORGE WILCOX
National
ALEXANDRIA, Va. In a
Washington's birthday address
President Truman warned world
communism that this country
will use "force to defend democ-
r a c y ' if it
must. The ... T"
President
pledged this
country to
strive cease
lessly for
peace. He said
V
the United
States is will
ing to support
t h r u the
United Na
t i o n s any
genuine atomic
control plan that would be effec
tive and not a ' sham.
President Truman declared that
the free nations must pool their
strength to meet communist force
with force.
Truman said bluntly in what
he called a "straight from the
shoulder" foreign policy speech
that man's hope of future peace
hinges more on successful resist
ance to communist aggression
and on the spread of freedom
than it does on atomic control.
He did not attack the Soviet
Union by name but concentrated
his fire on world communism
which he said is attempting to in
flict on as many nations as pos
sible "a modern tyranny far
worse than that of any ancient
empire."
WASHINGTON. A move for
rush legislation to give-President
Truman power to seize the idle
coal mines, developed in con
gress. Chairman Lesinski of the
house labor committee told the
press he was preparing a bill
along that line. Lesinski stated,
"We will have to do a rush job
because of the emergency."
A federal contempt of court
citation which named the strik
ing United Mine Workers as a
union but not the officers has
brought no results in two days
except further fuel famine, more
plant shutdowns, and scattered
violence.
WASHINGTON. President
Truman kept up his busy sched
ule in asking for a 60-day truce
in the nation-wide telephone
strike scheduled for 8 a. m. Fri
day. International
)l LONDON. Today the British
voter goes to the polls and elects
i a new five-year parliament and
all sources agree that the con
test will be the closest in a gen
eration. Winners will not be
known until Friday.
Both major parties conserva
tive and labor claim that they
will win a majority of the 622
j seats at stake in the house of
icle showed the two parties about
even, with the conservatives hav
ing gained slightly since last
Friday.
State and Local
Gov. Val Peterson charged
that attacks on his state highway
improvement program are com
ing from the "powerful petroleum
interests."
Delts Open
New Home
Saturday
Newest fraternity house on the
campus, the Delta Tau Delta
home will hold open house Satur
day afternoon from 1 to 4 p. m.
Built at a cost of $115,000 the
two-story structure is designed
to house 4fi men. Drawn up by
Meginnis and Schaumbeig, Lin
coln architects, the house repre
sents the latest of modern styles
of architecture.
The living room is done in
shades of beige, blight yellow,
deep red and aqua. Leather
furniture is used throughout. The
i drapes on the large windows and
glass doors are a hand blocked
print repeating the7 color scheme.
Walls in the living room and
hall are in a suit aqua. The slab
doors and woodwork are bleach
ed, which is the woodwork fin
ish used for the entire house.
Kirrplacr.
A fireplace faced with pinkish
beige marble is the center of in
terest on one living room wall.
The Delta Tau Delta crest will
be added to the marble above the
fireplace.
The halls on th second floor
are covered with cork tiles to
reduce noise. Spacious two-man
study rooms open off the hall.
The stairway is yellow with
green and yellow print drapes
from the ceiling to the floor.
Yellow and green is repeated in
the basement dining room.
The exterior of the house is
buff face brick with panels of
stained mahogany above the
main entrance and French doors
on the side entrance. The general
structural lines are horizontal
witl. a flat roof that will be used
for dancing.
US Students May
Study in Sweden
A Swedish student exr!,unRC
may be established fur Ameri
can students familiar with the
Swedish lanuaie Dr. d. W.
Rosenlof. Director of Admis
sions, reported.
Although graduate students
are preferred, all interested stu
dents should contact Dr. Rosen
lof immediately.
gations to the Secretary of the
Treasury. Ircy scored another
bullseyc!
There are several other "bio
graphies of the great" in The
Giant Killers. If you would know
how men build questionable for
tunes of fabulous proportions
and how Uncle Sam trips them
up you should find that an eve
ning spent with this little volume
will be profitable. Your book re
viewer lists this as recommended
reading.
Wilcox
141
a I
X. f
yV J ' 1
v , ' '''' " r4fV. ,
OPERATORS AT WORK One of the busiest spots on campus
is the University exchange switch board, shown above. The ex
change is located in the Administration building, and handles all
incoming calls for University offices.
Automatic 'Ameches9
Edge 'Num ber Pleeze 9
By Glenn Rosenquist
At the end of the hall on the
second f oor of the Administra
tion buil ling r an obscure little
10 x 12 cubb- hole which con
tains an eiurmous metal box
covered with a maze of plugs,
lights, cords, and switches.
The room is the main tele
phone office, and the box is the
switchboard which handles much
of the business of a giant Uni
versity. Hour after hour the operators
sit here cooing into the headsets
the two standard expressions:
"University . . . thank you."
Sometimes they will add "That
line is busy."
In this room 050 telephones are
integrated. Twenty-five main
trunk lines serve these exten
sions, of which 500 are on the
city campus and 150 on Ag
campus.
Automatic Exchange
Two years ago a new P.A.X.
(Private Automatic Exchange)
system was installed by the Uni
versity. Under the new systerr
intcr-campus and outgoing calls
are handled automatically, but
all incoming calls must be taken
via operator.
This exchange is Lincoln's
largest. The Burlington exchange,
in second place, has only 123
private extensions.
The operators are often riel-
Bishop's Dinner
Reservations Due
Bishop Gerald R. Kennedy
will speak to an informal gather
ing of Methodist studeVits at the
St. Paul Methodist church sup
per Sunday evening. Feb. 2K.
Reservations can be made by
contacting Kappa Phi, Sigma
Theta Epsilon, or Methodist Stu
dent House members, before Fri
day noon, Feb. 24.
Bishop Kennedy is a former
pastor of St. Paul Methodist
church. He now directs Metho
dist activities in Washington,
Oregon, Idaho and Alaska.
The former Lincoln minister
will speak at a Lenten service
in the same churcn loiiowmg me
Methodist student supper. The
1 public is invited to the service.
I Lincoln residents were aided
I bv the Bishop's participation
during his residence here and
promotion of many activities
such as the YMCA, Lincoln
Chamber of Commerce and Ki
wanis club.
"Have This Mind" and "His
Word Through Preaching" tell
tell the pastor's ideas and be
liefs of religion. One of his arti
cles was printed in The Reader's
Digest in 194G.
German Students
Ask for Pen Pals
Anyone want a pen friend''
Students at Georg-Aucust Uni
versity in Gottingen, Germany,
have written the student coun
cil asking for correspondents.
Those interested should con
tact the Student Council office
in Union room 305, giving the
following information: name, age
interests, studies at the Univer
sity, and whether the student
wants the correspondence carried
on in English or not.
Thus can a German pen pal be
obtained.
The German students can
write either German or English,
so monolingtiists should not be
discouraged. It is an excellent
opportunity for University stu
dents having trouble in their
German classes They can sim
ply send their homework off to
Germany.
Nl' Rulletin
Board
Thursday
A-uiaquettrs meets Thursday
at 7:15 p in. in t'e Coliseum.
Theta Nu meets 5 p.m. Thurs
day on third floor Bessey hall.
Block and Bridle meets Thurs
day at 7:15 p.m. in the Ag Un
ion. Sirma Tail ooenint meetini'
Thursday in Parlors X, Y and Z
of the Union.
I'nivrrsltv Dm meet Thurs
day ft 8 p.m. in rllen Smi"' hall.
YVt'CA comrritt-es fnr Thurs
Hdv; cmo couiifel'ng 3 p.m. pub
licity 4 p.m., senior commission
4 p m., intercultural 4 p.m., per
sonal values on campus 5 p.m.,
conference co-op 5 p.m., mem
bership team D 5 p.m.
IVCF philosophy ,i miliar, 101A
SS: regular meeting, 7:30 p.m.;
315 Union.
Friday
Ag College Country Dancers
to hold a regular meeting for
members at 7 p.m. in the Ag Ac
tivities building.
Saturday
Ag College Country Dancers
will hold an all-University
square dance from 8:30 to 11:30
p.m. in the Ag Activities build
in?. Free will collection will be
taken.
;i try lerawerassi
uged with information calls. Peo
ple calling in expect the opera
tor on duty to know everything
about the University. When they
call the operator, they often don't
realize that they are connected
with the main telephone office,
and not the very department
they want. They rattle off their
whole story to the operators, who
rarely get a word in edgewise.
Strange Callers
People call in about some
funny things!
One woman had caught a
snake in her basement and fran
tically called the University, ex
plaining to the operator her
plight. When connected to the
right department, she related in
detail what it looked like, asked
if it was poisonous, and was
greatly concerned because she
was sure that there were many
more down in her cellar just like
it.
There are calls all seasons of
the year to ask about bugs,
worms, butterflies, and other in
sects. The operators, after con
necting them with the entomol
ogy department, hear snatches of
the conversations: . . . it's about
one inch long and has a pointed
tail with two deals on its wings
. . . I found it on my rosebush
. . . have it in a jar . . . black
wart between its eyes . . . jumps
like a frog. . . ."
People want to know what the
best thing to feed cats is to make
them catch rats. They ask the
operator if she is the horse barn.
They want to know how late a
certain professor stays in his of
fice. Keep Job Interesting
But the operators admit that
it is incidents like these which
keep the job interesting.
Next to the telephone office is
the machinery room, which is
full of metal boxes, wires, and
condensers. These rattle inces
santly as connections are being
marie. This room is actually the
headquarters for the telephone
system, as here are the intricate
mechanisms which make the
telephone system run.
Of the five operators. Fern Fin
' r.ell. Bertha Price, and Evelvn
I Bell work the day shift from 7: IS
i a. m. to 5 p. m. Ada Patton make
the connections from 5 until
! 11:30 p.m., and Rubv Palm
takes the early 11:30 to 7:15
shift.
One of the busiest lines, say
the operators, is Student Health,
which gets more than its share
of calls. Another is The Dailv
Nebraskan office, which has
three telephones, all of them
running most of the time.
Busy Line Scratches
How do the operators know if
a line is busy'.' There is no vis
ible way of telling if the outlet
is making an interrampus call.
Therefore the operator must test
the connection. If she hears a
scratching sound, the line is
busy.
This whole process of finding
busy lines may sound primitive,
but actually the women are ex
pert at detecting them.
Between calls the opera tort
try to talk to each other. They
are used to having their conver
sations drag over quite a long
time because they must interrupt
them to handle incoming calls.
Then sometimes for several
minutes there will be no calls
at all, and the operators can re
lax The busiest hours, according to
chief opei.itor Miss Finnell, are
usually between 11 and 12 a.m.
and between four and five p. m.
Phone traffic cuts down quite a
bit over the noon hour, and there
are few night calls, though an
operator stays on duty all night.
Operator Spots Trouble
The night watchmen report lo
the night operator every half
hour and she directs them to
souices of trouble on the cam
pus. This may come as a surprise
to students who think that the
night watchmen wander around
the campus aimlessly at night,
tinriniK offenders accidentally.
People call the night operator
when in trouble and she sends
the watchman to the scene. Peo
ple often lock themselves in
then- offices ;it night and a re
porting nlijht watchman mu.t bo
sent to let them out.
Quite a few lonr; distance nil's
are handled hv the telephone of
fice. Calls come in from all o"rr
the country, and calls frerucntly
go out all over the country.
f!em..r'-c Nunilr-s
If someone calls the University
and asks for Professo- Jones,
usually the operator wi 1 kr.uvv
the number by heart and imme
diately make the connection. But
they keep a facui.y directory
within reach to look up numbe-i
which they have not memorized.
Ag colleRe numbers all berin
with seven, and must be dialed
oy the main station operator,
ihere arc seven trunk lines be
tween the two cammice-
Operat-iis' xt peeve con-erm
w- vvhe Elvig a num.
oer let their voices drop on tht
lnsl dK't. They mananp, f,nW.
pver, to survive the busy life.
And, ironically, over on a little
I table by the window is the te'e-
phone office's private telephone.