Page 2
The Daily Nebraskan
Monday, October 9, 1961
EDITORIAL OPINION I
3
2
1 s
Compulsory ROTC Fate:
A Future or a Flop?
" After an extensive study of the Reserve Officers
Training Corps (ROTC) programs, on this program,
especially in view of the national picture, we feel a
revolution is in its early stages pertaining to the ques
tion of compulsory ROTC at NU.
What are the arguments for and against compul
sory military training? How Important to national de
fense is the collegiate ROTC basic training? We have
attempted to answer these and other questons in oar
recent series of articles. Perhaps it Is Important that we
urn op our own situation.
As the ROTC program stands today, each physically
qualified male entering the Uninversity without prior
military experience is required to enroll for two years
in some phase of the ROTC. When we stop to consider
what we have, figures may astound us. Nearly the en
tire freshman and sophomore male classes are affected.
Bask to all questions that may arise is one of logical
reasoning: Who would venture to guess that each student
forced to enter the program is so interested that he ac
tually enjoys being a cadet and in turn does a good
Job. Certainly not us. No personnel manager would hire
a person for his business if this particular Individual
had tko interest, desire or serious intent in the firm. Yet,
- like it or not, nearly each qualified male on this campus
its through four semesters of military classes and
marches in parade after parade for two years.
We have taken note of the pro-compulsory ROTC
argument that such training is valuable to the cadet
who drops out of the program after his two years are
. up and later goes into the service as an enlistee. We
question this premise. There are few military experi
enced people alive today who will not tell you that what
the basic' cadet learns in two years, the enlistee learns
In 10 weeks.
With this In mind we wonder at the merits of pushing
student through two years of boredom and drudgery
when he will learn the same things again in one-twelfth
ef the time when he enlists or is draftted. This ' same
indent should be using his time taking courses in
his field ef study; an area where he is Interested and
where he can put forth bis concentrated efforts.
If the compulsory ROTC program were to drop on
this campus, we do not feel the purpose of ROTC would
be lost. Rather, the advanced program would be en
hanced. We venture to say that the opportunities afford
ed by the advanced program would seem more attractive
to the average male student and not a "mickey mouse"
program that "I have to take." A competitive situation
could reasonably arise among the sophomore students
allowing the ROTC administrators to choose only those
cadets who best fill the requirements of an officer.
We do not expect the compulsory program dropped
on this campus as it was at Michigan State, Arizona :
State, Wisconsin, Rutgers, and Bucknell via student or
faculty protest. However, recent changes in the basic
programs lead us to believe compulsory ROTC is on Its
way out. Cadets have been allowed to substitute courses
In all three service programs. This action may be only
the beginning.
We can not pinpoint the exact date of compulsory
ROTC's death. We only know it is envitable. A good
business with satisfied personnel doing a good job is
better than a business cluuttered with both interested
and bored employees accomplishing the same task.
Talent Show Warranted
But Should Shoot Straight
The Student Union is again sponsoring the All-University
Talent show in the near future but with a some
what different approach.
In the past this event has displayed some of the
best campus entertainers in order to make the general
response a good one. The evidence lies in the heavily
attended performances.
However, there is a misconception which should
be cleared up before the entertainers and the public
rise as one to applaud the talent show. Performers in
the past two years have agreed to spend several hours
rehearsing and practicing to put on a good show with
the promise of a good chance of attending a Big Eight
,, talent show. However, for the past two years this promise
was not carried out. Last year there . was no Big
Eight talent show hence, no Uninversity of Nebraska
delegation.
We do not intend to blame the Union entirely for
this unsupported rumor. It is our hope that the show
will again draw the same caliber of performers as it
has in the past. Perhaps this year, however, those who
put their time and effort Into the show will not be
working under the false assumption of a chance for big
ger and better things even though there are attempts
to revive the Big Eight extravaganza.
(By courtesy Omiha
Daily Nebraskan
Member Associated Collegiate Press, International Press
Representative: National Advertistat Service, Incorporated
Published at: Room 81, Student Union, Lincoln, Nebraska.
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EDITORIAL STAFF
Cdltor Norm Rcatty
MeaaarlKjt Bdltor A.... .OrMehen fchrliherc
tim Eifltor Ana Moyer
rl ports Editor Dare Wohlfarth
Ax News editor Cloyd Clark
Copy Editors- Eleanor Blllinis. Lonlse Holbert, im Forrest
Nlsiit News Editor Jim Forrest
Staff ttrtteri Nancy Wkltford, dan Back
Junior Staff Writers Tom Kotooe, Bob Nye. Mike MaeLean, Sue Hovtk
Staff Photofraphar. Paul Ueasley
BUSINKSS STAFF
Buslneoa Manager Doa Ferrusoa
Assistant Business Manafera John Zellhiirf, BUI Onnllcks,
Bob Cuanlnahaos
Circulation Maaaier ....Jim 1 roster
VOUfc BETTER BE CAREFUL.
VQU MI6HT OFFEND WAV
Hi
I
SORE. HE MI6HT REALLV
if
A BLOCKHEAD
World-Herald)
tae aoat oince la uneoia, neeraaaa,
Monday, Tseedat. Wednesday and Frt-
vacations aad tiun aertnds. he
ander aathorliatlea at the Committee K
rm
s
(American People Unlike
Conscious of
ERIC SEVAREID
i New York We are see
1 lng the end of our adoles
I cence. In its reincarnation
as guardian, advisor and
donor to half the world, the
united
States is
emergi n g
from its
teens. A
i certain
glow begins
I to fade.
I The hard,
I Z t e y
thoughts of
I m a t urity
s take p o s-
Sevareid
I session and there is some
danger of the cynicism that
is itself immature.
In our relations with al
1 lied, neutral and client
s countries, we are like the
nan-boy, half-man who is
chagrined to learn that his
own best image of himself
is not really shared by oth
ers, that many he has
helped feel no particular
I gratitude nor even obliga
I tion and that some he has
3 trusted return the trust
only when the occasion
serves them.
1 We will persevere, no
doubt, learning that we can
I re-make very little of the
world in our own image,
losing many illusions about
I others and ourselves. But
1 one thing we dare not lose
I our essential confidence,
I now shaken under strong
1 assault from within and
I without. Every other con
's sequential country save
Russia and possibly China
I has already lost this. Not
one of them really knows
where it is going or how to
g get tnere.
In a profound sense the
I United States is alone in
I this world. Most Americans
who grasp this heart-fact
I have only recently grasped
it, as it has dawned upon
them that our major alli
s ance.may be pulled apart,
beginning with loss of faith
and will among the Ger-
mans; as they learn that
the neutrals are not going
s to be "won over" to our
side; as they learn that
bringing internal stability
to a long list of backward
g countries is a much more
s difficult, drawn out and ex-
I i
jfj: ill
pensive wsk man ever
faintly imagined by the ad
i visors who inserted that
paragraph called "Point
Four" in Mr. Truman's in
i augural speech of January.
I 1949.
I It is time we ceased
I clutching illusions to our
g breast. We have to let them
I go if our hands are to be
free. Some Were Of 8 SPlf.
. . . t
denigrating nature, in flnV
rtaca ' anH If mmkr v
" iu ue a
s yieubiue 10 lei mem go, a
I cource of greater confi
I dence. Such, at least, have
been my own sensations as
I various items of impedi
s ments sloughed off during
the two past years in Eur-
rope, Africa and Latin
America. A few may be
worth the mention:
Americans are material-
Kitf& of the beasts
Shakey World Status
istic. We are, in fact, as
furiously moralistic and
idealistic as any people left
on earth. We are swamped
by the materials, but their
simple possession fills no
hollow in our souls ' as it
seems to do with the
French. For pure money
'and possession lust, I think
I would put the black Afri
cans first.
We are status-ieekers.
The most iron-clad pecking
orders of my observance
exist among Africans and
Arabs. The average well-off
Latin American is so riven
by class and status that he
wants nothing to do with
the poor, even in his
thoughts. Some members of
my English shooting syndi
cate, which hunted on
Wednesdays, were young
businessmen who felt
obliged to demonstrate that
they could afford a mid
week day off, which they
could not. One stock broker
carried the "financial
Times" in his cartridge
case and consulted it be
tween flights of partridge.
America is a conformist
society. The reason for our
fantastic variety of our
manners, ambitions and de
sires. The true conformist
societies, of course, are the
primitive societies.
We have neglected Latin
America. The neglecters of
Latin America are Latin
Americans. Somewhere be
tween $5 and $10 billion
owned by Latin business
men is salted away in New
York, London and Swiss
banks, while their govern
ments demand grants and
soft currency loans from
us as a matter of ecclesi
astical right.
Europeans understand the
Communist threat more
clearly than we. Less clear
ly, if anything, because we
have to measure it in its
worldwide framework. Not
even the able British diplo
matic establishment pos
sesses Russian experts of
the eminence of Charles
Bohlen or George Kennan.
No European provincfal city
boasts a hard-working citi
zens group comparable to
the Foreign Policy Study
Gallery Exhibits
Hand Woven Art
The artistic work of 10 na
tionally known hand weavers
will be displayed in an exhi
bition sponsored by the Uni
versity Art Galleries and the
Lincoln Weavers Guild at
Morrill Hall.
The exhibition, which
opened yesterday, includes
row. wall hangings, yardage
and drapery materials, . all
woven by hand.
Norman Keske, director of
the Art Galleries, said this
fourth annual exhibition dif
fers from the previous shows
in that this year all exhibiting
is by invitation only. In the
past, the exhibitions have
been juried competitions.
Europeans;
organization in Cleveland
or in a dozen other Ameri
can towns. No academic
centers of Russian study in
Europe are superior to
those at Harvard or Colum
bia. America is too impatient.
We have been, in my own
reluctant judgment, far too
jjancm, wiui auies, neu
trals and clients alike. This
has won us no affection
and now is losing us re
spect. Goodness without power
is impotent in this world.
Power itself is impotent
when there is no belief in
the will to use it, if need be.
(DUtr.
1961, by The Hall Synd.. Inc.)
(All RUhts Reserved)
tiii!
V-Y
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Admittedly, our standards are high at Western
Electric. But engineering graduates who can
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gin their careers at one of the best times in the
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As we enter a new era of communications,
Western Electric engineers are carrying for
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telephony from electronic devices to high-speed
sound transmission. And, in the management
category alone, several thousand supervisory
jobs will be available to W.E. people within
the next 10 years. Many of these new man
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Now's the time for you to start thinking
seriously about the general work area that
Interests you at Western Electric, the manufac
turing and supply unit of the Bell Telephone
System. Then when our representative comes
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After a man joins Western Electric, he will
Principal manufacturing locations it Chicago, lll.i Kearny, N. l.j Baltimore. Md i lndlannn. i-- ... . . , a.
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bution centers in S3 cities and intaiitinn
Letterip
'...- v.iimiL.m mm nnbllsh
ere tla? EttSrl !h."d nof exceed
writers views.
Tassels, ROTC,
Columnist Observed
Dear Editor:
After reading Monday's
rag, a few observations
seem, in order.
You urge the Tassels not
to tackle the terrible task
of resuscitating dead pa
rades. "Tradition," you say,
is their appeal. Tradition, .
friend, is tried and true in
many areas. But why
should the gleeful gals try
to revive the corpse of cus
tom after it was so sadly
(and embarrassingly) bur
ied several semesters ago?
Those many words Scribe
Eric Sevareid devoted to
Dag Hammarskjold's untime
ly demise and the Congo's
albatross, its tribal tangles,
were sparkling gems. Not
once in Monday's punitry
did Sevareid mention Amer
ican Indians. Nevertheless
his portrayal of the cause
of the Congo's troubles
fierce and sometimes fa
natic tribal clashes re
minded me of the welter of
American Indian tribes in
pre-U.S.. Cavalry days. At
tempts to unify them would
no doubt have failed miser
ably. What with "draftee's"
windy views, Student Coun
cil cogitations and Mauld-.
in's "vapor trail" cartoon,
your Rag almost needed a
mniirnincf hanrl
But then I chanced upon
Cloyd Clark's efforts to
rO, Knffoln ctrace Via WOC
S1UVV UU11CUV glUUO. JL.V " J
sowing his sentences mighty
fine and his grammar crop
was growing to glorious
heights. But then he stum
bled over his "Chips".
Quoth Cloyd: "It would
be self-sustaining as far as
fiances were concerned."
Fellow moneyless males:
wouldn't it be grand to be
some financially self-sustaining
sorority girl's fi
ance? Roger Wait
ROTC Series
Questioned by Vet
To the Editor:
Never in my life have I
been subjected to such a
rhetorical tripe as I was in
reading your article.
ROTC, A Draftee's Views.
What I have seen and ex
perienced of ROTC has
only strengthened my feel
ings that this organization
serves only to make the
i
1 1
find many programs that will aid him in explor
ing the exciting course of his career -whifc
advancing just as fast as his abilities allow.
And he'll be secure in the knowledge that ht
is growing with a company dedicated to help
ing America set the pace in improving commu
nications for a rapidly growing world. -
Challenging opportunities txiil now at Western
electric for electrical, mechanical, induttrial, and chemi
cal engineer., at well at physical science, liberal arts,
and butinett maon. All qualified applicant! will re
ceive careful comlderation for employment without
regard to race, creed, color or national origin. For mora
information about Western llectrie, writ College elo
llont. Western Electric Company, Room 6106, 721
Broadway, New York 38, New York. And be ture to
rrang. for a Weitern Electric Interview when out
collegp repretentotlvet visit your campus.
"""""' "
b..,,,!.,, i. i
,.arfna,i.,. i. ik ,!..-,...-...""
' "' neaaquarters,
only those letters which are slrm-d.
S00 nprds. When letter, eweea this
average entering of sopho
more student-formerly eag
er to do his bit shy away
in semi-disgust from a 1 1
things military.
I grant you; ROTC does
supply a large percentage
of our army's officers but
it is not ROTC which really
trains these men. What
really trains these men is
90 tough days in officers
boot camp. A commission
involves responsibilities
and leaderships not even
hinted at in ROTC.
A ROTC man entering
service is still a babe in
arms and is very nearly to
tally unfit to cope with mil
itary reality. That is, lead
ing men, many of whom
are only too happy to
block their officers in any
way possible, providing, of
course, that their own
stripes are secure. Officers
are not going to be loved
and protected by their men.
ROTC is fine for those
who desire to take it. But
to make it compulsory is
desire to take "training" in
ROTC will supply rough
"90-day wonders" for Ar
my needs.
In case there is any ques
tions as to basis, I claim
not only my own four years
in the service but also the
united opinions of any vets
on this or any other cam
pus. James Taylor
'Morality' Letter
fT , r-
sJUUCI s. SI Sv
Dear Editor:
In the September 26 Let
terip column, Moreen Mor
ality attacked the stand of
the Panhellenic Board with
reference to restrictions
upon the University Co-ed.
Miss Morality's letter is ex
tremely well taken, and, al
though several of her anal
ogies and similies are vague
if not inappropriate she
seems to have hit the metal
fastener directly on its
apex.
It has been my experi
ence that you cannot "leg
islate" morality with any
more success than you can
legislate honesty. The only
function this particular reg
ulation serves is to pro
long adolescence beyond all
reasonable limits in the
hope that any particular
problem which may arise
will do so at such time as
the individual is no longer
(Continued on page 4)
!''
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1
Western EkctriCj
TAT
ioem J w o
r r i i
tNC siu mtiM
K0C' ' Also Western Electric i
'so western tiectnc ois"i-
155 Broadway. New York 7. N.
Y.
