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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 15, 1944)
8 THE NEBRASKAN Friday, December 15, 1944 LETTERIP To the Editor: Once again, the grim spectre of peacetime con scription has appeared on the American scene. Proponents of conscription, speaking through the influential Citizens Committee for Universal Mili tary Training, are seeking to establish conscrip tion as a permanent part of the training of Amer ican youth. Support of the secretary of war and the chief of staff is claimed by the committee And now, the President has asked Congress for conscription. Men of reason everywhere are asking why peacetime conscription? Reflection on the conse quences of such an action reveals that our allies would be given sound and immediate reason to doubt our intentions. It would imply that we do not trust our present allies, and are preparing to ready ourselves for an attack upon any of them. Yet advocates of conscription advance two seem ingly logical arguments for its continuation in peacetime. It will, they maintain, ameliorate the condition of physical fitness of the nation's young men. The shocking state of physical unfitness, as revealed by the present draft, must, they cry, be remedied by universal manhood training. This is indeed ridiculous. How can conscription repair the organic disabilities contracted in infancy and early childhood through disease or malnutrition? The medical division of selective service has itself stated that unless begun in the early school years, the raising of physical fitness is impossible. The second reason offered by advocates of con scription is that military service teaches discipline. Concerning this fallacy, the Christian Century writes: "The discipline of the drill sergeant is not the self-discipline of democracy. Military dis cipline provides excellent training for citizenship in a totalitarian society. It does not prepare men for the responsibilities of an order in which they must think lor themselves, in which they must exercise freedom of choice and initiative of action. Conscription, unavoidable in time of war, is repugnant to peactime America." He who urges peactime conscription should ask himself two questions. Who is going to pay the staggering costs necessitated by such a program? Against whom are we preparing to fight a third world war? Wallace Becker. V . . . - Mail Clippings Pat Chamberlin, Censor Letterip Ensign DOROTHY JEAN BROWN, former book keeper of the Union and member of the "Union union," was recently back on campus from the navy supply school at Radcliffe university. Ll. "RUSTY" SWANSON, another Union union man and well known for his glass-breaking process in tne grill, is stationed at the Lincoln Air Base awaiting assignment. He is an aerial navigator. Flight Officer BOB. TEGT, Phi Psi, is now stationed at the Lincoln Air Base awaiting assignment to a flight crew. The Phi Psis want it noted that they see little of Bob, as he spends most of his time at the Pi Phi house with Kathy Legge. Capt. WAYNE M. WIEGERT, of Law renceburg, Ind., is entitled to wear the Distinguished Unit Badge, mark of high est citation awarded units of the AAF. Capt. Weigert is a squadron engineering officer of a B-26 Marauder bomber group in the Mediterranean theater. Pvt LEO CORNELIUS is attending the dental technicians' school at William Beau mont General Hospital in El Paso, Tex. "MARV" ATHEY, Dleta Upsilon, has received a commission as second lieutenant from Hondo Army Air Field, Hondo, Tex. MERLE E. WARD has been promoted from the rank of first lieutenant to captain "somewhere in Germany," where he is serving as assistant corps anti-tank officer. Captain Ward has been oxer seas 23 months and has covered England, France, and now Germany. Maj. JACK A. MARQUARDT writes that he really enjoys the service men's edition in France where he is stationed. He has run into Capt. "WHITIE" REED, who is with a special services section, and Lt. "BILL" ANDRESOX, who is await ing assignment after leaving the Rangers. To the Editor: The conduct of the student body in the crib is definitely be Thev are turning into rather morbid characters, de scribed as "swing babies or "lounge lizards." Lying around the crib, dousing lipstick stained "fnce" in clnssps and dishes in stead of the proper receptacles is merely one example ot grave so cial negligence. The desire to make intricate designs of straws and napkins is indeed a constructive livelihood for those who have something important to convey to their guest or just the beast in man to be doing something destructive, few know that the initial use of a straw is to sip your beverage through. The waiters often find them selves prostrate upon the floor, either from a stray foot draped casuallv in the aisle or by an abruot stop, brought upon by a very" emphatic "jerk" (if you'll pardon the phrase) on his coat tail. ' nurine rush neriods when the crib is noisy, the conscientious waiter bends slightly forward to make sure the order is prop erly taken. He is either greeted with a fog of smoke or a rapid jumble of words to this effect: Pack o Lucks, sack of planters, green river no ice, not very hungry today." To quote one waiter, "They are darned (pardon the spelling) dis gusting to wait on." This situation could De greauy improved by more co-operation fmm the student body. We all know what the help situation is at present and consequently should not expect prewar service. Darrell Brown. Newman Group Has Annual Party The Newman club is holding their annual Christmas party Sunday from 4 to 6 p. , m. in rooms XYZ of the Union. All Catholic students are urged to at tend. Mass will be at 11 a. m. in parlors XYZ of the Student Union. The Methodist church is hold ing their anual Christmas wor ship at 6:30 in St. Paul's church. The regular fellowship lunch and program will be at 5:30. m it The Ideal Christmas Gift A DIAMOND Boyd Jewelry Co. 1144 0 St a ..Hi' -"- w&jwSf M mexxe X 1 w Im&0M J i Mr. r