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
