Friday, December 12, 1947
THE DAILY NEBRASKAN
Page 3
I
Destruction of Lincoln's
Papers Upheld by Poet
By FRAN SMITH
Carl Sandberg, Pulitzer prize
winner for poetry and noted Lin
coln biographer, stated m an in
terview Monday that Abraham
Lincoln's son, Robert Lincoln,
held back only the very personal
letters of those recently disclosed,
and that he had every right to
do so.
According to Mr. Sandberg
these papers added nothing new
to the portrait of Lincoln himself.
They did give a more clear pic
ture of the people of that time
their thoughts and lingo. A let
ter in the collection from an Ore
gon cousin of the President, al
though illiterate and unpunctu
ated, is indicative of his people
I S S Delegate
Describes
Paris in '47
By MARCELLA SLAJCHERT
The seriousness of our sum
mer's undertaking was impressed
upon us from the minute we
docked at Le Havre harbor. Half
sunken ships were still on their
bellies, protruding through the
gray dawn that greeted us as we
walked down the gangplanks of
the Marine Tiger. "Welcome U. S.
Army" signs were still hanging
in the customs inspection office,
an ex-army reception center.
By evening on the Fourth of
July we had been received in
Paris by the French ISS commit
tee, quartered' at the Hotel Ob
servacion at the Cite Universi
taire, and briefed on the labor
situation in France. Strikes had
crippled transportation facilities
and the delegation to Italy would
have to remain in Paris until
things cleared up.
History Comei to Life
All the history we'd ever
learned from books suddenly
came to life... the Pantheon, a
magnificent monument which
serves as a last resting place for
some of the greatest men of
France Rousseau, Voltaire, Victor-Hugo,
Zola the Sacre-Coeur,
old church of St. Pierre . . . Notre
Dame . . . the Eiffel Tower . . . the
tomb of the Unknown Soldier . . .
the famous cafes in the Mont
parnasse which Lenin once fre
quented. What we might expect to find
in Europe was best described by
Walter Laves, deputy director
general of UNRRA in Paris, at a
reception for us held at UNESCO
headquarters. Said Mr. Laves:
"First of all, let it be under
stood that UNESCO is not a
monument, nor a world center
for the mere collection of statis
tics. It is a part of the United
Nations, and it is in this behalf
that we welcome you into our
midst. Our job is to be concerned
24 hours a day with the rather in
tangible problem of international
understanding, and to stimulate
the mental processes of the peo
ple back home to the realities
which exist over here . . . that's
where you come in.
Aftermath of War
"It is surprising to view the
unanimity with which people
view the effects of war, and the
lack of unanimity with which
these same people prepare to do
something about it . . . chances
for solving our problems by
agreement now look slim because
we no longer trust each other.
"Bear in mind that as Ameri
cans, you will be suspect over
here. You'll live in a real, grim
fashion. You'll be misquoted
(how true!) and words will be
twisted right out of your mouth.
Peple will point to you as part
of the Truman and Marshall plan
even now you're being looked
upon as the youthful ambassadors
of America.
"People here are tired, on edge,
and they'll pounce n vou when
you least expect them. But over
and above it all, understand that
their lack of confidence in you is
but a reflection of their lack of
confidence in each other."
Two days and a hectic train
ride later, we had crossed the
French border line into Italy and
made our first stop at a Jewish
DP student camp in Turin.
and sheds much light on the
character of Lincoln.
In regard to the UN the au
thor said, "There is, generally, a
fine understanding over the coun
try that as long as the United
Nations structure stands there is
hope." Americans can no longer
say that the world outside the
United States is none of our busi
ness. Although there is not one
world politically, there is one
world in transportation and com
munication. In connection with a possible
World War III, he stated that
there is now an atomic bomb
1,000 times more deadly in the
spread of radioactivity than the
one used in World War II. How
ever, if there is not a war in the
next forty or fifty years, he be
lieves that the scientist will have
made such gains that there will
be no wars.
Sandberg's popularity in Ne
braska has been enhanced by his
book of free verse poems entitled
"Cornhuskers." Humorously, he
said, "There is corn in it from
start to finish, but not in the
modern conception of the word."
The friendly, white-haired au
thor is now working on an auto
biography of an imaginary bac
teriologist entitled "Fun and
Fungus," a humorous book up to
the final chapter which will deal
with bacterial warfare.
U N Student Named 4-H
Health Awards Winner
The University of Nebraska has
a health champion! He is 18 year
old James Harmon, freshman in
the college of agriculture, who
was named as one of the ten na
tional blue ribbon winners at the
National 4-H club congress held
in Chicago last week.
The Gretna 4-H worker had
previously been named health
champion of Nebraska at the
state fair in September for his
outstanding record in personal
health improvement and commu
nity health activities. As a result
he attended the National club
congress as a guest of the Ne
braska 4-H organization.
"Home Cooking"
Jim attributes his good health
to plenty of milk and "good home
cooking" and gives his mother
credit for impressing upon him
the value of good health. He has
always been careful to check his
diet to see that it was composed
of recommended foods. Take no
tice, home ec majors!
Active in community affairs,
Harmon served as president of
the junior farm bureau of Gretna.
He was instrumental in the suc
cess of many beneficial cam
paigns such as: Tuberculosis
Christmas Seals, Cancer Fund and
the March of Dimes. Jim partici
pated in the AUF drive on cam-
iVaiS - f
pus this year and volunteered to
be a blood donor.
When DDT was first introduced
some years back, Jim's club took
part in demonstrations and he
personally wrote the school board
suggesting its use for sanitation
purposes in the Gretna high
school. Following up his words
with action, he and his father and
brothers sprayed their bams,
chicken houses and other live
stock facilities.
Difficulties
Jim's life has not been a bed of
roses in regards to health. He has
undergone three operations, one
for curvature of the spine which
put him under the care of an or
thopedic surgeon for a year. At
the aee of 12. hp was onerated on
to correct an injury which was
causing nis nana to snrinK ana,
nnlv rpppntlv went tVimnerVi an-
other operation to remove polyps
wnicn were ODstrucung nis nasal
passages.
The health champ lives with his
parents and two brothers on a 320
acre farm in Sarpy county near
Gretna. His brothers ar also ac
tive in health improvement, for
mey piacea among tne top six
contestants in the county contest.
Jim went on to win the state con
test and finally to top honors with
a blue ribbon in the national contest.
Hiq II. 5. Air Force offers yea
one year after graduation
That's what you can earn after completing
one year of pilot training and winning your wings
in the Air Force.
It is a good deal from the 6tart. While you're
an Aviation Cadet you draw $75 per month, plus
food,, quarters, uniforms, medical and dental
care. After successfully finishing the course, you
are commissioned a Second Lieutenant, Air Force
Reserve, and assigned to active duty with the
Air Force at $336 a month (including flight pay),
with excellent chances for further increases as
promotions come through.
In addition, you get an extra $500 for each
year of active duty, and will be given a chance to
compete for a commission in the Regular Air
Force if you are interested in a service career.
This opportunity, which cannot be duplicated
anywhere else at any price, equips men for well
paid, responsible positions throughout the avia
tion industry, at high pay from the beginning. It
is open to you if you're single, between 20 and
264 years old, and have completed at least one
half the requirements for a degree from an
accredited college or university (or pass an exami
nation measuring the equivalent). Ask for
details at your U. S. Army and U. S. Air Force
Recruiting Station, or write to Headquarters,
U. S. Air Force, Attention : Aviation Cadet Section,
Washington 25, D. C.
U. S. ARMY AND U. S. AIR FORCE RECRUITING SERVICE
NOTE: If you were awaiting assignment or
taking training when the Aviation Cadet program
wan cut back in 1944-45, you can re-qualify simply
by passing the physical examination, provided you
meet the other requirements listed above. Write for
information to Headquarters, U. S. Air Force, Atten
tion: Aviation Cadet Section, Washington 25, D. C.