Tuesday, July 26, 1949
TT
J. HL
DAILY NEBRASKAN
FAGE 3
Rugged Individuals Wear
Short Hair, It Says Here
'Short hair, so common among
modern college girls, was once
not so generally accepted. Back
in 1891 the first bobbed-haired
girl entered the university where
she was thought of as "different."
A conspicuous person in those
days, Willa Cather seemed to
thrive on this individualism long
before she became famous as the
author of "My Antonia," "One of
Ours," "Death Comes for the
Archbishop' and many other
books. As a matter of fact, she
grew into a very conservative
author, with a little regret for
her colorful school days.
"BILLY" Cather came to school
still a little sorry that she wasn't
a boy. The next best thing, as
far as she was concerned, was to
dress as much as possible like
one. Her hair was clipped short
and parted sometimes on one
side, or worn on other occasions
in a pompadour "like a prize
fighter." She wore a box coat
with mannish lapels, high collars
fastened up under the chin, and
a man's shirt even in the days
before the fashion of the "shirt
waist." It was not a fad then. Golf
for women had not yet become
universal and the excuse of the
inconvenience of skirts and long
hair on motor and camping trips
had not yet been invented. Small
cloche-shaped hats of the 1920's
were not in fashion then photo
graphs show the larger "merry
widow" type. But Willa Cather
wore instead a straw sailor after
the type of a man's hat, or in
winter, one on the same style, but
of different material.
TO MISS CATHER, it was not
the style, then, nor the fact that
"everybody's doing it." For they
weren't. No one else dreamed of
doing anything of the sort. But
she had always gone in for boy's
sports horseback, and the like
and she wanted to dress the part.
It was a personal desire that
prompted the introduction of
such a style of dress.
"Willa followed her own in
clinations, anyway," a schoolmate
of Miss Cather's said, "and she
didn't care much what other
folks said or thought. She was
always a little eccentric, but as
she grew and went through
school, her notions seemed to
change, and she became more like
other girls."
ANOTHER schoolmate spoke
of her close-cropped hair, which
just showed under the narrow
brim of her stiff hat, remarking
that she was the only girl in
school who had clipped her hair
at that time. "During her senior
year, she used to curl her hair,
but until then she wore it
straight. It was too short to
curl."
Both friends remarked that she
lived to regret her extreme inde
pendence, saying that as she was
more in the public eye, she grew
less daring."
Her writing was giving her
considerable trouble during her
University days, for people
"pooh-poohed" the work she did.
Time and again she told her
friend Dr. J. T. Tyndale that she
wanted to go home. Her stories,
essays and poems are, however,
spread over the pages of the
"Hesperian Student," a monthly
pamphlet-form publication, and
of "The Sombrero," the annual
of the early days predecessor
of "The Cornhusker."
GREEK was the principal study,
and Miss Cather shone in the
study of the ancient language.
"Billy Cather" had a fondness for
writing satire, and, in ridiculing
certain ones in university courses,
wrote sarcastic parodies on fa
mous works. With Dorothy Can
field, then a teen-age prep stu
dent, she wrote several short se
lections. During her junior year she was
managng editor of the "Herperian
Student," which was at that time
made up of miscellanies, locals,
and personals about students and
faculty, and a page of editorials,
with the rest largely given over
to the literary department. The
first semester, when she was lit
erary editor, many of her first
works appear some of them signed
with her initials, and some as
anonymous ones, which might
easily have been written by the
editor of the department.
DURING the semester of the
managing editorship of "W.
Cather" as her name is used on
the first sheet of each issue, a
new page appeared. It was la
beled, "No to Be Read," and was
made up of jokes, humorous jin
gles, and an occasional hit on
some faculty member or student.
Near the end of the year ap
pears a poem, which may be a
reflection of the masculinity of
the staff for girls were; except
for Miss Cather, only literary edi
tors or may be a reflection of
Miss Cather'.1; humor. Perhaps in
deed it is an accidental pun:
When ycu write a merry jest,
Cut it short
It will be too long at best,
Cut it short.
Life is brief and full of care
Editors don't like to swear
Treat your poem like your hair,
Cut it short.
Union Calendar
LUTHERAN Student Associ
ation will meet Tuesday, July 26
at 5:30 at the Lutheran Student
House, 1440 Q.
Alice Otterness will speak on
"The Significance of Christian
Fellowship."
Frank Nicholas (Bull) Adduci
sophomore aspirant to the Uni
versity of Nebraska fullbacking
job, is keeping in shape this sum
mer by digging graves for a Chi
cago cemetery, he reports in a let
ter to Coach Bill Glassford.
Darwin Salestrom is working
as a lifeguard at St. Edward.
Salestrom played a guard posi
tion in spring football.
Ken Fischer, a quarterback
in construction work, presently
engaged in building the Albion
hospital.
"A Gooo Teackers Agency'
DAVIS
SCHOOL at KYI vt
Established 191 tervinr; the Missouri
Villey to the West Co Enroll AJetr.
52t Stvart ftida., Lincoln t, Nebraska
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really Milder, much Milder."
CAPTAIN OF
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