Page 2
THE NEBRASKAN
Tuesday, April 27, 1954
EDITORIAL PAGE
Sincerity . . . The Necessary Element
Witnessed over the weekend was an
ovent which would be well taken by Uni
versity students, especially AUF members.
Oyer KMTV Sunday from 2 a.m. to 2
8p.m. viewers in the Omaha TV area saw
television stars, telephone operators, stage
The Battle Ground
The battle of Dien Bien Phu which has
filled long columns of newspaper space for
several days has been called, "an agony of
conflict a testing ground between dictator
ship and freedom," by President Eisenhower.
This statement was made in an address by
the President in an informal speech at
Transylvania College in Kentucky.
crews, orchestra members and civic work
ers participate in an all-out soliciting cam
paign for the Cerebral Palsy Association.
Presented on the stage of the Paramount
Theater in Omaha, these people literally
knocked themselves out for subscriptions
that would help children crippled by cere
bral palsy. Omaha citizens and those from
the Omaha area telephoned or brought in
money and pledges which finally exceeded
$100,000. Many of the pledges were pre
sented by cerebral palsy victims themselves.
The manpower and showmanship was
entirely voluntary and the sincerity with
which these people threw themselves into
the canvassing was Inspiring.
They knew they were helping in a great
cause and because of this their pleas some-
The President's general remarks about "use ana because oi tm.
v.,- i rAnt. nartinnlnrlv mes TOOK on an almost ueapeiaw hoib.,
those about the surrounded French forces at
Hien Bien Phu seem to be a summation of
the feeling of many Americans. Almost all
the persons who read and listen to accounts
of the battle feel the desperateness of the
struggle. Should the French stronghold fall,
the Communists will have an even more ad
vantageous vantage point at the Geneva
conference, not to mention the effect the
defeat will have on the already hard pressed
French public.
However, on a more practical plane, the
President might have picked a better ex
ample of the battle between "dictatorship
and freedom."
More than a few persons who have fol
lowed the news about the attacks on Dien
Bien Phu have wondered how the fortress
has managed to hold out as long as it has.
They have also wondered at the statements
about the battle which carry the tone of
"If the fortress falls"; to them, the question
would be more logical if it were prefaced,
"when it falls."
The defense of the French bastion has
been heroic, gallant, wonderful, but seem
ingly hopeless. The only thing that kept
the fortress from being taken long ago was
the fact that the French were able to para
chute in supplies and men and able to
evacuate the wounded by 'copter flights.
Now, however, the parachuting missions
have become even more hectic with the
addition of several new Chinese anti-aircraft
batteries equipped with radar track
ing devices. The helicopter flights were
made impossible some time ago when Com
munist forces knocked out the remaining
air-strips around Dien Bien Phu that were
open to the French.
The Communists with 40,000 men around
the fort are sure of victory, and their boasts
of triumph may soon be based on facts
rather than empty air not a pretty end for
the "battle between dictatorship and free
dom."!. W.
Regulations In Order
The American public has been given a
first-hand picture of what is happening
within their government by the TV "eye"
which has focused glaringly on the Senate
Committee investigation into the Army
McCarthy battle.
One of the interesting sidelights to this
over-sized production has been the contro
versy over the acceptability of transcripts
made of telephone conversations by persons
connected with the present squabble.
Many persons on the anti-McCarthy side
have been strongly in favor of admitting
the evidence, hoping the "investigator
prober" will be forced to explain even more
bout his actions. Pro-McCarthy persons
have maintained that the view that these
transcriptions were made without his (Mc
Carthy's) knowledge, and should not be
used 1b the le .rings. Even those persons
who feava tried to remain aloof and "im
partial" (no easy task in this case) have
noted s danger In using transcripts of tele
phone calls.
The Nebraskan feels that the explana
tion that the Senator did not know the
transcripts were being made is not valid.
If the complaints were to be written into
rules governing use of telephone conversa
tions as evidence in a hearing of the type
being held in Washington today, the Ameri-
Li: . 1 J i :
can yuuuc wouw never D quite sure iney CI. f a
were hearing the real thing or a polished, tmt3arras$ing Situation
No activity points were involved. Their
time and expense was their own. They
did not have to walk a few blocks to solicit
a few dollars from a set list of names.
They talked, sang, danced, played and
worded for twelve straight hours without
stopping. There were no shifts.
If soliciting is to be done for such or
ganizations as cerebral palsy and cancer,
the way to the contributor's heart is sin
cerity. A little sincerity can open the
pocketbook far wider than a couple giggles
and a cold stare.
Perhaps one needs to be a television
star to show sincerity but this is doubtful.
At any rate the old familiar gripe on cam
pus when AUF drive time comes around
could be soft-pedaled if a few solicitors
would really believe In what they are sup
porting. It's not AUF you're supporting,
it's cancer, and cerebral palsy, the deaf and
blind, polio victims, orphanages, and hos
pitals. If every student on this campus felt sin
cerely that money is needed for these or
ganizations for life itself, the AUF drive
would be a huge success. J. H.
The Deadly Season
As any fool can plainly see, things in
general have changed at the University.
On a normal weekend afternoon, to wit,
last Saturday, one needn't look far to find
a ready and captive group of willing stu
dents for a picnic (or so they are called,
for somewhat obscure reasons). One could
only hazard a guess as to why the picnics
are so popular year in and year out.
On any afternoon providing, of course,
the sun is out any inquiring male can find
a few hours pleasant entertainment waiting
on the roof of some unsuspecting, innocent,
yet very, very hopeful "house."
On Monday morning, more than likely
each professor wondered what he said that
made, his attentive (?) students appear so
red in complexion and coloring. The only
reasonable explanation, that we can find,
was uncovered by noting the quick rise in
market quotations on golf courses, tennis
courts, beaches, parks, lawn mowers, screens
and automobiles providing they were con
vertibles. The ROTC boys have again taken to the
field, toting 9.5's around in seemingly suf
focating winter uniforms, each Wednesday
afternoon.
Therefore, as any fool can plainly see,
SPRING IS HERE.
fBut lest we forget, the ultimate of spring
as not been overlooked Finals.
As everyone, fool or not, will soon real
ize, there is an imposing list of exams on
on page 4.
It seems a pity to have to interrupt such
pleasant spring activities to remind the stu
dent body of those unhumane braintwisters
of knowledge, supposedly assimilated long
ago.
But the issue cannot be overlooked.
Finals, by decree from on high, are a part
of normal spring activities. D. F.
Margin Notes
smoothed over, publication-type
tion."
"conversa-
The Nebraskan does feel, however, that
evidence gained from transcripts of tele
phone calls is often of limited value in find
ing the truth of a matter. The Nebraskan
also feels that transcripts of telephone con
versations could be useful in manipulating
the facts, especially when the transcript ad
mittedly has some holes in it missing a few
words. The evils of using statements taken
out of context and consequently shaped to
mean something completely different from
what was intended are well-known.
Unless definite rules and regulations
governing the use of telephone "tape" and
transcription evidence are made and en
forced, the procedure will develop in little
more than a wy in which to manipulate
1teU to suit the purposes of the person who
presents the "facte." T. W.
Nowadays it seems that you even lose
for tryin', or at least it seemed that way to
two Philadelphia patrolmen.
While booking six prisoners, "somebody
bad stole their car."
Ninety minutes later, the two very em
barrassed patrolmen, on foot, stumbled across
the missing car seven or eight blocks from
the station house.
Stop Tha Muiicf
Some people certainly get "darn right
nasty" about having their own way.
Recently, a Bellingham, Wash., man com
plained to police that he was playing a
jukebox in a tavern when a stranger walked
up to him, objected to a particular number
and waved an automatic pistol to stress his
point.
However, the complaining man said that
he. didn't play that number any more, so
apparently the man got his own way.
J Jul VlriJiaAkcuv
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The Student Forum
"Ed and I have been drafted Professor Snort -
we'll have to drop your course."
JUahaW jalVWH
So It look. Ilka
Copped Copy
Dance Floor 'Etiquette
'Silent Week' Explained
By BRUCE BRUGMANN
The Purple and Gold of Col
lege View gives a few tips if you
should happen to fall down on
the dance floor during a fast
number.
1. Just lie there they'll think
you've fainted.
2. Start singing they'll think
you're part of the act.
3. Start mopping the floor with
your handkerchief they'll think
you work there.
a
At Mississippi University a stu
dent made a $17 bet that he could
go for a week without ssying a
word except in class. He bought
a couple hundred note cards on
which he scribbled notes to his
friends during the interim of sil
ence. His dating didn't even slow
down. He would give a friend a
number he wanted called and Jot
down what he had to say. Then
he would take the girl out, keep
ing his end of the conversation
with a quick pencil and a packet
of cards. He won the $17, but
practically "paralyzed his right
band with cramps."
a
Ibn Hosed, Ag. Fr., imaginary
hero of Don Funk's Ballyroot col
umn in the Iowa State Daily, has
been having trouble lately. Ibn
says that for the past two quar
ters he has received the same
grade in Chem. 101, and that he
may get another F this quarter.
Shrewd observers think that
Ibn's trouble might possibly lie
in his crib notes which are writ
ten in Greek and were used by
his grandfather in the old coun
try. Ibn, however, is rather com
placent about the whole thing
and says that In taking so much
chem he "has a chance to get
his initials carved on all the
desks in the Annex, know how
many pairs of socks my instruc
tor has, and how often the win
dows are cleaned in that build
ing. Ibn is really quite a campus
figure and is working to increase
co-educational relations, to or
ganize and publicize riots, and
to get more people out on the
golf course during the warm aft
ernoons. Since pantie raids have
been outdated, Young Hosed's ac
tivities have been somewhat con
fined, but he remains confident.
"We'll think of something," he
says.
From The Cornell Daily Sun
Another Freedom
From Conformity
We are approaching the end of
a four-year association with the
University and with this news
paper. A little more schooled
in the ways of the world, perhaps
capable of expressing ourselves
in terms a little bit more cogent
than when we first set foot on
campus we sit down to analyze
the undergraduate experience
now being completed.
a a a
Academic life, activities and
social life are Integral parts
of the educational process the
last two supplementary and sub
ordinate to the first. Each of
these parts has problems of its
own, but today we would Jike
to devote our attention to a prob
lem which faces the educational
process as a whole, a problem
which is greater than those which
beset its components.
One year ago, when we first
assumed responsibility for the
material appearing in this space,
we wrote:
"We recognize that the major
purpose of the University is to
provide a place where the scholar
can pursue the truth unhampered
by any disturbing Influence . . .
We stand opposed to any entity
that would obstruct this process."
These words sre still signifi
cant today, as we not the singu
lar, drab-hued shroud of con
formity that Is beginning to cloak
the American campus. It is con
formity that we mske light of
when we notice such superficial
items as the clothes we wear
the white bucks, the grey flan
nels, the button-down collars.
It becomes harder to shrug
this off, however, when the com
munity begins to conform in the
realm of ideas. That is what is
happening; knowingly or not, stu
dents are adopting the social
practice of corrupting the defini
tion of certain words until a Com
munist has become almost any
thing under the sun, an .athlete
has become one who never
"cracks a book," a scholsr has
become one buried deep in the
stacks of the main library and
the campus patrolmen are con
cerned only with finding out and
ticketing student parkers.
a a a
Needless to say, such absolute
Ism, such conformity is not in
keeping with the spirit of educa
tion. The student with precon
ceived ideas, the student with a
closed mind is, as the expression
goes "wasting his time at Cor
nell." Not only this, he is failing to
perform his obligation to society
a society that thrives on dis
sent, on a variety of ideas which
provide the intellectual and ma
terialistic progress on which civU
lizttlon is based.
At times we appear very brave
we flock to Olin M to hear aca
demic freedom defended or the
Republican foreign policy excor
ciated. We openly discuss the
problem of Communist teachers,
Congressional Investigation, and
loyalty oaths; we confront each
other with the latest stories of
right-wing abberstions ("did you
hear snout Robin Hood being
banned") but all this is done in
the sanctuary of Cornell. '
When the sanctuary is left be
hind, will we remain so "brave?"
Have we really learned that the
unguarded comment is often the
most fruitful, that by invoking
antitheses to exaggerated posi
tions we can often advance know
ledge by exaggerating their oppo
sites, that caution is often as
dangerous as recklessness in the
educational process?
At Cornell, we have had an op
portunity for non-conformism
many of us have taken advantage
of it at one time or another, many
of us have not. It is easy for
the non-conformist to be a "con
troversialist" at Cornell in Ideas
as well as in clothes it is easy
to drop comments without fear
of their consequences, it is easy
to overthrow stifling caution. Un
fortunately the number of those
taking advantage of this oppor
tunity is steadily decreasing.
a a
But Cornell should not be
merely the locale for non-conformity.
It should not merely
"provide an opportunity" for
those willing to test their ideas
before they have been certified
and approved; it should provide
us with the intellectual vigor and
honesty to overcome conformism
wherever it is met.
A Second Glance
By PAUL LAASE
What does it take to be elected
President of the United States,
besides luck? First, you get nom
inated by one of the major par
ties, then you have an election,
and the man with the most votes
wins isn't that it? That, very
briefly, is the usual way we
elect our officials. But not so with
the President of the United
States. He is selected in a spe
cial manner, employed only once
every four years in the election
of the President and the Vice
President. a a a
Although Grover Cleveland re
ceived 100,000 more votes than
Benjamin Harrison in 1888, he
was not elected President. In
1876 Rutherford B. Hayes was
elected President over Samuel J.
Tilden despite running 250,000
votes behind. Had less than 4,
000 voters in California shifted
from the Democratic to the Re
publican ticket in 1916, Mr. Wil
son would never have enjoyed a
second term, in spite of a 600,.
000 vote lead over the Republi
can candidate.
And If a total of 2,00 voters
in Calfornla, Ohio and Indiana
had shifted sides in 1948, Mr.
Dewey would have been the first
Republican President in 16 years,
although he would have received
two million less votes than Mr.
Truman.
This phenomena is possible
only because of a venerable in
stitution known as the Electoral
College. The election of a Presi
dent is conducted on ' a state
basis. Each state has as many
electoral votes as it has Sena
tors and Representatives in Con
gress. Nebraska thus has six
electoral votes in the Electoral
College. The presidential candi.
date receiving the most votes .re
ceives the entire electoral vote of
the state. For example, if the Re
publican candidate carries Ne
braska, by one vote ... 'iy 300,
000 votes, he receives all six
electoral votes. Thus a large ma
jority in. one state may be over
ridden by a tiny majority in an.
other. This makes possible the
election of a candidate who is not
the "peoples choice."
a a ,
The Electoral College also
causes other unusual situations in
presidential elections. In 1948
one electoral vote in South Caro.
Una represented 12,000 voters,
while in New York the same elec
toral vote represented 134,000
voters. A citizen of South Caro
Una carried eleven times more
weight at the polls than a citizen
of New York. In Nevada one
electoral vote represents 53,000
persons, while in California the
ratio is one to 423,000, giving
each Nevadan eight times the in
fluence of each Californian. Thu
occurs because each state re;
ceives two electoral votes repre
senting its Senators regardless ol
the state's population.
a
At present we select almost
every single one of our elected
officials by a direct popular vot
Senators, Representatives, Gov.
ernors, Mayors and other state
, and local officials are selected di
rectly by the people. Why not
the President? The only elected
official who represents each and
. every single American citizen is
the President of the U n i t e d
States Why, then, do we not al
low those he represents to choose
him directly?
It would be a sad commentary
on American democracy if, in
1956, we should have a Presi.
dent who is not the "peoples
choice." How would this appear
to our friends and allies abroad,
coming from we who preach the
doctrine of the "will of the ma
jority." We talk about equality,
yet we find no such thing, for the
voter, in electing our President,
Criticism of totalitarian meth
ods would be difficult in the face
of such a situation here at home,
Until and unless the Electoral
College system Is abolished com
pletely and the President is
chosen by a direct vote of the
people, the possibility of a de
fection of our democracy will al
ways be with us.
Letterip
Pepper, Cooper Use Of Ignorance'
Noted As 'Unusual' By Student Writer
Dear Editor:
If the contention of Mr. Pep
per, Miss Cooper, et al. is that
religion thrives only because of
ignorance and that an extension
of knowledge in the various dis
ciplines would erase all religious
convictions, then I can't help but
feel (despite the "authority" of
Mr. Pepper on religion) that they
are naive and question their pre
sumptuousness in putting such
ideas into print.
a a
If on the other hand, they are
merely saying that any person
with religious convictions can
not argue their validity with the
same conclusiveness as an argu
ment with self-evident premises.
University
Bulletin Board
TUESDAY
Dr. Alfred Washburn Lectures,
1:30 p.m.. Union Faculty Lounge;
8 p.m., Ferguson Hall Audi-'
torium.
Farmers' Fair Kally, 5 p.m.,
Ag Hall.
Dr. S. Valter Schytt Lecture:
7:30 p.m., Love Library Audi
torium. French Club Meeting, 7:30 p.m.,
Union Room 316.
WEDNESDAY
Dr. Alfred Washburn Lectures,
10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Union
Faculty Lounge.
AWS Workshop, 7 p.m., Union
Ballroom.
THURSDAY
Annual Engineers Open House,
2 to 10 p.m., starting at 11th and
R.
Lab Theater Plays, 7:30 p.m.,
Room 210, Temple.
FRIDAY
Lab Theater Plays, 7:30 p.m.,
Room 210, Temple.
Engineers' Convocation, 11
a.m., Love Library Auditorium.
Pink Elephant Party, 9 to 12
p.m., Union Ballroom.
German Club Picnic, 12:30 p.m.,
Pioneer Park.
then they are quite right since in
every case the major premise is
one accepted through faith. To
say that faith in a supernatural
Being is the result of ignorance
is defining "Ignorance" in a
manner other than the common
meaning of the term. Their use
of the word can only indicate a
marked bias which has been too
apparent in the letters they have
written thus far. (And I have no
doubt there are more to come).
P. Jersild
Dob's Dillies
Some women who won't cleai
up the house will gladly pick ui
all the dirt in the neighborhood
a a
A girl in a low-cut dress asked
her doctor what to do about i
cold. "The first thing," said th
doc, "is to go home, get dressed
and go to bed."
a a
Then there was the guy who
was so conceited that he walked
down Lovers' Lane by himself,
a a
I serve a purpose in this school
On which no man can frown
I gently enter into class ,
And keep the average down. .
a a a
First Senior "Let's cut philos-Second-Senior
"Can't. I need
the sleep."
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