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Page 2
The Daily Nebraskon
Tuesday, April 2, 1957
Daily Nebraskan Editorials:
Unshaken By Shapiro
The Washington Post and Times Herald had
the story first last Tuesday. They said that Karl
Shapiro "looked at the younger generation and
accused it of 'intellectual cowardice' and
apatfliy.
The Post reports that Shapiro branded the
students of today as "these tired young people,"
whose only reaction to the recent Hungarian
revolution was to raise a few banners on the
campus. And further the professor of English at
the University said that twenty years ago stu
dents would have volunteered to go to Hun
gary and fight.
Shapiro told Washington Post reporters that
young people have lost their ideals, their illu
sions have been discredited or destroyed."
But Professor Shapiro failed to note in his
interview in our nation's capital that student,
perhaps, take a more realistic view of what
can be done about the world situation.
Lincoln's Sunday newspaper interviewed some
students whose reactions went from "We've
moved from ' the idealism of the 20's to the
realism of the 50's" to "I can't see any reason
why a student should be expected to take an
interest in things which he has no need to be
concerned about."
The Daily Nebraskan makes two observations
on the whole problem.
First of all we question whether Shapiro has
taken an adequate sampling of the Midwest;
whether he can make a statement like the one
he presents to the nation with any authority. As
one senior in law school here put it, "I just don't
believe Mr. Shapiro knows what he is talking
about. After all, how long has he been in the
Middlewest and didn't he say, "There is a fine
literary atmosphere here" when he arrived at
Nebraska?
Secondly, were the students the Sunday paper
spoke with representative of the situation as it
exists on the campus? Was it a fair cross
section of the campus? Half of the students
are freshmen (and with all due respect to
freshman judgment) and might not be able
to grasp the presence and absence of intellec
tualism on the campus.
Shapiro probably feels that because there
is little concern over what he has said that
he is right. No, rather, the American student
is cautious. Shapiro was conditioned in his youth
most likely by the radicalism of the 20's.
Today's young people are wary of snap judg
ments; they move slowly but surely.
And yet we should not take lightly the
challenge that we have become apathetic to
conditions around us. Perhaps some soul search
ing should be done rather than excuse making.
If we have been told that we are cowards
Intellectually then we should examine our lives
and our studies and see how much truth lurks
in such a charge. American youth can remain
silent as long as the idealism it harbors in its
heart is not challenged.
But as soon as we are taken to the block for
our ideas and ideals then it is time to do some
fast and heavy talking and even more, to do
some furious and motivated acting.
Wiebuhr's Talks
One of the country's leading theologians Dr.
Richard Niebuhr is on the University campus
this week as the 1957 Montgomery Lecturer. He
is now Sterling professor of theology and Chris
tian ethics at Yale University.
Dr. Niebuhr has been brought to the campus
through the Lectureship, designed to generate
constructive thought on contemporary prob
lems. The problem he will discuss is the "prob
lem of religion," probably the most vital to any
civilization, and one largely overlooked in our
present one.
It is too often the attitude of the modern-day
collegian to look on religion as something to be
put aside for a time while concentrating on
intellectual pursuits, if he bothers to look at it
at alL Religion is taken for granted, or as some
thing one can do without in newfound intellec
tual maturity.
In doing this the individual is failing to face
up to religion as one of modern-day intellec
tualism's greatest and most far-reaching prob
lems. In religion the student, or anyone else, can
find the basic human values too often missing
in our basically materialistic civilization. These
values are based on faith, a quality either
scorned or abandoned as "out of date."
As it often does, the Daily Nebraskan ex
presses its delight in welcoming such an out
standing figure as Dr. Niebuhr to the campus.
R is never too frequent for University students
to be exposed to a person of his prominence.
But what is important is what Dr. Niebuhr will
have to say to the University, rather than what
be has said or done.
i's Miemath
Now that the press has calmed down some
what following the President's whiz through
Maryland American journalists and interested
parties are able to evaluate the action of the
chief executive in the light it belongs under.
The Chicago Tribune, which has always been
an ultra conservative outfit, said that it is
beyond the point of arguing whether be was
right or wrong. He wont get a ticket, accord
ing to Maryland police.
The Dally Nebraskan feels three major objec
tions to the president's speeding.
1) It is morally wrong to endanger lives of
those . along the highways no matter who you
From Tho Editor's Desk:
A word or two
are. In many states, speeding constitutes an
ipso facto reckless driving charge.
2) Not only the president but the entire cara
van was endangered by the speeding. And
although policemen told the newsmen to slow
down, these same newsmen who were evidently
speeding were not given tickets. Guilt by asso
ciation reversed to innocence by association,
apparently.
3) A public official is expected to be "above
average in bis respect for the laws. When he
breaks a law, the public is "down on him" and
if he is not prosecuted it is bad for the morale
of the country.
before you go .
By FRED DALY
Editor
The recent journalistic ex
citement over Professor Karl
Shapiro's remarks on the "in
tellectual apathy of present
day college students has
aroused comments on both
sides of me fence.
Some students feel there are
grounds for Prof. Shapiro's re
marks, others disagree, and
a third group bas no opinion
et alL
It is fins flhird group we
should worry about.
People can have "no opin
ion' for any number of rea
sons. Some feel unqualified to
speak, some would rather
weigh opinions from both
sides, a few nave no opinion
on anything and some just
Sont know what is going on.
Perhaps it is this "no opin
ion" group Prof. Shapiro is
worried about. At this Univer
sity, as at any other, one can
jet students and perhaps
instructors) who don't really
know what is going on around,
boSh intellectually and in
world affairs, and wouldnt
know what to think of things
if tbey did know what was
joiag on.
This, -of course, extends in
wardly as well as rtwardly.
People whs don't care about
things outside tine University
oftentimes are equally as apa
thetic about things inside the
University sphere, including
the budget, the quality of their
instructors, physical facilities
or even the much-belabored
subject of academic freedom.
They become really con
cerned only wih those things
pertaining directly to their
own particular interests. It is
rather like being part of a
big machine.
And, of course, there is one
thing about being criticized. If
you get mad enough, maybe
you can do something about it.
If it isn't too much to ask,
that is.
With the increased scope of
Spring Day, and its tie in with
the Farmers Fair, Ivy Day
and the Union Birthday, the
chance for independent men
to participate in singing com
petition may not be too far
in the future.
Dorm singing groups have
been petitioning to get into
the Ivy Day sing competition
for a number of years, now
that Independent interest in
such things is slowly building
op. For one reason or another
their petitions have been ap
proved. With the hope of stirring up
some sort of discussion or the
formulating of better ideas,
this tentative plan is submitted
for the Powers 'That Be to
kick around.
That independent men's
groups, thinking particularly
of the bouses in Selieck Quad
rangle and the co-op bouses
would have their own singing
competition. This could be held
either on Ivy Day, or better
yet on Spring Day.
Keeping it separate from the
fraternity sing would prevent
that particular competition
from becoming overloaded and
terribly boresome.
There are now IS houses in
the Dorm, each with 59 to 73
men. Another Dorm of equal
size would probably increase
the number to about 30. Co-op
bouses would add a few more
participants, if interested.
Thus, both fraternity men
and independent men would
have competition each would
be interested in. As it stands
now there is little independent
interest 5a the competition, for
obvious reasons.
The Daily Nebraskan
FIFTY-FIYE XEAE5 OLD
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o? I BKXON-SEE WHAT I
LIKE IT?
cl
NOW. LETS MAVE NO AVOCE
TALK ABOUT NOT GETTING
ANV CHRI5TMA5CARD5!
minniairudlinnieinite TTlHrn DDdetd
By DICK SHUGRUE
Editorial Page Editor
Cecil B. DeMille deserves com
mendations he has received from
the press all over America for his
production, "The Ten Command
ments." De Mille has created a master
piece in motion picture entertain
ment which, I believe, will re
establish peoples' belief that mov
ies are worth viewing.
One of the country's papers
which has been invited to send a
representative to see the movie
while it was playing in Houston,
Tex., commented that if the mo
tion picture industry were able
to meet the same standards in
all movies that were met in
"Commandments," movies would
have no war with television.
I suppose the film had all the
qualities which draw crowds ( pag
eantry, extravaganza, wealth, big
name actors, fabulous scenic ef
fects and what have you. Yet
"The Ten Commandments" had
more and the "something extra"
made this a picture worth seeing
again and again.
The added "attraction" of the
De liille movie was the message
it has to offer to the many peo
ple who will see it. Of course the
ideas presented by the great pro
ducer are not new: they are the
on; they are the truths which make
us as men free.
Those who view the movie with
a critical eye will charge that it,
like George Wright's organ music,
is nothing more than a big produc
, tion capitalizing on the emotions
and religious sympathies of Amer
ica. I would say, rather, that this
nr. v
JSaS
f
Courtesy Sunday Journal and Star
de Mille
movie can and should be a turn
ing point in this country's feelings
about the motion picutre industry
in general The picture is a chal
lenge well met. It entertains, it
informs, it thrills.
The actors? De Mille has gath
ered about him some of the fine
performers of out time. Academy
Award winning. Yul Brynner plays
the part of Rameses, pharoah of
Egypt, Edward G. Robinson the
wicked Dathan, Anne Baxter, the
wife of the Egyptian king.
Moses is portrayed in the movie
by Charlton Heston who puts more
than well read lines into the part.
He has the stature of a leader and
the bearing of the king, and wheth
er or not De Mille cast this man
knowing that he has "appeal" does
not alter the fact that he forces the
viewer to sympathize with the
cause the movie presents.
In a brief introduction preceed
ing the three hour and 45 minute
movie De Mille states that the
film portrays the answer to a
question of whether man should
be a slave to other men or free
under the law of God. He retells
the story of Moses' freeing the He
brews from the bondage in Egypt
and bringing them to the borders
of the Holy Land.
For those who believe in God,
the movie is additionally thrilling,
I believe, for the stories they
have been told since childhood
of the great mountain of Sinai
and the opening of the Red Sea
are there in color and wide screen
to awe even the least impression
able. That awe which De Mille is able
to offer the audience is another
fine point of the picture. I suppose
that as a Christian I was "taken
in" by the film. I am not ashamed,
however, to admit that I felt some
what of an added thrill ast see
ing the Sea open or the firey fin
ger carve the law into the stone
of the mount.
For those who don't believe,
there is the attraction of pageant
ry in the film. Whether or not man
believes in what the movie por
trays is not the question or the
challenge that the movie must
answer to entertainment. I have
stated that the film is fine enter
tainment. It need not be more;
but it is.
As to the historical accuracy
of the film I am not certain.
What matters to the viewer is
that it looks authentic. DeMille
listed such authorities on Jewish
history as Philo and Josephus as
his sources along with the Oriental
Institute in Chicago.
The movie is not offensive to
any religious group . . . unless,
perhaps, the Cult of Amen Re.
But that is beside the point. I
believe the movie "The Ten
Commandments" is a must for
movies are worse than ever. This
film can destroy that misconcep
tion. For those who believe that
movies have always been good,
this picture will enhance that be
lief. More than that is the fact that
"Commandments" fulfills a need
of human freedom ... a task
worth doing in these days of
strife.
pandoria
Here's hoping Karl Shapiro's
wrong. He had written ;n March
9th's Nation Magazine that the
present generation of college stu
dents is without literary idols.
That part of his statement might
be right. But he admitted last week
that maybe the present student is
looking for something more than a
literary Presley. We (college men)
were called all sorts of unnice
things in the series of articles by
leading professors from all over
the nation. Passive, hollow, sub
missive, were just some of the ad
jectives used to describe our ac
tion. But I'm not so sure they were
all right either. After all the best
judge of youth is youth itself.
And perhaps it's ibecause we don't
have any literary gods that we
seem so silent. Yet this silence
is more than brooding. We are do
ing more than mimcking the words
of professors.
Shapiro said that bis generation
bad all sorts of idols to clamber
after. There were the boisterous
Mr. Mencken, Marx, Ezra Pound
who's still around but less noisy)
F. Scott Fitzgerald. Some one
to go around for everyone and for
every class of thinker.
Now we have Mr. Shapiro, fol
low" Dylan Thomas, Bennett Cerf
and s myriad of little people who
cry aloud but never too loud for
the generation to Pied Piper along
after any one & them.
Well, what's left for the student
of today? 'What can be look for
ward to I mean other than a
degree and a "good job") Mr. Sha
piro says that perhaps the young
man of today should Erst of all
set down the ideas of what be be
lieves in. "Tbe Manifesto form of
writing like that of Pound, the
Dadaists, or anyone else who bas
something to say is effective to
begin you on s course of action,"
be said. We can look for a leader,
too. If the day and age calls for
a political leader, then let one
come along and we will follow.
Maybe we're waiting for a spirit-
Dick Shugrue
ual leader to lift us up by the soul
straps and set us up in the "right
way." I don't know yet.
On account of the respect for ex
perience I will grant Mr. Shapiro
that I am surrounded by many
who don't care where they are
going. But as long as a few young
men exist who snap at the idea of
being brainwashed I can feel fairly
secure as a "careful young man."
Through These Doors...
Now I would like to get back to
what I was trying to say before
being interruped by a copy pen
cil. As you may remember (if you
have a mind that is tryly remark
able), I had mentioned unions sev
eral times. I had especially men
tioned the teamsters union and
their boss, who were in some dif
ficulty with a rather shrewd old
boy named McClellan and an equal-
Papers Too Sensational
Collegians Believe: ACP
(ACP) Almost everyone is fa
miliar with a criticism often lev
eled against daily newspapers in
the United States, that of "sensa
tionalisms, the over-emphasis on
fires, murders, sex, etc.
Much of the criticism stems
from the belief that newspapers,
in their overemphasis on sensation
al news, fail to give due consider
ation to the really important news
news of world affairs, scien
tific and educational achieve
ments, governmental affairs, etc.
The ACP asked the following
question of a representative na
tional cross-section of college stu
dents in order to get the collegiate
slant on this issue.
Oa the whole, da yea think the
average daily newspaper is the
U.S. rerplays er underplays sen
sationalism (accidents, fires, mur
ders, sex, etc.)?
The results:
Mea Wemei Total
Overplays ...68 17 "1
Underplays i 8
Undecided . 18 21
The figures show a fairly size
able majority agreeing with the
charges of "sensationalism," and
a large group of students unde
cided on this issue. In addition,
the coeds appear to be more in
clined to go along with the charg
es of "sensationalism."
Among students agreeing with
the "sensationalism" charge the
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
by Dick Bibler
majority feel newspapers sensation
alize in order to build circulation
and sell papers. Other students
think "sensationalism" is the only
way newspapers can capture and
keep mass appeal. Still others cite
specific newspapers as being out
standing in respect to sensational
material. Here are several typi
cal comments:
"The appeal is directed to in
dividuals of a lower caliber, hence
sensationalism," is the feeling of
a junior at Memidji State Teachers
College (Bemidji, Minn.)
A Lynchburg College (Lynch
burg, Va.) sophomore believes
"sensationalism" is necessary "in
order to build up circulation." But
a freshman coed at Columbia Col
lege (Columbia, S. C.) simply
says: "It sells more papers."
Witb'stadents indicating they be
lieve the average newspaper un
derplays crime, sex, accidents,
etc., the predominant feeling
seems to be that most newspapers
do a fairly good job, while only a
few of the big city dailies do most
of the sensationalizing.
Students undecided on the ques
tion generally fall into one of two
areas of belief. The first is indicat
ed by the comment of a fresh
man at Villanova University (Vil
lanova. Pa.) who believes news
papers neither overplay nor under
play, but "state things the way
they actually happen."
A Southern Oregon College
(Ashland) senior represents the
other point of view with Ibis re
mark: "You can't generalize it
depends upon the individual paper."
george moyer
ly shrewd young one named Ken-.
nedy.
Our nation Is based on a system
of checks and balances.. This in
eludes the traditional ones incor
porated in the constitution and a
few not mentioned there. One of
these is the balance of organized
labor versus big business.
In ordinary times, these two pow
erful forces are in a balance at
each seeks to advance its own in
terests. However, these are not
ordinary times as our president
has observed many times (after
he bas slowed down.) The Ameri
can corporation is taxed and leg
islated until even the best shyster
they can hire can't figure a way
to keep a decent profit out of Un
cle Sammy's clutch.
On the other hand, labor runs
wild. The only check on the unions
is the Taft-Hartley labor act which
is not strictly enforced and is
not nearly the strong legislation
needed to alleviate the situation.
Labor's weapons include such
clever and unfair tactics as the
closed shop, a little piece of un
ion legislation to force the laborer
to join the union to get a job. An
other plan, the union shop, forces
a laborer to join the union organi
zation in bis plant within 39 days
after being hired.
Recently, labor reached a peak
in benefits that they could extract
from a weary management. Wages
were so high that any increase
further would be lost in the infla
tion spiral. Working conditions
were at a new high and the guar
anteed annual wage appeared to be
at the breaking point for most
smaller industries.
So the labor bosses have turned
to bleeding their membership.
It becomes apparent that the
beast can't be allowed to devour
the American laborer; the support
of the economy. What is needed is
a system of legislation that will
return the unions to the benefi
cail position in' the economy that
they once enjoyed. I am suggest
ing that a little something of the
old Teddy Roosevelt trust busting
spirit can be applied to crgainzed
labor.
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