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Poge 2
The Daily Nebrcskan
Tuesday, Moy 20, 1958
Editorial Comment
15 ;.VlUsJ
1 am to
(what apvcupo?)
I DID A LOT
OF THINGS I
IFio Censors The Censor?
T
awn
'
J. Edgar Hoover as top man of the
FBI has been a constant source of
ttoriet on the steps the nation should
take to cut down on crime and corrup
tion. Amng his latest batch of sublim
ating suggestions was a comment that
the motion picture and television indus
tries ought to halt what he called "a
dangerous trend" by a minority of pro
ducers "to flaunt indecency before the
who has stayed awake during
the entire course of many recent movies
has noted the trend toward more realis
tic presentations of man via cinema
scope. In many cases the presentations
have been one scene of bad taste after
another. In other cases what many peo
ple would term indecency has appeared
as a part of the realistic art which the
movies may present without any special
thought of using the scene for the effect
of box office appeal alone. This latter
type of presentation should not be con
demned quickly by any censor.
The trouble is that too often would-be
moral leaders fail to recognize the fact
that legislation or sermons will not im
prove the basic spirit of man just as
crime comics and movie terror shows
will not in themselves make a juvenile
delinquent And attempting to turn our
backs on what some of us call indecency
by refusing the movies, or any other art
medium, the right to present a "report"
of the true actions of men decent or In
decentis to achieve nothing except in
tolerance and blindness.
If Hoover were living in the golden
age of Greek literature one wonders
what he would have suggested to the
theatre when it produced Oedipus Rex.
What, also, would he have done were he
a judge in the Supreme Court when
James Joyce's great Book Ulysses stood
trial, so to speak, before the court? Both
the play and the book often have been
labeled indecent. But have they -not
helped to bring "indecency" if it be that
out into the open where it may be in
telligently reviewed and studied rather
than into the dark room surrounded by
censors, who refuse to let the world get
a true face to face look at its character?
In Brighton, England, some male cen
sors of the city's "Watch Committee"
are afraid to discuss sex in front of fe
male censors, and so the female censors
must go. The men tell their story: "Sex
is the theme of many of these films,
and it can be embarrassing for men to
hold a frank discussion in the presence
of women colleagues." And that is the
trouble with censors. They themselves
are often afraid to frankly discuss the
nature of man and his world as it really
is. One wonders then, who is fit to cen
sor these censors for their narrow mind-edness.
Outstanding Nebraskan
So far four faculty members and three
students have been nominated for pos
sible recognition as Outstanding Nebras
kans, an awards made each semester
by the Daily Nebraskan.
The list of candidates for this recog
nition includes faculty members in fields
ranging from track coaching to electri
cal engineering instruction, and students
In law, business and arts & sciences
study. Though the candidates all are of
outstanding caliber, it is a woeful state
of affairs that their numbers are so few.
Surely more faculty members and stu
dents are deserving of nomination than
these seven. Nomination in itself, the
Nebraskan feels, is an honor.
The Outstanding Nebraskan award is
made not with the idea in mind that the
recipient must have recently performed
some colossal act attracting world-wide
attention, but rather that his act or ac
tions, which may have been done through
the years of quiet yet faithful and in
spirational instruction, is such as to moti
vate other Nebraskans to perform their
tasks with greater energy and pride.
The deadline for applications is noon
Wednesday. A typed or handwritten let
ter signed by the person making the
nomination is all that is required to make
the person eligible for consideration.
Award rules stipulate only that the facul
ty members must have been on the
University staff at least two years and
that they may not be members of the
board of publications.
The two persons chosen as Outstand
ing Nebraskans will not be endowed with
great material wealth, but they will be
reminded of the respect which their
achievements have won in the eyes of
their contemporaries. And this is per
haps one of the greatest types of wealth
with which one may be endowed.
From the Editor
private opinion
dick shugrue
One of the most appalling examples of
intolerance, of a confused set of values,
of administrationitis, was demonstrated
by the reaction of Syracuse University's
assistant dean of men, Jim Carleton.
The Daily Nebraskan
reported that a Mrs.
Sally Sachs picketed an
ROTC review last week
believing "Nationalism
or chauvinism is the
stuff of which militar
ism arises. Love of our I vT
country should be sub- N-jv .
ordinate to love of hu-
tnanitv Jnve nf enuntrv
is not a good enough Shugrue
reason to kill people
... I feel what is of value in American
ism is the humanistic outlook the value
of human life, and this is what we seem
to be overlooking ..."
Mr. Carleton said Mrs. Sachs' demon
stration was "in exceedingly poor taste"
claiming that her action could not have
forwarded her cause.
One of the basic American rights, in
my book, is the right to get out and
fight for what you believe. And if Mrs.
Sachs doesn't like the idea of militar
ism being taught in our colleges, then
she has the right, the duty to protest
openly, rather than grumble to herself.
The assistant dean of men at Syracuse
obviously doesn't know what bad taste
is, for it is anything but standing up for
your right of protest.
Whether you agree with Mrs. Sachs'
stand on militarism or not, you can't
deny men in a free society the right to
picket in an orderly manner. A spokes
man for one of the Syracuse University
student groups outweighed Mr. Carle
ton's comments when he stated, "Our
group has not taken a stand on the issue
she was protesting but we agree to her
right to take it and to express it."
The crowd watching the ROTC review
Jeered at Mrs. Sachs yelling, "Get a
passport and leave," "treason," "spread
ing Russian propaganda," and "You
can't talk to someone insane."
A society which outlaws the protest
action by the citizens, or which looks at
a formal protest through picketing as in
bad taste, isn't fit to bear the standard
of the United States. I remember that
last year students at the University of
Wisconsin picketed the ROTC review
and were left alone by the University.
That attitude the attitude which per
mits orderly protests should be fos
tered throughout our supposedly aca
demically free colleges.
The University of Nebraska has not in
recent years faced a problem of a stu
dent strike.
The last big one was in 1348 when a
group of students, fed up with the poor
parking facilities on the campus,
marched on the state capitol and de
manded and got a hearing for their
gripes. As is obvious, the problem was
worked out and the students won.
The story of the strike and the reac
tion to the strike is a long and terrify
ing one. Right now, the employes of the
Kohler Plumbing Fixtures Company in
Wisconsin are going through one of the
longest and infamous strikes in history.
It's a horrible strike, since it has been
accompanied by hooliganism, terrorism
and violence.
Nevertheless, the tool of the strike, of
the picket line, has gained for the Amer
ican citizen the right to a living wage,
the right to the respect of the employer,
the right to the dignity of a human being.
I don't care what Mrs. Sachs' political
affiliations are. I do care that an official
of one of our major American Univer
sities would express such a shocking
statement as Carleton did.
I'm sure that I'm joined in my dis
gust with Carleton's comments by every
thinking American who knows that the
struggle for freedom, the struggle to
say what we believe was over some 1700
years ago. Mrs. Sachs has the support of
every freedom loving citizen in her ef
fort to uphold the principle of the picket
line.
And Mr. Carleton will go down in the
annals of academic freedom as a thorn
in the side of freedom of expression.
SIXTY-SEVEN TEARS OLD
Member: Associated Collegiate Press
Iatercollefiate Press
Representative: National Advertising
Service Incorporated
Published at: Room 20. Student Union
14th R
Lincoln. Nebraska
The Dally UrbrkMn to published Mooter, Tnesday,
Wadaotday aad Prlday dunaa the sehool rear, eaeepi
arM( sanations and esaro permi-, mad mm turn Is
pahtUbed 4 wine nt, hj students of the DBlffNt)
at Nearaeka ooder the authorization of the Committee
an atudeat Affairs as an rxprni.lita of student opinion.
Pohtleatlonn onder the Jnrl.dlrtlon of the Roheoas
rtttee on Student PuhllralMms shall he trr from
aaitorlai een-ornhip on tor pan of the Huh-ommltte
r aa Um part af aw asemher at Iha taeoitr ml tas
Calreislty. Tha members at the Kebraskaa staff an
aeisoaaUj responsible for what the say. ar aa, or
oaasa a be printed. February 8, 1966.
SaDserlptlea rate ara KM per semester or St for
aaaaBnanaasaanaannk
Ba . S. aj M aasa. -aw
4ll hi em i tuaaa na
lTKERE'S NOTHING that
f i lucres iw rio HAMTU
LIKE THE TASTE OF AN
vw i w r it- w
a. fciaaajav j
Entered as second slant matter at post offlee .a
Uneota, Nebraska, under the act of august 4. 19X1.
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor Otek Sbnrroe
Editorial Editor Ernest Hines
Manactnc Editor Hack Lnndstrom
Ness Editor Emm is Limp
Sports Editor Oeorte Meyer
Copy Editors plana MhtwpII, Pat Flaunlgna.
Carroll Kraus, Gretrhrn Hides
Nlrht New Editor Pat Flanniran
Staff Writers Manraret Wertmari.
Herb Prxbaseo, and Charles smith
Dullness Msnaaer Jerry grllentln
assistant Business Manacers Tom NeM.
Staa Kaiman, Rob smldt
sees r .Jerry Trap
tConM You Put An Alarm Clock
In The Next One?"
7 vJggUttK aaWaaann, nr 4,Lsiani raM
Wayward Wanderings
By Ron Mohl
Buck Shot
By Melvyn Eikleberry
' J Naf
'Buck"
The title of this column,
'Buck Shot," has been quite
appropriate for the continual
sniping that I have carried
on, but today I think it will
be inappro
p r i a t e.
When I am
in a good
mood, my
c ri ticisms
rip into any
thing, and
e v erything,
but when I
am in a bad Cs.
mood, I be- '!
gin to mel
low. Today I am in a bad
mood, so I'll wail a bit but
I won't be shooting.
This will probably go down
in history as my worst col
umn. I don't care. Nothing
matters any more. Week aft
er week I sweated to turn out
a stimulating, entertaining
column, and what happened?
My column was scorned. Peo
ple sneered at my writing
ability. Now they are going
to know what a real stinker of
a column is like; this column
is going to provide the horrible
contrast.
I could write about the
need for world unity, the
problem of conformity, ridic
ulous elements in American
culture, the wastefullness of
capitalism, etc., but nothing,
nothing at all, matters any
more. Here's why: The sun
was shining brightly, and the
sky was filled with fluffy,
ghostly clouds the kind of
clouds that remind me that
they were here, quite calmly,
in the days of the Indians.
I was standing in a vacant
lot with all sorts of pretty
green weeds hanging upon
the landscape like miniature
jungles, looking over a vast
valley. Somehow, something
gave, and I just quit fighting.
Suddenly, I understood every
thing, and in that understand
ing i knew that everything
was senseless. Everything ex
isting was meaningless, and
everything acting was silly.
It's the mood, not the idea,
that counts. Read the first
two chapters of Ecclesiastes,
in the Bible, and this will
surely help to put you in the
right mood. To give you an
idea of what those chapters
are like, here are a few se
lected gems:
One generation passelh
away, and another genera
tion cometh: but the earth
abideth for ever.
All things are fuD of la
bour; man cannot utter it:
the eye is not satisfied with
seeing, nor the ear filled
with hearing.
I said of laughter, -It is
mad: and of mirth, What
docth it?
Well said, pal.
Being in a bad mood, I am
now going to scrap my
gripes; my pet peeves, my
double-barreled shotgun, and
my leaden "Buck Shot" are
being given the "heave ho."
I don't care if the girls wear
sack dresses; beauty doesn't
matter. I dont care if we
aren't shown more education
al films; we can sleep
through our classes. I don't
care if every last man joins
a fraternity; individualism
doesn't matter. If the admin
istration builds a pleasure
palace, I don't care; educa
tion doesn't matter. If we
have a Student Tribunal, I
don't care; thorough, impar
tial justice doesn't matter.
And most obviously, if this
is my last column, it matters
least of all.
It's au revoir to Universitas
Nebraskensis, and even au re
voit to Nebraskensis. I have
decided to turn my minor role
in this Great Plains Trilogy
over to some understudy. A
emanai ing
from some,
crevasse in
my id keeps j 4 1
whispering " 1
-Go East, ? 3
young man " ;
go east!" 't
So I'm go- X X
ing er.t Go- iT M
ingeaittobe "
pre s s u r e yiohl
cooked in the Atlantic Coast
humidity, and to enter a new
institution of higher learning.
In a way, I'm experimenting
with myself experimenting
to see if this little prairie dog
can adapt himself to a. new
environment. And experiment
ing to see this little prairie
dog's reaction when the cold,
cruel hawk comes circling and
there's no comfy little burrow
to dart into.
And to the utter chagrin
of some of my conservative
acquaintances, I'm going to
join the ranks of the "bureau
crats" so often the subject
of Frank Hanighan's tirades.
One old timer advised, "as
long as they're passing out
that gravy, you may as well
get in there and get some of
it!"
My travelling companion
and partner in this little pil
grimage is an effervescent
young chap named John
Banks. Banks and I have ac
cepted the gracious offer of
Dr. Carl Hansen, present Su
perintendent of Schools in
Washington. D. C, to reside
in his home until we can
get organized and find an
apartment. Gestures such as
this renew my faith in hu
man nature.
When (and if) I get through
ing final exams, I'm going to
start packing my bags for the
trek. In my luggage, I'm plan
ning to include some remind
ers of Nebraska - a few
strands of barbed wire, a corn
cob or two, some heads of
wheat, a small crystal vial of
PV-82, a couple of cow flaps,
some sand from the Platte
River, a bouquet of 'goldenrod,
and a meadowlark in a gilded
cage.
After all, one can't change
from a prairie dog to an Or
ganization Man overnight! I
prefer to break myself in
gradually. This way, if I begin
to feel pangs of homesickness,
or feel an approaching attack
of claustrophobia, I can al
ways whip out my vial of PV
82 and inhale deeply. Oh, the
memories it will bring back!
People keep saying to me
"You're going to have a won
derful time swimming in the
ocean." Not this kid. I had
my taste of ocean swimming
(and I do mean taste) in Hon
olulu, and the peristaltic ac
tion in my esophagus still rum
backwards everytime I think
of it.
I never professed to be a
rival to Florence Chadwick,
but one of the great disap
pointments of my life wa$
when I leaped into that beau
t i f u 1 seventy-two degree
ocean. I gulped down so much
salt, I felt like an anchovy.
My eyes looked and felt like
they had been gouged, and
my btck and legs were blist
ered beyond recognition.
This time I'm going to seek
a more mild form of enter
tainment like visiting historic
al places of interest or going
to see Abbe Lane in "Oh, Captain!"
Daily Nebraskan Letterip
English Question
To the editor:
The following letter was
printed in the Journal on
May 10. Since your own in
formation about the resolu
tions was apparently based
on (the) inaccurate report in
the Journal. I hope that yon
will do me the favor either of
reprinting this letter or of
correcting the misunder
standing in your column.
"Inasmuch as the chief vir
tue of a journalist is alleged
to be a passion for accuracy,
I am sure that you will wish
to correct the misunderstand
ing caused by the Journal
about about the resolutions
passed by the Nebraska Coun
cil of Teachers of English.
Your original story . . . was
inaccurate. It has created the
impression that English
teachers disparage courses in
speech and journalism.
"The resolution passed at
Omaha simply states that the
Council believes that litera
ture and composition are so
important that they should be
taught every year in high
school. No one so much as
hinted that speech and jour
nalism courses are to be dis
couraged, much less that
credit should be denied them.
It is only when they are used
as substitutes for English
courses that any question
arises.
"With so much work to be
done, it would be sadly ironic
if teafhers of English, speech
and journalism fell out be
cause of a mistake in com
munication." GENE HARDY
Dept. of English
Voting Failures
To the editor:
In your editorial of Tues
day, 13 May 1958, you stated:
"I'm always at a loss to know
why people who have the
power of the vote neglect It
so often, so nonchalantly."
You added that you did not
believe that the failure to vote
was due to "human nature."
Neither do I.
Why then do we neglect to
vote and, when we do vote,
why can we not vote intelli
gently. As a matter of fact,
the power of the vote is wide
ly misunderstood. My under
standing of republican gov
ernment involves the idea
that, in theory at least, the
electorate is represented by
men of their own choosing,
and that these men are an
swerable to and removable
by them. If the electorate is
not capable of casting a wise
vote the vote becomes, not
a power for good, but a power
for evil. The neglect to vote
is then a manifestation of the
idea, prevalent in the minds
of a minority of the elector
ate, that their vote will not
serve any useful purpose be
cause the majority rules. The
minority is then castigated
for its apathy, an apathy
born of frustration.
It is not so much a question
then of why we neglect to
vote. It is rather a question
of why we cannot vote intelli
gently. We cannot vote intel
ligently because we have not
been adequately informed as
to: (1) the qualifications and
voting records of the politi
cians, (2) the political phi
losophy of both the individual
politicians and the parties of
which they are members, and
(3) the exact nature of the
laws and ordinances which
are debated by our various
governments, municipal, state
and national. Briefly, then, we
do not vote, intelligently or
otherwise, because we do not
know how to vote or who to
vote for. We do not understand
stand the nature of the pub
lic business and how it af
fects us. Pray tell me how
any man, however intelligent,
can make wise decisions at
the polls when he does not
know how his representative
is representing him: when he
is ignorant of the public busi
ness. In order to rectify this
tragic situation I propose the
following idea. They have
probably been proposed be
fore. Indeed, they may not
even be feasible, but I should
be delighted if you would en
lighten me. Non-partian com
missions should be established
by the state governments and
by the national government.
Their task would be to com
pile, publish and promulgate,
free of charge to all regis
tered voters, all pertinent in
formation concerning the
qualifications and records of
all politicians. They would al
so promulgate all pending
legislation and any other
public business of any impor
tance to the electorate. It
would also be necessary to
regulate this commission so
that it would not become the
tool of any political party or
any political machine. Only
when the electorate is ade
quately informed can we ex
pect to find the present apa
t h e t i c situation alleviated.
Mind you now, I said allevi
ated, not cured!
ALFRED W. ODELL
KOSMET KLUB
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