The Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, February 15, 1952 Page: 2 of 6
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Two
TBI THRESHKR
FRIDAY* FEBRUARY IS, Ml
CO
THE EDITOR'S CORNER
Press Freedom Vital
On Campus, Too
By BILL HOBBY
ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND freedom of the press which
** have too often been the subject of homilies from this parti-
cular source, are both part of a larger freedom of the individual
to knowj
This "freedom to know" is a nebuluous thing, and there-
fore harder to pin down, harder "
to defend from violation than pu"new8paper work ,uture
, Jt . ... . , newspaperman are pretty ummpor-
the relatively specific freedoms tant if part of the experience has
guaranteed b y been acceptance of interference
Hobby
the Constitution.
But it is the
most fundamen-
tal freedom of
them all.
In a recent
"Editor & Pub-
lisher", the foremost trade journal
of the press has a story under the
byline of Dwight Bentel on the de-
cline of this freedom in the colleges
and its implications for the future.
The article, the most pertinent
parts of which are reprinted below,
deserve the serious consideration of
everyone.
At the University of Arizona the
student council ejected reporters
from the student newspaper and
held a closed meeting to consider
the banning of "unofficial" publi-
cations from the campus.
The students were reflecting a
point of view that's trickling down
from high places. . .and when Pi
Delta Epsilon, journalism onorary
society, protested the action, the
student council waxed indignant
and stood on its interpretation of
the constitution.
Said one council member, "We,
members of the council, are elected
to do the job as we see fit."
Said another, "Last week we
asked (the student newspaper edi-
tor) not to print a certain name.
But next day it appeared seven or
eight times."
A Rash of Incidents
The Arizona thing is part of a
rash of incidents involving freedom
of the student press. Most of these
take the form of crackdowns by the
college administration, censorship,
controls.
Dismiss them as "kid stuff", and
you're missing the point.
College students are the next
generation of citizens and leaders.
'What about a citizenry habituated
in college to acceptance news-
paper censorship and the withhold-
ing of ne\gs by authority?
College newspaper staffs will
constitute an important part of the
next generation of professional
newspapermen. What about news-
paper staff members who were con-
with press freedom.
All activities at an educational
institution — curricular or extra-
curricular—must ultimately justify
themselves as contributions to edu-
cation. What kind of education for
American democracy does a con-
trolled press contribute?
Carl R. Kesler, editor of The
Quill, Sigma Delta Chi publication,
has this to say:
"College newspapers are" some-
times held in mild scorn by news-
papermen, especially newspaper-?
men who never happened to edit
one. Very few campus publications
deserve such professional contempt.
Today some papers are fairly big
newspaper business. They compare
favorably with commercial publica-
tions.
"There are other reasons why
the college press should be watched
with interest and tolerance by pro-
fessional journalism. For one thing,
it happens to represent what is
going on in the undergraduate
mind. This may be the mind of the
leading citizen day after tomorrow.
"For another, the campus news-
room gives the first shape to many
a future newspaperman. I have
known comparatively few college
educated reporters or editors who
did not have a hand in their more
formal academic training for jour-
nalism."
It is easy, says Mr. Kesler, for
a college newspaperman to get into
trouble. "Sometimes the very truth
of his editorial thunder makes him
that much more unpalatable to ac-
ademic authority. Even educators
to whom freedom is dear can grow
peevish if its bold exercise costs
them good will. More often college
administrators who believe deeply
in student freedom of expression,
even when it hurts, are the cap-
tives of their trustees and alumni."
More Than Class Theory
Pointing out that some faculties
exercise the utmost tolerance of
studant newspaper policy and oth-
ers ride undergraduate editors with
a very tight rein, Mr. Kesler-says:
"It seems to me that a campus
editor should be let alone as much
as possible^ for his own good as
ditioned on the campus to accept- well as that of his student readers.
Certainly he will make mistakes. If
they are too frequent or too serious
he must pay the penalty. That is
the way free newspapermen work
in the world beyond the campus.
How better can he learn to be a
ance of administrative control of
their press?
If the college prees's is to be a
censored and controlled press, then
far better that there not be any.
The training advantages of cam-
7WEX/CE jjy M&S/9E*
Kntered as second class matter, October 17, 1916, at the Post Office,
Houston, Texas, under the act of March 3, 1879.
Subscription Rate $1.00 Per Year.
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Published every Friday of the regular school year except during holiday and
(examination periods by the students of the Rice Institute. Editorial and
Advertising offices are in the Fondren "Library on- the campus.
Editor * . : .'. '. Bill Hobby
Business Manage'r ' Georgia Hink
Assistant Editor Allyce Tinsley Cole
Associate Editor Betty McGeever
n -ports Editor Howard Martin
Assistant Sports Editor .T. Norris Keeler
News Editor Mary Ann Mewhinney
Feature Editor Mary Ann Johnson
Women's Editor Florence Kessler
Reporters: Betty Bess, Marlin Cruse, Jerry Logan, Jerry Weiner, Joe
Watt, Jo-Anne Hickman, Fred Duckett, Dick Karig, Neil O'Brien,
Tim Weakley, Jean Donaldson, C. T. MacAllister, Jr.
Staff Photographers Dan Daggett, Eddie Soniat, Bruce Vernor
„ ——— — — it- -
"Italy at Worlc"
Exhibit On At
Fine Arts Museum
By MARLIN CRUSE
Sunday, February 17, the Mu-
seum of Fine Arts will open the
doors to its exhibition of "Italy at
Work—Her Renassance in Design
Today." The Art Institute of Chi-
cago has been working since 1949
to bring this exhibition of Italian
crafts and industrial arts to com-
pletion and the objects that are on
display were chosen only after a
thorough survey of the Italian de-
signers and craftsmen. Houston's
museum is one of eleven museums
in the United States chosen for the
presentation.
Progress in Design
The exhibition's purpose is to
sho wthe amazing quality and prog-
ress being made in the design arts
of war-torn Italy. The country is
quickly rebuilding its art industries
and its battle scars are fast disap-
pearing. The industrial procecces
of the European country are not
set at the fast pace of those of the
U.S., and the objects, though often
manufactured and Iluplicated, re-
tain a hand-made individuality.
The entire second floor of the
museum has been devoted to the dis-
play. John Rawlings, of the Rice
Institute, was responsible for co-
ordinating and setting up the dis-
play here at Houston.
Furniture, ceramics, glass, metal-
work, mosaics, costume jewelry,
textiles, strawwork, toys, and in-
dustrial objects are all represented.
One sees many varied objects rang-
ing from building,, interiors com-
plete with furnishings to motor
scooters and motorcycles.
The interiors designed especially
fOr the exhibition are painstakingly
executed, complete, and ready for
use. Five of them in all, they in-
clude: A dining room, a living-din-
ing room for a modest home, a' ter-
race room, a private chapel, and a
foyer for a marionette theater.
Together in these interiors and
imihe^other objects of display one
will find a fresh variety, a certain
vitality, and a freedom from ster-
ile intellectualism.
The exhibit will continue on view
at the Museum until March 26.
free newspaperman himself?"
' The trend toward increasing re-
straint of college newspapers is
probably a consequence of a fear
psychology that is affecting all col-
lege freedoms. Kalman Seigel has
reported in the New York Times,
on the basis of a 72- college study,
that "A subtle and creeping para-
lysis of freedom of thought and
speech is attacking college cam-
puses in many parts of the country,
limiting both students and faculty
in the area traditionally reserved
for the free exploration of know-
ledge and truth."
Assistance Warranted
. These limitations on free inquiry
say? Mr. Seigel, take a variety of
forms. "But their net effect is a
widening tendency toward passive
acceptance of the status quo, con-
formity, and a narrowing of the
area of tolerance in which students,
faculty and administrators feel free
to speak, act, and think independ-
ently."
Such a question cannot help but
affect free conduct of the campus
press. It would be well for the com-
mercial newspaper press to recog-
neze the connection with its oWn
current problem of maintaining
traditional freedoms, $nd extend
such assistance as it can to its little
brother at college.
f If it matters to the perpetuation
of press freedom , what importance
college graduates attach to it, then
the commercial press had darn well
better be interested in press free-
dom on th campus.
Little Man On CampiM
fcy
"I thought I told you boys no 'pin-ups' on the walls."
When Knights Were Bold
And Maidens Fair
By JONCE JOHNSON
Sir Jonathan was bored. He was in the middle of finals
at Ye Olde Ricey Institute, and, of course, had absolutely
nothing to do—no damsels to lead into distress, no tournaments
for him and his trusty Cadillac steed to win, and no beer left
in Ye South Hall Tavern. " -
In desperation he sought out his
two closest friends, Sir Franklin
and Sir Leigh, and asked them to
rid him of his burden.
Immediately Sir Franklin rose to
the challenge. He described to Sir
S
Jono—than a damsel sweet and
comely—the Fair Eileen—and sug-
gested that he call her and see if
she would go with' him to the Ale-
House of Bill Williams for a heady
drink of Coke. This struck Sir Jona-
than as an excellent way of livening
up the evening, for even if he had
never met the maid, he was certain
that" he could depend upon S i r
Franklin's glowing description.
He called the Fair Eileen, and be-
gan to chatter to her in idiotic rid-
dles—a method he thought very so-
phisticated and manly. Since the
Fair Eileen was as sensible as she
was comely, she was quite provoked
by such infantile behavior. A stud-
ious damsel she was considerably
irritated by the interruption of her
studies*. When the dashing Sir Jona-
than asked" the way to her castle,
she told him to find himself, and
slammed the receiver down.
Now, there happened to be living
at the same castle a friend of Fair
Eileen's, the not-so-fair Maid Mor-
gana, who' was dumpy, bucktoothed,
cross-eyed, and sharpwitted. She
ing before him as being beautiful,
but his rage soon changed into be-
wilderment. For, when he had in-
troduced himself as the knight that
had* talked to her, the "Fair Eileen"
looked puzzled and replied that she
had talked to no one that night. She
was certain that there had been
some mistake, but she asked the
knights inside while she investi-
gated the matter.
"Fair Eileen" introduced the gal-
lant wind-mill tilters to her com-
panion, the real Eileen, who had
disguised her true appearance by
wearing jeans, her hair in pin-curls,
no make-up, and a pair of thick
horn-rimmed glasses perched on the
.end of her nose. "This is iuy friend,
Maid Morgana," she said, while
"Morgana" merely nodded her head
and said nothing.
The conversation was loaded with
wit and repartee. Sir Jonathan and
Sir Leigh could only mumble lame
excuses, and seemed articulate on
only two sounds—"uh-h-h" and "er",
while the two maidens clekrly con-
veyed the impression that they
thought both of the knights ..were
completely demented.
When the girl they thought was
Fair Eileen seemed on the point of
calling for the little men in the
white coats, the two young gentle-
told Fair Eileen to make herself men lamely took their leave of the
look as homely as possible and to damsels, and reeled out to the Cad-
pretend that she was Maid Morgana,
while Maid Morgana would pre-
tend that she^was the Fair Eileen.
"If the pest does come, let me do the
talking, and we'll soon be rid of
him," she said.
Having looked up Fair Eileen's
address in the "Rice Peerage Direc-
tory", Sir Jonothari duly arrived,
accompanied by Sir Leigh. His
knock was answered by Maid Mor-
gana, and when he asked to see
Fair Eileen, she replied that she was
Eileen. Sir Jonothan then was en-
illac, doubting their own sanity.
They both decided that the entire
episode was tbe fault of Sir Frank-
lin, who had so basely lied about the
charms of Fair Eileen, and that he
must be horribly punished for this
deed. Upon reaching Ye Sputh Hall
Tavern, they filled an ash can with
water and-knocked on Sir Franklin's
door.
Wheq Sir Franklin opened the
door, Sir Leigh, said, "Forsooth,
Sirrah, this is it—thou and thy
forked tongue!"—and he and Sir
raged at the supposed deception of Jonathan hurled the contents of tbe
his friend, Sir Franklin, for de- ash can upon Sir Franklin and left
scribing the homely creature stand- him lying there—drowned out.
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The Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 39, No. 18, Ed. 1 Friday, February 15, 1952, newspaper, February 15, 1952; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth230891/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.