The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, January 15, 1954 Page: 4 of 8
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THB THRESHER
FRIDAY, JANUARY IB, 1M4
Students Display Bad Taste By
Abusing Gift of Generous Houston Family
During its stay on our campus of less than a
month the sculpture by Jacques Lipchitz entitled
"Head off Gertrude Stein" has aroused a great furor.
In the first few weeks of its stay here the Stein
head aroused a healthy interest. It was noticed, and
discussed, and argued about. The student body
stirred from its usual lethargy and considered the
worth of Lipchitz, and of Stein, and of sculpture
itself. This was an encouraging sign of artistic
maturation among the student body.
Then a few perverted elements of Rice society
decided to make this work of art the butt of their
childish jokes. This was finally climaxed on Sunday
night when the statue was stolen and placed in the
lobby of the police station. Thus this segment of the
demimonde succeeded: it smeared the name of Rice
on the front pages of the daily newspapers; it gave
the generous Houston patron of art who donated the
statue to Rice a resounding slap in the face.
Let us here offer the apologies of the Rice stu-
dent body to Mrs. Kenneth Dale Owen.
It would be narrow minded to presume that all
of us should like this statue, bit even the most dog'
matic among us should recognize that it is an out-
standing work of art, that it deserves a place on our
campus.
Now let us show Mrs. Owen, and everyone else,
that we have regained our artistic perspective. Let
us prove that we have the dignity and common de-
cency to respect a work of art, whether we like it
or not. —m.m.
"Juvenile Damn Foolishness" In Georgia
Recently the editors of the Red and Blacl(,
undergraduate newspaper of the University offf Geor-
gia, wrote an editorial favoring the admission of
Negroes to Georgia colleges. The editorial criticized
certain state policies on segregation, and said, "With
Communism knocking at the Negro's back door, we
cannot afford to let educational segregation barriers
stand. It is as plain as the red flag in Russia that
continued segregation and suppression can and will
cause the death of democracy by the hands of its
own leaders."
1 hese words were highly offensive to Roy V.
Ha rris, political big-wig of Georgia and regent of
the University. He retaliated by saying that state
money which provides the Red and Black with two-
thirds of its operating funds would be withheld unless
the editors stopped "their juvenile damn foolishness."
His warning was unsuccessful; the Red and
Black, "instead of cowering, attacked Harris personally
and said he was attempting to "squelch our funda-
mental right of freedom of the press."
"Now there is no question of freedom of the
press involved," Harris wrote back. "The question
... is whether or not the board of regents will be
dictated to by a little handful of sissy, misguided
squirts who have just enough knowledge to think they
know it all. Every time I see one of these little sissy
boys hanging around some college, the more I think
one of them ought to be made to play football. What
we need today is more he-men and fewer sissies."
The two editors, Walter Lundy, Jr., and Bill
Shipp resigned. Their replacements, Priscilla Arnold
and Gene Britton, resigned following the inaugura-
tion of a censorship code by the University, which
established a University board to clear all "prejudical"
news before it could be printed.
It is nauseating to realize that individuals of
such low caliber as Harris personifies are placed in
positions where they can bring so much suppressive
power to bear; and can control by force those ex-
pressions of common sense as do not please them in
their narrow, autocratic little worlds. It is Harris
and his like that have a strangle-hold on America's
democratic progress, and who emphasize by actions
such as these the essential truth of the editorial written
by Lundy and Shipp.
And as far as having administrative censorship
for a student publication—if this is what a university
is cowardly enough to want, they should have the
faculty write and print such a publication, rather than
try to masquerade the result as "student opinion." j.j.
And How Do You Like To Get Your Religion?
"SEE the brave Christians defy Roman sup-
pression—on Cinemascope! SEE the wicked splen-
dor of ancient Rome—on Cinemascope! SEE the
. a huge ad for 1 he Robe" read in the
New York 1 imes recently. ". . .the force of an
earthquake!" the ads proclaim of Martin Luther.
When some future historian or sociologist looks
back on today's society, not the most insignificant
aspect will be the fad for religion in commercial doses,
starting over a year ago and apparently on the climb
According to a recent report, more than a dozen
major religious spectacles are on Hollywood's produc-
tion schedule for the coming year. And "Crying in
the Chapel" and "Vaya Con Dios" have already
gotten a blistering trend underway in the record field.
Bishop Vincent Sheen is slowly replacing Milton
Berle, and now has his own magazine.
To some this trend is, despite its more crude
manifestations, a good sign that the populace is "seeing
the need of religion." But, as has been asked, "It
may be box-office, but is it Bible?"
'Touch the Robe and become converted," is
the message of " rhe Robe." "Give 'em sex, noise,«
crowds, sentiment and lots of lightning and they'll be
inspired," is the message of "Quo Vadis" and
"Salome." "Cry your heart out (in the chapel) and
you'll find contentment" is June Valli's message.
One hillbilly song is our favorite.- The situa-
tion: the lovers are married—to other people. Neither
can get a divorce, so they must "sneak away" to see
each other. "But God up above knows our love is
true." We've heard people draw on religion to justify
almost everything, but we're pretty certain that this
is the first time it has been used to justify adultery.
But it's not too surprising. Any resemblance to
religion in the first place, after all ,is purely coinci-
dental.
From the Cornell Daily Sun,
Cornell University
TKel
THRE
The Rice Thresher, written and edited by students of
The Rice Institute, ia published weekly in Houston, Texas,
except during the summer. It is not published during holidays
and examination weeks. The views presented are those of the
staff and do not necessarily reflect administrative policies of
The Rice Institute.
Entered as second class matter, October 17. 1916, at the
Post Office, Houston, Texas, under the act of March 8, 1879.
Subscription Rate $2.00 Per Year.
Represented for national advertising by National Advertis-
ing Service, Inc., college publishers representative, 420 Madison
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News contributions may be mpde by telephone (JU-4141,
Ext. 220) or at the Publications Office (R-45) located off the
Student Lounge in the basement of the Fondren Library oa
the campus. News deadline Is 12 noon on Wednesday.
MEMBER
Associated Collegiate Press Intercollegiate Press
gi-
lt's That Time Again
Threshing It Out
Enough Is Enough
Is Enough . . .
To the Editor:
We don't mean to be crusaders,
but we have had enough—cigar-
ettes, dogfish eyes, and now poster
paint. Enough is enough is enough.
Mrs. Kenneth Dale Owens rather
magnanimously gave that obpect of
rare art in the vestibule of Fondren
Library, only to have it desecrated
and defamed. May we suggest to
those busybodies who destroy that
which they cannot create that they
go up to the music room, wade
through the. Rice Players, listen to
Four Saints in Three Acts, and then
—be ashamed.
Walt Silvus and Oscar Teegerstrom
Eds. Note—For editorial comment
see the editorial columns.
of the finest libraries in the central
United States. After all the best she
had to offer Mr. Bartlett in the way
of a familiar quotation was: "Rose
is a rose is a rose is a rose."
If a statue for the library must
be had, why not someone important
like Mrs. James Buchanan or Little
Orphan Annie?
John Urquhart
Applebaum Thinks
Rice Mentality Down
To the Editor:
What has happened to the men-
tality of Rice students? These last
few days have made me very
ashamed of my school and of the
students who ore supposed to be
intellectual geniuses of the country.
I don't understand why a few of
our geniuses delegated themselves
ts artists and critics and not only
painted but also carried our statue
of Gertrude Stein off to a police
station, because they didn't approve
of her. Perhaps they didn't realize
that the portrait they don't like is
a famous work by Lipshitz valued
at $12,000. It really must of been
a lot of fun painting and carrying
off that much menry. Just what is
it that so many object to in the
statue? Perhaps they enjoy a nude
sculptured piece better.
Hy Applebaum
BR
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR Dick Karl*
Assistant Editor Bill Gordon
Managing Editor Joe T. Watt
Associate Editor Mary Anne Mewhinney
Snorts Editor 3. Fred1 Duckett
Society Editor Dorothyle Nicholl
Feature Editor Jonce Johnson
Editorial Assistants Henry Johnson, Jane Warner
Cartoonist John Alcorn
Staff Writers: A1 Beerman, Scott Clark, Joel Erdwinn, Bill
Feurer, Freddie Frederick, Jayne Heyke, Jo-Anne Hick-
man, Charles Langford, Cheryl Madison, Mark Morris,
Dick Prets, Forest Ralph, Hubie Rawlins, Bobby Sheridan,
Barbara Veyon, Kenneth Vinson.
BUSINESS STAFF
BUSINESS MANAGER Gloria Shatto
Advertising Manager Tom Olcott
Circulation Manager Irwin Groner
Urquhart Says—Gertie
To The Glue Factory
To the Editor:
The subject of the epistle is the
montrosity that graces the entrance
to the library, namely the bronze
bust of Gertrude Stein.
I now it isn't nice to look gift
horses in the mouth and all that,
but seeing as how we have to look
this one in the face many times
every day, I can't help but believe
that something should be done about
it.
Bad gift horses can be sent to
the glue factory, and so I move that
a similar fate be arranged for this
thing. At least it could be moved
to some less conspicuous place on
the campus.
I trust that the giver of this gift
did it in good faith and with the
best of intentions, but Miss Stein
was hardly a speciman of either
literary stature or pulchritude suf-
ficient to grace the entrance of one
Junior Representative
Examines SC Decision
To Che Editor:
The Student Council meeting
Wednesday night was something of
a farce. The Council reversel its
position from the previous. It was
pointed out to the Council in no un-
certain terms that some people felt
that the Council had no right to lim-
it the cheerleaders to only four
boys. Those opposed to the Council's
previous action felt that the ques-
tion should be put before the people
so that they might speak on this
problem. I can only assume that the
reversal by the Council was based
mainly on this ground.
If the Student Council was not
competent to limit the cheerleaders
to only four boys, how can it be
competent to require that there be
two boys? The Student Council
should decide if it is competent to
act on such matters and keep to its
decision. It would appear from the
final action that the call for a gen-
eral vote by those opposed to the
Council's limiting it to only four,
boys were not speaking in good
faith. They were no longer interest-
ed in searching their souls and let-
ting the people speak when they
had obtained what they desired.
I felt that the Council had the
right to decide this matter. I also
felt that perhaps it would eliminate
any bad feelings or dissatisfaction
if the students did vote on this ques-
tion to settle it for good. I signed
the original petition which would
have caused a vote by the students.
If the students should have voted on
the question before Wednesday
night, I think that they should still
vote on it.
Forest Ralph
Grant Wants Vote
On Cheerleader Issue
To the Editor:
The article in your last Thresher
concerning the cheerleader problem
brought no little concern to my mind.
Indeed Bill Harrison's advice to the
Council .concerning the necessity of
a balance of male and female cheer-
leaders is sound. But I feel that the
action of the Council in limiting the
cheerleaders to four boys is not
expressive of the true desire of the
student body.
Howard E. Grant, Jr.
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The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 41, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, January 15, 1954, newspaper, January 15, 1954; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth230957/m1/4/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.