Indiana University - Arbutus Yearbook (Bloomington, IN)

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1 0£5sam THE CHALLENGE- • SL- e,e S £ ' ' « » v,0,5 ' am V-VJVV fc 0 xNtWS December 7 — War has been declared against the United States. Not by words nor legal documents, but by bombs has war come to America. No longer is it undeclared war with all-out aid for everything short of man power. Now it is actual declared war calling for increased man power trained in the Army, Navy, and Marines. Many times have we lived through this moment in our imaginations — this moment when we would read glaring newspaper headlines telling us that our country was in war. But now it is real and we have read the screaming headlines. The campus has changed almost instantly. No longer is it the gay and jovial place it ordinarily is during the Sunday night supper hour. In- stead it has taken on a face of somber grey and a look of dread, coupled with extreme bewilderment and worry. The news is received with a quietness that is grim in its intensity. There are no demonstrations of any sort. Everywhere groups talk excitedly about the sudden turn of events and great is the speculation as to what effect it will have on the University. Almost unanimous is the idea that Japan is in for a sound whipping, and at times there is an air of fatalism or optimism.

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THE UNIVERSITY at WAR r

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STUDENT WAR COUNCIL THE ANSWER Maybe we had imagined that when we read the headlines with these three life-shaking words, War Is Declared, we would scream and cry frantically. But no one does. Everyone is numb and somewhat sense- less. For the moment our world seems to be rocking and we do not know where to turn next. For some it is a moment filled with fear, despair, or a feeling of utter helplessness. Almost instantly the Commons is cleared. The Li- brary too is deserted. When we feel that our life foun- dations are beginning to totter, how can we study? How can we play? College is forgotten and lessons are ADMINISTRATIVE WAR COUNCIL neglected. The paramount thought is, Where do we go from here? On the campus tonight there is no an- swer and so we turn to radios and telephones in a futile effort to learn what path lies ahead of us now. In every organization house, in dormitories, and in boarding houses out in town, students group around radios listening to latest war bulletins. They crowd around the telephones to call home or to talk to friends in the Army. The entire atmosphere reflects our atti- tude. It is dark, melancholy, and pensive. There is no sleep or rest on the campus tonight. We are in war.