University of Virginia Library

These Walls Now In Their Second Printing

By ED KANIEWSKY

When excavations were
begun at Pompeii, a rather
starting discovery was made:
the walls of the municipal bath
were covered with graffiti.
They were not unlike modern
graffiti. Some attacked
political candidates. Others
alleged indecorous activities
between the manager of the
men's bath and various women.
Vesuvius had covered the
writings.

Last year, a minor Vesuvius
erupted in Alderman. The walls
of the library carrels were
painted. All the graffiti
disappeared. But a recent
check of the walls indicated
that the busy little hands and
brains were quickly repairing
the damage.

Graffitists were conscious of
this attempt to curtail their
activities. One of their favorite
topics now is the paint job and
its effects on their profession.
"Did they just paint these
walls," one asks. Another
replies, "No, they took out the
old walls and put in new ones."

"This wall is now in its
second printing."

"Weren't these walls painted
to cover graffiti?" someone
writes. "Obviously Echols
material," is the terse reply.

"Who painted over all the
graffiti?" "An art critic with
good taste," suggests another
graffitist.

The retort to "They ve
painted over all the graffiti, is'
"They've graffitied over all the
paint."

That graffiti is not merely a
casual endeavor is recognized
by the scribblers. "There are
layers of scrawled messages
under this paint, essential ones.
Make more."

Religion is also a favored
topic. "God is dead. But don't
worry Mary is pregnant again."
Blasphemy can be wickedly
funny.

"Look where the faith of
our Fathers has brought us."

"God is alive and playing
third base for the Baltimore
Orioles."

"Jesus is not dead. He is in
seclusion working on another
book." That drew the
response. "Hopefully with a
better ending."

Academics

The academic world receives
its share of comment too. "If
all the world's economists were
laid end to end they still
wouldn't reach a conclusion."

"Isn't science wonderful,"
someone asks. "You must be a
pre-med," another snorts in
reply.

"Dick Tracy" writes that
"The nation that controls
magnetism will control the
universe."

A wilting Hofstadter
writes, "Those who bring
happiness to others can't keep
it from themselves. History
tests neither bring nor instill
happiness."

Someone with a dislike of
empiricism scribbles, "It has
been shown that there is a
perfect correlation between
peppermint lifesavers and
baldness in frogs."

Surprisingly only ten of the
over one thousand graffiti on
the carrel walls dealt with
drugs. "A reefer a day keeps
reality away." "No left turn
unstoned." But there is a
strong anti-drug sentiment in
the profession, which has its
opposing echo. "Drugs make
you strange" is countered by
"Thank God." "Drugs are bad"
is met by "Ban aspirin."

Harper's asserts that men's
rooms walls are forums for the
New Left's political views. This
is not so in carrel scribbling.
Little space is devoted to
urging minorities to unite to
smash the state. But one little
appreciated minority is
disenchanted. "Munchkins of
the world unite! We're not tall
enough to lose anything." The
idea dwarfs the imagination!

A number of well known
figures are mentioned by name.
"Andrew Jackson was getting
it off Peggy Eaton."

"Roosevelt eats spam,"
occurs often.

"Virginia deserves Bill
Scott, but did we have to loose
him on the whole country."

Love

Someone has written "I
never let schooling interfere
with my education," and
signed it Samuel Clemens.
Someone else wrote nearby, "I
never let learning interfere with
my ignorance," and signed it
with the name of a University
Housing Office official.

Graffitists are well known
for their views on sex and love.
More than a third of carrel
graffiti deals with those topics.

Although there are a good
number of what could mildly
be termed unprintable
abominations beyond the most
lurid imaginations, the hopeless
romantics are represented too.
"Love is eternal bliss." "Love
is a many splendid thing."

"Man's ability to love is
exceeded only by his
unwillingness to do so."

"Oaths of love make
perjurers of us all".

"How can you love another
if you don't love yourself,"
drew the reply of "I love me."
Not content to let things
remain so, the first writer
echoed "He who loves himself
has a fool for a lover."

Erich Segal is remembered.
"Love means never having to
be horny." Also, "The pill
means never having to say your
sorry."

"Lust is all," commented a
non-romantic.

"Can anyone satisfy my
need?" was answered by "Yes,
a psychoanalyst."

"Virginity is like a bubble
on the sea of life–one prick
and its gone."

"Love is an invalid
concept."

A number of people are
mentioned by name, usually
with a telephone number.
These are by and large vicious
graffiti. But not all such use of
names is insulting. The name
"Sheri" appears in many
places, always without
comment, always in the same
neat handwriting, in a simple
tribute to some unknown love.
Likewise, the almost child-like
innocence of "I love Sally" is
clear.

A large number of walls
have the inscription,
"Surrender, Dorothy!" It is
safe to say that the aggressor
there lost. On one wall alone
the answer is written.
"NEVER."

But one type of graffiti
occurs more often than
sex-love graffiti. It is the
philosophical-social
commentary variety, in which
valiant efforts at profundities
are essayed. "One seventh of
your life is spent on Mondays."
"The difference between
graffiti and philosophy is the
word F–."

To "Never fear that your
life should end; rather that it
should not begin," someone
replied "or that it should be
spent in writing cosmic
homilies."

For those who are down
and out, "When in disfavor in
fortune and men's eyes, come
to me. I will spit on you."

"On the count of three,
everyone go to the next level
of consciousness."

"If all men were brothers,
would you want one to marry
your sister?"

"If you stop to think about
it, most of the things about
U.Va. and most of the people
here are sick." The next line, in
different handwriting, read
"Please make use of the bags in
the seat in front of you."

"Wait for me. I was here. I'll
be back–Godot."

"Reality is everyone's
anathema."

"Is reality this messed up or
is it only you?"