University of Virginia Library

Letters To The Editor

Courage In A Bottle

Any civilized, reasonably
intelligent person understands the
importance of not imposing himself
upon others. There can be no
objection to any activity that in no
way bothers others. I therefore see
no harm in wallowing in mud; I've
done it myself. The problem is that
some people, already muddy
themselves, feel the need to make
everything around them as muddy
as they are. Because we lend to
credit people at this school with
more than average intelligence, it is
natural to think that students
would understand that others might
not want mud on them.

It would appear, from the
activities at the corner of Rugby
Road and University Circle Sunday
afternoon, that this is an unfair
assumption. The people at this
party were apparently incapable of
this understanding. Instead, their
crude little minds thrilled with
thought of throwing mud at cars
and motorcycles that were stopped
for the red light. One of these
young men was even so bold as to
come up and wipe mud on my
friends' goggles. There seems to be
no limit to the courage some people
can find in a bottle, nor to their
pathetic inability to retain some
semblance of human behavior while
under the influence.

This letter is in no way to be
construed as a blanket
condemnation of Sunday's parties.
I have no objection to the ideas
behind the parties, but it would be
well to consider that some of the
less intelligent members of our
community are not able to cope
with all the liberties that they are
granted. As with children, it seems
that their playthings must be
carefully selected. The trouble is
that when you let them play with
everyone else, you give them the
means to be especially obnoxious;
you give them a tool, like a
mudball, with which they can
express themselves. It is then that
their boring, but usually innocuous
personalities become a community
nuisance.