CIRCULATION 5,400
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER
OF THE CITY OF
COLLEGE STATION
LIBRARY
IfrMwal & Mechaniarf Cnflw* **
The Battalion
DIAL 4-5444
STUDENT TRI-WEEKLY
NEWSPAPER OF
TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE
VOL. 39
PHONE 4-5444
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, THURSDAY MORNING, FEB. 22, 1940
Z725
NO. 54
GENERAL COLLINS STRONG IN PRAISE OF U. S.
RESERVE ARMY AS TYPIFIED BY A. & M. R.O.T.C.
HIGHLIGHTS OF ARCHITECTS’ BALL
^General Addresses
Local Chapter Of
Reserve Officers
Declares United States
Army In Far Better Shape
Today Than Ever Before
“The United States Army is in
far better shape today than ever
before,” declared Brigadier-Gener
al J. L. Collins in his address
Tuesday night to the Brazos Coun
ty chapter of the Reserve Officers
Association. Speaking before the
three hundred persons who attend
ed the banquet—including two hun
dred-odd seniors who are members
of the Junior R. O. A.—General
Collins opened his address on Na
tional Defense by pointing out that
adequate national defense did not
necessarily constitute a large army.
Following this, he traced a brief
history of previous American wars,
showing the nation’s lack of ade
quate preparation in all former
wars from the Revolutionary War
to the World War.
However, in respect to the World
War, General Collins declared that,
“The United States’ achievement
in the World War was the equal
of any previous military achieve
ment in the history of warfare.”
From this point General Collins
discussed the nation’s attempts
since the World War to maintain
an adequate national defense. He
particularly stressed the impor
tance of the National Defense Act
of 1920 and the United States Mil
itary Academy at West Point in
our present national defense make,
up.
“Materiel is now the most im
portant factor in warfare,” he de
clared. In p‘’ace-time all efforts
are now being made to create great
speed and efficiency in the manu
facturing of materiel in case of
(Continued on page 4)
Shown above are a group of the frolickers at the recent annual Architects’ Ball, all garbed as
famous characters from history. At the top, from left to right, are some of the faculty couples who at
tended as ghosts from the past: R. L. “Satch” Elkins, Mrs. O. R. Simpson, W. L. Penberthy, Mr. Simp
son, Mrs. Elkins, and Mr$. Penberthy.
Lower left: Carroll Martin and Mary Louise Griesenbeck. Lower right: Vernon Smith and Alice Tho-
Sophomores, A. S. C. E. Swing Out
In Festivities This Weekend
By Thomas Gillis
The two dances being held this
week will fully usher in the so
cial season on the Aggie campus.
The Architects’ Ball last week be
gan the social whirl and the dances
this week are the further begin
nings of the social entertainment
which will dominate campus activi
ties each Friday and Saturday
from now until final review. The
Student Chapter of the American
Society of Civil Engineers will have
its first dance on Friday, February
23, followed on Saturday night by
the Fourth Annual Sophomore
Ball.
The dance being given by the
Student Chapter of the American
Society of Civil Engineers is the
first dance given here by the stu
dent chapter of any engineering
society. The Aggieland Orches
tra has been engaged to play ffrom
10 till 1 on Friday evening for
the dance. Attending the dance
will be all civil engineering stu
dents and all engineering adminis
tration students who are mem
bers of the club and their friends.
Non-members may get bids to the
dance for $1.00 from any member.
The chapter has arranged for a
number of girls from Huntsville
to attend the dance which will be
held in the banquet room. Jack
Doran and Carl Schneider are in
charge of decorating the room, and
they plan to show some of the
work of the society. A life-size
picture of a surveyor and a large
A. S. C. E. shield will be part of
(Continued on page 4)
J. H. Holt Selected As Champion At
First Little Southwestern Contest
Freshman J. H. Holt of Big Lake-fent departments won a blue ribbon.
was chosen as the champion fitter
and showman of A. & M. Monday
night in the Animal Husbandry
Pavilion before 400 spectators as
the Saddle and Sirloin Club stag
ed the first annual Little South
western Livestock Show. As
trophies of his victory over 65
other contestants, Holt, who was a
member of the Reagan County 4-H
Club Livestock Judging Team
which won first place at the In
ternational Exposition in 1939, re
ceived a pair of hand-made cow
boy boots donated by the Central
Boot Company, and a purple ban
ner presented by R. B. Dana of the
A. H. Department and faculty,
sponsor of the show.
Holt was champion of the sheep
department with a fat lamb, and
went on to win the grand cham
pionship over the champions of the
cattle, horse and swine depart
ments. Runner-up in the contest
was Gordon Grote of Mason, cham
pion of the cattle showmen with
his Hereford steer.
Grand champion of the horse
showmen was E. T. Rafferty of
In the sheep department, H. D.
Brown of Rocksprings won first
in the Rambouillet Ewe class, and
was defeated by Holt in the run
off for champion sheep showman.
Lee Rice of San Antonio won
the blue ribbon in the Percheron
Stallion class, with Rafferty win-
(Continued on page 4)
SATURDAY CLOSES
SALE OF PLATES
The sale of the traditional Ag
gie dinner plates will positively
be closed Saturday. According to
E. L. Angell, when this sale closes,
there will probably be no more
plates sold at all, at least not for
an indefinite time.
Four A. & M. students are in
charge of sales, and report a
thriving business. Anyone else
desiring to place orders for a set
or any part of a set should con
tact one of the following: Jack
Calhoun, dormitory 12; J. G.
Wortham, project house 12; Roy
Deadline Set For
Annual Oratorical
Contest Entries
Entries in the annual Battle
of Flowers Oratorical Contest may
be submitted to C. O. Spriggs, R.
M. Weaver, or George Summey
Jr., of the English Department
as late as noon Friday, Dr.
Summey, head of the depart
ment, has announced.
As usual the speeches will deal
with subjects taken from research
in Texas history. Students inter
ested in participating will find a
reading list and a specimen list of
speech topics posted in the Col
lege Library. Copies of these lists
will also be posted on bulletin
board 19 near the English office.
This contest in oratory is held
annually in San Antonio under
the auspices of the Battle of Flow
ers Association at the San Pedro
Playhouse, students from colleges
and universities of Texas partici
pating. Contestants to the Battle
of Flowers are sponsored by their
respective English departments
and are subject to receive prizes
of $100, $50, $35, and $15. The
first tryout will be held in room
316 Academic Building after sup
per on Wednesday, March 13.
Town Hall Scores Again With
4-Slur Program Friday Night
Prima Donna of Grand Opera
Hi
Gladys Swarthout, movie and screen star and famous singer of
the Metropolitan Opera Company, will arrive here tomorrow to
appear for a Town Hall Program tomorrow night. Season tickets are
good for the program; tickets for non-season ticket holders will be
$1.00 for students and $2.00 for others.
City Commission Rules Out
Increased Telephone Rate
Sufficient evidence for a proposed raise in telephone rates in
Bryan and College Station was presented by the Southwest Telephone
Company according to a report made Friday night to the Bryan City
Commission by the committee appointed to study the matter. A hear
ing has been set for February 27 at which time the company must
present additional information. On the committee to study the prob
lem are City Manager W. W. Scott, City Attorney F. L. Henderson
and Finance Commissioner Mills.*.
P. Walker.
Contained in the report of the
committee was:
1. The application as presented,
together with the accompanying
data, is not sufficient to be used
as a basis to fix said telephone
rates.
2. The rates having been re
cently fixed by a contract under
franchise granted to said company
by the city, there must be facts
shown to show a change in condi
tions, which of necessity require
an increase in rates. These con
ditions must also have occurred
since the franchise has been grant
ed.
3. The data to show the neces
sity for the increase in rates must
under the franchise, the Charter
and the Law, be present and ex
isting, and not based upon an esti
mate or on what might occur in
the future.
4. The city has the right in
passing on the rates of a utility
to inquire into the service (by the
law and by the contract); conse
quently, the City should be appris
ed of which service is contemplat
ed under the proposed rate struc
ture. Hence, we believe that the
application is premature, and that
(Continued on page 4)
306 New Students
Register at A. & M.
For Second Term
With 306 new students register
ed for the second semester, approx
imately half of whom have enter
ed A. & M. for the first time, the
total enrollment for the 1939-40
long session reached a high mark
of 6,391 by Wednesday, February
1.
Almost 5,500 students are ex
pected to be in attendance at A.
& M. after the deadline for regis
tration, Monday, February 26.
There was a total of 5,413 students
attending classes Wednesday,
March 21.
Compared with the 5,413 in at
tendance today there were only
5,095 in classes on February 21,
1939, an increase of over 300 for
this year. There was a grand total
of 5,856 students last year against
6,391 for 1939-40.
Approximately 40 or 50 more
students are expected by February
26, according to Registrar E. J.
Howell.
Gladys Swarthout
To Give Season’s
Top Performance
Reception Committee To
Greet World-Famed Star
Upon Her Arrival Friday
Tomorrow noon will witness the
arrival of Gladys Swarthout, for
whom Texas A. & M. has waited
some five months. It is expected
that the entertainment to be offer
ed by this great singing star of
Metropolitan Opera, Paramount
Films, stage, and radio will sur
pass all that has been presented
to the Aggie student body in the
past; and probably, Miss Swarthout
will live up to all expectations,
for hers is an exuberant person
ality, she has unusual beauty of
both face and figure, and she has
actually a wonderful mezzo-so
prano voice.
The train bearing Miss Swarth
out into Aggieland will arrive at
12:02 p. m. Friday, when she, ac
cording to tentative plans, will be
met by Dr. and Mrs. Walton, Col.
Ike Ashburn, E. L. Angell,
and W. W. Sullivan. A crowd is
expected, and all are invited to
join in the reception.
Miss Swarthout’s program of
Friday night, which will take place
at 7:30 in Guion Hall, will con
sist of the more familiar semi
classics and popular selections
taken from the best musical pro
ductions of stage and screen.
Ticket sales indicate that Guion
Hall will be filled to capacity, with
the community interest for an
individual performance being great
er than ever before. The perform
ance will be over in plenty of time
for the Civil Engineers to make
their annual hop, and there are
still seats available at the Y. M.
C. A.
Jack Littlejohn of " Pd Rather Be A Texas
Aggie” Fame Takes Over Aggieland’s Baton
Grobe in 26 Post Graduate Hall;
Gruver, with his Percheron mare.! or Edgar Butschek in project house
Champion swine showman was R. | 16.
R. Callaway of Glen Cove. The | Each plate carries a border bear-
champion of each department won | ing college traditions and an indi-
a medal, and the winner of each! vidual picture of some one of 12
individual class within the differ-1 dormitories.
By George Fuermann
There’s been a small change
made in the name of the Aggieland
Orchestra, but Tommy will soon
I go to work in near-by Houston,
which is the cause of the small
change. The change is brother
Jack—so now it’s Jack Littlejohn’s
Aggieland Orchestra.
Twenty-five years old, a market
ing and finance student, and—like
Tommy—a Tulia boy who made
good, Jack was formerly the or-
I chestra’s tenor saxophonist; that
is, before he became director. As
for Tommy; “I’ll miss the orches
tra more than anyone will ever
know, but I’ve got to go to work
some time, and this is my chance.”;
j Tommy, who can play second
tenor sax and do vocal chores be--
sides directing, graduated last
summer but was in college the first
semester of the current long ses
sion to do graduate work.
Jack—of “I’d Rather Be A Texas
Aggie” fame—is one of the most
versatile members of the orchestra.
Besides playing the previously-
mentioned first tenor sax, he is a
vocalist, arranger, and composer.
“Plans? Well ... I’m a little
new at the job of directing to have
very many of those yet,” said
Jack. “However,” he went on, “I
will do all in my power to be as
good a director as my predeces
sors. Specifically, I intend to call
more frequent rehearsals and to
leave no stone unturned in an ef
fort to get our orchestra on Fitch’s
N. B. C. program, the Summer
Band Wagon.”
The change of semester witness
ed one other loss to the orchestra.
TO J<rcrs
Library
Campos
First saxophonist Low
joined an orchestra no
in Alburquerque, New ft
Gene Bond has been m
take his place.
One other change in the normal
run of the Aggieland Orchestra
is the addition of the attractive;
Guest Stars To Be
In Spotlight On
Friday’s Clambake
John O. Rosser, manager of sta
tion WTAW, has announced that
the most important and preten
tious Clambake and Battalion news
cast of the year will be held to
morrow afternoon.
Feature of the hour-long pro
gram will be Jack Littlejohn’s Ag
gieland Orchestra who will have
the services of their new vocalist,
attractive Dorothy Thames. The
orchestra will play many of the
current song hits.
This program will witness the
introduction of the Clambake’s
theme song, Jack Littlejohn’s pop
ular “I’d Rather Be A Texas Ag
gie.” The orchestra will also fea
ture vocals by Gerald Elder and
Sonny Pendery.
Jack Rudy’s organ music from
Guion Hall will be worked into
the body of the program, which
also represents a change from pre
vious performances.
Others on the musical portion of
the program will include Harry
Springfield, Gavino Fahardo, and
Isidor Trueba, all popular Clam
bake artists.
Radio editor George Fuermann
and associate C. A. Montgomery
have announced that it is hoped
that Gladys Swarthout will be in
terviewed on the program. Stu
dent interviewers will include Bert
Burns, senior yell-leader and pres
ident of the A. S. M. E.; Frank
Corder, president of the Saddle
and Sirloin Club and King of 1939’s
Aggie Rodeo; and Don Simpson,
co-captain of A. & M.’s tumbling
team.
The program will be on the air
from 4:30 until 5:30 Friday after-
JAMED
1ITTEE
Dr. J. H. jj.Lucy of College Sta
tion and Mrs. Douglas Howell of
Bryan have been named to the book
feminine vocalist, Dorothy Thames j committee of the Carnegie Library
of Victoria. Dottie, as she prefers by Mrs. Lee J. Rountree, chair-
to be called, has had considerable man of the board,
experience with other orchestras Other members of the commit-
and has already made a hit at Ag- tee are C. M. Bethany, Mrs. R.
gieland with previous appearances O. Allen, Mrs. Thomas Lundin and
with the college band. Mrs. Lenora Hooker, librarian.