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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1976)
Page 4 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, 1976 Texas-type humor found only in Texas By JAMIE AITKEN On the cover of this magazine I was given was a poem about a good old boy, a Texan, who set his horse up playing blackjack with bar girls. The horse “was pretty good, held the cards with his hooves real articidate like and could add fastern most humans recall middle-aged brides, the wily stares slow chewing, your very own Jesus.” — Leonard Neufeldt, “Desire” There’s just something about the straight-faced drawl of Texas humor that is amiss anywhere else in the world. The homespun quality of Texas literature, it self, is the sole product of the fellows who “Quartet” operates on the Texas A&M University campus and is owned and pub lished by English professor Dr. Richard H. Costa. The publication appears quarterly but the current issue is a 100-page combi nation of summer, fall and winter, 1975- 1976. “Bullriders drop hard and fast on a ton of exploding brute like straw men punchdrunk with flopping legs and arms thrown high.” — Terri Johnson, “Rodeo Review make up the good old boys of this state. In many ways backward, but in others very progressive, the subculture of the good old boy interfuses the entire range of Texans. The name of the magazine I was given is “Quartet ”, and its special emphasis lies in Texas. Costa bought the magazine while a doc toral student at Purdue University in 1968. Before moving to Texas, Costa published “Quartet” at Syracuse University in New York. The magazine is listed as a nonprofit, tax-exempt literary quarterly and is sup ported by gifts, grants and subscriptions to various libraries, including Oxford Univer sity, Cambridge University and the British Museum. Chosen for presentation in “Quartet” are 38 poems and seven short stories selected from more than 30,000 manuscripts sub mitted since 1974. Featured writers and artists include Cynthia Thornton, a 21- year-old A&M senior; Terri Johnson and Eva Jane Johnson, both graduate students in English. Also included in the publication are A&M faculty members Dr. Paul Chris tensen and Dr. Jack Hardie, poetry; and Dr. Jerome Loving, review. “We raced around to the Baptists’ parking area and gave each member of their team and several of their rooters a victory balloon, as a sign of our good will and best wishes . . . then waved at our conquerors as they climbed into their cars and buses and headed back to Waco with their col lection of rapidly deflating con doms.” — Ernest W. Speed, Jr.; “The Coach Who Didn’t Teach Civics” Included in the Texas issue, which is carried by the A&M Bookstore, are a small number of works written by non-Texans, but encompassing similar themes. “It's true what you say. I haven’t tried long enough, heart hot with knives, to find you Texas, your fret ful luck, your miles and miles of blundering love, your blushing “Quartet” may be considered a library in itself, containing works that encompass the extremes of Texas culture: humor, tragedy, determination, resignation and understanding. It is a synopsis of Texas, written by Texans; a literary analysis of what makes Texas something more than just another state in the union. Since its beginning at Purdue in 1961, “Quartet” has sought national content. With the Texas Writers’ Special issue, Costa plans a more regional magazine. The majority of works in the current issue are just that. Costa’s only qualification for au thors was a period of Texas residency. “Aside from two or three, the writers in this issue are just beginning to have their work published, ” Costa said. “But I believe in a few years many of them will be heard from. ” The shooting spree of Charles Whitman from the tower at the University of Texas 10 years ago is explored by James R. Giles in a documentary-fictional short story. At the other end of the spectrum is Ernest W. Speed’s “The Coach Who Didn’t Teach Civics ”. Of Speed’s piece, Costa claims, “Your roommate will probably kick you out of your room for laughing so hard. ” My roommate read it and laughed until the neighbors banged the walls. He kept read ing, and I haven’t seen my copy of “Quar tet” for two days. “SAVE A BUNDLE Remember the old, Cash and Carry, money saving trick? Buy a pizza at the Commons Snack Bar and eat it there t anywhere you wish. Prices are right, and the pizzas are p ^ Bicentennial Special Hamburger Pizza Sausage Pizza .. Pepperoni Pizza .ft OPEN Monday thru Friday 11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday 4:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. QUALITY FIRST” A&M oil fund contains $800,000 Texas A&M has more than $800,000 earned from the sale of oil and gas leases in two funds which the General Land Office in Austin main tains. James A. Amis, the system attor ney for Texas A&M, explained Wed nesday how the oil and gas leases deeded to the University are hand led. Leases are not offered for sale until someone (usually an oil company representative) asks for it. If the Board of Regents, which has jurisdic tion over the leases, decides to sell, a public auction is held. The person who requested the sale must submit a cashier’s check to guarantee the minimum bid. This bid must cover the cost of advertising the public auction. Advertisements are then placed in at least two gen eral circulation newspapers and one oil trade magazine, usually “The Oil and Gas Journal in Tulsa, Ok lahoma. The auction is held the day pre ceding the next mqgfing of the Board of Regents. Bids are made orally. Amis said that sometimes the bid ding gets quite spirited. Several years ago, the Board required a minimum bid of five dollars on a par ticular lease. It seemed to be a prom ising lease and it sold, after much bidding, for nearly $100. If the person who originally re quested the sale does not win the bidding, his check for the advertising is returned to him, and the cost of the advertising is deducted from the proceeds of the sale. If he does win, he submits a check for the differ ence. The Board retains the right to reject any bids. — Richard Chamberlain Now that you've chosen each other It’s time to choose your special rings. Happily, you can choose a Keepsake with complete confide. ~e, because it’s perfect, permanently registered and protected against loss. EMBRETS JEWELRY ‘The friendly store’ 415 University Dr. College Station 9:00-5:30 Mon-Sat YOUR AUTHORIZED KEEPSAKE JEWELER Battalion Classified Call 845-2611 vtHilk rirv SHOP-IN c*fe-<S!Mv SAVE TIME, GAS, MONEY ! DISINFECTANT LYS0L SPRAY ELIMINATES 000RS. KILLS HOUSEHOLD GERMS. PREVENTS MOLD AND MILDEW. 14 0Z. < D, MOLDED PLASTIC LAMP AND SHADE MODERN DESIGN TO BUND WITH ANY DECOR. BASE IS WHITE. CHOOSE FROM SEVERAL COLORFUL, PLASTIC SHADES.