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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1894)
10 THE BATTALION. which we can pee to account for this con dition of aff.iirs is that our present source of supply has no competition—in other words, it has a monopoly. College is. situated five miles from Bryan, the only place in any way accessible to the stu dents. Also, it costs thirty cents to go Bryan and return. Yet if they do take the trouble to go to Bryan they can pur chase necessities cheap enough to nearly compensate them for their fare there and return. We cannot see why a dealer that handles as much as the one at Col lege cannot get stationery, etc., from job bers as chea]) as other retailer. If some of the students could be allowed to under take a line of stationery, etc., in con junction with his studies, it would re move the above and might be the chan nel through which some deserving and poor young man could receive money to perfect his education. We were very much surprised on read ing the sentiments of our exchanges upon oratory. It was the first lime that we have ever seen it stated that “orator}’ is a dead art,” and we would beg leave to differ from our contemporary on that point. Oratory is not a dead art, but it, lik every other science, profession or art, is improving with the enlightenment of the age. It has only changed; it has not died by any means. Nothing can be said to be dead as long as it is made use of in our every day life, and oratory is certainly made use of to a very great ex tent. We see from the papers that the societies of the institution which the above journal represents, intend to have their usual commencement oratory. If they believe what they say, why do they persist in using a dead art? What do they want with some one to harangue tlium for one half hour or more during their commencement celebration ? They have evidently acted without forethought if their reasons for not participating in the oratorical contests are as stated. It is a well known fact that organized ef fort are the surest means of prompting our sciences and arts, and to that end we have our art conservatories, bar asso ciations, engineering societies, etc., and they all accomplish their purpose. Then why not have an oratorical association? It will certainly stimulate interest in or atory in the societies of the institutions represented. And we are glad to an nounce that thesocieties of the A. and M. being ever ready and willing to promote anything that pertains to the advance ment of this object, have unanimously imiorsed the Texas State Oratorical As sociation and consequently selected Mr. E: L. Bruce of the Calliopean society to represent them at Georgetown. AfflOriG THE EXCHANGES. B. C. WATKINS, ’95, EDITOR. The unhappy scribe whose lot it is to provide, to the best of his ability, for the' success of this department of our Battal ion during this term, was exceedingly gratified to find on entering upon his several duties, a large number of ex changes, some of which are excellent. We hope that by regular work, we may be able to keep the Hamilton Col lege Monthly, and other journals, from inquiring “Where is the exchange col umn of the Battalion ?” As the life of this department in any ournal is dependent upon the prompt ness with which these exchanges are made, and as of all others, this is the weakest part of our paper, we ask those