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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1900)
22 THE BATTALION. out of my environment, my own un ruly nature. I am here—not part of me, but all of me—not in proxy, but in person—to say yes to every righteous act, and to maintain every righteous act that virtuous student life requires of me, I am here to record my vigor ous nay, my personal protest, against ?very vicious thing in word, thought, and deed, that would militate against my work and the work of my compan ions. We are all here for that. I am, all of me, unreservedly, here for that. And if I am not here, all of me, hands, feet, mouth, eyes, reason, heart, conscience—why, in rough but truth ful words, I am lying to myself, to my superior officers, to my compan ions, to my God, when I say “here.” The government accepted an appli cant for the ranks. To all appearances he had the qualifications of a soldier, a stout, healthy body, sufficient intelli gence, and, best of all, he had volun teered. He answered to his true name yesterday morning in a company at the front. He was a unit in a charge where honor was to be maintained and victory grasped at the expense of lives. At the important moment he shirked. Isn’t he disgraced? Hasn’t he, to an extent, disgraced his command, his of ficers, his flag, his country? Make the applicaton. A youth whose parents, friends, state, trusted him and commit ted to him their hopes and honor, an swered to his name out there yester day morning. His class, his professors, his college trusted him when he said, “here.” At a critical hour he shirked. Has he raised the standard of college excellence and class pride or has he pulled it down a notch? Has he ad vanced his name and his father’s name on the roll of honor, or has he dragged it down with himself? Was he there when he answered “here?” How can a man stand up unblushingly and say “here” when he knows he is unprepar ed for the demands upon him which the answer ‘here” implies? But I have no individual cadet in mind when I say these things. I wish only to impress you with the fact that what may seem very little and unim portant matters are most significant when observed aright and you must see my meaning waen I tell you that these repeated and irksome roll calls of ca det life are only your initiation into an unceasing series of momentous roll calls to whch you are to answer so long as life lasts. You will, some of you af ter leaving here, apply for position in employments which are always open to good men. You will be asked your name, your age, your antecedents, your schools;; your diplomas and certificates will be examined. Some men of good reputation will probably become secur- rity for you; your assumption of the work and its responsibilities is your roll call answer “here.” I advise you to ponder well what it means. Do not en ter upon such position with any reser vations. Or, suppose you undertake, after due preparation, to fill some pro fessional post, say the physician’s. Sup pose you answer “here” to the call of some patient dangerously ill. Will it be enough if you carry about with you the diploma which grants you the title M. D.? Will it suffice if you can talk learnedly of disease and call out the names of bones, muscles and nerves in the jargon that attaches to them? I should, for one, wish to know—is the man, the gentleman, the sympathetic friend and nurse represented also in the titled doctor. I should grant him still more of my confidence did I know that he has taken out a diploma in the
