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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1900)
THE BATTALION. 23 school of Christ. Experience, unfortu nately, teaches that the “here” of a professional man painted on his office sign, advertised in the papers, making itself loudly heard in the equipment and paraphernalia of his place of business, does not always mean the whole man. Why, I have an idea that the lawyer who answers “here” unreservedly when I call upon him with a case, will tell me the weak points in it, will show me where I was wrong, will advise me to go to my opponent and make honorable terms with him, instead of urging me to fight in the courts and spend money, and appeal, and stay proceedings, and take advantage of technicalities and what not else that is unworthy of me and the law of equity. You cannot trustingly deal with a merchant when you know that behind his counter he is not a man face to face with his fellow- men, but a mere calculating, speculat ing machine; a sort of trap set to catch the unwary and inexperienced. You know you appreciate it when a Profes- fessor sometimes gets down from his hobby, and lets you feel that he has been over the very road you are travel ing, and has stumbled at your difficul ties, and is in sympathy with your troubles. Then, out there at roll call, one sometimes hears the answer, “HERE” to a name shrieked out in so loud a tone or otherwise uttered so conspicu ously that he is forced to think of its probable significance. I have come to the conclusion tha/t it means—not that there is a superabundance of the man there—but, on the contrary, that there is a real deficiency, and voice, windy bluff, is to compensate for it. I have never enquired, but, on general prin ciples, I conclude that the noisy “‘here" does not mean extra prepara tions for the work ahead, does not mean excellence in class, on the drill- ground, on duty, commensurate with the vim expressed. I say, I judge thus on general principles, for one of ten hears this deceptive roll call re sponse from men older than you. The boisterous “aye” of the voter does not always mean that a man is ready to follow up his “aye” with the strength of his whole manhood. The “here” of an enrolled church member, that is, his presence at worship, does not always imply that he is ready to consecrate himself and his means to all that church stands for. The can didate for office who most noisily re sponds to the calls of patriotism and stumps his district most vociferously is too often “here” for the benefit of Tom, Dick and Harry only so long as the canvass lasts; when responsi bilities are to be shouldered and the integrity of office maintained at some risk he is not here. The soldier who fights fearfully in the canteen and on furlough is not the bravest man before a battery. The merchant who calls out “here” in the column after column of advertisement in the daily paper sometimes sells shoddy goods. So I judge, look out for the cadet who makes the drill-ground echo with his “here,” and it may be well to look out for him after he leaves cadet life. I tell you, young man, something is meant when that musket strikes the ground after the answer “here.” And if its meaning were realized by every one of you, if, in the words of my text, and with full significance this corps would say, “We are all here,” I could foresee many alterations in the conduct of affairs. But with a view to this you would have to cherish higher ideals than are probably prev alent. You would have to realize that
