THE BATTALION.
21
the success of this work, and I desire to
bespeak for these young men your liberal
support and hearty co-operation.
Again, have public meetings in the
chapel as often as possible. Make out
your programs carefully, and then send
in a notice to Bryan and let the town
people enjoy coming out.
By all means continue in the State
Oratorical Association, and I expect yet
to see the A. and M. win the State medal.
It might be a good thing if you couid get
the college into the Southern Inter-Col
legiate Oratorical Association. The
more irons you have in the fire, the more
contests you enter, the greater will be
the interest. The societies have it in
their power and province to do some very
fine work for the College.
One opportunity is through the publi
cation of your journal, the Battalion.
Let no one get discouraged because the
alumni is to publish a quarterly. Your
magazine will not conflict with theirs,
and the Battalion has an important mis
sion. It should be here to stay. Strive
to make it the ideal College journal, a
publication of which all friends of the
College will be proud.
This brings me to another subject that
is perhaps a hobby of mine. I want the
literary societies of this College to
jointly publish an Annual. The class of
’95 issued the Olio, and for a beginning
it was good. It was a success and did
a good work. The conditions existing
now are much more favorable than they
were then. The attendance is larger, the
demand for it is greater, and besides you
could profit by this former experience,
and that alone means much. If you get
out an Annual it would mean lots of
hard work, and the societies would have
to assume all responsibility, and that
would be a good feature. That is the
very point. Have on hand constantly
some interesting piece of work for
these societies, and keep the members
hard at it all the time. You will en
joy the work and the societies won’t
go to sleep. Publish this Annual. Do
it this year. Go to work on it right
away. 1 can pledge you the help of
tfie alumni, financially and otherwise,
and I can pledge you the support of
the business men of Bryan. But some
body says it will be impossible to get
necessary funds. The football team will
get all the money. Let me say this to
you: I approve of athletics, and I want
to see the College develop a crack team
this year. I am on the Athletic Council,
but when football gets to monopolizing
and driving out every other laudable
project, then it is time to put the brakes
on. The motto of athletics must be,
“Live and let live.”
I am too good a Democrat, aye, and
too true an American, to believe in mo
nopolies, even in favor of the gridiron.
If you will put the right men in charge
of this Annual work, they can get the
money and anything else they want, and
when your Annual comes out you will
love it all your lives, and when its pages
are yellow and your temples are gray,
it will make your heart that of a boy
again to take it from the shelf and
through it live over your college days.
And now I am done. What I have said
has been prompted from a heartfelt wish
to encourage and assist you. And in con
clusion let me tell you that if at any
time or in any way I can assist you, I
shall deem it a pleasure to have you call
on me. I can promise that no matter
how much engrossed I may be in other
business, your request shall be met with
my very best effort.
I love my alma mater, Mr. President,
that much.