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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1900)
60 THE BATTALION. age as well as the intellectual advantages to seek good old A. and M. as the seat oi their learning. Although that popular game would lose its monopoly, at the same time our team would be greatly strengthened by the strength of in dividuals, and “when would the glory cease” if we once and again defeated 1 our old enemy “’Varsity?” While all this was taking place each individual student could be getting some benefit of physical training, suited to his own constitutional development and strength, and such ex ercise should be compulsory to some ex tent. Should we have such equipment? To a great extent the object of this in stitution is to turn out practical men, who at the same time obtain a general education. They are ; expected to be men of the world, well fitted and capable of taking up the serious responsibilities of life 5 but no man without a hardy con stitution and well developed mus cles has the ability to take up those serious duties and to decide not only his own but perhaps also another’s welfare and happiness, and to carve the destinies of his posterity. Does our gymnasium and its equip ment, the natatorium and its condition, reflect any honor or dignity on this in stitution? In one of your leisure hours just stroll around and investigate, then satisfy yourself on the subject. Perhaps through the energetic efforts of a capable few who would agitate the subject, the State Legislature could he persuaded to vote an appropriation for the upbuilding of such an addition to this institution which would contribute so vastly toward the utility of a practical education to the youth of the State. If its influence were turned in the right channels and used by the corps to the best advantage, its usefulness could not be estimated. Our opinion on this subject is, that should such a public benefactor be insti tuted, it should he so constructed that one of the large halls which it would of ne cessity contain could he converted into an auditorium, which could be utilized by one or the other of our literary societies, on special occasions. The need of such a hall may be seen by the increase of membership and the great interest taken by outsiders in the work and meetings of these organizations. Something of this nature will soon be a necessity if the interest continues to grow. History shows us that those nations of the world 1 whose young men were trained to control their muscles, to use them swiftly and skillfully at the same time that their minds were working, became the foremost nations of the earth. In any kind of contest or game, the indi vidual or team that uses the mind as well as the sinews, generally wins; many a race has been won by superior general ship, by using the slightest advantage to the best end. Our best baseball play ers are those who do head work through out the game; just let the pitcher or some other important player lose his head and the game is surely lost. Just as the novice in speaking before an assembly feels shaky and weak in the knees, and can think of almost any absurdity, but can not concentrate his mind on the sub ject in hand, so it is with the player or contestant; if unable to put his mind in his work, he can not bring about the best result. Then, too, who does not admire a man who is physically superior in some re spect to his fellows? He always holds a certain prestige among them. How we love to cluster around in some favorite nook, at some leisure hour, and bring to memory some events that we have seen won or perhaps have ourselves won, or to talk over the records of athletes we may have known. “What a grand finish”