State Y.M.C.A.
Convention
THE BATTALION
A.&M. College
Fortunate
Published Weekly by the Students’ Association of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas
_________ COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, FEBRUARY 17, 1915. ^ NUMBER 19
IS THE SUITE'S
GREATEST SPE1KER
—PROF. BRESSLLER.
DR. TRUETT MAKES ELOQUENT
APPEAL TO BOTH INTELLECT
AND EMOTION.
COMPARED TO ORATORS OF OLD
“The firfist time I ever had the
opportunity ot hearing Dr. Truett
was at the Y. M. C. A. meeting at
Monte Ne, Ark., last June. At that
gathering, after I had heard his first
talk, I said to the men who were
sitting near me: ‘That man seems
to be on better speaking terms with
God than any man I have ever seen.”
“Dr. Truett is every inch a man.
He has a fine big body, not muscular,
hut sturdy and pioneerlike. In his
hearing he is stately; in his appear
ance he is immaculate. Every feature
of his benign countenance delineates
the nobility of his character. On his
brow is written indelibly the history
of a pure life. What an inspiring
record! There you see serenity and
peace, the storms and passions of life
nobly overcome. At times his face
is lighted up by ‘The Gleam,’ and
then it is magnificent in its own
grandeur and strong in its own
strength. Over all there is a trace
of sadness as if this man felt truly
the pangs and sufferings of humanity.
“As you sit in his presence and
listen to the clear-cut, logical sen
tences that are uttered, you forget
all about the man; you think of his
message only. He seems to be mere
ly a medium through which some
power from a superworld is speaking
to mankind. You come away from
his meetings with a feeling that you
have seen things that it is not very
often the privilege of man to see.
You have been lifted above the com
mon workaday world and you are
sure you can look life in the face
without a fear. The recurrence of
everyday events ill no more be pro
saic. The what L you-were and the
what-you-are are different. The com
monplace has been elevated; the
visionary has been lowered. The ab
stract has been made concrete; the
concrete has been made ideal. The
temporal has become eternal; the
spiritual has become tangible.
“The philosophy of the Galilean is
exemplified not only in the teachings
of this man, but also in his life. His
message is not to do as I tell you,
but do as I do, for I know and I have
done. You believe him because back
of that message is a mind, an intel
lect, great enough to obliterate all
doubts that might arise in the mind
of the hearer. The personal mag
netism and the superior intelligence
of the speaker are powerful enough
to overcome all indecision in a doubt
ing audience. His is not the message
of a ranting evangelist, or spiritual
pygmy, but of the intellectual and
spiritual giant.
“When I think of Dr. Truett I re-
(Continued on Page 6.)
HISTORY OF 00R
Y. 1C. A. OUILDIG
DR. FOUNTAIN GIVES SOME HERE
TOFORE UNKNOWN FACTS
ABOUT THE BUILDING.
MANY PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN
It is a pleasure for us to be able
to publish the following history of
the origin and completion of the cam
paign for the erection of a Y. M. C. A.
Building at this place. It contains
some interesting facts which all
should know.
The history follows:
“Back of the Y. M. C. A. Building,
the completion of which has brought
joy to the hearts of cadets and of
ficers of the college alike, are many
stories of battles against obstacles
which seemingly could not be over
come. Not once, but many times, it
has appeared that the plans for this
building, so highly cherished, would
fall by the way in spite of every effort
that loyal supporters could put forth.
“And it is to the efforts of a few
men that the building stands as a
memorial. E. B. Cushing of Houston,
ex-president of the Alumni Associa
tion, ex-president of the board of di-
(Continued on Page 6.)
Y. M. C. A. BUILD
ING DEDICATED
FORMAL CEREMONIES IN COL
LEGE CHAPEL SUNDAY
AFTERNOON.
INFORMAL NIGHT RECEPTION
At last we have our Y. M. C. A.
Building. It was formally dedicated
last Sunday afternoon. After many
long and patient struggles,' told of in
another part of this issue, we are to
enjoy the fruits of the faithful labors
of some of the members of our faculty
and student body.
Dr. Bizzell made a strong speech
in eulogy of the Young Men’s Chris
tian Association work in general and
of its relation to this institution in
particular. He also emphasized forcibly
religious activity as an essential part
of a well rounded college education.
Mr. Coulter, State Y. M. C. A. sec
retary, gave some interesting infor
mation relative to the early history
of the -association and also pointed
out the various spheres which the as
sociation would fill at this institution.
The first informal reception of the
campus people, students and people
of Bryan to be held in the new build-
(Continued on Page 2.)
FEW REALIZE IMPOR
TANCE OF CONVENTION
—DR. W. B. BIZZELL.
CONVENTION WILL PRODUCE A
LASTING INFLUENCE ON
OUR COLLEGE. LIFE.
AN UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITY
“The State Y. M. C. A. convention
soon to be held in our midst is an
event of epochal importance. Few of
us realize what these three conven
tion days will mean to the Agricul
tural and Mechanical College. No
man can analyze in advance the
deeper significance of such a meet
ing. No man could analyze in retro
spect the lasting influences that such
a convention must exert on each in
dividual life. But in prospect there
are some results and benefits that we
can reasonably expect to observe
from such a meeting as this.
“1. In the first place, it means con
tact with men of religious vision and
social ideals. Every ambitious man
is interested in men of this type. We
are all interested in men of person
ality and when personality is domi
nated with religious conviction and
moral leadership onr interest is trans
formed into human sympathy and ad
miration. I predict that many of us
will never forget the messages of
Bilheimer of Denver, of Hurrey of
Montclair, N. J., of Whitmore and Dr.
Fisher of New York City, and of Dr.
George W. Truett of Dallas. These
men have personality; they have
moral conviction; they have messages
for men—vital, timely and uplifting.
“2. In the second place, this con
vention brings a new emphasis to
our college life. Religion is a life,
it is an atmosphere. College is a life,
it is an atmosphere. The college life
should be as complete as possible,
and it cannot be complete without the
proper emphasis of religion. Our
college atmosphere must possess all
the essential elements for wholesome
living. Religious conviction and
moral conviction are as essential ele
ments of the college atmosphere as
oxygen and nitrogen in the at
mosphere of living things. This con
vention means the fuller recognition
of these moral elements in the at
mosphere of our college life.
“3. I think this convention will
give a new meaning to the signifi
cance of our college social life. The
Y. M. C. A. would have justified its
existence if it had made no other
contribution than that of enlarging
the opportunity for friendly inter
course. This association has given
opportunities for frienditehips in a
thousand ways that have made the
world kinder and more deeply human.
No man who comes in contact with
this convention will be able to escape
this feeling of comradeship. No anti
social feeling will survive the warmth
of feeling, the wholesome outimism,
and the human interests of the two