4
THE BATTALION
THE BATTALION
in the minds of the older members of the college family. A reasonable amount
of care and forethought will do much to prevent another impairment of this
sort.
Published every Wednesday night by the Students’ Association of the Agricultural and
Mechanical College of Texas.
THE NTH COMMANDMENT
Subscription price $1.75 per Year.
ALL ADS RUN UNTIL ORDERED OUT.
Accepted for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of
October 3, 1917, authorized October 18, 1922.
All undergraduates in the College are eligible to try for a place on the Editorial Etaff
of this paper. Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors who are interested in journalism for
its own sake, are urged to make themselves known to some member of the Staff.
EDITORIAL STAFF
L. J. FRANKE . . . .
S. I. STRATTON, JR.
R. H. JONES
L. H. MADDOX . . .
R. O. PEARSON . . .
S. BAKER
A. R. MENGER . . . .
C. M. FLORER ....
T. A. PILKEY ....
R. E. HOMANN . . .
W. G. RALPH ....
R. T. FALKENBERG
W. C. MORRIS
K. L. LAKE
W. T. COLEMAN .
G. F. STARK
R. B. TATE
N. A. DONGES . . . .
W. C. JOHNSON . .
R. C. HAYNIE . . . .
W. D. McELROY . . .
W. C. TAYLOR . . . .
Editor
Managing Editor
Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Associate Editor -
Associate Editor
Sports Editor
. . .Associate Sports Editor
..Assistant Sports Editor
Exchange Editor
Social Editor
News Editor
. . . .Associate News Editor
. . .Associate News Editor
. . .Associate News Editor
Literary Editor
Literary Editor
Literary Editor
Associate Literary Editor
Humorous Editor
Humorous Editor
. . Cartoonist
BUSINESS MANAGER
R. L. EDGAR Business Manager
J. A. DAVIS Assistant Business Manager
R. E. O. SLOAN Circulation Manager
THE “JUNIOR-FISH” PROBLEM
The “junior-fish” question, as was predicted, has aroused quite a bit of
agitation among the student body. What is surprising is that the most
heated discussions were not among the seniors, but among the “junior-fish.”
These men have not hesitated to say that they want recognition, not as jun
iors, but as freshmen. Many of the men concerned have “big brothers” who
finished school at A. and M.; they know that the invaluable experience a
freshman receives here cannot be gained anywhere else. They have thought
seriously over the question, and they know that they cannot hope to command,
with any degree of successs, men who were freshmen here while they them
selves “sat on the fence.”
The “junior-fish” demand the chance to gain the respect of the men with
whom they are to be associated for two years of their life; they do not be
lieve they can have this chance unless they served as freshmen during their
first year here.
On the other hand, these “junior-fish” do not realize what a gulf they
must cross in the sudden jump from freshman to senior. They have not vis
ualized what their position will be in their senior year when they will com
mand the men with whom they were either on equal or inferior terms only a
few months before.
Obviously the time has come for a bit of constructive, clear thinking.
The seniors must take the lead; they must impartially weigh sides of the sit
uation and strive to attain a solution that will satisfy the “junior-fish”, the
upperclassmen, the freshmen, and the faculty.
Thou Shalt Not Deface the Walls of Thy Halls. This is the order is
sued by the powers that be.
A pleasant and totally unexpected surprise awaited the old men when
they began to arrive this year. The main building had not been moved,
neither had a hall been built in place of our own exclusive Hollywood. No,
but the rooms in the various halls had been decorated until they fairly shone
with new paint and varnish. Works of arts, family histories, and the scars
of battle have been removed.
Hence the order issued above! Is it to be obeyed or not? When the
college authorities have seen fit for a large expenditure of time and money
making the rooms livable is it our part to tear down what has been done for
our convenience and help? Why not do our bit by refraining from defacing
the rooms this year as has been done in years past?
Park your gun behind your ear, expectorate in a “gobboon,” buy an ad
dress book for all your phone numbers and enter all your bright thoughts
in a diary.
With a little work and some few decorations the rooms now can be made
attractive. Take pride in doing your part so that when we come back next
year we need not don the old clothes and redecorate.
FELLOWSHIP
Fellowship has not the depth of meaning held or implied in friendship.
A friend is more than simply—not an enemy. Even fellowship does not drop
to this small attitude.
Robert Browning called the Summum Bonum, trust. Trust, one in an
other, can be possible only when the parties concerned instill confidence in
one another by an evident and simple regard for Truth. Fellowship demands
that there be no cool caution, no picking of words, no circumvention with an
other fellow.
We have a healthy example of fellowship in our yell practice. It may not
be so with the freshmen as yet, but all of the old fellows can confess to a
peculiar hankering to get out to the next yell practice in front of the Y. M.
C. A. steps. What is the explanation? They have fellowship there. Class
distinctions are dropped; junior, senior, freshman, sophomore, alike, rub
shoulders in the friendliest good feeling, raillery—fellowship. Considered
seriously from one point of view, probably the way an onlooker would feel,
yell practice seems a big show of nonsensical actions, noise; the yell leaders
preach hate, by turn they commend then reprimand the corps for their res
ponse at yell practice. Taking only one little point on the serious side, the
individual should not take the idea of hating your rival school too seriously.
The yell leaders really only wish to create a keen dislike for any unfair prac
tice. They want you to see the smallness, the ridiculousness, in your rivals.
A. and M. has always played the game fair in all things, in our football
games particularly. To understand the bigness of your college, to pull loyal
ly together in all things for her welfare, that requires fellowship. Don’t you
just feel immensely thrilled, proud of A. and M., each time you enter into the
spirit of yell practice? If you don’t you had better ask yourself what is
wrong, and get right.
Just one more thing. Freshmen in particular have a signal opportunity
to make the acquaintance of hundreds of boys this first year. Take this op
portunity as a privilege, ever make new contacts, you will profit, you will en
joy their fellowship all through your college years and perchance after. A.
and M. is a big brotherhood, a place where fellowship flourishes.
“AMBITIOUS”
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK PROCLAMATION
“Year by year, the destruction of property by fire in America has been
mounting until the total annual loss is now more than $500,000,000. This
means a waste each day of an average of $1,370,000 of resources that we can
ill afford to lose.
“But far worse than the destruction of valuable property is the toll of
human life through fire. The average number of persons burned to death
each day in the United States is stated to be forty-eight.
“In our own great State of Texas last year there was more than twenty
million dollars worth of property and 284 lives destroyed by fire. A most con
servative estimate is that 85 per cent of fires are from preventable causes.
“NOW THEREFORE, I, Miriam A. Ferguson, Governor of Texas, do
hereby designate
OCTOBER 3RD TO 9TH, 1926
as
FIRE PREVENTION WEEK.”
As a result of Governor Ferguson’s proclamation, city officials, civic
and economical organizations, school officers and school teachers are plan
ning to arrange meetings and exercises for the study of fire prevention prob
lems, and for impressing upon the public the seriousness of the waste caused
by fire and the need of the utmost care in protecting lifei and property from
this danger.
The cadets of the college will have no exercises in observation of fire
prevention week, but at the same time it is well that we give the danger of,
fire a serious thought. Our fire fighting apparatus is not nearly as complete
as it could be—in case of a large fire, it would be inadequate in the work of
subduing the conflagration. Our greatest asset in fire control is prevention.
The students of the college can do much towards reducing the possibil
ities of fire. Especially should the occupants of such housing systems as
Hollywood, Alpha, and Beta, guard against such danger. A. and M. has had
her disastrous losses from fire in the past, and such losses as that of the old
Academic Building, the old Mess Hall, and the old M. E. Shops are still vivid
Long and loud has been the cry of “ambitious” directed at the student
who tries to do his best in his work and to obey the college regulations. As
soon as some conscientious student, who prides himself in fairness, the desire
to do right, and the desire to make the most of his college years, tries to take
advantage of his opportunities, he is immediately beaten down by the lazy
few, who themselves are the jealous-hearted, envious men who ruin a school.
These men launch a verbal attack against the student who tries, and by ac
cusing him of trying to get a “drag” with the military or college authorities,
make it impossible for him to do his duty and still hold his head up. If the
fellow who wants to learn asks the professor a few questions, he is trying
lo get a “suck,” especially if he stays after class to ask these questions. If
he makes all the military formations, he is ambitious, and especially so if he
tries to get others to do their part; and if he once gets the name of ambitious
then he is an outcast to a great extent.
What, then, is the conscientious student to do? Is it fair to keep a good
man from learning and doing just because there are a few lazy fellows? The
fellow who wants to do his best should not be made to suffer, for in the end
it will be found that-he is the one who had enough sense to take advantage of
his opportunities.
NEW Y DIRECTOR MAN OF
WIDE EXPERIENCE
M. L. Cashion, successor to W. H.
“Pa” Matthews as secretary of the
Y. M. C. A., is already familiar to
most of the students of College by
his assistance at the opening exer
cises and his ready hospitality at the
Y. Mr. Cashion came to Sherman
Texas, from South Carolina to take
the position of secretary of the Y. M.
C. A. at Austin College. During the
war he went overseas with the Y,
but held a position on a committee of
inter-racial affairs on his return. He
then returned for a short while to
Austin College, before taking charge
of the Y here.
Mother—Didn’t I see you sitting on
that young man’s lap last night?
Daughter—Well mother, you told
me that if he ever got sentimental to
sit on him.