4
THE BATTALION
Ihrlattalion
Published every Wednesday night by the Students’ Association of the
Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas.
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Entered as second-class matter at the post office at Bryan, Texas, under
the Act of Congress March 3rd., 1879.
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Editorial Staff 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.
L. W. JOHNSTON .
J. M. GARCIA
S. C. GIESEY
Y. B. GRIFFIS ...
P. A. DRESSER ....
C. WILLIAMS
f. r. Mcknight .
R. L. HERBERT
C. V. ELLIS
J. A. BARNES
C. M. BLOCK ......
M. H. HOLLOWAY
S. A. ROELOFS
EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Associate Editor
Associate Editor
Sports Editor
Associate Editor
Assistant Sports Editor
News Editor
Assistant News Editor
Associate News Editor
Associate News Editor
Columnist
Columnist
BUSINESS STAFF
LESTER HANKS Business Manager
D. W. SHERRILL Assistant Business Manager
J. A. REYNOLDS Circulation Manager
REMINDER.
A few weeks ago an article synonomous to this appeared in this edi
torial column, but from its results it is evident that it received a minimum
amount of attention. To be candid, the conditions again referred to are
those which exist on the campus, and which need to be remedied, badly.
If a stranger were to visit our dormitories he would probably come
to the conclusion that numerous tribes of vandals were roving unhampered
in the paths of demolition over the entire acreage of A. and M. If he fur
ther visited the main building, he would think, from the quantity of match
marks on the walls, that this institution is one where everyone attempts to
emulate a stock-board marker at a cotton exchange, or the official scorer
at a baseball game.
Every term, including this and ensuing ones, we have had and will
have to pay twenty frigid dollars for our new furniture, and for the care
of our dormitories. This practice will continue until the state sees fit to
appropriate us more money.
We are college students. Now when we come to college, are we not
already aware of the fact that we must not destroy public property, or
mar that which does not belong to us ? Was not our prime purpose in
coming to college to develop what thinking powers we may have ? And
do we not defeat our own purposes when we continue to disregard public
property and not to think of the rights of others? No person with self-
defeating purposes can hope to accomplish much in life, and surely this
is the character of these purposes.
The thing that this paper, the college, and the people of the state of
Texas want you, as individuals, to do is to be more careful with this
new furniture we have in our rooms, and for every man to appoint him
self as his own master to keep the fussy thing called “I” from going as
tray and degenerating to the mediocre.
CONTRIBUTION.
Once in a very long while good things are too abundant in this world,
and this seems to be the case at A. and M. A little griping is a good
thing, but too much of it, besides being painful, is apt to prove useless.
From the nature of the talk buzzing around the campus, and the tone of
some of the editorials appearing in the Bat. a person not acquainted
with the situation would be led to believe that this institution is sick unto
death with many vague but serious ailments, and that the only remedy
for this sad state of affairs lies in starting a transitional movement, or
joining one already started, from the “old” to the glittering but in defi
nite “new.” There is much ink spilled in this year’s Bat on account of this
and there was more spilled last year, but, thanks to the spell of other days,
not very much has been accomplished in a material way and not much
seems likely to be accomplished.
For the Old School is not so badly off, whatever the trend of the
talk, printed or otherwise. A freshman is still a fish, and the • soul of
Aggieland is very real on misty nights when Taps floats up from the Y
steps in the old way, as it did in the days when Hunt led the finest team
the Conference has ever seen up a rocky path to victory, and as it float
ed up in years before that when other Aggie heroes had their hour. “Tear
away from the old traditions!” is the cry now, but how can A. and M.
do that? Take away its traditions and any college loses more than it
can afford to lose. It becomes a mere machine, turning out lesser ma
chines bearing its stamp.
Why should we tear down what fifty years has built for us? Why
should we become ordinary and lose that uniqueness and wholeness which
has set us apart from all other schools and made us famous throughout
the country ? That is what all this talk of change will amount to if it is
heeded. People do not know that we are a great military school or that we
turn out so many Engineers and so many Aggs as finished products every
year. They have never heard of all this, but they have heard of Aggie
Fight and they rest our fame upon it. After we have given them cause to
place our name in the sun, why should we bring it tumbling down ?
Lets drop all this talk of change, Army, and get to work to keep Ag-
gieland’s greatness as it is and as it has been. Griping is a weak sport for
men, anyway.
Editor’s Note:—This comes to us as a contribution, such as we are
always glad to receive. A reply to this glittering product of the mind of
one of our illustrous brothers will appear next week.
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COLLEGE ATHLETICS VS. COLLEGE SPIRIT.
The findings of the Carnegie Foundation investigating committee have
caused so much excitement and alarm, that we are wondering if the public
can really be fooled or are people just supposed to act surprised. It was
found that many institutions of higher learning provided the economic
means for a boy who could play football or any other sport, to attend
college, being understood that he would shine as a star.
It is quite difficult for us to imagine or picture in our minds things
that are contrary to our prescribed path. But let us for an instant emerge
from the “inside dope” and observe as a spectator, a member of the crowd,
—that body with a unique understanding of what is right—observe, I re
peat, a football game. The yell leader, in quite emotional words, impresses
the student body with the necessity of winning the game by giving the
team their full support. An Ex may come along and babble a few words on
the love he maintains for his Alma Mater, of how the “old spirit” has de
clined, etc. The student body by this time is in a state of patriotic excite
ment and ready to lose their voices and what not in an effort to transmit
their fighting spirit (sometimes aided by imbibing some powerful stimu
lant) to the men on the field.
We then see a player, tense with the emotion of having his pay-check
increased or of getting that extra fifty dollars offered (in private of
course) by some prominent Ex. for every touchdown, ready to call for
the ball. Meanwhile, we can imagine the thoughts running through the
minds of the others who will do the interference. If the first man fails they
will very likely get a chance to try next, so why do the interfering. The
process is repeated with the man carrying the ball trying his best at all
times but consequently failing.
The game ends with the larger side of the score probably on the side
that put up more money. Yet the public will remark on the fine spirit
of fight and sportsmanship that exists in such an institution.
The above is merely a general sketch of what can happen in any col
lege or university, incidentally we gain an insight into college spirit. We
are now willing to believe that “you can fool all the people part of the
time, part of the people all the time, but you can’t fool all the people all
the time.”
JOE KAPLAN & CO., INC.
BRUNSWICK, COLUMBIA, OKEK AND VICTOR
PORTABLES AND RECORDS.
“IF ITS NEW, WE HAVE IT”
BRYAN, TEXAS PHONE 839