4
THE BATTALION
THE BATTAEICN
Student weekly publication of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of
Texas.
Subscription by the year, $1.75.
EDITORIAL STAFF
ROBT. L. HERBERT
C. V. ELLIS
J. A. BARNES
FRED L. PORTER
G. M. WRENN
FRANK W. THOMAS JR...._
....Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
.Associate Editor
-Associate Editor
.Associate Editor
Sports Editor
BUSINESS STAFF
R. N. WINDERS Business Manager
W. F. FRANKLIN Assistant Business Manager
W. J. NEUMAN Circulation Manager
CORRECTING A MISCONSTRUED STATEMENT
In his address of welcome President T. O. Walton made a
statement, more in jest than in seriousness we hope, which has
been taken all too seriously by members of the faculty, residents
of the campus and visitors from elsewhere who heard the address.
In this statement, given as an illustration in a plea for more con
siderate treatment of freshmen at A & M, Dr. Walton told that
it was the opinion of one of our recent visitors that freshmen
were not allowed to use the library.
In our three and a fraction years as inmates of this institu
tion we have never seen a freshman refused admittance to the
library, nor have we heard anyone tell a first year student that the
use of the library was not included in his privileges. In fact, we
have seen the reverse situation several times, an upperclassman
suggesting to a freshman that he use the library as a source for
reference work.
There may have been a time when the traditions of the stu
dent body included excluding freshmen from the portals of the
college library, but that tradition must have certainly been dis
carded, if traditions ever are discarded at A & M, before we en
tered the college. We know that as freshmen we frequently used
what facilities the college library afforded and we saw other fresh
men doing the same thing. At no time were we told we were in
a place reserved for others.
What puzzles us more than anything else is how any freshman
ever completed his freshman English course without resorting to
the library occasionally. An answer to this question would no
doubt be welcomed with open arms by freshmen of this year and
of coming years.
A & M has long been accustomed to suffering from remarks
made by the uninformed. Apparently the remark made by our
visitor was just another case of a judgment based on misinforma
tion, the same type of tale-bearing which is used by one scandal-
monging woman in speaking of another, and the same label should
be applied to it—muck-raking.
Truly, we are convinced the ducking stool should never have
been thrown into discard.
CONTRIBUTIONS
This is our-the staff of The Battalion-publication and we want
no outside literary aid! Our literary education is complete and
abundant and any attempt in the way of contributions for the
paper will be considered an infringement on the rights given to us
at election last year. This is the staff’s traditional attitude and
the present one has no desire to change it!
No Battalion or any other staff has ever assumed such an
attitude, but the rest of our gang has saved us the trouble: they
have assumed and perpetuated it for us. Each year’s staff starts
determined and illusioned: determined to put out more and better
and illusioned to think they will put out a student publication in
stead of an individual expression. Instead of being the assemblers
of student ideas and jokes, we are statues for student optical no
toriety. We are agricultural, liberal arts and engineering stu
dents just as most of the registered inertness in the dormitories
who never appear with their ideas except to comment en-masse on
some meaningless Aggie tradition, but we are not looked at as
such.
Although all outside material presented will be accepted and
printed, if legible, this year’s staff is starting with no foolish
illusions on outside contributions, but with a desire to put out
an interesting paper, and with the customary whole hearted sup
port of the rest of you, we expect to live up to standards set in
previous years by The Battalion. No better can be expected!
Nothing can be exceptional unless you, yourself, have an interest
in it. Look forward to those Wednesday night editions.
THE FRESHMAN’S POSITION
Fourth year, third year, second year and a beginner, the dif
ference is their respective abilities for reasoning in terms of his
college activities and problems, the freshman being the youngest
and possessing the least of this ability.
Logically, it should be the upper classman who should let
the newest thing on the campus know his traverse and insist on
some things undesirable to the firsts so that the experience of it
all may help him later in a reminiscent period to choose his course
and the course which he is to influence others into taking. In
most schools fraternities take this job of making the man but
some of the more unfortunates list from side to side, absorbing
that information most obvious to all, and living even to the di
ploma act in an ignorance stimulated by indifference.
All A & M customs are not desirable; in fact, some are dis
gusting, but when men of high school fame are picked off their
roosts for a more sane life, they have been greatly befriended.
Excessive hazing, which includes the act for the mere fun of it,
is detrimental in any case and encourages severance of friendship,
but hazing promoted to still the cockiness of some impersona
tors of the educated gives benefits traceable even to our general
welfare.
Remember: you are a part of the largest fraternity today ex-
istant; you are a member of the U. S. Army, and if this signifies
nothing to you now, you will later learn to appreciate its meaning.
ass*-.
STUDENT CU/V4MENT
and many enemies; it is one that
should be STOPPED.
Ed. M. Carl, '30.
John Masefield, poet laureate of
England, who used to be a New York
bar tender, and whose poetry fre
quently sings the praises of wine, is
a teetotaler.
INSURANCE
OLD LINE LEGAL
RESERVE
S. D. SNYDER
Phone 509 F2
Box 1155
College Station, Texas
Texas A & M is now entering
upon its fifty-fourth year as an
institution of higher learning.
Being a melting pot, so to speak,
it has again taken in a new class
of freshmen. A group of fellows
that represent a cross-section of
modern youth; a group that rep
resents almost every part of this
state, some of the other states of
the United States; and quite a
number of foreign countries.
They are fellows who have, more
than likely, some ambition in
them—fellows who have come
here for a definite purpose, in
many cases. They have come
seeking an opportunity to better
themselves and to prepare for
the game of life.
In such a large number, one
will always find a variety of per
sonalities which reflect all types
of environment. The majority
of those react normally to new
situations such as they find
themselves in at present; but
there are many who, for reasons
not easily discernible, find it dif
ficult to orient themselves to the
new tradition. The latter are
the ones who suffer at the hands
of an unscrupulous few who find
pleasure in preying upon the ig
norance of fellows lacking in
knowledge of the ways and cus
toms of this institution.
The editions of the college
year-book for many years past,
present, as mute evidence, the
continuity of such an outrage as
mentioned above. The “Fish”
Sergeants, and “Fish” Corporals
stand out as the disgraceful ex
amples of such a practice—a
practice that has long been a
source of pleasure to many of the
old students. It is a situation
that does not seem so comical
when we stop to think how easily
we, ourselves, might have fallen
victims of just the very same
fate—being disgraced in the eyes
of your fellow classmates and
lowered in the estimation of all
those with whom you may
chance to associate with in later
years. All who read this will re
call some special case, known to
you, where some fellow, possi
bly one out of your own organi
zation or class, has had the mis
fortune of being made one or the
other. There is no doubt as to
the after effect that such ha$
upon a fellow. Being of a sensi
tive nature (and that is usually
the case, unfortunately), those
freshmen, who fall victims to
such, have an inferiority complex
forced upon them which they
carry with them through the en
tire four years—if they don’t
lose courage before then because
of the initial set-back received
in being made either a “Fish”
Sergeant or “Fish” Corporal.
Looking at this situation as it
is prevalent today on this cam
pus, in this institution which is
supposed to offer an equal op
portunity to all who enter it, no
one can show where such a prac
tice benefits the fellow whose
misfortune it is to have such a
burden thrust upon him. No
one, who is willing to give a fel
low a half chance, will agree that
such is “shooting straight,” fig
uratively speaking.
This “TIME HONORED” cus
tom is one that the college au
thorities are certainly aware of;
it is one that has been tolerated
in a “good humoredly” fashion;
it is one that has made no friends
WHEN YOU WANT
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You can get it here
Cleaning and Pressing.
Mending and Insignia Sew
ing. Alterations and
Dyeing.
ij. E. CONNELL
Company C, Infantry
College Agent
A representative in each
Organization
Cloud & Tucker
DRY CLEANERS and DYERS
Where Service Is A Pleasure
3813 E. 26th St. Phone 229
Bryan, Texas
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