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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1930)
THE BATTALION THE BATTALION Student weekly publication of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Subscription by the year, $1.75. EDITORIAL STAFF ROBT. L. HERBERT Editor-in-Chief C. V. ELLIS Managing Editor J. A. BARNES Associate Editor FRED L. PORTER Associate Editor G. M. WRENN Associate Editor W. G. CARNAHAN Associate Editor J. L. KEITH , Art Editor RUSTY SMITH Associate Art Editor FRANK W. THOMAS JR Sports Editor BUSINESS STAFF R. N. WINDERS Business Manager W. F. FRANKLIN Assistant Business Manager W. J. NEUMAN Circulation Manager GULLIBILITY We have in the past always contended that Barnum was un derrating the intelligence of the average man when he expressed his now oft-quoted bit of philosophy, “There’s one born every minute”, but since reading the charges of brutality made by peo ple, whose positions indicate they are above the average intelli gence and in the upper strata of our social system, against the upperclassmen of A & M, we are inclined to believe that the adage should read, “There are two born every minute.” That a member of the Texas Legislature, a man whose busi ness it is to safeguard the state and its citizens; a lawyer; a den tist, or any other man well versed in public affairs and human na ture could be so gullible as to believe that college students are in the same cast as savage barbarians or perverted fiends is more than astounding. It is a reflection upon the intelligence of those of us whose lot is to be led by such men. We do not deny that there is hazing at A & M. What college can truthfully deny such a thing? But we do deny that students are treated with such barbaric brutality that they become ill and lose 71 pounds weight in a ten-day period. We deny that freshmen are flogged with “two-by-fours” and we deny that freshmen are submitted to torture by fire. Furthermore, we invite any doubting person to make a person al investigation of the situation to satisfy himself, and we sug gest UhartllG college authorities invito investigation by the Legis lature, with the understanding that the results of the investiga tion be given wide publicity. We are certain that neither the col lege, its officials nor the members of the student body will suffer if such an investigation is made. And now to the students, for it is perhaps to a great extent your fault that such rumors have spread over the state. In your desire to make others believe you are in truth “he men” do not exaggerate the trials you have endured or are enduring in your freshman year. Such exaggeration brands you as a liar among those who know and places the college at a disadvantage among those who are not acquainted with the situation as it really exists. You might, on the other hand, go out of your way to explain that for the most part the general idea of the hazing situation at A & M is a perverted one and that conditions in this college are hardly different from those in similar institutions elsewhere. Such truthfulness cannot harm you and will certainly aid the college. THE ETERNAL FRESHMAN green cap with a bright red bill; at the University of Wichita, gar ters with socks that do not match. The student in Holland who is a candidate for one of the University corps must shave his head and enter his clubroom by the window. The new Corps member, needless to say, is easily recognizable for several months. An interesting device for helping the bewildered newcomer is the Harvard Crimson’s Confidential Guide to Courses, which is a real frank appraisal from the student’s viewpoint, of the value and interest of various fields of study. As a Crimson editorial puts it, “The faculty is amply represented in the catalogue and the various conferences with instructors. . . . This is a defined un dergraduate opinion. It offers a means of ascertaining just how well the various instructors accomplish their aims as teachers.” One has a mental picture of the Harvard faculty peering in trepi dation at the Crimson’s very outspoken comments on certain courses; but in spite of its inevitable shortcomings, the Confiden tial must certainly be helpful to the harassed freshman facing, as he is so often told, “the whole field of knowledge.” Katrina Hincks, Vassar, 1930. CCM/HENT faci and The Ba ered unfit cs of the student body and or legibly written in ink, consid- SUNDAY SHOWS SHINE’S SOLILOQUIES Parson git after me fo’ not keepin’ mah own shoes shined, but if we all practissed what we preached, dey wouldn’t be no time lef’ fo’ de preach ing service part. Every living thing is related through a common descent to all the rest of life.—H. G. Wells. Sunday is the day of rest. That is, after the ceremonies of the morning are over. Sunday is the day that churches have their main attractions. But does the majority of A & M’s student body go to church? The answer is logically no! Why they don’t go is hard to say. However, the main issue is the Sunday afternoon, or rather what we do with this time. Many students make up their work; many play bridge; but some play games, which if known, would give them a ticket home. Having Sunday shows would not keep the studious from their studies, but it might cut down the loafing—another desirable elim ination. _ At present, going to shows on Sunday is not considered ir religious except by some of the more fanatical. Why should the more sane be deprived of this privilege ? Almost e' r z::y big town in Texas has some Blue Laws regard ing shows, but the laws do not seem to be enforced to a great ex tent. Towns smaller than Bryan have shows on Sunday, so why can’t we? After all, would there be a school without a student body ? It is the general attitude that this student body would not reject Sunday shows. Those that are in favor of this issue would like to see some thing done about it, instead of just talk or more than just one-sided talk. Let’s hear from somebody who really objects! D. C. A. If the spires of Oxford dream now adays, their dreams must be night mares.—John Buchanan. In women intelligence, unlike beau ty. grows steadily better with age.— William Lyon Phelps. It is not the science of medicine from which we suffer, but rather a seriously faulty organization of med ical service.—Evans Clark. Americans in Europe are of two classes—the drys and the dry martin- ians.—Count Martini-Rossi. The acid test of a prison is the kind of a man that comes out of it.—George W. Alger. There is a passion for hunting something deeply planted in the hu man breast.—Charles Dickens. The family that used to keep a quart in the house now has a barrel in the cellar, to age it.—James A. Reed. All over the world during the past few hectic weeks, the Class of 1934 has found itself alternately paddled and patted on the back. It has been deluged with advice from deans and from sea soned upperclassmen about where to eat and what courses not to take. A few important facts stand out from the whirl; the first is ' that there are more freshmen than ever this year. Colleges in the Middle West and on the Pacific Coast note that the business de pression did not have its expected effect on the enrollment, as the class of 1934 will probably be larger than any previous one. The attitude toward freshman hazing seems to be changing gradually. At the University of West Virginia the Student Coun cil has officially abolished hazing and has provided instead for a Freshman Court to work with the Traditions Committee in en forcing freshman customs. Which means that freshman rules are under the charge of a definite group, and not any upperclassman (sophomores being traditionally the most ardent) who cares to take a hand. Bucknell has gone still farther and is attacking not only hazing but the freshman traditions themselves. In a letter to the editor of the Bucknellian of September 18, a freshman de clares : “I have not come here to revert to the antics of my pre school days. . . . My purpose is and has got to be serious.” And this attitude is supported in an editorial in the same issue which denounces the time-honored green caps and compulsory acrobats as “silly and childish.” But hazing is still far from a lost art. At Park College, “ori ginality and humiliation” are still the purpose of the freshman rules. The Trojan (University of Southern California) describes “some new and particularly effective ways of making the frosh respect their university,” ranging from freshman tree-sitting con- removing painted remarks from the sidewalks with only Put the Home Folks in that Aggieland Environment Send Them The Battalion and Make Them Better Acquainted With A & M end With You. A Newspaper Every A Magazine Every Week Month tirwri feu