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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 4, 1931)
THE BATTALION 'J By D. B. McNerney Now that the storm is over— and all of us are settling down to real work, we can look back upon the wreckage of the term just pass ed and perhaps determine the cause for our having failed this or that particular subject. In a majority of the cases— the blame will be laid upon some poor struggling instructor or some inadequate arrangement of sche dule or this or that, all of which are evasions of the fact that the student himself is to blame simply because he chose the “bull-pen” method of obtaining a college educa tion. Someone once said— that the pen is mightier than the sword and he was right too if he meant the sort of pen that we have in mind. Its power is far reaching and too often disastrous in effect. Some renowned statistician— might say that if all the time and energy that a student wastes in a “bull-pen” were harnessed it- would do so and so work in such and such time. But one doesn’t need an authority to see the effect the ac tual waste of the time does have, however one don’t need an authori ty to see the effect the actual waste of the time does have, but one does need the powers of a strong will in order to overcome the habit once formed. Many times, brilliant ideas— are interchanged at these meetings, dent, a soda fountain clerk, a mo tion picture star. When, as an undergraduate, I plan ned to take up newspaper work, I was told by almost everyone that I was preparing for a job that was the poor est paid in the country. The other day a survey was made by some friends of mine interested in this theory. They found that the average newspaper re porter’s salary in that city was a little higher than the average income of the attorneys in the city, and con siderably more than the average physi cian’s income. Many of the reporters had never been to college, some had gone for one or two years and none had spent more than four years in an institution of higher learning. In most states, on the other hand, a stu dent lawyer or doctor must take three to five years work after graduation from a college of arts and sciences. If you like to write, therefore, and are willing to spend the first year at a rather low salary, don’t be discour aged by such reports as were current at my colege. While on this point—one editor of large city newspaper reported the other day that any college youth who came to him and asked for a job on the grounds that he was a graduate of a school of journalism, wouldn’t get the job, no matter what his other qualifications. Only one reporter on that paper went to a school of journal ism. In the same city another large Rudy Croons “Give Me Something to Remember You Bj;” and Gets Old Eggs Unified Field’’ Theory Is Einstein’s Latest newspaper employs only journalism but noT often 0 enough‘to“ offset The graduates. Pick your paper, therefore, number of occasions when only large quantities of precious time are blown into thin air. One isn’t bound— to wait until the advent of a new calender year in order to make new resolutions. Why not start the new term off with a bang that means your door is slammed shut to any and all “bull-pens?” before deciding on your graduate work, if any. PASADENA, CAL.—A small group of professors and research students gathered at the Norman Bridge lab oratory of physics at the California Institute of Technology here last week heard Prof. Albert Einstein, leading physical philiosopher of the world, an nounce his latest contribution to the world’s store of knowledge. The German scientist presented the group with his new “unified field” theory, in which he believes he has reduced and explained all major na tural laws in one mathematical equa tion. Although the scientist urged ex treme caution in its application until further study has been made, those presented agreed unanimously that the new theory appears to offer a single solution to the mysteries of light, gravitation and electro-magetic phemomena. The importance of the new theory seems to lie in the fact that it express es in a single equation all known laws govering behavior of light, gravity and electricity. BOSTON, Mass.—Three young men suspected of being rather closely con nected with nearby universities, were arrested by police here when they pre sented Rudy Vallee with a shower of venerable eggs. The crooner was rounding out “Give Me Something to Remember You By,” at the Metropolitan Theater, when his request was granted. From a section of the orchestra seats came a barrage of eggs that went whistling by the Vallee mega phone to shatter among the lesser lights of his band. Rudy ducked and escaped the in tended decorations. Not so his bass drummer. That unfortunate individual fielded an egg on his shoulder and another one on his forehead. Rudy made a little speech about if anybody didn’t like his music they did not have to stay, and then played two more numbers, which many an elderly lady applauded. BETTER SPELLING WEEK LINCOLN, NEB.—A “Better Spell ing Week” is the suggestion of Prof. Maurice H. Wessen, of the English department of the University of Ne braska, who declares that everyone protest the bad spelling of today, but does nothing about it. BIRTHDAY GIFTS If you have someone to remember, call and let us help you make that gift se lection. We have many new and beautiful gifts to choose from. Your Credit Is Good Caldwell’s Jewelry Store The Italian Senate is composed of persons chosen by the King to re present the nation because of some outstanding accomplishment in their special line of work. Thus professors, industrialists engineers, author, or members of any other profession may be appointed. AGGIELAND GROCERY MAKE OUR STORE YOUR HEADQUARTERS FOR EATS, DRINKS AND TOBACCO FISH—RUN THOSE FISH ERRANDS OUR WAY FOR EATS ACROSS THE STREET FROM EXCHANGE STORE R. P. ANDREWS, Proprietor Some Opinions By Charles W. Lawrence Is the absent-minded, impractical- minded college professor about to dis appear from the American university campus ? There are some indications that the old type prof is giving way to the business like instructor. I was interested to note some such tenden cies during the holidays just past when the American Association of Univer sity Professors met in annual conven tion in Cleveland. One of the first gentlemen I met was the organiza tion’s press agent. A little later I lis tened to a professor make a speech in which he asked not to be quoted in the newspapers—just like a banker or a politician. And finally, at the con vention’s annual banquet, several pro fessors who came in late admitted they had stayed in their rooms to lis ten to a radio broadcast of the East- West football game. On the other hand, it was not more than four years ago that I sat in a barber shop in the town where I attended college, and saw a young professor of history enter, take off his collar and tie, then his coat and vest, then his shirt, and begin to take off his shoes before he realized he was not in his bedroom. And about that time a professor of English cancelled his subscription to the college paper of which I was edi- ‘or because we had published the letter < f a student questioning the chapel talk of a member of this professor’s department in which he bemoaned the erection of a gasoline filling station— actually a very well constructed gas station in keeping with the college architecture—in the vicinity of the campus. However, as I sat at the aforemen tioned banquet table, and looked down the speakers’ table, I found that those seated there—all of them professors— looked in order like: a prosperous far mer, a railroad president, a small-town schoolmaster, a Rotary club presi- ? Which is the longer of these two horizontal lines? If you know the answer — try it on someone else. YOUR EYES MAY FOOL YOU BUT your taste fe//s the Truth!