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AgFleatturai & Mechanical College of Texas
College Station, Texas.
CIRCULATION 5,400
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER
OF THE CITY OF
COLLEGE STATION
The Battalion
DIAL 4-5444
STUDENT TRI WEEKLY
NEWSPAPER OF
TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE
VOL. 39
PHONE 4-5444
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, SATURDAY MORNING, FEB. 24, 1940
Z725
NO. 55
I
I
It
1 1
Faculty
Modifies ‘E’
Quiz Ruling
Graduates Until
September, 1940, To
Be Allowed Quizzes
Secretary of the Faculty E. J.
Howell announced yesterday that
on February 19, the general fac
ulty adopted a new rule permitting
seniors, under certain conditions,
to take special examinations. This
action is to make less abrupt the
transition from the former system
allowing seniors to take not over
two special exams to the proposed
method eliminating reexaminations
entirely which becomes effective in
September, 1940. The latter plan
was passed last October.
The new ruling embodies the fol
lowing:
A senior who, on April 1, lacks
only one subject for graduation
may be allowed a special examina
tion in that subject provided:
(a) the subject was taken in
class subsequent to his jun
ior year,
(b) the student is passing all
the work of his current
schedule with grades which
will give him a mathemati
cal chance to graduate at the
end of the semester,
(c) only one special examination
may be given any student.
These special examinations are
to be scheduled for a designated
Saturday afternoon early in April.
A similar privilege of taking one
examination about the middle of
their final summer term will be
extended to seniors who are to
graduate in summer school.
Petroleum Club To
Hear Talk On Work
In South America
“Exploration in South America”
will be the subject of an address to
be made by J. E. Brantly, presi
dent of the Drilling and Explora
tion Company, Inc., of Los Angeles,
California, to the Petroleum Engi
neering Club Tuesday.
Mr. Brantly, a native of Georgia,
studied geology and mining engi
neering at the University of Ala
bama, where he later became an
instructor. He subsequently be
came assistant state geologist of
Georgia and wrote numerous re
ports published by the Geological
Surveys of Georgia and Alabama.
After completing his army exper.
ience, Mr. Brantly located in the
mid-continent at the end of the
World War, setting himself up as
a consulting geologist. Later, as
chief geologist for the Atlantic
Refining Company, he devoted
much attention to geological and
geophysical surveys in Mexico and
South America.
In 1929 he organized, and has
since been president of, the Drill
ing and Exploration Company, Inc.,
and has engaged in geological and
geophysical surveys, diamond cor
ing and drilling operations on a
substantial scale in Columbia,
Venezuela, Trinidad, eastern Can
ada, Pennsylvania, Texas, and more
recently in California, Peru and
Brazil.
Placement Bureau Carrying on Work
In Effort To Place A. & M. Graduates
The Placement and Personnel Di-ting the work have been printed and
vision of the Former Students As
sociation is carrying on its work
in cooperation with employers and
students in its efforts to place A.
& M. men.
Monday and Tuesday of this
week W. B. Gracey, manager of
the Dallas office of the Aetna
Casualty and Surety Corporation,
was on the campus interviewing
seniors in the School of Arts and
Sciences and the School of Agri
culture. Mr. Gracey interviewed
21 seniors while here, looking for
men to enter a line of sales pro
motion work. No decisions from
Mr. Gracey have been received
here.
S. L. Stark, the Director of
Technical Employment of the Dow
Chemical Company, Midland, Mich
igan, was on the campus Wednes
day and Thursday interviewing
engineering students.
The Placement and Personnel Di
vision was opened here November
15 of last year by the Former Stu
dents Association to establish a
centralized placement service and
to develop and maintain personnel
records for A. & M. men, both
graduates and non-graduates.
Lucian Morgan, ’35, is heading
the work of the division. Under
his direction 1,100 leaflets concern-
250 Attend Annual
Water Works Meet
Approximately 250 men, repre
senting 75 cities, attended the 22nd
Annual Water Works Short Course
held at A. & M. Monday through
Friday.
Ashley G. Classen, superinten
dent of the City Water Works De
partment of El Paso, presided at
the meetings. D. B. Dickson, super
intendent of the Filter Plant of
Wichita Falls, was elected as the
new president.
The objective of the course was
to give fundamental training in
the management of city water
pumping and distribution, and in
the management of sewage.
A banquet was held Thursday
night with Dr. George W. Cox, of
the State Health Department,
Dean Gibb Gilchrist, and V. M. Eh-
lers, Chief Sanitary Engineer of
the State Health Department, as
main speakers.
The Rio Grande Water Works
Association won the attendance
prize for the second consecutive
year. If won by them next year
it becomes their permanent pos
session.
Baptists To Observe
Evangelist Week Here
Southwide student Evangelist
Week will be observed by Baptist
students here February 24th to
March 1st. Each day will be be
gun with a prayer service at 6:15
a. m. in room 10 of the Civil Engi
neering Building.
Two classes in “Soul Winning”
will be taught daily by the pastor
at the First Baptist Church from
6:45 to 7:30 p. m. and 7:45 to 8:30
p. m. The regular evening prayer
meeting will be held between the
class periods.
All Baptist students are being
urged to attend and others are
cordially invited to attend services
at the Baptist Church Sunday. The
pastor will bring appropriate mes
sages for the beginning of this
week’s special program.
John C. Burns, Former Head of A. H.
Department Here, Has Multiple Duties
John C. Burns of Fort Worth-
aptly has been called the steer
arbiter of the nation, because in
recent years his services have been
in demand in judging livestock at
leading expositions throughout +1 --
country.
In addition to t. Fabra^y
duties, he is superi Gft n ffi a ftie
department of carloads of fat
steers at the Southwestern Exposi
tion and Fat Stock Show.
Burns, a native Texan, was born
of ranch parents in DeWitt County
in the heart of the Southwest cat
tle breeding area, where, as he
grew to manhood, he gained
through practical experience in
ranching. He made his first visit
to the stock show here 37 years
ago, just one year before he grad
uated from Texas A. & M. He was
a member of the first livestock'
judging team that represented the
college in 1904 at the International
Livestock FYr. os jtion in Chicago.
1920 he was head
Husbandry Depart-
. .... oz M.
In 1920 Burns enlarged his
service in the livestock realm when
he became field representative of
the American Shorthorn Breeders’
Association in Texas and Louis
iana while serving as secretary of
the Texas Shorthorn Breeders’ As
sociation. From 1922 to 1926, he
served as secretary of the Texas
Hereford Association and did field
work for the Texas and American
Hereford Association.
(Continued on page 4)
distributed to prospective employ
ers to acquaint them with the
program and the fields of work in
which A. & M. men are prepared
to work.
From time to time prospective
employers are brought to the cam
pus to interview students in at
tempts for placement. Seniors
this year have been asked to have
personal leaflets printed which are
being used to acquaint prospective
employers with the qualifications
of each individual senior. The
Placement Bureau makes no charge
to the student for its work.
Dunn To Conduct
First Number At
Bandmaster Meet
Lt. Col. Richard J. Dunn, Texas
A. & M. bandmaster, has accepted
an invitation to conduct the open
ing number at the annual conven
tion of the American Bandmasters’
Association which will be held in
Hagerstown, Md., March 10.
The band which Col. Dunn will
conduct will be the Hagerstown
Municipal Band which will be sup
plemented with instrumentalists
from the Army, Navy, and Marine
bands. The selection he will con
duct will be “Welcome” written
by Peter Buys, president of the
Association, especially for this con
vention.
Col. Dunn is one of two original
charter members of the organiza
tion in Texas, Everett McCracken
Baylor University bandmaster, be
ing the other Texan so honored. At
present there are six members
from Texas but all who gain ad
mission to the association must
pass an examination before they
can become members.
The organization, formed in 1929
is the outgrowth of an idea pro
posed by the late John Phillip
Sousa, who was first honorary life
president. In forming the Ameri
can Bandmasters’ Association, he
was joined by other outstanding
bandmasters, including Taylor
Branson, U. S. Marine Band; Wil
liam Stannard, U. S. Army Band;
Charles Benter, U. S. Navy Band;
and P. H. Egner, West Point Mili
tary Academy Bandmaster. It now
has about 100 members.
Texas members, in addition to
Col. Dunn and Mr. McCracken, in
clude: R. A. Dhossche, San An
tonio Public Schools; Col. G. E
Hurt, University of Texas; E. D
Irons, North Texas State Teach
ers, College, Arlington; and D. O.
Wiley, Texas Technological Col
lege, Lubbock.
T.S.C.W.--A.&M.
Featured In Art
Section of Paper
Brother and Sister Schools—the
title of a whole page in the Art
Gravure Section of Sunday’s Hous
ton Chronicle. Everyone knows that
that title could refer only to Texas
A. & M. and T. S. C. W.
In the story told by pictures
were depicted various customs
carried on by the students in the
two schools. Writing to “blind
boxes” or boxes corresponding to
that of the writer is a custom long
known to Aggies and T.S.C.W.-ites.
Doris George of Ardmore, Okla
homa, was shown at her box in
Denton receiving a letter from
Saxp Crews of Crowell, whose re
sponse to her letter started a
warm friendship.
Another picture showed the
newer and more modem method of
correspondence between the two
schools, the shortwave radio. Sta
tion W5AAN in Denton contacts
Bryan and College Station Mon
days, Wednesdays, and Fridays at
5 p. m. Operator in Denton is Tra
vis Tittle.
Other pictures showed the joint
meeting of A. & M. and T. S. C. W.
junior classes at Fort Worth on
the corps trip this year, with C.
J. “Foots” Bland and Eli Baggett
dancing with T. S. C. W. girls;
and Band major Tommy Balmer
escorting the Aggie Sweetheart,
Edna Clarke, to receive her flowers
as the Aggie Band played between
halves.
CADET PLAYERS
FILL PARTS FOR
PRODUCTIONS
Group Will Present “The
Drums of Oude” and “A
Question of Principle”
The Cadet Players, A. & M.’s re
cently organized dramatic club,
swung definitely in the direction
of the accomplishment of its dra
matic goal last Thursday afternoon
when rehearsals were begun on two
plays, “The Drums of Oude,” and
“A Question of Principle.”
The characters selected for the
parts of “The Drums of Oude”
were Dorothy Doane, a guest play
er, as Mrs. Jack Clayton; J. M.
Piester as Captain Gregor; T. A.
Reiner as Lieutenant Hartley; Al
bert Murray as a stuart; A. J.
Vicevich as Sergeant McDougal;
S. H. Cooper and Leonard Darnell
as servants, and A. F. Timmons as
a private.
The name of the feminine play
er in the play “A Question of
Principle” will not be announced
until immediately before the pre
sentation of the play. The other
characters for the play will be
J. C. Braden as the banker; C. C.
Anderson as clergyman; C. R.
Brown as judge; Jerome Rosen-
feld as a communist; and K. W.
Huffman as a policeman.
For those interested in dramatics
who have been unable to attend
the previous meetings, a second
tryout for the selection of parts
for a third play and radio dramas
will be held. Students who are
interested in joining the dramatic
movement are urged to report to
C. O. Spriggs, Wednesday after
noon, from 4-6 p. m. in room 316
Academic Building.
Sophs Import T.S.C.W.-ites
For Annual Class Activities
Astronomy Takes Interesting Air As
Five Planets Gather Near One Another
May 14-15 Date Of
R.O.T.C. Inspection
The annual Corps Area Com
mander’s inspection of the A. & M.
R.O.T.C. units will be headed by
Col. E. A. Keyes, Cavalry, and
Col. T. K. Spencer, Infantry, on
May 14 and 15, Col. Moore has
announced.
On the morning of May 14 and
15 the inspectors will visit various
classes of their respective units.
On the afternoon of the 14th the
inspection will cover the activities
of practical instruction and drill
of the various units. The following
afternoon a review of the entire
cadet corps will be held.
The inspection group will visit
all senior units of the eighth corps
area and compare the efficiency of
each school with those standards
set by the War Department.
COLLEGE PARK
GETS MAXIMUM
FIRE CREDITS
AUSTIN.—Fire Insurance Com
missioner Marvin Hall has an
nounced that College Station has
been awarded a 15 per cent fire
insurance credit, with estimated
savings of $3,277.
College Park addition was given
a 25 per cent credit, the maximum,
with estimated savings of $550.
All five of the planets which are*
easily visible without the aid of a
telescope have now gathered near
each other in an unusually close
group and appear in the western
sky just after sunset. In order of
increasing altitude above the hori
zon, they are Mercury, Jupiter,
Venus, Saturn and Mars. The
whole group is scattered over an
arc of the sky about 45 degrees in
extent. Actually, Uranus is near
by, too, but it is a much less con
spicuous object than the others.
Of course, this gathering togeth
er of the planets is only apparent.
They are really separated by enor
mous distances, each revolving in
its own practically circular orbit
about the sun.
On a six-lane circular track,
the earth is running a counter
clockwise race against the five
planets, under the rule that each
contestant must keep to his own
lane. Mercury has the pole. Run
ning in the next lane is Venus.
Then come Earth, Mars, Jupiter
and Saturn. The earth has a slight
lead on Mercury. Venus and Mars
are about a quarter of a lap and
Jupiter and Saturn about a half
a lap behind. As earth looks back
over her left shoulder, she sees
the others just as they appear to
us in the sky.
During the next few weeks, the
apparent motion of the planets
will take them westward. One aft
er another, they will disappear in
to the blinding light of the sun,
to emerge on the other side as
morning stars.
The best time to observe this
planetary display is during the
few days immediately preceding
and following Thursday, February
29. Students who are taking the
course in astronomy will meet at
the Physics Building at 7 o’clock
that evening for an hour of “star
gazing.” Any others who would
like to join them and view the
planets with a telescope are cordi
ally invited to do so.
Convention Broken as Film Club
Shows Movies In Chemistry Building
By Bob Nisbet
Sacrilege! Imagine showing mo
vies in the Chemistry building. It
could just never happen, but it did.
Charles Boyer and the French
actress, who is now known in
this country as Dannielle Darrieux,
cavorted for over two hours a-
cross the screen in the lecture
room. They called the picture
“Mayerling”, and it was present
ed as the grand opening of the
spring program of foreign movies
being sponsored by the Campus
Film Club.
About 150 faculty members saw
the film, but now that the facilities
of the Chemistry lecture room
have been made available, the of
ficers of the club announce that
there is room for still more mem
bers if they wish to join.
The film, being printed on 16
mm. rills, necessitated the use of
a special projector, and that kept
the picture from being shown in
the Assembly Hall. Except for
lack of space, however, the Chem
istry lecture room proved quite
satisfactory.
- French scholars were in their
glory because they certainly un
derstood more of the picture and
received more of the intended ef
fect than those in the audience not
familiar with the language. Never
theless the picture was by no
means lost to the non-French-
speakers, since the trend of the
conversation was printed at the
bottom of the film, Then, too,
French pictures do not depend on
dialogue for effect; they seem to
be quite adept at mixing in pan-
tomine.
The interesting and educational
feature of the whole show was due
(Continued on page 4)
Annual A.S.C.E. Ball
Held Friday Night
Seniors Will Be Guests
Of Sophomores Tonight
At 5 o’clock this afternoon sev
eral busloads of T.S.C.W. girls
will arrive at Aggieland to attend
the class of 42’s Sophomore Prom,
which is to be held tonight in
Sbisa Hall.
A list of T.S.C.W. girls who
could attend the dance was submit
ted to the second year men sev
eral days ago for the purpose of
obtaining blind dates for the dance.
The dance will begin at 9 o’clock
and end at 12. The Music will be
furnished by Jack Littlejohn and
his Aggieland Orchestra featuring
Dorothy Thames, feminine vocalist,
who is now with the orchestra.
Decorations for the dance will
consist of an arrangement of plants
around the walls. In the back
of the bandstand, there will be a
giant drawing of an Aggie with
his date.
The entire senior class has been
extended an invitation to attend
the ball. The party planned at the
Bryan Country Club after the dance,
however, is said to be exclusive of
everyone but sophomores.
Last night the A.S.C.E.’s had
their annual dance, which proved
to be a success. The decorations
consisted of a life-sized surveyor
and a replica of the society’s shield
placed in the back of the bandstand.
Around the walls were placed var
ious types of surveying instruments
and drawings made by students.
The music for the dance was
furnished by the Aggieland Or
chestra.
Danger—Keep Off!
Captain B. S. Shute of the
Engineers’ regiment has again
issued notice that the Engineer
R.O.T.C. unit will be firing high
explosive charges on the north
side of the R.O.T.C. drill field,
in the vicinity of the old Engi
neers’ Lake on Tuesday, Wed
nesday, and Thursday, February
27, 28, and 29, between the hours
of 1:00 and 3:00 each afternoon.
All persons are being warned
to remain out of this area dur
ing the period stated.
A. & M. Postmaster
Urges Box Rentals
An urgent request was made to
day by Mrs. Anna V. Smith, post
master, for all cadets using the
South Station Post Office to rent
the new boxes as quickly as possi
ble. The reason for this is because
a record must be made and type
written of each boy’s name, ad
dress, and old box number to he
put on file. “This will take a
great deal of time and will take
lots more in a last-minute rush,”
said Mrs. Smith, “which will slow
down the service considerably
when the new boxes are put into
use on March 1.”
The organization boxes will be
discontinued entirely when the
boxes go into effect, and all those
not having a box will have to go
to the North Station Post Office.
The cost of the boxes will be
75 cents for the rest of the semes
ter. Each may be shared by two
roommates or students.
One Goes and One Stays, But the Popular
Aggieland Orchestra’s Still in the Family
He leaves.. .
TOMMY
•f- The familiar phrase “Tommy-f.
Littlejohn and his Aggieland Swing
Band,” which has appeared in
orchestra publicity for the past
year and a half, has ceased to be.
The reason for this change is that
Tommy, a graduate student in
Marketing and Finance this year,
has gotten a job out of town and
will no longer head the orchestra.
However, the position of leader
will be kept in the family. Jack
Littlejohn, Tommy’s brother, has
taken over the post. He has also
been a prominent name with the
orchestra due to his song hit “I’d
Rather Be A Texas Aggie” and
his vocal renditions with the orch
estra.
Jack was previously a vocalist,
sax player, and arranger for the
orchestra. His greatest ambition
now is to get the orchestra on the
Fitch Company’s “Summer Band
Wagon” radio program.
He takes over...
9
JACK
MICHIGAN STATE
PROF INSPECTS
VET MED SCHOOL
Dr. E. T. Hallman, head of the
Department of Veterinary Pathol
ogy of the school of Veterinary
Medicine at Michigan State Col
lege, was a visitor at A. & M.
Friday, and was being entertained
by Dr. R. P. Marstellar, dean of
the school of Veterinary Medicine
at A. & M.
Dr. Hallman is a member of the
committee on education of the
American Veterinary Medical As
sociation and is on the campus to
inspect the facilities and work of
the Texas A. & M. School of Vet
erinary Medicine, preparatory to a
report he is to file with the Amer
ican Veterinary Medical Associa
tion, Dr. Marstellar pointed out.
Dr. Hallman is a native of Ala
bama and a graduate of the School
of Veterinary Medicine at Alabama
Polytechnic Institute, (Auburn).
Kemmerer Named As
Referee on Carotene
By Chemical Society
Dr. A. R. Kemmerer, chemist at
the Texas Agricultural Experiment
Station, has accepted an appoint
ment as associate referee on
carotene for the Association of
Official Agricultural Chemists in
cooperation with the general ref
eree in feeding stuffs, Mr. L. S.
Walker of the Vermont Agricul
tural Experiment Station. Dr.
Kemmerer is already associate ref
eree on riboflavin, in cooperation
with the general referee on vita
mins, Dr. E. M. Nelson of the
Food and Drug Administration,
Washington, D. C.
Carotene is an important com
pound which supplies vitamin A
potency in feeds and foods, while
riboflavin is another important
vitamin. The duty of Dr. Kem
merer as associate referee is to
study methods for the determin
ation of the quantity of carotene
anf of riboflavin in foods and feeds
and to recommend methods of an
alysis to the Association of Offi
cial Agricultural Chemists. In
testing the methods proposed, Dr.
Kemmerer will have the coopera
tion of official chemists, investiga
tors, and chemists connected with
various industries.