PAGE 2
THE BATTALION
-THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 1940
The Battalion A. & M. Mothers — Collegiate Kaleidoscope
STUDENT TRI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF
TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE
Mechanical College of Texas and the City of College Station,
nblished three times weekly from September to June, issued
’ Thursday, and Saturday mornings; and is published
published
Tuesday,
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and
and the City of College Station, is
y
and Saf
weekly from June through August.
Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at College
Station, Texas, under the Act of Congress of March 8, 1879.
Subscription rate, $3 a school year. Advertising rates upon
request.
Represented nationally by National Advertising Service, Inc.,
at New York City, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and San
Francisco.
Office, Room 122, Administration Building. Telephone
4-6444.
1939 Member 1940
Phsocided CoUegcite Press
BILL MURRAY ...
LARRY WEHRLE
James Criti
E. C. (Jeep) Oates
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Associate Editor
Sports Editor
H. G. Howard Circulation Manager
'Hub' Johnson Asst. Sports Editor
Staff Photographer
Staff Artist
Philip Golman
John J. Moseley ..... -
Junior Editors
Billy Clarkson ... George Fuermann Bob Nisbet
A. J. Robinson Earle A. Shields
THURSDAY STAFF
Ray Treadwell Managing Editor
J. W. Jenkins Asst. Advertising Manager
Don McChesney Asst. Circulation Manager
Phil Levine Editorial Assistant
V. R. (Red) Myers Jr. Sports Assistant
Senior Sports Assistants
Jimmie Cokinos Jimmy James
Junior Advertising Solicitors
L. J. Nelson A. J. Hendrick
Reportorial Staff
Jack Aycock, Jim Dooley, Walter Sullivan, D. C. Thurman,
Murray Evans, Joe Taylor, Thomas Gillis, Don Corley, Bill Amis.
BATTALION RADIO STAFF
George Fuermann Battalion Announcer
Charles A. Montgomery Associate
Ed Robnett, R. M. Shuffler Assistants
OUR Political Views
The date of the annual general election among
the student body for editor-in-chief of The Battalion,
head yell-leader, and junior representative on the
Student Publications Board has been announced
for next Wednesday, April 3.
This year, to reduce candidates’ expenses and
the possibilities of unfair allegations in campaign
literature, the Student Publications Board has ruled
out all handbills and other forms of political read
ing matter.
Handbills and such may be written and dis
tributed faii’ly, and they may not. They may be
secured cheaply, and they may not. It is generally
agreed that prohibiting them altogether is fairest
to all concerned.
Instead, this year the pages of The Battalion
will he freely and equally open to all candidates—
within reasonable limits, of course. The statements
are to be published in Saturday’s issue.
To answer or forestall the usual questions ask
ed of a college newspaper’s editors during election
time, we wish to state that this year the editors are
refraining from any part in the election or the
accompanying politics. To us the selection of next
year’s editor is purely a matter for the corps to
decide, and we are having nothing to do or say
about the choice. The editorial columns and the
news columns, as far as humanly possible, have re
frained and will continue to refrain from giving
political “knocks” or “boosts”.
In other words, we’re not expressing a pref
erence for or against any one as candidate for any
position, and we’re trying to be just as fair and
impartial as possible in our coverage of the election.
We’re not ‘pushing’ anyone.
The election will be handled and i-ules for it
set by the student election committee. All com
plaints about the course of affairs will be referred
to it.
The Battalion hopes that po matter which way
you cast your ballot, you will vote for the man you
think best for the job—regardless of personal friend
ship or acquaintance, organization, or any other
such factor. For instance, in the race for editor-in-
chief, a man’s length, amount, kind and quality of
service on The Battalion and his personal capabilities
for the position are the things that should be con
sidered.
An interest in seeing (hat the election is con
ducted fairly and with such a view as above des
cribed, is the only interest The Battalion has in the
political course of events.
Class Leaders ---
Twice already The Battalion has expressed
editorially the opinion that the student body ought
to express its esteem for our president, Dr. Walton,
by sharing in the drive for funds initiated by the
Former Students Association for the purpose of
having a nationally famous portrait painter (Sey
more Stone) paint a life-sized portrait of Dr. Wal
ton as an honor to him and as a permanent val
uable gift to the college.
So far we have received no great response.
This, it seems to us, must be due to the natural in
ertia in any large student body. But we think it’s
time some student move should be started. Such an
opportunity as this should not be allowed to lapse.
There are few better ways in which any class
at A. & M. could render service. The Battalion
strongly advocates that the senior class—and the
other classes too—allocate some of their funds to
this purpose.
Class leaders—what do you think about it? How
about calling some class or committee meetings to
consider this movement? And how about letting us
know what you think of the suggestion?
Tip To Seniors
The more pieces of bread you cast upon the
watei’s, the better your chances of having one piece
return to you. Just in case you haven’t thought
about it, the U. S. Civil Service may be a means
toward getting a job.
The Civil Service often requires college-trained
young men and women to fill vacancies. You don’t
have to take just any job, but you can work at
something you’ve studied throughout your years at
school.
Notices for Civil Service examinations are post
ed on the college bulletin boards. Better still, to
make sure you won’t miss anything, talk to O. E.
Teague at the local post office.
A. & M. mothers, once again The Battalion
wishes to call your attention to the unfortunate
financial situation of our College Library.
The state Legislature grants it barely enough
funds to keep going—not enough to purchase suf
ficient copies of the most popular fiction and non
fiction works, the kind your sons like to read, and
the kind they clamor for in the library.
Such a situation is unfortunate indeed. A good
library is one of the most important prerequisites
of any college or university.
You mothers have undertaken as one of your
federation’s major projects the making of contri
butions to the library for the Students’ General
Reading Fund. And since last spring you have done
nobly in contributing more than $600 for this pur
pose. It is one of the most valuable steps you
could have undertaken. Your sons appreciate your
efforts.
There are two chief ways in which you mothers
may render aid: directly, by continuing your con
tributions, as much as possible; indirectly, by in
forming your representatives in the Legislature of
our library’s financial needs, with a view to secur
ing larger appropriations for it in the future.
In Anticipation
There is at present a rather concrete suspicion
that the Federal Department of State is indulging in
laying plans for the peace which must follow the
war in Europe. The war will certainly end and
there certainly will be need of a peace. More than
that, there will be need of a sound peace and not an
armistice such as followed the World War.
Certainly the world will have need of strong
peace efforts and the sounder the better. When the
time comes to make peace, there is going to be
need for middlemen, and the United States, in its
position as the strongest of the neutral powers, can
contribute toward this peace. That efforts have al
ready begun is praiseworthy and not derogatory.
The countries at war have enough on their minds
now, without taking steps toward the formulation
of peace plans. The United States can contribute its
efforts this time in thinking of peace, instead of
doing its part by contributing to the warfare.
Nor is the part that the United States can play
an unselfish one. It is not to the interest of this
country for wars to be fought. There is too much
time lost, too many connections broken. During and
after a war economic, and cultural relations have a
tendency to break down. It is not good policy to
allow this to happen, for when such relations are
paralyzed, the neutral countries are hurt as much
as those engaged in the war. The way in which the
neutral can protect itself is to see that eace is made
with the smallest reparations possible and the least
crippling necessary. It is to the interest of the
neutral that such a peace be made that is as lasting
as possible, for the longer the seeminbly incessant
European wars can be put off, the better the neutral
will fare.
There is an isolationist creed which demands
that the continent be let alone. Sure, keep your
nose clean, buddy, if you can, but when the fighting
is over, help clean the noses of the belligerents—so
he can see to trade with you. There is an older
creed than that of the isolationists, and that creed
is help your neighbor. For both selfish and unselfish
reasons, the United States can and must assist in
the peace which must followe the European war.
As the World Turns...
By “COUNT” V. K. SUGAREFF
The peace flurries of last week have not pro
duced any concrete evidence that the warring na
tions really want peace. Von Ribbentrop’s visit to
Rome was not as profitable as Hitler had antici
pated. He took with him thirty-two economic ex
perts to try to convince Mussolini that his economic
cooperation is as essential to Hitler
Y as his neutralities is vital to the
Allies. Von Ribbentrop found the
Pope adamant in his demands about
the religious rights of the Polish
Catholics. To cap it all, just as Von
Ribbentrop was leaving Rome, Mus
solini was informing the Italian
parliament that the Brenner forti
fications are as invincible as the
Maginot Line and the Westwall.
That might explain Hitler’s hur
ried visit to Brennero for a confer
ence with Mussolini. Meanwhile, the
propaganda experts of the Berlin foreign office
w r ere telling the world that great events would come
to pass (last weekend). Rome papers, however,
were lukewarm to the prophecies from Berlin, and
Moscow has repeatedly denied that Molotoff was
going to Berlin. In fact, Hitler himself may find
its expedient to go to Moscow. Neither Russia nor
Italy cherish the idea of a powerful Italy dominat
ing the destiny of Europe. The centuries-old theory
of “balance of power” will sooner or later assert
itself, and Hitler, like Napoleon, must yield to the
inevitable.
The approximate billion-dollar farm bill, which
has been sponsored by members of both houses of
Congress, has been branded as “subsidy” to the
farmers. The United States has subsidized railroads,
shipping companies, aviation, and other industries.
This new venture in subsidizing is merely an in
dication that we as a nation recognize the import
ance of the farmer in our social and economic setup.
He needs aid now just as other interest groups have
in the past. We have given protection to many in
dustries when they did not need such protection.
We put high tariffs on goods that did not need
protection. We allowed the industrialists to bring
in cheap labor and gave them a free domestic mar
ket, a market free from competition and free from
price control. The farmer is the only individual
in our society who “does not live off the back of
the other fellow.” If the farmer is being subsidized,
it is unfortunate that he does not receive the full
benefit from the subsidy. It has been revealed re
cently that the insurance companies have been
supporting the government’s farm relief program
in order to get their interest on farm mortgages
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company i$ d e _
scribed as “the biggest farmer in the United States ”
It has 7,000 farms estimated in value at $79,800 000
r a*'
if
I
Sugareff
by Dob Nisbet
The bell that calls
COLBY COLLEGE Siu-
KEN HALL, RENSSELAER POLY STUDENT
ATTENDED IOO DIFFERENT SCHOOLS DURJNIG rv,,^ dcwSLaSv 'iaoa
HIS FIRST EIGHT SCHOOL YEARS / ^ UL REVERE * GO-1624.
BACKWASH
By
George Fuermonn
“Backwash: An agitation reuniting from uome action or occurrence.”—Webater.
Fuermann
Backwashin’ around . . . Marble
tables recently removed from a
College Station eatery by county
officials were netting more than
$200 profit each
month to the cafe
owners—and the ma
chines’ owners took
an equal slice . . .
Take your choice:
At A. & M. we (^ill
• it “bird-dogging;”
aWk I II Tulane calls it “wolf
ing;” it’s a “scav
enger” at Iowa
State; when a girl
does it, it’s “snaking” at Sophie
Newcomb; but Texas University
coeds politely call it “sandwich
dating” and let it go at that . . .
A reliable source recently told your
columnist that A. & M.’s Board of
Directors included six all-the-way
or near-millionaires; a significant
fact in view of the tremendously
growing importance of the college
in a national sense . . . Statements
from the various orchestra lead
ers on the campus thus far indi
cate that “Tuxedo Junction” leads
the Aggie hit parade as the most
oft-requested number of the year.
. . . And, for those cadets who don’t
like the “Rippling Rhythm” of
Shep Fields and his orchestra who
will officiate at the Infantry Ball
and corps dance on April 5 and 6,
a three-month-old article in a mag
azine of national circulation points
out that Fields’ radio music and
dance music are two very differ
ent things—“As unlike as black
and white,” the article says. “Danc
ers who dislike Field’s radio mu
sic are usually pleasantly surpris
ed when they hear his ballroom
interpretations.” ... A Bryan
citizen, on leaving an afternoon
showing of “Gone With The
Wind”: “I’d give more than the
75 cents I paid to see GWTW to
get it out of my mind.” . . . Prof.
W. S. McCulley, rejecting an offer
of cream for his coffee: “No thank
you. I drink mine barefooted.” . . .
Of the several faculty members
and college officials who are now
hobbying with flying, WTAW
manager John Rosser is first to
sprout wings.
•
Service—1940 style:
A rookie soda skeet in one of
Bryan’s several confectioneries
was just completing his first week
at the scientific dispensing of car
bonated beverages. All went well
until a rather plump, middle-aged
woman came in and ordered a
banana split at a time when bus
iness was very, very rushing. An
efficiency expert of a sort, the
novice placed a dish of ice cream in
front of the customer, handed her
an unpeeled banana, a knife, and—
in a business-like manner—said,
“You’ll hafta split it yourself,
lady; we’re real busy now.”
•
A full moon blessed the R. V.
dances:
As colorful and entertaining as
tradition dictates, 1940’s Ross Vol
unteer dances were even better
than ever before. Most impressed
of all were the 80-odd girls who
attended the functions. Netum
Steed’s escortee, Hockaday soph
omore Helyn Morrow, declared
that, “The orchestra was wonderful;
so were the R. V.’s and the beer;
but College Station water is lousy”
•.. Benton Elliott’s attractive Betty
Phillips quipped that, “This al
most seems like a dance mara
thon.” ... Not so impressed, how
ever, was Sophie Newcomb soph
omore Alice Kinabrew. Watching
the R. V. drill Friday afternoon,
her only comment was, “They
stink!” . . . Queen Mary May
Crawford batoned A1 Kavelin’s
band and an unidentified Bryan
belle stopped the show with her
almost-expert drumming.
•
Kavelin was excellent:
R. V.’s were more than satisfied
with maestro Kavelin and his “Cas
cading Chords.” Schottisches and
put-your-little-footin’ were popu
lar, although, as R. V. date Nina
Tate pointed out, “Everyone was
dancing what they darned pleas
ed.” Kavelin did a lot toward pop
ularizing the conga and rhumba
while he was here and found that
“Tuxedo Junction” was the most
requested number with “Johnson
Rag” a close second. Songstress
Patty Morgan was formerly with
Artie Shaw and was the equal
of Lawrence Welk’s Jayne Walton
who was on the campus a few
weeks ago. All things considered,
Kavelin proved to have one of the
best orchestras to play at Aggie-
land this year.
•
More about checks:
So much interest was shown in
a recent Backwash item concern
ing checks cashed for cadets by
local merchants that an important
addition and equally important
correction should be pointed out.
After the item was published, the
confectioner in - question asked his
bank to make an investigation and
find out how many checks he had
cashed for students during a par
ticular month. February, 1940,
was the month selected and the
bank reported that in the 29-day
period the merchant had cashed
1,819 checks for students totaling
$7,468. And the correction (the
original item stated that on a
particular day 167 checks were
cashed totaling $66): the total
should have been $566—a typo
graphical error, no less.
FASHION NOTE
Aggie Blouse Is To
Have ‘Bi-Swing’ Back
The Aggie uniform blouse has
undergone a change.
Colonel George F. Moore,
Commandant, has announced that
the specifications for the service
coat have been modified to call
for a “bi-swing” back.
All tailors of College Station,
Bryan, and other cities where
Aggie uniforms are made, have
been furnished specifications for
making the coat accordingly.
Colonel Moore stated.
Effective immediately, new
coats will be made with the “bi
swing” back.
Existing coats may be worn
by all concerned until no longer
serviceable, or may be modified
if so desired.
The new “bi-swing blouse” is
said to be more attractive as
well as more comfortable than
the old-style one.
The matinee and night show for
Friday night is a benefit for the
Junior Chapter of the Future
Farmers of America. This group
of boys intend to use the money
to send representatives to the F.
F. A. convention in Kansas City,
which is a noble aim to say the
least. Since it is more or less
a slack period after the holidays,
since the farmer boys need this
help, since the show is a good
show, and since they gave the
writer a pass, the whole student
body ought to turn out to see the
show. “SLAVE SHIP” is the
name of the show and it stars
Wallace Beery with Mickey
Rooney. Laid in times when our
country was new, the story is
about slave trading done on a big
Uruguayan Cattle-
Raiser Visits Here
Mr. and Mrs. Pablo Risso, of
Uruguay, where Mr. Risso is an
extensive Hereford cattle breeder,
were visitors on the campus Tues
day and were guests of the college
for a luncheon and inspection trip
of the college. They were accom
panied by Mr. and Mrs. Jamie
Brooks of Brady. Mr. Brooks is
president of the Texas Hereford
Association.
Recognized as an outstanding
cattleman of his country, Mr. Ris
so was invited by the American
Hereford Breeders Association to
come to Texas as one of the judg
es in the recent Southwestern Ex
position and Fat Stock Show at
Fort Worth. Following the fat
stock shows, Mr. and Mrs. Risso
plan to visit cattle raising sections
of the state and throughout the
United States before returning to
South America.
The group came to College Sta
tion from Houston where they at
tended the Houston Fat Stock
Show and visited other points of
interest in South Texas, including
the King Ranch.
scale. Wallace Beery is a case-
hardened slave trader, feared and
respected by all the motley crew
and feared more than respected
by the cabin boy, Mickey Rooney.
Beery and the crew, having had
their captain killed, feel the need
of a man with a clean reputation
to front their dealings, and so they
pick on a young man who upsets
their plans by bringing along
his bride. Just imagine the fun
that was had by all.
★
“BROADWAY MELODY OF
1940” is the Palace offering in
far-away Bryan. Fred Astaire
had dropped his little gal from
Texas (Ginger Rogers) and has
adopted a new partner in the shape
and form of Eleanor Powell. Some
think she is better; some think
she is worse. Both parties are
right. Eleanor is the better danc
er, and Ginger is the better act
ress. As a rule musical comedies
are not much on acting anyway.
This one is no exception, but it
is worth two grade-points.
WHATS SHOWING
AT THE ASSEMBLY HALL
Friday, 3:30 and 6:45—
“SLAVE SHIP,” with Wal
lace Beery and Mickey
Rooney.
AT THE PALACE
Thursday, Friday and Sat
urday — “BROADWAY
MELODY OF 1940,” with
Fred Astaire and Eleanor
Powell.
AT THE QUEEN
Thursday—‘BALALAIKA,’
with Nelson Eddy and Ilona
Massey.
TWO HIGHLY VALUABLE
letters—from George Washington
and Robert E. Lee—both address
ed to George Baylor, father of
Judge R. E. B. Baylor for whom
Baylor University was named, are
preserved in the Judge Baylor
rooms at the institution.
FOR
Eye Examination
And Glasses
Consult
J. W. PAYNE
DOCTOR OF OPTOMETRY
Masonic Bldg. Bryan, Tex.
Next to Palace Theater
GREATER PALACE
Wednes. - Thurs. - Fri. - Sat
^ IT’S AN M-G-M PICTURE
T1 A I v>
Fred Astaire * Eleanor Powell
Preview 11 P. M. Saturday Night
Carole Lombard Brian Ahearne
—in—
“VIGIL IN THE NIGHT”
Also Shown Sun. - Mon. - Tues.
The College of Emporia was the
first U. S. College to receive a Car
negie library.
To the Class of ’42
Next Year’s
JUNIORS
. . . Next year’s Juniors who
wear a uniform “Made by
Mendl & Hornak” will be sa
tisfied customers.
—They Cost No More—
The Symbol of Distinction
“Made by Mendl & Hornak”
Dniform Tailor Shop
MENDL & HORNAK