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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 11, 1940)
Aggie Spirit Will Never Yield Until Demand Is Granted An Editorial Expression • THE WORM HAS TURNED! . . . AND TIMES HAVE CHANGED. The long-suffering, 6,000-strong A. & M. cadet corps, tired of submitting to years of high-pressure theater discrimination, has decided it’s going to have a little to say about the sort of fare the high moguls of the monopolistic motion picture industry dish out. At last the Aggies, through with submission, disgusted with pleas and argumentation for a fair deal, are mobilized in an under taking of complete accord. And hundreds of faculty and staff members of A. & M. College and other citizens of College Station as well as Bryan have announced their complete agreement with the purposes of the concerted “stay-at-home”, “save-your-money”, “support-your- local-theater” movement. It has aroused far more than local publicity, interest, and attention. Sent out Monday morning to the Associated Press and the United Press, the story has appeared in many news papers and has been broadcast over several radio stations. As one newscaster declared, “The Aggies usually get what they go after,”—provided they keep after it long enough. • Yes, the fighting Texas Aggies really want what they want when they want it. And in this movement they are determined not to yield until they persuade the management of the Bryan theatrical interest and/or the Dallas distribution agents of pictures for this area that College Station is equally as good a field for pictures as Bryan, and that contracts existing between the Dallas agencies and the Bryan interests should be altered to further the interests of all concerned. Yes, the Aggies are determined to stick with the fight—and, once started, they must, if they are ever to achieve the desired objective. For, Army, you must realize that if we should emerge as losers in this struggle—a thing we, of course, do not anticipate doing—we may and probably will be losers and pawns of the movie moguls for many years to come. • Therefore, fellow Aggies, we appeal to each and every one of you for your complete, willing, and 100% support in this venture. It’s not a compulsory movement forced upon any of the students. It’s an undertaking begun with the eager desire of the vast majority to attain something that the college and the community must have before they will ever be satisfied—and that is one thing only: first-run, first-rate shows and date-to-date showings of them with the Bryan theaters. Members of the faculty and staff of the college—citizens of College Station—people of Bryan—we call upon you and appeal to you for your support in this move. It’s to your best interests all around that our request be granted. And it can and shall be. Of that we are certain. • We feel that it’s unfair that we should pay 20 cents in taxi fares, and spend a lot of time and trouble, simply to get to see a first-class movie. And we’re through talking about the situation. We’re through being puppets to the agents of the motion picture industry. We’re acting, and we mean to keep on acting until we get what we’re after. • “Bryan theaters may think this affair will “blow over” in a couple of days, but that’s where they’re dead wrong. We mean to keep it up two weeks, two months, or two years, if necessary. And if things don’t break in our favor, this staying away from the Bryan shows will become a good old Aggie tradition,” de clared Cadet Colonel Durward B. “Woody” Varner last night. And the entire corps echoes his sentiments. “Statisticians” for the cadet corps during the first two days of the campaign have calculated that in those two days, when there might have been an Aggie audience of 12,000, the percentage of Aggies in uniform attending the Bryan theaters the first day was exactly .03, 99.97 percent staying away; and that for the second day the score was: Fighting Texas Aggies 6,000 Bryan theaters 00000 Difference 6,000 Thus the average percentage of those attending the Bryan theaters was 99.985. That’s nearly as pure as the Aggie water . . . and that’s 99.999714 percent pure! • The figures given above include only Aggies in uniform. Those few students reported attending not in uniform are not representative either of the Aggie uniform or the Aggie spirit. • But Saturday night is to be the “acid test”. It is understood that the management of the Bryan theaters expects the cam paign to come to a halt because of the good midnight show which it is hoped will attract the Aggies as before. Yeah? • Aggies, of course it’s going to take patience and persever ance to achieve our desires. No one knows how long it will prove necessary to stay away from the Bryan shows before the other side yields. But one thing we’re sure of: If we take away from 40 to 60 percent of the attendance at the Bryan shows, they cannot profitably continue their business forever. It may take weeks, it may take months, it may take years— as the cadet colonel has declared. We’re in favor of keeping it up ten years if necessary. Eventually we’re bound to win our objective. Movie distri butors, with an eye for money, will not forever ignore a field as fertile as is College Station. • BUT—to get what we want, we must have the full coopera tion of every student of A. & M., just as long as our campaign proves necessary. Just because a good show comes to Bryan—and plenty of them will—don’t become impatient. You can see it—and it’ll still be as new to you—when it comes to the College Assembly Hall. Just because you have a date at the college, don’t decide that it will be necessary to take her to the show in Bryan. Ex plain the situation to her—we think she’ll be in sympathy with the Aggies. And after all, you can take her to the Assembly Hall—to the Campus Theater when it opens—to shows in Heame or elsewhere—to the baseball games—to the pool halls— to the College Museum—to the College Library and music room —to the restaurants, confectioneries, and various dances and dancing places—and to many a place other than Bryan shows. See if she really wants to go when she understands that the money you spend on her at a Bryan show may help to defeat our great aim. The Battalion VOL. 39 122 ADMINISTRATION BUILDING COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, THURSDAY MORNING, APRIL 11, 1940 NO. 73 JUNIOR ELECTION SET FOR APRIL 22 Russ Morgan’s Orchestra Will Play For Senior Banquet And Ring Dance Sophomores Will Elect On Same Date Russ Morgan and his nationally famous 18-piece orchestra have been engaged to play for the forth coming Senior Banquet and Ring Dance this year, F. M. “Max” McCullar, senior class president, and Charlie Hamner, senior social secretary, have just announced. The engagement of such a top- notch band should, they stated, make the senior affair better and longer remembered than ever by the departing Aggies, and this last •dance held in honor of the seniors,- should be as completely success ful as only a big-name band like Russ Morgan can make it. Russ is now playing in New Orleans. The demand for his mu sic has led him to engagements in the better hotels all over the country. Many of the Aggies are familiar with his music as played over the radio and listen regularly to his broadcasts. Besides having Russ Morgan, the plans for this year’s Senior ■Banquet and Ring Dance are the- most elaborate in history, and it is hoped that with better planning and with cooperation from the senior class that the ring cere mony may be made very beauti ful and impressive. As favors for the dance, a pin which is the face of the senior ring will be given to the girls. This pin is being struck in 1/20 gold-filled metal from the identi cal die that was used in making this year’s senior rings. The favors will be finished in old rose and guarded by a length of 10 karat gold chain attached to a ’40 of the same finish. The pins are being made by Josten, who has the new ring contract, through their agents in Houston, the South ern Engraving Company. It is planned to have an engraver set up at the dance who will engrave the initials of both the boy and the girl on the back of the pin for a nominal charge. Grand March Will Open Annual Cavalry Ball Friday Night; Last Regimental Ball For Season By Tom Gillis H Beginning with a grand march, a different but colorful event in regimental balls at A. & M., the Fourth Annual Cavalry Ball will get under way in Sbisa Hall Fri day night. Tom Harris, Cadet Lieutenant Colonel of the Cavalry, and his date will lead the grand march in the side door, followed by the members of the regiment and their dates. Cavalry tactical officers and chaperons will take part in the ceremony which will end when the long lines break in to scores of dancing couples. Contrary to previous reports, Anson Weeks and his orchestra are being brought to the Aggie cam pus for the second time to play for this ball. Anson Weeks and his orchestra played for the Sen ior Prom in 1934. His tuneful rhythms have recently been heard on the Lucky Strike program and in many of the important hotels in the east, middlewest and south west. His orchestra has given a start to such other famous band leaders as Bob Crosby, Xavier Cugat, and Griff Williams, but Anson has now turned his atten tion to another future star who is now furnishing the vocals with his orchestra. Eunice Clarke is the sensational discovery whom he now hopes to coach to stardom, and she will be on the bandstand Charming Eunice Clarke, featured vocalist with Anson Weeks. •with him here when he presides for the ball. Favors in the shape of a small diamond, surrounded by 16 small pearls, and connected by a deli cate gold chain to the crossed sabers insignia of the Cavalry will be given dates. Within the diamond are the letters T. A. M. C., supported in red enamel. Decorations for the dance plan to make use of Cavalry lances to completely surround the perma nent backboard. The troop guidons will be used in the regular place, but the color added by the lances will present a distinct Cavalry touch as well as add to the beauty of the bandstand. Accommodations for the dates are being arranged, and ramps G, H, I, and J of Hart Hall will be vacated. From 9 till 1 on Friday night, Anson Weeks will play for the Cavalry Ball, and Saturday night the regular corps dance will be open to ail members of the corps. This dance is being given by the juniors of the regiment. Jun iors working on the dance are Paul Haines, Bob Alexander, Bob Langford, Eli Whitney, Tom Pow ers, George Taylor, Keith Hub bard, Graham Purcell, Bob Tonkin, Sid McDonald, Jack Roach, and Will Dickerson. Delta Pine and Land Company Head To Crown King of Annual Cotton Pageant Rice, S.M.U., T.C.U., Baylor and University of Texas Name Duchesses; Others To Be Announced at Later Date King Cotton at the A. & M.-fbe approximately 80 girls and their escorts. These duchesses were se- June Graduates Required To Wear Appropriate Dress All non-ROTC students who are to receive degrees at the June Commencement are required to at tend the ceremonies in appropriate academic costume, according to an announcement made by F. C. Bol ton, Dean and Vice-President of the college. All advanced course ROTC stu dents who are awarded degrees in June will be required to attend the ceremonies in Uniform No. 1, Dean Bolton said, and non-ROTC stu dents will wear caps and gowns. Students who do not provide them selves with appropriate dress for the occasion will not be eligible to participate in the exercises. Until noon Saturday, April 27, the Exchange Store can arrange for caps and gowns for the occas ion. After this time there is no as surance that orders made will ar rive in time for Commencement. Rental for caps and gowns is $1.75 for Batchelor Degree costume and $1.90 for Master Degree cos tume, and will be made with the E. R. Moore Co. in Dallas. AGGIE CAB CO. MOVES TO COLLEGE STATION Cecil James, graduate student at A. & M. who is now owner and manager of the Aggie Cab Company, has announced the mov ing of the location of his head quarters from Bryan to College Station. Cotton Pageant and Ball of 1940 will be crowned by Hon. Oscar Johnson, as announced by the com mittee in charge. Mr. Johnson is the president of the Delta and Pine Land Company of Scott, Mississippi, a plantation of over 36,000 acres, which is the largest cotton producing plantation in the world. At present he is serving as presi dent of the National Cotton Coun cil of America, an organization which has interests in all the cot ton producing states in the nation. Because he is one of the biggest men in the cotton industry today, Mr. Johnson has been selected to place the crown on King Wesley Seay’s head and make a few re marks in the form of a coronation address. Other notables who have crowned King Cotton in the past include W. L. Clayton of Houston, Dean Kyle of A. & M., and Gov ernor W. Lee O’Daniel, who per- formed at last year’s Cotton Pageant. Harry Forbes, social secretary, announces that arrangements for Queen Mamie Tramonte’s court of duchesses has reached almost a virtual state of completion as far as contracts are concerned. The number included in the court will lected from all senior colleges in Texas, ex-student associations, A. & M. Mothers clubs, and other prominent organizations in the state. From schools in the South west Conference come the follow ing duchesses and their escorts: Evelyn Espy from T. C. U. es corted by Keith Hubbard; Billie Daniel from Baylor escorted by Joe Doran; Virginia Ford from the University of Texas escorted by Tommy Richards;. Elizabeth Potter from Rice escorted by Jack Roach; Juanita Rushing from S. M. U. whose selection for escort has not yet been received. The Cotton Pageant of 1940, to be held April 19 at the DeWare Field House, will carry a military atmosphere as a theme. To form an appropriate setting, Hal Mose ley, who designed it, accomplished his purpose with a Baroque set ting. According to Mrs. L. L. Four- aker, director of the Pageant, the queen will wear a royal robe of white cotton pique designed by Brooks of New York through the specifications of The Fashion in Houston who will present the Style Show. ARCHITECTS HEAR TSCW FINE ARTS DIRECTOR TODAY Miss Mary Marshall, Director of the Department of Fine Arts at T. S. C. W., will visit the A. & M. campus today. The Architec tural Department is sponsoring a lecture by Miss Marshall at 7:30 p. m. in the Architectural Library, 4th floor of the Academic Build ing. Her talk will be called “Illu strating Prints” and will center on a group of prints now on display in the Architectural Library. Miss Marshall was graduated from the Pratt Institution, receiv ed her B. S. and M. A. Degrees, and a Fine Arts Diploma from Co lumbia University. She later studied painting in Provincetown, Massachusetts, under the direction of Charles Martin of .Columbia University. In 1916, after teaching in the School of Music and Fine Arts in Wichita Falls, Texas, and in the Dallas High Schools, she came to T. S. C. W. as a member of the Art Faculty. Over $160 Netted By P. T. A. Production Production of “The Old School at Hick’ry Holler” netted thd Par ent-Teacher Association of the A. & M. Consolidated School upwards of $160 at the Assembly Hall Mon day evening, it was announced to day by Mrs. T. E. Rattan, chair man of ticket sales. Candidates Must File by April 15 At a meeting of the Student Election Committee Tuesday after noon in Registrar E. J. Howell’s Office, the date for the junior class primary election of the Long horn editor-in-chief, the A. & M. Town Hall manager, and the sen ior social secretary, and for the sophomore class primary election of candidates for the two junior yell-leaderships for 1940-41, was set as Monday, April 22. The date of the runoff election for these offices was set as Thursday, April 25. Candidates for these positions must file by a week prior to the primary election date—that is, by 5 p. m., Monday, April 15—with E. L. Angell, student publications and activities manager, at the Stu dent Publications Office, 126 Ad ministration Building. A filing fee of 50 cents will be assessed, each candidate, the fees to be used in covering the cost of printing the ballots. Qualifications for candidates for Town Hall manager and social sec retary were set up by the Election Committee for the first time Tues day, and qualifications for candi dates for Longhorn editor were set up, also for the first time, Wednesday afternoon, by a com mittee of the Student Publications Board. They are as follows: Eligibility For Candidates For Social Secretary 1. In order that a man be eligi ble as a candidate for the office (Continued on page 6) F!RST WILDLIFE SHORT COURSE TO OPEN FRIDAY Dr. W. P. Taylor, head of the A. & M. Fish and Game Depart ment, has announced that the first Wildlife Short Course to be held at Texas A. & M. is to take place here on April 12 and 13. Regis tration for the course begins at 8 a. m. Friday; sessions com mence at 9 o’clock. This course is sponsored by the Texas Wild life Federation, the Texas Game Fish and Oyster Commission, Texas Nature Federation, U. S. Biological Survey, and Texas A. & M. Speakers for the course will be President T. O. Walton, Dean E. J. Kyle, Director E. O. Siecke, Di rector A. B. Conner, and Director H. H. Williamson from the college, and many other leaders of the (Continued on page 6) Over 350 Highway Engineers Attend 16th Short Course The sixteenth annual highway engineers short course closes with the morning program today. At tendance this year has numbered over 350 highway engineers and visitors including out-of-state vis itors Walter L. Crowell, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; M. D. Catton, Chicago, Illinois; Spen cer Buchanan and Robert M. Ger mans, Vicksburg, Mississippi; and Vic Brown, Elmhurst, Hlinois. The remainder of those present at the short course includes all district engineers of the Texas State Highway Department; State Highway Engineer, Julian Mont gomery and Assistant State High way Engineer, W. D. Dockery; Chairman of Texas Highway Com mission, Brady Gentry; represent atives from the Humble Oil Co., Texas Co., and Gulf Oil Co., and representatives from various ma terial and equipment companies of Texas. (Continued on page 6)