PAGE 2
THE BATTALION
-TUESDAY, MAY 14, 1940
The Battalion
BTUDENT TRI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OF
TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE
Th* Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and
Heehanie&l College of Texas and the City of College Station, is
published three timee weekly from September to June, issued
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings; and is published
weekly from June through August.
Sintered as second-class matter at the Post Office at College
Station, Texas, under the Act of Congress of March 8, 1879.
Subscription rate, 98 a school year. Advertising rates upon
request.
Represented nationally by National Advertising Service, Inc.,
M New York City, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and San
Francisco.
Office, Room 122, Administration Building.
4-8444.
Telephone
1939 Member 5 1940
Pissocioted GoUe&ide Press
BILL MURRAY „
LARRY WEHRLE
James Grits
RL O. (Jeep) Oates
H. G. Howard
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Associate Editor
Sports Editor
Circulation Manager
Tommy Henderson
•Hub’ Johnson
Philip Golman Staff Photographer
James Carpenter Assistant Photographer
John J. Moseley Staff Artist
Junior Editors
Billy Clarkson George Fuermann
A. J. Robinson Earle
Asst. Circulation Manager
Asst. Sports Editor
Bob Nisbet
A. Shields
TUESDAY STAFF
Charlie Wilkinson Managing Editor
Sam Davenport Asst. Advertising Manager
C. A. Montgomery Editorial Assistant
R. V. (Red) Myers Jr. Sports Assistant
Senior Sports Assistant
Jimmie Cokinos Jimmy James
Junior Advertising Solicitors
K- W. Hubbard _ ..v. J. D. Smith
... And a Good Time Was
Had by All
Well, another weekend is past in the history
of the 1939-40 session and of the soon-to-depart
class of ’40. And it was one of the biggest and most
successful weekends of them all.
To all those who took any part in planning,
preparing, and staging the Parents’ Day program,
the Engineers’ Day show, and the senior festivities
of the weekend we extend for the corps our con
gratulations and thanks for a marvelous time.
To the thousands of parents and friends who
visited the campus we extend the hope that you
learned much about Aggieland, that you had a fine
time and that you enjoyed your visit fully as much
we enjoyed having you.
the City Council used to be broadcast over a local
radio station, and there was a good deal of high-
flown oratory which caused sessions to last two or
three hours. Then it was decided to remove the
radio microphones. The first meeting after their
removal lasted exactly 23 minutes!
Students Scorn ‘Ghosts’
“Ghost writing,” the practice of preparing
themes and reports for some one else’s class work,
gets a thumbs-down expression of opinion from
three-fourth of American college students.
What may be more surprising, however, is
that the other fourth is either indifferent or open
ly in approval. These are the results of a poll con
ducted by the Student Opinion Surveys of America,
collegiate sampling organization of the undergra
duate press, of which The Argonaut is a member.
“What is your opinion of the practice of stu
dents paying ghost writers to prepare themes and
term papers for them?” was the question presented
to a scientific cross-section from coast to coast.
Disapproving were 75 per cent; indifferent were
10 per cent; approving were 15 per cent.
Significantly, it may be noted that a majority
of students, 54 per cent, is the strongly-opposed
class. Also, the trend of approval dwindles down to
a mere 7 per cent strongly in favor.
The chief argument of those who favor ghost
writing is that in effect it often helps students by
giving them more time to study for more impor
tant and pressing courses.
On the other hand, the majority of those op
posed condemn it as plain scholastic dishonesty.
Editor’s Letter to Himself
To the editor: I read your editorials. Sometimes
I enjoy the style and I like those that deplore the
things I hate.
But I got to thinking the other day, and I won
der what good it does to deplore Hitler or Stalin.
I wonder what good it does to counsel right and
just courses to politicians who are practical human
beings. I wonder what good it does to urge me to
do this or that, since neither you nor all the others
of your readers will have much effect on the course
of the world.
I think I could read your editorials with greater
interest and faith if you’d tell me just what your
goal is.
•
Alexander Pope was a trenchant critic and
Intellectual English poet of the Classical Age of
English Literature. It was he who said:
“A little learning is a dangerous thing.”
Our poet’s words come more near the universal
truth today than they did in his time. There are
more people today who have a little learning. And
there are more people today who are supplying them
with material to reason with, and that material is
propaganda.
“People have enough education to be susceptible
to propaganda,” says Bertrand Russell, the political
philosopher.
In the face of sincerity, our purpose is to try
to get you to think. We are trying to get you to
be skeptical. Be just as skeptical of that which
appears in our news columns and of these editorials
as of that which appears in other editorials, news
columns, books. pamphlets, or that which
you hear on the radio, in the lecture hall, on the
soap box, over the desk of the big executive, or
in the church pulpit.
We would not have you put too much faith
in these editorials or in any other words printed
or uttered by a member of the human race, until
by searching after the truth, you have a conviction
which stands up in most cases under the search
light of a sincere and searching philosophy evolved
by skepticism and investigation. One should respect
all men’s utterances, or as near to that great ideal
as is humanly possible.
Whatever we counsel, we do because we believe
it the right and just course. But we are not the
fountainhead of wisdom. Examine other words,
thoughts, and deeds, and evaluate ours in the sum-
total of your findings. Then maybe you will think
as we do—maybe not; but yours will be a more
sure, sincere, and courageous conviction.
—The Daily Texan
R. W. Steen
Psycholopy At Work
F. L. Thomasson, I os Angeles psychology in
structor, was strolling down a dark street at mid
night with $200 in his pockets, when a roughly dress
ed man who had been following him came for
ward threateningly. Thomasson was certain he was
going to be held up.
Heading straight for the man, the psychologist
said: “Hi, buddy—can you spare a dime for a cup
of coffee? I haven’t eaten since. ...”
The would-be holdup man gave a startled ex
clamation. “Well, I’ll be . . . Here I was goin’ to
hold you up!”
Thomasson got his dime and walked away, his
bankroll saved.
* * *
Another example of applied physochology was
boted in New York City recently. Proceedings of
BACKWASH
By
George Fuermann
“Backwash: An asritation resulting from some action or occurrence.”—Webster.
Time To Commence
Commencement is less than three weeks away.
Within less than a month, what are now A. & M.
seniors will be men of the world—competing with
other men of the world for a limited number of jobs.
There won’t be, so we are told, enough jobs to
go around. There never have been. But the men who
have applied themselves for four years at Texas
A. & M. will find jobs. The men who have applied
themselves are ready to commence.
Those who have taken college life as a joke,
barely passing required work, are apt to find that
college work and working for a living are not too
remotely separated. The man who has made the
most of four years at college will, very likely, make
the most of anything that he may do.
For a college is more than a place to spend four
years in simply learning things. Every day of college
life presents an opportunity to DO something. Those
seniors who have done something will probably not
find it hard to commence.
Prospective employers cannot ignore the record
of what the man who asks for a job has done during
the past four years.
BOOKS YOU'LL ENJOY
AMERICAN EARTH, by Carleton Beals
GIDDY MINDS AND FOREIGN QUARRELS
by Charles A. Beard
MAN AGAINST MICROBE, by J. W. Bigger
JANE EYRE, by Charlotte Bronte
HEREDITY AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS, by
L. L. Burlingame
TROUBLE IN JULY, by Erskine Caldwell
THE AMERICAN STAKES, by John Cham
berlain
BOOKS THAT CHANGED THEIR MINDS,
by Malcolm Cowley
PHILIOSOPHER’S HOLIDAY, by Irwin Edman
MY LIFE, by Havelock Ellis
THE HOSPITAL, by Kenneth Fearing
As the World Turns...
By DR. R. W. STEEN
The rise to importance of fifth-column tactics
simply indicates that war has reached a new low.
“Trojan horse” tactics are bad enough, but the
fifth column is worse. The fifth column is made up
of sympathizers who aid the enemy in every way
possible. Some have come into the betrayed coun
tries in recent years, but many have
been residents of the country for
many years. Traitors and spies there
have always been, but not in the
numbers suddenly appearing in Hol
land.
Between the lines . . . Quoth an
elderly woman as Sunday’s review
of the corps got under way, “My
day will be spoiled if Reveille isn’t
here.” . . . Within a week Back
wash’s poll to
learn the rating of
' the various orches
tras on the campus
this year will be
completed and the
results announced.
> In order to insure
lHk A accuracy and fair
ness in the voting,
Fuermann a committee has
been appointed
which is composed of those Aggies
who have worked at the various
corps dances. This committee will
meet and send ballots to those
cadets whom it believes have at
tended a representative number
of corps dances and are therefore
in a position to compare the sev
eral orchestras. The committee
includes social secretary Charles
Hamner, Everett Morehead, Jimmy
Cokinos, Fred Sandlin, Bruce Cloud,
Jack Nelson, Bob Little, Ed Felder,
and four representatives of the
corps-at-large—“Greek” Mitchell,
Bill Conatser, Derace Moser, and
Ray Wink el. . . . It’s six-two-and-
even that Aggies would vote for
Captain Phil Enslow for any old
office he might want to run for.
On two consecutive weekends that
he has been in charge of so-called
“tour duty,” he has called the roll
and immediately dismissed the of
fenders. Last Saturday he and
Mrs. Enslow went a step further
by going out of their way to drive
several cadets to the central part
of the campus.
•
A fine art:
From “The Texas Parade,” a
magazine published by the Texas
Good Roads Association, comes the
following item which was promi
nently featured in a recent issue:
“Hitchhikers in general may be
in disrepute in Texas, but few
seasoned Texas travelers ever pass
up a Cadet from Texas A. & M.
College if they can find room to
squeeze him in somewhere. For
this there’s a reason.
“One of the unwritten rules of
the hitchhiking Cadets is that they
never leave a motorist in trouble.
If a tire needs repairing, they
are the first ones out of the car
and the first to grab a jack or a
tire wrench. If the motor goes
dead, chances are one of the boys
can tinker it back to life again.
If a motorist runs out of gaso
line, a cadet will fetch him an
emergency supply.
“The cadets of A. & M. have
reduced hitchhiking to a fine art.
They always are courteous and
gentlemanly. On entering a ve
hicle each extends his hand and in
troduces himself. He doesn’t butt
into the conversation, but gives
courteous and complete answers
when questions or statements are
directed his way. On leaving the
motorist who has befriended him
he hands him a card on which is
written the cadet’s name, the mil
itary unit to which he is attached
at the school and an invitation for
the motorist to come by to visit
him if he ever passes through his
home town.”
•
On Russ Morgan:
Songstress Carolyn Clarke broke
the date-request record when she
“noed” 104 Aggie hopefuls Sat
urday night. Lovely Claire Nunn
and lovelier Eunice Clark former
ly shared the record with 93 re
quests each . . . For the first time
in 1940 “Tuxedo Junction” is not
the Aggie hit parade leader. Step
ping aside to make way for Russ’
theme song, “Does Your Heart
Beat For Me ? ” the twelve-week
leader in most oft-requested songs
went into second spot and the old
American folk song, “Stardust,”
hit the list of Aggie favorites in
third place . . . “If I couldn’t talk
very well at the corps dance,” Russ
said, “it’s because I did so much
yelling at the Aggie-Baylor base
ball game this afternoon.” His on
ly regret was that he didn’t get
a chance to swim in the Aggie pool.
•
Favorite-sayings-of-profs-depart-
ment:
Here’s a few of the well-groov
ed, always-to-be-expected quips
and otherwise of several A. & M.
profs. How many can you recog
nize? . . . “We’ll be using a new
textbook in this course which was
written by the head of the depart
ment and myself.” . . “It’s a cork
ing good thing.” . . . “Get your
feet down! You’re not an execu
tive yet.” . . . “Life’s short, chalk’s
expensive, but don’t let that wor
ry you.” . . . “But by and large,
gentlemen.” . . . “Check me on
that.” “We’ll check the role by
counting the holes in the atmos
phere.” . . . “We’ll have an an
nounced pop quiz next time.” . . .
“I am beginning to suspect that
some of you gentlemen are not
studying.” . . . “It’s just one of
those cases.” . . . “My wife’s in a
very bad humor this morning, so
we’ll have a little quiz.” . . .“You
stink!” . . . “This is really an
easy course if you’ll just study it
every day.”
By TOM GILLIS
Wide Recognition
Gained By A. & M.
Petroleum Club
The A. & M. Petroleum Club has
gained wide recognition this year
for the large size of its member
ship as an affiliated student chap
ter of the American Institute of
Mining and Metallurgical Engin
eers. The membership of the local
chapter is the second largest of
any of the chapters, lacking but
one of tying the Colorado School
of Mines for first.
Recognition of the size of the
various student organizations was
given in the official publication of
the A. I. M. E., Mining and Met
allurgy, for May, 1940. The Colo
rado school has ranked first for
the past seven years, but the ar
ticle points out that the up and
growing A. & M. club will be a
strong contender for first place in
the next few years. The member
ship in the Aggie club ranked
eleventh in 1938, third in 1939, and
is now second. From another point
of view, the student organization
here has the best record of any of
the schools, having increased its
membership by 91 last year, more
than any other school. The record
As unusual as a tree in the
desert is a musical with any de
gree of continuity in its story.
Nonetheless, “BROADWAY MEL
ODY OF 1940” is one of them.
It works in the dancing stars and
their rhythms in at least fairly
plausible situations and gives the
players some chance to act as well
as dance. Fred Astaire, Eleanor
Powell, and young George Murphy
do the tapping and rhythm fol
lowing. They are well supported
by Frank Morgan, Ian Hunter,
and Florence Rice in their more
serious acting moments. Nimble
Fred Astaire has long since proved
his ability in both fields, and all
Eleanor Powell lacks of making
him as good a partner as Ginger
Rogers is some of Ginger’s looks.
George Murphy is no slouch as
a dancer either, and he and Eleanor
do some good rountines.
The 'story which is so well in
corporated with the dancing num
bers concerns a night club and a
case of mistaken identity. George
Murphy, by mistake, gets a job
as dancing partner for Eleanor,
but gets so swell headed about
it that Fred has to take his place
for several performances. Then
comes love, and the new dance
team is made permanent.
Cole Porter has written several
of the tunes used in this musical.
“I’ve Got My Eyes On You” is
one of them, and the grand finale
to the tune of “Begin the Beguine”
is really outstanding. Dance
routines are well performed
throughout the show, and since it
has a somewhat logical plot and
Cole Porter’s music, it rates a lit
tle better than the average mu
sical.
The Campus is . introducing
something else new for their thea
ter. Tuesdays will be bargain day
with the price being 15 cents day
and night. First show to be
brought there under this rate is
“DOWN ON THE FARM.” This
is also the first run on that show
in these parts. It brings the fur-
seems still more important when
it is realized that petroleum engi
neering students here are not re
quired to join the A. I. M. E. Fur
thermore, only juniors and seniors
are eligible for membership. It
is believed that at the Colorado
school the students are required
to join the Institute. There are
seventy-seven colleges with stu
dent chapters, making a total mem
bership of 3456 students.
ther adventures of the Jones fam
ily when they are forced to move
to the country because one of the
little Joneses blows up their city
home while trying a chemistry ex
periment. They take to farm life
with a good spirit, and Pa Jones
finds himself entered in a corn
husking contest. The contest be
comes so important that the win
ner is sure to receive the vote of
the farm bloc in the election for
senator from that district, and
pop has to beat a crooked politi
cian to win. There is a little rural
romance mixed in between Ken
Howell and the farmer’s daugh
ter, Dorris Bowden. Louise Fazenda
has a part as Aunt Ida, whose
perennial suitor is the hired hand.
Jane Withers in “HIGH
SCHOOL” will perhaps be a bit
juvenile for some Aggies, but it
will interest lots of the San An
tonio boys because the high school
in question is none other than
Thomas Jefferson. Jane hasn’t
quite outgrown hqr childish tactics,
and at first she makes everyone
at the school despise her for her
know-it-all attitude. She redeems
herself though and finally becomes
a member of the Lasso Girls.
Pop
Shaw Still Making
’Em Best!
College Campus
Sandwich Shop
Back of Legett Hall
The fifth column did its work
in Czechoslovakia and in Poland, but
it remained for the leader of the
fifth column in Norway to provide a
name for his cohorts. Blackguard,
spy, traitor, quisling. These are
words of opprobium in order of pro
gression, and the last one is the new one.
Holland and Belgium find that many of the re
fugees from the Hitler Terror who they befriended
last year and the year before are now aiding the
invading forces in every way possible. To make the
matter even worse, German residents of Holland
who have lived there for as long as twenty years
are joining in the attempt to overthrow the little
kingdom. Many, perhaps most, of the Germans in
Holland are doubtless aiding their adopted country,
but the fact that some are not makes the presence
of any members of this race a serious matter for
Holland.
England and France are taking drastic steps
to prevent fifth-column activities. England has order
ed that all Germans living in the eastern half of
the country be placed in concentration camps. This
will doubtless be unjust to many of the Germans
so arrested, but fifth-column activity being what
it is, a country at war has little choice in the matter.
England has also ordered that aliens other than
Germans report every day to police authorities.
They are not permitted to be outside their homes
after nightfall, and will be subjected to numerous
other restrictions. These acts are contrary to
British traditions, but the British now face a con
dition and not a theory. They, too, have opened their
doors in recent years to German refugees. They do
not wish to be paid for their hospitality in the way
that Holland is now being paid for hers.
Your hat will be stored
absolutely free during
the Summer months if
you have it cleaned and
blocked.
So why go to the trouble
of carrying it around in
your trunk when you can
store it where it will be
free from dust and
moths.
Cleaning & Blocking
$1.00
Pay Next Fall
•
STANDARD
HAT WORKS
North Gate
GOOD NEWS
FOR HUNGRY STUDENTS
Before and after the ball visit our new “pink room”.
No cover charge. The perfect spot to say hello and
good-bye to your best girl friend.
Good food and cold drinks at reasonable prices.
Open all night on Friday and Saturday.
We also cater to special parties and banquets.
COLLEGE INN CAFE
AND
AMUSEMENT CLUB
Brunswick Standard Equipment
North Gate Phone College 333
C. E. McMULLAN W. H. McMULLAN
In 1896 two Norwegians actually
rowed all the way across the At
lantic Ocean, from New York to
France.
College men tend to marry earl
ier and in larger proportion than
college women, according to a sur
vey.
WHAT’S SHOWING
AT THE ASSEMBLY HALL
Tuesday 3:30 and 6:45—
—“HIGH SCHOOL,” featur
ing Jane Withers and Joe
Brown Jr.
Wednesday, 3:30 and 6:45
— “BROADWAY MELODY
OF 1940,” starring Fred
Astaire, Eleanor Powell,
George Murphy, Frank Mor
gan, Ian Hunter, and Florence
Rice.
AT THE CAMPUS
Tuesday — “DOWN ON
THE FARM,” with Jed
Prouty, Louise Fazenda, Ken
Howell, Spring Byington.
Wednesday, Thursday —
“ROSE OF WASHINGTON
SQUARE,” starring Tyrone
Power, Alice Faye, and A1
Jolson.
snninER
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W-O-L/
CiOCKXERS