DIAL 4-5444
STUDENT TRI-WEEEXY
NEWSPAPER OF
TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE
The Battalion
DIAL 4-5444
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER
OF THE CITY OF
COLLEGE STATION
YOL. 40 122 ADMINISTRATION BLDG. COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS, TUESDAY MORNING, JAN. 28, 1941
Z725 NO. 46
White Next
Town Hall
Entertainer
Subject Of Talk
To Be On Present
European Conflicts
William L. White, ■war corres
pondent, who has recently witnes
sed Britain’s struggle for life on
land and sea, will address the cadet
corps on March 5 under the aus
pices of Town Hall. A brilliant
speaker, White will, nevertheless,
leave time for the audience to
guide the program. The corps will
be given ample opportunity to
question him on conditions in Eu
rope and of his personal exper
iences on his two trips to that
country—his first to Germany and
Finland and his most recent one
to England. He will give facts that
everyone is interested to hear but
which American audiences have
not had the opportunity to know
since censorship has blanketed a
major portion of the earth’s sur
face.
Journeying to England on one
of the 50 destroyers which the
country traded for Atlantic bases,
he wrote of that passage in Life
and in the Reader’s Digest of Jan
uary, 1941. He had completed his
work on December 4 and was
ready to take passage by plane
to Lisbon and thence to the United
States by Clipper. Unable to make
a reservation for the Clipper from
that end, his wife, in New York,
managed to get a commitment
from the American office. He is
expected to return to the United
States by February 1 and after a
few days for recovery will begin
his lecture tour.
Spanish Film
To Be Presented By
Film Club Thursday
A Spanish film, “Jalisco Nunca
Pierde,” will be presented Thurs
day night at the Campus Theater
as the second foreign film spon
sored by the Campus Film Club.
Students of Spanish in the Modern
Language department will be given
reserved seats for the showing.
Sam Zisman, chairman of the
executive committee of the club,
stated that they have been trying
to get the film for some time. It
is being handled through a dis
tributing agency in San Antonio.
The film contains scenes which
present native living and a good
deal of native Mexican music.
“Arrangements have been work
ed out to make the handling of
tickets easier and to save incon
venience,” Zisman said. The near
capacity house at the first foreign
film impressed the members with
the interest which was shown.
Agronomy Course
Introduces Soilless
Gardening Next Term
Students taking Agronomy 422,
soil fertility, may experiment with
soilless gardening next semester.
Dr. R. L. Donahue, teacher of the
course, has announced. Due to ex
tensive interest in this new field,
the Agronomy department has ex
tended its facilities so that those
students interested may have some
experience in this new branch of
science.
This practice of maturing crops
without soil was first brought out
in 1930 by Prof. W. L. Gericke of
the University of California. Since
then it has spread over the country
like an epidemic because of the
novelty of the method and the re
ports of larger yields.
Last year Agronomy 422 stu
dents grew oats and cotton in a
twenty gallon wooden horse tank.
Six such tanks are available this
year as well as several large jars.
Students taking the course will get
to exercise their own technique in
soilless gardening besides testing
the effects of the fourteen essential
elements on plant growth.
"Bank Night" At Gridiron Banquet
Chip Routt shows Miss Mavanee Warner, Bryan, his new football jacket with letter on it. (top) All
of the players received one of these.
Marshall Robnett (center) inspects his All-American silver football trophy.
Charlie Henke is congratulated by Coach Homer Norton (bottom) upon receiving one of the two best
blocking medals. James Thomason received the other one. —Photo by Jack Jones
Footballers Hit Jack-Pot
At Annual Gridiron Banquet
By Hub Johnson
Battalion Sports Editor
Bank night in Sbisa Hall! This
was the general gist of the annual
grid dinner Friday night.
The Aggies hit the jack pot!
Silver tipped belts, watches, spur
tie clips, overcoats, gold footballs,
plaques, Sugar Bowl replicas, and
trophies of all sort—all came from
one side of the table to the other
with the solid maroon jackets that
were given to the lettermen.
Toastmaster Dough Rollins held
the diners in the palm of his hands
until Byron “Curly” Winstead,
chief of publicity here at College
Station, introduced his wife as the
secretary of war of the Winstead
family.
* Mid-way in the schedule of events-
a wire was received from Dan Ro
gers of the Cotton Bowl to the ef
fect that cowboy boots for each
member of the squad were ready
for delivery.
Norton thanked the boys for all
the cooperation they had given
and highly praised the work of the
“blue boys”. “Success doesn’t come
the easy way,” he told them. “You
have to work for it.”
Pat Flaherty held the crowd in
laughs with his broadcast over
WOAI and KPRC. He questioned
Kimbrough as to what his plans
were following graduation.
“I’d like to get back on the
range with a wife and get six
kids right fast,” John told him.
► Marshal Robnett’s reply to the
same question was, “I guess I’ll
take pro football. I can’t get six
kids as fast as Kimbrough.”
After the fifteen minutes on the
air, back the program went to
Dough Rollins. He read the prais
es to all who had helped in making
the great Texas Aggies the best
of the land and then read James
“Dumby” Chance Jr.’s toast to
the team.
The following is Dumby’s con
tribution:
Again we meet, drink and break
bread;
With the swell gang that has
spread.
The Aggie spirit from coast to
(Continued on Page 4)
Aid Fund Receives
Final Approval Today
Could Exams
Be The Reason
For Such Goings On?
By Lee Rogers
There is something funny going
on around here these days—and
there must be a reason for it.
It is not the normal thing to
see a cadet walking across the
campus at 2 o’clock in the morn
ing mumbling and swearing about
cosines and the life cycle of earth
worms. And usually there would be
a slight doubt in your mind about
your room-mate’s sanity if he were
to put a fountain pen in his mouth
touch a match to it and at the
same time try to write with his
pipe, but such actions are looked
on as matter-of-fact now.
Surprisingly, there are little
blades of grass sprouting on the
beaten path to Uncle Ed’s. While
on the other hand it is becoming
a common sight to see a student
gulp down three cups of black
coffee at midnight and then buy
a handful of strong cigars.
So if you are still wondering
what is happening just inquire a
bit and you will find that final ex.
ams are practically here.
Committee Is
Only Obstacle
Student, Executive
Committees Have Already
Passed On Proposed Fund
The proposed Texas A. A M.
Student Aid Fund will receive final
approval or rejection at the reg
ular meeting of the college fac
ulty this afternoon. Already passed
by the Student Activities Commit
tee and the Executive Cortimittee,
passage by the faculty is the only
remaining obstacle in the path of
the fund’s organization.
As aproved by the Student Ac
tivities Committee and the Exec
utive Committee, the Student Aid
Fund would do the following:
1. (a). Pay for emergency op
erations for students who are
unable to obtain the necessary
money through other channels.
b) . To send a suitable express
ion of sympathy to each family
of an Aggie whose mother or
father may die during a long ses
sion.
c) To take care of any other
cases of merited need which may
come to the Student Aid Fund
Foster Hall
Repaired For
Defense Trainees
Foster Hall is now being repair
ed in order to accommodate the Civ
ilian Defense Trainees who will
take courses in National Defense
Engineering which will start Feb
ruary 10.
All repairs are being done by
the department of building and
grounds and according to that de
partment only such work as to make
the building livable and weather
proof is being done. The reason
for only these essential repairs
are being made is to allow the
trainees to pay the smallest rate
possible. At present the plans are
to have the rentals only high
enough to pay the expense of jan
itor service.
After the plastering and patching
up is finished Foster Hall will house
at least 89 men. At present the
object of the extra facilities is for
the use of the Civilian Defense
Trainees but they may also be
used for students during the sum
mer short .courses.
By providing this low cost hous
ing feature, the officials have cut
the expenses of trainees to a min
imum- The United States Office
of Education is providing all ex
penses of instruction, materials,
and equipment and there will be no
tuition fee. However the trainees
will be required to furnish their
own text books, note books, and
provide for their board along with
paying for their rooms in Fos
ter Hall.
CSC Offers
Examinations In
Scientific Fields
Open competitive examinations
for the positions described below
were announced by the United
States Civil Service Commission
today. Applications will be accept
ed at the Commission’s Washington
office not later than the closing
dates specified. Where two closing
dates are given for receipt of ap
plications, the extra time is allow
ed those sent from Colorado and
States westward. All salaries are
subject to a 3% percent retirement
deduction.
Positions in scientific fields for
which examinations were announc
ed are:
Associate chemist-petrographer,
$3,200 a year. Applicants will not
be required to take a written test.
They will be rated on their educa
tion and experience which must
include professional experience in
chemistry or geology. Closing dat
es are March 3 and 6, 1941.
Junior technologist (any special
ized branch), $2,000 a year. A 4-
year college course with major
study in a branch of technology
is required, except that applications
may be accepted from senior stu
dents subject to certain conditions.
Closing dates are February 20 and
24, 1941. For higher grade Tech
nologist positions, with salaries
(Continued on Page 4)
Two Cent Meal
Reduction Will
Cut Enrollment Fee
A two cent per meal reduction
will reduce the cost of enrollment
for the second semester for those
students living in the dormitories
from $58.75 to $57.25. This will in
clude board to March 8.
The cost of board to March 8
has been reduced from $19.25 to
$17.75. The cost of board from
March 8 to April 8 has been re
duced from $21.25 to $19.50. A re
duction in board from April 8 to
the end of school has not yet been
made.
As a result of this reduction in
the cost of board for these two
months the total payment for all
of the second semester has been
reduced from $157.50 to $154.25.
Sanger Brothers
To Sponsor Cotton
Pageant Style Show
J. S. Mogford, sponsor of the
annual Cotton Ball and Pageant
announced that Sanger Brothers
of Dallas have accepted an invita
tion to participate in the presenta
tion of the affair this year. This
announcement was made as a cor
rection of an erroneous previous
statement that A. Harris and Com
pany would take part in the pre
sentation.
The pageant which will take
place on May 2 is expected to be
the most elaborate that has ever
been presented. Sanger Brothers
is the first firm of Dallas or that
vicinity to accept an invitation to
take part in this annual style pre
sentation.
Within the next week or ten
days a designer and publicity a-
gent will be sent to A. & M. to
study the plans and arrangements
that have been drawn up by the
Agronomy Society concerning the
pageant. Their job will be to ar
range the colors, styles and light
ing effects.
Following the pageant the an
nual Cotton Ball will be held in
Sbisa Hall with the Aggieland
Orchestra furnishing the music for
the occasion.
More definite plans for the pro
gram are being planned by the
Agronomy Society.
Committee.
2. Money for the Student Aid
Fund would be obtained in the fol
lowing ways:
a). The Student Aid Fund
would have an initial capital
of $774.43, the remainder of
the George Stidham fund.
(Continued on Page 4)
Seniors, Grad
Students Offered
Fifty Interneships
The National Institute of Public
Affairs is offering present seniors
and graduate students 50 interne-
ships in the Federal Government,
during the academic year 1941-42.
This announcement, during the
last two years, has been sent to
several administration officers and
heads of departments at A. & M.
The National Institute of Public
Affairs is financed by the Rocke
feller Foundation. Its purpose is to
obtain, every year, fifty outstand
ing graduates from American col
leges. To each of these men it
gives nine months of practical
training in various government de
partments in Washington. This
training is along administrative
lines rather than technical ones.
At the end of the nine months
training period, the trainee has an
excellent chance for a permanent
position, via civil service examina
tions, in one or another of the
government departments. The
(Continued on Page 4)
Former A&M Professor Named
Folklore Research Director at TU
W. A. Owens, who was a mem--f;
ber of the A. & M. English de
partment for three years prior to
last summer, has been recently
named director of research in folk
materials in the Division of Exten
sion at Texas University.
Owens left College Station last
June and attended the Univers
ity of Iowa during the summer.
For his outstanding research in
folklore he will be awarded a doc
tor of philosophy degree from
that institution.
During his stay here Owens de
voted a considerable amount of
time to recording Aggie songs
such as the “Aggie War Hymn”,
“Spirit of Aggieland” and “Silver
Taps.” In addition to this much
of his time was used in collect
ing Texas folk songs, religious
songs and Negro chants-
When he was first beginning
his research in 1930 he discovered
“Dry Bones” in a Negro commun
ity near Dallas. Later he made a
recording of it in the Brazos river
bottom as it was sung by a Negro
quartet. This song has been made
into a popular arrangement and
is now becoming quite popular
throughout the country.
'Hitler Blues”, another favorite
(Continued on Page 4)
Eight New Books
Have Been Added To
Library Reading List
The Student Reading Fund, es
tablished and maintained by the
A. & M. Mothers Clubs, has pur
chased another list of books to be
added to the constantly swelling
collection of books in the Student
Reading Fund collection. Those re
cently purchased are as follows:
Bush Gringo Doctor
Gather Sapphira and the
Slave Girl
Cooper The Last of the
Mohicans
Dupey Perish by the Sword
Haas The American Empire
Huxley Brave New World
Morier Adventure of Hajji
Babba of Ispahan
Stefansson Ultima Thule