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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1941)
Page 2- The Battalion Man > Your Manners STUDENT TRI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE The Battalion, official newspaper of the Aerricultnral and Mechanical College of Texas and the city of College Station, is published three times weekly from September to June, issued Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings ; also it is published 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 4-8444. 1940 Member 1941 Associated Collegiate Press Bob Nisbet Editor-In-Chief George Fuermann . Keith Hubbard Associate Editor Advertising Manager Editorial Assistant J. B. Pierce, Phil Levine - Proof Readers Sports Department Hub Johnson Sports Editor Bob Myers Assistant Sports Editor Mike Haikin, Jack Hollimon W. F. Oxford Junior Sports Editors Circulation Department Tommy Henderson Circulation Manager W. G. Hanger, E. D. Wilmeth Assistant Circulation Managers B. D. Asbury, E. S. Henard Circulation Assistants Photography Department FM1 Golman Photographic Editor James Carpenter, Bob Crane, Jack Jones, Jack Siegal Assistant Photographers TUESDAY’S EDITORIAL STAFF Bill Clarkson Jack Hendricks Managing Editor Assistant Advertising Manager Junior Editors Lea Rogers E. M. Rosenthal Reportorial Staff Jack Aycock, Jack Decker, Walter Hall, Ralph Inglefield, Coen Leland, Beverly Miller, W. A. Moore, Mike Speer, Dow Colleges View the War WHAT ARE THE YOUNG MEN in our colleges thinking about the war ? Their elders are worried. Cynical professors are suspected of having corrupt ed their faith in democracy by a too critical exposi tion of its failures. Proof of the reasonableness of the attitudes of most students emerges from the survey on which this article is based. A group of Princeton upperclassmen were asked to answer at length the questions below: I. WHAT IS YOUR VIEW OF THE 1914-18 WAR? The problem of the causes and results of the World war is to these men enormously com plex, but they concur in the opinion that “Every body wanted it and nobody won.” They believe the peace was outrageous and that the Nazi move ment stems from it. Some believe a stalemate might have been better than the victory which we made possible but when we refused to use for establish ment of a decent world order. II. HOW FAR SHALL WE GO IN AID TO BRITAIN ? Some advocate maximum aid. Some re gret we have gone so far. The significant note in all replies is self-defense. All too clearly, thought ful students have been made aware of the failures and evasions of British statesmanship since the last war. III. SHOULD WE ENTER THE WAR? IF SO, WHEN? Only one man says “Never.” A num ber say “Only if attacked” or “When England is in danger of collapse.” Several fear an inevitable trend to totalitarianism here if we go in, and feel this is more immediate danger than Nazi protection or invasion. Only one believes we have a moral obliga tion to fight as soon as we can. IV. HAVE THE NAZI ANYTHING? People who fear youth may have been misled will find comfort in the answers to this question. On the credit side of the Nazi ledger, as these men see it, are efficiency, military astuteness, economic ingen uity, complete exploitation of resources, unity of purpose. They suspect that negative morality, lust for power and denial of freedom to the workers will be Germany’s undoing. Most reassuring is their belief that the Nazi virtues are not virtues when one looks beneath the surface. V. WHAT IS POSITIVE IN AMERICAN DE MOCRACY? Let no viewer-with-alarm fool him self—these men value highly the sense of respon sibility for government which Americans have, the civil liberties they enjoy, the capacity for peaceful change their institutions evince. VI. , WHAT PART HAVE SCHOOL AND COLLEGE PLAYED IN SHAPING YOUR PRES ENT CONCLUSION ? Those who replied insist that their present attitude has resulted as much from family influence, conversations with friends, read ing, and opinions of commentators as from profes sorial indoctrination. They are grateful to their uni versity courses for helping them clarify conflicting testimony. “My schooling has above all opened my eyes to the measureless value of democratic in stitutions.” All these students have looked forward with enthusiasm to a profession after college. To throw aside all their hopes for a good life is not easy. But it is evident, too, that if convinced they must fight to make it possible for those who succeed them to have the kind of life they want, few of them will hesitate.” —Princeton University—ACP Picture in Words THIS IS A PICTURE in words. It is comical to certain parties, aggravating to some and agoniz ingly piteous to others. On one side of a huge body of water stands a figure wildly tugging at hundreds of yards of stick red tape that is wound about him from head to toe. It is even hard to see the angry glare in his eyes as he looks helplessly across the water at two huge figures who stand laughing uproariously at him while they flail smaller figures about them with blood-dripping bludgeons. The great artist, U. Public, painted this picture bit by bit, and, though he is not satisfied with his work, he seems almost reluctant to change it. Do you think you could influence him a bit? The picture hangs in front of everyone’s eyes and is so unpleasing that very few of us like to see it. It is obvious that something must be changed sooner or later; so won’t you speak to Mr. Public as soon as you can? —Tennessee Tech Quotable Quotes “The unit we must work with is the individual human being, and we are coming to understand that the student can’t be subdivided either. It won’t do to deal with his intellectual side alone and neg lect his health and morale; we must reckon with his esthetic and emotional side, and by intelligent guidance help him adjust himself to the real world in which he must live. Educators have been saying these things for years, now they are beginning to act as if they believed them.” Dr. Frederick P. Keppel, Carnegie Corporation president, commends our teachers for their new educational policies. As the World Turns. By DR. R. W. STEEN THE BALKAN CAMPAIGN IS HISTORY. In three weeks the German legions swept through Yugo slavia and Greece, and there is no question but that the Nazi legions performed brilliantly. On the pi’o- fit side German has defeated two more countries, and has gained new bases for her war in the Med*- iterranean. Her prestige is per haps enhanced in some quarters and Italy may find her people will ing to continue the struggle with a little more spirit. The German propaganda ministry will do what it can, probably very little, to de velop friction between Britain and Australia and New Zealand in view of the fact that a good per centage of the British troops in Greece were from those domin ions. The victory has added a little Bt ** n to the legend of invincibility that has attached itself to German arms, and will per haps have some influence on decisions to be made by France and Spain. There is another side, however, and it has to do with the price Germany paid for her first victory. In the first place she lost great numbers of men in killed and wounded, and used enormous quanti ties of materials. She undoubtedly dipped deeply into her oil reseiwes. Moreover she assumed re sponsibility for guarding hostile populations in two additional countries, and doubtless will receive less from the countries that she was receiving before their industries were disrupted by war. Russia is doubtless more worried than ever, and will possi bly be drawn closer to Turkey. The bases in Greece are of little more value than those Germany al ready had in Italy in so far as the battle of the Mediterranean is concerned. If an attack on Turkey is being planned, Germany’s position is little better than it was for she already had access to that country through the Black Sea. Britains’ policy was and is palicy for time. The fighting in Greece did a great deal to guarantee that there will be no attack on Britain this year, and by 1942 American war industries will be in full swing, and the material resources that the British armies have lacked will then be available to them. A British spokesman underestimated the strug gle in Greece when he described it as merely a battle of outposts. It was more important than that, but it was doubtless only a major skirmish with relation to the war as a whole. For Germany to win she must win the Battle of Britain, or the Battle of the Atlantic. The victory in Greece was not a major step toward winning either battle. Germany has acquired two new countries to police, and has taken two more steps to the east, but the long road to victory still lies ahead. THE BATTALION -TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1941 BACKWASH By I. SHERWOOD SOME YOUNG MEN are annual ushers at wed dings, but for the benefit of those who will be usher ing for the first time, the following may be help ful. Since the details of all weddings are practically the same, let’s take the large formal church wed ding for example. The Ushers: Arrive at the church before the ceremony is to begin. They receive their bouton nieres, put on their gloves and take their places at the aisles assigned them. Usually there are more for the center aisle than for the side ones, and those for the center should be men who know the mem bers of both families and their intimate friends by sight. This is important because they are seated in the reserved pews at the front. The bride’s parents occupy the first pew on the left, then relatives behind them; the groom’s par ents in the first pew on the right, their relatives behind them. As the guests arrive, the usher of fers his right arm to the lady and escorts her to the seat. If he doesn’t know her, he should ask if she has a reserved seat. If not, he asks her where she wishes to sit. If she is a friend of both fam ilies, she should sit on the left. A gentleman ac companying her follows alone. After the guests are seated, the couple’s parents are ushered in. First, the groom’s mother goes down the aisle on the right arm of the usher pre viously appointed for this duty. They are followed by the groom’s father who walks alone. The same usher returns for the bride’s mother and escorts her to the first pew on the left. As soon as she is seated, no one else may be admitted to the pews, except in the gallery. At some weddings ushers stretch white ribbons across the pew en trances on both sides of the aisle. The bride’s mother seated, the usher returns to join the procession. The Processional: First the ushers walking in pairs and according to height, the shortest ones first; next the bridesmaids, also in pairs according to height; then the maid walking alone; and finally the bride, her left hand resting on her father’s right arm. As the ushers reach the front of the church, those on the left go to the left, those on the right go to the right and- stand in symetrical positions. The bridesmaids in front of them. The ceremony over the ushers follow the bridesmaids out in pairs the same as they entered. The ushers return to escort the ladies from the reserved pews starting with the bride’s mother, then the groom’s. By George Fuermann "Backwash: An agitation resulting from some action or occurrence.”—Webster Unusual . . . The Field Artil lery senior who—not blessed with an enviable memory—addresses all freshmen as “Fish So-and-So” . . . The Houston sophomore who re cently walked into a local eatery and ordered a hambur ger “dissolved in onions.” ... A freshman who in troduces himself to another cadet on or off the campus . .. The Infantry jun ior who actually Fuermann escorted three girls to his regimental ball this past weekend. He made two attempts to escort as many home town girls, both had “other arrange ments,” so he invited a local belle. Then, on the same day, both of the girls-back-home wired accept- tances. With a $10 bet as an in centive, he panicked his friends by successfully (as far as such a thing could be successful) at tending the function with all three girls. The irritated femmes, inci dentally, were much distraught about the whole thing and the trio left the campus in a huff early Saturday morning . . . The Ag gie who calls The Battalion of fice once each week to report that he was married to Hedy Lamarr the past Saturday night. . . The out-of-state applicant for admis sion to A. & M. next September as a freshman who, “would like to begin my freshman year as a cap tain in order that I might have four years of training as a lead er which is the main reason I want to come to your school.” • • • ed art at the Pratt Institute but, aside from a few lessons in theory, Duke has never studied music as such. One cadet, hearing Duke say that he had never studied music, asked him how it was that he is one of the na tion’s top-notch composers. (“Mood Indigo,” “In My Solitude,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing,” “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart;” “Boy Meets Harm” . . . ) “I learned to play by ear,” Duke said, “and I believe in the development of natural talent without the aid to too much or thodox music.” In the music-making business since 1923 with his present band, his pay roll amounts to $1,800 weekly to 21 people: meaning 15 musicians (including himself) Manager Jack Boyd, two singers and three arrangers. Many people are astounded to learn that Duke has also com posed an opera. Titled “Boola,” is traces the negro race from Africa to the modern age. “No one has ever heard it ex cept me,” Duke said, “but plans are now being made for its produc tion. The opera has been orchestrated for his band only and will require a large choral group for its per formance. • • • Predicament The Duke Cadet opinion concerning Maes tro Duke Ellington’s orchestra dif fers considerably, but there’s lit tle debate where Friday night’s Town Hall concert is concerned. Manager Paul Haines pointed out Monday night that the Duke’s music received the most enthus iastic ovation of the year. Two of Duke’s own compositions hit the Aggie Hit Parade’s one and two spot his past weekend. “Sophisticated Lady” won first place honors in cadet requests and “In My Solitude” rode the No. 2 berth as another oldie, “Star Dust” came in third—as usual. As far as musicians are concern ed, Duke’s outfit was heads and shoulders above any swing band to hit the campus in several social seasons. Behind this are several down-to- earth reasons. To-wit: Eleven of the 15 men in the orchestra have been with Duke ten years or longer; his organization is one of the few in the nation which doesn’t use music—every number is known by memory; all arrangements for the orchestra and all songs written by Duke or members of the band are written especially for the band— written in such a manner as to bring out to best advantage the band’s music, and, above all else, the men in Duke’s band enjoy their work. Unique is Duke’s position where broadcasting is concerned. All of his music is ASCAP-bound and, as such, can’t be aired via radio. That makes it a little tough when Duke hits a broadcasting spot, because dancers particularly want to hear his compositions. Duke, incidentally, is one of the few negro band leaders who has the thorough respect of white dancers and listeners. Unlike Cab Calloway, Duke “knows his place” and keeps it. When playing for white audi ences he seldom fronts the orches tra, playing the piano instead; and men in his orchestra have instruc tions concerning their actions and behavior in public. The orchestra has toured Europe twice, in 1933 and 1939. “We just missed the fireworks,” Drummer Sunny Greer pointed out. Although Backwash originally reported that Duke and his crew would stay in a negro apartment house in Bryan, Manager Boyd wasn’t notified of the plans and the orchestra stayed in Houston. By Charlie Babcock A flying horse, a magic carpet which sails over the orient like clippers of the twentieth century, and a small, harmless-looking bot tle which when opened releases a monster the size of a small mountain—all of this and many other bewitching sights can be seen in Alexander Korda’s $2,000,- 000 Technicolor spectacle, “THE THIEF OF BAGDAD”, playing at the Assembly Hall Wednesday and Thursday. This production is considered to be one of the better pictures of the year. It is mainly concerned with relating one of the 1001 fab ulous tales right out of the Arab ian Nights: the story of the young Prince of Bagdad who, with his friend and companion, the little thief of Bagdad, seeks the hand of the Princess of Basra while opposed by his evil Grand Vizier, the Magician Jaffar, who desires the Princess and the throne for himself. The plot is kept alive and mov ing, though intricate in detail, by the actions of the sixteen-year old boy thief, Abu, played by the young hindu actor, Sabu. Sabu ac complishes more with his flying carpet and magic bow and arrow than Alladin ever thought of at tempting with his lamp. All in all, the story becomes in volved and unimportant at times; however, Sabu’s performance and the $2,000,000 spent on the beauti ful extravaganza ranks it at the top. A couple of oldtimers, “SUB MARINE D-l” and “DAWN PAT ROL”, put in their appearance at the Campus this week, the for mer playing today only and the latter showing Wednesday and Thursday. The submarine picture makes a heroic return to the screen after a layoff of' several years. A fine story and a strong cast place this picture in the up per bracket. D-l” today is the South American comedy, “ARGENTINE NIGHTS”. Instead of the real South Ameri can romance, you have the Ritz Brothers and the Andrew Sisters (of radio fame) gently poking fun at the conventional Latin legends. There isn’t much story, and what there is can’t be found be cause of the monkey business. Set tings, however, are a convention hall, an ocean liner, and a ghost hotel. If you go for the Ritz boys at all, you will like them here. When the Andrews Sisters began to dance, as well as harmonize, it is a sight to see. Chem Warfare Students Getting Actual Firing Practice First Box of Tinfoil Collected By Exchange Store The Chemical Warfare Service students are now receiving actual firing practice with trench mor tars. This has never been done by students at A. & M. before. It was made possible by a plan submitted by Captain W. S. Mc- Culley, senior instructor of the Chemical Warfare Seiwice. The plan was initiated by A Company C. W. S. which arose at 4:00 last Sunday morning and did some actual firing with the trench mortars. B Company C. W. S. will follow pursuit at 5:00 a. m. to morrow morning by marching to the Field Artillery drill field north of the Veterinary Hospital to en gage in firing practice. After approximately 60 rounds of dummy shells have been fired from the mortars, the students will march back to the mess hall for their Sunday morning rations. AT THE ASSEMBLY HALL Tuesday 3:30 and 6:45— “THE TRIAL OF MARY DUGAN,” featuring Laraine Day, Robert Young, Tom Con way, Frieda Inescort, and Marsha Hunt. Wednesday, Thursday 3:30 and 6:45—“THIEF OF BAG DAD,” featuring Conrad Veidt, Sabu, June Duprez, and John Justin. AT THE CAMPUS Tuesday — “SUBMARINE D-l” starring Pat O’Brien, George Brent, Wayne Mor ris, Frank McHugh, and Doris Weston. Also, “AR GENTINE NIGHTS,” with The Ritz Brothers, the An drews Sisters, Constance Moore, George Reeves, and Peggy Moran. Wednesday, Thursday — “DAWN PATROL,” starring Errol Flynn and David Niven. Also, “A MAN BETRAY ED,” with John Wayne and Francess Dee. • • • A History Now 42 years old, married and the father of a 21-year-old boy who arranges for the orchestra, Duke’s home is in Washington, D. C. A high school graduate, he studi- The first large box of tin foil collected by the Exchange Store has been sent to the Bundles for Britain house, Mrs. Frank Ander son, chairman of the Tin Foil Committee of the Bundles for Bri tain announced yesterday. The collection of tin foil is ac complishing a double pui’pose; it is sold and the money used to help run the local branch and the foil is used in the making of airplanes by using the aluminum contained in the paper. The tin foil can be sent to the House of Bundles for Britain on the campus or by calling Mrs. An derson it will be collected. Look and Feel Your Best for the Cotton Ball and Corps Dance Come to AGGIELAND BARBER and BEAUTY SHOP North Gate Assembly Hall CLEAR PASTEL SPUN RAYON The thing you’ll like best about these suits is that they are carefully tailored for good fit . . . CONTRASTING and MATCHING PATTERNS THE EXCHANGE STORE ‘AN AGGIE INSTITUTION’ -Today- "The Trial of Mary Dugan" with Robert Young - Laraine Day 3:30 and 6:45 P. M. Wednesday and Thursday 3:30 and 6:45 P. M. 'T/i/ef of Bagdad" An Arabian Fantasy in Magic Technicolor Conrad Veidt - Sabu, Star of “Elephant Boy” * # * >‘ * 4 t i t f > 1 y f 1 E Ow Wr on / der: run at 1 ries the to i race day R ball at t fere doul of tl up. A: of 1 Dail Si ried ing, for tentl M. gues the that TI garni ston 12. I «. .r r N in ta ir si jc ea tv in S€ it w Ol C ♦I