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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 10, 1941)
Page 4 THE BATTALION -SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1941 The Battalion Must Lead the Way STUDENT TRI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural 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 4-5444. » 1940 Member 1941 Phsocioied Cblle6icite Press Bob Nisbet Editor-in-Chief George Fuermann Associate Editor Keith Hubbard Advertising Manager Tom Vannoy Editorial Assistant Pete Tumlinson Staff Artist 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 Editor Circulation Department Tommy Henderson Circulation Manager W. G. Hauger, E. D. Wilmeth .... Assistant Circulation Manager F. D. Asbury, E. S. Henard :. Circulation Assistants Photography Department Phil Golman Photographic Editor James Carpenter, Bob Crane, Jack Jones, Jack Siegal Assistant Photographers SATURDAY’S EDITORIAL STAFF Earle A. Shields Managing Editor T. R. Harrison Assistant Advertising Manager Junior Editors Will O. Brimberry W. C. Carter Don Gabriel Reportorial Staff Charles Babcock, Herbert Haile, Paul Haines, Carl Van Hook, J. J. Keith, Z. A. McReynolds, Beverly Miller, Ehrhard Mittendorf, Jack Nelson, L. B. Tennison. To 7,000 Aggie Mothers... TRIBUTES HAVE BEEN PAID to mothers of all races, in all parts of the world, and in every tongue. In these times where countless millions of mothers have been and are undergoing hardships and trials, witnessing death and destruction of the ones they love and in many cases giving their own lives for a course they deem right and just, we breathe a prayer for all of. motherhood. But a special tribute to a special group of mothers—seven thousand Aggie mothers—is the order of the day. In the minds of seven thousand cadets the word “mother” is synonomous with all the gentler, finer things of life. To define the word “mother” requires a blend of love, honor, tender ness, faith, kindness, hope, purity and all that is good. Mother, a refuge of understanding for us when in hte midst of troubles and worrries and mistakes, a haven of rest from the trials and tribula tions of the world. Mother, the first to find the good in our meager efforts, the first to praise our ac complishments. To seven thousand Aggie mothers—we love you and appreciate all you’ve done for us. Sometimes we forget the blessing of having a mother and take you too much for granted. Mothers’ Day is the day we set aside for catching up on all the oppor tunities we missed during the last twelve months for telling you how much we love you. Aggies Are Made—Not Born IT IS A MISTAKE to send a boy to A. & M. against his will or against his better judgment. This idea is advanced after four years observing A. & M. and those who attend; at first may sound para doxical, but there’s a reason. As when a man tackles any task unwillingly, he unconsciously and unintentionally looks for the wrongs and mistakes and exaggerates them. In spite of determination, that man will neyer finish a satisfactory college career. He will not be able to put out his best and will of consequence be no asset to the college and certainly be doing himself no justice. To make a class A Aggie, a man should really want to enter A. & M.—should have the burning ambition to put out his best in all that he under takes. A class A Aggie is the happiest man in the world. And the alumni of Texas A. & M. are the most rabid enthusiasts of their college that any school can boast. It has been said, “Once an Aggie, always an Aggie” and the statement is true. And what makes men want to come to A. & M. ? That’s a story for a good-sized book, but it can be broken down into about three distinctive parts; academic excellence, school spirit, school tra ditions. First consideration for entering any college is academic excellence, and along that line A. & M. stands above the crowd. For Texas A. & M. is the largest military school for men in the world. It has the world’s largest school of Agriculture. Its veterinary school is the largest in the nation. And the school of Engineering is the nation’s second largest only by a handful. A. & M.’s school spirit is known as far as is the school itself. It’s a spirit that holds more than 20,000 students and ex-students together clos er than brothers. It‘s the spirit of the corps which gives it the most famous band and yelling section in the nation. It’s a spirit that makes an Aggie an Aggie—whether he was a million dollar socialite or a grease monkey before entering school, when he puts on that uniform, his former self is forgot ten and he is just one among seven thousand Aggies —each with an equal opportunity to excel. A. & M., more than any other school, is steeped in traditions—traditions that lend it color unmatch ed anywhere. But a few of these are: freshmen be ing known as “Fish” This or “Fish” That instead of using the given name; freshmen meeting every one with whom they come into contact; every Ag gie speaking to everyone he passes on the campus; the comic names applied to items of food in the mess hall; standing any yelling throughout the entirety of all football games; and many, ..many others which make life worth living and which teach valuable lessons for years to come. Being an Aggie is not hard. All that is needed is the desire to work and the will to win plus an affiable spirit and a good sense of humor. Aggies are made—not born. WITH THE MADMAN of Europe still at large and rampant in Europe and his successes more and greater with the time, there spreads a note of alarm across the continent. This new note is the note of militarism. Militarism will be the theme of all national ac tions in the next few years. All things military will be in the national spotlight. A. & M., as a military school, must become a leader among colleges and universities. It must stand as a guiding beacon for all to follow. But A. & M. is well prepared and experienced in holding the position of leadership. In the last war A. & M. supplied more officers to the United States Army than any other school in the nation, and in the event of another conflict, she stands prepared to repeat the process. FRANK LOVING PRESENTS: / Heard the Preacher Say THE LETTER TO MOTHER You may write a thousand letters To the girl that you adore, And declare in every letter That you love her more and more; You may praise her grace and beauty In a thousand glowing lines; And compare her eyes of azure With the brightest star that shines. If you had the pen of Shakespeare, You would use it every day In composing lines of worship To the sweetheart far away; But a letter far more welcome To and older, gentler breast Is a letter to a mother From the boy she loves the best. • Regardless of its diction, The spelling or its style; Although its construction Might provoke a critic’s smile, She will read it very often When the lights are soft and low Seated in the same old corner Where she nursed you long ago. In her old and trembling fingers It becomes a work of art, Stained with tears of gladness As she breathes “God bless his heart.” Yes, the letter of all letters, Look wherever you may roam, Is the letter to your mother From her son away from home. —Author Unknown BACKWASH By George fuermann COVERING (MfDismsii “Backwash: An agitation resulting from some action or occurrence.”—Webster Wherein the history of The Battalion’s tri-weekly column, “Backwash,” is the subject of another discussion . . . Born in 1939, the column’s name was the suggestion of one Max Durham, a former A. & M. pre- med student. With the collaboration of N. Webster, a dictionary writer of some repute who defined the word as “An agitation resulting from some action or occurence,” Durham’s nomination became a fact and, today, the column, or parts of it, appeared in two metropolitan Texas dailies and formerly appeared in one other collegiate publication. Thus has Backwash become of age. Putting one little word after another and it is seen that Backwash made its modest debut June 6, 1939 in the first issue of the first Summer Battalion, a publication edited by the genius that was William Hauser Murray. The column’s appearance throughout the remainder of that summer was somewhat of a nip-and-tuck affair, but with the beginning of the 1939-40 long session September 23 the column bowed in as a regular Battalion organ. During that session the column went to press 105 times; 91 in The Bat talion Newspaper, nine in the T.S.C.W. student Fuermann publication, and five in The Battalion Magazine. Thus far this year Backwash has appeared in The Battalion News paper 69 times, once in The Daily Texan and once in The Battalion Magazine. Generally divided into five items, hole> broke Ms ]eg and) ag a resu]tj they fall into one of six classes— wag k j bed with Itomgiuis humor, human interest, feature, news, sidelights or editorial. The letter contained a postscript which read, “By the way, I’ll need The column’s success, if any, $15 to bury the thing! „ • • • belongs to the famed A. & M. corps of cadets for whom and about whom it is written. Hundreds of cadets send by mail or bring personally many of the items which have been included in the column since its beginning. Prime purpose of Backwash is Vanilla One of the best of the current mirth-control items is being told by Bill Hardin, salesman for the Dallas branch of the National There’s not much room for talk about A1 Donahue’s music for the corps dance tonight. If he satisfies most of the seniors for their Ring Dance, “the” dance for them, there won’t be much room for anybody else to complain. Donahue hasn’t played here before but many Ag gies have heard him in night spots in the larger Texas cities, and that great popularizer, the radio, has spread his music everywhere. Again at 7:30 tonight at the swimming pool is the annual water carnival, a chance to see some ex cellent swimming and diving, some pretty girls and some aquatic clowning. The show is only put on annually, and our swimmers and Baylor’s are the principal act ors. But besides some graceful swimming, the carnival has several specialty numbers which are worth seeing, including trick diving and an over-water trapeze act. The show is well worth the money, and so is the cause. Proceeds go to the water polo team. Just a different twist on an old show is coming to the Assembly Hall Monday and Tuesday. The name doesn’t even sound so hot, “HIGH SIERRA,” but that twist is exactly what it takes to put the show over. The plot is clas sically simple, a hardhearted gun man takes to his hideout in the snow covered Sierras, shoots his way out of trap after trap but never the last one. The different twist is that Hum- phery Bogart outdid his best gang ster self to show a hardened mob ster in a soft sort of way. With a cold-blooded, complex personality he is shocked at newspaper men tion of him as Mad-dog. He becomes good friends with a taxi-dancer, Ida Lupino; he is kind to a mongrel dog in the picture; and he goes out of his way to help a crippled girl, but as a farmer’s boy with amental quirk, he shot at sight with no moral scrupples. The high and mighty mountains add to the background of this crime story, which is plenty good. The Philadelphia Academy of Science recently named a plant “Azalea Bakerae” in honor of Dr. W. B. Baker. Quotable Quotes “COLLEGES CANNOT TALK about democracy and at the same time allow democratic principles and methods to be used on their own campuses. Boards of trustees, faculties as well as student bodies, must see democracy as a way of life effective here and everywhere.” Dr. Gould Wickey, Council of Church Boards of Education secretary demands that stu dents and faculty members practice what they preach. to be a mirror of Aggie thought Theater Supply Company, and activity ... A column written It seems that one of the exhibi- according to the Aggie way of tors in the College Station vicinity things ... A column written for sent in an order for popcorn sea- and about the great Twelfth Man. soning. By mistake, billboard paste ... A column based on the belief was sent instead, that the Aggie way of doing things went well until a few feeks is the best way. later when the Dallas firm re- For the high school seniors ceived another order from the throughout the state, here’s a re- Brazos County threater-owner. view of some of the past year’s fp^e attached letter read, in part, best humor items. The present “pj e ase do not send the same brand writer, who has written Backwash 0 f popcorn seasoning that you sent since its birth, will write ‘thirty’ ] as t time. Some of the customers to the column with the end of the were no t altogether satisfied.” current college year June 7, but • • • the items to follow are a sample of what you can expect when you JJg}} No become Aggies next September. There’ll be a new man writing Stories concerning Aggieland’s Backwash when you arrive—a man varsity footballers are as many as who will vastly improve the column the Dionne Quintuplets’ names, but over its present status. Thus—a tops in the field is the one which history of the column, its future goes back to a trip made by John R. (Bubba) Reeves and James M. (Cotton) Williams last September. The two were hitch-hiking out of Bremond as a car veered around and here’s a review. • • • “The American college has demonstrated both its vitality and its usefulness, but to maintain it and to extend that usefulness to the world of to day and tomorrow, the college must think harder and think straighter about its job than it has thought up to the present.” Dr. F. P. Keppel, pres ident, Carnegie Corporation of New York, poses a straightfonvard challenge. —Associated Collegiate Press As the World Turns.. BY DR. AL B. NELSON DOES THE LABOR RACKET PAY? The large fees and dues, plus fines, paid by the average union laborer have enabled the A. F. of L. in Detroit to purchase a luxurious building built by fashionable club. The original cost of the building was $600,- 000. This calls to mind that the United Mine Workers, a C. I. O. organization of which John L. Lewis is still the head has its headquarters in the former Uni versity Club building, a ritzy af fair indeed. , : Jf The Merit System (civil ser vice) has been extended by execu tive order to an additional 125,000 federal employees, of course these offices are now filled with that Nelson number of more or less deserving “Newdealers”. President Roosevelt has just requested that the machine tool industry be placed on a twenty-four hour a day, seven day a week basis. The only thing difficult to understand is why this has not been done long ago. It is to be hoped that Ameri can officials will see that we are prepared for any eventuality in time for national safety. The British are concentrating on their war ef- ort to such an extent that in a recent month only 176 automobiles were registered in all of Great Britain. Also there is a shoi’t'age of tobacco since that item is a non-essential, and worst of all is a shortage of razor blades. If the British leaders had prepared a little earlier England would not be in such danger today. Their situation should teach our leaders a lesson. Recent reports indicate that Germany is mak ing every preparation for an all out invasion of England in the event a favorable occasion should arise. The Germans have been prepared for every eventuality up to the present. The total Japanese air force is now estimated at around three thousand planes with a monthly production of about one sixth of our present aver age. $ad The twice-each-year registration a cornei an( ^ head in their direct- always brings to mind the true ^—apparently out of control, story of the out-of-state freshman Cotton saw the car but Bubba ’ fac ' who enrolled at A. & M. a couple m8 ' the °PP osite direction, was un- of years ago. aware of the danger. Digging for a little extra money, “ Look out! ” Cotton y elled ’ but the boy wrote his father that he to ° late - As the driver slamm e d ° n had enlisted in the Cavalry and the brakes the s kiddin l? car flipped needed $125 to buy a horse. The Bubba a double-somersault and, gullible father sent the money and when he returned to earth again, two weeks later received another d ^ dn b move a muscle, appear- letter asking for $10 a week ration * n8 bo be near_ dead. money for the animal—which was regularly sent throughout the year. Thinking that every bone in Bubba’s body was broken and re- I Our hero was put on his mettle, membering the primer rule of first however, when he received a let- aid , Cotton—-now thoroughly scar- ter during the last week of the ed—nervously cautioned his pros- college year in which his father trate companion, “Don’t move, asked how he intended to get the Bubba; don’t move.” horse home. “Hell,” Bubba came back—now The way out was a masterpiece very much alive, “Whatta you want —an obituary explaining that the me to do; stay here and get run horse had stuck his foot in a chuck over again!!” rf Let Us Demonstrate! Henry Gines will have Cen tral Boots on display at the Aggie Cleaners, North Gate, May 12-13-14. Inspect Central Boots and you’ll buy from Henry Gines. Don’t be satisfied with less! Central Boot Company 323 Alamo Plaza San Antonio • « Congratulations and Best Wishes. Mr. SENIOR In just a few short weeks you will be an “Ex-Aggie” and on your way to seek success and fortune. May we extend to each of you our sincere wishes for your success. Nothing we know of will be more helpful to start you off in the world with a burst of splendor—than a “fine appearance”. In this modern day appearance, you know, counts 85%. Come in and let us show you how easy you can attain that right appearance that will get you off to a flying start. KUPPENHEIMER and GRIFFON CLOTHES STETSON HATS — BOSTONIAN SHOES ARROW SHIRTS — ARROW UNDERWEAR ARROW TIES — ARROW HANDKERCHIEFS INTERWOVEN and PHOENIX SOCKS MARLBORO SHIRTS and SPORTSWEAR NOR-EAST and BOTANY NECKWEAR HICKOK BELTS and JEWELRY A. & M. BELTS and COLLEGE JEWELRY B. V.D. UNDERWEAR and SPORTSWEAR B.V.D. and KNOTHE PAJAMAS ALLIGATOR RAINCOATS GANTNER SWIM SUITS ATTENTION, PROSPECTIVE AGGIE FRESHMEN . . . If you are planning on coming to A. & M. this fall we cordially invite you to visit our stores . . . Our Aggie store located at North Gate of Campus, our Bryan Store 108 Main Street in Bryan. We carry a complete stock of quality men’s wear and regulation uniforms. Before you purchase any uniform goods write or see us. We can save you mon ey on any regulation uniform goods. Every item guaranteed strictly regulation. 7 t V CV WIM3ERLEY STONE PANS BY W-O. IS CLOURIERS ‘TWO STORES” COLLEGE and BRYAN ^ 0 * | , * * ^ * * » *' * f