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The Battalion Something to Read
STUDENT TRI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and
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weekly from June through August.
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Mechanical College of Texas and the city of College Station, is
published three times weekly from September to June, issued
jept
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings; also it is published
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
4-6444.
1940 Member 1941
Associated Golle6iate 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, PhH Levine Proof Readers
Sports Department
Hub Johnson Sports Editor
Bob Myers Assistant Sports Editor
litke 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
PhH Gplman Photographic Editor
James Carpenter, Bob Crane, Jaok Jones,
Jack Siegal Assistant Photographers
THURSDAY’S EDITORIAL STAFF
Baorge Fuermann Acting Managing Editor
Boorge Woodman Assistant Advertising Manager
Junior Editors
Com Gillis D. C. Thurman Y. A. Yentzen
Reportorial Staff
Lamar Haines, John May, Z. A. McReynolds, J. D. Mehe-
gaa, L. B. Tennison, Mike Speer, James F. Wright.
Change Dorm Assignments
THE UNITY OF THIS CADET CORPS can be
seriously threatened next year if some changes are
not made, and surely the unity for which Aggies
are famous is worth preserving. That unity can be
safeguarded by changing the regimental dormitory
assignments for next year so that different organi
zations will be living together in the two areas.
The famed unity for which the A. & M. cadets
have been known for so long has always been be
cause of the fact that they knew so many of their
fellow students. They lived in dormitories together,
ate together, and fought together. When 5000 Aggies
lived within 200 yards of the old bugle stand, as
was the case prior to 1939, no Aggie could help
knowing many other cadets in all regiments of the
corps. They constantly saw their friends and could
visit them conveniently.
Then when the new area was added many fears
were expressed that the division of the campus would
split the corps into two factions. Fortunately this
has not happened, nor does it seem likely to happen.
But another danger has arisen with tim4 which can
injure our traditional solidarity.
As a natural result of the geographical loca
tions, each cadet has most of his friends in the
area in which he lives. Except for special occasions,
it is too much trouble to walk to the other area for
a friendly visit. But the condition has resulted in the
fact that the two lower classes have'never lived all
together, and their friends in the other area are
usually limited to class room acquaintance and
home town boys. If no changes are made next year,
only the seniors will have ever lived close to all
the other member of his class.
Further, none of the cadets of either area are
familiar with conditions in the other. They don’t
know where formations are held, how organiza
tions march into the mess hall, or the situation in
the different style dormitories.
Regimental dormitory assignment for next year
could be changed to prevent much of this. If the
regiments lived with a different mixture in the
areas next year, they would make other friends
who would, be more evenly distributed over the cam
pus. By a change each year, no class would ever
graduate without the advantage of living under
different conditions. The change would be somewhat
difficult as the size of the two areas is not equal.
And the Cavalry should always live near the stables
and the band in dorm 11, but the other could be
shifted without too much trouble. The unit of the
cadet corps would be well worth the effort.
Collegiate Strike Views
“WITH THE WORLD tottering about us and all
that we value in our customary way of life hanging
in the balance, it is sometimes difficult to realize
that the workaday routine of college work is sig
nificant. At the same time, the college must con
tinue to operate, and it will, more than ever, be
important for the college to stimulate the emotional
and spiritual values as well as the intellectual. What
we all need now more than ever is faith in the
validity of our essential traditions, a conviction that
during the past 200 years our way of life has been
on the upward grade, and that the contributions to
this development are due to men of vision, high pur
pose and wisdom. This is no time to emphasize the
seamy side of our past—or even of our present—if
these be such. A nation, like an individual, has a
right to be taken at its best rather than at its
worst, until the contrary is proved.” Dean Herbert
E. Hawkes of Columbia college urges that colleges
stress only the best in Americanism.
“These are grave times. Be careful of your
speech and your actions in matters of public policy.
Remember that a careless act or word by anyone on
a university campus will be more misunderstood
than if you had shouted your views in the main
streets of your home towns. There are some so care
less and unaware of the world they live in that they
feel they need give no thought to what they say
or do. They fail to recognize that wherever men
live together, there is no such things as unrestrain
ed liberty, and that there is less of it when a nation
is at war or living under the threat of it.” Dr. Guy
Stanton Ford, president of the University of Minne
sota, sees need for a curb on words as well as a curb
on deeds.
—Associated Collegiate Press
Suzareff
THE BATTALION
-THURSDAY, MAY 15, 1941
BACKWASH
BY DR. T. F. MAYO
A Book of Good Plays
“The Best Plays of 1939-*40,” edited by Burns
Mantle, is the latest volume of an excellent annual
series. It contains, in a slightly abbreviated form
the ten plays that Mr. Mantle considers the most
worth reading of those which appeared on Broadway
during that season.
No one who likes at all to read plays should
miss a volume of this series, which has been appear
ing since 1919-’20. In it practically every interest
of the American people for twenty eventful years
is echoed and discussed and dramatized. Since the
American drama never amounted to much before
1919, every American play of value is to be read in
these volumes.
This latest volume contains at least three plays
that will give you an interesting hour apiece. Robert
Sherwood’s “There Shall Be No Night” deals with
the heroic Finnish struggle against the Russians,
but the thrill of pride that it gives you, pride in
being a human being, will last long after the Finnish
War is forgotten. Sherwood is well-known as a
“sophisticated” dramatist. He has written gay and
flippant and amusingly cynical plays with the best.
But he he really cares about something. His charac
ter’s (Finnish, American, Polish) are decent to the
bone. They stand for all the decent people all over
the world who, caught in the storm of this ghastly
age, refuse to give up their belief in the worth
whileness of being decent, or their determination
to stick it out and make a decent world. Man has
learned to know everything but himself. He is nearer
now than he ever was to learning himself. When
he achieves this last knowledge, “there shall be no
night.”
Maxwell Anderson’s “Key Largo” carries on in
the same general tone. Beginning with the hero’s
cowardly surrender of his own ideal, it shows that
even a man who has slid a long way down can pull
himself together and struggle upward again. Like
“For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Key Largo” deals with
American volunteers in the Spanish War.
“Life With Father,” a dramatization of Clarence
Day’s irresistibly funny but warmly affectionate
memoirs of his own family, is a specimen of the
best and sanest sort of humor. It makes you laugh
at people and love them at the same time. “Father”
is as real and as richly human as Ma Joad. Perhaps
it is just as well, now that we have been whole
somely shocked by the “proletarian” writers into
realizing that America has its unfortunate Joads,
that we should be thus pleasantly reminded that
the well-fed Day family is just as typically Amer
ican.
As the World Turns.
BY “COUNT” V. K. SUGAREFF
Rudolf Hess, third ranking Nazi, makes head
line news. The sudden flight of Rudolf Hess to Eng
land has stirred up the imagination of the world.
Hitler’s most intimate friend has deserted him.
The circumstances, which brought about such a
departure, are not as yet clear, but it is clear
that one of the Nazi idols has tumbled down. Know
ing the Nazi methods of purging the
discordant elements of the Nazi
party, Hess chose England as the
safest place in Europe. It is pre
mature to make any assertions
about the consequences of this his
toric escape. The explanation from
Berlin is that Hess was suffering
from “Hallucinations” might be a
nice way to appease the curiosity of
the German people about his sig
nificant runaway from the father-
land. He had evidently planned the
flight carefully; he took pictures of
himself with him to prove his identity; and he had
taken enough gasoline for only a one way trip.
Several other conjectures have been made concern
ing Hess’ flight but it would be discreet not to
accept any one of them until we have more re
liable information. However, Rudolf Hess has pro
vided Britain with propaganda material which can
be used against the Nazis with damaging blows.
Meanwhile, the war continues unabated. In fact,
Hitler and the democracies are making plans for
another year or even two years. Reports indicate
that Germany is not making any demands on Tur
key which might change tui’key’s present position
of neutrality. Long war is liable to bring pressure
on Spain. Hitler would like to swing General Franco
into the Axis. Spain is not able to wage war now.
Should general Franco side with the Axis powers,
there is the prospect of a complete British blockade
of Spain. Hitler must be able to feed the Spanish
people before he could use Spanish territory against
Britain.
A prolonged war will affect unoccupied France
also. The negotiations between Hitler and Retain,
with Admiral Darlan as an intermediary, indicate
that Hitler is demanding some cooperation in the
war on the side of Germany. The French may yield
to Hitler Syria as a base of operation in the Near
East against Britain. Retain, however, is holding out
with the hope of lightening the burden of occupation
on France and is bargaining for other privileges.
Stalin, too, seems to be interested in the dura
tion of the war. Two weeks ago he assumed the
position of premier of Russia while Molotoff, Stalin’s
predecessor in the same position, will remain as
Minister of Foreign affairs. This change has been
interpreted by some people that a Russo-German
cooperation is in the making. Germany will need
large quantities of foodstuffs in order to wage a
long war. If Stalin joins the Axis powers, it will
mean the end of Russian aid to China. An aid from
Franco, Retain, and Stalin will supply Hitler with
some foodstuffs and provide strategic positions for
Hitler. Will such an aid be greater than the aid
Britain gets from the United States? Only time can
give us the answer.
Bu
George Fuermann
“Backwash: An agitation resulting from some action or occurrence.”—Webster
Taken behind the scenes at last Saturday’s corps dance, this
picture shows maestro A1 Donahue (right) and his brother with
orchestra’s vocalist Dee Keeting. During Intermission the swing
family stepped back to see the huge Aggie kitchen and smoke
while cooling off.
A new course, “Courtship and Marriage,” offer
ed at Bucknell university is the most popular on
the campus.
Colgate university has been presented the 1,000
volume geological library of the late Dr. Albert
Perry Brigham, former president of the Associa
tion of American Geographers.
Touch and Go . . . Last weekend’s
Senior Ring functions attracted
belles from coast to coast. Ralph
Hartgraves’ escortee — attractive
Peggy Hedgcoxe—arrived via air
from Albuquerque, New Mexico,
where she attends the state’s uni-
__ versity. Three
girls were here
from Missouri’s
Stephens College
for Women, one
trekked from
Cleveland, Ohio
and two Califor
nia beauties (both
of whom are still
on the campus)
made the Texas
trip to attend the
Fuermann climax Social
function of the class of ’41 . . .
SatufJayTnofning the current writ
er bows out (with the exception of
the last edition of The Battalion
this year) as an A. & M. column
ist. Evidence is that junior-editor-
to-be Charles Babcock of Beaumont
will take up a two-year lease on
Backwash beginning Tuesday
morning . . . Major General Henry
Donavon, commanding general of
the Eighth Corps Area, will present
the 537 reserve commissions to
graduating advanced R.O.T.C. se
niors previous to the Final Review
June 7 . . . Tuesday night, over
NBC Blue, you’ll hear “The Spirit
of Aggieland” as the Raleigh cig
arette program features A. & M.
on its weekly “College Humor” pro
gram. Watch the Saturday Battal
ion for a detailed page-one story
on this . . . Sabotage: In most of
the cadet dormitories there are
boxes in which tinfoil may be de
posited as a part of the local aid-
to-Britain campaign. One blitz-
kreiging fifth columnist, however,
evidently leans in a definitely pro-
Axis direction—he’s been dropping
lighted matches in the boxes, thus
destroying the contents!! . . . Let’s
call an all-out attendance at Fri
day’s and Saturday’s Aggie-Texas
U. baseball games. Coaches and
players both have remarked re
peatedly this year about the all-
time high the corps’ LACK of in
terest in baseball has reached. At
one conference game, less than a
hundred cadets, no yell leaders and
only a small part of the band was
on hand. The team still has a
chance to win the conference cham
pionship—and the fact that we’ve
got to beat Texas three in a row to
do it should result in a 100 per cent
turn-out. The team needs your co
operation!
• • •
Barnum Was Right
Definitely the best gag of the
year was the one pulled by a group
of unknown Bryan belles this past
week. The story goes something
like this . . .
“Is this the maternity house?”
plaintively inquired a female voice
on one of the new dorm’s tele
phones.
“Gawd no,” replied the astound
ed freshman, “but can I help you?”
“Maybe,” continued the voice
mysteriously. “Whatcha doin’?”
“Just waiting for you to call,
baby,” the first-year-cadet came
back smoothly.
“Yeah,” said the anonymous
voice. “Then why dontcha come
over ?”
“Okeh,” the Aggie agreed. “Where
to?”
The lass gave the address.
“And bring a friend. There are
two of us. Just drive up in front
of the house and honk three times.
If we don’t come out immediately,
go around the block once and honk
again in front of the house. We’ll
be there for sure,” she promised.
The freshman and an upperclass
man followed the instructions but
no one appeared. Slowly they cruis
ed around the block and honked
again. Still no women.
Then, as they went around the
block again, they began to get sus
picious. Traffic was getting heavy
—the house was getting plenty of
attention!
Within two minutes four other
cars had driven up—each with two
occupants!!.
• • •
The Backwash Poll
The column’s orchestra poll com
mittee—including Social Secretary
Jack Nelson, Joe Snow, George
Mueller and R. B. Pearce—meets
tonight to tabulate the corps’ opin
ion as to the relative merits of the
batonning which went on through
out the past social season.
At the half-way mark the com
mittee rated Bernie Cummins and
Boyd Raeburn in a tie for first
place. Watch for A1 Donahue to
take a strangle-hold on the No. 1
position in the final tabulation,
thus becoming the Aggies’ top-
ranking orchestra for the current
long session.
The committee’s tabulation will
be the official indication of the
corps’ rating of the various or
chestras here on the campus this
year. Lou Breeze will necessarily
be left out of the poll as the Junior
Prom and Final Ball fall too late
to be included.
Results of the poll will be in
cluded in the nation’s leading mu
sical mags such as Billboard, Met
ronome and half a dozen others.
By Tom Vannoy
“BUCK PRIVATES” is booked
for a three-day stand at the Cam
pus starting today, featuring Bud
Abbott, Lou Costello, and the An
drews Sisters. From the begin
ning to the very last shot, it is
filled with gags by Abbott and
Costello, and also the enjoyable
vocals that Andrews sisters can
do on any occasion.
In trying to aid national defense
or something, Abbott and Costel
lo enlist in the army. The An
drews sisters are hostesses, and
what hostesses. There’s a plot
mixed up in it too, but it is real
ly unimportant. “Buck Privates”
is a taste of what is yet to come
from Abbottt and Costello, who
will take up where the Marx
Brothers and Mack Sennett left
off. In addition to making mo
tion pictures, Abbott and Costello
appear each Sunday night on a
radio show. If you need cheer
ing up, then see “Buck Privates.”
The Petroleum Engineering club
is presenting “GUNGA DIN” to
morrow at the Assembly Hall. It
is a trifle antiquated; neverthe
less, it still remains a thriller about
the British Army in India. It
is lacking in the romantic touch,
but has every shot filled with ac
tion and suspense. Describing
the trials and tribulations of
three sergeants, Cary Grant, Vic
tor McLaglen, and Douglas Fair
banks Jr., in their attempts to
subdue the revolting native popu
lation, “Gunda Din” is well worth
the time it takes to see it. Also
there is the not-to-be-forgotten
performance of Sam Jaffe as the
regimental water carrier, Gunda
Din, and Kipling’s poem eulogiz
ing him.
Showing for the last time to-
{lay at the Assembly Hall is
“VIRGINIA,” a story of the South
ern viewpoint clashing with the
Northern one. A treat to the
eyes and ears as it is filmed in
technicolor, “Virginia” has Made
line Carroll as the beautiful
blond sophisticated Southern miss.
Stirling Hayden is the Northern
business man who tries to get her
to sell the old home place. Also
not to be neglected is mixture of
yankee and southern dialects that
are noticeable all the way through
the picture.
Coming up Saturday night at
10:30 at the Assembly Hall is a
benefit show to help students from
foreign countries, put on by the Y.
M. C. A. It is a very worthy
cause and deserves a good turnout
by the cadet corps. More about the
show will appear in Saturday’s
column.
{pampas
15^ to 5 p.m.
20^ After
TODAY - TOMORROW
and SATURDAY
IT’S THE BIG PARADE
OF LAUGHS!
I ABBOTT COSTELLO
IH in.
BUCK
PRIVATES
•' "•> : ’7 '''■ v *'‘ .
with .
Lee BOWMAN Alan CURTIS
JaneFRAZEE Nat PENDLETON
and
The ANDREWS SISTERS
and a jumpin' jivin’ gang of
guys and galsE
also
CARTOON and
‘BATTLE OF THE
ATLANTIC”
A BOSTONIAN
Color Scoop . ..
A swell “new color tone”
that’s a “yes” to current
colorful clothing - for
men. . . Held up against
any shade, Cream ’n Cof
fee combine to please the
eye. Since they’re Bos
tonians, their fit and
feel are bound to please
the foot.
Ankle-Fitted
BOSTONIANS
$7.95 to $11.00
Smart Two-Tone
Mansfield Oxfords
$5 to $6.50
OXFORDS - $3.95
7 t r t-\
WTMBERLEY ■ STONE DANSBY
W.O .J-/
CLOCfUERS
Shoe Department
B. C. Allen, Owner
College Station - Bryan
ry
WHATS SHOWING
AT THE CAMPUS
Thursday, Friday, and Sat
urday—“BUCK PRIVATES”
starring Bud Abbott, Lou
Costello, thet Andrews Sis
ters, Lee Bowman, Nat Pen
dleton, and Jans Frazee.
AT THE ASSEMBLY HALL
Thursday 3:30 and 6:45—
“VIRGINIA” with Madeline
Carroll, Fred MacMurray,
Stirling Hayden, Helen
Broderick, Marie Wilson, and
Carolyn Lee.
Friday 3:30 and 6:45—
“GUNDA DIN” with Cary
Grant, Victor McLaglen,
Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and
Sam Jaffe. Benefit Petrol
eum Engineering club.
The BEST PLACE to
Buy Anything
is the
NEW MONTGOMERY WARD STORE
Where EVERYTHING is Complete
BRYAN’S BUSIEST STORE
200-A Bryan Phone 2-5039
I
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