Page 2
THE BATTALION
-TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1942
The Battalion Man, Your Manners
STUDENT TRI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agrricultaral and
Mechanical College of Texas and the City of College Station,
h published three times weekly from September to June; »-
Med Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings; and is pub-
CMted weekly from June through August.
Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at College
Mation, Texas, under the Act of Congress of March 8, 18T9.
Subscription rate, $8 a school year. Advertising rates
Ojton request.
Represented nationally by National Advertising Service,
fas., at New York City, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and
San Francisco.
Office, Room 122, Administration Bnilding. Telephone
4-8444.
1941 Member 1942
Pbsocioted GolIe6iate Press
E. M. Rosenthal Acting Editor
Ralph Criswell Advertising Manager
Sports Staff
Mike Haikin Sports Editor
Vf. F. Oxford Assistant Sports Editor
Sffke Mann Senior Sports Assistant
Frocks Gofer Junior Sports Editor
Obiek Hurst Junior Sports Editor
Circulation Staff
Rene Wflmeth ..Circulation Manager
BRl Hauger Senior Circulation Assistant
F. D. Asbury Junior Assistant
Mil Huber, Joe Stalcup Circulation Assistant
Photography Staff
lack Jones . Staff Photographer
Rob Crane, Ralph Btenzel Assistant Photographers
Tuesday's Staff
Lee Rogers Managing Editor
W. A. Goforth Assistant Advertising Manager
Ken Breenen Junior Editor
Charles Babcock Junior Editor
Toin Yannoy Junior Editor
Reportorial Staff
Calvin Brumley, Arthur L. Cox, James R. Dennis, Selig
Frank, John M. Holman, W. J. Hamilton, Jr., Tom Howard,
Leonard Kimsey, N. W. Karbach, Jack Keith, Tom B. Journeay,
Doug Lancaster, Tom Leland, Charles P. McKnight, W. B.
Morehouse, Richard F. Quinn, Gordon Sullivan, C. G. Scruggs,
Benton Taylor.
Don't Take it Away
Yes, the Aggies are loyal and true Amer
icans, men willing to do the utmost for their
country. They are as anxious as any person
in the United States to make those sacrifices
which will aid national defense. These were
the ideas expressed in The Battalion last
Thursday, and they still hold true. But The
Battalion definitely stated sacrifices for
national defense.
At the time the editorial was written
the only proposed changes made public were
reveille formation and calisthenics. We sup
ported THESE changes and claimed it was
“The Least We Can Do.”
When the announcement was made at
the Junior-Senior meeting Wednesday aft
ernoon, everyone was stunned. Not a student
on the campus had any idea the Aggie way
of life was going to be torn away, torn away
without a warning or a logical explanation.
But we feel the cancellation of the Aggie
way of life, the discontinuance of that sys
tem which turns boys into men, will not aid
national defense. This is plainly seen and op
posed by the present student body including
the freshmen and most of those exes who
have graduated during the past decade when
A. & M. has been suffering growing pains
and has operated with problems entirely dif
ferent than ever known before.
Our present system is as much a part
of a modern Aggie life as is the wearing of
the uniform. It has its strong points or it
would not have been in use as long as it has.
It makes men and officers just as does the
“plebe v system at West Point, the “dodo”
method at Randolph and other flying fields,
and the “rat” idea at V. M. I.
By I. Sherwood:
Open Forum
Nice manners should include the ability to
dance and a proper knowledge of the courte
sies of the dance.
Most young ladies can look mighty
sweet while you tread on their toes, but
what they think, may effect future dance
dates for you.
A Gentleman—When he wishes to ask a
lady to dance, he says, “May I have this
dance?”, “Would you care to dance?”, or
“Shall we dance?” And when they part he
must always say, “Thank you” or some other
phrase of appreciation.
Having asked a lady to dance a man may
not suggest that they sit down before the
number is over nor leave her alone on the
floor for any reason. If he becomes “stuck”
with a girl who hasn’t the presence of mind
to release him, he may make some excuse
and ask here where she would like to be
escorted.
He should always have the first and last
numbers with the lady he brought and those
before and after the supper intermission,
if there is one. An exception is a dinner dance
where he asks his dinner partner, whether he
brought her or not, for the first number.
At a small dance where there is a hostess
he should ask her to dance, and her daught
ers. He must dance with the guest of honor
when there is one.
At any dance where there is cutting-in
the man is responsible for the lady he
brought. He should introduce his friends to
her and see that she has a good time.
In hotels and restaurants where there
is no cutting-in he should dance with the
ladies at his table, but with none at other
tables not in his party.
When a man wishes to cut in, he taps
the other man on the shoulder and says, “May
I cut in?” He should not cut in unless he has
been introduced to her. When he has been
cut in on by another, he should not cut back
until they have finished that number. Nor
should he repeatedly cut in on another even
though he is with different partners.
It is an impression, of which we cannot
rid ourselves if we would, when sitting
by the body of a friend, that he has still
a consciousness of our presence; that,
though he no longer has a, concern in
the common things of the world, love
and the thought are still there. The fact
which we had been familiar with so long,
ivhen it was all life and motion, seems
only in a state of rest. We know not hoiv
to make it real to ourselves that in the
body before us there is not a something
still alive. —Richard Dana
The World Turns On
By Dr. J. H. Quisenberry
To The Battalion:
Traditions! Traditions! Traditions! Tradi
tions! Some people may get tired of hearing
that. But don’t traditions play a major part
ing making any school what it is and what its
students are proud to stand up for?
For the past two and one-half years we
have looked forward to becoming seniors.
We have always respected the classes above
us. It has been something to look forward
to, something to dream about. All-right
now, a fairly wide class distinction has been
very instrumental in influencing many boys
to attend this ■ institution. Erase class dis
tinctions and see what we have ? Oh, it won’t
be so noticeable at first, but just wait a few
years till the men in school now have gone.
Who is going to carry the work on then?
Certainly we are in war. Each of us
wants to do his part in winning the war. We
Aggies are going to help win the war pro
viding a priority isn’t put on morale. Take
away a man’s morale and you leave only a
machine, and a poor one at that. Take the
fight out of a man and see what objectives
he accomplishes. If there is anything the
army is stressing today, it’s morale in the
army camps. Why take it out of this camp?
This bleeding about the recent changes
isn’t because we are too lazy to clean up
our rooms or stand in line at the laundry sta
tion. It’s not the fact that we shall roll out
of bed at reveille and do a mere 10 minutes
of calisthenics even though we studied till
1 o’clock the night before.
How is one company commander going
to force 25 freshmen to meet people? In the
past we have been proud to acknowledge
that we had put in a freshman year at A.
& M. Now with the new system, what are
the ex-first year cadets going to be proud
of? An easy life! Ask the freshmen class
their opinion of the whole thing. After all
it affects them more than anyone else? If
one group of students would logically favor
the recent changes that have been made the
freshmen would be more prone to do so. Ask
them their opinion about it.
Keith Kirk, ’43
PRIVATE BUCK By Clyde Lewis
COVERING
campus dimows
WITH
i TOM VANNOY
WHAT’S SHOWING
AT GUION HALL
Tuesday, Wednesday
“MARRIED BACHELOR,”
starring Robert Young and
Ruth Hussey.
AT THE CAMPUS
Tuesday, Wednesday
“AMONG THE LIVING,”
with Albert De kker and
Frances Farmer. Also ”WE
GO FAST,” with Lynn Bari
and Alan Curtis.
"You better throw it, Sarge. I just got the pin pulled put
when my belt broke!”
BY
Charlie Babcock
“Backwash: An agitation resulting from some action or occurrence.”—Webster
“War is not only hell, war is stupid.” Thus
spoke the eminent English biologist Julian
Huxley soon after the outbreak of the pres
ent European conflict. Unfortunately, every
one does not agree with this philosophy. A
discussion of the biological effects of war
involves, first of all, a consideration of the
elements of natural selection in relation to
war. The Englishman, Charles Darwin, was
the first to emphasize the important func
tion of natural selection in evolution. The
mechanisms by which this selection operated
were not altogether clear to Darwin and
were felt to be the potential weaknesses of
the doctrin of evolution through natural se
lection. As applied to man, natural selection
has lost much of its power due to man’s
ever increasing control of his environment.
German biologic philosophers seized this
principle with great avidity, however, and
have used it in fostering and developing in
the minds of the people the militaristic ideal,
or will to conquer. As the late Raymond Pearl
puts it, “Every German school boy and girl
has been taught what natural selection
means. This same glorious principle that the
fittest alone shall survive, and its converse
that the survivor is the fittest, have been
the corner stones on which modem Germany
has been built.” The same might be said
of the Japanese from the “Land of the Ris
ing Sun.”
In remote tribal warfare there might
have been an element of truth in this idea,
but in modern warfare it may be questioned
whether or not war produces any permanent
biological effects. Armed forces represent a
select group, physically, but there is insuf
ficient evidence to show that conscript forces
are superior in other respects. When war
continues for a number of years destroying
much of the available resources of a country,
the selection against the physically less fit
of the civilian population may offset the
mortality of the physically superior in actual
combat. Thus, the victor in modern war is
as likely to reflect possessors of great numb
ers of fighting men and plentious supplies of
natural resources as an inherently superior
group.
The war provides a mechanism for catas
trophic changes in social evolution cannot be
questioned. When the present war is over
we shall never be the same nation, nor shall
our hemispheric relationships be the same as
before, regardless of whether we win or
lose. War is a biological phenomenon but not
a necessary one. Economic, social, psycho
logical, and personal arguments against war
are plentiful and adequate. Biologists find
no necessity for war, yet wars continue and
shall continue until man becomes a different
social creature. Fortunately, each war may
potentially aid in attaining that goal.
After the Low-Blow Attack ....
Now that fevered brows have cool
ed, now that the Aggies have form
ulated some temporary philosophy
to cope with the executive com
mittee farce, it is time for the ca
det corps to survey this tradition-
shattering situa-
tion, take stock
of itself, and
make a sincere
stand on what
they believe to be
right and wrong.
Perhaps, a calen
dar of the events
leading up to the
present moment
should come at
Babcock first.
On Sunday, January 11, the Col
lege Board of Directors met for
the purpose of formulating a policy
whereby A. & M. could best oper
ate in the interest of national de
fense on a 12-month basis. From
what information we have been
able to secure, the board passed
a general order stating that the
college was not operating at its
military maximum and empowered
the executive committee with the
authority to pass such measures
as deemed advisable to bring the
college up to full military effici
ency.
Then the executive committee sat
in session last Wednesday afternoon
at 1:30 and formally passed the
“pedagogue plan.” That’s the point
where many cadets have been mis
led into believing that they were
“sold down the river” by several
higher student leaders. The fact is
that this farce was just as much a
stab in the back to them as it was
to the student body.
The committee knew that they
were going to pass some changes
and had Colonel Welty announce
a meeting Wednesday morning of
all military juniors and seniors to
be held that afternoon in Guion
Hall. The committee had to hold
up its meeting until 1:30 to wait
for Dr. Walton’s return to the cam
pus. Then four hours later the
proclamation was crammed down
the throat of the cadet corps.
Announcement of the new regime
came at such an opportune time
that the leaders of the corps had
no chance to organize until that
Wednesday night after the basket
ball game with Rice when a meet
ing of all regimental commanders
was held with the cadet colonel.
It was decided at that time to
meet with the now famous execu
tive committee the next morning
and plead the 66 year old case of
the Aggies. Realizing the impossi
bility of the committee’s reversing
its previous decision, the group of
seniors offered a compromise. The
compromise stated that Aggies
were ready to do all they could in
the interest of national defense,
but they didn’t sincerely believe
that destroying fish tradition was
so essential to the present national
emergency, and in view of such
belief were ready to throw out the
customary use of the board if fish
service was allowed to return.
However, the executive commit
tee’s answer was NO! So, after an
hour and a half of gruelling debate,
that group of seniors came out of
the chamber with tears in their
eyes. They knew that they were
fighting a losing battle.
But, although they were losing,
the battle wasn’t over. Another
meeting was held Friday morning
and following that meeting, Ca
det Colonel Tom Gillis contacted
several of the school’s officials.
Again, the committee’s opinion re
mained firm.
So, that’s where the 1942 A. &
M. cadet corps stands today.
But, after all, this is Aggieland.
It holds the number one spot in
my heart, and as long as I can
walk and breathe, I will do every
thing possible in an attempt to re
store what I believe to be the life
blood of the massive, 1942 A. & M.
For a comical story of married
couple and their troubles there is
the picture at Guion Hall today and
tomorrow, “MARRIED BACHE
LOR.” In the starring roles are
Robert Young and Ruth Hussey
as the couple who can’t make their
marriage stick very well.
The whole story is slightly on
the screwy side, but in this day
and time the less a story sticks to
the plausible, the better it is. It is
all very enjoyable though and is
about a saleman who gets a job
giving advice to married couples
as a means of squaring off a racing
debt. Eventually his wife comes to
him with her troubles and things
get to rolling better again.
Horror and melodrama is the
keynote of “AMONG THE LI
VING.” The picture will be at the
Campus today and tomorrow. Al
bert Dekker plays the part of
twin brothers, one a homicidal
maniac and the other, a respected
citizen. The insane brother commits
a number of gruesome murders and
the blame is pinned on the other
one. Frances Farmer is cast as
the wife of the sane one.
The story starts out strong, but
almost runs into nothing before
the story ends. The intense interest
built up at the start doesn’t last.
Still the film is above average and
on a different slant.
The other half of the double
feature at the Campus today is a
picture entitled “WE GO FAST”
stars Lynn Bari and Alan Curtis.
The story is weak and is liable to
prove rather boring before it is
all over. Out of nowhere, Alan
Curtis becomes a motorcycle cop,
and gets in a quarrel with Dan
Deforest over Lynn Bari. Then
they clean up on the town’s crimi
nal element to help things get over
the rough spots.
Qamptu
4-1181
TODAY & TOMORROW
DOUBLE FEATURE
A Paromn.._. ...
Susan
Haywood
°unf Picturo
Frances
Farmer
LOUPOT’S
The Watchdog Of
THE AGGIES
Shows at 2:04, 4:36, 7:08, 9:40
KlfGOfuSi
with Lynn Bari • Alan Curtis f
Sheila Ryan • Don Deforest
Shows at 1:00, 3:32, 6:04, 8:36
WELCOME NEW STUDENTS
PHOTOGRAPHS OF DISTINCTION
Kodak Finishing —
Picture Frames
AGGIELAND STUDIO
Man Lagging Behind
Ants Zoologist Says
Minneapolis, Minn. (AGP)—In a
neck-and-neck race for survival,
man is lagging behind the ant,
according to' Professor William T.
Heron, a University of Minnesota
psychologist. • '
“It seems to me that up to now
the small-brained insects have
been winning the race, he says.
❖”
/y
Sophomores
Put in your order now
for those Junior Uni
forms while 100% wool
material is still available
Juniors Should Also Order Their
Ice Cream Shirts And Slacks
Now
Mendl and Hornak’s
Uniform Tailor Shop
North Gate
We Welcome You
NEW STUDENTS
And Are More Than Glad To Have
You Old Students Back
WE WILL ALWAYS APPRECIATE YOUR
BUSINESS
AGGIELAND BARBER & BEAUTY SHOP
North Gate
Movie
GUION HALL
TUESDAY — WEDNESDAY
3:30 & 6:45
Robert Young — Ruth Hussey
in
Married Bachelor
COMING
THURSDAY — FRIDAY
A Woman’s Face
Joan Crawford & Melvyn Douglas
m *
* *
*
( i
*
t;
^ 1
>■ «
* *
*
> 1
I
' i '
I
f
I
* I ‘
* t *
I
j
’ i
4 | 9
1