Page 2
The Battalion
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, iv
sued Tuesday, Thursday, ano Saturday mornings; and is pub
lished 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 3, 1870,
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.
1941 Member 1942
Associated Collebiate Press
E. M. Rosenthal Acting Editor
Ralph Criswell Advertising Manager
Sports Staff
Mike Haikin Sports Editor
W. F. Oxford Assistant Sports Editor
Mike Mann Senior Sports Assistant
Chick Hurst Junior Sports Assistant
Circulation Staff
E. D. Wilmeth Circulation Manager
Photography Staff
Jack Jones Staff Phohographer
Bob Crane, Ralph Stenzel Assistant Photographer
Saturday’s Staff
D. C. Thurman Managing Editor
Jack Lamberson Assistant Advertising Manager
Robert L. Freeland Assistant Editorial Writer
Reportorial Staff
Calvin Brumley, Kenneth C. Bresnen, Arthur L. Cox, W. J.
Hamilton, Jr., N. W. Karbach, Jack Keith, Tom B. Journeay,
Tom Leland, Charles P. McKnight, C. G. Serugss, John May,
Douglass Lancaster.
The Spirit of '42
What has happened to the Senior Class?
Where is the spirit of ’42 ? Is it dead because
every thing’ during the past several weeks
hasn’t gone our way? Apparently so.
Wednesday night action on several
important decisions was deferred because
there were not enough men present. The
130 present felt that it was not their privi
lege as a small per cent of the class of ’42 to
decide for all their classmates. As a tail,
they didn’t want to swing the bull.
Thursday night another meeting was
publicized and held.
Seventy-five loyal seniors attended.
These few men acted for their entire
class in the one decision they made. Actu
ally, whether it reflects true senior opinion
can’t be told and doesn’t matter now. But
what does matter is this: if the seniors
lack enough interest and spirit to attend
their own class meetings, which are rela
tively few, they have incurred a great loss.
At one time the class of ’42 was a strong
unit. True, it might have been split at times
over certain principles, but the students
were always interested in the same big is
sues. Now, there isn’t even enough interest
to have conflicting ideas. The class is drift
ing aimlessly along, hoping that the class
leaders will do what is best. When things
don’t please the individual seniors, they
bleed, but when they have the opportunity
to act, the opportunity is passed up.
What can’t happen here is rapidly
happening. Let’s stop it.
The Value of the Press
The average man will, immediately upon a-
rising, make a grab for the morning paper
to read of the latest world developments.
When he leave his office at 5 o’clock, he will
read the evening paper. The other members
of the family amuse themselves with the
special features. Seldom do they stop to ap
preciate the world-wide network of corres
pondents or the tremendous number of man
hours required to give them this paper,
which they have come to take for granted.
Not so long ago, several weeks were
elapsed before the American man could read
what was happening in Europe. Even as re
cently as World War I news was delayed
a week or more, either because of lack of
correspondents or transmission facilities.
With the advent of the radio and cable, all
of this was changed. He received the news
the day after it was ‘made’, or the same
day. In news coming from the orient, he even
receives it a day ahead of the actual hap
pening, as was the case of the Japanese at
tack on the Phillipines, which was, because
of the time differential, given to the Ameri
can public December 7, whereas the attack
actually took place December 8.
What country before ever existed a cen
tury and a half without a rebellion? The
tree of liberty must be refreshed from
time to time with the blood of patriots
and tyrants. It is its natural manure.
—Thomas Jefferson
War Interpretations
"■ " ■ ’By Robert L. FrPPlanH
LIBYA
Libya was a part of the great imperialistic
dream of II Duce which was to comprise
most of Africa and those lands surrounding
the Mediterranean Sea. It was from Libya
that he organized and equipped the Fascist
legions which after several months of hard
fighting managed to overrun Ethiopia, at
that time defended by a small army of na
tive tribesmen poorly armed and trained.
Italian Eritrea was also used as a base for
this operation. Ethiopia was renamed Aby-
sinia and proudly added to the Italian Em
pire. This was in 1935.
When Italy entered the war in June,
1940, little did Mussolini envision that a year
later he would no longer hold Ethiopia or
Eritrea and that his troops in Libya, which
with the aid of small German detachments
had crossed the Egyptian border and ad
vanced a short distance to Sidi Barrani,
would be driven back past Bengasi and would
be fleeing towards Tripoli. British General
Wavell, a brilliant tactician, with a greatly
inferior force, both in numbers and equip
ment, had accomplished this feat mainly
because the Italians had been afraid to fight
in the desert and lacked good commanders.
Britain had made pledges of assistance
to tiny Greece, and when this country was
attacked along with the rest of the Balkans,
the English had built up a BEE in Greece,
but to do this it was necessary to deplete
General Wavell’s African Corps both in men
and more precious materiel. While this was
happening, the German General Staff was
not inactive with respect to Africa. Sending
convoys from Italy, the built up a large pan
zer force supplemented by strong units of
the Luftwaffe in Libya, mostly being landed
at Tripoli. Then German General Erwin Rom
mel was placed in command of the Italo-
German forces in Libya. This man is un
doubtedly one of the cleverest and most able
generals to come to the front in this war or
in any war, more than a match for the Brit
ish Ace, Wavell. In 30 days he succeeded in
driving the British back across the burning
desert into Egypt and then was stopped by
the British defense lines at Salum. All of
the British gains had been wiped out with
the exception of a ‘suicide squad” composed
of Australians, New Zealanders, and Polish
troops which were entrenched at Tobruk.
The dry season came to the desert, which
has little rain at any time, and all active
fighting stopped. During this time, the Brit
ish were able to land large quantities of
supplies, sent from America, at Red Sea
ports and supplement their man power with
fresh troops sent from India and Australia
and also those released after Syria was tak
en from the French. The British held a rath
er firm grip on the Mediterranean Sea, al
though they had lost Crete.
General Cunningham was placed in com
mand, and he attacked as soon as the heat
diminished near the end of 1941. The Tobruk
garrison, which had held out against re
peated Axis attacks was relieved, and again
the German Afrikakorps was driven back to
Bengasi. Convoy after convoy left Italian
ports in an attempt to relieve Rommel, but
a large percentage of these fell prey to the
British on the way. Then came the Japanese
attack in the Orient, and again troops and
supplies had to be taken from Libya by the
British, and especially aircraft.
Evidently some large Axis convoys suc
ceeded in reaching Libya, possibly by way
of French Tunisia, for once again Rommel
has driven the British out of Bengasi, and
at latest reports his columns are only 45
miles from Tobruk, although the English
forces are still as far west as Msus on the
interior of the desert. Whether Rommel will
be able to continue his drive is a matter of
speculation, but it seems that the British
have sufficient forces in Egypt and the
German supply lines would be too long to
constitute any real threat to the Suez Canal.
Only time will tell.
A little neglect may breed mischief; for
want of a nail the shoe was lost; for
want of a shoe the horse wast lost; and
for tvant of a horse the rider was lost.
—Benjamin Franklin
The World Turns On
■ : —By Dr. R. W. Steen
The attack on Pearl Harbor occurred two
months ago today. Since that date the Jap
anese have used all of their strength and all
of their energies to capitalize on the advan
tage they gained by that bit of treachery.
They have done well, but they have not won
the war. Malaya is in their hands and Singa
pore is under siege. Except for an island and
a peninsula they have won control of the
Philippines. They are striking into Burma,
and have occupied some of the Dutch islands
as well as several small islands near Aus
tralia.
There is, fortunately, another side to the
story. American and British troops and sup
plies are arriving in the Pacific, and the re
sources of America and Britain are enor
mously greater than those of Japan. America
and Britain can send men and supplies when
Japan has no more to send. There is another
matter which merits consideration. That is
the fact that in two months of warfare the
Japanese have themselves suffered heavy
naval losses, and even greater losses to their
merchant marine. They are fighting a war
in which men and supplies must be moved
over long sea lanes. Their merchant marine
was never very large, and the loss of each
ship weakens by just that much their ability
to transport troops to new places and to sup
ply troops already in action.
In two years of warfare Germany and
Italy have captured almost nothing in the
way of British territory. In two months of
warfare the Japanese have captured much
territory over which the British flag usually
flies. In spite of this evidence of striking
power on the part of the Japanese, Ameri
cans and Britons are probably justified in
their belief that the major enemy is Ger
many.
In the two months since Pearl Harbor
slightly more than 100,000 Americans have
enlisted in the navy. The progress of enlist
ment has been so satisfactory that the navy
is now planning to depend upon voluntary
enlistments to provide all of the men that
it needs.
A four-year-old named > Gerry King
gained much publicity by his exploit at the
President’s birthday dinner. It seems that
Dorothy Lamour was also there, and she
favored Gerry with a kiss. Gerr^ replied
by cracking her on the nose an^ bt claring
“I don’t want that red stuff om st ei
'idel<—
THE BATTALION
-SATURDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 7, 1942
PRIVATE BUCK By Clyde Lewis
COVERING
caips dlMONS
WITH
i TOM VANNOY
“I wonder if we were wise in assigning Buck ro do guard
durv near the golf course!”
BACKWASH
BY
Charlie Babcock
“Backwash: An agitation resulting from some action or occurrence.”—Webster
Aggie Pickin’s
That’s the name of that program
of swing and jive which you heard
over WTAW’s Clambake Friday
between 5 and 5:30 p.m.
With “Chuck55 Chalmers’ sug
gestion for a name, and the cadet
corps’ cooperation, the weekly
campus poll of favorite modern
tunes should prove to be a great
hit.
All Aggies are eligible to sub
mit their ballots for the three
songs which they think are tops
for the week and the first ten ca
dets sending in ballots with the
winning three numbers receive
passes to the Campus theater.
Deadline for voting each week is
at Thursday noon, and the ballot
box is in the rotunda of the Aca-
Duncan Enlists In
US Army Air Corps
George P. Duncan of Ennis, a
graduate of A. & M. has enlisted
in the Army Air Corps.
Duncan enlisted in the Air Corps
at Shepherd Field, Wichita Falls.
He will also receive a large part
of his training there.
demic building. Nine boys won
passes this week, the initial pro
gram of the series.
The three top tunes played yes
terday on the Clambake were ,m
order of their rank, as follows:
“Blues in the Night,” “Moonlight
Cocktail,” and “A String of Pearls.”
Honorable mention should go to
“Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “Elmer’s
Tune,” “White Cliffs of Cover,”
“Rose O’Day,” and “Shrine of St.
Cecelia.”
Are your Saturday nights be
coming monotonous ? If this is your
plight, then the solution to the
problem is to drop in at the As
sembly Hall tonight about 7 o’clock
and have a good time with enter
tainment furnished by the all-girl
orchestra from TSCW and the
Singing Cadets under the direction
of Richard Jenkins. The beauty of
the whole thing is that there is no
admission charge for the evening's
entertainment. All you have to do
is go, and a good time is promised
you.
The audience participation pro
gram is a part of the events to
night in addition to the other at
tractions.
The spring semester social sea
son gets rolling in grand style to
night with the corps dance in Sbi-
sa Hall at 9 o’clock with the Aggie-
land orchestra furnishing the mus
ic. The all-girl orchestra from up
Denton way will appear at the in
termission time with the taoinn
termission time at the dance.
“It aint funny, McGee,” is not
what there is to say about Fibber
and Molly’s new picture with Ed
gar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy,
“LOOK WHO’S LAUGHING.” It
will he at the Campus tomorrow
and Monday.
When two of the country’s top
comic teams get together in one mo
tion picture, the result is rather
obvious. The show is a scream
from the start to the finish.
Fibber’s pal with the elongated
laugh, Gildersleeve, makes his ap
pearance on the screen in the film
also. Hollywood’s outstanding con
tribution to the cast is Lucille Ball
as Bergen’s secretary who has been
left in the city while Bergen, the
radio entertainer, takes a vaca
tion in the country to get away
from it all.
McGee is president of the local
chamber of commerce and has the
usual sort of troubles in getting the
city to acquire some prestige. It
is all very well put together and al
though the plot is slightly sketchy,
the show is most entertaining.
Qtainjous
Dial 4-1181
LAST DAY
“MOONLIGHT
IN HAWAII”
with
Johnny Downs -- Jane Frazee
Short — Community Sing — News
• • •
PREVIEW TONIGHT
AFTER DANCE
• • •
SUNDAY AND MONDAY
Go in at 9:45, See Both Shows
Now They're On The Screen!
WHAT’S SHOWING
AT GUION HALL
Saturday — “DOWN IN
RIO,” featuring Bonita Gran
ville and Dan Dailey, Jr.
Monday—“DIVE BOMB
ER,” with Errol Flynn and
Fred MacMurray.
AT THE CAMPUS
Saturday—“MOONLIGHT
IN HAWAII,” with Johnny
Downs and Jane Frazee.
Saturday prevue, Sunday
Monday — “LOOK WHO’S
LAUGHING,” starring Char
lie McCarthy, Edgar Bergen,
Fibber McGee and Molly, and
Lucille Ball.
loupot’s
LITTLE PLACE
BIG SAVINGS
Also
INFORMATION PLEASE
NEWS — POPEYE
For the
BEST EATS
AND DRINKS
Come to
NEW YORK CAFE
Bryan
SATURDAY NIGHT SHOW CONTEST
(Only Aggies Eligible)
I suggest the following name for the Free Shows
given in the Assembly Hall on Saturday nights:
(please print)
Signed .
Address
(Hall)
(Room)
(Mailing Address)
Send entry to Student Activities Office, 126 Admin
istration Bldg., or leave at Show on Saturday, Feb. 7.
Contest Closes Feb. 10th, 5 p. m.
YOUR BOM BAY BOOT PANTS
AND SLACKS
are starched and pressed properly
at Holick’s
Why Accept Inferior Work
When We Charge No More?
BE SURE IT’S HOLICK’S
Pants ... cleaned and pressed 20c
All Buttons Replaced Free
HOUCK CLEANERS
Ben Youngblood, Mgr.
Movie
GUION HALL
DR. T. 0. IALT0K, JR.
Announces Opening
College Medical
Center
Phone 4-1198
Dr. T. T. Walton Dr. L. O. Wilkerson
(Office Hours) (0((ice Hours)
7:30-9:00 7:30-9:00 1:00-2:00 F.M.
(Except Wed.) (Except Thursday)
Saturday - -1 p.m.
GRANVILLE
6:45 and 8:30
DAILEY
“Down In San Diego”
COMEDY
Also
MARCH OF TIME—
“Sailors With Wings”
MONDAY and TUESDAY
Afternoon and Night
WEDNESDAY
Afternoon
“Dive Bomber”
Get Your Y Card at the YMCA
Front Desk
Ellllll!