-THURSDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 12, 1942
Page 2
The Battalion
STUDENT TRI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and
Meehan ical College of Texas and the City of College Station,
is published three times weekly from September to June, a
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
i-54-U.
1941 Member 1942
(Associated Golle6iate Press
B. 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 Junier Sports Assistant
Circulation Staff
B. D. Wilmoth Circulation Manager
Photography Staff
Jack Jones Staff Photographer
Bob Crane, Ralph Stense! Assistant Photographer
Thursday’s Staff
Clyde C. Franklin Junior Managing Editor
Ken Bresnen Junior Editor
Charles Babcock Junior Editor
Robert L. Freeland Assistant Editorial Writer
Jack Lamberson Assistant Advertising Manager
Reportorial Staff
Calvin Brum ley, Kenneth C. Bresnen, Arthur L. Cox, W. J.
Hamilton, Jr., N. W. Karbach, Jack Keith, Tom B. Joumsay,
Tom Laland, Charles P. McKnight, C. G. Berugss, John May,
Douglass Lancaster.
Do We Realize?
Are we war conscious? The answer is defi
nitely “No.” The American people still drive
along the highway at 70 miles per hour in
their cars, still eat everything they want or
can afford, still waste many things which
are essential to a total war effort. War still
seems to them to be a far off and a strange
unreality.
To those men within the continental
United States who are in military service or
training, such as the students at A. & M.,
there is a blithe confidence that although
they will probably have to do some fight
ing, there are many others who will do more
fighting and, “after all, the war is practical
ly over, as soon as we get a crack at the Japs
and can fight the cowardly Nazis.”
This is the wrong conception entirely.
Our enemies may be cowardly in personal
combat, but what difference does this make
when they are backed up with huge quanti
ties of the tools of war—tanks, planes, guns,
bombs and other death dealing devices?
Many will look at you pityingly when
you make the statement that as yet we have
undergone no real hardships. They will coun
ter with “well, our sugar is rationed, isn’t it?
We can’t buy any more tires, or freezone for
our cars, can we ? What more do you want ?”
Why should we complain just because
of these minor things, and consider that aft
er having taken simple calisthenics for a few
minutes each morning we are fit and well
prepared ? The peoples of Germany did with
out things, took rigorous physical exercises,
worked 12 hours a day at low wages just so
they could have their “guns before butter,”
and plenty of them. Americans were so con
fident of the great industrial resources of
their country that these things seemed abso
lutely unnecessary. They wanted guns and
their butter too. It was their policy to make
everything that could possibly be needed for
civilian use such as radios with which to hear
Glenn Miller, washing machines to save
work, and fancy convertibles covered with
nickel and chromium with which to make an
impression on the girl friend, and give what
was left over to the production of arma
ments. Congressmen blandly told their con
stituents that there was nothing to worry
about, and that if they were re-elected, the
people could have all of these things and still
be safe from foreign attack.
No bombs have yet crashed down upon
our peaceful existence. No invading hordes
have stripped our land. No secret police of an
enemy power check up on every move we
make. No labor battalions have yet been
formed of our defeated soldiers. No 63-ton
tanks have as yet rumbled through what
was once our home and crushed into a tan
gled mass of flesh and blood our little sister
or brother who was sleeping in his bed. We
are still free, and WE WILL REMAN FREE!
But to be free, sacrifices must be made.
We must do without coca-colas, save the tin
foil from our cigarette packages, drastically
cut down our candy consumption, must build
air raid shelters in our coastal cities and
many other things. One of the main reasons
for the recent sugar rationing order was to
bring home to the American people the fact
that we are at war, and at war with the most
powerful and ruthless combination of pow
ers the world has ever seen. We must pre
pare for total defense, and later for total war
against the enemy.
We must all fight, not for the “Ameri
can Way of Life”, which our generation will
never see again as we have known it, but in
stead we must fight for “America” and for
“Life”. And these two things are certainly
worth fighting for. If you don’t believe this
statement, ask the Dutch, the Poles, the
Norwegians, the Danes, the Rumanians, the
Hungarians, the Chinese, the Russians, the
English, and the French.
Let us not fall into the decadent, self-
reliant, egotistical and pitifully weak state
of France during the years from the last war
until that fateful day in June, 1940, when
what was left of France was forced to sign
an armistice. Let us remember Wake Island,
remember the Philippines, remember WE
ARE AMERICANS AND WE INTEND TO
REMAIN THAT WAY. The only way we
can do this is by an all-out effort, not merely
by words, but by actions. Let not our heroes
have died in vain.
Something to Read
Tty Dr. T. F. Mayo=z =
(Scene: a section of English 210)
Prof: and read Russell’s The Value of
Scepticism for next time. I hope it will
make sceptics of you—in fact that is one
thing that the whole course ought to do
for you.
Soph. Smith (or something) : Mr. X, if you
don’t mind a personal remark, this is just
the sort of course that ought to be dis
continued in times like this.
Prof (starled): Why so?
Smith: Well, in war time, everybody ought
to think alike. That’s the only way to
get anything done. All these courses that
make you question things and doubt—
they take your mind off what we have to
do. They upset you.
Prof: But don’t you think that the right to
question things and to doubt what we are
told is one of the chief stakes of the war?
Aren’t we, a democracy, fighting to pre
vent the world’s being run by a system
which makes everybody think and talk
alike?
Smith: Yes sir, but first we’ve got to beat
’em, and that is what this Colege is for
right now. We’ve gone “full out” for the
War here at A. & M., and we ought to get
rid of all courses that upset us and make
us question and criticize. That’s the only
way we can make ourselves efficient
enough to win.
Class: Gr rr r.! Bow! Wow! Buzz! Buss!
Prof: (uncertain from the above whether
he has his audience with him or agin him)
Well, Mr. Smith, it doesn’t seem exactly
reasonable to go to war in order to pre
serve freedom of speech and thought, and
then to conduct the war in such a way as
to destroy the very things for which we
are fighting—and so on and on.
Upshot of the Discussion (as far as it was
possible to grasp the consensus of the
class:) The Prof was right in pointing out
the danger of throwing away, in the heat
of the conflict, the very principles and soc
ial habits to defend which we entered the
conflict. Smith was right, however, in
maintaining that, in order to win the fight
for freedom, we are bound to submit tem
porarily to certain galling restrictions and
controls. The class was right, I think, in
deciding that freedom of thought and
speech should, even in war time, be held in
high respect, and that such restrictions as
we must, for efficiency’s sake, impose up
on them, should be imposed cautiously and
regretfully, with the full realization that
they are abnormalities and necessary
evils.
The World Turns On
— — By A. F. Chalk
We in this country are still not fully aware
of the extent of the sacrifices which will
have to be made if we are to prosecute the
war effectively. It seems that even the major
reverses already suffered have not been suf
ficient to awaken us to the reality of the
military and economic situation. England as
sumed an attitude much like ours before she
was so rudely awakened. It is to be hoped
that defeats such as those sustained by Eng
land will not have to happen to the U. S. be
fore it enters the war in a real “all out”
manner.
During the next 12 months the economic
lives of the people will be further altered,
and this coming increase in economic sacri
fices will play its part in causing the public
to evidence greater interest in the vigorous
prosecution of the war effort. This writer
posses no clairvoyant powers, but there is a
reasonable degree of unanimity to be found
in most of the forecasts made by financial
commentators. A few of these forecasts of
the future may serve to indicate the “way
the wind is blowing.”
It is generally agreed that this year will
witness a widely increased use of rationing
of consumer goods. The recent order with
respect to the use of sugar was occasioned
by a run on the supply by those who got
panicky. The sugar supply situation was not
critical, but the hoarders forced the adop
tion of a rationing system to insure an even
distribution. The same situation will prob
ably develop in the case of other consumer
goods, and rationing will be the inevitable
result. In general, however, it is thought
that the supplies of foodstuffs and clothing
will be relatively large during the next few
years.
With respect to taxation, the situation
can be explained very simply. The new tax
measure, as foreseen by political writers,
will probably raise the present income tax
rate precipitately. Excise taxes will no doubt
be raised to new levels, and the adoption of
a federal sales tax is by no means, an impos
sibility. If one adds to this new tax program
a compulsory savings program, he can be
gin to appreciate how drastically consumer
^ purchasing power is to be curtailed.
From the point of view of this writer,
the year 1943 will likely be the crucial year
as regards our national economic policy. By
1943 our price-control legislation will get a
real test under fire, and it remains to be
seen whether the present law can be made
to effectively curb a strong tendency for the
price level to rise. In the field of production,
we can by that time be better able to com
pare results with expectations of previous
years. On the whole, we should find out by
that time whether our economy has been
efficiently regimented for the requirements
of a modern war.
THE BATTALION -
Kollegiate Kaleidoscope
COVERING
campus distracTioNS
WITH
|§)TOMVANN07(f§
KWvards endowment would
FURNISH EVERY MAN, WOMAN AND
CHILD IN THE UNITED .STATES' W/TH A
ONE-DOLLAR BILL/
BACKWASH
BY
Charlie Babcock
“Backwash: An agitation resulting from some action or occurrence.”—Webster
Babcock
Perplexing Problems
’ A freshman walked into our
room the other day and confronted
us with this question: “Under the
new three semester plain, what is
going to be done about year num
bers for new classes, that will be
coming in every eight months?”
Well, now, that requires some
thought and discussion. However,
we are not going
to take time out
at this point to
advocate or pro
pose a policy in
any direction. The
purpose of this
little dissertation
will be to recog
nize the facts and
arguments —both
pro and con—of
all possible situations.
In the beginning, it must be
noted that it is imperative that
every class have a year as a sym
bol or name. A family of 66 would
be in complete disorganization if
each individual didn’t have some
name or mark of identification,
and the same is true of the A. & M.
clan of 66 classes.
At the present time, there are
four dominant classes at A. & M.,
’42, 43, ’44 and\ ’45. In June, “’42”
will leave. Then, the next Febru
ary will find “’43” gone. After
that, eaeh succeeding class will
NOT graduate in what would ord
inarily be its designated year—
for example, the ’44 class will
graduate in September of 1943!
By now, it is probably quite ev
ident to the ordinary observer that
after a time there will be two
classes entering and leaving school
every 12 months.
Some solution will, in time, have
to be worked out. It will never be
satisfactory under the same year
mark. Perhaps, the graduation
month should be included.-
Or maybe Hitler and the Mika
do could help matters.
• • •
From Our Hearts
This is just a bit of old paper
Joe’s brother, Vernon, was drown
ed in the Caribbean Sea off the
coast of Panama last week while
attempting to rescue his twin
brother, Herman, who had ventur
ed out too far. Vernon and Herman
were employed in construction work
in Panama.
Although the accident occured
on February 1, the news didn’t
reach the Skiles’ home in Denton
until Monday, February 9.
Area Larger than Ohio
Taken by Fire Yearly
CINCINNATI, Ohio.—(AGP)—
Daniel R. Bergsmark, associate
professor of geography at Cin
cinnati university, says forest fires
in this country annually destroy
wooded areas 35 per cent larger
than the state of Ohio.
Bergsmark, reporting on studies
he has made of forest fire devasta
tion, declares relative humidity is
the greatest natural factor in the
start and spread of fires.
“All of the great historic fires
have occurred during periods of
low humidity when the air feels
dry,” he said. “I have observed in
northern Minnesota and Wiscon
sin that a relative humidity below
30 per cent has caused fires to
spread beyond control.”
It’s a super-duper western pic
ture the like of which has never
been seen. It’s “THEY DIED
WITH THEIR BOOTS ON” at
Guion Hall today and tomorrow.
The center of attraction of the
story is General George Armstrong
Custer, who made his famous last
stand on the Little Big Horn way
back many long years ago, played
in the picture by Errol Flynn. The
charming Olivia de Havilland is
cast as his wife to whom Custer
spent hours and hours writing page
after page of letters telling her of
his love for her.
Flynn, who played the major
roles in “Dodge City” and “Vir
ginia City,” goes right on proving
that he is more than capable of
portraying the part of the never-
to-be-forgotten Custer on the
screen.
Olivia de Havilland was born in
Tokio, Japan, but that should not
be held against her. She has come
up steadily in the film ranks since
her first role in
“Midsummer
Night’s Dream”
a number of
years ago. She
has been starred
in such pictures
as “Captain
Blood,” “The
,, Charge of the
ill Light Brigade,”
“Santa Fe Trail,” and “The Straw
berry Blonde.”
The story opens on Custer’s
days as a cadet at West Point.
Since he had a very fiery temper,
Custer was always getting into
trouble at school. He fought in the
Civil War for the North and later
was placed jn command of the
Seventh Cavalry to keep peace be
tween the whites and the Indians
in the Middle West.
Of course, some of the darker
spots on Custer’s record have been
cleaned up for the picture, but the
facts are essentially true. It is one
of the most elaborate western pic
tures ever made and one of the
best, too. The climax of the whole
show is the battle at Little Big
Horn on that day in 1876 when the
gallant Seventh went down to the
last man in the historic battle
against the Sioux Indians. It has
been transcribed on celluloid once
more and it is still thrilling as
ever. “They Died With Their Boots
On” is a motion picture of the
highest caliber and will prove very
entertaining.
. ~ V •
Dial 4-1181
WHAT’S SHOWING
AT GUION HALL
Thursday, Friday—“THEY
DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS
ON,” starring Errol Flynn
and Olivia de Havilland.
AT THE CAMPUS
Thursday—“THE EAGLE
AND THE HAWK,” with
Frederic March and Jack
Oakie.
Friday, Saturday — “THE
LIVES OF A BENGAL
LANCER,” featuring Gary
Cooper, Franchot Tone, and
C. Aubrey Smith.
Box Office Opens 2 P. M.
TODAY ONLY
“THE EAGLE AND
THE HAWK”
with
CAROLE LOMBARD
CARY GRANT — JACK OAKIE
FREDERIC MARCH
Cartoon — Musical -- Short
• • •
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
“LIVES OF A
BENGAL LANCER”
GARY COOPER
FRANCHOT TONE
Also
MERRIE MELODY
PORKY PIG
News Reel of
“Normandie” Fire in
New York Harbor
RAIN OR SHINE
Get You An
ALLIGATOR
RAINCOAT
And You Won’t Get Wet!
Slip into an Alligator for
“style in the rain” plus
longer lasting smartness
in all your clothes.
See our stock of
Alligator Raincoats
and Galecoats
$5.75 to $28.50
ClOCHllbui
College and Bryan
Movie
COME AN
IneveH
GUION HALL
Thursday and Friday, Feb. 12 and 13
4:30 and 7:45
|ei us mu
URRENDER!
Defiant Defenders
of America’s
First Frontier...
the Gallant
7th Regiment!
mOLFIKHY
and OLIVIA
\k\\IVVUIJA®
In Gen. Custer’s own,jazzing story
mmiED
VmTHEM
WOTS OJIt
A Story of Undying Faith
ARTHUR KENNEDY CHARLEY GRAPEWIN ■ GENE LOCKHART • Directed by RAOUL WALSH
Original Screen Play by Wally Kline and Aeneas MocKcnzie Music by Max Steiner A Warner Bros.-First Notional Picture
News -o- Cartoon -o- Comedy