Page 2
THE BATTALION
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, and* issued Tuesday, Thursday
and Saturday mornings. *
Entered as second class matter at the Post Office at College
Station, Texas, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 187<L
Subscription rates $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
t-6444.
1941 Member 1942
Pissociated GoUe6icite Press
Brooks Gofer .' - +■ -.-Editor-m-Chief
Ken Bresnen UwfTw Edl l tor
Sports Staff
Mike Haikin ... ... Sports Editor
Mike Mann - Assistant Sports Editor
Chick Hurst Senior Sports Assistant
Advertising Staff
Reggie Smith .--...Advertising Manager
Jack E Carter Tuesday Asst. Advertising Manager
Tonis A Bridges _ Thursday Asst. Advertising Manager
Jay Pumphrey Saturday Asst. Advertising Manager
Circulation Staff
F. D. Asbury, Jr ..' Circulation Manager
Bill Huber Senior Assistant
H. R. Tampke Senior Assistant
Carlton Power -Senior Assistant
Joe Stalcup --- --- - Jumor Assistant
Saturdays Staff
Clyde C. Franklin Managing Editor
Jack Keith Ed *o r
Douglass Lancaster Junior Editor
Reporters
Ramon McKinney, John Baldridge, Tom Journeay, Charles
Kaplan, Bob Garrett, Gerald Fahrenthold, and Bert Kurtz.
Will This Tradition Go?
One of the outstanding traditions of Aggie-
land is that of meeting and speaking to fel
low Aggies and strangers on the campus.
Every year at about this time because of the
new freshman there has to be a reminder to
them about this tradition which has been
maintained in the past.
This tradition is in two parts. First, on
the campus speak to all whom you pass,
whether he is known personally or not. Ag
gies in former years have done this and its
one of the main points of the democratic
spirit which has made Aggieland what it is.
To maintain this tradition both freshmen
and upper classmen must cooperate, and not
leave it to just one of the classes. Fresh
men should be learning and practicing this
custom, but there should be no excuse on
the part of upper classmen who neglect to
speak to their fellow Aggies.
Second, freshman should meet all
friends who are walking, visiting, or talking
with members of their outfit. Unless a fresh
man knows the man who is with a member
of his outfit he should introduce himself.
These simple rules of a good tradition
are left to the student body for proper exe
cution, and whether another of Aggieland’s
traditions lives or dies rests in the Lands of,
its students.
The World Turns On
: By Dr. R. W. Steen :
The information now available on the battle
of Midway Island makes it appear that the
American victory here was very similar to
the victory in the battle of the Coral Sea.
In each case the battle, at least in the early
stages, was primarily a contest between
American bombing planes and Japanese
ships. In each case the Japanese suffered
greatly from bombs but relatively little
from the fire of surface vessels.
The battle had the immediate effect of
preventing a Japanese landing on Midway,
and may have prevented attacks on more
important bases. More than that it adds a
little more information on the subject of
naval warfare in these days of air power. It
must be obvious to everyone by now that
battleships have no business operating any
where close to land without ample plane pro
tection. It is also obivous that a naval force
with plane support has every advantage over
a naval force without plane suport. It has
also become quite obvious that land based
planes have many advantages over carrier
based planes. The planes themselves maneu-
,ver more easily, and they always have their
base to return to. Carriers, however, seem
particularly susceptible to misfortune, and
when a carrier goes down all of its planes
are lost. Relatively light damage to a carrier
might prevent the use of its flight deck, and
would thus render its planes useless even
through none of them was damaged.
There can be no doubt that naval war
fare is being revolutionized by the airplane,
but there is no point in writing off navies
as being of no further use. To win a war in
this age a country needs an army, a navy,
an airforce, and the ability to keep them
well supplied. The airplane has supplanted
neither the navy nor the army but has be
come a necessary adjunct to each of them.
If reports reaching this country are to
be relied on, the Germans have not executed
more than 1,000 Czechs in retaliation for
the assassination of the Nazi hangman. The
Germans do not contend that all, or even
any, of the persons executed had anything
to do with the assassination. Terrorism sim
ilar to this has been practiced on a smaller
scale throughout many of the occupied
countries. The Germans are, beyond doubt,
building up a wave of hatred that it will take
centunies to live down. This is one of the
factors which makes the possibility of a
lasting peace in Europe seem small indeed.
Something to Read
.By Dr. T. F. Mayo-
Town Hall
Many students and faculty members as well
fail to take advantage of one of the out
standing programs held here on the campus.
For the past years Town Hall has strived to
obtain topnotch performers in the entertain
ment world for the benefit of the college
and local residents.
This summer Town Hall has continued to
book entertainers who are outstanding in
their fields. A varied program which should
be of interest to everybody has been sched
uled. There are performances scheduled
which should be enjoyable to all.
Each cadet if possible should buy a
Town Hall ticket and thus round out his
educational program with activity outside
of the classroom. From such programs one
gains something lyhich can not be obtained
from long hours of study and recitation. Ac
quaintance with contemporary culture is a
requirement of every well educated student
today.
From the standpoint of the faculty
member and the local resident Town Hall af
fords the opportunity for entertainment at
a reasonable cost. In the large cities of the
state the cost of one performance will equal
the season reserved ticket for Town Hall’s
five performances.,
Look over the list of performers and
see if it won’t be worth while to buy a tick
et, not only from the educational point of
view but also from the entertainment out
look.
Quotable Quotes
“Democratic peoples must take the offensive
all along the line. They must be sustained
by conviction of the right, by confidence in
their strength, and by hope of attainment.
The advantage of the offensive has its moral
as well as military application. Democracy
is now forced to use measures which violate
its conscience because it has launched no
attacks of its own. It has lost the moral in
itiative and has allowed its foes to present
it with the alternative of subjection or vio
lence. Being in that situation, we must fight
our way out as best we can.
“But if we are not to face that situation
again, we must make our own situation. If
we are not to be compelled again to obey a
counsel of desperation, we must not only
seize the military initiative now at the ear
liest possible moment, but hold that initia
tive and translate it in the hour of victory
into an attack with political, economic,
scientific, and moral weapons on the old
unfinished work of civilization. If we do not
relish the methods which any unscrupulous
Steinbeck on the War
(“The Moon Is Down”)
len the creator of the Oakie Joads (The
es of Wrath) and George and Lennie
(Clf'Mice and Men) comes out with a War
no iiel, we have a right to expect something.
W lat we get is a brief, fastidiously written
tale of a democratic (unnamed) country
vpiich has been beaten and occupied by a
totalitarian (unnamed) army. The point of
l}he book is that mere military defeat and
ccupation can never really subdue a free
oople. The dramatic conflict is focussed in
two groups: Mayor Orden and his homely
little circle, (by no means forgetting Annie,
the cook), and Colonel Lanser and his offi
cers.
As soon as The Moon Is Down appeared,
a violent controversy as to its merits arose
among the critics. The chief contentions were
about as follows:
1. The book is a beautiful and moving
story, but absurd, taken as an analy
sis of such a situation.
2. It is a penetratingly true analysis of
the situation in Norway, etc., but a
very poor novel.
3. It is both a literary masterpiece and
a major prophecy.
4. It is intolerably affected writing, and
preposterously unrealistic as a “mes
sage.”
In case you are interested, the reviewing
staff of The Battalion is disposed to agree,
(unanimously) that The Moon Is Down is
a highly dramatic and touching story in a
style the occasional affectedness of which is
excusable because of the author’s evident
earnestness; that, as a literal analysis of
what is going on in the occupied countries,
it is probably a little on the “wishful think
ing” side; that it ought to be viewed rather
as a stirring exhortation to all free men to
refuse to be impressed by mere force, even
when that force i^ apparently triumphant.
Anyhow, the book is well worth read
ing. It gets better and better right to the
end, and just before the end the funny old
Mayor says some fine things:
His voice was very soft. “The people
don’t like to be conquered, sir, and so
they will not be. Free men cannot start
a war, but once it is started, they can
fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers
of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is
always the herd men who win battles
and the free men who win wars.”
enemy can force us to employ as the price
of our lives, then we must wage our own
world war, with our own preferred methods
of persuasion, humanity, and justice, and
ourselves create, after our own model, the
world of tomorrow.” Dr. Ralph Barton Perry
of Harvard university urges democracies to
take the offensive against eror, inertia and
reaction.
* * *
“In order to live under a dictator you must
be a conformist, and a conformist cannot be
a progressive scientist.” Waldmar Kaempf-’
fert, science editor of the New York Times.
‘Of course. I’m hungry. I'm always hungry!”
This Collegiate World
ACP:
agent with the task of delivering
A 40-acre deposit of bentonite- s0 “ <! "“f* P 1 ” 13 , ” California,
clay used extensively in refining plcks up Bob hel P her elude the
A 21-year-old American-born sonnel in the health sciences will
Japanese student was notified at be provided by a $30,000 grant to “My FAVORITE BLOND.” Others
a California evacuation center the university from the W. K. in the cast are Gale Sondergaard,
that he was the scholastic leader Kellog foundation, announced by Victor Varconi and George Zucco.
among the 4,800 in this year’s President Alexander G. Ruthven. Madeline, as a beautiful British
University of California graduat- * * *
ing class.
The honor student is Harvey a
Akio Itano, born in Sacramento, of’petroleum'’andlor rotary'driir counter-espionage agents^attempt
During his four-year pre-medical i n g m uds—has been located in Jas-
course in the college of chemistry p e r county and has been mapped medlocre vaudeville actor with a
he maintained a straight A aver- by the University of Texas bureau r oUer-skating^ penguin that
a ge. of economic, geology with aid of
The youth went to an assembly WPA field crews, Dr. E. H. Sel-
center April 22 and university of- lards, bureau director, has an-
ficials were unable to contact him nounced.
in time to have him present at The deposit is approximately 20
commencement exercises to re- feet thick, and is “very conven-
ceive the medal emblematic of his iently located for shipment to mar-
SATURDAY. MORNING, JUNE 13, 1942
COVERING
caps distracnoNs
By
JACK
KEITH
The big attraction on the cam- tingly carries the plans through
pus next Saturday will be the the most dangerous "pots. Miss
first summer CORPS DANCE, Carroll, under the pretense of
featuring Don Hackney’s new Ag- making love to him, pins the much-
gieland Orchestra. Uniform will wanted documents under his lapel
be No. 2. Write that girl back and when the danger is passed,
home now and invite her up for she immediately recovers the par-
the week-end. cel and gives Bob the cold shoulder.
Tonight the Aggieland Orchestra This alternate love-making and
will give the corps a preview of coolness on the part of the un
its music at KADET KAPERS in known blond serve to baffle the
the Assembly Hall. In addition to gullible Hope,
the group of talented musicians Percy the Penguin deserves
who play with the orchestra, their credit as one of the most import-
own vocalist, Miss Norma Jean an t characters in “My Favorite
Jahn, will also appear on the pro- Blond.” Although not listed in
gram. Dick Jenkins promises the the cast of characters, Bing Cros-
usual fun and entertainment for by also appears in a very brief
all who attend the program. scene of the picture.
Remember that Kadet Kapers The Lowdown:—A killer-diller
starts at seven and ends by eight, j n every respect,
giving you plenty of time to see Shirley Temple returns to the
a movie, attend a dance, or what
have you?, after the program is
over.
Midnight preview tonight at the
Campus is a Bob Hope-Madeline
Carroll comedy by the name of
(See DISTRACTIONS, Page 4)
(Jam/jm
4-1181
ing to get the plans. Bob is a
a
is
about to land him in Hollywood.
Its a merry chase across the
country. Hope, ignorant of the
beautiful blond’s mission, unwit-
scholastic achievement.
ket,” Dr. Sellards said.
In addition to use by the petrol
eum industry, bentonitic clays are
m defense industries the Umver- algo used in manufacture of soaps>
To aid in detection of saboteurs
Have Your Eyes
Examined
Lenses Duplicated
Dr. John S. Caldwell
Bryan, Texas
sity of Wisconsin chemistry de
partment is incorporating sabo
tage work in its course in use of
scientific methods in detection of
criminals. The course is conducted
by Prof. J. H. Mathews, director
of the course in chemistry and
well-known crime dection expert.
insecticides, cosmetics, polishes,
adhesives, ceramic glazes, and ab
sorbents, and road, roofing and
floor materials.
for tracing sabotage and sabo
teurs. Lecture material includes
bombs and explosives, truth-serum U"
and lie-dection tests, fingerprint
identification, methods for making
casts of foot-prints and tire-prints,
identification of guns, bullets, and
shells, and blood identification.
The course in crime detection
was inaugurated at Wisconsin in
1937. Mathews has won a nation
wide reputation for his crime de
tection work in the state and he
has testified in more than 50 mur
der trials.
Her name won’t be found on the
title page, but slight, gray-haired
_ .... . . Mrs. David F. Swenson of Minne-
Z " 1S . 1S Z . 0n ..Z e ? apolis is chiefly responsible for
publication of the two latest trans
lations of works of the great Dan-
philosopher, Soren Kierke
gaard.
The translations, “Something
About Kierkegaard” and
“Thoughts on Crucial Situations
in Human Life,” came off the
presses of Augsburg Publishing
House recently.
They were begun in rough form
by David F. Swenson, late pro
fessor of philosophy at the Uni
versity of Minnesota.
* * * When death cut short her hus-
Although it has already given band’s work in February, 1940,
104 of its staff members to the Mrs. Swenson decided to complete
armed forces and has another 36 tlie translations, notwithstanding
enrolled in an army base hospital she knew nothing about the Danish
unit which expects a call to active language.
service any moment, the Univer- Mrs. Swenson pitched in and
sity of Michigan medical school learned the language of the Danes,
has cut a full year from the time and, as she learned, began trans
necessary to obtain the M.D. de- lating Kierkegaard’s works, until
gree and will increase enrollment finally she felt she was sufficient-.)
in its next freshman class by 25 ly accomplished to complete the
per cent as wartime measures. task which her husband had set
More members of the medical ou t f° do -
school staff are being commission- Professor Swenson “discovered”
ed and called to' active duty every Kierkegaard quite by accident
day. while browsing through a campus
Through an agreement with the bookshop years ago, then devoted
United States surgeon general’s His life to studying and translating
office, the medical school is also tlie great Dane’s writings, becom-
preparing to offer graduate cour- i n l= i-He greatest American authori
ses in a number of medical spe- ty on the nineteenth centui y .phil-
cialties. The first group of 50 osopher.
medical officers are expecting to
enroll in these graduate courses ■ — ~ HU"
July 1. Several important research
projects are also being conducted
by members of the medical school
staff in the interest of the defense
program.
Box Office Opens 1 P. M.
LAST DAY
“GENTLEMAN
AFTER DARK”
with
BRIAN DONLEVY
PRESTON FOSTER
MIRIAM HOPKINS
Also
Community Sing
Three Stooges -- News
PREVIEW TONIGHT
SUNDAY - MONDAY
HOB who calls
MADELEINE CARROLL
*0 fAVORlff
ENJOY MEXICAN FOOD
On Our Cool, Shady Terrace
and Dance in the Out-of-Doors
Franklin’s
1 Mile West On Airport Road
Financial aid for University of
Michigan medical, dental and pub
lic health students who are ac
celerating their study programs
by one-third to meet the greatly
increased wartime demand for per-
NEEDED
Slide Rules,
Drawing Instruments
LOUPOT’S
i
WHAT’S SHOWING
AT GUION HALL
Saturday—“Kathleen” with
Shirley Temple, Herbert
Marshall and Laraine Day.
AT THE CAMPUS
Saturday—“Gentleman Af
ter Dark” with Brian Don-
levy and Miriam Hopkins.
Favorite Blond,” Bob Hope
and Madeline Carroll.
JUST
GOOD
FOOD
At
COLLEGE COURTS
COFFEE SHOP
MOVIE
Guion Hall
SATURDAY
1:00 — 7:00 and 8:30
MEET THE NEW SHIRLEY
Shirley Temple - Herbert Marshall
and Laraine Day
“KATHLEEN''
ALSO
March of Time “Far East Command”
Late News
Coming Mon. - Tues. - Wed.
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello
“Rio Rita”