Page 2
THE BATTALION
FRIDAY AFTERNOON, NOVEMBER 17, 1944
The Battalion
STUUDENT BI-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 twice weekly, and circulated on
Tuesday and Friday afternoons.
Entered as second class matter at the Post Office at College Station, Texas,
under the Act of Congress of March 8, 1870.
Subscription rate $3 per school year. Advertising rates upon request.
Represented nationally by National Advertising Service, Inc., at New York City,
Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
Member
Pbsocided Cr>Ue6iale Press
Office, Room 6, Administration Building. Telephone 4-1444.
Calvin Bromley Editor
Dick Goad Managing Editor
Alfred Jefferson Managing Editor
Reporters: Eli Barker, Robert Gold,
Bernstein, S. K. Adler..
Student Reporters: Henry Ash, Ernest Berry
James Dilworth, Edwin Mayer, John Mizell,
Damon Tassos, R. L. Bynes, L. H. Callahan.
L. Inzer Sports Editor
enyard W. Canis Backwash Editor
ick Osterholm Amusements Editor
S.
Rei
Dick usternoln
Henry Holguin Intramural Reporter
D. V. Hudson, B. J. Blankenship, Teddy
y, Louie Clarke,
Harold Phillips.
Bobby Rosenthal
us,
lal.
Half Way ... Stay or Leave
Seven weeks of the current semester have been written
down in class notebooks and major quizzes. One week is left
before the mid-semester grade reports will be turned in by
each professor and instructor. Although these grade reports
are not entered on a student’s permanent record they do
determine whether or not a student stays in school for the
remainder of the semester. Mid-semester grade reports can
either make or break a college career.
One week is left. One week to put the finishing touches
on grade books so that the report may be favorable. One
week in which to study for that quiz which may bring the
student over the borderline of failure or the next higher
grade letter.
It is not necessary to recount or enumerate the advan
tages of a flattering grade. Grades are not a true indication
of knowledge and ability but they are the best yet devised
by educators and until the time that some better method is
discovered students will have to be content with the con
ventional way. As long as percentage grades are the measure
of a student’s success, then a college man should expend
the effort necessary not only to make the best grade possible
but to garner the information in the process in such a man
ner as will best aid retention.
Mere passing is not enough. Not until each individual’s
conscience is satisfied as to the amount of work done can
any evaluation be consumated. Education is an individual
matter. It is not something that soaks in. It is something
that has to be willingly absorbed.
Beacon Light... Student Crusade
Universities and colleges have their ups and downs, their
controversies, their problems, and their family quarrels.
Usually these are carried on completely or partially under
cover and very seldom is it that the linen is washed before
the public and the taxpayers.
Even though most of the educational squabbles of re
cent months in Texas have been in the state schools there
is little doubt that other institutions of higher learning also
have their internal differences. Texas is more vitally in
terested in the conduct and well being of her state institu
tions because in a sense, Texas fathers the state institutions.
Although state colleges do- not get their total financial sup
port from tax sources, they do derive most of their income
from public taxes and that which does not come from this
source or other governmental subsidies, such as grants of
land, makes up but a small fraction of the operating revenues.
Because people of Texas are so vitally interested in their
state schools it is usual for any serious controversy to be
widely and publicly aired. More often than not these differ
ences that concern the colleges are remote from the student
body but American young manhood and womanhood, being
what, they are, are quick to take the side of the underdog.
It is an American habit, an American tradition to defend
whatever or whomever they love and more frequently than
not they defend that which is being beaten.
Americans, although they consider themselves conserva
tive, must be designated as liberal because they are quick
to accept new things or new ways of doing old things. They
are receptive to new ideas. Along with this adventurous
pioneering spirit there is a companion spirit of instant deci
sion, quick tempers, and quicker action.
Students at a university or college represent the best
of the young mental material of a nation. Their minds are
alert. Minds are ready for action. Life in a university can be
rather humdrum and especially so in these times of un
rest and global conflict Surrounded by a worldwide environ
ment of unrest it is quite understandable that any group
given the opportunity would sieze upon any crusade wdiich
presented itself. No one realizing the quantities of restricted,
vibrant energy both physical and mental stored in college
students*can condemn them for releasing part of this energy
in behalf of a cause which they think is justifiable.
The recent student clamor at Texas university was a
release of pent up energy stimulated by actions of college
authorities which the students resented because they felt
that their president was being treated unfairly.
People of Texas do not know the underlying causes
of the dispute at Texas university and perhaps they will
never know but Texas is proud of one thing. They are glad
that their young people had the moral courage of their con
victions. Texas cheers those students who, although they
may be wrong, have the fortitude to speak for their beliefs,
to act for their beliefs.
Liberal education, here meaning freedom of thought,
is the one beacon which can light the masses of the ignorant
humanity to the better life of plenty.
Galveston Corporal,
Class of *37, Stays
Overseas 18 Months
AN 8TH AIR FORCE FIGHT
ER STATION, England—Corporal
Grant D. Gordon, 24, son of Mr.
and Mrs. G. D. Gordon, 4706 Ave.
O, Galveston, Texas, is an air
craft mechanic at a fighter train
ing station. He maintains and re
pairs the P-47 Thunderbolt fight
er planes.
Cpl. Gordon enlisted in March
of 1942 and was assigned to duty
overseas in May of the following
year. He was trained for his pre
sent army job at Lockheed and
other technical training schools in
the States. Prior to entering the
armed forces, he Was employed
as an assistant engineering aide
by the U. S. Engineers, at Gal
veston.
Cpl. Gordon attended Ball High
Sohool and was graduated in the
Former Student Now
Flying - Marauders
Capt. Thomas A. Reiner Jr., 24,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas A.
Reiner, 243 Arcadia Place, San An
tonio, Texas, and former student
at New Mexico Military Institute,
Roswell, N. M., and Texas A. & M.
College, was among scores of Ma
rauder bomber pilots who were
graduated at the Dodge City Army
Air Field, Kansas, after com
pleting a 10-week flying training
course at this B-26 Marauder pilot
school of the AAF Central Flying
Training Command, which is part
of the AAF Training Command.
He was graduated as a first
pilot.
class of ’37. He later entered
Texas A. & M., at College Station,
Texas, and was a student there for
three years. Mr. G. D. Gordon, his
father, is an engine foreman with
the Sante Fe Railroad.
I
CAO^WAjri-!
Backwash: An agitation resulting from some action or occurrence.”—Webster.
By Renyard
W. Canis
T
WO IN A ROW. Wham! It
was badly bent last week but the
one in Houston will completely
break it. Everyone knows what is
referred to and all the Aggies are
going to Houston with one thing
in common. Broke. Busted. Flat.
Avowed Purpose
F
ULLY REALIZING that the
outcome of the Southwest Confer
ence race depends largely upon
who the Aggies beat and who
they don’t beat the “Twelfth Man”
will be in Houston strong to a
man to support the Fighting Ag
gies in a defeat of Rice and their
Owls. These birds of the night are
traditionally wise but they have
shown a bit of bad judgement in
meeting the powerful Aggise. Af
ter Saturday they will be a decid
edly wiser group of birds. They
have the bird and they are going
to get the bird.
(See BACKWASH, Page 4)
Man, Your Manners
By I. Sherwood
Whoever started the idea that
you shouldn’t cut your salad with a
knife? Emily Post says she didn’t!
It is permissible to use a knife
to cut a head-lettuce salad, a lettuce
leaf or anything in a salad that
needs cutting; take care that you
do not cut more than one portion at
a time, and use your fork for cutt
ing as much as possible, but don’t
hestitate to use your knife when
necessary.
Serving utensils are pretty im
portant accessories to the salad
bowl, and a knowledge of their
proper use will give you confidence
in yourself.
The correct implements to be
used when serving youself from a
salad bowl are a large fork and
a large spoon or server. Take the
spoon in the right hand to lift the
ealad, using the fork, as a balanc
ing implement, in the left hand.
Vegetables, desserts and meats
may be served with the same uten
sils, however, with meat the serv
ing fork is used in the right hand
and the spoon in the left.
Never use your own fork or any
of your individual pieces of silver
to help yourself from a serving
dish.
Individual salads are usually
eaten with a salad fork, but when
they are served with the main din
ner course, they may beaten with
the dinner fork.
It is not necessary to pick up
and place on your plate any silver
you have not needed to use. The
one clearing the table will take
them away. ,
PENNY’S SERENADE
By W. L. Penberthy
On the Mondays following the
Saturdays when our team plays
away from home a great many of
us are in no con
dition to put in a
good day’s work.
This is due in a
H large part to the
fact that we have
If had a pretty
strenuous week
end and have not
had our usual
amount of rest.
Following a team
is a very plea
surable past time
but one must be
in about the same physical condi
tion as the players in order to
stand the gaff. Watching an ex
citing game takes a lot out of us
and this, combined with the travel
involved, loss of sleep and our bat
tle with the elements, doesn’t leave
us much for our job on Mondays.
But ' if done in moderation, it is
Penberthy
good for us to have this kind of a
change once in a while because
it gives us a rest from our daily
work. I have observed, though, that
where we err is that we feel that
we should come home and rest up
from our little vacation. Vacations
are for the purpose of refreshing
us for the job ahead and not to
rest us from one just completed.
A vacation should recharge our
nervous system and if this is ac
complished we should be able to
attack our Monday’s work with a
lot of enthusiasm even though our
body is a little weary. Driving a
weary body is where our self-dis
cipline must exert itself but it
has been my experience and ob
servation that on these so-called
“Blue Mondays” we will feel much
better at the close of the day if
we make ourselves do a good day’s
work than if we give in to our
tired feelings and loaf through the
day. Try it some time.
Tessie Talk
By SuSu Beard
SOMETHING TO READ
By Edna B. Woods
Nobody questions the fact that
our biggest job is to win the war!
No person of common decency ne
glects his part in helping to ac
complish that task quickly and ef
fectively. But War to those pf us
on the home front (as opposed to
our fighting men on the battle
fronts of the world) is a compara
tively remote thing. We buy Bonds,
donate to the Blood Bank, give
our time to the USO, help with
Red Cross work, and write letters
to the men in service. Yet, par
ticipation in all of these activi
ties doesn’t sap our energy. If
we have a spark of intelligence or
a feeble concern about the future,
we’ll direct at least part of our
thinking toward understanding the
possibilities for the world of to
morrow, in order to achieve for
ourselves and for those who will
live generations hence the best of
those possibilities. Men who con
centrate their undivided powers on
fighting don’t always approve our
constant demands for post-war
planning; they sometimes consider
our efforts premature. But none
more capable than veterans of past
wars and the young veterans of
this war tell us how necessary
this planning is.
A continuous search to secure
new information on the subject of
post-war planning revealed two
very small, but vital books: To
wards An Abiding Peace by R. M.
Maclver, and How New Will the
Better World Be by Carl L. Becker.
R. M. Maclver is not one of
those persons who believes that
wars between nations is a natural
state of affairs, and that since
there have always been wars, we
must continue to have them. Scep
tics who uphold this pessimistic
philosophy are handled rather ef
fectively by Mr. Maclver. Yet, he
is the first to. emphasize that
“peace, like war, demands its
price.” Being an internationalist,
Mr. Maclver’s first prescription is
that we give up the idea of abso
lute sovereignty of nations. “A
tremendous psychological readjust
ment which this would necessitate
is perhaps the chief obstacle in the
path of the new warless order.”
The new international order which
he prescribes will have to be built
on a new international law and
backed by an international police
force. He demands “removals of
the major barriers to international
trade; equal access for all coun-
ti’ies to the natural resources of
the world; maintenance of relative
ly stable parities between the mon
etary units of different countries.”
The psychological readjustment
which Mr. Maclver demands is
far-reaching, but the author places
his faith in democracy (which he
defines as “the only political
scheme that makes government
constitutionally responsive to the
free tides of public opinion”) to
promote it.
Carl Becker doesn’t think that
the world-to-be will be much newer
than the pre-war world. He denies
the idea that our nation can re
turn to a state of “normalcy,”
however.
“Nationalism will remain the
strongest political power in the
modern world and its force will be
exerted in’ the form of many sov
ereign independent states. But
every nation should take into con
sideration the rights and interests
of other nations.” Mr. Becker
thinks it illogical to urge great
empires to make full use of their
powers for the purpose of ending
the war and of establishing a dur
able peace, only to give up these
powers after war is over.
The author points out that there
were many things wrong with the
pre-war world. To eliminate some
thing like mass unemployment, the
essential causes of economic con
fusion must be understood, and
there must be united action on the
(See BOOKS, Page 4)
Whether because of the team’s
determination or black cheeks, the
SMU Mustang was properly locked
in his stall last Saturday. A swell
game and pattern for future ones.
Wouldn’t try to describe the
wide awake, bouyant looks of the
girls as they straggled in the
dorms late Sunday night or Mon
day morning. Did all have a good
time? They looked it.
Again speaking of last Satur
day’s game, it was too bad that
the SMU “spot of blue” band had
to march after the A&M sizeable
collection. Sort of took away any
glory they might have had.
Thought: Someday someone will
invent a portable perch for the
yell leaders. No need to mention
names, you know who they are.
Seeing those fellows shuffling on
the wall trimming of the Adolphus
at the “to win” practice was
panicky enough. However, the “we
won” session at Louanns Saturday
night was far worse. To the two
who paraded on the roof-top, I
only hoped that somehow those
boots could have had rubber soles.
Although few of us know the
true and full reason for the mix-
up at A. & M., many noticed the
scarcity of properly worn dia
monds, circles and such. Rank
seems to change more frequently
during a semester than before a
semester.
Would like to stop now to say
a short thankful prayer for those
grand Aggie-exes. The spirt seems
to only grow larger. No foolin’
fellows it’s hard to realize how
really much their yelling and
backing means to the team, to you,
and to themselves.
Not too many of us are going
to get to go to Houston this week
end to watch the Aggies re-nest
the Rice Owls. Don’t forget tho’
we’re planning on counting the
score, and A. & M. has it all.
Beat the Stuffing out of the
Owls—
SuSu
PALACE
FRIDAY and SATURDAY
PREVUE SATURDAY NITE
Also MON. - TUBS. - WED.
BURLESQUE TO BIG TIME!
-A
$
RKO Rodio Picture
The Lowdown On
Campus Tlistractions
By Dick Osterholm
On the entertainment bill, show
ing at the Palace in Bryan, is the
much talked of propaganda picture
of the war, “The Hitler Gang”.
This picture has everything in it
about the rise of Hitler into pow
er. How the party got its beginning
from the last war and the slow up
rising principles by which it took
over Germany and tried to con
quer Europe. This is the picture
that is supposed to show all the
facts of the Nazi set-up, time to
life and just as startling as it
can be.
The Lowdown: Not a romantic
picture by any means but a re
vealing one if you are not afraid
to face the facts. It’s playing
through Saturday.
Playing at the Saturday night
prevue and through Tuesday at
the Palace is the musical comedy
“Show Business”, with George Mur
phy, Eddie Cantor, Joan Davis and
a cast of others. In this picture,
there is the usual love angle, and
happy go lucky plot. But there’s
good dancing, music and plenty
of laughs.
The Lowdown: Good musical but
no dramatics.
The Campus theater is showing
a double feature for the Saturday
‘bill. “Three Russian Girls” with
Anna Stein and Kent Smith.
Another picture of the fighting
front only this time it is the Rus
sian front. This is the story of the
Russian women who fight with
their men at the battle scarred
lines. It has the romance angle and
exciting moments of the ordinary
war picture.- There’s been a picture
like it before only in different ter
ritory.
The Lowdown: Not a bad picture
but nothing out of the ordinary.
Playing second on the bill is
“The McGuerins of Brooklyn” with
William Bendix, Grace Bradley,
Max Baer and others. Two business
executives take a little vacation
and get tangled up with a blonde
and consequently with their wives.
There are wolves all over the place
and the husbands don’t think it
funny when they take after their
wives. It’s a pretty good mix up
when things get going.
The Lowdown: A funny picture
but not too much plot to it. How
ever, it’s pretty good.
One of the best shows to come
to the Campus for some time is
showing Sunday and Monday. “The
Adventures of Mark Twain”. The
life story of Samuel Clements is
told here on the screen as it can
be told no where else. Frederic
March and Alexis Smith play the
part of the Twains. This is truly
a great picture, for you will live
the moments of Samuel Clements
as you watch it.
The Lowdown: A good picture,
see it.
Showing at Guion Friday and
Saturday is “Trocadero” with Rose
mary Lane and Johnny Downs. A
high flying musical with not too
Opens 1 P.M. — 4-1181
SATURDAY ONLY
Double Feature
R-F Productions Present
also —
William Bendix
“McGUEMS FROM
BROOKLYN”
NO PREVUE
SUNDAY and MONDAY
# AT LAST AT
p M
FREDRICMARCH ’ALEXIS SMITH
DONALD CRISP-alan hale
C AUMEY SMITH • JOHN CAKSAOT* • tIU HENKY
*0«E» BASRA? • WAITES HAMPDEN • JOYCB REYNOIOS
Owcwdi* Irvlno Rapper
much plot to it except the ordinary
light romance. This picture is not
(See DISTRACTIONS, Page 4)
Phone 4-1166
i a s™ s ll on .9c &20c
Tax Included
Box Office Opens at 1 P.M.
Closes at 8:30
FRIDAY and SATURDAY
Double Feature
TREK TO THE “TROC!”
... for tantalizing! talent... intoxicating
tunes... and a thousand thrills!
JOHNNY DOWNS
RALPH MORGAN
DICK PURCELL
CLIFF NAZARRO
CHS ARNHEM awl HIS OSCHESIM
EDDIE UBASON mi IK ODCHESTM
— also —
“JACKASS MAIL”
— with —
Wallace Beery
Majorie Main
SATURDAY 9:45 PREVUE
and SUNDAY
BRUCE BENNETT • J. CARROL NA1SH
LLOYD BRIDGES * REX INGRAM
Screen Play by John Howard Lawson and
Zoltan Korda • Directed by ZOLTAN KORDA
A COLUMBIA PICTURE
vBHPmmmmKnmKmmwmmmO!.
— also —
Donald Duck in Commando
Duck
MONDAY and TUESDAY
THE, PICTURE THAT WILL LIVE
IH YOUR HEART FOREVER!
^ DOROTHY McGUIRL
"ROBERT YOUNG-INAClAIRf
J