PAGE 2
THE BATTALION
FRIDAY AFTERNOON, DECEMBER 8, 1944
The Battalion
STUDENT 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 afternoon.
Entered as second class matter at the Post Office at College Station, Texas, under
the Act of Congress of March 3, 1870.
Subscription rate $3.00 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
Plssodoted Cr>Ue6iate Press
Office, Room 5, Administration Building. Telephone 4-5444.
Calvin Brumley Editor
Dick Goad Managing Editor
Alfred Jefferson Managing Editor
S. L. Inzer Sports Editor
Renyard W. Canis... Backwash Editor
Dick Osterholm Amusements Editor
Henry Holguin Intramural Editor
Reporters: Eli Barker, B. J. Blankenship, S. K. Adler, R. L. Bynes, L. H. Calla
han, James Dillworth, Ernest Berry.
Student Reporters : Henry Ash, Louie Clarke, W. M. Cornelius, Edwin Mayer, John
Mixell, Harold Phillips, Damon Tassos.
A New Dean of Agriculture . . .
Texas A. & M. holds the top ranking position
among agricultural schools in the nation, especially in size
and also in high standards. Dean E. J. Kyle shaped the
School of Agriculture from the raw materials of Texas
plains, forests, and mountains and from the high spirited
community minded peoples of the largest state in the union.
When Dean Kyle resigned he left a vacancy which few
men are capable of filling. Few people realized that one of
the most capable and recognized agricultural leaders in the
entire country was working quietly and without benefit
of publicity on the. A. & M. campus.
C. N. Shepardson came to A. & M. in 1928 to head the
Dairy Husbandry Department and since it has been under
his direction it has become one of the most widely recog
nized. His abilities were soon recognized by A. & M. and
to Shepardson’s duties was added the job of general mana
ger of all the A. & M. farms. Even from the poor soils of
Texas A. & M. Dean Shepardson has wrested a profit.
When a new Dean of Agriculture was needed the most
logical man was C. N. Shepardson. His work while in the
Department of Dairy Husbandry was of such quality that
he was recognized as a man capable of heading the greatest
School of Agriculture in the world.
Don’t Fence Me In . . .
Columbus did not know it but when he sailed from
Spain he began and opened the way for the most startling
political and social evolution that men have ever exper
ienced. It may have been that a spirit of adventure motivat
ed Columbus but it is likely that one of the underlying
forces driving Columbus westward was a desire to escape
the regimentation of the old world.
Columbus found a safety valve for the boiling tem
peraments of Europe. America’s early population was made
up largely of two elements. One group came to the New
World in search of riches while the other group came over
in an effort to escape from a society whose thought pro
cesses were alien to their own. These are the ancestors of
Americans.
w yR c™r
Backwash: An agitation resulting from some action or occurence.”—Webster.
It SEEMS that someone was
somewhat peeved about the Aggie
parade in Austin. The guess is
that person is getting more mail
now than that person has gotten
in a long time.
One Aggie made a guess as to
why the person in Austin was so
upset. According to this Aggie
the indignant man in Austin gave
7 points on the football game and
as the score was only 6 to 0 he
was peeved. Ummm. Could be.
Painter’s Nightmare
A COUPLE OF WEEKS ago
the College painted the water tow
er and investigation revealed that
the painting was done not to cover
up Aggie signs but because the
water tank needed painting to pre
serve the metal. Aggies couldn’t be
convinced of this however.
Next morning there were Aggie
tracks all over the water tank.
That afternoon it was painted silver
again. Next morning there were
•signs that the Aggies had return
ed. Again the tank was painted
silver. There are now some more
signs up. Must be gremlins.
Just a Suggestion
It IS FINE to have signs of
the Aggie Spirit on the water tower
but one thing conspicuously stands
out. Too many of the signs are
initials of individuals. The old
signs on the water tank were of
companies and othe military or
ganizations. They symbolized the
true spirit of A. & M. and not* a
selfish individual asking for recog
nition.
Morning Bath
Maybe it is an old law
and Puryear custom. Some say it
is. The other morning all the up
perclassmen in “A” company were
treated to a bath in “Puryear La
goon” between the two halls.
From the best reports available
the freshmen captured all the up-
Man, Your Manners
By I. Sherwood
Christmas time is the best time
of all the year for gift giving; we
fuss about how much time it
takes but we really enjoy it and
have a wonderful time getting the
job done.
Success in gift giving depends
upon giving what the recipient
would like best. Try diplomatically
to find out about a gift so you
won’t give something that the one,
who is to receive it, already has.
The following list should furnish
a suggestion for a Christmas gift
for your girl:
Charm bracelets, Identification
bracelets, Bracelets, Brooches,
Beads, Lockets, Vanity Cases, Pow
der cases, Cigarette cases, Cigar
ette holders, Match cases, Mem
orandum books, Desk sets.
Key cases, Artificial flowers for
hair, Jeweled combs, Ear clips,
Photograph frames, Stamp boxes,
Ash trays, Pens and pencils, Wrist
watches, Crucifix, Hosiery, Candy,
Flowers.
Here is a list of suitable gifts
for your Mother:
Candy, Flowers, After dinner
coffee sets, Bonbon dishes, Bread
and butter plates, Candlesticks,
Hurrican lamps, Flat silver, Fruit
bowls, Salad bowl—fork and spoon,
Card tables.
Memorandum pads, Pitcher and
glasses, Pepper pots and salt cups,
Place card holders, Vases, Sand
wich plates. Serving trays, Syrup
jug and tray, Ash trays, Dinner
ware, Hosiery.
The Puritans left England for religious reasons. Ger
mans came over here because they were not typical of the
communities from which they come. Latin peoples left
southern Europe largely because they needed new outlets
for their energy. Nearly every person that immigrated to
America was a misfit in his old society and because they
believed in themselves strongly enough they had the courage
to venture into a primeval territory and carve out a society
according to their specifications. Look at America today.
The most powerful nation in the world grew from an an
cestry of misfits.
But America is not great because of these misfits.
Rather America is great because always there was room
for diference of opinion. Out of differences grew new ideas
and from new ideas came progress. Finally geographical lim
itations prevented the misfits from moving out of the set
tled country and from that day forward America 'and
Americans have become more and more subject to regi
mentation.
As the society becomes more complex individual
rights become more limited and it frequently happens, as it
has in Europe during the last half century, that individual
rights are swallowed up in concern for the whole. This is
contrary to the ideas that Americans have had since the
first settlers. No longer though is there space into which
misfits can move. They must stay in society.
Here it might be profitable to define a misfit. A misfit
is a person that is unable to reconcile the mores of the so
ciety in which he lives with his own ideas of how a life
should be lived. A misfit may be any shade between -ultra-
progressive or ultra-regressive but because that person is
different there exists no justification for suppressing that
individual. From persons dissatisfied with existing condi
tions come new ideas and new ways of doing things. From
these America has woven a fabric of life the strength of
which is not yet known.
Americans must have freedom to think, they must
have room to move around in, and they must have the mis
fits to provide the stimulation for thought.
Men that are selfwise, men that are satisfied, men that
are content with things as they are, men that are afraid of
progress, these are the men that build a fence around civ
ilization.
Today there is a fight shaping up in Texas, a fight
between those that would fence society in and those that
would see it grow and expand. On the one side there is the
power of the inertia of government and public opinion. On
the other side are the voices of academic freedom.
Perhaps some of the ideas that are circulated in a com
pletely free country are of questionable character and per
haps many of the ideas that are proposed and advocated
are unhealthy for America’s future. But is there not an
advantage in Rowing these ideas thoroughly and com
pletely? How can an enemy be defeated unless his strength
is known?
Supression of academic freedom is a violation of the
sacredness of the pioneering tradition. No longer are there
new forests to explore. No longer may a man be a hermit.
Today each person has to live with society, Tremendous and
careful thinking must be done to keep Americans free from
regimentation. Where can be found the stimulus for new
ideas ?
Let the radicals rant and rave. Let every person with
an idea speak. Gather from all the ideas that come from
the granduations of radical to conservative and sift and
compromise until the solution is found.
Academic freedom found its birthplace when Columbus
sighted the West Indies and if ever it is buried there will
cease to be a New World because the blackness of the dark
ages will have crept into the civilization of the New World.
PENNY’S SERENADE
By W. L. Penberthy
We have just finished one of the
closest and most confused races
in the history of Gonference Foot
ball. In the opinion of many the
championship team was actually
one of the weak
est teams in the
il Conference, but
If T. C. U. managed
I to score just
enough points to
defeat their op-
|i! ponent in enough
games to give
£.;■ :• them the title,
and winning the
Ramos ^s what
!l|||§ pays off. It might
also be said by
Penberthy many that they
had many good breaks, but may it
be to their everlasting credit that
they took advantage of these
breaks. It has been my observation
down through the years that the
breaks are pretty well distributed.
One team will get them this year,
and another seems to get them the
next, but these breaks usually go
to the hustling team. We win some
games when we feel that the other
fellow had the best team and then
we lose some when we feel that
we had the best team, but these
things are what make football the
interesting game that it is.
‘ The same thing is true in life.
We look around and can’t help but
notice that in many cases those
who seem to get the breaks and
have good fortune are not nearly
as worthy as some who seem to
have an uphill pull all the time,
but like in football the breaks
usually go to the hustling individu
al who is looking for them and not
to the one who sits and waits for
the breaks to come to him. It is
the individual who is “on the ball”
and “in there pitching” who covers
the most ground on the road to
success.
Something to Read
By Dr. T. F. Mayo
Test Yourself?
Socialism, Evolution, Uncertainty
'Principle. Pragmatism, Culture
Lag. Realism.
Here are six terms for theories
in six fields of thought: Econo
mics, Biology, Physics, Philosophy,
History, The Arts.
If you understand the meaning
of these terms, the chief arguments
for and against each theory, and
the principle alternative to the
acceptance of each theory, you
may consider yourself, I believe, a
moderately well informed person.
(Please note that you will be well
informed; not necessarily educated.
Education includes many things
beside the possession of informa
tion.)
If you should find (by any off
chance:) that your grade on this
test is low, if there should be one
or two of these terms the mean
ings of which are not quite clear
to you (at the moment,) the Col
lege Library recommends these
books—purely, of course, as “re
freshers”:
About Socialism (Economics)
Where Do We Go From Here?
by Harold Laski. The present world
crisis analyzed and interpreted in
socialist terms by a highly intel
ligent British socialist.
About Evolution (Biology)
Concerning Evolution, by J. Ar
thur Thomson. Clear, authentic,
and interesting.
About the Uncertainty Principle
(Physics)
Physics and Philosophy, by Sir
James Jeans. “Deep stuff” made
plain by brilliantly lucid writing.
About Pragmatism (Philosophy)
Human Nature and Conduct, by
John Dewey. The most influential
book by the most distinguished
living pragmatist (or “instrumen
talist”). Tough but rewarding.
About Culture Lag (History)
This most interesting and use
ful term was invented by W. F.
Ogburn and appears first in his
Social Change (1922). But the or
dinary man will probably prefer
to read about it in a later (and
smaller) book: A Planned Society,
by George Soule. (Or you might
ask Dr. Steen to expound it for
you.)
About Realism (The Arts)
Since literature is the Art with
which we most frequently come in
to contact, perhaps it would be
best to read in this field Expression
in America, a sketch by a realist
(Ludwig Lewisohn) of American
literature. A more explicit dis
cussion of “realism” appears in
The Decline and Fall of the Roman
tic Ideal, by F. L. Lucas.
Books Received By
College Library
General Reading:
The Little Oxford Dictionary of
Current English, compiled by
George Ostler.
Identification; the world’s mili
tary, naval and air uniforms, insig
nia and flags.
Hypnotism, by George H. Esta-
brooks.
Tales from Bective Bridge, by
Mary Lavin.
Pan -American Spanish: self-
taught, by Francisco Ibarra.
The Mediaeval Stage, by E. K.
Chambers.
The Fun Encyclopedia, by E. O.
Harbin.
Chess for Fun and Chess for
Blood, by Edward Lasker.
Do You Want to Become an Ac
countant, by Thomas W. Brynes
and K. Lanneau Baker.
The Duke; a life of Wellington,
by Richard Aldington.
The One Story; the life of Christ,
by Manuel Komroff.
Applied Leathercraft, by Chris
Groneman.
He 0 s in the Paratroops Now, by
A. D. Rathbone, IV.
Hackberry Cavalier, by George
Sessions Perry.
Careers for Men; a practical
guide to success, edited by Edward
L. Bernays.
Yankee from Olympus; Justice
Holmes and his family.
Victory at Midway, by Lieut.
Commandef Bailey Coale, U.S.N.R.
Social Sciences:
Germans in the Conquest of
America: a sixteenth century ven
ture, by German Arciniegas.
Come Over Into Macedonia; the
story of a ten-year adventure in
uplifting a war-torn people, by
Harold B. Allen.
Unfinished Business, by Stephen
Bonsai.
Belgium in Bondage, by Jan-
Albert Goris.
Hitler’s Counterfeit Reich; be-
perclassmen and gave them a
thorough ducking in the wet cold
water from the rains. Towels
weren’t furnished.
Dancing’ With Tessie
T HIS WEEKEND the TSCW
gals have their annual senior dance.
Rumor has it that it will be an
all night dance but in these quar
ters that is completely unimagin
able.
No one knows how many Aggies
will be making the trip up Denton
way for the dance but there will
be at least representation. Never,
hardly, is there a day passes but
what there is at least one Aggie
on the Tessie campus.
If You’ll Listen
Marriage IS LIKE a cafe
teria—grab something good look
ing and pay for it later. ... A
girl has to have a lot of exper
ience to kiss like a beginner. . . .
She was just an opticians daugh
ter—two glasses and she made a
spectacle of herself. ... We were
never able to find Grandma’s
glasses, but now she leaves them
just where she empties them. . .
. It is said: “The noblest kind of
dog is the hot dog—it actually
feeds the hand that bites it.”
An Aggie-ex was cursing and
yelling on a London street while
holding a doorknob in his fist.
“Them so-and-so Nazis will pay for
this—blowin’ a saloon right out of
me hand.”
CHEMISTRY NOTES
C ONNECT 20,000 VOLTS
across a pint. If the current jumps,
the whiskey is poor. If the cur
rent causes a precipitation of lye,
tin, arsenic, iron slag, and alum,
the whiskey is fair. If the liquor
chases the current back into the
generator, you’ve got good whiskey.
Friday and Saturday
“WHITE CLIFFS OF
DIVER”
With Irene Dunne
Preview Sat. Night also
Sunday and Monday
Fred MacMurray
Barbara Stanwyck
Edward G. Robinson
— in —
“DOUBLE
INDEMNITY”
The Lowdown On
Campus Tiistractions
By Dick Osterholm
Leading with the best show of
the week is “The White Cliffs of
Dover”, still showing at the Palace
in Bryan. Beginning with Satur
day night prevue and showing
through Tuesday is “Double In
demnity” starring Fred MacMur
ray, Barbara Stanwick and Ed
ward G. Robinson. A murder drama
that will give you chills and leave
you in suspense. An insurance
salesman who believes he has com
mitted the perfect crime is trapped
by a flaw. Good action throughout
the picture.
The Lowdown: Two good pic
tures that will be showing over
the weekend.
At the Campus for Saturday
only is the comedy “Young and
Wiling” with Susan Hayward, Wil
liam Holden and Eddie Bracken.
A bunch of stage struck kids live
together to share expenses, and
plot together to impress a great
producer. It’s a happy <mix-up when
luck finally comes their way and
its a tangle of romantic ideas and
laughs.
The Lowdown: Not too recent
a picture but a good, funny one.
Playing second on the same
billing is “Taxi, Mister” with Wil
liam Bendix. Love can find its
way into funny places, but here it
goes from taxi cabs to gangsters.
A big time racketeer falls for a
taxi-cab driver’s wife, and finally
the big choice comes, between taxi
hind the scenes of the Nazi eco
nomy, by Dr. Karl Robert.
The Road Back to Paris, by A.
J. Liebling.
They Shall Not Sleep, by Leland
Stowe.
The Ten Commandments; ten
short novel of Hitler’s war against
the moral code, edited by Armin L.
Robinson.
Memoirs of My People, through
a thousand years, edited by Leo W.
Schwarz.
Christianity and the Contemp
orary Scene; thh’teen authors de
pict, in fifteen essays, the church
of today, edited by Randolph Crump
Miller and Henry H. Shires.
Economic History of the United
States, by Harold Underwood
Faulkner.
The Cambridge Economic History
of Europe, edited by J. H. Calp-
ham and Eileen Power.
The Latin American Republics;
a history, by Dana Gardner Munro.
What is Our Destiny, by Norman
Thomas.
Man and Society in Calamity, by
Pitirim A. Sorokin.
Children of Bondage; the person
ality development of Negro youth
in the urban South, by Allison Da
vis and John Dollard.
Psychiatric Social Work, by Lois
Meredith French.
Behind the Steeel Wall, by Ar-
vid Fredborg.
Tar Heel Editor, by Josephus
Daniels.
Editor at Work, by Julie Eides-
heim.
(See BOOKS, Page 4)
Opens 1 P.M. — 4-1181
SATURDAY ONLY
Big Double Feature
msmm
PrssenUd by
Cin*mo Guild
— starring —
Eddie Bracken
William Holden
Susan Hayward
— also —
William Bendix
“TAXI MISTER”
SUNDAY and MONDAY
Also News - Merrie Melody
or wife. Strictly comeay.
The Lowdown: Classed as a
medium comedy, lots of laughs.
On the Sunday and Monday
billing, comes an exceptional musi
cal comedy, and in technicolor.
“Rainbow Island” with Eddie
Bracken and Dorothy Lamour, with
a cast of others, including sarong
girls. This is a south sea idyl
which has to do with the adventures
and romances of three U. S. mari
time servicemen who find an un
charted island following the tor
pedoing of their ship by the Japs.
They are about to be beheaded
when the resemblance of one of
them to the native’s God saves
them and participates more trou
ble, until they escape.
The Lowdown: Girls, sarongs,
comedy, music and south sea is
land setting. What more could you
ask for?
At the Satruday night prevue
and Sunday at the Guion, is the
technicolor hit, “Cover Girl”, with
Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly. A
dancing girl, star of the chorus,
tries to get to the top in a beauty
contest. She wins, becomes a model
but looses her boyfriend. Things
happen, and the two are united
again. Grand plot of music and
dancing for the background.
The Lowdqwn: It’s a good pic
ture, and worth seeing again if
you’ve already seen it once.
“To Be Or Not To Be”, starring
Jack Benny and Carole Lombard.
This is a laugh a minute picture
as only could be expected from
Benny’s pictures. He goes through
everything to become an actor
and when the time arrives, he is
faced with the question of his life.
Great fun.
The Lowdown: If the picture is
not cut too much, it is still worth
a lot of laughs.
Phone 4-1166
^ 0N .9cMc
Tax Included
Box Office Opens at 1 P.M.
Closes at 8:30
FRIDAY and SATURDAY
Double Feature
— and —
“IS EVERYBODY
HAPPY”
PREVUE SATURDAY 9:45
and SUNDAY
MONDAY and TUESDAY
“TO BE OR NOT
TO BE”
— with —
Jack Benny
Carole Lombard
V I
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