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THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1946
The Good Old Days . . .
It seems like everyone around the campus is always
crying that A & M, and especially the Corps, should get
back “like it used to be”—meaning, of course, that the good
old days were the best, and all new traditions and practices
are un-Aggie, and perhaps even un-American.
We’re inclined to agree at times. There were many
things about the old A & M that are preferable to the pres
ent one. Then we were exclusively military, and presented a
somewhat united student attitude.
Yes, it’s fun to think about the good old days. And
when A & M does return to its prewar position as an ex
clusively military college, some of the aspects of those pre-
whr days should return to the campus, though in altered
form.
Probably the most desirable of the old institutions is
that of the Ross Volunteers, the men in white who built up
such a reputation as a crack drill team. They were started
in the time when Lawrence Sullivan Ross was president of
tbe college and were supposed to be a kind of honor guard for
the prexy when he entertained visiting notables. The name
of the organization was to change whenever a new president
was installed, being called Harrington Volunteers, Bizzell
Volunteers, and, if the tradition had continued, Gilchrist
Volunteers.
But this idea was sidetracked, and the Volunteers were
named after Ross, and kept this name permanently. Mem
bership was open to juniors and seniors only, who were chos
en for their military proficiency. A distinctive white uni
form was worn on parade occasions, when they displayed
flashy drill skill. Also, the RV’s had an annual ball, and
incidentally, a rather strenuous initiation.
Revival of the Ross Volunteers would bring more of
what the military has been straining for this year—soldierly
smartness, precision, and bearing. These points should be
emphasized in its organization and operation, to prevent it
from becoming a social club, with glamorous uniforms, like
the Cowboys or the Silver Spurs at Texas. If it upholds the
purposes for which it was originally created, the Ross Vol
unteers can become a welcome addition to the present A&M
from “the good old days.”
Shoemaker’s Children .. .
Shoemakers’ children, according to the old proverb, nev
er have any shoes. And Texas A. & M. College, one of the
top engineering schools of the nation, is often the last to
take advantage of modern engineering developments.
We’re talking about air-conditioning. This may seem
a strange time to talk about such matters, with blue north
ers sweeping down upon us every few days, but air-cooling
cannot be put in over night, and we have to talk about it
now if anything is to be done.
There are two buildings on the campus, centers of im
portant activity, that cry aloud for some form of cooling.
They are Guion Hall and the Cushing Library.
During the summer we have numerous short-courses
held on the campus, many of which meet in Guion Hall. Last
year, as visitors sat in that sweat box, they roundly razzed
us as the home of engineers who don’t “engineer” things
in our own back yard. Although it would be too costly to
equip Guion Hall with the movie-theatre type of equipment,
which guarantees icicles on the back of your neck during
the worst heat waves, it does seem that something could be
done less expensively to make the place endurable.
The other sweat-box is the Library, full of expensive
books which mold and deteriorate every summer despite all
efforts of the staff. It is difficult to read in the reading
room during the summer; it is almost impossible to work
in the stacks for more than a short time. Ducts were in
stalled in the building when it was built; it would seem that
our engineering brains should be able to figure out some so
lution that would not be prohibitive in cost.
After all, we are an engineering school, aren’t we. May
be the ASHVE’s — only collegiate members of the American
Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers — ought to
swarm over these two buildings as work-projects and see
what they can draw up.
Head Cracking . . .
There was a surprising lack of trouble at Austin Wed
nesday and Thursday, despite the Daily Texan’s attempts
to paint the crudest, rudest, and most juvenile picture of
Aggies as was journalistically possible. At the yell prac
tice Thanksgiving Eve, the only big fight started there was
initiated by men who were students of neither A. & M. nor
Texas. And at the various frat houses, attempts to tear
down signs condemning the Aggies to hell and suggesting
that we choose our Sweetheart from Lower Slobbovia in
stead of TSCW, were noticeable by their absence.
Of course, there was the usual Austin inhospitability
toward Aggies. The battle cry of the Teasippers’ pep rally
was not “Beat A & M”, but a simple statement of their senti
ments for us—“Aggies Stink!” And the Longhorn Band,
which followed the Aggie Band onto the field, at halftime
committed what is considered high discourtesy by failing to
play any of A & M’s school songs. And after our band had
played “Texas Fight” for them. But what can you expect
from a bunch of guys who’ll jingle cowbells during Silver
Taps?
In spite of minor fracases, the football crowd was one
of the best behaved in many years. There wasn’t an un
common number of drunks at the game, or even at the yell
practice. No riot occurred in the stands, though this had
been freely predicted. The parade of the Cadet Corps went
off uninterrupted by any disturbances whatsoever. There
was no organized storming of frat houses, no free-for-alls
between rival groups.
Reasons for this unexpected docility on the part of both
student bodies are rather hard to ascertain. Perhaps it
was just postwar indifference. From statements of stu
dents in both schools, however, the most likely solution
comes. The Teasippers were afraid of the Aggies, and
the Aggies were doggone glad of it. Or maybe it was the
other way around.
PIGSKIN PROTEST . . .
Mid-Season Letters to Editor
Bitter Over Football Losses
In this issue the Battalion prints
two letters received earlier, but
withheld from publication until the
end of the football season.
As is the case with all “Letters
to the Editor,” the opinions ex
pressed are those of the writers
and the Battalion staff does not
necessarily concur.
AFTER ARKANSAS
Saturday afternoon
November 2, 1946
Dear Editor:
I dare you to print this one . . .
Whose team is Norton on? Why
did he mess up a good crew this
afternoon by constant substitu
tions? What he needs most of all
is a “wet winter.” My suggestion
for Homer N. is to move his chair
over on the other side of Kyle
Field and sit with the opposition.
Nuts,
R. Bruce Simmons, ’46.
AFTER TECH.
Dear Editor:
We have just turned off the ra
dio after listening to the defeat of
our Fightin’ Aggin football team
at the hands of our'own coach—the
great Homer Norton.
It has heretofore been the opin
ion of the undersigned that col
lege football is played by the elev
en men on the field, supported by
the twelfth man in the stand, and
guided only on over-all strategy by
the coaches not called to the
last detail of every play by the one
man on the bench, sending in an
endless stream of message bearers
who cover more ground to and
from the bench than during the
play of the game.
True, the pill of defeat is a bit
ter one, and we are willing to
maintain the true American sport
ing tradition by being good losers;
nevertheless we find it difficult to
accept such a needless defeat with
out taking steps in a direction
leading to rectification of such
blunders as were responsible for
this chaos.
Let us now make specific obser
vations of past performances. In
being specific, let us re-open the
case of the Aggie-Tu game of
1940. The case: We had material
rated by all observaters as equal
to the best in the nation. Remem
ber, our team was undefeated, un
tied, and considered the nation’s
best team on the eve of our an
nual Turkey Day game.
It must be admitted that our
first string quarterback was in
jured and unable to give his usual
performance; but in spite of this
handicap, it still seemed only rea
sonable that our string of victories
continue unbroken.
The result, unfortunately, is a
matter of record. The cause? The
“Sideline Quarterback” pulling in
the wings of the spread formation
as we approached the landing in
the end zone after gliding the
length of the field, on those wings.
Another case: In 1941 we were
hosts to Tu here at Kyle Field.
Tu responded as a guest of honor
and walked away with the foot
ball game. Why? Again due to
poor judgment on the part of our
“Sideline Quarterback”.
Ordinarily, we would not con
demn a solitary instance of poor
judgment, but football and field
generalship as it functions today
is based principally upon judg
ment. Certain people on the staff
and faculty of our college should
hold it as one of their highest
achievements, i.e., always to do
the right thing, at the right place,
at the right time. This is a dem
onstration of consistent good judg
ment, for which they receive prop
er remuneration. A question: How
can a man accept compensation for
a job which he knows has not been
the best?
Back to the latest “Snafu” by
our “Sideline Quarterback”. Sub
stitutions en masse are sometimes
the deciding factor in a ball game;
however, is it necessary to pursue
such a policy to such an extent
that the law of diminishing returns
has not only been reached but
passed?
Then, to continue this item of
judgment, let’s examine the final
quarter of our game with Texas
Tech—to be more exact, the final
few plays. This time a substi
tution was needed in the closing
seconds of the game to stop the
clock and thus allow us time for
more of the successful plays that
were bringing us nearer victory.
Finally, the “Sideline Quarter
back” awakened from his stupor
and sent in the needed substitu
tion; but by this time, .... the
game was over.
Ed Ivey, Jr., ’41.
G'eo. A. Whittet ’42.
John J. Kane, ’44.
Wm. L. Kane, ’45.
Hi, Neighbor!...
Who stole Tuesday’s Batt from our dormitory mail box ?
And I’d better not catch anyone evesdropping! And if you
don’t quit telling your children to beat up our children, we’ll
keep our children in our backyard! Please, neighbors, don’t
unlawfully take our clothes from the liife-i-that is, unless
they’re dry.
Such are the complaints registered by a veteran’s wife
who recently wrote a letter to the Batt editors. It seems
that she is justified in her examples of misdemeanor.
The scribe, whom we will call “Troubled”, is a damyan-
kee, and she likes the fair state of Texas. She likes the love
ly campus; Texans are nice folks, too; but she DOES NOT
like the strained attitude between the married couples on
the campus.
Therefore, what say, married students and wives, step
across the hall, meet your neighbor, and practice the good-
neighbor policy!
BAYLOR BEWARE — BETTER WATCH JOSEPHINE
Owner of the city market in Superior, Wis., recently inserted a
small ad in the Superior Evening Telegram, which read: “Attention
hunters! Bear meat wanted. Will pay any price.” A week or so later—
before many hunters even had a chance—a reply came on the hoof
as there plodded down the street at one a. m. a huge, shaggy bear.
Local cops shot the Bear and sold it to the market owner for $100.
Who knows, maybe the right kind of ad in the Waco Tribune might
bring A. & M. a solution to the meat shortage plus a little pocket
money.
The Battalion
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of
Texas and the City of College Station, is published semi-weekly and circulated on
Tuesday and Friday afternoons.
Member
Plssooerfed Cr»(le6iate Press
Entered as second-class matter at Post Office at College Station, Texas, under
the Act of Congress of March 3, 1870.
Subscription rate $4.00 per school year. Advertising rates on request.
Represented nationally by National Advertising Service, Inc., at New York City,
Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
AUen Self
Vick Lindley
David M. Seligman
Charles E. Murray .
U. V. Johnston
Paul Martin
Jimmie Demopolus
Wendell McClure, Peyton Me Knight
Gerald Monson
Ferd English, L. R. Shalit, Arthur Matula, Claude Buntyn
wartz. Cl:
A1 Hndeck.
j Corps Editor
Veteran Editor
..Tuesday Associate Editor
Friday Associate Editor
1 Sports Editor
Assistant Sports Editor
Art Editor
Advertising Managers
Circulation Manager
. — — — — A. R. Hengst,
Babe Swartz, Clyde H. Patterson, Jr., J. M. Nelson, Larry Goodwyn Reporters
Jndeck. Jack Herrington ]
Photographers
“PISH” BLOTTO
By Pete Tumllnson
Letters
THANKSGIVING TIMBER
Dear Editor:
Many people think of inter
school rivalries only just prior to
great games. Actually men and
organized groups of men such as
teams, student bodies, institutions,
and even nations win in their com
petitions in proportion to their
forethought in providing the things
needful for their purposes.
It is my hope that a thousand
years from now, a new class of
“A. & M. fish” wil be hauling and
hewing at a suitable fuel supply
for the sacred fire. A thousand
years of vandalism would not be
a good tradition. We need friends,
and indiscriminate chopping makes
enemies. We want A. & M. and
its surroundings to be beautiful
the year round and perennially,
and not just while the flame is
hottest.
Trees play an important factor
in our growing beauty. Trees, like
men, grow. Since A. & M. is now
launching work in forestry, would
it not be an act of faith in our
future to begin planning a forestry
plot where future “Aggies” could
with proper ceremony both plant
and cut sacred trees, grown in
sacred soil, by the loving provi
dence of Aggies of yesteryear ?
C. C. Doak
Head, Biology Dept.
Whafs Cooking
TUESDAY, Deceber 3
5:30 p. m. Methodist Bazaar,
Supper at 6:00 p. m., at Methodist
Church.
7:30 p. m. ASCE, CE Lecture
Room. DeWitt Greer, Texas Hwy
Engineer, speaker.
7:30 p. m. Grayson County A&M
Club.
7:30 p. m. Kream and Kow Club,
Creamery -Lecture Room. G. G.
Gibson, Extension Service, speak
er.
7 : 30 p. m. Ex - Servicemen’s
Wives Club, Sbisa Lounge. Month
ly business. Important that all
members attend.
7:15 p. m. Joint Meeting of all
Engineering Societies in Chemistry
Lecture Room. W. W. Finlay will
be guest speaker. Topic: “Nation
al Preparedness”.
WEDNESDAY, December 4
7:00 p. m, Wilbarger County-A
& M Club.
7:00 p. m. Texarkana A&M Club.
7:00 p. m. Latin-American Club,
Room 123, Acad. Bldg.
7:30 p. m. Basketball-Texas A
& M vs NTSTC.
8:00 p. m. Baptist Student Coun
cil, First Baptist Church.
There will be a meeting of all
members of the Texas A&M En
gineer in Room 109, ME Building,
at 7:00 o’clock December 4.
THURSDAY, December 5
7:00 p. m. Crane County A&M
Club, Room 223, Acad. Bldg. Or
ganizational meeting.
7:30 p. m. El Paso A&M club,
Room 128, Acad. Bldg.
7:30 p. m. Lufkin A&M Club.
7:30 p. m. Hillel Club.
7:30 p. m. Victoria A&M Club,
Room 107, Acad. Bldg.
7:30 p. m. Young County A&M
Club, Room 125, Acad. Bldg.
7:30 p. m. Brilge Group, Ex-
Servicemen’s Wives Club, Sbisa
Lounge.
7:00 p. m. Hill County A&M
club, Room 308, Academic Bldg.
7:30 p. m. Greenville A&M Club
Room 227, Academic Bldg.
TUES. and WED.
“BAD MAN’S
TERRITORY”
_ with —
Randolph Scott
Ruth Warrick
BETWEEN THE BOOKENDS . . .
Inside Dope on Game Warden
Life Revealed in New Book
By Wilnora Barton
Readers’ Adviser College Library
THE EDUCATION OF A COR
RESPONDENT by Herbert L.
Matthews, Hareourt, Brace and
company.
The byline of Herbert L. Mat
thews has appeared in the New
York Times for a good many years
and is familiar to thousands of
readers. His name signifies the
“best in modern journalistic writ
ing.” His biography which he has
entitled “The Education of a Cor
respondent” carries the reader
through the formative stages which
develop his own concepts and made
him the outstanding man he is.
Through three wars, Ethiopia,
Spain, and World War II, he shows
how he was shaken from admitted
political indifference in the early
1930’s to become one of the most
vehement haters of facism and all
that it represents. Mr. Matthew’G
experiences could be called the
growing pains of a liberal mind,
and his book should be on the read
ing list of all thinking persons who
believe that the last vestiges of
totalitarianism are yet to be wiped
out.
TRUTHS MEN LIVE BY, John
A. O’Brien, Macmillan Company.
“The Truths Men Live By” is a
book suited to our readers of a
more serious turn of mind. This
is a period of uncertainty and re
adjustment for everyone. The
world is seeking urgently a living
faith to guide it. Dr. O’Brien has
written this calm, lucid, and search
ing work concerning the repercus-
Community Chest
Goes Over Top
The College Community Chest
has gone over the top, Dr. Ralph
Steen announced today.
Contributions received up to
noon totaled $8,930.12, which is
$609 more than the committee had
set up in its initial budget, Steen
said.
A few contributions are still to
come in, he said.
Speaking in behalf of the com
munity chest committee, Steen ex
pressed appreciation for the as
sistance of all those who worked
on the campaign and the many
who made contributions to it.
Contribtuions made by various
groups at College Station were as
follows:
A. & M. College teaching di
visions, $5,507.03; Agricultural Ex
periment Station, $915.34; Exten
sion Service, $900.33; Engineering
Experiment Station, $81.38; Tex
as Forest Service, $77.53; Veterans
Administration, $17.50; A. & M.
Consolidated school $93.29; Pro
duction and Marketing Adminis
tration, $78.00; College Station
business men, $1261.72.
FRIDAY, December 6
6:00 a. m. Catholic Mass, St.
Mary’s Chapel.
2:30 p. m. Foods Group, home of
Mrs. H. A. Thomas, 205 Lee St.
Demonstration on Foreign Cooking
(including English Hi Tea).
7:00 p. m. Houston County A
& M Club.
7:30 p. m. Business Society.
AGGIES!
FOR
Cleaning
Pressing
Alterations
IT’S
SMITH’S
N. Gate — Phone 4-4444
,*4
IPf
.U L
/' ^ ~ A ^
C'V 4 ^ v 7 A
'W
W
EVERYTHING THE BABY NEEDS
Crib Sheets, Drawstring Gowns, Knit Shirts—
Many others. A limited supply of DIAPERS
sold in layettes.
THE TINY TOT SHOP
In Greyhound Bus Station
North Gate Phon e4-7114
sions of modern scientific research
upon theistic thought as he sees
it. Whether or not you agree fully
with all Dr. O’Brien says, his book
will help you to orient your own
thinking along these lines.
Dr. O’Brien has for the last
thirty years been teaching philo
sophy of religion, and he has
drawn liberally from his teaching
experience for examples cited in
the book. Of especial interest to
college students, “Truths Men Live
By” is written in such a clear style
that the book Will be appreciated
by all readers who wish to renew
their religious knowledge.
NOW LISTEN WARDEN by
Ray P. Holland. A. S. Barnes and
Company.
This is the season when sports
men begin dragging out their guns
and gear for bigger and better
successes. Sportsmen not only
polish up their guns, but they also
have a tendency to brush up on a
few of their favorite hunting yarns.
The type of yarn varies, of course,
but the ones which are the most
fantastic and appeal the most are
those about the scrapes with the
game wardens. Mr. Holland, a
former wild life protector, is cer
tainly in a position to tell some
tall ones because he was “The War
den” to whom these tales were
told.
So far as we know this is the
only book devoted completely to
Sportsman-Warden stories. Mr.
Holland with his years of exper
ience in the field and his success
as a writer of hunting stories was
the logical choice as compiler of
“Now, Listen Warden.”
An Announcement to
STATE FARM POLICYHOLDERS
New cars will soon be here.
Many of you will be buying
cars out of income on a de
ferred payment plan. Old style,
costly financing methods are
“out”.
Arrangements have been made
with local banks in this territory
to finance cars for State Farm
policyholders at reasonable rates.
And you can continue to enjoy
the benefits of your State Farm
Mutual protection.
This service is also available
to careful drivers, not now in
sured with State Farm. In most
cases it saves the buyers many
dollars.
See or call me now. I’ll be
glad to give you the details of
this money saving plan.
U. M. Alexander, Jr.
’40
Rm. 5 Casey-Sparks Bldg.
North Gate 4-7269
State Farm Life Insurance
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Matching sets of 14 Karat Yellow Gold,
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Garland Rings are priced from $25.00 to
$300.00 with matching Wedding Rings.
Convenient terms.
SANKEY PARK
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111 N. Main—Bryan