The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, January 05, 1949, Image 2

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    STANDOFF
Battalion
EDITORIALS
Page 2 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 1949
"Soldier, Statesman, Knightly Gentleman”
Lawrence Sullivan Ross, Founder of Aggie Traditions
Longhorn: Change or Not to Change? . . .
Thursday night the Student Body will vote to decide whether the majority favors
The Longhorn as the name for the A&M Annual or favors selecting a new name.
In order to give both sides of the issue, one student senator has given the argu
ments for changing the name of the annual. Another senator has given the reasons
why he felt the name should not be changed.
Arguments given represent their opinions and do not necessarily represent the
opinions of The Battalion editors.
Pro . . .
During the Christmas holidays, an Ag
gie freshman showed a borrowed copy of
the 1940 Longhorn to his father. “Dad,
this is the Longhorn; look it over.” The
father turned to the dedication page and
read. Looking up, he said, “Now isn’t that
nice.” Isn’t what nice, the cadet wanted
to know. “Why, it says “Dedicated to the
Spirit of Aggieland’. I think it’s awfully
fine of TU to dedicate their annual to
your school.”
'j And then the son found himself giving
his puzzled sire that same explanation
that Aggies have had to give for years,
namely: the Longhorn is A&M’s yearbook
and not that of our greatest rival the
University of Texas.
That oft-repeated scene is new to none
of us. It brings up the one supreme reason
for changing the annual’s name and that
is that Longhorn is not only insignifi
cant to A&M in any way, but is much
more fitting to our sister branch over in
Austin._
• • ’ A,
Despite arguments that the yearbook
had its name befor® the TU team had its,
the fact remains that today our annual’s
name is and continues to be associated
with the school which A&M prides itself
on being as different from as possible.
The major point brought out by the
students who oppose change in the name
is- that the name Longhorn has been
around for 45 years—a very long time.
We have a structure on this campus known
as Pfeuffer Hall. If you have ever had
courage to enter that rickety building, you
have no doubt realized that, although
Pfeuffer has been around much longer
than 45 years, it has outlived its useful
ness and should become material for bon
fires.
There has also been much discussion
as to the possible feelings of the Aggie-
exes in this matter. Of the several exes
interviewed by this writer, opinions rang
ed from “just don’t care” to much enthu
siasm in favor of change. Not one was
strongly in favor of keeping the present
name.
E. E. McQuillen, chairman of the De
velopment Fund and probably the man on
the campus most likely to speak represen
tatively for the exes, has been reported to
be wholeheartedly in favor of a name
switch. C. G. “Spike” White, another well
known Aggie-ex, had this to say: “If a
man has been married to the same woman
for 45 years and he still doesn’t get along
with her, it’s time he did something about
it.”
Here seems to be the final test of
whether or not we have the best possible
name for an annual of Aggieland. If the
yearbook had never had a name until this
year and an election was being held to
name it, would you vote for the Longhorn ?
Think about it.
JOHN NANCE GARNER, says the
Houston (Tex.) Press, “fed his chickens,
then took a tramp around the garden.”
WHERE’S the humor in this one? A
morgue clerk, checking through files of
the Columbus Ohio State Journal found a
cut envelope marked:
“Kiplinger, Willard—
newspauperman— 717138”
Con . • .
Seniors of 1895 edited the first annual
ever published here at A&M. Its name
was the Olio (meaning a collection of
outstanding literature and music). It was
the first and only annual by that name
and, therefore, no great tradition support
ed it. In 1903, the second annual edited
was the Long Horn (two words).
The next 10 editions carried the name
and beautiful engravings of longhorn
steers throughout the books. That proves
that we not only had the name, but we
also had the steer engravings as well, 12
years before some sportswriter referred
to TU as Longhorns in 1915. By 1913
military emblems replaced the steers in
the annuals. From 1921 to date, all an
nuals have been called Longhorn (one
word). All in all, 45 or 46 issues have had
the same name.
Contrary to arguments recently given
in The Battalion, the comments of the
editors of that first issue of the Long
Horn were directed at the annual’s make
up and gave no reference whatever re
garding the choice of suitability of the
name. There are those who say, under
standably, that the name causes confusion.
Possibly it does with freshmen and rank
outsiders. But freshmen are quickly orien
ted.
As for the outsiders just how far, do
we have to go in altering our traditions to
suit those few outsiders who are confus
ed? Rather, doesn’t it make our annual
seem even more note-worthy to be able
to point out to outsiders that ours is a
tradition of longer standing. This would
be particularly irksome to staunch “sip-
pers.” Actually, an annual is like a family
album, with only those members of the
Aggie Family interested for the most part
so why the bother?
What is to be gained by this change
which will be cutting in an already thin
field of truly old traditions? On one side,
we will be slashing away at one more tie
that binds the former students to A&M.
There are few enough left now. What will
become of the approximately 100,000 old
Long Horns that the Exes have, if TU
grabs the name for their annual, as there
is reason to believe they will. (The Daily
Texan, the TU students’ daily paper pre
dicted this proposal a few days before it
was even mentioned here at A&M. Does
this indicate lack of interest jn the name?
Their annual is impressively named the
Cactus ?
Some say “It’s progressive to change.”
Very well, if we don’t mind seeing our
traditions being no more deep rooted than
a season’s length, let’s see what progres
siveness will do for us. With 2,500 univer
sities and colleges in the US (not to men
tion high schools), the majority with an
nuals, we are either going to have to steal
a name like Recall, Reveille, Roll Call,
Aggie, Review, Taps, The Spirit, (all of
which are used by schools and colleges)
or we will have slim pickings in selecting
an original name that will suit everyone.
Would you steal a name, take a second
or third choice, possibly even an inferior
name? Do you want to take the chance and
gamble against a name that is a 45-year
old tradition, a name that is undisputedly
ours over TU by 12 years? Let’s keep it.
It’s as state-wide as bluebonnets or unpre
dictable weather.
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas and the
City of College Station, Texas, is published five times a week and circulated every Monday through
Friday afternoon, except during holidays and examination periods. During the summer The Bat
talion is published tri-weekly on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Subscription rate $4.30 per school
year. Advertising rates furnished on request.
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all news dispatches
credited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous origin publish
ed herein. Rights of republication of all other matter herein are also reserved.
Entered as second-class matter at Post
Office at College Station, Texas, under
the Act of Congress of March 3, 1870.
Member of
The Associated Press
Represented nationally by National Ad
vertising Service Inc., at New York City,
Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
KENNETH BOND, TOM CARTER.
.Co-Editors
Between the Bookends . . .
‘Wondrous Creatures’ Parade
Through Man’s Imagination
The Lungfish, the Dodo, and
the Unicorn, by Willy Ley, The
Viking Press, New York, New
York, Revised Edition, 1948.
Are you interested in the Dun-
gon or the Dragons of Babylon?
Willy Ley is too. He also is an
authority on the Dirrush from the
Ishtar Gate and the Eohippus and
Eucalyptus. Maybe your favorite
hobby is counting Aardvarks while
you paint Congo Peacocks. Willy
Ley is sympathetic to such occu
pations.
The Lungfish, the Dodo, and the
Unicorn is a strange parade of
wondrous creatures from the hid
den corners of the earth, the re
mote eras of time and the in-
scruitable recesses of man’s imag
ination. It is a remarkable book.
With it Willy Ley restores my
faith in science and its worship
pers.
Ley hasn’t let the pompous cau-
Sneak Preview . .
tiousness of the scientific method
destroy his imagination. He re
vels in investigating the facts be
hind the mythical creatures of the
past—and if there are no facts he
happily investigates the fancies.
His training has qualified him for
his search and his reports. He spe
cialized in the history of zoology
and paleontology at the Universi
ties of Berlin and Koenigsberg.
His technique of reporting is
characterized by German thor
oughness. He swamps his reader
with facts, eye-witness accounts
and quotations from writers both
obscure and renowned. The im
pact is terrific.
When you finish reading his
book you’ll not only believe in sea
serpents but you’ll think twice
about Scotch Gremlins. I recom
mend this book to all who hate
Zoology, abhor science and mourn
for the Dodo.
Big Splash Offered in Water.
Logged Double Feature at Guion
By ANDY DAVIS
Sea Hawk (Warners) starring
Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall,
and Claude Rains. (Guion)
Errol Flynn swings into action
again, only this time he has the
Spanish Armada to cope with, and
a beaqtiful Senorita, Brenda Mar
shall. (She’s of age).
As the dashing Captain Thorpe
of England’s Sea Hawks, Flynn
clears the seas of Spanish galleons
single handed. Then fate steps in,
the Spanish get wind of his plans,
and ambush him and his men in
Pamama. The next scene finds
Flynn no longer the proud captain
of the Albatross, but instead, push
ing an oar as a galley slave. He
does manage to escape in time to
inform his country of Spain’s in
tentions of attacking with the
Spanish Armada.
Tax Collector To
Help Public File
January Returns
James A. Scanlin, deputy col
lector of internal revenue, will be
on the campus January 7 to assist
college personnel and students with
tax returns which must be in by
January 15.
He will have all forms necessary,
but those needing aid should bring
all necessary documents with them
Scanlin announced today.
The following persons who must
file an estimated income tax re
turn, or a final income tax return
by January 15, 1949, for the year
1948 are the following:
1) Those having wages subject
to withholding taxes in excess of
$4,500 plus $600 for each exemp
tion. For example, $5,100 in the
case of a single person with no
dependents.
2) Those having an income from
any source other than wages sub
ject to withholding taxes in ex
cess of $100, provided total income
for the year is $600 or more.
Davis to Discuss
Veterans Training
B. C. Davis, state supervisor of
Veterans Education, Austin, will
discuss the Veterans Vocational
School and the jobs of the instruc
tors who conduct classes for them,
according to E. V. Walton of the
Agricultural Education Depart
ment.
Davis will address graduating
seniors at 5 p. m. on January 13
in the Agricultural Engineering
Lecture Room.
Sea Wolf (Warners) starring
Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino,
John Garfield, and Alexander
Knox. (Guion)
To escape the police, Garfield
signs on “The Ghost,” a stagnant
ship with a madman as its Cap
tain, Edward G. Robinson. Miss
Lupino, also an escapee, and Alex
ander Knox survive the sinking of
a Ferry boat, and are fished out of
the sea by Robinson. He refuses to
turn back, and the ship sails on its
merry way.
Robinson rules his ship with an
iron hand, removing any obstacle
that lies in his path. He treats his
men with brutality, crumbling
what little life there is left in their
rotten carcasses, but haunted him
self by the constant fear of his
brother.
Garfield’s hate for his master
jlfrows steadily until the two clash.
In the end, Garfield and Miss Lu
pino escape destruction, and Rob
inson meets his doom with the
ship.
Guns blaze and knives flash
in both action films and should
satisfy most blood thirtsy audi
ences. You certainly get a lot
for your money when you see
this double bill.
Dr. Petrides Will
Address Fish And
Game Meeting
A regular meeting of the Fish
and Game Club will be held to
night at 7:30 on the third floor
of the Ag. Eng. Building.
Dr. George A. Petrides, head of
the Texas Cooperative Wildlife
Unit will be the principal speaker.
He will speak on the value of big
game to the Northern Rockies.
Tljittfe of (Ellis
“The tongue is a little mem
ber, . . . behold, how great, a
matter a little fire kindleth”
James 3:5.
Little things are often vigor
ously mighty. Our atomic age, with
so much power coming from so
little a thing as the atom, brings
into sharp relief the strength in
herent in h multiplicity of mites.
The human tongue, although a lit
tle member of the body, can be
come highly inflammable when
suddenly released. For a woi’d
dropped from the tongue, white-
hot with envy and hatred, cannot
be put out even though the ocean
were drained nor be brought back
again with a coach and six horses.
Let us be slow to anger and care
ful in what we say.
Trampling Out The Vintage . . .
Aggie’s Spirit Gets Another
Plug From Magazine Editor
By CHUCK MAISEL
Yup, we’re still famous. Ever
since ’76, students at other schools
have been pointing at the Texas
Aggies and crying in vain to the
schools “they think so grand” beg
ging them to follow our great ex
ample.
The latest comes from the Pup
Tent, monthly magazine of the
New Mexico Military Institute.
First off, on page four, there is a
story about their biggest game of
the year. The story says: “It ap-
Personnel Was
Major Problem
Of IES in ’48
Eight instructors were em
ployed by the A&M Industrial
Extension Service in 1948, Di
rector E. L. Williams, says.
Williams, in a talk before the
instructors at a staff conference
this week, said that the industrial
demand for service during the cur
rent year will increase and that the
recruitment of qualified training
personnel has become a major pro
blem.
Covering the fields of police and
fire department training, indus
trial supervisory training and mo
tor vehicle fleet operation, the IES
will expand its services to cover
additional fields during 1949, Will
iams said.
Summing up the basic objectives
of the IES, Williams said that the
service was designed to “teach at
any place, to supervisors employed
in industrial or public service oc
cupations anything that will help
them improve on their respective
jobs or to get better jobs.”
During 1948 IES instructors con
ducted 338 short courses through
out the state, he reported.
Enrollments in the courses total
ed 5801, he added.
Predicting that more IES short
courses will be held on the A&M
campus during 1949 than during
any previous year-, Williams told
the group that courses have been
booked solidly through June.
preached in spirit and importance
the Texas-Texas A&M Turkey Day
battle and the Army-Navy clas
sic.” Approached maybe, but not
quite reached. And who’s this
Army-Navy bunch, anyhow?
In the letters to the ed column,
there is gripe from an NMMI ca
det about the lack of spirit at that
school. The editor replied with this
note:
“With this I whole-heartedy
agree. In a recent trip to College
Station, home of the Texas Ag
gies, I saw what spirit really
means. In a Freshman contest,
attendance reached 15,000, and
every Aggie there stood during
the whole game. Their yelling
was something for the books,
and when they sang their school
songs, the entire stadium really
felt something besides the actual
Olsen and Johnson
To Be Featured
At Fat Stock Show
Olsen and Johnson, comedians
who entertained Texans with their
zany musical show at the South
western Exposition and Fat Stock
Show in Fort Worth last year,
will be back again this year, ac
cording to General Manager Edgar
Deen.
These mad men of mirth will
present their new “Laffacade of
1949” each night and at five mati
nees January 28 through Feb. 6.
Olsen and Johnson will be re
membered as the stars of the ori
ginal stage show, “Helizapoppin”
which ran for 1,125 performances
on Broadway.
Matinee performances are sche
duled for January 29, 30, and Feb.
2, 5, and 6.
Tickets may be obtained through
the Southwestern Exposition and
Fat Stock Show, Post Office Box
150, Fort Worth.
singing. If they can muster as
much spirit for a Freshman game
as they did, we should certainly
be able to feel just a little more
strongly in support of our Var
sity teams.”
Pardon our expanding chest.
★
An east coast fruit packer is do
ing his packages up brown. Each
crate is plastered all over with the
initials LSMFT. The expansion
running under these letters is
“Leef Schniebolk means fine to
matoes.” This corner can almost
hear the tomatoe auctioneer chant
ing, “Eat a Schniebolk.”
Here’s an item for those of you
who collect commercial jingles
from the radio. An advertising
agency in Alabama, called Benton
and Bowles, comes on the air with
this ditty sung to the tune of
“Buttons and Bows”:
“Oh—simply sign on the dotted
line;
Get rid of those other schmoos.
We’ll write an ad that will make
you glad,
AVith art and type at reasonable
tolls,
And we’ll be yours at Benton
and Bowles.”
★
All this talk about the Great
Issues Course and other courses
in culture are way behind the
times. North Texas—that’s the
school across the street in Denton
—has just came out with their
new catalogue which lists undoubt
edly the most up to the minute
modern course offered in any Tex
as school. Board of Directors,
please note.
The course in question is a
course in the Physical Education
Department. It is a must for every
schedule. It’s known as “Supervis
ed Rest.”
★
And then there’s always the on4
about the A&M man who trans«
ferred to TU and improved the av*
erage IQ at both schools.
T O N I T E
$ $ Lucky License
Nile $ $
FREE
*30#
Less Tax
BE HERE IF YOU
CAN USE IT
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ROSARY AND
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St. Mary’s Chapel
TONIGHT—WED., JAN. 5TH
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TODAY thru SAT.
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DIRECTED BY MICHAEL CURTIZ
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