Deeply engrossed in their duties in the newly decorated guard room, A. A, RHODES, sopho
more from Woodville, and T. H. BOOTH, a sophomore from San Antonio make good use of the new
guard room furnishings. Both cadets arc in C Troop Cavalry.
Demise of Practical Joker
Whose ‘Humor’ Isn’t Funny
By HAL BOYLE
NEW YORK —UP) —There’s a
fellow missing from the contem
porary scene.
But there’s some doubt if very
many people miss him much. The
fellow I’m talking about is the
big ha-ha man of yesterday—the
practical joker.
He was some prankster. At the
office he’d leave a faked summons
from the boss in your typewriter.
He’d have his girl friend write a
mash letter to your home signed
“with all my love, Molly.” He was
the fellow who anonymously ad
vised 30 different life insurance
salesmen you wanted to buy a
policy. And he saw that they all
called on you at the same hour.
In the old days he carried a load
ed cigar in his pocket. He also had
some kitchen matches to give you
the hotfoot. If a bum asked him
for a coin to buy a cup of coffee,
the practical joker always manag
ed to have a Canadian dime ready
$25 Contest Prize
Awarded to Wells
Oscar Wells, junior architecture
major, has been awarded a first
prize of $25 by Jack Soleleather,
president of the Christian Scien
tist Club, for his entry in that
group’s contest to determine the
best solution for their club build
ing problem.
The prize money was presented
Tuesday night at the regular meet
ing of the Architectural Society.
Second prize of $15 was given to
Jack Hinman, and Bill Irving was
awarded $10 for his solution which
took third place in the class.
Baldwin Young, a Houston arch
itect, was the guest speaker for the
evening. He advised the students
on employer-employee relations.
Painstaking
Care Makes
For Perfection!
That is why any suit
made to your measure
by the KAHN TAI-
LORING CO. of
Indianapolis is sure to
give you that look of
perfection found only
in clothes tailored to
measure.
Stop in today and
let us take your mea
sure.
Conway & Co.
‘‘Yjour Clothing Store”
103 N. Main Bryan
to drop into his hand. When he
threw a party, he slipped you a
glass with a hole near the top—
so the drink dripped all over your
new suit.
Well, somewhere along the way
that kind of nonsense went out.
There was no widespread rebellion
among the victims of the practical
jokers. But somehow his jokes, by
and large, just quit being funny.
The trouble with the practical
joker was that he usually put
somebody on the pan. And a
generation that has weathered a
major depression and two world
wars probably just got tired of
seeing anybody on the pan. It
ceased to be funny.
Life became too practical for
impractical practical jokes.
Arbor Day Affair
Features Planting
Native Texas Tree
Cooperation of the Texas For
estry Association in the observ
ance of Arbor Day has been pledg
ed by the Executive Committee of
that organization, according to R.
W. Wortham, Jr., president. The
Executive Committee, is consider
ing ways to coordinate the tree
seedling distribution with the ob
servance of Arbor Day next year
if the free seedling program for
youth groups is continued.
State wide planting of the pecan,
state tree of Texas, on Arbor Day,
February 22 is urged by the Gar
dens Committee of the Texas Fed
eration of Women’s Clubs. Observ
ance of Arbor Day this year will
follow much the same pattern as
in 1948, according to Mrs. Sam
Greei’, Gardens Chairman.
The Arbor Day program received
active support by many organiza
tions and by Governor Jester last
year. Equally enthusiastic support
is anticipated this year.
One special feature of the Arbor
Day plans of the Texas Federation
of Women’s Clubs is the planting
of pecan seedlings from pecans
grown on the trees at the grave
of the late Governor James Steph
en Hogg in Austin. Pecans have
been gathered from these trees and
seedlings are to be produced at
A&M College Experimental Sta
tion near Tyler. When two years
old the seedlings will be ready
for memorial planting.
Wichita Mothers
Organizing Group
The formation of a Wichita
Falls, Texas A&M Mothers’ Club
was planned at an organizational
meeting Tuesday afternoon at the
home of Mrs. J. C. Gowdy, 1658
Wilson, Mrs. T. 0. Banta, tempo
rary publicity chairman, announc
ed.
All mothers of the Wichita Falls
area whose sons are Aggies will
be eligible to become members of
the club.
Organization is being directed
by Mrs. R. E. Sparkman of San
Antonio, who is extension chair
man of the State Federation of
A&M College Mothers’ Clubs of
Texas.
Mrs. Gowdy served as temporary
chairman, and named committees
and chairmen for forming the con
stitution and by-laws of the club.
Officers for the initial term were
elected.
Mrs. Gowdy will serve as chair
man of the constitution and by
laws committee and will ‘be assist
ed by Mesdames Phil K. Sheets,
W. T. Wells, and Fred W. Bark
er. Mrs. H. E. Dungan was named
chairman of the nominating com
mittee, with other members, Mes
dames W. K. Childers and M. G.
Onstott. Mrs. T. 0. Banta was
| made temporary publicity chair
man. *
The world has grown up too
much to enjoy the cruel and hurt
ful practical jokes of the past.
When the last practical joker is
buried, it would be pleasant to put
him under a nice tombstone bear
ing this epitaph:
“Having wonderful time. Wish
you were here.”
Nobody would begrudge him this
last laugh—as long as we were
sure it was his last one.
Student Senate
Elections to Be
Held February 23
Elections to fill student senator
vacancies from the College View
and the annex apartment areas
will be held February 23, accord
ing to Keith E. Allsop, chairman
of the student senate election com
mittee.
These vacancies were caused by
student’s moving at mid-semester.
In order to get their names on
the ballots, which will appear in
the Battalion Monday, February 21
the candidates must file their ap
plications at the student activities
office, Room 201 Goodwin, before
5 p. m,, February 18, Allsop said.
The ballots should be clipped
from the Monday Battalion and
mailed or brought to the student
activities office before 5 p. m.
Wednesday, February 23, Allsop
concluded.
UN Council Seeks
By
Student Letters
An opportunity to correspond
with Japanese students is being
offered by the United Nations
Council of Philadelphia, G. A. Ray
mond, council publicity director,
said today.
Japanese students are eager to
discuss questions and exchange
ideas about democracy, social life,
beliefs, moral standards, or any
other topic, Raymond said.
Letters from the Japanese stu
dents will be in English.
“Students who are interested in
corresponding with Japanese stu
dents should write to: Letters
Abroad, United Nations Council
of Philadelphia, 1411 Walnut St.,
Philadelphia 2, Pennsylvania. Sim
ply give your age, whether you
prefer to write to a man or girl,
and state your chief interests,”
said Raymond.
No fee is charged, for this ser
vice is being extended by the UN
Council as a move toward greater
world undei’standing.
Letters from Sweden, Holland,
Germany, England, France, Italy
and Spain ai’e also available on
request, said Raymond.
Williams Attends
Joint Conference
E. L. Williams, director, Indus
trial Extension Service of A&M
College, who is also president of
tlxe* American Vocational Associa
tion, is attending a joint confer
ence between the policy committee
of the AVA and the U. S. commis
sioner of education, in Washing
ton.
Outcome of the discussions will
be the establishment of policies to
be carried out by the AVA legis
lative committee with regard to a
program to be presented to the
Appropriations committees of both
the senate and the house, Williams
stated.
The AVA, with a membei’ship of
approximately 30,000 is composed
of teachers in the field of voca
tional education, Williams explain
ed.
THE BATTALION
Page 4 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1949
Life Can Be , . .
Proposed Course
Boon to Students
C. M. SMITH, El Paso sophomore in C Troop Cavalry, checks over the locator file in the dor
mitory 12 guard room. Completely new furnishings were added recently to the room.
By FRANK CUSHING
A conspicuous absence is to be
found among the crowded curric
ulum of A&M. Students are con
stantly bewailing their lack of
knowledge about professox-s. Rare
ly does a day pass that some stu
dent does not gnash his teeth and
state in a strained voice, “I’ll be
damned if I can figure that prof
out.”
Aerodynamicist To
Address AIS Club
A. I. Sibila, assistant chief aei’o-
dynamicist for Chance-Vought Air
craft Co., will speak to the Insti
tute of Aeronautical Science Club
tonight according to an announce
ment by chairman C. L. Turner.
A Duchess will be selected to
represent the IAS at the annual
Cotton Pageant and Ball. Anyone
intending to nominate someone
for Duchess should bring her pic
ture to the meeting.
The club will meet Tuesday, Feb
ruary 15, at 7:30 p. m. in the Pe
troleum Lecture Room.
To pi’ovide for this existent
need, a course should definitely
be added around this establish
ment. For lack of a better name,
Psycholoe-v of Professors 101.
the desired study might be termed
The catalogue might describe
this course as “A 4-credit hour
course concerned principally with
the scientific study of the physical
and mental makeup of instructors.
Frustrations, inhibitions, and all
other eccenti’icities affecting their
behavior are stressed in this
work.”
Anyone could easily see the pos
sibilities of such a class. Obvious
ly the theory periods would first
deal with the descriptive nomen
clature of teachers.
A familiarization study would
be made of medals commonly
found displayed upon the custom-
ai’y key chains. After such aid,
a student could readily identify
Phi Beta Kappas and the signi
ficance of otlxer such keys. Thus
fortified, a G.P.-Beaver could make
a glowing refei’ence to the correct
society in the presence of the
member professor and assure him
self a cei'tain A.
Through instruction of different
type lecturers would be a boon to
note takers. By studying the min
ute characterstics of different
speakers, one could easily sift the
non-essential material from the in
structor’s talks. Specific data
should be given to enable a stu
dent to recognize the “voice-drop”
type for instance.
The “voice-drop” speaker is the
very common species who employs
a very subtle technique in keeping
students fi'om passing his quizzes.
When a topic of extreme impor
tance is reached in his course, one
that he knows in advance will be
featured upon a coming exam, he
drops his already low voice and
hurriedly mumbles through his
speech. In that way the instructor
assures not even those located in
the front have an inkling of what
has been said.
The study would delve deeply
into the subject of px-ofessors sub
ject to a “Joe Miller” frustration
and how to correctly react to them.
In the lab periods extremely stale
jokes would be read and the mem
bers would practice sincere sound*
ing laughs. A valuable attribute
to have indeed.
The potentialities of the course
are many. Undoubtedly the stu
dent’s life would be far bettered
by Psychology of Professors, 101.
it up. Then we’ll get a tin horn instead.
Sure, these men are crazy.
But they're using the same kind of think
ing a lot of people have been using on the
American economic system lately.
Our American way isn’t perfect. We
still have our ups and downs of prices and
jobs. We’ll have to change that. But even
so, pur system works a lot better than the
second-rate substitutes being peddled by
some countries we could mention.
It works better because of a few simple
things. We are more inventive, and we
know how to use machine power to pro
duce more goods at lower cost. We have
more skilled workers than any other
country. We believe in collective bargain
ing and enjoy its benefits. And we Ameri
cans save—and our savings go into new
tools, new plants, new and better machines.
Because of this, we produce more every
working hour... and can buy more goods
with an hour’s work than any other
people in the world.
We can make the system work even
better, too: by all of us working together
to turn out more for every hour we work—
through better machines and methods,
more power, greater skills, and by sharing
the benefits through higher wages, lower
prices, shorter hours.
It’s a good system. It can be made bet
ter. And even now it beats anything that
any other country in the world has to offer.
So—let’s tune it up, not chop it down.
THE BETTER WE PRODUCE
THE BETTER WE LIVE
Approved for the
PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE
of The Advertising Council by:
EVANS CLARK. Executive Director, Twentieth Century Fund
BORIS SHISHKIN, Economist, American Federation of Labor
PAUL G. HOFFMAN, Formerly President, Studebalcer Cotp.
PUBLISHED IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST BY:
THE PURE OIL
COMPANY