Battalion Editorials
MUSTN’T FORGETTfl? RESPONSIBILITIES
Page 2
THE BATTALION
THURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 1953
Some Colleges Need Change
To Produce Better Graduate
jl/fANY TIMES, educational institutions will
refuse to admit that some changes are
needed to better themselves. Many times,
educational institutions follow a course of
regularity each year, seeking only to stay
alive.
In Hollins, Va., there is a college similar
to A&M—it teaches one sex. Yet this school,
which has not grown in proportion to A&M’s
increase in enrollment, has installed a newly
revised curriculum.
President of Hollins College, John R. Ev
erett, has said the new program is designed
to provide the Hollins graduate with the ed
ucation which will be most helpful to her as
she goes out into the world today.
He has said:
“A good deal of the criticism which has
been directed against American colleges is
justified. Many colleges have rested on their
academic robes and refused to recognize that
the world has changed. Many professors
have been content to teach the formulas
learned in their graduate schools and many
administrators have sought new money
rather than new ideas. The results have not
been happy.
“Much of the difficulty lies in the es
sential conservatism of the academic mind.
Part of the job of an academic organization
is the transmission of tradition. The past
is looked upon as an object for an investiga
tion and often it is thought to be the only
sure guide for the future. Old truths and
old experiences tend to become the norms for
present judgment and future action. And,
when this happens there is an almost uncon-
scfbus retreat into the past and an escape
from present responsibility.
“Some experimental institutions have
been founded to protect this tendency. These
colleges try to place the student in the whirl
ing present and they claim that the past has
very little to do with the here and now. The
result is that the students emerge with no
sense of continuity and very littlet respect
or regard for the historical situation in which
they live.
“Such students are prone to think of
themselves as the advance guard of a brave
new world which they can build with their
own two hands and theoretical blueprint. It
is hard to imagine any more perfect method
for gaining personal frustration and social
stupidity.
“Other students have tried to counter
this obvious failure by developing a scholas
ticism of greatness, defined in terms of cer
tain books. Such an approach arraigns the
student in a court where big gods sit in judg
ment upon all change and all experimenta
tion. And the student learns how to be prec
iously ‘intellectual’ and arrogantly contemp
tuous of all modern life.
“The truth of the matter is that higher
education must fuse the memory of the past
with the present and the anticipated future.
Such a fusion overcomes the superficial and
rootless concern for the present, yet it does
not retreat into the past. By the same token
it (toes not allow the arid intellectualism of
the scholastic to cut the nerve of judgment
and action in the present and future.
“It is just this fusion that our new cur
riculum tries to gain. We have rejected the
idea that experimental educators have proved
their points and we have also rejected the
snobbry of the so-called ‘great books’ pro
gram. Further, we have rejected the per
verse reasoning which has caused some lead
ers to say that general education can be
gained in two years of studying catch-phrase
generalizations about nature, man, and God.”
Hence, Hollins College has junked part of
the old and part of the new. It has created
a mixture, one which it believes will be the
happy medium needed to produce a better and
happier student.
A&M recently changed its curricula, but
only for cutting the hour load. Other inves
tigations should be made. Not with refer
ence to the curriculas, but more important,
the student life. Providing a graduate with
an education which will help him the most
after he is graduated should be the aim, not
only of Hollins, but A&M and all colleges.
•
Anti-Jewish Purges
Follow Similar Trail
J AN. 15 marks another important day in
the world’s history. As the earth re
volves into its eighth year since the end of
World War II, only one idea is eminent:
peace is far away.
As the Korean War continues, With neith
er side seeminly gaining an objective, Eur
ope again centers with activity of anti-Sem
itism, reminding the world of 1939—the year
which saw action begin in the middle war.
Communist East Europe’s new wave of '
anti-Jewish trials reminds the world of the
Hitler-Stalin pact of 199. It reminds the
world of the Bolsheviks elimination, the mur
der of Leon Trotsky in Mexico, the ousting
of Maxim Litvinoff from the Foreign Min
istry and the new replacement V. M. Molotov,
the purging of the Polish Communist Party
to remove opposition of a pact between the
two dictators—Hitler and Stalin.
Today’s story: “Same song, second
verse—could be better but . . .” Jews are
being, removed from influential positions in
East Germany. In Czechoslovakia, 11 top
Communists, eight of them Jews, recently
were hanged. In Poland former Communist
boss Wladislaw Gomulka and others may face
a mass trial. Roumania’s drive on the Jews
has caught former Foreign Minister Ana
Pauker and others. The French Commun
ist party is purging leaders of the World
War II anti-German resistance.
And the world remembers when Russian
Foreign Minister Andrei Vishinsky defended
the 1939 Soviet-German pact in a speech
before the United Nations this December.
And the world wonders what he was think
ing.
The diplomats fear Russia plans to neu
tralize West Germany until her industrial
wealth of the Ruhr Valley can be brought
into the Soviet sphere. Trickery and strat
egy seems to be Russia’s weapons.
A block to Russia is apparent in the
strength of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and
his anti-Soviet government. But Russia will
tender a tempting bait to the world which,
if it bites, can produce a preamble to war.
The Republicans want to trim the budget
of foreign aid. If the United States retreats
again from helping other nations defend
themselves, the world will have a difficult
time trying to forecast the possibilities
peace.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Students Needed
To Fight Polio
Editors, The Battalion:
This is the month that the
ly stricken by polio. Those of you
who might think that I’m over-
March of Dhries "wiTl attempt lo emphasizing the word “suddenly”
and are skeptical about the fero
city of polio should read the fol-
raise enough money to carry on
the fight against polio. As always, . . , .
there will be those who will not j^efully: Wednesday-
take heed of the pleas for help
nor of the words of warning. Far
too many people are inclined to
be indifferent to a menace or a
tragedy as long as it doesn’t di-
feeling fine: Thursday—headache:
Friday—stiff neck; Saturday—
couldn’t touch her chin to h?r
chest; Sunday—both arms in com
plete paralysis; Monday — both
Llciutiuy cib ^ UUcbll 1/ UX- , . ! . 1 • m '
rectly affect them. I wish that ^ cornplete paralyse; Tues-
day—fought for her life. One hour
every person who thinks lightly
upon polio could have been on the wife and 1 P ray ? d ah ? woald f
scene last year when my wife and be Permanently crippled and the
t w.vo nex t hour we prayed for her life.
Thanks to God and the March of
our indifference. They too, would
share the personal fear and hatred
we hold in our hearts for polio.
It was last August that our old
est daughter, Jeanne, was sudden-
ill Present Tour
Melchior Seeks New Crowd
For Ailing Show Business
Stars of show business are always
talking about how newcomers de
serve a break. But few of the
stars ever do anything about it.
Lauritz Melchior is the excep
tion. The king-size tenor is em
barking on a new and different
kind of concert tour, designed both
to do business and supply an audi
ence for a half-dozen aspiring
young singers.
Melchior and company will mo
tor to 100 towns throughout the
Eastern and Southern U. S. The
troupe will present a varied musi
cal menu—“from the smorgasbord
to the sweets” with the design of
pleasing all tastes.
•
The Melchior Show will be
here in Guion Hall at 3 p. m.
Sunday, Jan. 18. Tickets are
on sale in the Student Activ
ities Office, second floor of
Goodwin Hall.
•
Over a stein of beer at his
mountaintop home, Melchior ex
plained the reasoning behind the
tour:
“For one thing, I think tele
vision has’ brought aT complete
change in the condert field. I be
lieve the time has passed when
one artist accompanied by one
piano can stand on a bare stage
and entertain an audience for two
hours. People expect more than
that.
To Find Audience
“But the bigger reason is that I
feel it is time that someone did
something to find an audience for
the many fine young voices we
have in this country. I think it is
tragic that there is virtually no
opportunity for a new artist to be
heard.
“What opportunity is there ?
The Metropolitan h^is a season of
20 weeks. A young singer would
make about $125 a week there.
And he never knows until a month
before the season whether he will
be engaged.
“There are a few other opera
companies. Some of them charge
Credit School Claims
Top Dec. Attendance
A&M had 843 visitors on the
campus during December, 1952,
for short courses and other organ
ized programs. The largest at
tendance was that for the Second
Annual Texas Farm and Ranch
Credit School for Commercial
Bankers. 200.
a young singer $5,000 for the priv
ilege of singing a leading role! A
newcomer knows he stands no
chance for success unless he be
comes a crooner.
“It is the same with composers.
They know they have no 1 audience
for serious works; so they write
things like ‘Open the Door, Rich
ard.’ ”
The singer added that the Eu
ropeans make more provision for
young talent.
“Take my native Denmark,” he
remarked. “It has just over four
million people, but it has a Royal
Opera House, plus ample time for
serious music on the radio and
TV. Each town has its own opera.
“Promising singers are rewarded
by the state. I was paid a full
opera salary for a year while I
was studying and changing from
baritone to tenor.”
Melchior favors state assistance
for young artists and culture in
general. The program could be
paid for by tax stamps on all TV
and radio sets, he suggested.
The Melchior company is start
ing its tour uniquely. The first
date is in a night club—the Sahara
in Las Vegas. But he hastened
to add that he picked the spot be
cause it has a theater stage, and
no food or drink will be served
during tile hour’s concert.
Here are the youngsters who
will accompany him: Edward
Williams, Dallas, Tex.; Michael
Peters, New York City; Shirlee
Emmons, Stevens Point, Wis.; An-
geline Collins, Dallas; Val Valente,
Charleston, W. Va.
“All of them have won prizes
and scholarships,” said Melchior,
their biggest booster. “But they
have had no opportunity to display
their wonderful voices. If we could
build up the audiences, America
can produce voices as great or
greater than Caruso’s.”
FEMININE TALENT—Lauritz Melchior poses with Shir
lee Emmons and Angeleno Collins who will add the femi
nine touch to the Lauritz Melchior Show. Six male vocal
ists and a duo-piano team will also be featured.
Dimes she lived. Polio can hit
fast and terribly hard—don’t ever
forget that.
At the present time, we have
Jeanne in the Warm Springs
Foundation at Gonzales. There
they are doing everything to give
her back the use of her arms and
legs. But these marvelous facil
ities and special-trained personnel
wouldn’t be available to our
daughter if it were not for the
March of Dimes. Her fate would
be a life spent as a helpless crip
ple. Instead, Jeanne already has
her braces, and they are teaching
her to walk again.
I have given you a brief in
sight as to what happens when
polio strikes within a family. It’s
not a pretty picture but it is a
real one for it happens to thous
ands of other families every year.
It’s true that there are other
things that take a greater toll
upon human life. More people, for
instance, are killed as a result of
auto accidents than as a result
of polio. But we all know why
there are so many accidents and
therefore they could be prevented.
With polio we are faced with a
more deadly problem for we have
n’t as yet found a way to stop it.
We haven’t determined where it
comes from nor why it will sud*
denly single out certain individ
uals. Also, once it begins its at
tack on the nerve centers there
is nothing to stop it or even curb
it until it has inn its course
throughout the body. Moreover,
polio is picking up momentum and
is spreading at an alarming rate
each year. The March of Dimes is
our first line of defense against
this killer, for it has devoted it
self to the two-fold task of saving
and rehabilitating the stricken
while carrying on constant re
search to stop polio. This is a
tremendous service to the nation
and it is of utmost importance
that they have the necessary funds
to carry on. It is disgraceful that
they should have to plead for the
money necessary to do each and
every one of us so great a service.
It seems incredible to me that
Congress, in the midst of its vast
spending program, doesn’t she!)
out a few million dollars to hell
conquer such diseases as polio,
Certainly a killer and a cripplei
such as Polio constitutes a dangei
to the national welfare. It would
be well for us to wake up and
prod our sleeping congressmen in
to some sort of legislation in this
respect. However, in the meantime
we must carry on not only as in
dividuals but also work together
as a team to whip polio.
If each student and faculty
member at A&M contributed one
dollar, the March of Dimes chap
ter for Brazos County would be
well on the way to its goal of
twenty-five grand. I don’t know
how much a buck means to you.
Maybe you’re loaded with green
backs—maybe you’re not. In any
event, just in case it hurts to
sejjarate yourself from a dollar,
then remember—please remember
—how terrible the kids are being
(See LETTERS, Page 3)
LI’L ABNER
Who Opened The Cage?
The Battalion
Lawrence Sullivan Ross, Founder of Aggie Traditions
“Soldier, Statesman, Knightly Gentleman”
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, is published
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FRANK N. MANITZAS, JOEL AUSTIN
Ed Holder :
Harri Baker
Peggy Maddox
Co-Editors
Sports Editor
City Editor
Women’s News Editor
Ed Holder
Jerry Bennett
Bob Boriskie
Today’s Issue
News Editor
Assistant News Editor
Sports News Editor
By A1 Capp
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