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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 11, 1953)
Battalion Editorials Page 2 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1953 Legislature’s Fast Move Requ ires Citizens ’ A tlen lion •TTHE EYES of Texas will be on the Legis- lature during the next few days after the swift and secret move yesterday by the House Appropriations Committee which ap proved a bill providing 161 million dollars for general state services for the next two years. Although this would hold the budget strictly in line with the present spending rate, it is three million dollars under the bud get recommendation of the governor. Many legislators have complained because of the hasty action. Others want the bill to move quickly through both the House and the Senate to a joint committee where a com promise bill may be developed to determine how much to spend for state services such as courts, colleges, departments, hospitals and special schools. After the money is alloted, some groups will be left out. Yesterday the Texas Prison Board chair man said a proposed $3,500,000, thousand- man cell block is needed to relieve the crowd ed conditions in the system. A few weeks ago, budgets of many colleges and univer sities were trimmed. Every group wants more money. Many representatives rightly questioned why four subcommittees had worked for weeks, listening to money requests of state officials, if there was no intention of making use of the gathered information. One thing is certain: The Legislature plans to fall in line with the governor’s economy plan. But no one knows how far they will follow the governor’s suggestions. As yet, no one has introduced a bill concern ing the tax increase he has suggested of one cent per gallon of gasoline. For many groups—such as the colleges and universities, all of which need more mon ey, especially for increase in salaries—the cut will hurt. No one knows how it will effect A&M. Only a wait-and-see attitude can be adopted. However, former students interested in the development of their school should make positive efforts to see that the educational institution’s budgets are filled. Economy is not always the answer to ef fective government. The Legislature’s ac tions will be watched more closely as time passes. ARTS AND DARTS I >rawling Sex j ones-I leston By JERRY BENNETT Battalion Managing Editor “RUBY GENTRY” — starring Jennifer Jones, Charlton Heston, and Karl Malden—20th Century Fox—Campus Theatre “Ruby Gentry” gives Jennifer Jones and Charlton Heston a chance to practice rough and tum ble necking everywhere from the front seat of a moving convertible to the foggy swamps of North Carolina. Against a corn pone and sow belly atmosphere, Miss Jones gives the role of Ruby all the southern sex appeal censors allow. Three Notches ex- AG AINST REGULATIONS—Jennifer Jones tries to plain her disobedient attitude to worried hubby Karl Mal den in one of the few tranquil scenes of “Ruby Gentry.” Before the film ends, Ruby’s tight sweater and loose morals have helped cause the death of three men, bankrupt several oth ers, wreck a marriage, practically close down an entire town and ruin a multimillion dollar irriga tion system. Director King (Duel In the Sun) Vidor has fife the sex and' novel cover, direction, the* through a s\r sudden death; pletely sinking;! of improbabiil Charlton fits through an heated clinch; that should ha! with Lee’s surr ly early in thJ still has time’ stupid as Rut Although \ all the requi: powered teat tors always s . much fun i Jh ■ downfall to tragedy. Whal\ \k tra< / “Education is the apprentice ship of life”—Willmott. LETTERS TO THE EDITORS Coeds Not Needed Here; Students Should Decide yestet will 1 “Who escapes a duty, avoids a gain”—Theodore Parker. Church Noticed By Investigators Cadets Deserve Better Example /'kNE OF THE loudest “wildcats” to ring ^ through the aisles of Duncan Hall fol lowed the announcement yesterday that the “inspection had been cancelled.” The reason? Through a little work, The Battalion found the inspection, according to College Regulations, is illegal at that scheduled time. At least one of these inspections has al ready been held in the Third Division Area this year. One of the first things a cadet learns at A&.M is “to do anything one can get away with.” We do not know whether or not the military department was promoting this practice, or if it has merely infiltrated into its channels, or if an oversight occurred. This we do know. The reason for many disturbances in the student life here can be traced to the original root of the administra tion, mainly the lax discipline, or the “show an example” type of rule. Ross Hall and inhabitants could stand an inspection themselves. There seems to be a little dust settling. Another “wildcat” would be in order, if a successful coordination throughout the chain of command would be established to “set a better example” of the military in ac tion. /CHAIRMAN VELDE (R-Ill.) of the House ^ Un-American Activities Committee plans to investigate alleged communist influences in churches. He is not definite as to when, but presumes that colleges come first, then the churches. But Velde has made it clear that “the in vestigation would be the field of individuals rather than the churches themselves,” and, of course, organizations affiliated with some churches. This includes everyone. From clergy to congregational members, from college president to janitor, the com mittee plans a clean sweep of the nation to search and “to determine whether the Amer ican communist party, through its member ship is attempting to destroy religion, or in fluence education in this country — by in filtration and by external means.” No one can blame the senators and rep resentatives for directing the investigations toward other grounds. After all, the be ginning of such investigations was in the cap- itol, and they were not completed. But Velde and his associates may be right. He said, “If the universities and col leges and their administrative bodies had been able to handle the problem, they would have done it before now.” The same, he eventually will say, about the churches, and soon the homes. And the congressman can be happy knowing he has helped to clean everyone’s house but his own. When that investigation is started, he might say, “Oh happy day.” Th e Battalion Editors, The Battalion: Let’s stand pat! One of the most controversial issues to come before the Texas Legislature in recent years is the issue which has all of A&M Col lege in an uproar and Ex-students’ Associations all over Texas hold ing frenzied meetings to plan campaign measures—Coeds for A&M! It’s true that the quality of the military corps has declined in recent years—noticeable to a startling extent even in the past two years. But this is due, not to a deficiency in morale which could be corrected by co-eds on the campus, but it is due mainly to the enforced laxity of the re strictions placed upon the under classmen by the upperclassmen. It’s true that the seniors still run the school, but only when they run it the way the military de partment dictates. In the days before any “Mam ma’s Boy” could break a cadet officer’s rank by writing home to his folks that he was hazed, the spirit, and pride, and respect, and love of A&M was high. Class dis tinction was rigidly enforced, while on the campus, as the offi cers in training would find it when they assumed their duties in the military service of their country. There was pride in personal mil itary organizations because the cadet officers built it with the tools of tradition. A&M was fam ous and admired for those same traditions. A new underclassman was forced to knuckle down under those traditions until he learned the meaning for them. Then he realized that they were what A&M stood for, what made A&M! That they were what had built a great school . . . that they were what made A&M one of the outstanding schools in the country. All of A&M’s fame is based, to a large extent, on its traditions, and if those traditions are tossed out of the window, then what is there left? The “Boys Only” tra dition is one of the most basic ones, on which the others have risen, and if that one is destroyed, all the other traditions will fol low, in like manner, and make A&M just another school! Whereas the majority of the upperclassmen do not want the coeds, the majority of the under classmen do want them. This is partly because the underclassmen have not yet learned to love the traditions which have made A&M what it is today. They still have hopes of a merry, carefree four years of fun before assuming the responsibilities of adult life. A&M degrees have a very high distinction in the modern business world, not only because of the high scholastic standards, but also because anyone who can take four years of A&M student life is worth his metal, personally, and is also topnotch in his relations with his associates. mil- boy ma- BACKWARD] GLANCES One Year Ago Today The portraits of six former Ag gies, who were awarded the Con gressional Medal of Honor, are dis- played on the second floor of the new Administration Building. Four of the awards for bravery in World War II were awarded post humously. Five Years Ago Today The Campus Security Office an nounced that it had collected .$295 “in fees for reinstatement of driv ers’ permits during the current school year.” Money collected from the violators is deposited in the Student Recreation and Wel fare Fund. Ten Years Ago Today A. Varga, “who is rapidly gain ing fame and popularity in Es quire,” has accepted an invitation to judge Vanity Fair entries. Fifteen Years Ago Today A detachment of one officer and eight enlisted men from the (!9th Coast Artillery Regiment at Fort Crockett will be at A&M to in spect modern antiaircraft equip ment. It’s true that a large number of cadets drop out of school before the end of their first semester because of the roughness of Ag gie student life. But before those practices can be censured, how ever, it must be remembered that A&M trains officers with its itary corps, and not every who comes to A&M is officer terial. To uphold the high scholastic standards of the college, the cours es have to be haixl, too hard in some cases it’s true, but a high scholastic tradition can not be maintained with ’“snap-courses.” Enough time must be spent now on studies, if there were coeds on the campus, available for extra curricular activities, the grades would suffer for many boys. Although coeducation would probably benefit the businessman of College Station and Bryan, it would not benefit the college as a Whole, any more than making West Point coeducational would benefit that school. It’s true that the quantity of enrollment might increase, but would the quality? It is obvious; the type of coed who would come to A&M would at tract boys of like caliber. To gether with the draft deferment plan and the financial cheapness of the college, anyone who wanted a cheap, gay, carefree four years of draft-deferred fun could come to A&M, and the upperclassmen would be stripped of their tools with which to weed the men from the boys. The student body, as a whole, should get together and decide the issue, because it is their school, and not merely the plaything of some unscrupulous businessmen. The student body, in a general election, should decide A&M’s fate, and the board of directors, if not the Texas Legislature, should act accordingly. But what ever we do; the stu dents, the exes, the friends of the college; let’s all work together and decide what we want, and then act together for a better Texas A&M! Robin Ransome, ’54 5 p. in.—Nt- . new Adpiinisti£ sdak ' for Aggielam 5:20 p. -, . Club, front Aggieland. N’ d ^ el ‘ 7 p. in.-m u Course Banqr H , t 1,3 have Lutheran It . on MSC t “ ’ r , • ly gunii <, . J P 7.n7ic Oklnl Society, CU h pl . u . ( . J ■■]!!»■ last y< 2C MSC. Ralph Executive hopes Room, MSC. . 01 .ing Newman Ci. i . e ^ a y ; N \ el, will disc. t sea so the conventio; >ai . the 7 p. ni.- le j r ho Rooms 2A ati re( l .As! Architecture Fiitli South Solar; C aptai Vrooman of SrWilliu 1,1 partment vr /on the 8 a. in. to 5 sg Water and tions and ^ Y-/// MSC. iamKK'-" 7 p. m.-C T J3K; ; Room 3B, Mr ______ .... Petroleum ilVMil'llUfcj. 1 .! ment. Scholar g . CL Assembly R ne See 7:15 p. m.-’TGE F ial Room, Mr 7:30 p. m—URSDV’i Room, MSC, stress Amateur K,‘ ' -MSC. Junto Club magapA?? Aggie V-ggOg; Rooms 2C t ■ t f £ f A&M Fill k If Voyage Houk’m^w^ Knights of St. Mary’; East Texas roDAX 301, Goodnir High School• the Aggielanc TswV-tJ 8 p. m.—MSC 3D, MSC. “ REW To BeliU,,; Future pis:; . elude several "—=—■■ J. Gordon Ga; • There areal needs at the k P ■ iiversaMnt; I hose are: a conduct the trouble a better folloj Gay explain underway to it, Individual members aretl RE Week a added. 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 by students four times a week, during the regular school year. During the summer terms, and examina tion and vacation periods, The Battalion is published twice a week. Days of publications are Tuesday through Friday for the regular school year, and Tuesday and Thursday during examination and va cation periods and the summer terms. Subscription rates $6.00 per year or $.50 per month. Advertising rates furnished on request. Entered ag second-class matter at Post Office at College Station, Tex as under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1870. Member of The Associated Press Represented nationally by National Advertising Services, Inc., at New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for republication of all news dispatches cred ited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous origin published herein. Rights of republication of all other matter herein are also reserved. News contributions may be made by telephone (4-5444 or 4-7604) or at the editorial office room, 202 Goodwin Hall. Classified ads may be placed by telephone (4-5324) or at the Student Activities Office, Room 209 Goodwin Hall. FRANK N. MANITZAS, JOEL AUSTIN Ed Holder, Jerry Bennett Harri Baker Peggy Maddox Co-Editors Managing Editors City Editor Women’s News Editor Jerry Bennett Chuck Neighbors Bob Boriskie Today’s Issue ^.Managing Editor .. News Editor Sports News Editors Bob Hendry, Joe Hipp, Chuck Neighbors News Writers Gus Becker, Bob Boriskie, Jerry Estes.... Sports News Editors Vernon Anderson, Frank Hines, Bob Alderdice, A1 Leroy Bruton, Guy Dawson, W. P. Franklin, R. D. Gossett. Carl Hale, Donald Kemp, Alfred McAfee, Bill Rogers, Ray Smith, Jerry Sonnier, Edwin Stern, Roy Sullivan, Jon Kinslow, Dick Moore, Lionel Garcia, John Moody, Bob Palmer, BUI Shepard Staff News Writers Jerry Wisig, Jerry Neighbors, Hugh Philippas, Bill Thomas Sports News Writers Jerry Bennett, Bob Hendry Amusements Jop Kinslow, Dick Porter, Calvin Pigg City News Writers Wilson Davis Crculation Manager Conrad Streiau, Lawrence Casbeer, Robert Huey, Jewell Raymond, J. R. Shepard, Don Young, Fred Hernandez, Charles F. Chick Circulation Staff Bob Godfrey, Davey Davidson, Roy Wells, Keith . Nickle, Melvin Longhofer, Herman Meiners. .Phot Engravers Gene Rydell, Perry Sbpard, John Meril! Advertising Representatives Dean Kennedy File Cleric Englcin £ c! El an ihry