THE BATTALION
Page 2 College Station, Texas Thursday, October 13, 1966
CADET SLOUCH
by Jim Earle
CrA/Ltc- CC-
“It developed since school started you see, I carry my books
with this arm and you oughta see that physics book ...”
About the time that you realize
being an upperclassman in the
Corps isn’t a free ticket to
Cloud Nine, and when you sense
all those legends about the first
semester sophomore courses
might actually be true, a third
seemingly-insurmountable obsta
cle manifests itself.
This is known, in the verna
cular of the column writer —
which is to say, I made this up
myself — as the Great Mail Ex
tinction. This is not to say that
the mail was previously great, or
that there’s anything great about
extinction; it just sounds impres
sive.
Enough has been said about the
spider webs in the mailbox. Most
of the printable comments have
even made their way into these
pages from time to time. My pet
peeve is the shiny bottoms of the
slots, and it’s a problem that
seems to offer no hope of solu
tion because it’s so hard to ex
plain in the first place.
It’s like this: you walk into
the post office, secure in the
knowledge that, regardless of
what weird turn of events has
kept a certain person from writ
ing for the past twelve days,
today is the Big Day. Today, if
there is any justice in the uni
verse, if the United States Mail
can be trusted even in the slight
est, if human nature represents
any potential for greatness, that
glare off the bottom of your mail
box will be broken by a letter.
THE BATTALION
Opinions expressed in The Battalion
are those of the student writers only. The
Battalion is a non tax-supported non
profit, self-supporting educational enter-
prisc edited and operated by students as
a university and community newspaper.
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 published herein. Rights of republication of all other
matter herein are also reserved.
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas.
Members of the Student Publications Board are: Jim
I.indsey. chairman ; Ur. David Bowers, College of Liberal
Arts ; Dr. Robert A. Clark, College of Geosciences : Dr.
Frank A. McDonald. College of Science; Dr. J. G. McGuire,
College of Engineering; Dr. Robert S. Titus, College of Vet
erinary Medicine; and Dr. A. B. Wooten, College of Agricul
ture.
News contributions may be made by telephoning 846-6618
846-4910 or at the editorial office, Roo;
For advertising or delivery call 846-6416.
or 846-4910 or at the
Room 4, YMCA Building.
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The Battalion,
published in Coll
Sunday, and Mon
lege
day
newspaper at
dail;
Texas A&M Is
Mail subscriptions are 63.60 per semester; #6 per school
.r; 66.50 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 2%
sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on request. Address:
The Battalion, Room 4, YMCA Building, College Station, Texas
yes
sal
ar; $6.50
to 2%
student
Station, Texas daily except Saturday,
and holiday periods, September through
except Saturd
May, and once a week during summer school.
MEMBER
The Associated Press, Texas Press Association
Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising
Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and San
Publisher
Student Editor
Managing Editor
News Editor
Texas A&M University
. Winston Green Jr.
Robert J. Solovey
. John Fuller
Sports Editor Bob Jones
"r
liiilil !
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Just one of the 449 different Arrow
button-down sport shirts designed for the
Bold New Breed. This handsome one is
fashioned of 100% cotton... “Sanforized”
labeled, of course. With shoulder to waist
taper and back pleat. But this is only one
Arrow Shirts are available at
Conway & Co.
103 N. Main Bryan
You even go so far as to hum a
little tune. The world is really
a great place, and things are
never as bad as they seem. And
then you look in that window,
and the light glints off the bot
tom.
Scientists tell us we could not
exist without light; it provides
the energy for all those process
es you learned about in Biology
115, and it’s also essential to the
transmission of, say, “Batman.”
But that light that glints off the
bottom of your mailbox is a
full-fledged Foe of Mankind. It
can ruin a whole day in a split
second, in much the same way as
a glance at a math quiz as it’s
dropped unceremoniously on your
desk. It has been known to pro
duce uncontrollable screaming and
stamping, which almost always
brings Mr. Stark running.
What can be done about this ?
Well, we could distribute a peti
tion, asking that the mailboxes
be painted flat-black or covered
on the inside with velvet. But
campus construction products are
already holding up transportation
to a certain extent, and any fur
ther delays along those general
lines might be poorly timed right
now.
Let’s face it — there’s no solu
tion. All I can do is gripe about
my situation, and take my prob
lems to an unfeeling world. And
that’s where my original point
comes in: the newness of writing
to The Kid Away at School has
apparently worn off, and so it
looks like I’m doomed to see that
glinting light even more often
than last year. That’s the Great
Mail Extinction.
Let’s not be hypocritical; Pm
interested in anything that falls
in Box 7008, including Box Rent
Due slips, ransom notes, and let
ters beginning “Dear College Stu
dent: As one of tomorrow’s lead
ers, you . . . .” Even junk mail
diffuses that glint. But this year
I’m not getting my share of that,
either, and it’s about to drive me
crazy.
Part of the problem may be
that new number. Last year, I
was given 5921, and I used to
tell people they could remember
it as $12.95 backwards, reason
ing that that represents a nice,
round, average price tag. (Pre
dictably, I once got a long-over
due letter which had been post
marked the week before and had
caused somebody no end of frus
tration before it was delivered to
the right address. It was ad
dress to Box 1295.) In constrast,
7008 is neither fish nor foul; it’s
not quite 007, or even 007 revers
ed, or 7007. It even lacks the
numerical order of 7008. It's a
loser, and so am I. (Box 5921,
by the way, is full pretty often.
I know; I’ve checked.)
And so the light glints, the
Great Mail Extinction goes in
exorably on, and another column
bites the dust.
GLASS COMPANY
AUTO — HOME — COMMERCIAL
“Our 20th Year”
Downtown Bryan
28th & Main
822-1577
tours . . . travel
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Located in the lobby of the Memorial Student Center, offers to the student body
and to all members of the Texas A&M University staff the following services:
1. AIRLINE RESERVATIONS AND TICKETING
2. WORLD-WIDE HOTEL RESERVATIONS
3. CAR RENTAL AND PURCHASES, DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL
4. INDEPENDENT AND GROUP TRAVEL
5. STEAMSHIP AND CRUISE RESERVATIONS
6. CHARTER QUOTATIONS AND RESERVATIONS . . . AIRLINE AND BUS
7. LABOID LIMOUSINE SERVICE — A PERSONALIZED SERVICE TO AND FROM:
AUSTIN—$20.00, HOUSTON—$20.00, DALLAS—$30.00 . . Per Limousine Basis, One-Way
We would appreciate an opportunity to be of service to you in making your
travel arrangements. We offer a 30 day open charge account.
MEMORIAL STUDENT CENTER LOBBY
PLEASE CALL 846-7744
now open
The Nation’s Fastest Growing Pizza Chain!
home of our uniquely good Fresh Baked Pizza
our secret old world sauces, dressings and dough recipes
can’t be copied or equalled.
featuring
RELAXED DINING ROOM ATMOSPHERE
Phone 846-6164 For Delivery
or come by at our new location — highway 6, across from the Ramada
j|
‘m
WE KEEP PRICES DOWN‘3*
; coupon
lh FREE - 100
Big Bonus Stamps
With $10 Purchase or More
Coupon Expires Oct. 15, 1966
Quality Veal Sale!
Farmer Brown
Franks
Box of 200 - 2-Ply
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