Page 4 THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, 1976
Texas-type humor found only in Texas
By JAMIE AITKEN
On the cover of this magazine I was given
was a poem about a good old boy, a Texan,
who set his horse up playing blackjack with
bar girls. The horse “was pretty good, held
the cards with his hooves real articidate like
and could add fastern most humans recall
middle-aged brides, the wily stares
slow chewing, your very own Jesus.”
— Leonard Neufeldt, “Desire”
There’s just something about the
straight-faced drawl of Texas humor that is
amiss anywhere else in the world. The
homespun quality of Texas literature, it
self, is the sole product of the fellows who
“Quartet” operates on the Texas A&M
University campus and is owned and pub
lished by English professor Dr. Richard H.
Costa. The publication appears quarterly
but the current issue is a 100-page combi
nation of summer, fall and winter, 1975-
1976.
“Bullriders drop hard and fast on a
ton of exploding brute like straw men
punchdrunk with flopping legs and
arms thrown high.” — Terri
Johnson, “Rodeo
Review
make up the good old boys of this state. In
many ways backward, but in others very
progressive, the subculture of the good old
boy interfuses the entire range of Texans.
The name of the magazine I was given is
“Quartet ”, and its special emphasis lies in
Texas.
Costa bought the magazine while a doc
toral student at Purdue University in 1968.
Before moving to Texas, Costa published
“Quartet” at Syracuse University in New
York. The magazine is listed as a nonprofit,
tax-exempt literary quarterly and is sup
ported by gifts, grants and subscriptions to
various libraries, including Oxford Univer
sity, Cambridge University and the British
Museum.
Chosen for presentation in “Quartet” are
38 poems and seven short stories selected
from more than 30,000 manuscripts sub
mitted since 1974. Featured writers and
artists include Cynthia Thornton, a 21-
year-old A&M senior; Terri Johnson and
Eva Jane Johnson, both graduate students
in English. Also included in the publication
are A&M faculty members Dr. Paul Chris
tensen and Dr. Jack Hardie, poetry; and
Dr. Jerome Loving, review.
“We raced around to the Baptists’
parking area and gave each member
of their team and several of their
rooters a victory balloon, as a sign of
our good will and best wishes . . .
then waved at our conquerors as they
climbed into their cars and buses and
headed back to Waco with their col
lection of rapidly deflating con
doms.” — Ernest W. Speed, Jr.;
“The Coach Who Didn’t Teach
Civics”
Included in the Texas issue, which is
carried by the A&M Bookstore, are a small
number of works written by non-Texans,
but encompassing similar themes.
“It's true what you say. I haven’t
tried long enough, heart hot with
knives, to find you Texas, your fret
ful luck, your miles and miles of
blundering love, your blushing
“Quartet” may be considered a library in
itself, containing works that encompass the
extremes of Texas culture: humor,
tragedy, determination, resignation and
understanding. It is a synopsis of Texas,
written by Texans; a literary analysis of
what makes Texas something more than
just another state in the union.
Since its beginning at Purdue in 1961,
“Quartet” has sought national content.
With the Texas Writers’ Special issue,
Costa plans a more regional magazine. The
majority of works in the current issue are
just that. Costa’s only qualification for au
thors was a period of Texas residency.
“Aside from two or three, the writers in
this issue are just beginning to have their
work published, ” Costa said. “But I believe
in a few years many of them will be heard
from. ”
The shooting spree of Charles Whitman
from the tower at the University of Texas 10
years ago is explored by James R. Giles in a
documentary-fictional short story. At the
other end of the spectrum is Ernest W.
Speed’s “The Coach Who Didn’t Teach
Civics ”. Of Speed’s piece, Costa claims,
“Your roommate will probably kick you out
of your room for laughing so hard. ” My
roommate read it and laughed until the
neighbors banged the walls. He kept read
ing, and I haven’t seen my copy of “Quar
tet” for two days.
“SAVE A BUNDLE
Remember the old, Cash and Carry,
money saving trick?
Buy a pizza at the Commons Snack Bar and eat it there t
anywhere you wish. Prices are right, and the pizzas are p ^
Bicentennial Special
Hamburger Pizza
Sausage Pizza ..
Pepperoni Pizza
.ft
OPEN
Monday thru Friday
11:00 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
7:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday
4:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m.
QUALITY FIRST”
A&M oil fund
contains
$800,000
Texas A&M has more than
$800,000 earned from the sale of oil
and gas leases in two funds which the
General Land Office in Austin main
tains.
James A. Amis, the system attor
ney for Texas A&M, explained Wed
nesday how the oil and gas leases
deeded to the University are hand
led.
Leases are not offered for sale until
someone (usually an oil company
representative) asks for it. If the
Board of Regents, which has jurisdic
tion over the leases, decides to sell, a
public auction is held.
The person who requested the
sale must submit a cashier’s check to
guarantee the minimum bid. This
bid must cover the cost of advertising
the public auction. Advertisements
are then placed in at least two gen
eral circulation newspapers and one
oil trade magazine, usually “The Oil
and Gas Journal in Tulsa, Ok
lahoma.
The auction is held the day pre
ceding the next mqgfing of the Board
of Regents. Bids are made orally.
Amis said that sometimes the bid
ding gets quite spirited. Several
years ago, the Board required a
minimum bid of five dollars on a par
ticular lease. It seemed to be a prom
ising lease and it sold, after much
bidding, for nearly $100.
If the person who originally re
quested the sale does not win the
bidding, his check for the advertising
is returned to him, and the cost of the
advertising is deducted from the
proceeds of the sale. If he does win,
he submits a check for the differ
ence. The Board retains the right to
reject any bids.
— Richard Chamberlain
Now
that you've
chosen
each other
It’s time to choose your
special rings. Happily,
you can choose a
Keepsake with complete
confide. ~e, because it’s
perfect, permanently
registered and protected
against loss.
EMBRETS
JEWELRY
‘The friendly
store’
415 University Dr.
College Station
9:00-5:30
Mon-Sat
YOUR AUTHORIZED
KEEPSAKE JEWELER
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Call 845-2611
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