The Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, January 11, 1924 Page: 1 of 4
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VOLUME IX
MCE INSTITUTE, HOUSTON, TEXAS, JANUARY H, 1924
NUMBER 14
"Yet once more, O ye laurels, and
once more,
Ye myrtles brown, with ivy never
sere,
I come to pluck your berries harsh
and crude,
And with forced fingers rude
Shatter your [eaves before the me)
lowing year."
—Milton.
* * *
The Thresher after questioning
"Dorm" students, town men and Co-
eds, takes the liberty to quote the
above lines as significant of the feel-
ing of the Rice students when they
received that little white card with a
few ink marks that either meant you
may return to Rice or you may seek
your knowledge in some other uni-
versity.
* * *
History has shown us Htat it takes
an outsider to tell of the advantages
of a college, of a nation, or of the
laws of a country. The best account
cf the laws of America has been writ-
ten by a foreigner, just as an Amer-
ican has written the most accurate
account of the laws of England. And
so it takes an outsider to tell us of
the advantages of Rice.
During ths Christmas holidays the
writer had the opportunity to talk to
a Senior from one of the eastern col-
leges who was home on a visit. "You
fellows at Rice do not realize what a
wonderful college you are attending,"
he declared. "Ten years from now a
degree from Rice will be worth more
than three degrees from other col-
leges. I did not see the advantage of
going to Rice until I had gone away
and found that your school had a re-
markable reputation over the entire
United States as well as Europe."
* * *
Talk like <that from a stranger
makes a person scratch his head and
wonder—"Where have I been all of
these years." It therefore behobves'
ovcry of Rife ti be alert to
spread "Rice's Glory" more and mor
in only a manner that will bring ad-
vancement. It is not so much what
we gain at the present time while we
are attending Rice, but it is the after
effects that count.
* a *
"I love to tell the old, old story"
seems to be the motto of some of the
Houston newspapers already. The
first report of the Owl basketball
team in one paper was to laud it to
the skies, to tell about its prepara-
tion to raceive the Southwestern Con-
ference championship, and other such
"bunk" that The Thresher hopes that
no basketball man had the nerve to
read
Rice appreciates such propaganda—
it increases the boxoffice receipts
But on the other hand it is too early
in the season to predict any outcome
of the Southwestern Basketball
season.
The Thresher believes in praise
when it is warranted. Instead of
praise Rice needs encouragement. One
of the main troubles that Rice has
had with her athletics is just such
newspaper reports that go over the
state and out of the state. The public
receives the wrong impression and of
course cannot understand why Rice
loses a game.
* * *
Do not think for one instance that
The Thresher is disloyal to Rice, or
pessimistic. Far be it from that. The
Thresher is only trying to avoid what
has happened so often in the past.
The Thresher wants "that team" to
win (in fact we've staked our all on
it), the student body, and Houston
as a whole wants that team to cop the
championship, but none of us want to
see it go to pieces as a result of too
much glory at the first of the season.
* * *
Franklyn D. Ashcraft the new Owl
basketball coach, backs The Thresher
in the above statements. And he
should know if anyone does.
* * *
"I wish that the student body would
take the same view as The Thresher
has," said Coach Ashcraft. "If the
student body will back the team in the
right way there is no telling what
may take place. Yell at the games,
that's fine, but do not make the men
believe that they are something that
they are not- Make that team realize
that every man must work contin-
uously for 'Rice's Honor,' and that
nothing is going to be given to them
on a silver platter. If the student
body can just strike on this type of
loyalty and school spirit, I am sure
that wonderful results may come
from it."
Charles Whitney Gilkey
TO BE GUEST OF
Y. M. C. A.
Charles Whitney Gilkey, interna
tionally famous clergyman, educator
and orator, pastor of the Hyde Park
baptist Church of Chicago and a trus
ee of the University of Chicago, will
be in Houston January 16, 17 and 18
*,s the guest of the Rice and the
Houston Y. M. C. A.'s.
Dr. Gilkey will arrive in Houston
Vednesday morning and will spent
uhe entire day at the local Y. M. C. A
Thursday at 11:30 he will address the
Rice students in the amphitheatre
Immediately after this lecture the
Hce Y cabinet will give a luncheon
in his honor at the Autry House.
At 6:45 p. m. Thursday, Dr. Gilkey
will address the dormitory students
in the commons. Dr. Gilkey will again
address the Rice students at 11:30
Friday in the physics amphitheatre.
Friday afternoon he will be at the
Autry House and will hold interviews
with anyone who desires to talk with
him. That night Dr. Gilkey will be
ruest of honor at the Rice-Texas
basketball game.
All of these lectures are open to
-he public. Dr. Gilkey is especially
interested in forum groups and will
lelight in answering any questions
hat may arise during his stay
Houston. ,
Dr. Gilkey is recognized as being
one of the outstanding men of the
world in his particular branch of en
deavor and is characterized as being
"one of the clearest thinking, schol-
arly, lucid speakers on religion in
America today."
AZTEC 7WD7AJV
*******
PTYLL BE THEME
*******
OF
The Archi-Arts Ball, an annual af-
fair at Rice, will be held at the Autry
House on the evening of January 25.
The theme of the ball will be the
Vztec Indian. AH students who attend
nust be in costume. Mrs. Tidden will
tffer helpful suggestions on costumes
lext week. The decorations used ^
Autry House of the occasion, accord^
ng to the Architects and Art students
jngaged in planning them, will be of
a novel character.
Committees appointed to take
charge of the ball are:
General chairman, D. A. Sanders;
decoration, E. B. Arrants; music, E.
G. Shult; finance, C. A- Johnson; re-
freshments, Miss R. Young; publicity,
E. Wilkinson; advisory, J. C. Tidden.
Tickets may be had from C. L. Hair
ston, Miss Catherine Dutton, Slime
iMtchell and Sol Slangston. It is
urged that reservations be made early
as the size of the Autry House com-
pels the attendance to be limited,
$4.00 will be the price of admission
for Rice students; $6.00 for town
couples, and $3.00 for a limited num-
ber of stags.
Refreshments will be served at mid-
night, when stunts will given- All
guests are strongly urged to leave the
Autry House in sober condition before
dawn.
Senior Canes
Arouse Usual
Campus Jokes
The canes have made their annua!
appearance in the cloisters. The sen-
iors are now models of sartorial ele-
gance Rnd dignity.
Freshmen regard the canes with
envy, but Co-eds regard them with
frank admiration.
One dumb freshman, upon seeing
two seniors with canes, asked an up-
perclassman if the canes were a new
form of hazing. Upon second thought,
he can't be called so dumb after a!!.
WMUNERAM
"Honore de Balzac and
The Human Comedy"
Was His Subject.
The first lecture of the University
Extension Series for 1924 was deliver-
ed Sunday, January 6, in The Physics
Amphitheatre, by Dr. A. L. Guerard.
Dr. Guerard's subject was "Honore de
Balzac and The Human Comedy."
Dr. J. W. Slaughter was originally
scheduled to lecture on this date on
the "Monroe Doctrine" but his lecture
was postponed.
Dr. Guerard's lecture brings very
vividly to his hearer's mental vision
the picture of the erratic, exhuberant,
pessimistic genius, who was in many
ways simply a child; a wretched
business man; who might have been
rich and yet who died in debt. He
sold novels before he had scarcely be-
gun them. He wrote in the daytime,
by candle-light, and went out at night
in order to dodge his creditors.
Dr. Guerard's lecture was seasoned
with sly humor, and the audience
which was large and receptive sl o ved
marked appreciation.
He told of Balzac's love affair,
started through correspondence with
a lady whom he had never seen—a
Polish countess. Finally he met her.
and they plighted their troth, but, as
the Count was inconveniently living,
they had to agree to marry upon his
death. The Count inconsiderately kept
them waiting for a number of years.
Dr. Guerard characterized Balzac's
romantic literature as "having the
whole range of romantiscism—melo-
dramatic events, violent contrasts,
frantic positions, gigantic characters
monomania verging to lunacy—"
"Balzac stands pre-eminently in the
history of 1'terattir" a? the creator
of realistic fiction," said Dr. Guerard.
"Realism of some kind, either psycho-
logical or picturesque, there had been
before him; indeed, from the very
dawn of literature. Yet his human
comedy did not introduce a new for-
mula. The minute analysis of char-
acters in a definite contemporary set-
ting; the full recognition of the ma-
terial side of existence, particularly
of the importance of money; the all-
embracing scope of the novel as broad
as life itself; the frank preference
given to truth over beauty; all of
these elements had never been com-
pacted into the works of a single
writer. And it may be said that no
neW elements so far have been added
to his formula."
MCE STUDENTS
Michael J. O'Neil!
OFFAtLURES
Registrar And Faculty
Well Pleased With Re-
sults of First Term
Exams.
According to figures given to The
Thresher by Mr. McCann, the number
of failures and withdrawals at the end
of the first term has been materially
reduced. The percentage of failures
is one per cent lower this year than
it was last year. Most of the students
who failed returned to their respective
high schools for additional prepara-
tion, and will return to the Institute
next year.
The number of students on proba-
tion is larger this year than last year.
These students must improve to avoid
failure during the second term.
The enrollment at the beginning of
the second term is larger than it has
ever been before, and is as large as
the enrollment at the beginning of the
first term last year.
Mr. McCann states that the im-
proved record is not due to any low-
ering of the standards or require-
ments of the Institute. It is due, in
part at least, to the raising of the en<.
trance requirements to a flat 15 unit
basis. The Rice Institute is the only
university in Texas and probably the
only one in the south with such a high
entrance requirement. This has re-
sulted in the failure of fewer fresh-
men than ever before.
The record made this year is the
best that has been made in several
years.
R!CE BASEBALL
SQUAB TO HAVE
VETERAN COACH
Michael .!. O'Neill, well-known in
national baseball circles, will coach
the Owls on the diamond next spring.
He will succeed Robert 1). County-
man, who plans to return to organized
baseball and would be unable to boss
the Owl nine this rear.
Lically, O'Neill is known as the
trailer who handle! the Houston Buf-
faloes for six weeks last spring while
Hunter Hill, the Buff manager, was
scouting in Florida Major League
training camps.
Mike, a native of Harlingen, Texas,
has handled many baseball outfi.s and
in the summer of 1923 had charge of
the baseball organization in his home
town. His Harlingen nine made quite
a sh iwing on the border and his man-
agement was looked upon as a big
success.
He managed the Shreveport club
one year, playing left field and doing
all the planning for the club.
The new Rice coach comes from a
well-known baseball family and has a
big league career behind him. He has
seen two* decades of diamond work
and was a star of the St. Louis, Cin-
cinnati, and other hig league clubs
of years ago.
Others of his family who have made
names at the great American game
are Jimmy O'Neill, his youngest
bother, and Steve O'Neill. Jimmy
played short stop, while Steve is
regular catcher on the Cleveland club.
O'Neill will have some fairly good
material with which to work next
spring. Unless Palmer Melton is
declared eligible Mike may have some
trouble in developing a pitcher who
can hold down the mound. Melton
the peg-legged sensation who pitched
the Owls to two straight victories
over the Texas Aggies iast season, is
now spending his last year at the In-
stitute and may be eligible for base-
ball this year.
The loss of Bob Lamb through the
recent fall examinations is another
reduction of the Rice pitching staff.
Bob Countryman had a very suc-
cessful season with the Instituters
last year. One of the accomplish-
ments of the Owls on the diamond last
sping was their defeat of the Texas
Longhorns for the first time in years.
Many of last year's stars will be back
on the Owl diamond this spring.
M
OWL CAGERS LOSE
INITIAL TWIN BILL
WITH HORN FROGS
——<8
The Rice Cw!s failed to get revenge on the T. C. U. Horned
Frogs for the Turkey Day grid defeat and aitowed the Christians
to win their first game of Conference basketball at the City Audi-
torium Wednesday n!<-ht in the initiai game of the season. The
score was 18 to 13.
Neither team displayed anything
unsual in melon-tossing and at times
the name dragged. The deliberate
stalling of the Hogs for almost ten
minutes alter they had gained a five-
point margin "ver fhe Owls slowed
things up in a very unpleasant man-
ner, much to the disapproval of the
fans, who voiced their discontent with
the first hissing ever heard at local
Rice names.
Fitch and Swartz did most of the
Resolutions For
* * * * -R * *
New Year Heard;
"Pros" Get Busy
With the passing of exams and col- i
lection of late registration fees, re^'
'-''cts and resolutions are heard on all } y„, m,.,, Hopkins
sides. Those guys who skinned thru n,.„t j„h y,„. tl.e Institute live
with a five and four fours are par-
ticularly relieved and determined to
'give 'em both barrels this term."
"Me an' the wimmin is Nix!" said
one Slime who had four blue cards
backed on his door last November.
One conversation heard over a tran-
som in the dorms:
"Watcha doin"? Only studyin' ?
Let's go to the Majestic this a'even-
ing. Good bill "
"Who? Me? Hell, no! D'y' think
1 wan! a get another Oork of blues ?
You know good'n well The letter sukl
A material improvement will be ex-
pected of you next term' ! "
"But," he pleaded, "today's a bar-
gain matinee an'— (Veils for help
and sounds of a mad retreat.)
A. a !e:.ts and engineers alike are
bending every effort to extrijate
he.nselvcs from the meshes of pro-
bation. Several of The Thresher staff
'vho went on pro are now pushing
their studies instead of the news-
paper.
— #—
Wm. Ward Watkin
Going East for
FoothaH Mentor
in good fashion, although the old-
time eye trouble prevented accuracy
in passing. McKcan showed up better
than he has in previous seasons. Mor-
ris phy< i a nice game in his initial
court performance tor Rice. Ray was
there with ids fight, while Willis,
though slightly oif form, held his own
in good fashion.
George. Taylor. Levi and Canteim:
played the best game for the visitors.
The foul-tossing of Levi was especi
ally noticeable. The Frog outfit .vas
on a par with the Owls and displaced
more Accuracy at. field shots dunng
he last part of the game.
The floor work of the Owls, was m '
so good and they did not do enough
passing. The stutf was there how-
ever and it is believed that the Rice
(Continued on Page 4.)
AXS8H S RETURN
PREVENTER 8Y
POOR HEALTH
CLUB TO HAVE
The newly organized Rice-Central
Club will sponsor the first social ac-
tivity of the year for Rice, Saturday
night, with a dance in the Commons.
The club intends to make this dance
an annual affair, stated Chauncey
Stewart, president of the club. The
dance is to be given in honor of the
letter-men of all Central High School
teams and the officers of the grad-
uating class.
The purpose of the Rice-Central
Club Is to encourage and attract the
desirable students of Central High
School to attend Rice.
The Rice Troubadors will furnish
the music for the occasion.
Rice students, Alumni and support-
ers may know some tunc next month
who will succeed the veteran Philip
H. Arbuc-kle as Owl grid mentor, ac-
cording to a recent announcement by
William Ward Watkin, chairman of
the Institute Athletic Council, who
will leave this week for the Hast to
make final arrangements for the new
coach.
Whether or not the council head
already has his man in mind is not.
known, but it is certain that the hun-
dred or more applicants for the po-
sition will be carefully considered be-
fore any announcement is made. Of-
ficials are determined to get the right
man if it takes them until next sum-
mer, even though the impatient fans
are clamoring to know what its all
about. The Athletic Council has been
at work on the proposition since the
resignation of Arbuckle more than a
month ago.
The situation before the Council is
a new and difficult one. A coach must
be secured who has the ability to
bring about a complete change in sys-
tem (which is inevitable in the case
of any new coach) in a very short
time. !t is not an easy matter for a
grid mentor to pick up a team where
some one else left it and mold it into
I an entirely different yet smoothly-
working machine before the season is
over.
If the new coach is as successful
with the 1924 Owl pigskin chasers as
"Doc" Stewart was with his Long-
horns the first season Rice students
(Continued on Page 3.)
Doctor Stockton Axson. proi'L-:sor
-of English Literature, is not expected
to return to the Institute this year
His absence is (jye to illness.
He is now in Washington, where he
has been under the care of specialists
for some time. His usual pre-Christ-
mas leave of absence was spent in
Washington and New York, but re-
cently he had to cancel all public lec-
ture engagements because of poor
health, and he is now resting from all
activities.
His classes at the Institute will be-
taken by members of the present Eng-
lish department and no new man will
be brought in to take his place. Drs.
McKillop and Starnes will take ins
work, it is understood.
"It is possible that Dr. Axson wouid
be able to return before the end of
the year," said some members of the
English department, who think that
t.h" rest will allow him to regain his
strength.
Dr. Axson has hcid the chair of the
English department, since the found-
ing of the Rice Institute. During the
war he received a leave of absence to
do Red Cross work at special request
of the heads of that organization.
He usually lectures at eastern uni-
versities during the first term of each
school year and then comes to Rice
for the remainder of the year.
Among his other activities. Dr. Ax-
son founded The Writing Club and
rendered it valuable aid while he was
at Rice.
The Owl basketeers will meet
the Texaa University quintet
in Houston next Friday and Sat-
urday.
Student Council
Meets to Appoint
Thresher Editor
The Students' Council held a regu-
lar meeting Thursday at 1:30 in room
201, and Jack Glenn was appointed
to fill the place of E. O. Arnold who
cannot perform his official duties on
account of being on probation. The
Council discussed other plans of inter-
est to Rice.
The Students' Council is composed
of the officers of the Students' Asso-
ciation of which it is the governing
body.
t) t rn nm n n t)t m !! 111
g AUTRY HOUSE CALENDAR.
Friday. January 11.
12:30—E. B. L. S. (Upstairs)
P. A L. S.
3:00—French class (Upstairs)
Saturday. January 12.
H:30 p. m.—Dance.
Sunday, January 13.
9:30 a. m.—Bible class.
10:00 a. m.—Church.
5:30—Open House.
Monday, January 14
3:00 t o5:00—Alliance Fran-
cais Jr.
Tuesday. January 15.
12:30—P. A. L. S. (Upstairs)
7:00 p. m.—French Club.
Thursday. January 17.
12:30—Y. W- C. A.
Y cabinet luncheon for Dr.
Gilkey.
333333
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The Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 9, No. 14, Ed. 1 Friday, January 11, 1924, newspaper, January 11, 1924; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth229971/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.