Houston home journal. (Perry, Houston County, Ga.) 1924-1994, October 03, 1940, Image 13

Houston home journal., October 03, 1940, Image 13

About Houston home journal. (Perry, Houston County, Ga.) 1924-1994 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 1940)

Page of 14

Prev Issue Next Issue

Text PDF JP2 (4.6 MB) Clip/Print Image

Page of 14

Prev Issue Next Issue

Return to Top

Newspaper Page TextGENERAL J HUGHS. JOHNSON | \Jaur: Mmt ,fH UnU(d Features WNU Servic* WAR DEPARTMENT ‘HARRYS’ WASHINGTON.— There is some thing smelly in the war department. Part of it is too many Harrys. Be cause Harry Woodring wouldn’t agree with Harry Morgenthau on a restrictive tax policy that paralyzed airplane and other pro duction for about eight months, he had to walk the plank. In his place came another Harry— Wrong-Horse Harry Stimson. He came apparently because he had just made an all-out interventionist speech proposing something per ilously close to a war alliance with England. At least, he proposed the joint use of naval and air bases which would, for all practical pur poses, make us a belligerent in this war. Certainly he didn’t come to speed defense on the real front of the Bat tle of America—which is, at the mo ment, the industrial front. Nobody can argue that because that would require a dynamic figure—a man who knows something about that job. Wrong-Horse Harry not only doesn’t know anything about it, but he is about as dynamic as a shelled oyster. When he came, the assistant sec retary of war was, by law, charged, under the secretary’s direction, with making plans and preparations for our present two great tasks—indus trial and man power mobilization. A system for this had been under study and discussion for many years. The assistant secretary, Mr. Louis Johnson, after many false starts and a good deal of galloping in place had at last got his stride. He had learned his job. He had finally captured the confidence not only of the army, but also of industry and the public. Things were beginning to hum. The appointment of Mr. Stimson was a direct violation of a promise to him of that portfolio. The promise was not kept and the default proved to be even more than that for Louis Johnson. * • • Mr. Stimson’s first official act was to demand Mr. Johnson’s official head on a silver salver. He wanted his own man. That fratricidal re quest was granted and, regardless of its disconcerting—not to say paralyzing—effect on the Battle of America. Mr. Stimson brought in his own man, Judge Patterson. Bad as this helter-skelter playing of ducks and drakes with national defense might have been in 99 out of 100 cases, it turned out that Judge Patterson was just the kind of guy who could overcome the handicap of such reckless monkey business. He was a soldier himself and a common sense administrator. Is record time, he corralled the con fidence of everybody involved, army, industry, public. Then something happened. The President wisely de cided to appoint Judge Advocate General Gullion—a natural—to con duct the selective service draft. Wrong-Horse Harry boiled over. Gullion would be appointed “over his dead body.” He wanted Colonel Hershey, whom Gullion intended to use as his deputy. There is nothing the matter with Hershey. Together, he and Gullion would have been the most perfect team in America. Alone, and next to Gullion, Hershey would be the best selection. That isn’t the point. The point is the testy, crochetty petulance of one, stubborn, feeble old man and his selection of secretary of war in this crisis. In the meantime, the selection of a draft administrator is deferred, “pending agreements,” when such direction is needed —tragically. Also, all these matters are to be taken away from Mr. Stimson’s own hand picked Assistant Secretary Patter son—who was going to town. DRAFT TROUBLE This column recently criticized the appointment of Elliott Roosevelt, aged 30, as captain in the air corps and his assignment to some desk job in procurement. Elliott is with in the selective draft age limits. Al though gazetted as a “specialist,” there is no information that he has any special training or experience either as a soldier or as a purchas ing agent. Now, according to a press dis patch, Elliott says I am a “disgust ing old man,” who went through the last war as a soldier, but served only at a desk. I don’t know what that has to do with the merits of this case. In 1917 I had been a sol dier in the regular army for 18 years. I served in the places I was ordered to serve. Among those places, I was in command of com bat troops—an infantry brigade of the Eighth division. It and I were aboard a convoy destined for France when the Armistice was signed. Elliott is reported as protesting that he didn’t ask for any special assignment and that he wouldn’t have been drafted anyway, because oo has a wife and two children. Maybe the boy didn’t ask for any special assignment, but men can oe commissioned in the officers Re serve corps only on their own ap plication and request. Such is the ' uw - The actual draft regulations are not yet published. I don’t know w “at they will say about married joen with children, but this I know r°m the law itself—there is no such absolute exemption. Nation’s Press Guards Liberty And Democracy By ROY A. BROWN President, National Editorial Association. I am the guarantee to the Amer ican way ... to the way of liberty . . . the way of equal opportunity . . . the way of free enterprise . . . the divine way and the true way for national well-being and upward ad vancement. Daily and weekly I go into your home ... in winter, in summer, in spring and fall. I chronicle your birth, your mar riage, your death and the interven ing events which mean for joy and sorrow, depression and exaltation, health and pestilence, poverty and wealth, weakness and strength. Freeborn am I, and true to my heritage. I am not the subservient carrier of propaganda that enabled a Hitler to become the master of Germany, nor am I the complacent press that contributed to France’s downfall. I am a friendly visitor. You will find me constantly at your right hand day after day, at your fire side, on your porch swing, or at the breakfast table. I have character, and even when I hurt, you would not have me spine less. I have given you Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, Orphan Annie and Major Hoople, William Allen White and Peter Zenger, Hor ace Greeley and James Gordon Ben llll * tJt I? ' ||p||||| > ROY A. BROWN nett, Tad and Rollin Kirby, Dorothy Dix and Elsie Robinson, Raymond Clapper and Walter Lippmann, Fon taine Fox and Rube Goldberg. I provide you with a special civic service. I support to the last drop of ink your charities, community chests, Red Cross drives, public schools, church activities, clubs . . . yes, I assist in the building of com munity character. Through advertising, I promote your trade, move your commodities, advance your living standards. I am a bit bashful about mention ing these things, but I want you to rest assured I am your friend. For I am the AMERICAN HOME TOWN NEWSPAPER, and without me your liberties would vanish. Newspaper-Reader Confidence Remains Vital to Democracy By RAYMOND B. HOWARD Vice President, National Editorial Association. The close boncf of friendship and confidence that has existed between American newspapers and their readers since this nation was found ed must continue. The confidence which readers have placed in newspapers have placed them in a position to be all the more helpful to their communi ties and to their nation. They have become a large part of every com munity. Any attempt to encroach upon the freedom of the press is a direct thrust at the freedom of the people and is to be resented and prevented by those who depend upon news papers for the truth. Newspapers do not ask for freedom of the press for themselves alone—they ask for it in the name of their readers. Take a look about in the world. Find a throttled press and you find a nation whose people “goose step” and who are given no oppor tunity to learn the truth. In con trast they are given “news” of the type which dictators believe will further their cause. No, this isn’t a false cry of alarm. This isn’t something that news papers alone must be interested in. No newspaper can be strong with out the support of its community. No community can prosper without a strong, live-wire newspaper. No nation will long endure with out a free press—and that puts the problem of appreciating and sup porting your favorite newspaper squarely up to you. If the news papers are to fight your battles you j must fight theirs! There is no other way in this land | of democracy and free enterprise which both the newspapers and their readers must ever be alert to pre serve! HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL. PERRY, GEORGIA Country Editor Brings Business To Home Town By JOHN E. STEMPEL Professor of Journalism Indiana University. “Sure,” said Ed Thrasher, the druggist in Jonesville, population 1,800, “this is a live town—nice bank, nice stores.” “I suppose the bank held up pretty well during the depression?” I asked as I selected the cigar I had dropped in to buy. “We almost lost it,” replied Ed. “Would have, too, if Bill Jenks hadn’t got out and raised the money to open it again.” Bill Jenks was my reason for com ing to Jonesville. I didn’t know him, but I wanted to meet this edi tor whose paper recently had won an award for public service. I re called as I drove into Jonesville over a fine highway that the highway was there because he had assailed the old road with its dangerous turn into town repeatedly until the local folks massed before the state high way commission and demanded ac tion. “Business been pretty good here?” I asked Ed. “We used to complain some,” Ed replied, “until one day Bill asked a bunch of us what kind of drummer we liked to buy from. We got to thinking about it, and agreed he had to have what we wanted, he ought to smile a little and he ought to be neat, even if his clothes wasn’t ex actly for afternoon tea. Bill just asked us how some of the women folk liked buying from us when we looked so sour and didn’t have pep enough to keep our stores clean. Merchant’s Club Next. “We took the hint. Then some one mentioned a merchant’s club, and Bill printed a piece about what a club like that could mean. Next week we had a set of officers from him to print, and we’ve been work ing together since. Next week is our Fall Prevue. All the farm folks will be in town. We fixed up to park the cars—yes, that’s Bill’s idea, too —and to entertain ’em with music in the park.” “How long have you had the park?” “Oh, a couple of years. Bill told in the paper one day about the new park at Midville and another time he mentioned how unsightly the creek was. We got the land donated and got it fixed up, and now the farmers like to rest there when they’re in town shopping and a lot of them come in for the band con certs.” “Town band?” “Not exactly. Mostly it’s a high school band. We’ve got a nice school, too. We used to hear the principal talk about how crowded the old school was, but we didn’t pay much attention to him until Bill started writing pieces about it. Then we got a now building, and Bill showed us how we could use it not only to educate kids but for all kinds of meetings. It’s brought us a lot closer together, and it’s brought a lot of our neighbors from the country into town for basketball games and school plays and farm meetings. They kinda feel as though they belong here now. Sure, they read about these things in The Cou rier and come to town.” And the Farmers. “How are the farmers doing?” “Pretty good. They were kinda stand-offish toward the county agent for a long time, but Bill kept tell ing about how nice it would be to spend less time raising what they were and raising it better. Then these 4-H clubs he helped organize sort of taught the dads and moms something, too.” “How are taxes?” “Kinda high, but nothing to what they were for a spell. We weren’t paying much attention to the town reports printed regular in the Cou rier until Bill asked one day why it ought to take $250 worth of coal to heat the town hall. Then Bill asked some more questions. Now we’re getting our money’s worth for our taxes, and the town hall itself is all cleaned up, just like our stores.” Just then a lad came in, and Ed looked as though he would like to go. I said good-by, and he re marked: “I generally ain’t in a hurry to go to lunch when George gets back, but I read in the Courier this morning that old Aunt Liz is pretty sick—no, she ain’t my aunt, but she has been good to a lot of us for 70 years and I thought I would drop by to see if I could help her out any.” Meeting Bill Jenks. And I went on down the street to meet Bill Jenks, who for 15 years has been chronicling the births and deaths, the comings and goings, the good fortune and ill of Jonesville, and who has helped the farmers have more leisure and made them better acquainted with town folks, brought good highways, and encour aged safe use of those highways, and now is working on a program to guard the health and keeping his eye on the light rate and govern ment expenditures. Show me a live town, and I’ll find a live newspaper and a live editor. Jonesville is one of them, and Bill Jenks is on his toes. He’s but one of 10,000 whose weekly newspapers are helping make their towns better places to live. U OW good a swinger is Sammy A Snead compared to the best of all time? Snead has yet to win a national crown and yet many, in cluding Bobby Jones, pick the West Virginian as one of Hr the top stylists since H. the first Scotchman fef: socked a rock with i a shepherd’s crook Snead may be the “dream swinger” to many, but he isn’t to Jimmie Donald son, an able stylist at his own and one Grantlandßice of the top instructors of the game. In rating Snead as highly as we have, Jimmie thinks your corre spondent is a trifle curious in the cupola—as follows — An Expert Disagrees Dear Grant: I happened to see your article about Sammy Snead. How a man like you who has seen as much golf as you have can compare Sammy Snead’s swing, which has a decided loop (which is preventing him from winning big tournaments), with a great swing like Harry Vardon’s baffles me. What do you mean about Hagen, Sarazen and J. H. Taylor being swingers? They certainly were net swingers, but decided hitters. And if you are writing on the subject of swingers, how can you possibly overlook Byron Nelson who, I per sonally think, is a much better swinger, and better grooved, than Snead has been last two years. To the layman your article might appeal, but to someone like myself who knows a little about it, it is really funny. Sincerely yours, Jimmie Donaldson And in Rebuttal — Dear Jimmie— I know of few golfers who swing a golf club better than you do—or few who know as much about the old game. But I can’t agree with you about Sammy Snead. You say he has a loop in his swing? So did Bobby Jones. Do you know a better swinger? Yet only a few days ago Bobby Jones told me that in his opinion Snead had the best all around swing with every club that he had ever seen—and Bob played with Vardon as far back as 1920. Bobby Jones was referring to the physical makeup of Snead’s swing, not to his mental attitude in a cham pionship. Snead gets amazing results with little show of effort, of extra effort. Snead’s downfall has never been due to any fault in his swing—only to his inability to concentrate —only to his mental attitude, which as you know is 70 per cent of golf. I played with Bobby Jones four days ago and he had a 65. I still got a thrill from the slow, smooth beauty of his swing. Bob still in sists that Snead is the top. The dif ference is that Bobby could always concentrate and keep full control of Ms mental and nerve resources. Snead can’t. Yet remember this— in his last four big tournaments, Snead has won three and reached the final hole against Nelson in the last P. G. A. I have seen Snead hit many a golf ball, but I have yet to sco any “decided loop.” Hagen and Nelson Continuing our correspondence, I hate to disagree with an expert of your rank. But to my mind Walter Hagen is a better swinger than most. Hagen in his prime was one of the ideal swingers. Sarazen, with his stocky build, is more of a hitter than a swinger. We agree here. Sarazen doesn’t think Snead has any loop, but he is afraid Snead is getting a trifle flat in his back swing. “The greatest fault in golf today,” Sarazen says. As for swingers—how about Henry Picard? Winning temperament—no. But a great golfer and a great swinger. Snead has had a better three or four-year record than Mac- Donald Smith. Did you ever see a finer swinger than Mac Smith? Yet Mac Smith through 25 years never won a national title. Here was the great crime of all golf. Mac Smith with the golfing temperament of Walter Hagen or Byron Nelson would have Won at least six championships. Imagine Sammy Snead with the mental atti tude of a Hagen or a Nelson—or the tremendous concentration of a. Bobby Jones — Even as it is, I believe Sammy Snead will still astonish the world of golf. Watch him! Swing Still Secondary If you are thinking in terms ol swingers I’ll give you my list—Bob by Jones, Harry Vardon, Sammy Snead, Walter Hagen, Mac Smith, Henry Picard and Paul Runyan. It also so happens that winning cham pionship golf belongs even more in the heart and above the shoulders than it does in the technique of any swing. What about Byron Nelson, one of our best through many years? Nel son is a good swinger, who once in a while gets his left wrist tied up. HCW » SEW Ruth Wyeth Spears gummed ‘- 0 °S i E I-EAF WITH TABS BINDER ATTACHED 'IX/'HENEVEH I make a trip to * ’ New England I like to bring back something to remind me that there have been about 15 genera tions of homemakers in America since John Alden and Priscilla set up housekeeping in Plymouth col ony. This time my treasure was the pair of ancient flat irons you see here in use as book ends for my work-room library of loose leaf binders. Setting them up remind ed me that I have been wanting to show you my method of fastening booklets in ring binders. I use %-inch wide gummed tape. Pieces 2Ms-inches long are folded in half. The fold end is stuck to gether and punched. These tabs are placed on the rings of the bind er and booklet stuck between the open ends. We are inveterate booklet collectors on all sort of subjects. Frequently we cover binders with fabrics or interesting papers so they look attractive on the shelves in any room. • ♦ • NOTE; Here Is a good suggestion for keeping the scries of sewing booklets which Mrs. Spears has prepared tor our readers. There are live booklets avail able and a new one Is published every other month. No. 5 contains directions for 30 different homemaking ideas, In- Perseverance The old saying is that all things come to those who wait. Change this so as to make it declare that nearly all the good things are pos sible to those who will persevere long enough in seeking them, and you will have an important state ment which does not at all exceed the limits of truth. If, too, you should turn it around, the converse of it would be equally true; for without perseverance we need have no expectation of either ac quiring much or being of much service to our fellow-creatures. NEW 1941 qSHfarm radio Not “just another farm radio” —but a Philco, equal of all electric models. Costs less to buy ... less to operate. Look at these savings! No wet batteries to pay for and recharge ... no wind chargers. New Battery Block almost doubles capacity at one-third the cost! New tubes cut current drain two-thirds! New High-Output Speaker and specially designed farm radio circuit give you finer tone and more stations, clearly, power- fully, even in day-time! matched beauty. PHILCO WIRELESS RECORD PLAYER Now you can piay records through Yours at the your present battery radio or through any new Philco Farm Radio. No wire ■ V fani connection to radio needed. Plays LUWISI I l» records with all the lone beauty your "w II fcw I I liable radio gives them. Be sure to see it || IN HISTORY Liberal Trade-in Allowance for Your Old Radio or Phono B raph. Freo I ?, hllco Ra . d j,° * T * l,,v J“? n /;T 0,a I J ion ' D,p '‘ 236 «... _ JT ■ Tioga and C Streets, Philadelphia, Pa. Trial, long Brno »o Pay. O#* ■ Ple „ e scad rae free and without obliga rull Details. k tlon, literature describing the newl 941 Philco —_ Farm Radios. Also full details of your Free Name eluding new fall eurtalns; useful holiday gifts, and description of the other book lets In the series. When you write for your copy of J >ok S be sure to enclose 10c to cover cost and mailing. Send order to: MRS. RUTH WYETH SPEARS Drawer 10 Bedford Hills New York Enclose 10 cents for Book S, Name Address What Time Brings Time is the nurse and breeder of all good.—-Shakespeare. HOST TO (HOST WHO VISIT BRITIII10RE! Baltimore's newest, largest and finest hotel—7oo rooms, equipped with every luxury and modern conveni ence. Fine restaurants servo tho world-renowned food that has made Baltimore a Mecca lor "gourmets"; bars and lounges ieaturo drinks mixed in tho time-honored Maryland manner. Rates from $3 to $6 single. l|ty ny Co-operation Heaven ne’er helps the men who) will not act.—Sophocles.