Evening star., 1938-10-23
Capital Sidelights
By WILL P. KENNEDY,

Today the swallows Gas Golondrinas)
Of the Mission San Juan Capitatrano
start on their Goth annual flight. Repre-
sentative John Steven McGroarty, poet
laureate Of California, who has watched
these flights for the past SO years, in
terestingly describes this picturesque
event. On this, the feast day of the pa
tron saint Of the mission, at earliest
dawn great crowds of visitors gather to
witness the departure OF the birds while
Ramon Yorba sings the farewell hymn,
"Dispedida A Maria Santisima' The
throngs gather again on March 10, feast
day OF st. Joseph, patron saint Of Cali
fornia, to witness the return OF the
swallows
For many years the swallows built
their quaint mud nests under the caves
OF the inn near the mission, but the
master OF the inn thought them a nuis-
ance. and with long pole smashed their
nests. After a valiant but unavailing
fight over their nests. the swallows re-
treated to- the caves of the newly re-
stored sacristy Of Father Serras church,
where they built nests anew, and have
raised families for nearly seven decades.
1t was Acu, an old Indian born and
raised at the mission, who first noted the
coming Of the swallows on March 10, for
1t was the date of his birth. He said
that with their beaks they would chissel
bit Of the adobe from the crumbling
wall, fly away with it in their beaks to
the nearby leguna. dipping 1t in the wa
ter to make it soft. Then they nodded
tol
protecting caves. first of the inn and
old Acu's legend. the swallows leaving
the mission flew direct to Jerusalem for
the winter. Each swallow carried a twig
in its beak. and when they grew tired
crossing the ocean they would drop the
tWlg on the water and alight on it to
rest. While the swallows are on their
annual pilgrimage lazy sparrows invade
the vacant mud nests. On their return
the swallows engage in battle-royal to
recapture their nests and the fight wages
Tor several days. Old Acu told Repre-
sentative McGroarty "a thing most
curious Is that the swallows do not work
on Sunday. know, for have watched
them."
Do you know what a boomer" was
and how an artisan came to be called a
"journeyman"? Edward Heating, for
mer member Of Congress, where he was
chairman of the House Labor Committee
and now Is editor of the Labor newspaper,
gave the writer a neat lecture on the
subject. The boomer" is no more. In
dustry has replaced him by a seniority
system. Years ago when q young man
learned his trade he started travelling
from place to place, picking up a job
mere and there until the wanderlust i'm
PEELED him to move along-that's how he
came to be called q journeyman. In
time wayfarers came to be called BOOM
ers,' because as they took pride in the
TACT that they were such good mechanics
tnat they could get job any time and
any place, as they went along they
preached the gospel Of unions and CO.
operation OF the workers. They never
got cent for doing this organization
work. They were just helping their fel-
lowman to share in = good thing. They
were boomers" and literally scattered
the seed Of trade unionism all over the
United States. And one OF these old
time boomers" Is today the man who
has made the Civilian Conservation Corps
the outstanding blessing of the New Deal.
He has kept these camps human, inspira-
tional, educational-worthwh places in
which otherwise down-and -outers live
and work and develop manhood and
character. President Roosevelt picked
for the Job Of heading-up and managing
the c. G. c.. an old trade unionist Rob-
ert Fechner. now serving the Government
as draftee, on leave Of absence from
his own job as vice president Of the
Machinists' Union. But Fechner had a
valuable experience which helped to ct
him for the new post-he had lectured
on economics at Dartmouth. There was
very conservative professor at that in
stitution, Malcolm Keir, who conceived
the brilliant idea Of having union labor
men talk to the students. That's how
Fechner came to teach ut Dartmouth
College. When Fechner undertook the
job Of building up the c. c. G. he picked
as his assistants two other trade union
machinists James J. McEntee and
Charles H. Taylor. So these three trade
unionists, all self educated, highly intel
ligent, with love for their fellowman and
zeal to help md 4 place in life and in
industry for youth willing to work. are
doing magnificent job for the Nation
as any member of Congress, or any one
who knows anything about the C.. e. G.
camps, will tell you. Through their own
human contacts in their trade and in