The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-11-24
WHO'S
NEWS
THIS
WEEK
By LEMUEL F. PARTON

By LEMUEL F. PARTON
NEW YORK.-Rudolf Friml, max
1 y er of melodies for Is years, final
ly gives credit to his collaborators.
With the ouiji board, he's always
Noted Composer s with 3 : : sn : I
Credits Ethereal composers,
Collaborators ana every
while they help him round out a
score. He never knew why the
"Song of the Vagabonds" just sang
itself through in five minutes, faster
than he could score it, until he
learned that he had an ethereal
spokesman, or spokesman.
His career, from the start on
down to his present fifty-ninth
year, is a testimonial to occult
guidance, in planting him al
ways in the highway of Lady
Luck. In Prague, his birthplace,
his father worked in bakery.
One day, his mother gave his
father money to buy wood.
Fates or phantoms guided him
instead to a pawn shop, where
he made down payment on a
tiny piano. RudOlf's mother was
so angry she wanted to chop it
to pieces, but the boy persuaded
her to let him keep it. One day
the owner of the bakery passed
by, heard the lad playing beau
tifulIy and helped groove him
into his musical career.
At the age of 10, he had pub
lished barcarolle. In the musical
conservatory of Prague, where he
studied under Antonin Dvorak, he
teamed up with Jan Kubelik. They
were playing at a concert which
Daniel F'rohman happened oppor-
timely to attend. He took them to
the United States for tour of 80
cities.
Whether or not Mr.. Friml was just
an amanuensis for spirits, his COM
positions streamed along rapidly
"Glorianna," 1.-THE FREELY" "Ka-
tinka," "High Jinks," Emusic Hath
Charms" r'The Vagabond King"
and a whole album of others, none
of them seeming to be of ghostly
inspiration. Hollywood still keeps
him busy and successful.
IT GORDON SELFR1DGE, the
IL. Anglo : American merchant
prince, visiting this country, makes
it a tossup between communism
II. G. Selfridge anu FUNGUS tiou
Sees Passing of oueried about
Success IdyH com munlsm
Europe after the war, he asks,
teWhat of it? What is the difference
between communism and society
where tax takes half of the income
and surtax the other half?"
He says the day Of initiative
and enterprise is past. He is
an authority on that subject.
Sixty-two years ago, he swept
out store in Ripon, Wis. Two
years later, he was an errand
boy for Marshall Field & Co.
in Chicago, and partner when
he quit, in 1904. Punch ribbed
him mercilessly when he opened
his store in London, and the
smart salons were full Of clever
mots about the American invad-
er. He made them like him. He
hired as head of his dress de-
partment Lady Affiick, who had
thought up the cleverest jokes
about him.
Here in 1887, he was optimistic
about Europe and the world in gen.
eral. Now he says, "The opportu-
nifty to achieve and to show results
has been eliminated all over the
world"
A LBERT SARRAUT, French min
"A lister of interior, swings on the
French Reds with a spiked club. He
links them with the Germans and
sweep LuSIu
Tough One Day, from all ''vil-
Pacific the Next lagos. munich
and towns" And he means to do
just that.
M. Sarraut, as governor-general Of
French Indo-C China, was regarded as
hard-fsted and implacable colonial
administrator. Returning to his
country villa in France, he read
Tolstoy, and renowned all belief in
force. When he became minister of
interior, his enemies, catching him
thus off guard, swarmed all over
him. He resigned from the minis
try and said:
81 find now that i have no de-
sire to smite hip and thigh those
who do not think as do. You
gentlemen take over the job and
see what you can do with it."