davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
Swimming Lessons For All

The Spofford Mills and the American Red
Cross are uniting in a safety program which is
quite as important to Wilmington as anything
that has ever been undertaken to promote in
dividual security in the community. Starting
next Monday classes in swimming, life saving
and first aid will be conducted by experienced
teachers at the Spofford Mills pool. Boys and
girls, men and women, are all eligible.
The project marks the first time mass in.
s~truction in swimming and aquatic rescue
work will have been offered here. That the
courses will be valuable is obvious. Whining.
tons facilities for water sports are not bet
tered in the South. Surely there are no pleas
anter waters anywhere, whether surf or still,
for the diversion of bathers, and none more ad'
vantageous for aquatic sports. But too few
Wilmingtonians know how to vim or how tc
administer to persons needing first aid after
rescue.
The object of the training now offered is te
fit everybody who cares to enroll both for first
aid duties and for the genuine pleasure thai
swimming can give. Glasses will be held daily
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
Texas Petroleum
SELECTED.

Scattered instances of weakness in crude oil
prices in Texas are apparently giving indie
pendent operators, as well as the Texas Rail-
road Commission, a good deal of worry. So
far the price cutting has not touched the flush
fields, but has been confined to a few counties
in north Texas.
Dispatches from Austin quote the chairman
of the railroad commission as Indicating that
shutdown of Texas wells would probably be
confined only to those areas where Sinclair IN
terests posted reduced prices. This in turn
would indicate that the commission is deter.
mined to maintain prices and perhaps regard
Sinclair companies as unjustified in their price
action. The lower Sinclair postings, however,
were accompanied with statements asserting
that reductions had been forced through lower
pricings by competitors.
The majority opinion in the oil industry
that a general lowering of crude prices will be
better avoided through modest mark-ups in
gasoline prices. Current levels for motor fuel
do not support current crude ~postings, says
the New York Herald Tribune. At the same
time, a large group of Independent operators
in Texas are advocating q 30-day shutdown
for all wells in the state.
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
Hollywood Sights And Sounds
Robbis Coos

the scene, with Laughton lettering
on the ridgepole, slipping and dis
appearing down the other side. The
crowd ad Ibis as instructed, and
it looks like a good take" But
Kanin, after consultation with the
sound man, calls for another.
THAT was fine," he says, Eek
cept that somebody forgot about
the Hays office. This time, don't
let me hear anybody yell, 'HelTs
bells, he's busted his neck!'
Old-time vaudeville fans, incid-
entally, will see a familiar face
in the picture, the man who plays
the Laughton-Lombard cook. .
He is Lee Tung Foo, long billed
as 'the Chinese Harry Lauder"
-. Lee is IS now, but his round,
good-natured face still is unwrinkl-
ed, his hair jet-black. -. Lee was
a cook in CALIFORNIA; Napa valley
Che was born in Watsonville) be-
fore he eased himself onto h e
stage via amateur s%inging-a n d
thence to international fame with
limitations Of LADDERS songs. .
IT quit vaudeville before it died."
he says."I was tired Of hearing
my voice ALA time" 3
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
Stains Men Demand

Having established Soviet governments in
Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, and reduced
the peoples Of those small Baltic states to
vassalage, Stain proceeds to demand similar
action in Rumania. The idea seems to be that
a peoples government at Bucharest, in the
customary Communist form, will be good for
the Rumanians, once they are thoroughly COM
munized, and that King Carol should welcome
the opportunity Stain offers him to come in
with Moscow.
Presumably the Kremlin would want an elec-
ton, similar to those held in the Baltic coun-
tries, with the electors given ballots with one
set of candidates names listed only and the
voters compelled either to vote for them or re-
turn their ballots blank. That is Stalin's idea
of a fair election. With his henchmen thus
properly elected, he could dictate Ruman-
las policies and protect the country as he is
protecting the Baltic countries for their great
good and Communism's advantage.
Carol, naturally, appeals to Germany and
Italy for advice. He doesn't know what to do.
He is in the position of q cat on a fence, with
water on one side and 4 dog on the other. A
leap either way offers risks. He wants to
dVOlu IOuUlC Ou OIu olOCo, boI y lie O0NAoNS
that this cannot be completely escaped, unless,
of course, Hitler and Mussolini have agreed to
give Stain a free hand in the Balkans, which
is hardly likely.
The Axis rulers allowed Stain to take Bes-
sarabia without conflict, but it is not concelv'
able that they will consent to his d~ictation over
all Rumania and condscation of Rumania's
great grain and petroleum resources, as well
as command of her fighting forces and war
stores. Nor is it likely that Stain, having
seized Bessarabia, and looking generously up
on the rest Of Rumania, will accept an antag'
onistic rulinglPy the Axis powers complacent'
ly. The new<denands he has made upon Car
obs country seem to cast the Balkans again in
a war role-at a time when the Axis has its
hands full with the campaign against England.
If the situation is accurately appraised, Stall
IN has taken a step which will make England's
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
Front Street Traffic

No one in Wilmington who has watched the
long queues of automobiles during rush hours
on Front street can fail to realize that curb
marking there is a brake on traffic. With a
single line of cars stretching from intersection
to intersection between go signals travel is
slow and tedious. Yet, with cars parked at
the curb on both sides, one line on either side
of the center is all the street can accommo-
date.
One way to relieve the situation would be for
drivers to stay off of Front street during rush
hours. As the street is a public thoroughfare,
this would have to be a voluntary action with
out violating the rights Of the individual. But
if. enough drivers used other streets the situ-
alton would be vastly improved.
Some such program will have to be volun-
tarily adopted if Front street is to be easily
traversed during the noon and in the late aft
ernoon. As matters now stand it would be un-
fair to merchants to forbid curb parking, and
because of the heavy cost, widening of the
street is out of the question. Parking lots would
help, but nuless the city authorities undertake
to provide them for the free accommodation of
motorists they, too, are largely out of the ques-
ton. One far-seeing service station operator
is soon to provide a parking lot for his regular
patrons without cost. His example might be
followed by others in the same business, but
that, too, would have to be voluntary, and
might be costly-too costly for wide adoption.
So the one way out, for the present at least,
seems to be avoidance Of driving on Front
street unless compelled to by pressing en-
gagements during the hours it is now most
used.
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23

enough to keep a medium-sized
bird alive. The Crystal Palace,
which had several nudes-and
mean nudes!-played to no bust
ness. MICS Congress of Beauty,
a super peep-show with more than
so lovely gals in their birthday
suits, folded in the middle of the
season. An enterprise called &c
stacy" also made a poor showing
and 1.-THE Dream of Venus a
peep-show disguised as a surreal-
ist art outburst, put its sponsors
into a $50. 900 hole. Altogether, a
little more than $500, 900 was in
vested on last years New York
midway in structures to hose mud
lie shows that no one came to
see.
''Now, in the old days, naked
lady emporiums were among the
most heavily patronized hooplas in
American fair grounds. What has
happened to change the situation?
Has the average American become
squeamish? Or has he lost a natur-
al and wholesome interest in the
opposite sex? Neither, of course,
is true. What has happened is that
there are no rubes any more. Well,
hardly any. The few who survive
r the handful of ,showmen who
still imagine that Americans want
to shell out a quarter to look at a
bandy-legged naked woman" 3
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23

except Saturdays and Sundays through August
1e. Instruction will be thorough. All who avail
themselves of this opportunity will be compe-
tent swimmers, will know how to save en-
dangered lives and administer first aid, when
they complete the course. Hours of instruction
for children and for adults are to be carefully
adjusted for the greater convenience of all
groups.
And the courses are open to everybody. II
the worth of the project is properly and widely
recognized, the only difficulty will be in taking
care of the great numbers of enrollees.
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
PONY AND MULE
KILLED BY BOLT
so Chickens Also Perish
As Flames Sweep Farm
Near Seagate

A new frame barn on h e
Wrightsville highway near Sea-
gate, belonging to DR.. Paul A. l..
Black, of Wilmington, was ravag-
ed by fire Sunday afternoon at
ter it was struck by lightning. A
saddle pony, a mule and about SO
chickens we're destroyed.
DR.. Black estimated the loss at
about 81, 500.
He said members of his family
were in the residence adjoining
the barn. and said the fire start
ed Immediately after a loud light
ming crack. The residence was not
damaged.
Efforts were made to extinguish
the fire. but helped little. The
building burned to the ground.
DR.. Black said yesterday he did
not know if the barn was insured.
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23

HOLLYWOOD-July %. This
town may have its back to the
wall, but there's life in the old
girl yet. There's life when a plane
load of stars, en- route to Houston
for a Red Cross benefit, can at
tract crowds to the Albuquerque
IN. NJ airport, at 4 am, just to
see the scintillants briefly. Ac-
%cordionist Henry Fonda and
Trumpeter James Stewart, with
their "corny'' tricks and off-key
duet just about stole the Houston
show, according to local witnesses.
|. .. But Ty Power as me-, Mischa
Auer with his grapefruit-piano solo
and patter, Olivia de Havilland,
Nancy Kelly and Richard Greene
all won friends and Influenced
Houstonians.
If X. Hepburn doesn't m e
through in philadelphia Story it
won't be for lack of support -
they've given her Gary Grant and
j. Stewart. 80.
The Warner crowd is doing nip
ups over MY Love Came Back
nobody more surprised than when
it charmed preview audiences.
Metro talent-man Bill Grady is
out after 10 new leading men for
his roster-and so far he has eight
|. They're Cliff Danielson, ex-col-
legian, ex-Ciro's waiter; John Shell
ton; Dan Daley, Jr., ex-musical
comedian; Philip Dorm, whose con-
tract was bought from Universal;
Dalies Franta, the pianist; Douglas
McPhail, who's been around, but IS
now given a break in Little Nelly
Kelly; Shepherd Strudwick, and
John Carroll, the last-named al
ready dragging down plums. {.
''They Knew What They Want
ed" gives Charles Laughton an I'm
usual opportunity to demonstrate
his athletic prowess. He plays a
California grapegrower of Italian
origin who has won Carole Lom-
bard via correspondence courtship.
When the future bride arrives on
the ranch they throw a fiesta to
celebrate. Charlie, to show off for
Carole, is supposed to do a one
hand vault over the festive table.
He tries it once, twice. %thrice-but
can't lift his bulk with conviction
and Director Carson Kanin turns
the job over to a double.
The plot calls for Laughton, in
this display of derring-do, to be
injured seriously when he tries a
stunt on the house roof. They shoot
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
Churchill In The Scales

There have been many reasons to look upon
the appointment of Winston Churchill as prime
minister of Great Britain as a wise and provi-
dent move. His militant attitude, his cour-
ageous words and, best of all, his quick recog-
milton of England's plight and provisions for
defense, bolstered British morale.
Certainly his leadership is a great improve
ment over that of Chamberlain, who for some
years preached and practiced the gospel OF ap-
basement to such good effect that he
smoothed the way for Hitler's blitzkrieg on
the continent. Churchilrs engineering Of the
flight from Flanders and his seizure Of the
French fleet, together with his energetic guild
ance throughout the period of Germany's air
raids since the fall of France, have stimulated
faith in his ability to bring England through
the battle ahead with honor and success. He
has showed that British fiers are the equal to
the best Hitler can send aloft, and by speeding
up the production of planes has put his air
force on a footing more nearly comparable
with that of Germany than at any time since
the war began.
But certain of his more recent decisions cast
a doubt on his leadership, and justify a belle]
that he is nearing the end of his career as
premier. There is his attitude on the closing
of the Burma road at the demand of the Japa.
nese, for example. It shows that he has not
shaken off the influence of appease-
ment which Chamberlain created. He may
have relied, of course, on the rainy season to
halt japanese operations over the road before
they can do much damage to the Chinese. But
this will not convince the Tokyo government,
which is now wholly military and entirely in
accord with Nazi principles, OF England's pow
er to enforce her will in the Orient. On the
contrary, they will read in his acceptance of
sions directly against British interests in the
far East and harmful to the cause Of Chang
Kai-shek, which Britain tacitly espouses
Churchill's decision, however temporary the
may be, will breed discomfort with
his rule at home.
Another decision which cannot help but have
a bad effect upon the morale of the British peo-
pie is Churchin's removal of General 1ronsides
from command of the defense forces. When
post it was explained that the move was made
because he, above all other English generals,
was best qualified for the position. Now he is
on the score that England may have
some foreign fighting to do, and he, again, is
the best man to do it.
This may be the fact. 1ronsides may. in
deed, be England's most valued al-around
leader. But the British people are
likely to look upon his removal as evidence
the government which gave him his important
post is not wholly confident he can perform its
duties, and has made him a marshal-at-large
to disguise recognition of his limitations. The
shift in the defense command cannot fail to
raise questions in the minds of the British
masses. And when the British masses begin
to ask questions ministries are likely to fall.
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
Star-News Program

. Consolidated City.County Government
under CounctlManager administration.
Public Port Terminals.
Perfected Truck and Berry Preserving
and Marketing Facilities.
Arena for Sports and Industrial
Shows.
Seaside Highway from Wrightsvi1le
Beach to Bald Head Island.
Extension OF City Limits.
35-Foot Cape Fear River channel, totd-
err Turning Basin. With ship lanes into
industrial sites along Eastern bank
south OF Wilmington.
Paved Rive, Road to Southport, Vto
orion Plantation.
Developme of Pulp Wood Produc-
ton through sustained-yield methods
throughout Southeastern North Caroline.
United Industrial and Resort Pro.
motional Agency, supported BY one.
countrywide tao.
Shipydrds and Drydock.
Negro Health Center for Southeastern
North Carolina, developed around the
Community Hospital.
Adequate hospital facilities for 4rhites.
Junior High School.
Tobacco Warehouse for Export Buyers.
Development OF native grape 0ropin0
throughout Southeastern North Carolina.
Modern Tuberculosis Sanatorium.
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
Approval Of Measure To
Deport Bridges Urged

WASHINGTON, July 22.-R--
Senator Ashurst D-Ariz.) pleaded
with the senate today to give
speedy approval to a bill ordering
the deportation of Harry Bridges,
West Coast CLIO leader.
Terming Bridges an "evil and
unhappy man." Senator Ashurst
reminded his colleagues that the
house had passed the Bridges de.
%portation bill several weeks ago
and it now was pending before the
senate immigration committee.
"All too long the American PEG.
pie have been tortured by this evil
man." the Arizona senator said.
THE enemy hammering or the
gates from within is even more
dangerous than the enemy ham,
mering on the gates from with
3
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
EXPRESSES APPRECIATION
Dear Sir:

Dear Sir:
AS chairman of the Wilmington
CHAPTER of the American Red
Gross. I ask the use OF your col
umns in expressing the apprecia-
ton of the chapter to all those who
made it possible for us TO answer
the call of the European War Ref
ugees and to raise u quota OF
Sc, 900.
Thanks are extended TO the Will
mington Star-News for it's news
items and to Mr.. Hope for his ap-
pealing editorials; to Station
WMFD for its far-reaching public
ity; to the Cape Fear Journal for
its splendid articles and editorials.
To the management of the Cape
Fear Country club, to the man
agement of Lumina and to the
Board of Education for the use OF
their buildings and equipment.
Grateful appreciation is extend
ed to DR.. R. R. Taylor for his work
among the colored groups. To the
chairmen of the various projects
Miss Katherine Render and her
committee of nurses who maintain.
ed a table in front of the Postotfice
through all kinds of weather and
to the Girl Scouts who assisted
them. To Mrs. Louis Orreu and
her hundreds of co-wokers who
conducted a successful Dime
Drive" which netted almost $!,5G0.
To Mrs. B. M. Washburn and her
committee who entertained at a de-
lightful benefit card party and to
all those who generously coatri-
buted the prizes.
My most gracious bow to the
members of the Spinster's club,
who by their attractive personal
tiles and their hard work staged
such a successful dance and to Mr..
Charles Parmele for his help in
connection with the "Spinster S
BALI which netted 1914.
I am sure those who heard MIN
will join me in expressing appre-
citation to Rabbi M. M. Turr1an for
his interesting book review, and
we thank Mrs. Frank Sears and
her committee, including the Rain
bow Girls, who also acted as ush-
erettes, for their work in connec-
ton with the selling of the tickets.
We are also indebted to the
Carolina Printing company to the
Wilmington Printing company for
work done, and to Mrs. Jack Le-
Grand and Mrs. j. B. Sudbury for
contracting civic and patriotic or
ganization.
But with all the cooperation and
help the chapter has received in
this campaign the money could
not have been raised without the
generosity of the doners-and so
to a generous public I extend my
most sincere thanks and the thanks
of this chapter.
Cordially yours,
J. c. Roe, Chairman
Wilmington Chapter
American Red Cross.
July q, 1910.
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
Editorial Comments
From Other Angles
DEFENSE
Raleigh News And Observer

The newspaper magazine, Editor and Pub
Usher, passes on without Recommendation
the suggestion from an advertising executive
that American newspapers can serve the de-
flation of Hitler, Mussolini and Stain by keep
ing their names out of the papers.
The advertising man proposes that news
paper headlines and copy references to Hitler
be paraphrased to read Germany or the Ger
MANS, with similar treatment for his two to-
talitarian allies.
What a lovely world this one might become
in a jiffy if justice and peace could be achieved
and tyranny and war abolished with copy desk
DEGREES.
Unfortunately, it seems too often that the de-
tenders Of right and civilization in the world
certainly the self-styled champions Of human
ity-too greatly have relied on precisely such
theories and strategy.
It is pretty well established by this time that
Hitler, Mussolini and Stain have taken, so far
as they themselves and their perpetuation in
power are concerned, adequate steps to pro-
tect themselves from newspapers and copy
desks. They are very sure that their own re-
spective peoples not only do not read the pa
pers of critical foreign nations but in the ma
tive papers they read only what the dictators
want them to read and when they want them to
read and for purposes already set out for
them.
The most effective course American newspa-
pers and their editors and publishers can take
now to discourage the sweep of anti-demo-
cratic doctrine in the world-at least in our
part of it's in a renewed devotion to the prin-
ciple of a free press and a strengthened deter
mination for the fullest, fairest and frankest
possible treatment of all the news.
Neither that policy adhered to and defended
| against any threat Of curtailment nor any ben.
evolent censorship against the names of Hitler,
Mussolini and Stain will serve to debate their
own egos or to deter them in their present
course of mad aggression. But the record OF
these three in their rise to power is the best
possible support for the conviction in this coun.
try that a free press, a free radio, the right of
free speech generally represent the most ef-
%fective safeguards of the kind Of democracy
that Americans cherish and are now preparing
somewhat Historically to defend.
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23
Man bout
Manhattan
BY George Tucker

NEW YORK. July Owe ask
ed Billy Rose what he thought
about the peep-show side of show
business, and he became so arti.
culate that we asked him to put
all his ideas down on paper and
send them over to US. They arrived
this morning, by one of Mr.. Far
ley's boys, and they express his
view so well that it seems a good
idea to pass his note along, as re-
ceived. Here it is:
1.-THE sheriff has taken over the
G-string, and most American
sherifs aren't fiddle players. 1
mean that nudity as a form of
entertainment is now practically
bankrupt in this country. The fe-
male form divine as the boys
used to call it, has been put out
of business not by any blue-nose
laws but by the much more dras-
tic and ruthless laws of economics
the laws of supply and demand.
If there are any dividends left
in nakedness or dirt on the stage,
they are microscopic. Big div.
idends are paid only by clean
shows. If you want proof, look at
burlesque, the sleep-walker of show
business. Time was when big bur-
lesque circuits operated from coast
to coast, and stripping, accompan-
led by purple gags, was one of the
most prosperous branches of the
amusement industry. All that's left
now are a few theatres that. at
most, gross 5000 a week-hardly
exciting show-shop receipts.
1.-THE most convincing evidence
Of the ill health of burlicue is that
it is almost exclusively patronized
by a male audience-a crowd If
pasty-faced fellows who sneak
furtively into the maiden-in-the-
raw museums, keep on their hats.
spit in the aisles, make assorted
weird noises and then sneak ont
again. If there's one thing 7 have
learned in 20 years on Broadwav
and in the honky-tonks it is thai.
in America, the women do the buv.
ing, and mama not only buys the
sheets for the bed and the meat
and vegetables for the SOUP. but
she buys the family's entertain.
ment, too.
Another proof of the decline Of
the Grass commercial appeal to seq
is the failure of p~eep-shows at the
New York Worlds Fair. In 1929,
there were quite a few of those
ESTABLISHMENTS on the midway at
! Flushing and none of them did wei,
The Wilmington morning star., 1940-07-23

position stronger in the forthcoming battle,
unless Hitler and Mussolini decide to give
Stain what he wants, for the present with the
purpose of dealing with him later. however
the scales turn, it is apparent that Rumania is
either to become a new battle-ground or a vas
sal of Moscow.