The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1941-10-09
HMI'n
FL ;F 5Sixf
BY MORT CALLAHAN

ed it. One was talk of the surprising
Louis-Nova fight. Another was the
hue and cry preceding the World
Series baseball games. Too, it was
moving day in New York for all not
renewing apartment leases. And this
was a Jewish holiday. But most of
all, there was a rush for goods Oh
which the taxes were to rise next
day. It was hard for me to determine
whether the frenzied crowds were
celebrating or just reverberating. In
front of stores, throngs clustered a
round waiting their turn to buy some
item before tomorrow brought che
rise in price. One especially large
group on Park Avenue caught my
attention and l edged into 1T. The
! people, l found, were waiting to get
inside a beverage store to buy. Along
the street came a dainty, little old
lady. She stared hard through her
spectacles at the packed crowd, then
hurriedly approached the edge. "What
inappened?" she piped, addressing a
man near her. He turned a harried
look upon her and replied, 81 don't
know lady. Ask Morganthau."
Here is something in which every
one concerned with our Army will
Re interested: the recent Ease of
Private Habinyak who was convicted
of refusing to obey orders at Fort
Bragg, North CarAlina, and sentenc-
ed to three years in prison drew nat
ional attention. Many people sympa-
thized with Habinyak, ,Nying that he
should never have been made to
clean floors etc. But what big news
papers didn't bring out we're these
facts | have just learned. Tabinyak
has the worst record of any draftee
at the New York Induction Station.
According to Captain F. NJ. Schell-
hamer, executive officer there, Hab-
inyak had to be brought to the sta
ton under guard and soon thereafter
told him, "I'm gonna clear out of
here the first chance l get" The
captain further stated that Habinyak
declared no n was going to make
him work for $21 a month after ne
had been making $50 a week on the
outside; that what America needs is
A Hitler to clean up things" Hab-
lnyak refused to open his mouth for
the dental examination. He tried to
start a figt1 with the nose and throat
specialist. He would not read the eve
examination chart. Finally, when he
was taken to Lieutenant O'Neill, the
inducing officer, Habinyak had to
be sworn in individually and with an
angry CLINT in his eye and a general
rebellious attitude, he only reluc-
family took the oath of allegiance.
Both these officers agreed that Hab-
inyak caused more trouble at the In
suction Station than any of the many
thousands who had come before him.
Word has gone out through this
country for all good women to come
to the aid of their soldiers and knit
sweaters and sock for them. Now /
oldn't suppose anyone could find
fauit with this. Least of all, the
soldiers. But the other day, a World
war veteran told me that he hoped
the women do a better job during
TINS war than they did in the last
one. This vet said that some Of the
SOCKS sent to the boys in France by
Veli-meaning women had Jumps in the
toes, runs in the legs and extra holes
Wnlcn were often mistaken for one
to put your foot in.
n only part of this town that
looks like the mental picture I had
OF e York before / first came here
not so long ago is Radio CITY,. This
plot OF transplanted soil is only a
s'ructlon seems almost a mirage of
spiendor. One strongly senses when
strolling among the majestic sky
scraper giants there that he is "a a
part OF the City Of Tomorrow Il
would require a book to describe all
these wonders ever briefly: But right
now 1t IL harvest time in Radio CITY.
On . terrace Of the RCA building.
II stories above the street. onions,
caooages and tomatoes are being oa.
tnered from the tiny farm" which
adorns the balcony. OF course this
Plot oftransplanted soil is onlv a
rev Feet wide and the good rural
Ioiks might laugh at it. Still. if Won
sat right down in the middle Of It and
cidnt peek up too high, it might
pe possible to imagine oneself wav
back down on the good old farm =.
gain. a
This is hard to believe : for those
Of us who have lived in the country.
Yet the other day, a native Of New
York City who works at a big nation
al defense plant here, bought a
Strengthening bug from a fellow
worker for SIS. His companion told
him that the bug, which was buzzing
around the shop until it was caught,
was a rare and valuable steel bor-
er' capable of eating through metal.
So the city slicker bit : and bought.