Evening star., 1942-11-05

selling him short
by picturing him
henry MsLsn'rs. as . slightly pa
thetic figure with . comic mustache.
The editorial writer's and foreign
correspondents assisted in this max
ing Of monkey out Of q monster by
always writing Of him as If he were
just IS minutes from oblivion, and
couldn't possibly last as q war lord
and q dictator.
That Is all wrong. One has only
to travel about this country to see
the tremendous effect that the crazy
little housepainter has had on this
country. Not only has he changed
the course Of individual lives, but he
has altered the characters Of entire
cities.
Mobile, Ala. Is a good example Of
what he has done to cities.
A few years ago, Mobile was a
city that gave every evidence Of
having been bitten in the municipal
arm by the tsetse fly. 1t had sleep
ing sickness and liked 1t. It's civic
snores could be heard as far north
as Richmond on clear, still days, and
the gnashing Of the termites In its
lovely homes We'd with the sound
Of the trolleys rounding gentle
curves as the city's major sound.
Aunt Jemimas strolled the streets,
the famed azalea bushes had in
dividual care and long siestas were
as common as lazy hound dogs and
boil weevils.
You should see Mobile now. It's
about as lazy as pig at q barbecue.
It has doubled, If not tripled In size.
thanks to the shipyard workers and
soldiers. The Aunt Jemimas and
their children have given up street
singing and jigging for defense
work at $50 a week. The termites
chew out the rhythm Of 1.-THE Star
Spangled Banner" and Mobile is a
fast-moving over crowded town.
Thousands and thousands Of new.
comers park In the city, and to get .
a place to sleep requires the skill Of
HoudirA and the pull Of the Gov.
ernor.
We were down there a few days
ago and the change in Mobile was
hard to believe. The Army has
taken hundreds Of buildings, hotels
and apartments, but still the rush
for housing is on. Workers share
beds, operating in eight-hour shifts.
The sheets are never cold, and
neither is the worker. A man whose
pajama belt gets knotted, or one
who is slow about getting up, Is
branded as q Stacker for slowing
down the procession.
Mobile Is now q city Of too little
too late. No matter what shows q
movie theater advertises - 1t can
even be q double feature with Gene
Autrey In one and Gene Autrey's
little sister in the other-a line
half block long is in front Of the
theater.
Mobile, with the possible excep-
ton Of Norfolk. is the only city
where men and women form a
queue to get at hominy grits. Let a
man pause to scratch his head and
line a block long forms behind
him in minute.
There is no such thing as do
mestic help. There Is no use cook
ing biscuits at SO a week, the col.
ored folk figure, when you can
qualify as q shipyard worker at five
or six times that much. AS a re-
suit, Southern gals who haven't
cooked q biscuit since Sherman's
troops clabbered the milk by their
presence, are bending over hot
stoves. sweeping the front porches,
and busting the pianos. In many
homes, where laziness and aris-
trocracy are unhappily blended, no
work is done. It's a common say
ing IN Mobile that 80 and so is too
poor to paint and too proud to
whitewash."
What will happen In Mobile?
Don't ask me. I'm no social
worker. I guess the same thing
will happen that always happens
when twice as many people as q
town Is able to take care Of, arrive
and demand to be taken care Of.
Distributed By MeNausht Syndicate. lne)