Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-10-26

81 ~. @ t*
This Is prob MR.. PICKERING
ably the worst city in the United
States, except Los Angeles.
when Il comes 10 getting from
one place 10 another.
This city is so big that the
circus doesn't expect people 70
20 10 the big top. They take the
big top TO the people, giving
shows in the east side and then
moving over 10 the west side.
This is the only place they do II.
They pack UP the whole circus
into It's three railroad trains
and travel 10 miles across town
by railroad.
Even at that, they don't cross
the entire city. IL you started
st the city limits on the east,
and travelled In a straight line.
you could go l8 miles before
touching the city limits. on the
west.
The other day. the Optimist
Club invited me TO speak at it's
meeting in Dearborn Inn. They
serve excellent luncheonS, but /
was hungry again by the time I
got back TO the Times office.
Many people assume that the
Optimist Club IN lust another
luncheon club" and wonder how
IL gets its name. II Is named
that way because its members
promote optimism. That In the
first Of its three aims. The 9TH
ers are 70 promote good govern
ment, and ito aid and encour-
age the development of youth
throughout the world"
] suspect that the best way TO
be happy is 10 pretend that you
are happy. Pretty soon. you will
be, even in the midst of troubles.
II you don't believe it, try it.
This business of being a hop
toad is all right If you don't LET
n bother you, A true optimlst
would notice That, although you
spend q lot OF time getting
around town, at least you see
. lot Of places. II the doctor
says. "What you need In n
change Of scene" all you have
to do II move 10 the other side
Of town.
Maybe there is reason why
Detroit has grown so great. At
a cocktail party, the other after
noon. / met physician who has
a theory about il.
There is a certain amount of
radium in the salt depoSits-if
you are a stranger in Detroit,
maybe you didn't know that one
of Detroit'S industries is salt
mining. We have some enormous
salt mines.
Anyway. the doctor believes
that emanations from this
radium make people energetic.
understand that rad lum
tends TO do that. IL acts, In some
peculiar way, TO speed up a per-
sons nervous system. So, II you
find yourself keyed TO high
pitch while you are I'm Detroit,
maybe II Is this radium at work.
Prom what hear, quite a
number of scientific people think
II may be the explanation OF why
Detroit Is dynamic.
We also met Blanche Leder-
man. visiting here from Kansas
City. ] knew that she knew Karl
Kruger. now the director Of
our Detroit Symphony. but I
didn't know how much she knew
about music.
/ am always doing things like
that. l aired my views on sym
phony music and so on. and she
politely agreed with what said.
/ found out afterward that she
was an authority on music and
is credited with discovering the
famous Marion Talley.
Have YOU ever noticed. though,
that genuine musicians do not
talk you 20 death about music:
They are more interested.
guess. In playing music than In
talking about IL.
talked 10 two symphony
musicians. Hale Pharis. and
Leonard Henkle. Henkle talked
about Indians. There's one tribe.
he says, that theoretically II still
at war with the United States,
the Seminoles.
One Seminole, he SAYS, was
drafted, and he told the draft
board that they couldn't really
draft him because his tribe was
still at war with us. It's a true
story, he says. And Pharis
talked about Sinatra, but I
guess that will have TO wait
until tomorrow.