davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1943-09-12

Gasoline rationing was at its height - or
depths You were scarcely permitted to
use gas to 60 to your own funeral. On the
day set for the night meeting it began to
rain as only the early summer of 1943
could rain, and it kept on raining with
unabated violence at six, seven, eight,
nine. People, we said, were going to stay
home in droves.
But they came. Thousands came in
the rain and presumably on foot.
Everyone present had bought Bonds.
Everyone there could, instead, have gone
to movie or stayed home and read or
played gin rummy or listened to the radio.
The thing that happened wasn't spectacu
lar; it was somehow touched with the
miraculous.
The miracle lay not in the program it.
self, but in the spirit and the electric
atmosphere of the gathering No one of us
three said anything woodworking. There
was singing; the fresh young unframed
voices of a high-school chorus. Two young
soldiers spoke very briefly, both local lads
home on leave The one, as recall it,
was of Polish and the other of Irish ante
cedents.
Evening star., 1943-09-12
0U n WU JT!

"Authors!' hooted his hearers, in deri-
sion. who wants to look at authors! Or
hear them"
But the thing was tried, and astonish-
ingly it worked. Middle-aged men and
women, sedentary and desk-bound for
years. found themselves being whirled
through towns on Bond-selling campaigns,
and not only that, found themselves selling
Bonds to the tune of millions and millions
of dollars. Perhaps they weren't photo
genie, but they had something to say, and
they said it. They said it over the radio,
they said it from platforms. they said it
at huge dinners They had eanestness and
fire and a way with words that would
charm the gold out of your teeth. Words
were their accustomed tools; emotions
were their stock in trade.
Hey" shouted the erstwhile scoffers.
Look what we've found! Authors are
people! Authors are box office"'
1t was decided to try mad scheme.
A night meeting. A huge hall. No one
entitled to a seat who had not bought
$25 War Bond, or more. The greater the
purchase the better the seat Again the
Copyrisbt. Is43, United New,papers Maeaxine Cor
Evening star., 1943-09-12

1vEN though an occasional one of lis -
usually the younger fry - can safely
- lay claim to beauty as well as brains.
and to glamour as well as talent for writ
ing. it always has been my contention
that writers should be read and not seen.
We are, as a rule, on the stuffy side,
pictorially. Our features never would dec
crate coin, our figures have not benefited
by the hours spent daily doubled up over a
typewriter or desk; our costumes may be
modish and even costly, but certain in
herent lack of chic seems to descend like
a blight upon any garment that once has
draped our frames.
So it was that when the time came to
present War Bonds in their most alluring
form the Treasury Department flew like
homing pigeon to that nest of glamour,
Hollywood. Blondes and brunettes, sarong-
famed sirens, stalwart male stars with
miraculously regular incisors did a valiant
job in swapping pulchritude for Bonds.
Then some dreamer in the Treasury
Department ventured the idea that
there were a good many people in the
United States who read. Not only that,
they thought writing was quite an art and
had even some curiosity regarding these
moles who hid in corners and put one word
Evening star., 1943-09-12

They had been in the thick of the Solo
mons. They were terribly and touch
ingly young. Their features had scarcely
crystallized into the mold of manhood.
They weren't speakers, as orators 60. and
they rather mumbled and repeated and
blusI1ed and looked ill-at-ease, their hard
young hands gripped into fists, and the
audience laughed little, but it was a
laugh of fond affection. You knew, as
they stood there speaking SO mex
pertIy, that here were two boys who
would man gun or fly q plane or best
a Jap or tinker a jeep and that there
would be nothing inexpert about that
performance.
Two veterans of the War of 19l4-l9l8
in the uniform of their Legion Post
appeared, one on either side of the stage;
they carried the flags down the little steps
and up the aisle and out Their bearing
was none too military, they had CRAVING
hair and their waistlines weren't what they
once had been. They looked like ones
neighbors, like the men one sees every day
in buses or subways; their faces were
human and civilized and touched with
the pencil of life. Carrying the flags,
they faced, wheeled, marched up the aisle,
and one of them bumped against music
stand in the orchestra pit. 1t was the dig
nifed and serious rite of an unmilitary
nation; it was unprofessional and demo-
cratic and good, and it was reassuring and
wonderful to realize that it would have
been done much better in Germany or
Japan or Italy.
Dur none of these things, certainly, was
noteworthy in the least. The only Won
der was that the great gathering in that
hall was thing of unity. No one in that
audience was there for gain or for evil or
for spite They wanted nothing except to
give. Outside, in many town and city
in the United States, there was conniving
and disunity and invective. No one there
but knew this Inside that hall was purity
purity of purpose, of action; purity,
really of race such as Hitler never could
have achieved even if his had been success
instead of failure For every one in the hall
was there of his own free will, everyone
had given his share that his government
might survive this dreadful ordeal, every
one was there to hear and perhaps learn
and even perhaps to gain fresh courage.
There was no fanfare, there were no antics,
no glamour. 1t wasn't dull, it was even
humorous at times. But above all it was
a mass of people being voluntarily good
and big.
1t was moving, it was stimulating, it
was unrepimented. il WAS America
Evening star., 1943-09-12
by Edna Fexbex

scofers said, ''Oh, now, look "a jokes
a joke Nobody'n come
But come they did. And one of those
meetings - just one IN many like it -
seemed to me to be as thrilling and reas-
suring an American experience as I've
ever encountered.
A New England town, stable but not
large; engaged in defense work. The people
in it were average American citizens OF
varied background - American stock two
hundred years old, as well as Polish,
Czech, Italian, German, Scandinavian,
French of first and second generation. They
had known the ups and downs of the past
quarter century in the United States.
We'll, it was wonderful. There were
three of US: two men and a woman. One
was newspaper correspondent who had
been imprisoned in Japan, Otto Tolischus.
One poet, Mark Van Doren. And myself,
writer of novels and plays. We were past
our pristine youth, to put it tactfully.
/ would have sworn that the thousands
of people in a busy New England town
would not be interested even mildly in a
middle-aged trio such as this.
No preliminaries, even if they had been
planned by Hitler himself. could have been
Evening star., 1943-09-12
sDEllAEs

LOYALTY. A Navy friend reports that
when he got to the West Coast he was sur
prised to find how many Okies - the
small farmers of Oklahoma - were work.
mg IN the shpyards and how many, of
them had enlisted in the Navy. He also
was surprised when he went aboard his
own ship:
He climbed up to the crows nest, found
Evening star., 1943-09-12

this message scrawled: ITO All Okies -
This looks like a bee tree, but it amt.
It amt no silo neither This ship kicks
and bucks like mule. But I'll follow her
till she either kicks or bites me-
V-AHAH PICTURES: Our recent article,
about War Babies gave the wrong in
depreciation of Army regulations as to
how you can send baby pictures, by
V-Mail, to Daddy overseas. Pictures can
not be pasted or attached to the V-Mail
form. But here's what you can do if your
baby is less than year old or was born
after Dad left for overseas:
Take the picture to printer. Ask him
to have made metal "cut" of it, not
larger than one-third of the forms CORE
spondence space. With the cut, he can
print the picture directly onto the upper
left-hand corner of the correspondence
space. Then you can write your letter.
have it V-mailed overseas
FACT. Sailors will be glad to know that
two of their comrades on post-office duty
are Billy B. Good and Billy B. Quick.
Evening star., 1943-09-12

worse tor the selling OF united
States War Bonds. Word had
come to the Treasury Depart
ment that the town had reached
its quota and that the bottom of
the barrel had been scraped.
Evening star., 1943-09-12
THIS Week

WILL WAR WEDDINGS LAST7.. 4
BY Mory Doy Vim
THIS "BeAUTIFUL SPY" STUFF. .............. s
BY Oetevvs Roy Coksn
LISTEN, RALPH! Observation-Disclosures. ~
BY Woitss MorqViss
KIDS m HOLLYWOOD D...........f5 IS
BY Jsdy Rsss
byJ. D. RofelH
MONEY M THE MAIL! NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. n
BY Ernest A. kehr
seRVlcEMEkS SHOPPER ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ~
BY Eleanor StisShem
Wuiiys Wagon. ~, Rhymes Abosf Town. ..iA,
"OviK Ea". Ill; Food. 20
Cover BY International
Evening star., 1943-09-12

alter another down on paper.
Authors, ventured this optimist,
might be presented as entertain
ment. Not that alone, they might
present War Bonds in a fresh
Evening star., 1943-09-12

Names and descriptions of all characters in fiction stories
and semi-hction articles in this magazine wholly
imAginary Any name which happens to be the same as
that of living dead entirely coincdonta
The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-11
Synthetic Rubber

A summary given recently by Paul W. Litchheld, president of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, demonstrated how splendidly American industry. has met the challenge to supply synthetic rubber in place of the natural gum the Japs have cut off. By October l, MT. Litchfield says, we will be producing as much of the synthetic as we were using, before the war, of natural. We may not get tires for pleasure driving for long time, but it will not be primarily for lack of rubber.
 Once more private industry has proved its superiority to governmental processes. We approached close to disaster while the bureaucrats quarreled among themselves about what to do. The impasse was broken only when Bernard Barauch, a business man borrowed by government, planned and William Jeffers, business man on loan, executed.
 Once industry had been given the blue print there was no more stalling. The job was done.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-11
On Ending Wars

The aftermaths of World War left us, as a people, satirical and superciliouS s about even hint of the slogans which featured that struggle. We fought then, officially, "to make the world safe for democracy" in "war to end all wars" No sooner did the guns fall silent on the western front than democracy, therefore on the wax, began to wane. It vanished in Russia. Italy was taken over by FaS- ciSm, Germany by NaziSn, and in minor nations all over the world dictatorshipS sprang up or, already in existence, strengthened themselves Out of this movement into totalitarianism another and greater world war became inevitable. Now we are in it's midst. And we are more than skeptical about the "silly ideal ism" of talk about ending war, of aSsocia- tions for the purpose of preventing war. Nevertheless, we now see as never before that no two major powers can go to war again without dragging in the whole world, and it won't take much more global war to destroy civilization. The idea of ending all wars may be silly, but whether or no, we are forced to try. Which, pre- sumably, is why day after day practical men, who few yesterdays ago would have been 1Solat1onlStS in their lnterna- tional views, come out for intelligent post war collaboration among nations of good will to do what is possible to avert, or at worst to postpone, World War III.
 There are, of course, well-meaning but visionary schemes for tight permanent organizations which will not be accept able to Americans - or, for that matter, to British, French, Russians, Chinese - because they involve surrender of national sovoreignties to international govern mentS. Practical men are talking about what may not be final solution, but at least would be big step in the right direction. That is an extremely close de- fensive- e-offensive alliance between Great Britain and the United States, with looser but still close alliance with Russia and China, if possible.
 Winston Churchill, President Roosevelt, and the winter-book Republican favorite, Governor Dewey, all appear committed to substantially such course. So are dozens of lesser leaders, thousands of publicists who may be supposed to reflect develop ing public opinion. Perhaps we can't end all wars yet. But we cannot afford not to do our bungling best.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-11
Press Comment
HE PREFERS THE UNIFORM
(New York Herald

(New York Herald0
 Let us salute Peter Werp, thirty six years old, bank accountant and father of seven children, for explain ing in few words why it is that. under the lash of the War Man. power Commissions latest directive, fathers eligible for the draft are not flocking to war plants. T think" " he is quoted as saying, T would rather take my chances with the draft :. <. If go to the armed forces I get leave of absence from my company-the promise of post-war position. On a war job I get n0th- ing much but salary"
 Proof that this attitude is repre- sentative is to be had in . symposium of similar views collected recently by "The Boston Herald" Fathers of draft age in non-deferrable jobs. for which they have trained themselves over years of concentration, are not going t0 endanger their careers by switching to war work. Thanks to the provisions of the eeIeetlye seFvs Ice act, they find greater security in getting Into uniform.
 All Of which confirms our notion that using the seleeilve service act to drive men into the industrial army, besides being dishonesi. is found t0 be ineffective. We have cited before the fact, as reported, that fathers here are not Feapond- lls. BIT. Werp Rlves ue the answer and hE implication makes Ik paKs lnclly plain that indirect and half measures te e0nsnripl labor afe doomed @ laiwa
The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-11

the Marquis de Chambrun; for his Maryland planation Mont pelier Manor" where he once en- tertained the Prince of Wales; and for his gracious millionaire wife, the former Christine Alexander Graham whose greatest passion in life is bridge.
 The Longs enjoyed three exc citing years in Washington dur ing the last war when "Breck" was 3rd Assistant Secretary of State under Wilson and they have clung to 1t ever since. Dur ing twelve years of Republican rule, "Breck" managed to keep reasonably happy by dabbllng at law and on the horses at PiR- lico. Then after . heavy con- tributlOn to ROOsevelt's campaign in 1892 he was appointed U. S. Ambassador to Rome.
 There he distinguished himself for his general geniality, a mild case of Mussolini worship, and for telephoning from Rome during a crisis to discuss confidential matters with the State Depart ment, with the GESTAPO and OVRA obviously listening in. CHAFED AT FDR'S POLICIES
 Back in Washington, @ kind hearted President has kept him on as Assistant Secretary Of State, partly because MT. Hull likes him, partly because "Breck" and FDR were Little Cabinet members to- gether back in the wilson Admin istration. All this despite the fact that "Breck" has chafed at some of Roosevelt's war policies and once, in the Metropolitan Club, let his high, squeaky voice rise above the dignified silence with this pro- test:
 T tell you the President Is dragging us into war against both Germany and Japan!"
 "Breck" Long is one of the good hearted souls around MT. Hull in whose well-meaning, dilettante hands are entrusted the peace plans for which ten million Amer ican young men are fighting.
 Another Drew Pearson column on the State Department will fOl- low s0On.)
 Copyright, 194S, by United
 Feature Syndicate, Incl
The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-11
Empty Words Mean Empty
 Cupboards

The food industry has warned govern ment executives that thousands will go hungry in this country this year unless the government moves promptly to solve the pressing manpower and distribution problems of the food industry. Lack of manpower, beginning on the farm and ending behind the counters of retail mer- chants, is assuming grave proportions.
 The position of retail distributors is critical at the moment. Officials have steadily failed to include the merchant in the war program as war worker. They have so far failed to recognize the essen- tial part he plays in putting necessities into the hands of consumers. They fail to recognize that without his expert CO., operation, price and rationing controls would be demoralized; that competent merchandiserS are vital to efficient dis tribution.
 Collapse of efficient distribution would mean that food grown and procesSed could not reach the consumer. Waste and decay of precious food would assume tragic proportions to hungry people. It would promote inflation and inevitable curtailment of war production.
 The food industry has asked officials to make clear that food production, pro- cessing and distribution ranks with arrl- anlents in importance. Pirating and drafting of essential employees must cease if we are to eat. They also have asked for the proper allocation of food supplies to maintain civilian health and morale, and the simplification of rationing pro- cedure. They have asked for these things repeatedly. Beyond vague generalities no action has been taken.
 Disaster will come if this policy con- tinues. Either the appointed officials, or Congress must act.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-11

meagre expense alIOwance), the
 British ambassador In Washing
 ton gets $SO,OOO while the French
 used to get S7O,OOO.
 All of this means: (D that American diplomats look upon our international problems through the tinted glasses of entrenched wealth; or (2) the man with no private income becomes so anxious about keeping his job during shifts between Democratic and Republi- can administrations that he be- comes skilled in the poll-parrot practice of telling each Secretary of State exactly what he thinks the Secretary wants to hear. CAUTION AND FEAR
 In either case, tinidity, caution, fear become the guiding instincts of the State Department. This is especially true when the gentle man at the helm had a great record for fearlessnesS in his younger days but has been con- tent to rest on his oars since.
 To sum 1t up in the words of Dean Acheson, who had more sense of humor before he became Assistant Secretary of State, State Department policies take their cue from the Pullman car sign: "Quiet Is requested for the bene- fit of those who have retired"
 Around Secretary Hull, as .
 result of this system, are gath
 cred the most delightful and
 charming group of dinner-table
 companions to be found any
 place in Washington.
 Most colorful is Breckinridge Long, whose appointment as as- sistant secretary of state was first conidered a real achievement for the Middle West; since 1t broke away from the unwritten rule that no top State Department of- ficials should be appointed from west of the Alleghenies. "Breck" comes from St. Louis, once ran for the Senate against Jim Reed, but has long since shaken off all traces of Missouri mud for the horsey aroma of Maryland.
 CHARMING "BRECK"
 Wealthy but inerudite, Breckin- ridge Long is famous for his St. Louis mansion in which he once entertained Marshal Joffre and
The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-11
WRITER RECALLS OLD CON- NECTICUT SECOND REGI-
 MENT MARCH"
To the Editor of
 TL DoraAarok.

To the Editor of
 The Democrat:
 The presentation of the honorary degree to Prime Minister Churchill at Harvard University on Monday had a touch of local interest to all veterans of the old Second Regi- ment, c. N. G., as well as the mem- bers of the 102nd Infantry. One listening to the ceremony would expect 70 hear up The Street" or some other march of that institution coming from the orcnes- tra. But over the air came the strains of that inspiring melody of marches, the old "Second Regiment March," written by the leader of the regimental band. Reeves, about the early part of 1876. It was played for the first time from the original score at a concert in the old Grand Opera House. Grown street. New Haven. on the night before the regiment under command of Colonel Leayenworth left for Philadelphia to participate In the military par- ade of the tooth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Inde- pendence and a visit to the Centen- nial Exposition.
 The Second Regiment March is one of our pioneer military marches and is as popular and inspiring to- day as when # was written. Its form hes been followed by ell composers of martial music since that time. 4 contemporary Of the famous 0ll- mour and hayne of the seth, Reeves afterwards went Co Providence where he led the famous Reeves band Of that city. old members q cur Volunteer Fire Department danced to the muGle Of that band ln the old City Hall and on one Of two 0ceanlons lt came here with the famous Namehaig Volunteer Fire Company of NeW London, as the guest ol RaeenlE No Wiaen the io. cal department hold aheiF annual inspection and parade
 xlla march hns been heard ail
The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-11
The Conversion of Advertising

Bills will be introduced in Congress, when 1t conveneS, authorizing the United States Treasury to advertise the sale of war bonds in periodicals and the leading local daily and weekly newspapers throughout the country. This question has been discussed before some of the press associations throughout the coun- try, and apparently newspaper men are agreeable to such suggestions, providing there is no actual taint of subsidy"
 In the olden days advertising had only one objective: to sell goods. In the past few years advertisers have given more attention to promotion and institutional copy. Radio went even further, and fin ely got clear out on the limb with "com- 2ercials'. The newspapers were antag- snistic, so antagonistic that publishers gRfused to carry radio programs. The radio spilled over with conversion.
 National advertisers devote only part of their space to the product they have to sell. The rest of their copy is apt to tell about the progress made in the conver- sion of automobile plants to the manu- fracture of bomberS and other great machines all intended for victory. Some enthusiastic advertisers have gone so far as to charter pages of space in metropoli- tan newspapers to reproduce articles and comments of famous writers who have hit some home front problems. The subject may be food rationing, too little gas, or Arguments pro and con regarding wages and hours. Even the big union labor organizations in Washington use adver- Elsing space in which they tell Congress and the Administration to hurry up and repeal the Connally- Act or risk defeat iE. the next election. That is polit- teal conversion of paid space in bad form.
 One practical way in which the weekly newspapers have edged in on the conyer- sion Of advertising is found in ads of the focal business men who support war bond drives for some public service. The "con- 4erslon" of advertising is new progres- A|pe step even though some busybodies .nNan up in the front rows and talk about MhSld|zlng the American press. Don't overlook the fact that each newspaper in
 1 proper sphere ls contributing more to
 nR snnporf Of the National Government
 NN ffle war effort than any other class
 z'NssN ln ex|Elonce.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-11

 the fifth century who made such a profound impression not only upon the people of Ireland but of Eng land also. God has made a few bet ter men in all. history than St. Pat rick.
 There has come down to us from his writings a double quatrain en- titled:
 MY BREA6TPLATE" christ be with me. Christ
 within me. Christ behind me. Christ before Christ beside me, Christ tito win
 me,
 Christ to comfort and restore
 me.
 Christ beneath me. Christ above
 me,
 Christ in quiet. Christ in
 danger, Christ in hearts Of all that
 love me, Christ in mouth Of friend and
 stranger" If q man takes that faith to his heart, it will carry him not onig through the battles which our boys confront ifl distant parts Of the wnFld, but through Che battles which we liaht naalnst sorrow, pas. sIon, disappointment, doubt, biftefs nean, pain and loss.
 All Hiahas HesaFVea Dah9on NeUEpapeI Hyn6leate