The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1944-10-23
NAMED COMMITTEE HEAD
Book
Lovers

Lovers
The Book-of- the Month Club an
nounces a dual selection for Janu-
airy: Story of a Secret State" by
Jan Karski (Houghton Mifflin), an
account of the Polish underground;
and Anything Can Happen" by
George and Helen w. PapaShvily
(Harper), the amusing adventures
of an immigrant from Stalin's home
country, Georgia, in the Caucasus.
Ernie Pyle, whose Brave Men"
will be the December selection of
the Book of the Month Club, is to
be honored with the degree Of Doc
tor of Letters by New Mexico Uni
versity at its commencement on Oc-
tober u. Brave Men" covers the
war from the Sicilian campaign to
the liberation or Paris.
Mr.. Pyle is also among the fifty
notable public figures making up
The Living Hall of Washington 1914,
a collection Of bronze statues pre-
sented to the Smithsonian Institu-
ton and placed on view at the
Smithsonian Museum this week.
Other public figures represented in
the exhibit include President RooSe-
welt, Thomas e. Dewey, Wendell l..
Willkie and Vice-President Henry
A. Wallace.
It's curious commentary on the
world We live In that the word
politics" has become connected in
our minds with trickery Of some
sort. Its all politics" We say when
we are fed up with the promises of
demagogues. Its All Politics" is the
very appropriate title of book by
Lewis Abrahams, study of the
abuses of political bosses and their
StoOgeS.
Miscellaneous items Of interest:
Thomas jefferson was known to
hav run for his first campaign on
a personal outlay of $50. In 1910
the total national outlay for the
presidential campaign was $50,0O0,-
600. In New York the election Of
1856 was the most disorderly in his
tory: the list of casualties after 1t
read like a military announcement.
Graft in the Federal service has
been notorious in times past. Lin
coin, inspecting the equipment OF
his soldiers, discovered the gun
powder wet, guns defective, uniforms
which shrank and disintegrated in
the rain, shoddy blankets, sick and
unfit horses, and unseaworthy ships.
During the Spanish-American War,
the packers furnished the soldiers
with "embalmed beef" so bad that
those who were not killed by bullets
risked death in the mess hall.
Voting rights were granted by
Queen Elizabeth to the husbands Of
freemen's daughters as q special
dowry. Out of this law grew a cur
ious abuse. The women would marry
several men on election day in order
to get them to vote for their fathers
causes. After a marriage, and after
the new husband had voted, the
couple would shake hands over
grave, saying now death do us
part" This was regarded as a d.
vorce, and the lady was free to
marry another ''voter."
The December selection Of the
Boof-of-the-Month Club Is Brave
Men" by the popular war CORES
pondent, Ernie Pyle. Brave Men"
covers the war from the Sicilian
campaign to the liberation Of Paris.
Ludwig Bemelrnans, who has been
in Hollywood writing movie scripts,
went through several weeks receiv-
ing no assignment. Finding time
heavy on his hands, he occupied
himself with painting murals on his
studio walls, including such fantasies
as a sketch Of Q kangaroo In whose
pouch four offspring were engaged
in q hand of bridge. His Hollywood
bosses. when they discovered this,
were first indignant and ordered
that the walls be cleaned. Then
someone pointed out that Bemel-
mans was Q famous aftist ~ well a.
Q writer. Now his office has become
q showplace to which favorite guests
are admitted. Nov ] Lay Ne Down
to Sleep" M. Bemelmans' recent
novel. y 10 be dsaMatixea evee OBS
next month, on . program called