The Wilmington morning star., 1947-09-01
AS Pegler Sees It
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1947, by King Features Syndicate,



NEW YORK, Aug. 81. - The New York
Herald Tribune of August "a gave almost two
columns OF its Sunday theatrical section tc
free advertising for Carson Kanin, the author
OF broadway play called Born Yesterday. u
On page one of the theatrical section there
was a photograph three columns wide and
about one-third of a column in depth, and a
poor picture at that showing a rehearsal Of
a new play by Donald Ogden Stewart On
page two there was an absolutely gratuitous
publicity story by one Irving Drutman.
1nasmuch as the Herald Tribune was de-
voting so much space to Kanin and Stewart
and their enterprises it seemed to me ulterior
and objectionable that the paper refrained
from mentioning what sort of politics they
practice and company they keep. think that
was very bad editing and I deny that the
editors OF the Herald Tribune are that bad.
Born Yesterday is a successful show
IN which member of the U. S. Senate who
may be said to personify the legislative
branch OF representative government is de-
plcted as venal, cringing, cowardly and al
together contemplate CRATER engaged in cor
rupt traffic with rogue capitalist, personify-
ing free enterprise. The comedy is discoursed
by standard, casting-bureau dumb blonde,
who plays standardized dead-pan role as
the crooked capitalists kept woman, or moll,
~ the exercise Of considerable license. Kanin
introduces as his hero a reporter for the New
Republic, a weekly, Of which Henry Wallace
is now the editor.
Never In my memory as a professional
reporter dating since 1910 has the New Re-
public performed any feat of initiative. or,
as we sometimes put it, enterprise reporting.
revealing any scandalous condition in public
life
incidentally, there is historic initiative
or enterprise story kicking around the New
Republics own shop at this moment which it
has ignored thus far. I refer to the true story
of Henry Wallace's implication in weird
oriental sect of idolators who built a Joss
house on Riverside drive. and some of whom
regarded Wallace's own guru, or Prophet.
Nicholas Roerich, Russian, as God Almighty
Not only Wallace but Sen. Robert F. Wag-
ner, Congressman Sol Bloom, who was the
democratic chairman Of the Foreign Affairs
Committee, and Morris Ernst, a politico-
Observation-Disclosures of the Roosevelt adherence.
recently and belatedly have been caught in
interesting relations with Roerich, who was
hostile to the economic system underlying mr.
government. The joss-house on the drive was
the spiritual and political capitol of cult
which projected the Roosevelt new deal to a
supernormal spiritual plane to be arrived at
by the elect OF mankind and only by the elect.
or surviving few, after holocausts in which
the unfit would be. eliminated and all divi-
slons of races had been obliterated. The can't
be somewhere in the Himalayas, probably in
Tibet -
The New Republic has ignored this invita-
ton to an exploit to which it has ready access
In Kanin's play "Born. Yesterday" the
Washington reporter for the New Republic
is virtuous in the political or theological sense
but seems little sloppy in his morals ac-
cording to the familiar standards of Christi
anity and our public laws.
Inc capitalist who personifies free enter
prise is crude, greedy fellow with even less
classroom education than Elliott Roosevelt
or Harry S. Truman and he engages the New
Republic fellow to culturize, or educate, his
dumb blonde so that she will be social credit
to him. The capitalists who have been. buy
ing tickets for Born Yesterday ever since
year ago last winter are, in fact, so stupid
that they are sent rolling in the aisles by the
blonde when, evincing premonitory symptoms
OF culture, she hollers at her capitalist friend
that he is mot couth'' I gathered that the
New Republic fellow and the blonde violated
not only some of the lesser public statutes
but, much worse, one Of the dearest fish-and-
game rules Of our society and chivalry which
forbids mischief or nonsense, first degree, be-
tween male and female who have been put on
trust and on their honor as these two were by
the loathsome capitalist
The plot does not trouble itself with par
ticulars and the author, Mr.. K, escapes, as
it were, in the confusion as the gullible upper
classes in the audience howl over his gaudy
diversions Vaguely, the New Republic man
comes off victorious. He kills his own story
but he scotches plot to swindle the govern
ment and he makes off with the blonde pos
sibly to lawful wedlock.
It is estimated we will need about 1000 900
new teachers in the next 10 years and about
$50 900 new classrooms.-Dr. John W. Stude-
baker. u. S. Commissioner Of Education.
Democracy is dying in Europe, dying Of
war wounds. Democracy as we know 1t never
existed in Asia. Democracy in South America
exists in name only.-Rep. Noah M Mason
(R) OF Illinois.
Az 4. is concerned. il is