The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1947-06-27

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lively high percentage of tin
Grants. Reporters are the most
notorious boomers of all, but
there is probably as much
booming in a number of other
trades. The reporters simply
get more advertising since they
write about themselves.
The boomer is definitely not
to be confused with a hobo or
a tramp. The boomer is a man
with a skill, and often a very
fine skill. He will usually
work hard for his pay-even
if it is only for a short length
of time. If he really gets hard
pressed and has to dig in" and
hold a job, perhaps to pay off
debts, or to pay off his alimony
or for any of the varied reasons
that sometimes loom up in the
lives of such people, the typi-
cal boomer can work like a ball
of fire.
This type is familiar to all
newspapermen. AT one time or
another we have all seen the
example of a boomer who drifts
into a town, gets a low-paying
obscure job on a newspaper,
and proceeds to set the world
on fire-if only for a few
months, or at best, a few years.
This kind of fellow never
seems to run out of ideas. He
turns out wonderful feature sto-
ries, he gets signed pieces on
the front pages, he does his OBJ
scure job twice Of three times
as well as he has to. And very
shortly-as the pattern genef-
ally runs-he is apt to get a
promotion to a minor editorial
post. He does his new job just
as well. covering the city's news
like the big-leaguer he gener-
ally is Cor has BEEN.
AT the same time, away from
the office and on his own time,
he is usually carrying on his
wrestling match with the partic-
ular@ demon which happens to
pursue his life, and which is
the thing that has made him a
boomer to begin with. 1t may
be liquor, it may be gambling.
1t NAV be wives, alimony, di-
vorces, and females in general.
But it does not have to be any
one of these things, and per-
haps these obvious causes of
restlesSness get too much credit
in some cases. For the cause
may be simply restlessness it
self. Some people are born
running, and never stop. They
do not know where they are
running, nor what they are
running from. If they stopped
and sat down long enough to
figure It out, and stop running.
But they have to stop running
in the first place to figure out
why they are doing it. So they
never get around to it.
We have known some won
derful boomers. and would
rather forget the ones who
were awful. We would also
rather remember the bright and
HUMOROUS characteristics of the
good ones and forget their
melancholy and ugly streaks.
We have seen boomers who
were outright crooks. who
would come into town and talk
their wav into a high position.
and then go over the hill owing
thousands of dollars to fellow
workers in the office.
Becoming friends and becom-
ing attached to a boomer is like
becoming attached to a dog.
You let yourself in for heart
break, because by the very ma
ture Of things it can't last long.
You make a fine friend and
then one daV. lust as the friand-
ship has begun to mellow and
get a little age on it, you look
around the office and you find
that your friend is gone. Or
perhaps your friend has stayed,
and You have gone. That i'm
permanence of residence that
affliets so many reporters has
always seemed to Us to be the
saddest thing about an other
wise light-hearted profass;on