Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-07-29
What is Work2

I know. Work is the execu-
ton of a task one breads. All
the rest is achievement. A few
days ago, the editor of a Mid
western newspaper was looking
through his pages and he said
to subordinate: ION page one
we have an article on missiles
by Jim Bishop. On page 81, we
have a column by Jim Bishop.
There are a series of magazine
articles about Kim Novak by
Jim Bishop. There is a book in
the stores by Bishop. Soon we
will all be reading an article
titled 1.-The Day Jim Bishop
Died"
Maybe.
His fear and mine are diff
ferent. He worries about my
death. worry about the quality
of my stuff. On a radio show,
Tex McCrary said that he was
afraid that I might burn my
self out. Nonsense. The only
bad things which can happen
to a writer are Cd to find him.
self with nothing left to say;
90 to lose the inner excitement
Tor a good story.
Eleven days before the SYM
pathetic editor uttered his
bright line, I passed an Air
Force examination at March
Air Force Base in California. It
strted at 1920 am. and was con-
cluded at 1885 am. 1t included
everything medical / knew. and
a few insulting approaches
which were unknown. After
ward. I sat in a compression
chamber which carried me-
theoretically, to 10000 feet and
back down again.
After all of that, if my heart
Tails, 1t is a cowardly gutter
and not worth a passing nod.
Day Is a Cinch
My day-if anyone can sum-
mon sufficient interest to
glance at it's a cinch. I live
in a little house at Sea Bright.
N. j., where the Atlantic Ocean
and the beautiful, Shrewsbury
River are within 225 feet of
each other. The alarm goes of
at 10 am. get up and let the
dog out. Then I let myself out.
While the ladies are fussine
over the orange juice and tea,
/ read the morning mail, and
dictate replies. This. my friend.
is work. My secretary, Mrs.
Ralph Walter, knows that it
is painful for me to write
letters. She does the drudgery.
She and Mrs. Bishop pay the
bills and phone to Gardella's
Tor food or set up a reservation
at Harry'S Lobster House for
the family dinner. None of this
falls on me.
While they work, I sit and
scratch. After breakfast, I run
down a list of half-baked ideas
for columns and throw them in
the basket. Then, having no
legal means for further STALL
ing. sit to the typewriter and
write. BY noon. my days work
is done.
! sit in a barcalounge and
watch a ball game. Or go I'D
to the village and talk to mer-
chants and ask them why, con-
sidering the beauty of Sea
Bright. that 1t is not one of
the renowned seaside resorts of
the Nation like Malibu, like
Cape Cod, Fire Island. Asbury.
Atlantic City and so forth. 1t
has all the natural endow-
ments. but no leadership.
Having settled nothing, /
come back home in time to
think about the next assign
ment, which will be in Europe.
Work you say? Oh, brother
In the evening. my wife. my
daughter and argue about
which television programs we
want to watch. Our German
shepherd. Rocky. manages to
get his big head and pointed
ears in front of the screen at
the moment the Scoundrel is
about TO confess. and We take
turns chasing him into the
kitchen. Rocky has a feeling
that he is unloved.
Two Hours for Research
At midnight. am in bed.
Here. I research the next book.
1t will be called Time of the
Traitors" and it will be a re-
creation of what the Rosen-
bergs did. what Allan Num-
May did in Canada. and what
Or. Klaus Fuchs did in England
and America. I will read and
mark marginal notes until ?