The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, August 06, 1948, Image 2
THE NEWBEKRY SUN, NEWBERRY, S. C.
Washington Digest
Disturbed About World?
Sun Spots May Hold Clue
By BAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commentator.
WASHINGTON.—If you were disturbed over the mayhem
and misunderstandings rampant in the month of July, relax,
there may be a scientific explanation. Sun spots.
For the first time in 11 years, there is a maximum number
of ultra violet rays about, released by eruptions on the surface
of the sun-rays which may cause tempers to flare, emotions to get off
balance, glands to be affected so that abnormal behaviour results. This
Isn’t fantasy. Medical science has revealed the effects of over exposure
to the ultra-violet ray.
Bankhage
Sun spots may have been respon-
aible for the disturbances you and
I read about on just
one single day last
July—on that day
in Haiti a publisher
was assassinated
by an otherwise
gentle young poet
because the bard
had lost some kind
of a scholarship; a
33-year-old painter
who lived near the
otherwise pleasant
and peaceful New
England home of
House Speaker Joe
Martin at Attleboro,
Mass., did a dance
when he heard his wife was dead—
it seems he had shot her in the
head; here in Washington, a 22-
year-old husband knocked his wife
down, tried to stab her with a
butcher knife, attacked an innocent
passerby and started a fist fight
with a policeman; a vitamin plant
blew up, a prisoner became ill of
benzedrine poisoning, a tanker in
Chicago caught fire, Jimmy Roose
velt feuded with the other members
of the California delegation and the
Russians kicked up the usual fuss.
You and I probably had our
own troubles—all perhaps due
to nothing but the rash on Old
Sol’s physiognomy.
Scientists will tell you that sun
spots were known by the Chinese
before the telescope made them a
comparatively familiar subject of
astronomical concern. They are not
uniform in size or shape and some
times appear singly, sometimes in
groups. A single spot may be large
enough to take in our whole planet
with room to spare. Groups extend
over areas that may include mil
lions of square miles.
Sun spots do not appear to have
a definite duration. As a rule, they
last but a short time, sometimes
not more than a day. But one is
recorded (in 1940-41) as having con
tinued for 18 months. The number
of sun spots varies greatly in a
periodicity that is not strictly
regular but that reaches an aver
age of slightly over 11 years.
And last month Dr. Roy Mar
shall, director of Pels planetari
um in Philadelphia, echoed an
earlier suggestion made here in
Washington. He said that sun
spots could have a definite effect
on the behaviour of people. And
he reminded us that sun spots
reached their last maximum
frequency (before July, 1948) in
1937—when Hitler started his
blitz.
It was several years ago that no
less an institution than the con
servative and careful Smithsonian,
the capital’s great scientific organ
ization, speculated on the possibility
that there might be a relationship
between sun spots and wars, as well
as sun spots and weather. Weather
affects crops, crops affect economic
conditions. Sun spots which release
ultra violet rays which affect emo
tions might, an official report to
congress suggested, disturb nego
tiations between individual leaders
which might involve nations in war
—that's the reasoning,'anyhow.
Some may think it far-fetched.
Shakespeare did when he said: “The
fault, dear Brutus, is not in our
stars, but in ourselves.’’ Poets are
frequently right but not, perhaps.
Immune to the violence of the violet
ray. (Witness the Haitian poet who
shot the publisher.)
At any rate, the Smithsonian listed
considerable technical data showing
that sun spot activity frequently
had preceded wars.
Some scientists say sun spots may
have good effects, too—resulting in
heavier foliage, better crops, more
rains—as well as their evil tenden
cies to disturb interpersonal rela
tions, not to mention radio com
munications.
However, there is little we can
do about it, for as far as we
know the sun is like a leopard—
h can’t (or won’t) change its
spots.
* • •
One ‘Free’ Book
la Not Wasted
If you are one of the lucky farm
ers who wrote your congressman
promptly, asking for a copy of the
Department of Agriculture 1948
Year Book, you have a treat in
store for you. The first copies al
ready have come from the govern
ment printer but it will be some
time before the bulk of the printing
is ready for delivery.
This year’s topic is a live one:
GRASS.
It deals with the general subject
of grassland agriculture and there
<•>-
is something in it for virtually every
farmer and, if there were enough
books to go around, could be utilized
by everybody who raises a lawn,
not to mention people who run air
ports or playgrounds, or any other
enclosure of greensward.
There is a growing interest in this
-subject. One member of the de
partment of agriculture called it
“a big swing to grass” on the part
of farmers over most of the country.
Not just as feed but for many pur
poses and functions. One farmer
near here, for instance, said to a
friend of mine recently that he had
quit growing corn for silage. He
uses grass entirely.
In case you have forgotten,
you have a chance to get a De
partment of Agriculture Year
Book because of a law passed
in Abraham Lincoln’s time.
Congress every year appropri
ates a sum of money; the de
partment prepares the book,
(under the incumbent editorship
of Alfred Stefferud) the govern
ment printing office prints, binds
and delivers 241,000 copies to
members of congress. They
pass them around as far as they
go. That’s the law. ^
This volume Is probably one of
the few “free” books which is not
wasted for it goes almost ex
clusively to people who want it and
use it—in this order—(1) farmers,
(2) state agricultural colleges, (3)
other colleges for G.I. courses, (4)
some high schools.
Later on I shall give you an idea
of the contents of the current volume
which deals comprehensively with
the subject of grass (including
legumes and associated plants) be
ginning with the history from
colonial days, the place of grass in
building soil and feeding livestock,
specific information applying to 10
sections of the United States and
pictures and descriptions of a 100
different grasses and legumes.
• * *
Guard Your Liberty—
Know Dates at Least
It’s almost impossible to believe
that any American would not know
the meaning of the approaching
V-J day. But will Americans, 172
years from now, remember that
September 1 marked the official
end of the bloodiest war in history I
Perhaps this sounds absurd to
you. It wouldn’t if you had read the
results of one of a series of polls
taken by the Washington Post. Just
before July 4, the Post Interviewers
asked a number of individuals:
“Fourth of July is almost here. Can
you tell me why we celebrate it?”
Eighty-five per cent of all persons
asked had the right answer.
Twelve per cent had no idea why
the Fourth is a holiday, and 3 per
cent thought it was the anniversary
of Armistice day, the end of the
Civil war, emancipation of the
Negroes or some other event. One
of those who had no idea at all on
the subject was Credited with a col
lege education.
Asked what the day meant to
them, 39 per cent said, in various
ways, that it meant national free
dom; to 18 per cent it spelled per
sonal freedom and liberty in gen
eral; 11 per cent said it didn’t
mean nothin’ nohow but a holiday.
How many of us who admit that
liberty—freedom—is our inherent
right, know what freedom is? Few,
unless they have lived in a country
where one practices that quick, ap
prehensive look to right and left,
before he dares comment. It’s a de
pression gesture. I’ve seen it and
shuddered.
I have quoted W. E. Woodward
before. In his “New American
History,” he says:
“Liberty implies responsibility
and the vast majority of man
kind has always hated responsi
bility worse than death. So in
all ages, men have run around,
holding it out before them as
one holds a golden vessel, offer
ing it to anyone who possesses
enough vulgar enterprise to take
it away from them.”
This “vulgar enterprise" is afoot
today, snatching liberty, right and
left and tossing it into a totalitarian
limbo of the things mankind really
loves—loves but does not always
cherish except in memory.
One might paraphrase an ancient
proverb: “A fool and his liberty
are soon parted.” Folly is not in
curable. It can be exchanged for
wisdom. Perhaps some of tho
v realists" who scorn such abstract
subjects as political science and
history would do well to encourage
study of our liberty, how we cam*
by it and why it is worth keeping.
STILL SWELTERING? ... If
the sight of a cooling picture
will provide any comfort from
soaring temperatures, take a
gander at this. In New York,
Peggy Ann O’Donnell, clothed
only in innocence, discovers that
a fire hydrant is the answer to
the heat problem.
SEEKS SANCTUARY . . . Gen.
Antonin Bohumil Hasal, deputy
chief of staff of the Czechoslovak
army and commander of the
Czech forces in the west, now
is in the U. S. zone in Germany,
having fled from his native
country.
IN TROUBLE* ZONE . . . Henry
F. Grady of San Francisco takes
oath as new U. S. ambassador
to troubled Greece. Grady will
represent U. S. interests in a
strife-torn country.
MATTRESS OF WHEAT . . . Typical of scenes throughout the wheat
belt as the Midwest harvests another bumper crop, this weary truck
driver is shown asleep atop a 1,500-bushel load of wheat as he waits
his turn at an elevator. This truck already hail waited in a line
composed of more than 100 trucks for more, than six hours when this
photo was made.
—.1
LAST OF THE FIVE IS DEAD . . . With the death of Gen. of the
Armies John J. ’Pershing, a fabulous chapter in military history was
closed and “The End” was written to the careers of the five World
War I military leaders who were 'on hand for the first American Legion
convention held in the U. S. Shown at the Kansas City convention
November 2, 1921, are (left to right): Generals Jacques of Belgium,
Diaz of Italy, Foch of France, Pershing of the U. S., then commander-
in-chief of Allied forces, and Admiral Beatty of Great Britain.
HEROIC NUN . . . Decorated
seven times by Allied nations
for heroism in German prison
camps. Sister Mary Chantal,
heroine of World War II, is now
at the Ursuline convent. Blue
Point, L. I., to recover her
health.
War Bases in England
TJECAUSE of the tense Berlin
D situation, what amounts to re
vival of wartime American air
bases will be set up in England
almost immediately.
Two groups of B-29s of about 30
planes each are re-establishing
active Ametican bases in England.
They will be under the command
of Gen. Curtis Le May, who also
commanded the wartime operation
of B-29s from the mid-Pa ciflc
against Japan.
Air force officials, while with
holding comment, admitted that
the two groups of B-29s operat
ing from England will take no
part in ferrying food to Berlin.
Their function will be to
“growl.”
It has been an open secret for
some time that in case of a show
down with Russia, American air
bases would be set up in England.
In fact, this was discussed with the
British government through diplo
matic channels some months ago,
and it was agreed that England
would make bases available to the
United Stales in case of a European
crisis.
Sending the two groups of B-29s
is interpreted as the first step to
establish bases which could be used
in case the United States had to
withdraw other air bases from Ger
man soil.
The Russian blockade has not
been able to keep the stork out
of the American sector in Ber
lin. In fact, the stork has an
especially easy time there, for
hospital charges. Including pre
natal care, are only $15. . . .
One of the hardships suffered by
blockaded Americans in Berlin
is tearfully told, in the official
U.S. bulletin: “Owing to gasoline
rationing, house delivery of Coca
Cola will be temporarily sus
pended.”
HEAD DIXIECRATS’ TICKET . . . Southern states’ rights Democrats
named Gov. J. Strom Thurmond of Soum Carolina (left) for president
and Gov. Fielding L. Wright of Mississippi (right) for vice president
at their rump convention in Birmingham, Ala. They will campaign on
an anti-civil rights platform.
IN GRATEFUL MEMORY . . .
This memorial plaque was
erected in memory of the 184th
battalion, which manned the
first American guns to be fired
in defense of London during
World War II.
REST IN PEACE ... A simple shaft of pure white marble marks the
grave of General of the Armies John J. Pershing in Arlington national
cemetery. An armed sentry walks his post beside the grassy, oak-
shaded knoll overlooking the Potomac river and the graves of thousands
of the famed World War I leader’s fallen comrades. The A. E. F.
commander was laid to rest after he had been given a her*’# burial by
the nation he served so bravely and s* long.
Showdown in Berlin
Ire against Russia is so tense in
Berlin that certain high-placed U.S.
officials (civilians) have been urg
ing Gen. Lucius Clay to break the
Soviet blockade by force.
They want him to arm a food
train in the American zone of Ger
many and send it speeding through
the Russian zone to Berlin with
U.S. troops in armored cars riding
just behind the engine ready to
shoot if the Russians resist.
These U.S. officials go so far as
to plan counter measures in case
! the Russians sabotage the rail line.
They propose that a corps of U.S.
army engineers be sent along to
! repair any torn-up rails, also to
.repair the River Elbe bridge if it
is blown up by the Russians.
Some officials, quite close to
2Iay, claim that Russia is not
ready for war and would try to
“localize” any trouble with the
United States. There might be
some clashes between U.S. and
Red army troops around Ber
lin, they advise, but Russia
would not let them spread to
the rest of Europe. She would
back down first.
General Clay, however,’ doesn’t
agree. So far he has rejected this
explosive advice. He says that if
an incident took place, you never
can control men’s passions. Trouble
might spread whether Moscow
wanted it or not. Privately, Clay
has described such measures as
“unwise and dangerous,” likely to
“commit us to war.”
Instead General Clay favors eco
nomic sanctions, before making a
move which would convert a cold
war into a shooting war. For in
stance, Clay thinks that we have
been too lenient with the Russians
regarding shipping and air facili
ties, that we should crack down on
the Russians economically. This
would hurt, but not risk war.
In brief, here is one historic case
where a soldier is reluctant to use
force though civilians urge it.
WWW
McCarthy’s Crusade
A one-man crusade to liberate
the millions of war prisoners still
held as slave laborers in Russia,
France and Britain, has been
launched by Wisconsin’s Republican
Sen. Joe IV^Carthy.
The ex-marine officer, who flew
as a tail gunner against the same
men he now hopes to set free, is
bringing a lot of political pressure
to back up his humanitarian appeal.
McCarthy cannot speak out
against Russia for holding German
and Jap prisoners in forced labor
as long as France and Britain are
guilty of the same tactics.
The plight of these prisoners,
still in bondage three year*
after the shooting has stopped,
is described in Red Crdss re
ports to McCarthy. It is esti
mated that nearly five million
war prisoners are still held by
the victors, much as slaves
were brought back by the con
querors of the dark ages.
Most of these are working off
reparations inside the Soviet union.
How many have died from exhaus
tion, overwork, undernourishment
and bitter cold is impossible to say.
u
UPhil/ipr
K No servm
SPECIAL DELIVERY LETTER
Mr. Phil Keenan,
President, Comic Magazine
Publishers.
Dear Sir:
Are you leveling? You recently
announced that a proportion of the
comic magazine publishers have
agreed to a code that will give the
kids a little protection in the
clinches. In it are these pledges:
1— No comic shall show the details
and methods of a crime committed by
a youth.
2— Law enforcement officers never
shall be portrayed as stupid or inef
fectual, or represented in a way that
weakens respect for constituted author
ity.
3— Sexy, wanton comics shall not
be published. No drawing shall show
a female more naked than in a bathing
suit commonly worn in the United
States.
•
You will please excuse me for
laughing harder than I have ever
laughed at funnies. Are those
jokers deliberate or did they slip
in while everybody was yawning?
W
I hope you don’t belittle the
intelligence of the American
parents to such a point that you
do not think they know that it
is the details of crime portrayed
by grownups in the comics that
fascinate the kids. That “com
mitted by a youth” c. use makes
Article 1 a phonu., - balonus.
The gangsters, gunmen, cut
throats and all-around baddies
of the comic magazines all
shave and wear long pants,
Phil.
% *
And who is kidding whom in that
rule that officers of law and order
shall not be portrayed as stupid or
ineffectual? I had the idea that
making a saperoo out of the cop,
sheriff, gumshoe and posse (up to
the final scene maybe) was the
very basis of comic magazine fun.
You mean your cartoonists are go
ing to make John Law bright and
effectual from the start? Won’t this
throw Superguy, who always has to
take over, out of work?
*
It is only a step from that to
having the sheriff shoot straight,
take the right trail the first time
and not walk blindly into the
simplest of traps. You would not
stand for that, would you, Mr.
Keenan?
♦
Now for the joker of the year,
which rates an Oscar of some
kind. That is the item ending
sexy comics by the rule that
no cartoonist shall draw a gal
“more naked than in a bathing
suit commonly worn all over
America.” I will accept that
as the best comic line of 1948.
•
Well, I guess it is till in fun.
Everybody is adopting codes these
days. The weather is fine for it.
And the great question of how far
a code should be thrown after adop
tion is still unsettled, but everybody
seems to be trying for distance
rather than direction.
Yours.
Elmer.
* • •
Governor Warren has a person
ality of warmth which is lacking in
Tom Dewey. You could almost call
the ticket: Fair and Warmer.
•
Those three charming daugh
ters of the California governor
would be a great asset around
the White House. That is, unless
they all turned out to be vo
calists.
* * *
Railroad and Pullman fares have
been upped another 20 per cent.
The public looks crushed between
the cowcatcher and the pocketbook.
To ride in a railroad coach
now has become so expensive
that when Elmer Twitchell nego
tiates for a trip in one he asks,
“Does this include heater, radio
and spare tire?”
* * *
ZEKE CLAY SAYS:
Mr. and Mrs. Chet Jenkins and
family, who started on a summer
vacation trip around the summer
resorts by auto, have given up.
They ran out of bicarbonate of soda.
*
The Zim Hoskinses are doing so
well financially that they are almost
in a position to order a shrimp cock
tail at present restaurant prices.
•
The Orion Hostetlers have moved
into their new house and are busy
going over it for squeaks and rat
tles and missing parts. They feel
encouraged, as the house has been
completed over two weeks and the
cement and paint are still holding.
• • *
“The alleged communistic head
of the department stores union was
ejected from the hearing.”—News
item. The proper query to the
sergeant at arms might have been.
Do you wish t? take these out with
you or have them wrapped and
sent?” •
• • •
“Have silver cornet, boy’s
bike and technical books. Swap
for light machines, motors, tools.
Jy 214 Maine.”—Yankee Maga
zine. —•—
The back-to-work movement.
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