Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1962 THE NEWBERRY SUN, NEWBERRY, SOUTH CAROLINA Page Seven THE “SPECTATOR’S” COLUMN Do you know anything about army food? At any rate you’ve heard about it. If I may repeat what was said about the time of the first World War I cannot say that the men of today have had the experience once so loudly pro claimed and, in true American spirit, may have grossly exagger ated the actual conditions. It was said, back there, that a man showed no ability as a sol dier he was detailed to serve as a cook; thereby wreaking ven geance on his fellow men rather than on the enemy. Frankly I did not complain, though I ate several messes in France. One man said that I was no judge because I had no taste and did not know what I was eating. When a cook prepares beans and beef and potatoes for two hundred men he is not able to provide the delicate touches of mother, wife or sister. And the unavoidable sameness of the fare irks the man of discriminating taste. As a side line of mine in Peru I controlled a refectory which fed two thous and four hundred at a meal. Of course it was serving rice, pota toes, cabbage and beef. No sirloin steaks, no filet mignon, of course. Now r a person of no taste, like myself, for example, he can op erate on that sort of diet day af ter day, you know, ad infinitum, but a man of discriminating ap petite would like some change once in a blue moon. The army built a bakery outfit at Is-sur-Tiele, France, that turned out five hundred thousand loaves of bread a day. Each loaf weighed two pounds. That mech anical bakery operated almost without the human hand, turning out bread, with oiled paper wrap ping, and holding it from distri- oution for two days. Although the army issue of bread was wholesome it lacked the gustatory appeal of the French bread. Of course I mean fresh French bread, cleanly made and cleanly served. Naturally I do not recommend a part of a loaf of bread, sold to a French worker who carried it unwrapped under his arm as be drove his load of stable fertilizer home. The boys in the first World War will remem ber that picture. But I read now of all manner of experiments to serve such dishes to the enlisted men as to make you think the army is now beine served by Delmonico. Well, here we are: “On an isolated Beach in Pan ama, six Gl’s take time out from combat training for chow. They remove some foil-lined containers from a small box, heat water and pour it into the containers. In a few minutes they dig into pea soup, roast beef, succotash, mash ed potatoes and chocolate pudding. This roast beef dinner being tested in Panama is one of the army’s new “freeze-dried” meals. They are a result of the army’s efforts to provide more varied and appetizing fare for soldiers in the field who long have griped about canned ‘C rations’. Freeze-dried foods, which also are being offered to civilians, can keep for montns without refrigera tion. They are prepared by freez ing food, they dehydrating it in a vacuum. Water in a vacuum evaporates below its usual boiling a?id a mild application of heat can turn the ice crystals in the food to vapor without ever passing through the liquid state. As a result, the food doesn’t be come shriveled and tough and its taste returns close to normal when water is added. The process reduces food to a- bout one-third its original weight, making it cheaper to ship. GI’s can carry spongy freeze-ried rations in flexible plastic pouches instead of in bulky cans. The armed forces Food & Con tainer institute in Chicago, part of the Army Quartermaster corps, has developed 21 menus with such freeze-dried items as shrimp, hamburgers with mushroom sauce, cottage cheese and peach slices in syrup. The army began field test ing these foods last year and hopes to make them generally available to troops in the field in two or three years. Increasing military demand could spur food processors to ex pand their facilities for producing freeze-dried foods and lead to more such items showing up on housewives’ shopping lists. In September, Campbell Soup Co. began national distribution' of its Red Kettle line of canned, freeze- dried soups and Armour and Co. started test marketing four freeze dried casseroles Food Company researchers also are interested in experiments at the Armed Forces Institute with nuclear irridation of meat. Large sections of meat, such as a quar ter of beef, resist freeze-drying. But they will keep as long as 25 months without refrigeration af ter being exposed to intense rad iation, scientists say. They ex plain that gamma rays kill decay- causing bacteria as they pass through the meat but leave no trace of radiation that could harm human beings. Poor taste and offensive odors have posed problems, but the army scientists say they have found so lutions by reducing radiation dos ages and using such materials as activated charcoal to remove od ors. They claim that irradiated beer, chicken, pork and ham are (Continued on page 8) ®immy moved his head very slowly on the pillow. He had been playing wound ed cowboy, lying still and feeling the winter darkness creep into the room, listen ing to the sounds beyond the window .. . the crunch of snow as the cars sped by, the jar of the switching boxcars in the nearby rail road siding. But mostly the voices. His wan little face drew tighter around the eyes. If only he could be like the other kids, shouting and running past the window! It had been so long since he had walked and played. He turned his face to the wall. Mama would be com ing in and he didn’t want her to see him this way. Mama ... his whole, wide- wonderful world. Since they had brought him home from the hos pital, every moment of Mama’s day was merged in to his. She was always near, her gentle hands like the touch of an angel. He didn’t want to be sick. He remembered when Pa pa’s, “Well, Tim, old man.*” made him forget the long day. Now it hurt the way Papa said it. And Mama, telling him when she held him, about Jesus and His Heavenly home. “Mama, when I go to Heaven will the angels let me play?” But Mama had run crying from the room and she didn’t come back for a long time. le was floating on his now, drifting ... The murmur of voices in the next room came to him from far, far off. He was so tired! He couldn’t remem ber when he had been so tired, but he mustn’t go to deep now; not with all that magic on the other side of the door going on. If only he could stay awake! And Papa with Mama sit ting beside his bed talking to him and making him think about Christmas all the time — like Christmas had something to do with his getting well. But, criminey, they were worse than kids! Why, Santa wouldn’t be here for three whole days! Timmy was right; Santa wouldn’t be due for three days yet. But then Timmy did not know that his pic ture had been in the news paper. Timmy and the word “leukemia” and what, the doctors had to say with an tirgent appeal to the heart of a great city to move ChMstmas closer for one small boy. All Timmy knew, it was about to happen — now.’ He could barely keep awake now. They had bet ter come for him soon. He wanted to open his eyes but they seemed weighted II 'Wish On H Star By John Toohey "Suffer little children and forbid them not to come unto n for such is the Kingdom of Heaven”.. .St; Matthew, 19:14 and Papa know where I am... ” ^ “Well, now ...” the Keeper of the Gate said, and -$>c. stroking his long beard he ^ looked high above the heads Vk of the little ones and waited; *.y waited just like Timmy, but •+ a bit more confidently for ^ his answer. > & now, falling steadily '+£ since dark, settled deep on * the porch of the little house. In a darkened comer stood ijc. the tinseled tree, but there was no joy of Christmas for the two who faced it. Tim- ray’s Mama and Papa alone .. .. . now with their sorrow ask- ***** #.*>*.** #.'#**' #.**t&***lit.K¥+&*****#.** ing that eternal question, down. And now the great Now she was here too, but The Star appeared lighting' “Why, Why, Why? * chill was steadily creeping she could see and she was the Universe with its mes- For a long while neither over him--and he was so running and playing with sage as it had so long ago. spoke, and then while they tired. So awfully tired. • • all the other kids and there “Ooooooh, look!” With stared into the half dark- STimmy bounced atoms was kughter to her eyes one voice they cried out. ness, an aching memory to like a breeze to April on where before a,ere was Never, never was there a every shadow, softly it legs ("Gee, they never get nothin S- tree like this. Banked a- to ^em htoe the&r tired!!”) that seemed to There were no quarrels, round it, like a great drift rmKlm ^_ or „. a ,. , float under him. He hadn’t for no child had more than ” - gotten his wings yefc: he anyone else and everyone •was grounded until he knew everything — “for this his way around a little • was^the Kingdom of Hea- more. This was such a big ven *” place, such an awfully big place . . . bigger than the roundhouse where Papa had once taken him! in the forest, was every im- nearer,^ swelling higher as aginable gift and toy. risin# of the wind, the* And there was Magic and real Make-believe and the TO jg»<* Wonderland Alice knew — HtUe onea Yes, it was all Mama had and no child was forgotten, ? na f 9^5?^’ ^ calm, all promised in this wonderful no stocking left unfilled. 13 Forever After • • • Mama. And gee-criminey, look And while they listened, And Papa. Gee, if they only up there! It was, it was! the harsh lines of sorrow In He had a pal too, who had could be here too! But again Santa Claus in a golden their faces softened, and to taken him under his wing, Willie, Heavenly-wise, drew so to speak. Willie. Like on first hand experience-to everything else in this won- coin ^ or ^ i new pal. derful place, Willie had been a Timmy, there like a real pal, wait- an<i ^ e5r be to- ing, like he knew he was gether again. A year, ten coming. He knew the ropes y ears < time meant 80 llttIe too, Willie did. He had been • xt would be like wait- around quite a while. Take mg ^liem to come home the way he explained it from shopping at the store, when Timmy wondered why Suddenly Timmy was he had been here so long... confused. Where was every- “Gosh sakes, Tim, if every- one going? All this won- body grew up, there would- drous excitement, this sud- n’t be any kids in Heaven!” don hurrying in one direc- .. “Gee, I never thought of tion. But of course ... How that,” Timmy said. That c °old he have forgotten Willie was a wise little guy ^is was The Night! their eyes came the knowl edge of the Miracle. That voice — it came like the beat of a heart between sleigh flashing across the Heavens, his great voice ringing out, — “On Dancer, on Prancer, on Donner and , . B'itzen Santa with his them - lte ;°Y ful message to snow-white beard flowing them alone filling the room behind like a banner. But hke the sun on a iter’s the beard wasn’t fooling day. It was memories and Timmy. Oh, it was real heartaches, laughter and enough all right but he had tears, “Mama” and.“Papa” seen it before. It was the fro P the bps of a child, the afternoon he had come up first step taken with a tiny and the towering, jovial hand clinging to theirs. It Man accosted him at The was a melody of all, blend- Gate. “Merry Christmas Merry Christmas!” And now he was climbing ing like drops of honey — strumming on their heart strings. The woman’s lips moved all right. They were strolling now P ara dise they came in The ' Garden, where laughing, dancing, singing, beauty and wonder all High above, like the chime blended with the music of °f a b e b faint and distant at children’s laughter. Funny first » now rowing across the thing, it was like he always Heavens with the mighty had lived here; why he beat of a giant drum, the didn’t feel strange at all, he v °i ces of a b Hie angels rang knew so many of these kids! ou ^ * n hallelujahs to become But golly, they were so dif- bushed and whisper-soft as From the Playgrounds of out of his sleigh, his boom- but no words came, and the ing voice echoing like the rumble of summer thunder. Tiny hands clutched his robe, and reaching down like a fisherman playing in his net, he drew in this child, then another, and an other and another. .1 man’s thoughts were hers. Going to the door, his hand trembled as he turned the knob. Snow, feathery as down, blew in through the open doorway, and when the last note had drifted away on the still night air. Looking up . . . Timmy he closed the door softly and ferent from the way he re membered them. There was Joey from down the block. He had worn braces and talked funny and his hands flopped around like they the flutter of birds’ wings as His little ones skipped and danced into the great Palace of the Throne. Then a child’s voice was heard — then another’s and watched the flowing beard draw closer; and now the great arms were scooping him up and holding him the way Papa did. How gentle that great voice could be! He told Timmy that because weren’t his at all. One day °tbers until they all were 0 f the joys of Christmas he i sinonncr. “Banov hirthdav took his place at the wo man’s side. “I couldn’t see . . his voice trailed off finding no words for the wonder of it. “They left no footprints in the snow.” The woman’s hand touched he didn’t come around any- singing, “Happy, birthday had missed on earth, he was his, the light in her eyes the more, and Papa told Timmy* to You, happy birthday to to be granted a special wish peace of understanding, that Joey had gone away. You, happy birthday dear on The Star. Once more she was holding Boy, if Joey’s Mama and ^ esu ^ happy birthday to ^ wish on The Star — a her first bom in her arms. Papa could see their Joey You.” gift from the manger for Words? What need was now! Why, he was hollering ^nd now Timmy saw it. the little ones that slum- therefor words? Can. words like the dickens, pedaling. The tree. The TREE! Up, bered off to Paradise the clarify a miracle? Do we like mad, no different at all up it reached, rising to the night of Jesus’ birth. Jee- question the sun when it from the other kids. very dome of Heaven, its ru-salem! But what more rises in the morning? And Bags; all the kids branches silver rainbows could a fellow want — .uri- A switch clicked softly as called him that because his darting in and out of the less—a Christmas present the man left her side, and pants were always torn, and stars^ Sunbeams peeped to the two he loved so much where there was darkness he was so skinny. through the foliage lighting on earth! If they could only before, the room came And Tina who was blind, the great tree with the glow know, so as not to be sad or aglow with red and green One day she fell into a hole of the dawn. And lo, above too lonely because he had. and rays of gold as the and they took her away and it all, in a dazzling halo left them*. lights of the tree shone we never saw her again, more brilliant than the sun, “Please, could my Mama softly upon them. “1 never met a man 1 didn y t like”... —Will Rogers One of America’s most beloved citizens, Will Rogers spent a life time entertaining the world about him—and continually reassuring his own conviction that every hu man being has some worthwhile and likeable attribute. Too often, many of us look first for the “bad” in people, some times become so busy fault finding that we are completely blinded to any “good” qualities that are present. Sometimes, we expect too much of others—and give too little of ourselves. We. forget that others usually “judge” us, just as we judge them. If we walk through the world with a kind heart and a good word for those about us, we will enjoy the goodness of life ! —and the bad times that happen along will be much easier to bear. Read your BIBLK daily and OO TO CHURCH SUNDAY Gifts FOR THAT MAN OF YOURS Pick His Gift from a bright, new stock of Christmas Pretties — All packaged in bright wrappings. HERE ARE SOME—but only a few of the thousands of items we can show you. Whatever amount you want to spend, we can supply a nice gift. Interwoven Socks . 75c to $1.00 Norris Casual Sport Shirts $4.95 Dobbs Hats for Men $11.95 HICKOK JEWELRY— Cuff Links, Tie Bars, etc., $1.50 to $5.00 Crosby Square Shoes . . $12.95 to $19.95 - Daniel Green House Slippers .... $6.95 Wembley & Arrow Ties . . $1.50 to $2.50 London Fog Jackets $15.95 London Fog Coats $32.50 Give a CLARY GIFT CERTIFICATE Middishade Suits $69.95 Sleeveless Sweaters $5.95 Jantzen Sweaters $10.95 up Arrow Shirts $4.50 up Fur-lined Gloves $5.00 EXTRA HELP TO SERVE YOU: Joe Crooks Mike Click Kennith Tompkins Mrs. Betty Ann Byrd The Christmas Store for Men where Ladies like to shop.