La Grange Journal (La Grange, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 18, 1929 Page: 1 of 8
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Volume 50
THINGS IN GENERAL
Remarks by the Editor
Someone—a good many years ago—made
the following statement at a public gathering:
“I see we have with us today, one of the old
clan, the one who always bobs up when you least
expect him.” Recalling that incident of read-
ing at this moment, makes it possible for the
editor to break into print again under the old
caption, after several weeks’ absence. While
not yet permitted to engage in the task of re-
lieving the mind of thoughts “that burn” be-
cause of restriction, and still an inmate of the
hospital, the editor will seek to greet his read-
ers, and like all men who have a love for a pro-
fession and an interest in the paper h^ owns,
we “break the ice” and take the consequences.
One cannot remain idle altogether, and what-
ever strength materializes after faithful observ-
ance of prescribed rules, must be exercised. We
read much in the magazines and papers, and
reading is but an adjunct to our learning, and
learning helps to absorb opinions.
Frequently, in the past, has our opinion on
the so-called “bathing girls revue” been printed
on this page; for such opinions we have been
censured by some, and commended by others.
We have always encouraged the opinion that
such exposures of the beauties of the opposite
sex was not removed more than a few doors
from the necessary, and that if such had to be,
it could be carried on in some other manner.
Such an uncouth opinion as we sought thus to
nurse placed us in the category of the aged who,
by reason of age were blinded to the beauties
and the privileges of the present day. In a way,
there is to this attached, the amusing feature—
referring to that criticism—and in a way, also,
the condemnation heaped upon us, may have
been merited. The condition of the mind may
also be responsible. Immaterial, the shpyr is
Overdone, "and that is all' ttikre is to the matter.
Sunday’s Temple Telegram contained the
following expression from Bishop C. E. Byrne
of Galveston, which the reader may find pleas-
ure in perusing: “I have been fighting this thing
for three or four years; I make no attack on
the girls. I make my fight on the business men
of Galveston. It is a very poor show of adver-
tising genius to parade girls in bathing suits
when they do not go bathing, as a means of
drawing a crowd. * * * I have said in the papers
at Galveston, in my fight against the revue, that
no Galveston entries appear in the parade, that
it is unfair to girls who are often chosen as the
most comely from photographs, to bring them
here, dress them in bathing suits, and parade
them for a mile before 10,000 people.” An opin-
ion from one who believes in his calling and here
at Temple to preside at the ceremonies attend-
ing the laying of a corner stone of a new church.
Dispelling any personal objections to the bishop
—if you have any—ask yourself if he is not
giving a truth in his statement: “ It is a very
poor show of advertising genius.”
Galveston, one of the greatest seaports in
these United States, the home of master minds
on shipping, the home of men who have helped
to make Texas great, must lack initiative, if
this practice cannot be stopped. The annual
event—this bathing girl revue—is advertised in
foreign countries, the purpose is to bring thous-
ands to the island city, and it does bring them;
and for what? To help fill the vacant hotels,
and increase the revenue of the hamburger
stands and seaside resorts? We pause, in hu-
miliation. How many of you who read this have
been there? How many of you have been there
and have seen the scramble for a seat when the
parade is about to occur? You need not an-
swer. We have seen the “enthused” rob them-
selves of a night’s sleep, in order to board the
early morning train and get to Galveston in
time; parade about town and lose another
night’s sleep coming home, all sacrificed for the
privilege of being able to say later that they
witnessed the leg show. Counting the cost of
travel, the loss of sleep—which cannot be priced
—and the tired body, it can be said to be an
expensive luxury. Fifty cents for one of the
best seats in the vaudeville theatre would have
given the visitor a better show, under more rest-
ful conditions, both mentally and physically.
Atlantic City—where national revues have
been held—and several other seaport towns,
have read the “handwriting on the wall” and
like the old Biblical king, have taken the hint.
OUR WEEKLY POEM
HONEST ABE
He stood for what was righto and good,
according to his lights;
The hearts of men he understood and gave
all men their rights.
He saw the real in everyone—the sterl-
ing and the fine;
Had faith in every mother’s son and sym-
pathy divine.
He tried to practice what he preached—
believed all born free,
And every human heart he reached with
love and charity.'
He had no patience with pretense, and
hated “bluff” and sham;
Ho preached the creed of common sense,
and served his Uncle Sam.
He thought this country was a place
where all should find surcease,
No matter what the shade or race, and
have the gift of peace.
All mankind had an equal right to liber-
ty and love;
All were God’s children in the sight of
Him who reigns above.
He drank the dreamer’s bitter cup of woe
upon this earth;
A “man of sorrows” who looked up and
saw his final breath,
And o’er his grave the angels bend, who
died a martyr’s death.
—By Jessie Rae Gray.
Revues are no longer held there. Must we of
the South always wait until the East and the
North set the pace? Can Galveston not be per-
suaded to give a listening ^tr ? We believe that
it can. Bishop Byrne fnentions another in
esting thought in this connection:- ‘The Dublin
(Ireland) papers cabled for my advice about a
contest to select the Irish beauty and when I
advised against it they thanked me. That gave
me an idea, and I wrote the parents of all girls
in foreign countries where I could get their
names.” And we learn, as we read further, that
even in Vienna, that city which formerly en-
tertained thousands of foreigners, the letter of
the bishop is reproduced, in which he advises.
Miss Lisel Goldarbeiter, selected as the most
beautiful girl in Austria, not to participate in
the revue at Galveston.
When you seek to commend men, honest in
their convictions, and honest in their living, for
speaking out fearlessly, give a commending
thought to this bishop who speaks his mind.
Until more such men as he come forward and
“tell their tale” we are going to permit a con-
tinuance of a custom—or shall we say “practice”
—that has no tendency to elevate, but to the
contrary remove a civilized people further from
the fountain of ennobling purity and assists in
the course that no one, at this hour, dares to
prophesy. We, here and in the European
countries have given way to a trend we will,
some day, be inclined to condemn; with that
willingness to condone because it places the
pleasure loving public, we are constantly,
through the genius of both man and woman, re-
ducing the coveralls to a minimum—which does
not include Clara Bow with her suspenders and
silk insteps or step-ins as she appears in “The
Wild Party”—and if we do not remove the
toboggan slide, everybddy will soon be engaged
in raising fig trees. The pendulum will swing
back to the Garden of Eden days—without the
ignorance and the serpent.
We leave it to the powers that be for solu-
tion. And by way of passing, as we prate about
our great advance in all branches of science,
philosophy and ennobling virtues, let us draw
from the past the scene that compares: “Lady
Godiva of Coventry agreed at the request of
her cruel husband to ride through the streets
of Coventry stark naked on .the back of a horse
when he asked her to do it in order to get him
to remove unfair taxes on the people. Every-
one soon heard that she woiild make the ride,
and when she did the people were in their homes
with shades drawn; she rode without being
seen.” What are we today over those who lived
in Lady Godiva’s day in Coventry ? Visit with
the thousands who block the thoroughfares at
Galveston next month, before you volunteer
your reply.
The citizens of Fayette county, in a man-
ner not intended for that purpose, put on re-
cently one of the most stupendous advertising
campaigns this section of Texas has ever ex-
perienced. Our reference is to the celebration
on April 3 of the location of the condensary of
the Carnation Milk Products Company. As the
first Texas plant of this company, its location
was deserving of prominent mention. As a
great stride toward the diversification of crops
in Texas, and especially of South Texas, and as
a recognition of the dairy industry as a thing of
magnitude, it commanded the attention of every
leading newspaper in the state of Texas, and
many of those in other sections. Representa-
tives of some of the largest news-gathering or-
ganizations in the world were present and sent
stories of the celebration to their home offices,
from which point they were broadcast over the
country to the various papers, appearing simul-
taneously in far removed places. Newsreel
cameramen we;e also present to get photo-
graphs.
No influence in this universe has the weight
of that of the press of the nation. The printed
word is the world’s, informer, without which we
would be as lost sheep. Though the telephone,
telegraph, wireless, radio and other modes of
communication have been given to us, the place
of the newspaper cannot be filled. Without the
aid of the press, there would have been no cele-
bration of the milk company’s coming to Fayette
county. And the nation-wide publicity that has
been given our county would have been lacking.
The ground-breaking celebration, with the aid
of the press, has brought to Texas and Fayette
county, advertising that cannot be summed up
in dollars and cents. A nation knows that the
Carnation Milk Products Company has selected
Fayette-county-aa the site for the
first Texas plant. That speaks for
fied farming progress that is under way. And
the benefits of this campaign will Be*¥#aped«in
ways other than milk. Eyes of those not par-
ticularly interested in producing milk are turned
this way, and ere long we will see that the great-
est influence on earth has been brought to bear
in placing Fayette county before an eager public.
Matters Political and Bearing Directly
Upon Present and Past Events.
About the most amusing comment we have
read during the past week, appeared in the Dal-
las News. Brief and to the point the comment
was: “Perhaps Oklahoma is better off without
a governor, she seems to be unable to get along
with one.” There is good logic if you want to
be fair with yourself; since Oklahoma came into
statehood she has had some trouble with her
governors, and has succeeded in impeaching two
of them, one recently. Thus we are enabled to
make the statement that Texas has set an ex-
ample; and Louisiana, the old French state
which Jefferson added to the Union by purchase,
seems to be adopting the example that Texas
gave in 1917. In this we have, one of two con-
tentions to draw on: either incompetency is res-
ponsible, or corruption. Perhaps both, we are
not saying. Jn the impeachment proceedings of
both states, there is ample evidence to convince
the average citizen of either thought. In Okla-
homa the usual “come back” is likely to be’
staged; in Louisiana—not because of the name
the governor bears—it may be said that “it
won’t be long now.” And in both we have
“usurpation of power” to reason with.
These neighbor state volcanic eruptions
may cause unwarrented comment; it may be
shown just where the comment is wrong, but
it is not going to be shown that the Legislature
in those states are much in error. The gover-
nor’s office was created for a greater purpose
than to pehnit the man elected by ballot, to
usurp power for his personal need, or to permit
of ignorance to remain in charge of affairs of
state, that requires sound judgment and ability.
Perhaps Oklahoma would fare better without a
governor, we do not know; perhaps Louisiana
would also fare better without a man like Long
—according to reports about his bullying tactics
—at the administrative building. And the
constituents of both have probably solved the
riddle. In both cases we have, without con-
tradiction, the results of political influence and
prestige brutally and grossly misrepresents
tively exercised. We barely escaped the same
These few words are prompted by the draw-
ing of Cartoonist Knott of The Dallas Morning
News, appearing on the editorial page of a re-
cent issue. The picture under the caption—
“Pointing The Way Out of The Dark Places”—
is that of a lad in the uniform of the Boy Scouts
of America leading a street urchin from a dark
corner labeled “Bad Association” to the light of
“Outdoor Activity.” A long story is told by
this three colmn cartoon and a lesson is there
for all of us. Few movements, regardless of
their nature or object, carry the weight of the
Boy Scout movement. And a great percentage
of our populace fails to realize the bearing it
has upon the every day life of a nation’s people.
The Boy Scouts of America is an organization
of and for the youth of the land. It moulds the
minds and very souls of the boys of today and
guides them in the path that leads to the men
of tomorrow. It reaches out and snatches the
youth from the brink—to save him from drop-
ping into oblivion, by way of the dark places of
“bad associations” from which emerge the
thousands of warped human wretches who popu-
late the underworld. It behooves the citizen-
ship of every community to stand behind any
movement that is made for the benefit of the
lads who, on tomorrow, vill take “dad’s place”
in the world. No community should be without
its troop of Boy Scouts. Scoutcraft brings the
boys up to be good men; to live right, live clean,
live happy; and they enter into manhood with
a broader and more appreciative outlook upon
life. A Scout troop for LaGrange is now in the
process of organization. The membership roll
is steadily growing. As a citizen of this com-
munity, and more so should you have a boy qf
your own, you should stand by to aid
in all possible ways;
idition in Tex^s twice, Jet we
tet
met
lb
- y -
ample evidence of what pol
tics corrupt was seeking to
state’s people.
And wjjijle the matter of politics
subject, let us go back, in order; to j
to our reasoning, to the actions of
Legislature, and the passing of the bill
thp
(T”1
ft
the
ator Wirtz, land the vetoirjg thereof
governor. The most of us who read tike'pleas-
ure by Wirtz were, because the bolting fiction
of the Texas democracy prevented Governor
Smith from receiving the majority vojte at the
last general election, muchly inclined'to believe
it was a good thing, and have so stated, in pfint
and by word of mouth. As we reconciled our-
selves, by degrees of course, to the rights of
voters, and were reminded that many 'good
democrats voted for the republican candidate
Geo. Butte for governor against the regular
democratic nominee, we became less • bitter
against the bolters. Which, in the general run
of things, is quite natural. We were somewhat
puzzled to know how Governor Moody won Id re-
gard the Wirtz bill, and are not surprised at
his decision. We—-lukewarm and for a purpose
democrats—certainly love to scrap among our-
selves, and if in the saddle are willing to oust the
offenders—forgetting our own conduct of pre-
vious years.
Unfortunately, one’s desire to stand pat
prevents a willingness to be charitable. Issues
being different in the past, enabled good and
sufficient reasons to be offered for our own
crimes of bolting. We—especially—Fayette
county—lined up for George Peddy against Earl
Mhyfleld. Earl was the klan candidate, and
didn’t suit at all. George was the compromise
candidate sponsored by the republicans and us
disgruntled democrats believed it would be bet-
ter to send a man like Peddy to the United States
Senate than a man who was bound by the klan.
Then, later it seemed to many that it would
serve a better purpose to elect Geo. Butte in-
stead of Ma Ferguson, and the vote was thus
cast by hundreds of thousands. Both prodigals
were permitted to return to the fold. As we
had these past incidents to remind us, we dis-
covered our ground becoming gradually less.
And so, when Governor Moody vetoed the bill
by Wirtz, he possibly saved the party from the
ash heap in Texas, he probably has not. In the
(Continued on page four)
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La Grange Journal (La Grange, Tex.), Vol. 50, No. 16, Ed. 1 Thursday, April 18, 1929, newspaper, April 18, 1929; La Grange, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth999002/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Fayette Public Library, Museum and Archives.