HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1955-02-09, Page 3He• .Believed In isles
The Story Of A famous .Author • FRONT TUFA
Grand is the hIsterY of the
Fifth Royal Inniskilling Dra-
goon Guards. In case you are
not up on these things, a dra..,
goon is a cavalryman; and in
the last three centuries the Fifth
Inoiskillings In scarlet, green
and silver have charged across,
many a battle-field as though it
were not more than a parade
ground,
The regiment, hOwever, has
not had a hOrse for almost 20
years. These days its 70Q men
are stationed on the Yorkshire
moors with 45 Centurion tanks.
But time, should not be allowed
to change things that way be-
lieves its commander, Col.
Richard DeC. Vigors. Sp he Is
,-,,urging his men to devote their
spare time to fox hunting.
Horse troops, you know, must
not forget horses.
But here's a bit of difficulty.
No matter how well it thinks of
them, the War Office does not
issue, horses with tanks, A ne-
glected polo fund, however, has
been used to buy eight hand-
some steeds and a , few more
' have been borrowed. The 700
will have to take their turn,
but that's just a bit of austerity
which an Englishman takes in
his stride. Also most of the men
have never worn a scarlet jac-
ket„ let alone a pink coat. But,
for the time being they will
make do with a tank man's
overalls, even if a bit grease-
stained. The big thing is that
regimental tradition. is being
honored again. The Fifth In-
niskillings are mounted once
more.
Ah, there will always be an
England. — St. Louis Post-Dis-
patch.
REPULSIVE DRIVER NO. 1: The egotist thinks the world re.
waves around him,,Cartoons are from AAA's "Sportsman,
like Driving.°
Rate your own °accident proneness" by scoring per-
OW zero to Die ea, the following habits:
( ) I boast of breaking traffic laws.
( ) I race with drivers on the highway.
) break a traffic law on a dare.
) I demand the right-of-way Whether I
need it or not. '
) I beat everyone away from the stop-light.
(, ) I show my dust to smaller and older care.
If you score yoUrself zero you're a geed driver.
Up to six points makes you a repulsive driver.
Six to 12 points makes you a repulsive' driver who%
be dead within six months.
Over 12 points means you should have been a deed
repulsive driver six months ago and are just living en
borrowed tinie.
fishing Sunday school texts,
And it was accepted, Neither
Douglas nor the publishers ex.
pected large sales, and they
didn't even bother to sign A
contract. No one even expeeted
the initial edition of 2,500 cop.
ies to be sold out, and no. .at
tempt was made to interest the
general fiction reading public
it.
The first edition sold more
rapidly than had been antic....
pate& So a second edition of
1,500 was printed. A went in luL
time. So did it third edition of
5,000.
The sales snowballed at an
astonishing rate. Orders began
.to flood in. The small publishing
firm couldn't cope, There was
One period when every member
of the firm, from managing-'
director down to the office boy,
working right into 'the early
hours of the night, struggling to
the books out. In the end the
task proved too much, and the
printing rights had to be farm-
ed out,
-Sales went up and up and up,
until they topped the two-mil-
lion mark, and at no time was
there any from of advertising
or publicity. Readers discovered
the book for themselves.
The Middle-aged clergyman
became famous. Other novels
flowed from his pen, many of
which were filmed.
"The Robe" provided one of
the oddest quirks of all to the
Lloyd Douglas story. „ He was'
paid $75,000 for the film rights
on it before he had even com-
pleted the story, and when the
picture was first visualized,
Douglas and the producers
agreed on the form its treat-
ment should take. "We have
agreed," Douglas announced,
"that 'The Robe', shall be Made
as an intimate picture." If only
he could have seen how it fi-
nally reached the screen!
As with the publication of
"Magnificent Obsession," it
looked for a long time as though
"The Robe" might never reach
the screen. Production was orig-
inally planned for 1944, but it•
was postponed at least a dozen
times. Three different directors
were signed for it. The purchas-
ing studio eventually sold the
rights to 20th Century-Fox, and
the film was not made until
after Douglas' death.
Douglas was so disgusted with
the way Hollywood treated him
over this picture that lie ,stipu-
lated that' his next novel, "The
Big Fisherman," was never -to
be filmed, broadcast or serial-
ized. Which, in some ways, is
a pity, because many people
consider it to be the best of his
novels.
Lloyd C. Douglas: died on
February 13th, 1901, in a LOP
Angeles hospital, and almost the
last thing he did was to tell a
funny story to the hospital or-
odxerylge n
y w ho
his whled bedside, atank of
H 1 aste avvriclas a
the story-teller
ost at °grtehaet
novelist when heart trouble
took him, off at the age of
seventy-thre
wasn't
e.
until he was
fifty-two that he wrote his first
novel. He had been a clergYnlan
up till that time, Swift fame
came to him as a novelist, and
it is rather ironical that, since
his death, his fame has spread
even farther. The sheer chance
that his book, "The Robe,"
should be chosen as the first
film to be made in Cinema-
Scone brought his „„„name into
focus.
Now filmgoers can see an-
other of his books on the screen,
with the general release of
"Magnificent Obsession." It fe
the second time this story has
been filmed, It was produced
for the first time in 1937, with.
Irene Dunne as the feminine
star, and It turned Robert Tay-
lor into a leading dramatic act-
or. Jane Wyman and Rock Hud-
son play these roles in the new
productipn.
Lloyd Douglas wrote roman-
tic stories about miracles. This,
no doubt, was because he was
a man who believed in miracles.
But his own story was as ro-
mantic as anything he ever
wrote. It was extraordinary
from start to finish, and "Mag-
nificent Obsession" was the
most dramatic chapter in it.
He had written articles and
texts before this, but he hail
never theught of writing fic-
tion. He had two reasons for
writing "Magnificent Obses-
sion." One was to amuse him-
self. while taking a holiday. The
other was the hope that it
might earn him a little• money.
He needed the money badly
enough. As a clergyman, he had
always found it difficult to make
both ends' meet, especially with
a wife and two children. His
daughters recollect his once re-
marking: "If you are ever cue
ions to know what kind of a
place hell is, accumulate a mis-
cellaneous assortment of un-
paid bills!"
His hope was more' than ful-
filled. "Magnificent Obsession"
earned him a fortune and turn-
ed him, into one of America's
highest-paid writers.
How the novel came to be
written is a story in itself. It
began when he read a news-
paper report of a doctor who
died from a heart attack when
the machine which he always
kept handy in case of such at-
tacks was being used to revive
a drunken playboy who 'had fal-
len into a lake.
Douglas based a sermon on
this report.
He then wrote up the sermon
as an essay under the cumber-
some title of "Personality Ex-
pansion Through Self-Invest-
ment in Philantropic Rehabili-
tation of Other People's Lives."
Which was not exactly a best-
selling title!
When he wrote his novel,
using the theme as a plot, he
first of all called it "Salvage,"
and it was not until it was
accepted for publication that it
became "Magnificent. Obses-
sion."
was rejected by publisher
aftIetr published. One top pub-
lisher sent it baCk with the
comment that it possessed a
great message, but that its fic-
tional value was negligible, An-
other equally eminent publish-
er turned it down because he
didn't like the message, al-
thought ,he though the story
value was good.
Eventually, in desperation,
Douglas sent the book to a
small' firm, Willet, Clark and
Colby, which specialized in pub-
proved, by selective breeding,
and by elimination frOm the
flock of birds producing poor
quality eggs. * • «
Great Actress Pays
First Theatre Visit TEMPER! TEMPER! Over-emotional drivers who lose their tem-
pers lack presence of mind in emergencies, are accident prone.•
Due to the unprecedented wet
Weather during late summer and
at harvest time last year, there
will be a drastic shortage of
good quality seed eats, red clo-
ver and, alfalfa in most Cana-
dian provinces this year, says a
well-known expert.
4. 4, 4,
Weather conditions were par-
ticularly bad in. Quebec and it
is estimated that close, to one-
third of the province's require-
ments or nearly 1,000,000 bushels
of seed oats may have to come
from outside the province to
provide for normal planting.
Supplies of registered, seed will
be much below normal in the
Maritimes, Ontario and western.
Canada with Alberta being par-
ticularly hard hit.
4. 4, 4.
Since this year's harvest will
depend in no small measure on
the quality of seed grown this
spring, farmers with good qual-
ity oats are urged to clean their
supplies early and avoid feeding
of any oats of good. commercial
`seed grade. • * *
Production of alfalfa and red
clover seeed in Canada in 1954
fell, much below the 1953 level.
Alfalfa seed production was re-
duced by 70 per cent ,and red
clover by 65 ,per cent.
"".
To ensure the best possible
results from this year's seed,
more widespread treatment of
both grain and clover seed with
proper seed disinfectants' is re-
commended, also giving more
attention to the fertility needs
of existing meadows and pas-
tures next fall to compensate for
the pending reduction in new
seedings resulting from short-
age of clover peed.
* *
E g g quality is affected by
heredity as Well as the feeding
and environment during produc-
t-ft= even though the major
cause of poor quality eggs on
the consumer table is poor han-
dling practices after the egg is
produced.
Are YOU In This Contest?
The Prize Is Highway Death!
* * •
The breeding .behind a flock
is an important factor in deter-
mining the quality of eggs at
the time they are laid. For-
tunately both the shell and in-
terior egg quality can be im-
World Convention
Churches Of Christ
"2. Test drivers for certain
mental and emotional weakness-
es before' they have accidents.
"3. Show individuals how to
recognize and correct traits in
themselves that cause, accidents."
On the other hand, AAA
claims, if you're not the type to
qualify for the "repulsive • driv-
er" contest, you probably possess
the qualities usually found in
top-notch drivers.
In that case you accept re-
sponsibility.
You have self-control.
You show good sportsmanship.
You display forethought.
You control your attention.
You show good judgment.
You have a good sense of hu-
mor.
Plans for the fifth. World Con-
vention of Churches of Christ,
to be held in Toronto from Aug.
16th to 21st and which will be
attended by representatives of
30 nations, were discussed re-
ce,ntly at a dinner meeting in
the hall of Hillcrest Church of
Christ in Toronto.
Dr. Jesse M, Bader, General
Secretary, New York, told the
gathering it was anticipated
more than 12,000 delegates would
be registered.
Prinie objective of the con-
vention is to bring about a
greater unity, of the church and
to enlarge and enhance a fra-
ternity of World Brotherhood,
All genera*1 sessions of the con-
vention 'will be held at Maple
Leaf Gardens. Features will in-
clude a mixed choir of 500
voices, a pageant of flags as a
tribute to the various nations
represented, addresses and dis-
cussions by world leaders and a
world communion- service.
4 By DOUGLAS LARSEN
NEA. Staff Correspondent
Will you be "Mister Repulsive
of the Road for 1955?"
It's ridiculously easy to get
in on this great contest which
was so popular in 1954.
Just observe the following
simply, rules, and if your men-
tality is warped in this direction
improvise from there:
1. -Be the complete egotist.
Cut in close after passing. Never
signal when stopping. Park
double. Use "pull" to fix a traf-
fic ticket.
2. Be the show-off. Prove to
everyone on the road how much
horsepower your car has. Pass
all possible cars on hills to
prove how lucky you are. Go
through red lights with a gay
"air of bravado.
3. Be over-emotional. Lack ,
presence of mind in emergen-
cies. Lose your temper with
any driver who challenges your
right to the middle of the road?
Cuss out traffic officers.
4. Be a rationalizer. Figure out
how every other driver is wrong
but you. Explain why all traf-
fic signs are wrong. Tell your-
self that speed limits are for the
other guy, not you,
5. Never be thwarted. Get
even with drivers who pass you.
Make pedestrians jump for safe-
ty. Beat a guy into a parking
place which he found before
you.
IT IS BIG — This young
Pariiienne seems fascinated by
the size of this boot, used by
18th Century mounted mail car-
riers. It's part of a postal ex-
hibit in Paris.
A good team of Arctic sled
dogs, pushed by an expert driv-
er, can cover 100 miles a day
with a light load. "He was expecting you—he' just
left!"
PIN PAL—Craig Steen, 7, has no
bowling pins to spare as he
strikes it rich in a give-away
program at a !oral bowling al:
ley. So many takers showed up
for souvenir used pins that three
moving vans were needed tia
Move in more replacements for
the 50,000-pin give-away.
. .
WINTER'‘
.
TOY4Oakitig like a toy Village ono waulei.expect to ski by. the side of a boy's model
rafted layout, thirds. actually a few, homes and an auto storage 'lot in Fort. Scott; Kan., buried
06440'4E. Inches.of.Inli*: NatIOnal tiard troops were called out to dig out Fort ScOlt in the
Wile, if ielttit"weitherrneticall the, 'molt 004 storm to hit the area in yedeii ,
* * *
Beauty of this contest IS that
every conscientious entrant can
be a winner. The prize, natural-
ly, is glorious death on the road:
Your family and any number of
innocent by-standers might be
prize-winners along with you.
' As a bonus you'll be immor-
tally enshrined as a traffic sta-
tistic for 1955.
Last year there were 36,000
winners. Will we beat it this
year?
These charming personality
characteristics which give a
person a head-start toward hav-
ing an autoniobile accident have
been isolated by the Anierican
Automobile Association and are
revealed in a brand new edition
of the book "Sportsmanlike
Driving." It explains:
"The psychologist, the physi-
cian, the' Itidge, the traffic en-.
Omer; and the enforcement offi-
cial .have all been• studying what
it is in, a person's make-up that
gets him into traffic troubles. It
found that some drivers.. are
hind-I:Mere likely than others tO
accidents: They are balled
'accident-prone.' Their wrong at-
titudeS . and their. eiriotiondi
Weaknesses make, them bad
risks ,at driven;"
The book makes these recoin..
,mendationi on" &AV to, handle
such People:
"1. Sott out iceident-prone
drivers' and' revoke their driVing
privileges until their Weakniasee
'are corrected.
TRUCK WITH MANY .USES—This is d cfraWing'af a new
eXperirrterital.trUck created by General McitOri. The 011-purpoSe
delivery truck, with a 1 8 O-horiepoWer engine, Will be called
"C'Univerpelle." According cOmpany officials it can easily be
Converted into a bus taxi,` station. Wagon or spertiman's car.
It is ten inchei lower and ten inches shorter than Current' pcinel
delivery trucks, yet greater capacity: A piMorcimic wildshield
4 one of the many .paSierigo-rfiatures of the unit. Part Of truck's
,sichiebackgioiinil,°Catihe 'Opened foe lOading,
How Repulsive a Driver Are You? Putting The
Cavalry flack
On Horses
Feed is the most important
faetior affecting egg quality dur-
ing produetion. Variations in the
quality of feed results in varia-
tions in egg quality. Work con-
ducted at Nappan has shown
that feeds high in oils are par-
ticularly objectionable since the
oily taste of the feed is fre-
quently imparted to the egg. Ex-
cess feeding of fish liver oil may
result in eggs with a fishy taste.
Other quality factors such as
albumen height, yolk colour,
and blood and meat spots, are
also affected by the feed. The
colour of the yolk can be varied
from light to dark, depending
on the amount of pigment in the
ration. A large quantity of corn
or cereal grass in the ration
will result in dark coloured
yolks. An excess of highly col-
oured feed such as grass, may
result in yolks of such dark col-
our as to be unacceptable to
the consumer, * *
The environment of the lay-
ing hen is invariably reflected
in 'egg quality. Hens kept in
clean surrounding& with lots of
fresh air, water, and good feed,
will produce eggs of better qual-
ity than hens kept in a ,dirty
environment, lacking clean wa-
ter and forced to forage for their
food. The consumption of dirty,
decaying food• is reflected in
poor quality a n d off-flavour
eggs.
• ° •
Most poor quality eggs pro-
duced as a result of poor breed-
ing and feeding are removed in
the grading and candling pro-
cess. Poor quality eggs reach-
ing the consumer's table are
generally the result of poor han-
dlinet after „the eggs• are pro-
duced. Failure to cool eggs pro-
perly and keep them under re-
frigeration, is the major cause
of loss of quality from the nest
to the' table. Eggs •held in an
unfavourable environment tend
to become watery, with soft
spreading albuthen, flat yolks
and stale odours.
•
My first play! It was an epoch
in my life, of course, but it was
a rare adventure, too. My small
brother and I for some mis-
conduct had been condemned to „
the coal 'cellar and its door was
locked. . . . Meanwhile my
brother climbed on top of the
heap of coal and, using the
shovel, pushed up the lid of the
coal hole which opened on to
the pavement. I ran to his as-
sistance. As much inflamed by
a sense of injury as I, he pro-
posed that we escape into the
outside world. He helped''me up
first and, then, by the aid of
acrobatics, emerged himself.
Now we were free, my brother
suggested that we go to the
theatre. Through dealings in
bottles, rags and old paper, he
had the price of admission, so
off we dashed hand in hand to
see Madame Morlacchi in The
French Spy. Breathless we
reached the theatre and bought
two gallery seats for ten cents
each. . . •
For me these days were a
time of fruitless Yearning. I
never knelt down to say my
prayers that I did not pray for
books, for, opportunities• — that
I did not' long for, beauty and
romance. I have read lately that
some practical people wish to
eliminate fairly tales from chil-
dren's reading. Ah, never do
that, whoever you may be, but
let a child's fancy roam at will
through wonderland. I was a
child . whose dark days and
nights were gilded by visions,
whose drab life was filled With
colora of the rainbow and' whis-
pera from the stars. . . ,
Then- one day, as if 'in answer
to my prayers,' a' book agent
came to our house in Cincinnati.
His wares consisted of a family
Bible, copiously illustrated, 'and -
a large volume of Shakespeare
with engravings Of many cele-
brated actors and actresses tin'
their best-known roles,
My mother bought the Bible.
But I had opened the Shake-
speare and seen the portraits of
Fanny Keinble as Isabella in
Measure for **MecistCre, Edwin
Forrest in the character: of
Richard III, 'and Barry Sullivan
as Hattlet, with the Ghost in
the background.
fervently, I promised my mother
I would wash more dishes and
Make mare' beds and help hard-
er with all the housework if
only I could have that book of
Shakespeare, We CoMprernisect
the.thatter On, My Mother's ef-
ter, "We'll let .your twenty-fife
dents a Week- allowance be the
Weekly,installinerit paid On the
book." To that I joyfully agreed-
Sacrificing MY Weekly ptirehtta
aS Of lellipepp. And so I Caine
by Vitt 'Shakespeare. .
Whenever I 'had a Moment
free froin school' heiirg ancriny'
tasks, I reed' the
tilitYS, the garret MY reading
reel* and refuge. While i:inade
bede and shook out the Pillowa,
I deelaiined .the beautiful Veld-
t! Froth: "jitlia Marl6WeA
Story," by K H. Setters. Edited
by Fairfait 156WheY,.