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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1950-8-2, Page 3SA' Jr'%�ld dtill-'NPSfr Saeid Wind Fir The Milk By iticherd If ill Wilk/num ft was the famous wind storm of 1935 which lasted( three days and which nearly divested the town of Maplcridge that gave Silas Kent the idea of selling his wind. trill to the town, The heavy gales practically ruined the mill as a use- ful farm appliance, a fact which was, actually, unimportant, as Silas had installed town water three years before, But it gave hint the idea nevertheless; it was either a clatter of paying to have the thing repaired, or sell it, and as Si was a hard -shelled old New Ittgland "How's that?" said Asa, re- garding Si in astonishment. "Sell the town that rickety old windmill?" Yankee of the first water, the idea of paying for anything went against the grain, IIe waited a month and then dropped over to his neighbor, Asa Gardeners. "How's that?" said Asa, regard- ing Si in astonishment. "Sell the town that rickety old windmill? Sell it? Why, you blasted old high- way robber! It's a wonder we ain't got out an injunction again you long ago fer defaciu' the land- scape." Si reddened to his ears. "Rickety old windmill! You callin' my wind- mill rickety? Dang you, Ase, you're plumb onromatic and onsentiment- al. It's a heirloom! It's the oldest Banged windmill in the hull coun- try!" "It's time it was torn down and drug off then," said Asa. "It's clut- tering up the scenery." The next day Si went down town and tackled other prominent citi- zens. But he was too late, Asa Gardener had, apparently, thought Si's idea about the best joke he'd heard in years, and had proceeded to let every one ie on it. Worst of all, Mapleridge's citzenry saw eye to eye with the sriectntan. They were easily amused, Si came home in a Page. He was serious in his idea about erecting the windmill on the village green, \Vhy, they were even talking about getting a court order to slake him tear it down. If they succeeded it would( cost hint some stoney. The though was griping. It is eetvtssary to note that co- incidence played a big part in the .events that transpired during the next week. For it was coincidence, most assuredly, that caused J. Al- lan Brown, ,philanthfopist, public- .spiritecl c:tizen of Boston, Mass., to pen the letter thai'[$"et all Maple - ridge agog. The letter was directed to 5. Kent. He opened it in the postoifice, with halt a dozen cur- ious citizens standing idly by. Within ein hour cvary resident of Alcplaridge knew that the great J. Brown had spotted Si Aent's windmill, and'wan.:1 to buy it for ,81500 to add to a collection of American relics he was making. It took t\lapleridge about a half •day to grasp the significance of all .this, and then things began to hap- pen, A speenl town meeting was held. Speeches• were made to the 'et feet that Si Kent's windmill was certainly a landmark and it would be a shame to have it moved off to some museum, \\'hy, Si himself had suggested erecting it on the village green. And 'wasn't that a .good idea; You het it wasl A committee was appointed to see Si the very next morning, "What?" said Si, "Give you My windm 11? After the way you talk - ,ed? Dang you, get offin my prop- erty! Git offin it afore I have you throwed off 1" The committee withdrew to the sidewalk and consulted, Presently they returned, Bert Englewood, a Intvyer who was con- sidered quite an orator, made a .speech, He would up by offering :43,000 cash for the windmill, and Si weakened, 'i'r.utttphantly t h C Committee withdrew and Si went back into his house. He closed the cloor and be- ,gaa to laugh,-whic[t was almost ti pitdnontcnon Sat'a, his wife, looked • at hint in astonishment, and Si said: "It's nothing; Sara, nothin', Only it's a lucky thing fer me then( folks didn't insist on n1e showin' rent that letter from J. Allen. Why, there wast nothin' on it but a lot of „eribblin, I Clone thyself," ltIVEUS'REA 01° JUST FLUFF Editor's Note: Horace Reynolds is a writer, lecturer, professor, and author of many articles that have appeared in various leading periodi- cals. This paean In praise of darker, coarser breads'tuffs appeared in The Christian Science Monitor; and we pass it along to our readers without further comment. When things were gong well faith folks, John Mahoney, an old iri,lt schoolmaster of !nine, used to say, "They're eating their white bread now," Then he would explain that the saying was an oblique re- ference to the fact that the common people of Europe had white bread only on special occasions. I remember I used to feel sorry for the poor ntoujik eating away at his black bread. The other day a friend gave Inc a large loaf of dark Russian rye, told me how to toast it. Now I don't feel sorry for the Russians any more. Modern industrialism has ruined American bread, Pick up a loaf in it.., waxed Paper, It's so ;:oft aim spongy you can contract it with y'dur hands, mold it any shape you've a mind to, Take off the wrapper and eat a slice. The soft, fluffy center is like a nto,tthful of powder pttif. The more you eat the hcngrier you get. This is what Anc- trica's staff of life has tome to. It's a pretty soft staff, The Rus- sians are leaning on something more substantial, It wasn't always so. In 1900, 95 per cent of America's bread was baked at hone, and that bread was good, hnnc:t bread, not the aerated boudoir bread of today, Now 85 per cent of America's bread is baked its bakeries. The bread of our ancestors was good bread, too. The corn bread the Indians taught the early Ameri- cans to slake was tasty, nutritious, and f i l l i p g, Our foremothers pounded corn in a mortar or ground it in an improvised home ,Hill. Then titer mixed the resultant steal with water to make corn bread, corn - dodgers, conn pone, hoecalee, and johnnycake. They MR de this bread in two forms: the raised variety baked in a pan, like tite corn bread of today: the unleavened variety, baked in hot ashes or on a griddle or in a skillet, called ash cake and corn pone. Many a plainsman has made many a dinner on corndudger baked in the ashes and salt pork broiled on the end of a stick, That is the stalwart traditional bread of America, of witiclt this puffed-up varety of today is a soft and decadent descendant. In the large cities, where Ameri- ca's foreign -barn congregate, one can get the good bread of Europe which our immigrants brought over with their folklore. From \Vest- thalia the Germans of 13.13 brought their pleasant pumpernickel, The Jews brought us the de- licious Jewish rye and the popular baigel. The French, the long ball - bat loaves; the Italians, their round, solid loaves with a respectable deep crust, From Vienna cause the light, well - seasoned Hungarian loaf, Canadian Movie Makes' Headlines Class Room Scene from the prize winning' Canadian film "Family Scene" soon to be shown in theatres across Canada. The first Canadian film to deal with the personality of the child as affected by Home and School en- vironment will be released very soon. The picture was made in Famous Players across Canada. The filar is called 'Family Circles." It is outstanding and won the award as the best non -theatrical filet in Canada at the Canadian Film Awards Competition last April. it was highly praised at the Inter- national Film Festival in Edits burgh, where it was played for discriminating audiences. When the picture opens it shows a scene from a fancily of a genera- tion or two ago; the father is Head - of -the -House; he made decisions, and was generous when they were accepted—which they always were! nut, says the aloe, times have changed. Children do not go to bed at nine o'clock and the tempo of life has changed!, The modern Father asks—Midnight? Where's George? Time I showed that boy I'm still head of the hoose, he'll have to knuckle under. To all of which his wife sleepily replies, Dar- ling, this is the twentieth century, The issues raised merit the at- tention of all parents and thought- ful people, because they deal with very important facets of family life—the development and growth of a child. The scenes show the effect of four different types of homes on a child's mind and de- velopment, and is a forthright and helpful expose which does not mince matters, but presents clearly how the child is helped or hindered in his growth toward good citizenship by the sort of help he gets at home. The way of the parent is not easy in this modern age, and the film presents clearly where the modern parent often falls down in the job of helping a child to find himself, to meet needs which are not always obvious—confidence, security, and guidance. known as Vienna bread, From Fin- land, Litnppu, baked in the shape of an oversize doughnut made of mixed wheat and rye flour. From Sweden, the flat, crisp unleavened (.read, which goes so well with cheese. * Take a loaf of the dark pumper- nickel, Its rye hasn't been bleached or "enricher," Its rye ha'n't even been bolted. Cut off a couple of thin slices and put them in your toaster. Press down the rod which sends Lite bread to the bottom of the toaster. When the pieces of pumpernickei pop up, press them clown again for a second toasting. This is !se -than (,read; it can take it a second, yea, ,even a third toasting. Mutter the toasted bread; place it its the oven, As you cat it, you , will amend John Ma - honey's proverb to read, "They're eating their black bread now," When you next go out in the s. nods for a steak roast. take a loaf of French bread, cut it ver- tically into slices about six inches long, then cttt these slices again horizontally in half, and butter them, fAtt the broiled steaks into slices to fit the bread; put the steak be- tween the slices and press the re- sultant sandwich firmly. The juice r,f the steak will soak into the bread, That's bread and that's meat, and the combination is good. Or if you haven't got a steak, lust a loaf of French bread, take the Ipaf and cut it in half vertically. Now you have two pieces, each about a foot in length. Cut these two pieces into slices about two inches or so thick, but be careful rot to cut the bread all the way through. Now you have about a dozen small slices, six it each hail. Take a third of a pound. of but- ter and melt it in a measuring cup ce small saucepan. Cut up a slice of garlic and put'it into the melted butter. Allow the mixture to sim- mer a whle. Then pour the- butter ever the bread lengthwise. Some of the butter will run into the in- cisions; some will remain on the top of the bread, 4, t, Now put the two halve.: into a hot oven. After they have become hot, take them out and eat. There is still another proverb which ruts , like this: "Whose bread 1 eat, his song I sing." After you have eaten this hot buttered French bread, don't be surprised if you find your- self humni g.,. Another 'favorite bread is made of water-gtotind flour and it is even more solid than most homemade bread. The water -ground flour is important. Water power grinds slowly enough to allow the flour to retain much of the soil of the grain. In the large mills, too, the flour is bleached. It's a wonder they don't powder and rouge it, Mass production can't leave good food alone. It must try to improve en stature. It homogenizes it, vita- minizes it, victimizes it. It adds potatoes, ]coney, bananas, currants, dates—even sunshine. It slices it, wraps it. Tben it embarks on a ti 1;000,000 advertising campaign, as- saulting both eye and ear. Industrial America has glorified bread the way Hollywood has glori- fied the American girl. Ilan does not live by bread alone, but it is the foundation of our diet, and our sliced loaves of cotton batting are a weak foundation for anything, What America needs is bread with crust to exercise the teeth and stick to the ribs, bread to strengtisen the heart for the tasks which lie ahead, Schoolboy "Howlers" When a group of high school pupils sat for a general knowledge examination recently, some of then( produced the following written re- plies to questions: A skeleton is a person with his insides otst and his outsides off. A sensation is that state of pub- lic mind that exists in a given community when one man's wife runs off with another Ulan. Salt Lake City is a place where the Morass settled, She was a sweet girl dressed in a simple Dutch costume consisting of a white cap and apron. Typhoid fever can be prevented by fascination. A referendum is having to loots at notes to sec what you are going to talk about. The gelatine was used to cut off the heads of many thousands of people. Woman witness: X have as quar- rels with my neighbours. I just won't speak to them. JITTER WITH THOSE CHISELERS FatCCggWEAREN'Tsgu.IN4 '• MANY TICKETS! What The Well -Dressed Juvenile Will Be Wearing Next Winter —Nylon News! Pint-sized weather protection is offered by these wonderful lightweight all -nylon snow -suits. His Stuff May Be Corny But It's Money -Making Corn The year 1932 may be remem- bered for several reasons, not least for the debut of a comedian at an American radio programme. He walked nervously up to the micro- phone and said: "Ballo, folks! This is Jack Benny. There will now be a slight pause for everyone to say, 'Who cares?" As a result of this broadcast, letters poured into the studio prais- ing his unusual and nonchalant style, which hitherto had not been exploited by any other comedian. Today, Jack Benny is acknowledged to be one of America's leading radio funsters and every Sunday some thirty million citizens tune in to listen to Isis show. The "Average Man" For Benny has perfected a char- acterization, fraught with human frailties. I -Ie is a typical "Average Man," a lovable boob, mean, cow- ardly, middle-aged—but with young ideas! All of which has endeared hint to the man in the street with similar faults and weaknesses writes David B. Williams in Tit -Bits, That some members of the pub- lic really believe in this comedian's failings is exemplified by an ad- vertismeut that appeared in the clas- sified section of the "Sacrentento (inion": "Two women about Jack Benny's age would like a small, unfurnished house. Would like to pay what Jack Benny would like to pay." Unlike Bob dope and other con- temporaries of wit, Benny is no master of repartee. But when he docs conte through with an ad -tib, his timing and delivery are perfect. On one occasion, Benny was ap- peering with Fred Allen, who was talking so fast that Jack found it impossible to get a laugh him- self. In desperation, and to the delight of the audience, he ex- claimed suddenly: "You wouldn't dare do this if my writers were here." If anyone deserves the tag of "right-hand man" where Benny is concerned, site is Mary Livingstone who, besides being the comedienne on the programme, is in private life Mrs, Jack Benny. She is tinted for her wonderful sense of humour, and Jack always relies on iter keen judgment whenever he's worried about a joke or routine. Although Mary has had countless offers to be a star in her own right, she re- fuses them all: "I just want to be (frs, Jack Benny," she says, When they were married its 1927, Jack recalls that a big stag din- ner was given in his honour and he felt very important. In the midst of the proceedings, the Master of Ceremonies called Inc silence while Ile read a telegram, It ran: "\Vhen you come !tome tonight, be sure to take out the garbage.— George and Gracie While on the subject of marriage it night be as well to mention the George Burns -Jack Benny rou- tine, It all started when George and Gracie Allen were betrothed. Jacic was playing in San Fran- cisco at the time and thought he would rib his newly-wed friends. He telephoned them at 3 a.m, on their wedding night. Getting an answer from a man, Benny in- quired: "Hallo? George?" A gruff toive replied, "Send up two orders of ham and eggs"—and the receiver was slammed down. Sines then tad comedians have always telephoned. each other on important occasions, When George and Gracie were about to open at the London Pale (odium recently, Val Parnell threw, a party for them. During the edo' 'ling George was called to the tele- f.ltone. Picking up the receiver het beard a girl with a Southern drawl: say: "Mr.' Burns? Long distance , one Moment, please! Jack Benny from Hollywood wishes tom speak to ,you." At the end of his chat with NS fellow comic, George told his guests about it: "Fancy Jack calling all the way front Hollywood just to wish us good luck!" And There He Was! IIe survey the gathering a smile of self-satisfaction spreading across his face. But at that moment Ida eyes fell upon the doorway . were Jack Benny was standing! He had arrived here unannounced, hav- ing trade the journey especially for his friends' opening night. His prac- tical joke had been carried out with. the help of film star Jane Wyman , . and extension telephones! As a youngster, Jack studied the violin and at eight years old he was referred to as the "child prodigy" of Waukegan, his home town. Later he tried to obtain work with a theatre orchestra but was engaged as a ticket collector instead! The violin, much to his regret, soon became nothing more than a prop during his vaudeville appearances, Yet even today, this "frustrated ICreisler" practises in his spare time and constantly complains about his lost chance to make a name for himself as a musician. When Benny moved his family and radio programme to Califor- nia in 1937, the very first show there was an enactment of their journey west. The script required someone to play the part of the Pullman porter encountered !ort the train and the role was awarded to a coloured actor, Eddie Ander- son. He made such a good job of of it that his one night stand be- came a permanent engagement—and that's how Rochester was born, Benny's . gravel -voiced valet and chauffeur. It is not surprising that Benny, hating made a reputation on the stage and radio, should turn 15 Hollywood to reap further laurels, Since 1932 he has made over a score of films. His best known are "Buck Benny Rides Again" and 'George Washington Slept Here" Counter Attack He believes in giving the public what it wants, even if it does not always satisfy the radio critics, and say's: "It took eighteen years to develop the characters on my show.. They're as good as my writers and I can make them. Each week we've tried to inject a new situa'.,on, idea or character into our script and filling twenty pages a ,tee•'. hrf thirty-nine weeks isn't ea>y "So 'what happens? A 'tt"e ; er Coutes along, says the show wax great, the audience loved it, the script was hilarious . , . 1] UT . I was the same stingy. toupee - topped, faulty fiddler; Mary was still snippy; Phil Harris continued as a fugitive from Alcoholics An- onymous; and Rochester was the same sassy butler. "Now, I've been reading this re- viewer's column for many years, and it's a darned good column. But every week, every year, this columnist's style of writing is al- ways the same. Never changes. Al- ways verbs, pronouns and adjec- tives, Why doesn't he get some new things?" Farmers Combine Their Combines—A score of "good neighbors" from nearby farms massed( their combines here recently to harvest a 125 -acre wheat field for a widowed mother of two, Mrs. Marie Duller. Her husband was killed in this very same field a year ago, while cutting clover. qtrAfq By Arthur Pointer Michael Denny, Foresthill, who played Freddic, in the priec winning Canadian flim entitled "Family Circle."