The Brussels Post, 1950-11-22, Page 7L
----
Smock
MiC>iss stave
By Richard H. Wilkinson
Charlie 1'oe lived by his wits,
Not because he had to but be,
rause he liked to, 1 rould name a
half dozen jobs he had been offered,
all legitimate, all of which he turn-
ed down, Ile couldn't bear the
thought of routine and being tied
.:own.
I met him anexpectedl; one day
last summer in Boston,
"Not doing anything," he said
when I questioned hint,
"What's wrong?" 1 asked,
"Looking for something," he con-
fessed,
"If you've nothing lined up," I
.suggested, "how about taking a
ride up country with me?'I'm mak-
ing a two-day trip to Burlington,"
"I'd like to," he said.
We started the next morning.
Charlie wasn't the cheerful com-
panion I anticipated. Obviously
there Was something on Isis mind.
halfway across New Hampshire
we came to a place alongside the
road where a dozen or more cars
were parked. A sign proclaimed the
reason, "Visit the site of the fa-
mous Soucook Indian massacre,"
the sign read. "Nothing like it any-
where. Free lecture, Offers much
by way of historical value. A scene
you won't forget. Admission 25
cents,"
"Stops" said Charlie, 1 stopped.
We got out and walked over to a
shelter beneath which a ,man was
selling tickets.
The man with the tickets saw ns
and urged us to buy, eloquently
elaborating on his printed sign.
Charlie dug into his pocket and
produced a half dollar. Presently
about 20 people had purchased
eitteeeeteleeeee-
,
P,,gltl
' ii°,.t
tickets and the man got down off
his stool and led us through the
gate.
We followed him along the path.
He talked as we progressed. By the
timte we reached our objective we
were all steamed up with apprehen-
sion.
We had entered a small clearing.
Beyond it was a ledge, 'overhanging
a shallow gorge through which a
trickle of water flowed. We stood
on the ledge while our guide told
as how, 250 years ago, a detaeh-
anent of militiamen had pursued a.
' band of 20 Indians through 'the
forest. Hard put, the Indians came
to this ledge. Below them was the
gorge, at that time a good many
times deeper than now. Thus the
redskins had their choice of leaping
into the gorge or being shot.
It was a gruesome tale. We were
all silent and impressed as we made
our way back to the cars.
"That," said Charlie, "is the best
gag, I've ever seen."
"Maybe," I said, "btu how can
that guy prove any such thing (hap-
pened there?"
"How can the tourists prove it
didn't?" Charlie asked. "And what
do they care. That chap knew what
they wanted and he gave it to
them. They were satisfied." He be-
eame thoughtful,
Charlie didn't mention the Sou -
rook massacre again during our
trip, but I suspected it was on his
mind, When he left one. in Boston
two days later he shook hands
warmly,
"Where are you off to now?" I
asked him.
Oh, the western plan cf mine is
still rankling," Ile grinned. "Sec
3 ou around."
Late in September I had occasion
to go north again. Travelling the
same route that Charlie and I had
taken, „I remembered the Soucook
Massacre. The shelter was still there
and there were cars parked outside.
But a different man was selling
tickets. The man was. Charlie.
"How about this?" I asked.
He grinned. "Yon gave me the
idea," lie• said. "Remember you
wanted to know how the guy could
prove the massacre happened here?
Well, I asked him, at the sane
time flashing a tin badge 1 some-
times carry around. He derided 10
move on."
"Is that sort of thing ethical in
is your profession?" I asked,
"Sure. We're all suckers. Some
of us are smarter. The guy was get-
ting fed up anyhow. So ant i, Some
day somebody is going to ask inc
to prove that massacre story. If
I'm smart enough T'1l 1 e gone
before he gets here."
How Koreans Keep
Their 1 -fomes Warm
leorrau home life can best l,e
understood by living in a 1' ort an
Lome. Sr. come with rile to the
house of Ilyun, a young pian who
lin seen the life of the city, but is
. not ashamed of the mud -and -thatch
dwelling of his parents in a moun-
tain village back of Seoul.
\\'e passed through a yard filled
with great jars, any one of them
large enough to contain a man,
Instead, they contain the winter's
store of kimishi—a mixture of Iish,
onions, garlic and red pepper.
„dere we are," said llynn hap-
pily, and opened a ]alt handsomely
carved door . , .
He introduced Inc tc his old
white -clad father and mother and
his pretty sister. Then he invited
inc to take a seat. There was no
chair, \Ve sat on the floor. The
autumn air had been chilly outside.
But now a delightful warmth began
to pass up through ate. it seemed
to be coming from the floor!
And then 1 became acquainted
with one of the cleverest inventions
of man since the age of fire began.
It is the heated floor. America and
Europe, for all their ingenuity, know
it not. The Chinese have something
like it—the kang, a heated brick
divan. By living on the top of the
kang and stepping down from it
upon the cold floor as rarely as
possible, one may keep reasonably
warm.
But the Korean invention has
gone the Chinese idea one better.
The entire floor becomes a kang.
Who has not suffered with cold
feet and hot head in an unevenly
heated room? Since hot air rises,
it would seem elementary that the
heat should come from the floor—
and from all parts of the floor, not
just frons a register in one corner.
This very obvious fact seems to
have struck the Korean and no one
else. And the Korean has very
simply solved the problem by run-
ning the hot smoke from his kitchen
stove under the floors of the other
rooms to the far side of the house
where at last, its heat exhausted, it
is allowed to escape through a chim-
ney.
By using what we throw away,
he keeps his house warm.
The floor is raised from the
ground a foot or two and is made
of stone slabs cemented together
so that no smoke can rise into, the
room. The stories absorb heat easily
and hold it well. For comfort's
sake, the entire floor is covered
with resilient oiled paper almost as
thick as a thin carpet—and much
easier to keep clean. On this spot-
less silklike surface cushions are
placed for sitting, on beds spread
at night. Cooking the' usual two
or three meals will furnish enough
heat to keep the floor warm all
day, and only a blaze of pine needles
at retiring will store enough heat
in the stone floor to last till morn-
ing.—From "Key to Japan," by
Willard Price.
"When I was single I had lots
of theories on how to bring up chil-
dren. Now I'm married, I have
four children — and no theories."
SECTIONAL FURNIT
TF your living quarters are
JL so crowded that you've be-
gun to think of having enough
space in the sane way you -
dream of acquiring a million
dollar's, here perhaps is an
answer to your problem,
Cut down on the amount of
furniture you try to jam into
your dwelling.
This sounds, on the sur-
face, easier said than done,
A certain number of furnish-
ings are essential to daily liv-
ing, no matter how much you
may try to pare your belong-
ings to a minimum.
The answer lies not h1 elun-
ination, but in combination.
By creating furniture that can
serve dual purposes, modern
designers have made it pos-
sible for even one -room apart-
ments to look attractive and
uncluttered,
If your living room must
serve as your bedroom; too,
(here's a versatile desk -
ti
E SAVES LIVING' SPCE
•='Y dressing table which mays
': 'give your home a lift in both
efficiency and beauty.
The center section of the
desk top lifts up to reveal a
mirrored vanity section.
When the lid is' closed, the
Flutter of cosmetic needs is
tidily concealed,
Versatile furnishings are the spice of one -room living. This mir-
rored vanity swings down into desk. L-shaped section of room
serves as a bedroom by night and a den by day. All furnishings are
white oak with driftwood finish, part of a new 64 -piece group
Another versatile piece is
a drop-leaf table with draw-
ers that till the space; usually
wasted, between table top and
floor. Here table linens or
other items may be conveni-
ently stored.
Flexible seating arrange-
ments are also a good idea
for a crowded home or apart-
ment. The trend is away from
big, cumbersome divans that
consume m any precious,
hard -to -spare feet. Now sec-
tional pieces are available
which may be pushed to-
gether to form sofas, or sep-
arated to use as individual
chairs.
"Not Fit For A Knighthood
-My Father Was A Grocer"
The world has never celebrated
the centenaries of day -dreams —
even those day -dreams that have
charged the hearts of thousands
with emotion. Yet it is just one
hundred years since a schoolboy
wrote to his aunt.fronn a wretched
Dotheboys Hall in the slums of
London, "This school will lead inc
nowhere but I shall study here.
And I shall learn how to become
a great actor , . .
1 -lis name was John Henry Brod-
ribb. Born in 1838, his father was
an impecunious grocer, often shut-
ting up shop lest the shelves should
be cleared by' the bailiffs. The
schoolboy began his career as an
underpaid shipping clerk, but the
day -dream remained. And thou-
sands remember him affectionately
to thie day under the immortal
stage name he chose for himself—
Henry Irving, writes Al-. Reynelle
in "Tit Bits."
Audience of None
His was one of those success
stories which•' even now is an in-
spiration. Ile used to rise at 4 a,m.,
breakfast on' pples and bread, read
and re -read plays by candlelight
until dawn, 'and then march five
miles to his work. At the shipping
office his cronies, knowing his idio-
syncrasies, scooped out a hollow in
a packing case. Here he crouched
for as many minute: as he could
spare, studying Shakespeare.
On barely 12s, a week he scraped
and saved for elocution and fencing
classes. When he at last ventured
to present himself before a famous
theatrical producer, and explained
his ambition, the latter jeered. "Go
away, boy. I never saw anyone less
suited in looks or character."
Happily at last one old actcor
recognized the spark of genius and
gave hint a letter of introduction
,STAINS—HOW TO REMOVE THEM
STAIN
WHITE HABLE
ENS ONLY COTTONS OR COLOREDANY S FABRIC
BLOOD
For fresh stain, soak in
water. Wash in warm suds.
For stubborn stains, use
salt water solution (Ye cup
salt to 2 cups water). Do
not use hot water first.
Sponge with cold wa-
ter. Wash in lukewarm
suds.
CHEWING
GUM
Rub with piece of ice and
scrape off gum. If stain re-
mains sponge with carbon
tetrachloride or other sol-
vent.
Chill with ice; scrape
off gum. Sponge with
carbon tetrachloride or
other solvent.
CHOCOLATE
Dip fabric up and down in
OR COCOA hot water. Wash in hot
suds, Bleach any remain-
ing stain with hydrogen
peroxide. Rinse well.
Wash in lukewarm
suds. Use carbon tetra-
chloride to remove any
grease spots caused by
cream.
COFFEE
Pour boiling water from a
OR TEA . height of 2 or 3 feet
through stain. If stain is
not removed, bleach with
hydrogen peroxide. Rinse
well. Do not use soap
first: it may set the stain.
Sponge with warm wa-
ter. If stain remains,
apply warm glycerine
let stand Ve hour and
rinse well. Wash in
warm suds.
CREAM OR Soak in cold water. If ice
ICE CREAM cream is fruit or chocolate,
treat as such. Wash in
warm suds. Rinse well.
Sponge. with cold wa-
ter. Wash in lukewarm
suds.
EGGS OR
MEAT•
TUICE ,
FRUITS OR
FRUIT
TUICES
Soak in cold water. Wash
in hot suds. Do not use
hot water first; it may set
stain,
Sponge with cold wa-
ter. Wash in lukewarm
suds,
Pour boiling water from a
height of 2 or• 3 feet
through stain, If stain is,
not removed, use hydrogen
peroxide, Russe well. Do
not use soap first; it ntnv
set stains.
Sponge with cool wa-
ter. If stain remains
apply warm glycerine,
let stand a few hours,
and rinse well. Wash
in warm suds,
GREASE
AND OII.
PAINT
Rub well with soap and Sponge with carbon
wash in hot suds. If stain .tetrachloride or other
remains 5possge with car- solvent, Wash in luke-
bon tetrachloride or other warm suds,
solvent..
Scrape off fresh paint and
wash in warm suds, if
stain has dried, soften first
with oil, lard, or vaseline;
then sponge with tureen -
tine or banana oil. Wash
its warns Inds.
Same method as for
cottons and linens.
SCORCH
Moisten and expose to
light, Repeat several titres.
Bleach with hydrogen tier -
oxide if necessary. Rinse
wttl.
Can seldom be re -
Moved. Brushing with
fists sandpaper may
improve wooletit.
that secured hint his first part at
the age of eighteen. He had only
four words to speak and when Isis
cue came lie blundered so badly
that the audience rocked with
laughter.
The audience at the old Suther-
land Lyceum never guessed that
they had sten the first perform-
ance of an immortal. Yeats later,
when he owned and ruled the great
Lyceum Theatre in London, Irving
was the first actor to be knighted.
"I'nc nut fit for it," he said, at first
refusing the honor; "my father was
a grocer."
But if his first appearance was
unpromising, his second was lament-
able. He forgot his lines entirely!
When he launched himself in a
one-man show in a little theatre
Scotland, not a soul came to see
him, In Dublin, he had no sooner
set foot on the stage than howls
of execration rained from the gal-
lery.
His first part in London also was
a failure. For years he barnstormed
around the Provinces, painstakingly
learning his craft. When the Lyce-
um theatrical impresario, Colonel
Bateman, at last offered him a love
role, the production flopped within
twenty-four hours.
Eagerly Irving told Bateman he
knew of a drama which might re-
place the failure. "It's called 'The
Bells'," he explained. "The central
character is a Polish Jew—a con-
science-stricken murderer."
"Ridiculous!" retorted Bateman.
"The public doesn't pay to see
Polish Jews." Faced with the alter-
native of closing the theatre, or of
producing "The Bells," however,
he chose to keep open doors.
With cheap scenery and poor re-
hearsing, the play that was to give
Irving the first great part of his
career was put on. Few critics at-
tended the first night. The opening
act was played to an accompani-
ment of coughing and chatter. Then,
quite suddenly., the atmosphere be-
came electric.
The theatre hushed. A dramatic
critic sent an' urgent message to
his editor to hold the presses. Later,
when Ile turned in a column of
ecsatic praise, the editor refused
to print it.
"Print it," said the critic. "Our
paper will gain a reputation for
truth."
The test is theatrical history, All
London flocked to the 'Lyceum and
talked of tine unknown actor wlso
was snaking hardened playgoers
shiver, tremble, and cry out in fear
and horror. The play eventually
enabled Irving to rent the Lyceum
and sat up as actor -manager. Soon
Ire met Ellen Terry and engaged
her as his leading lady.
For years there was. hardly a
production in which they did not
appear together, When they toured
the Provinces, mayors and alder-
men came to the station to welcome
them. When they went to America
cheering crowds gave them a Broad-
way welcome.
Irving always wanted to share
his success, At the summit of his
career he gave away money as fast
as he earned it. An old actor mice
begged hies for seats, In the envel-
ope with the tickets were two £5
notes. An actress, wlto had lost ,
most of her charms tremblingly
asked for a post in the theatre and
was told she could look after the
cats.
"You've already taken on three
women to look after the cats," his
manager interposed. "Fine." said
Irving, "You can be the woman
who looks after the women who look
after the cats!"
With equal generosity he endow-
ed cabmen's shelters and beds in
hospitals. It was said that 200 old
actors and actresses lived on the
bank -notes- he sent them every
Friday,
Ruined by Fire
Simultaneously he lavished for-
tunes on his theatrical productions,
making them as brilliantly dressed
and spectacular as possible. Until,
one night, his scenery warehouse
caught fire, Within an hour the
great stocks of stage settings, rices
costumes and curtains, swords and
jewellery were consumed to ashes.
The blow crippled Irving financi-
ally. Though he continued to act
there he had to surrender his Lyce-
um lease. Despite this, veteran
playgoers still recall his lavish pro-
duction of "Becket," at Drury Lane,
in 1905. Touring with this play at
Bradford, a strange thing happened
to Irving. As Becket, after being
stabbed by his persecutors, lie had
to utter the words, "Into Thy
Hands, 0 Lord," as tlse curtain fell.
On the final night Irving acted
with a strange fervour. As he spoke
the words, "Into Thy Hands ..."
a altar,
fell before the s
to o
g
iobs could be heard over the theatre.
But when the curtain rose for his
call the great actor lay still. The
rising curtain was hurriedly lower-
ed. Within a few hours Sir Henry
Irving was dead.
When he first entered the theatre,
actors were classed as rogues and
vagabonds. When he left it, they
were members of a respected and
enviable profess ion.
Diamonds Are Real
Portable Wealth
War scares, inflation and devalu-
ation are causing one of the biggest
diamond booths in history. When
choice stones come up for auction
private buyers often bid 30 per-
cent. more tinan professional tra-
ders are prepared to offer.
They do not do this because they
are carried away by the subtle
sparkle of this queen of gems. Nor
because it would look well set in a
ring or bracelet.
They buy at almost any price be-
cause they know the value of dia-
monds is less likely to go down'
• than the price of any other com-
modity in the world.
Why is this?
Because practically all the dia-
inonils in existence are mined and
sold under the auspices of one
business concern, the Diamond Cor-
poration,
Soft Gold:
While gold is a soft, unstable
commodity, changing its value with
currencies and the needs of coun-
tries, all the problems of tite dia-
mond world have been solved by a
control as hard as the carbon of
which the stones are made.
The Diamond Corporations care-
fully grades all the rough stones
mined and sells thews at a care-
fully established price.
Brokers cannot haggle, and they
in their turn roust pass on the pre-
arranged prices to their clients, the
diamond -cutters and polishers.
The diamond market is never
flooded. To keep the value of the
diamond high mines are deliberate-
ly closed, even though stones
worth millions of pounds may lye
untouched in the workings. If
they were taken out too soon they
wouldn't be worth so much,
Inherited Skill
Lt time of war diamonds are tate
only convenient way of carrying
half a million pounds around in
your pocket.
That is why so many refugees
from Holland, traditionally famous
for its diamond experts, were by
no means penniless whets they
reached England during the war.
Amsterdam has been the Euro-
pean headquarters of the diamond -
cutting industry since the middle
of the fifteenth century.
Jews driven out of London and
Lisbon by religious persecution
found sanctuary in Holland, where
they introduced the art as taught
to them by their Eastern fore-
fathers.
Those Jewish refugees, who po-
pulated the teeming streets of Am-
sterdam's Jodenhock kept the art
of diamond -cutting as a racial pos-
session until they held it almost
as a world monopoly.
A Family That
Was Really "Odd"
Probably the oddest family in
history, a mother, father and seven
sons, lived in Ipswich, Suffolk, in
the reign of William IIT. Every
event, either good or bad, happened
to this family on an odd day of the
month and each one of the nine
. members had something peculiar
about his or her person.
Even the letters in their Chris-
tian names added up to an odd
number. The husband was named
Peter, This wife Rebell and the boys
were Solomon, Roger, James,
Matthew, Jonas, David and Ezekiel.
Father had only one leg and
mother only one arm. Solomon
was born blind in the left eye and
Roger lost his right eye in an ac-
cident.
James had his left ear pulled off
in a quarrel and Matthew was born
with only three fingers on his right
hand.
Jonas had a stump foot and David
was humpbacked. The odd thing
about Ezekiel was that whilst the
rest of the family hcere vcty short.
he was six feet two Inches tall
at the age of nineteen.
The one thing they all had its ,
conunots was red hair. Yet their
father's hair was jet black and
their mother's as white as snow.
In 17(11 Peter, the father, fell
into a deep sawpit and starred
to death and his wife, who refused
to eat after the accident, died five
-lays later.
The tall Ezekiel- enlisted as a
grenadier but was drowned its 1723
with his brother Solomon when
they were crossing the Thames,
This tragedy brought an end to
the odd family of Ipswich, fol'
just ten years earlier, in 1713, the
strangest event of all had happen-
ed. The other five brothers had
all died at different places on the
same day.
Set A Camera,
Caught A Thiel
The pretty girl tourist was sit-
ting peacefully in the pavement cafe
of a Paris thoroughfare watching
the smart crowds pees by. On the
table at which site was sitting were
her handbag, a cup of coffee, a
camera and a book of travellers'
cheques she had just then been
counting. •
Along the boulevard pavement
sauntered two men, As they passed
the girl at her outdoor table they
glanced at her handbag and the
travellers' cheques.
They moved closer to the table,
then suddenly one of them brushed
against her. He murmured "Par-
don, mademoiselle." She looked up
at him, and as she did so the
second man grabbed the cheques
and they both ran off,
To an observer, it was a well
co-ordinated theft, and it didn't loolc
as though anyone would ever catch
those two running then. But the
girl had other ideas. She seized
her camera, got the fleeing then in •
the lens, and clicked the shutter.
And as she did so one of the men
turned round.
She took the film to the police.
They developed it and there was
a perfect portrait of the thief. With-
in a short time he was picked up
and confessed. Later his confeder-
ate was found as well.
It was a case of setting a camera
to catch a thief, and shows how
a little quick thinking can some-
times upset the careful calculations
of crooks.
There have been other examples
of camera - catching. Quite recently
a thief broke into a store and made
for the till. Just as he was open-
ing it, however, there was a sudden
flash of light and an alarm bell
rang.
He made off. A few hours later
the police were on his trail and
arrested him.
The flash of light had been a
camera flash bulb which had been
fixed by the store owner to go
off if anyone tried to rob the ttpt.
The camera, too, was focussed to
photograph the incident,
In a U.S. factory the workers'
private lockers were constantly be-
ing raided by an unknown thief.
A similar device was rigged up en
a shelf, set to take a picture when
a locker door was opened.
A perfect picture was obtained,
assd the astonished expression on
the crook's face in the incriminat-
ing snap made even the police smile.
"How's your daughter getting on
in California?"
"Fine. Got a steady job as
bridesmaid to a Hollywood star."
DRIP PROOF CANDLES ,MAKE CANDLES DRIP -
PROOF BY SORKING THEM INA STRONG SALT
WATER SOLUTION FOR A FEW HOURS.DO NOT WIPE ON REMOVAL.
JITTER
M TAKING WOODY'S SCOUT
TROOP ON A HiKE AND stoma
ti STAYING HOMO . THAT'S
Yom✓- ,
THIS 15 HARD ENOUGH
WORK WITHOUT PLAYING
NURSEMAID TO
JITTER SESIPESs' h
ALL RIGHT GANG. WE'LL PITCH
CAMP HERE ... poop JITTER, HE'D
Lova THIS! suet 5 f
HE'D BE IN THE
- WAY,1w1AS st, Agry(al.."'
-j
To MAKE HIMJ@
�sTAY HOME
By Arthur Pointer