Loading...
The Seaforth News, 1952-10-30, Page 2Duke's Car Broke Down, On Purpose During the "phoney war" of 1999-40, Gerard Fairlie—author, screen -writer, the original of Sapper's "Bulldog Drummond" — was in charge of U.S. and French war correspondents at our G.H.Q. in France, and he re- eeunts how Americans were very eager to interview the Duke of Gloucester, then touring front positions, The Director of Mill- tary Intelligence had ruled, how- ever, that no special .privileges be given to any one nationality. Mr. Fairlie and Bobby Hart - :man, a colleague, proceeded se- cretly to pull some strings. And the result was that one day the Duke's excellent ear "broke down" near a certain estaminet —and strangely enough, he found Fairlie and Hartman there with the American correspondents! A pleasant chat ensued, the Duke, whom Fairlie had known at Sandhurst, playing his part mag- nificently. It was, Fairlie says in his gaily - written memoirs, "With Preju- dice" a pretty low trick on the British correspondents, and he nearly lost his job over it. But In the long run it was well worth while, since the Duke impressed the • Yanks enormously. Those 'who were beginning to be critical of the Mritish ceased to be go; and Fairlie was told that the re- sulting articles did a great deal to prepare the U.S. public fore their immediate reaction after Pearl Harbour. On a visit to Buenos Aires with his friend, (Sapper) Lieut. - Col. H. C. McNeile, Gerard Fairlie was playing a round of golf on the Mar del Plata Club course when he suddenly saw— s camel! He was pretty sure that there were no camels in South America, and, shaken, he looked again. There it undoubtedly was, and now it appeared to be wear- ing snow shoes! Apparition Spoilt Party In a panic—and thinking "blast those martinis!"—he drew Mac's attention to the phenomenon. Mac turned quite green and ad- mitted it looked like a camel and was certainly wearing snow shoes. He, too, had indulged in martinis 'at the previous night's party. Fairlie missed his next shot —and the following four—and lost the match by a hole. Later, at lunch, he plucked up courage to ask the captain: had he, or WI he not, seen a camel on the course that morning? "Ah, so you saw him'." was the reply. "A rarity in these parts, We have one we use for nearly all the heavy work." "Why does it wear snow shoes?" Fairlie gasped weakly. "Snow shoes?" The captain laughed. "We have fitted that footwear so that its hoofs will not hurt the fairways!" Sapper's first effort, when he was a needy subaltern, found a home in a weekly journal. But the editor omitted to pay for it, and, when Sapper went to see him, pleaded there was nothing in the money -box but a few shillings and stamps. "I know .a way in which you can get more money for this article of yours than I could ever pay you," he added. "There's a big race today up north. Go out and put your shirt on so-and-so" naming a rank outsider —"be- cause it's going to win." Mac and some friends pooled all they had, backed the horse, and it won at a long price. In this way that first effort earned more per word than he ever re- ceived when he'd become prob- ably the highest-paid short -story writer in Britain! Embarrassing Moment The author had a highly em- barrassing experience in the summer of 1919, soon after he'd received his commission in the Scots Guards and was Officer of the Guard at Windsor Castle. It was a hot day. He had been to a dance the night before and wanted to make up lots of lest sleep. Accordingly, when his afternoon rounds were complet- ed he returned to his quarters threw off every stitch he was wearing, gave himself a rub- down with a bath towel and lay down still undressed on top of his bed. Ile woke with a start to see Queen Mary standing in the doorway, staring at him open- mouthed, and a scarlet lady-in- waiting dancing about behind her in an ecstasy of embarrassment, The Queen said nothing, turned quickly away. The lady-in-wait- ing slammed the door behind her,. Later he discovered that Queen Mary's kindly practice was oc- casionally to tour the entire Castle to satisfy herself that all, within it were as happy and comfortable as might be. In those days, too, not infre- quently the Adjutant of the bat- talion at Windsor Barracks would receive a message from the Castle informing him that the Queen would be glad that night to entertain to dinner any young officers not otherwise engaged. About three weeks after the incident one of these invitations came, and as one of the officers available Fairlie made his way to the Castle that evening—not without a tinge of apprehension and hoping that Her Majesty's memory would prove to be short. They were received with her usual graciousnes, and in turn presented to her. When his turn came and someone began intro- ducing him, the Queen cut him short. "Oh, we know each other," she said and, turning to Gerard Fairlie, laughed. "I loved her from that moment," he says, "and I love her most respectfully still." In a vivid account of his ex- periences as Hollywood script- writer, Mr. Fairlie quotes as the "perfect verbal riposte" a retort of actor John Barrymore's. The Great Profile was drooping in an armchair in his New York club one night after imbibing un- wisely, when an acquaintance asked him: "Is it true that you see pink elephants?" For a mo- ment nothing happened, then the actor rallied, became once more majestic, magnificent. "No, sir," he said coldly, "pink elephants see mei" All who like a man -of -the - world's richly human stories will enjoy this friendly .book. 34 Murders a Day According to the latest sta- tistics, crime in the United States increased last year—by five per cent., and fore people under twenty-three were ar- rested than in any other age group. The figures will astonish even those who imagine that the States are overrun with gang- sters and that dead bodies lie thickly in the streets of Chica- go. In 1951 there were 1,882,- 160 serious offences, and every day of the year there were 34 felonious homicides (as distinct from justifiable or excusable homicides), 1,115 burglaries, 143 robberies, 3,064 larcenies, 46 rapes, 540 car theft`s, and 215, aggravated assaults. No one who has read a book like "Murder Inc.," by -Ben Tur- kus, will doubt these figures, for in that staggering disclosure Turkus, District Attorney, states that time and again criminals who had twenty to thirty mur- ders to their name were arrest- ed and allowed to walk off without a charge being prefered against them. ne reason is that those who squawked were rid- dled with bullets, killed with ice picks, or dumped into lakes with a concreteovercoat to keep out the wet;another, that ac- cording to Federal law, no one complicated in a murder can testify against the murderer. Ned Arrival—The Soviet Russia delegation arrives in New York for the opening of the United Nations. Chief of the 'delegates, Andrei Vishinsid (right), smiles for an answer for newsmen. Deputy Aisdre! Gromyko (left) does not smile. Ever Try a Chew, Giris?—Academy Award winner Anne Baxter, left, may have Hollywood all agog over her liking for small cigars," but the gir)s back In Boston aren't too impressed. Anne learned to relish the ladylike stogies on location in Quebec, where she was introduced to the delights of the weed by film director Alfred Hitchcock, However, Mrs. Evelyn Frye, right, of Medford, has been smoking a pipe for some time, and tobacconists say many Eastern girls enjoy a hearty smoke. TEST ¥ UR INTELLIGO E Score yourself 10 points for each correct answer In the first six questions. 1. Which of the following games was originally, sometimes still is, played on a green? -5,-Tennis -Tiddly winks —Bowling —Ping-Pong 2. Which of the following is the thigh bone? —Digit —Cranium —Femur —Fibula 3. Two states bordering on Canada have territory on peninsulas reachable only by crossing Canadian territory. One of them is named below. Can you find it? —Maine —Minnesota —Michigan —Montana 4. Which of the following men led the "Rough Riders" in Cuba during the Spanish-American War? —Stonewall Jackson --John J. Pershing —Garcia —Theodore Roosevelt 5. Pick out the following word which does not match the other three. —Mold —Fungus —Mildew Trichinosis 6. Which of the following writers became famous for books which were not written in his native tongue? —Joseph Conrad —Honore de Balzae —William Faulkner —Sinclair Lewis 7. Match the following leaders with their respective cotustrics. Sore yourself 10 points for each correct choice, (A) Peron —France (B) Tito (C) Schuman —Argentina —Germany (D) Adenauer —Yugoslavia Total your points. A score of 0-20 is poor; 30-60, average; 70-80, superior; 90-100, very superior. ANSWERS TO INTELLIGENCE TEST •dueuereD (a) 'aouea,g (3) 'erAsiso8nA (5) 'euc}ue2ty (O—L •pt:auop gdasor-9 •slsouNatay—g •ilanasool saopoagp—T, -e}osauuiw-9 •anuzag—g 2ugmog—T E T u. Xr�e dam Andrews Here are some good sugges- tions for using "left -over" pickle juice. Thinly slice fresh cucumbers and sweet onions into a shallow bowl. Cover with pickle juice and let stand in a cold place while dinner is being prepared. The slices will be spicely sea- soned. Use pickle juice as a dressing for shredded cabbage or a salad of chopped lettuce, tomato wedges, and new onions. Thin mayonnaise with pickle juice for any green salad. Sprinkle this vinegar over tuna or egg salad for a piquant taste. When the taste for dill pickles is dulled—as it often is before the final giant pickle is eaten— slice quite thin end let season in the sweet pickle juice for a few hours. They emerge as 'zt new, delightful pickle variation. 9 w M Fall days snake' home cooks think of casseroles, and here are two you may enjoy trying now. HAM CASSEROLE 2 cups ground hem !letterer baked hare) . 2 cups corn flakes Sliced pineapple Brown sugas 1 can norttlensree crennT of mushroom soup •1 can cream of celery soup Combine ham and corn flakes lightly, Butter medium-size cas- serole and 'over bottom with a generous sprinitling of brown sugar. Pour ham•norn flakes mixture over this. Combine and partially dilute soups and pour over ham mixture Bake at 325°F. for about 1 hour. This one ries inexpensive cuts of Iamb, yet is very tasty. Budget Casserole 2 pounds shoulder lamb meat cut into small pieces 3 pounds lamb neck cracked and cut into small pieces 1 can tomato juice 1 tablespoon Worcestershire settee 1 medium green onion, minced 2 tablespoons minced parsley 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 carrots- cubed Salt and pepper / teaspoon oregano Place meat in large casserole. Cover with all other ingredients. Season and bake at 350°F. for about 70 minutes, or untie' meat is tender, Serves 4 generously. * 5 * • From Switzerland comes this recipe for little fried meat pies —simply delicious with potato salad or a creamed vegetable. Over there they call them: IiUCHENPASTETLI 1 pound chopped meat (a lit- tle ham or bacon fat is good in this.) 1 minced onion Salt and pepper Chopped parsley 1 package; pie crust mix Combine all ingredients except mix. Prepare pie dough accord- ing to package direction and roll to in -inch thickness, Cut in 4 -inch eirctes Put a spoonful of Chopped meat on each circle and fold to form halt moons. Wet edges and press dough together to stick. +7rop Pastetli in deep hot fat. When they rise to sur- face brnwn they are done. Make about 12, .HOMING G. V. T. Matthew experimen- ted with 249 lesser black -backed gulls, ninety-one herring gulls and twenty other migratory sea- birds to determine their direc- tion -finding ability. The lesser black -backed gulls were at their best in finding their way hone when the sun Was not obscured. The herring gulls were less effi- cient There was no effect on homing ability when the earth's magnetic Acid was masked. An- other investigator, Gustav Kramer, found that pigeons were astronomical navigators because they seemed to know in what direction to fly even before sterling, Unexplored Island Of Many Secrets Madagascar, fifth largest island 'in,the world, which lies 240 miles off the Southeast coast of Africa, is, one of the few regions still waiting to be thoroughiy explor- ed. The white man's foot has never, trodden on vast areas of land in the interior, and French scientists have been hinting that uranium and gold, desperately needed by dollar -hungry France, may lie there in workable quan- tities. Already gold, silver, lead, cop- per, iron and zinc are being mined near the, coasts, but Mada- gascar's remote areas still hold their secrets. Quite untouched by civilization, they are a lure to adventurous prospectors. But before packing his bags and equipment and boarding the next boat for Tamatave (the chief port), the intending urani- um -seeker would do well to con- sider the appalling conditions under which he might have to operate in this primitive land. Parts of it are so uncivilized that even missionaries, only too familiar with personal hardship and native ignorance, have had to admit themselves defeated. One reported recently that he had visited an area which he could never have believed exist- ed had not his own eyes seen it. He spoke of a land "inundated by the most virulent drink, a people saturated with disease due to unrestrained immorality, feuds resembling devil posses- sion, polygamy accepted every- where." Sorcery and magic were em- ployed by all and sundry, murder and cannibalism were common- place. Girls were being married at nine years of age, and the sick and the aged Bung out of their houses and left to die. As for the terrain over which prospectors would have to travel, this consists of rugged mountains, deep ravines, mysterious forests and maldzial swamps. Crocodiles lurk in the rivers and streams. Poisonous snakes and spiders as big as one's hand are liable to attack the unwary. Tiny insects :known es jlggere cause agony by boring their way underneath the toenails and lay- ing aying thein eggs there, Disease - bearing mosquitoes swarm in clouds, In seine places it rains every day in the year ,and in others droughts are long and fre- quent Of a population of 4,351,000, only a few hundreds are Euro- peans, and rebellion against the French is always smouldering in the background. When a revolt took place four years ago, native Christians were massacred and Homan Catholic churches were systematically destroyed. Nature worship still remains the most important belief in maj- or sections of the island. 1 aori- flees of livestock are nide as prayers, A Supreme Deity is recognized Called the Creator or Fragrant One, and children are given un- pleasant names such as "Ugly Face," or "Cross Eyed" in the be- lief that these will warn off evil spirits. In Madagascar one neer tells a mother her child is beautiful, for that would be an invitation to the evil spirits to possess it But if one calls the child ugly, bandy-legged, stupid and objec- tionable, the mother is pleased, because such insults are suppos- ed to safeguard the child. Another strange custom is the rite of body -turning carried out by the Malagasy tribe. Each year the bodies of the Malagasy an- cestors are dug up, turned over and re -clad in fresh shrouds in the belief that this will keep their spirits warm and comfort- ed. Death among the Malagasy is the signal for orgies and feast- ing. The corpse is set up on a trestle -work, and wild dancing, drinking and sexual licence go on for hours around it. An ox is killed and each mourner eats a piece of raw red meat! The fact that an island $o near Africa is so similar to West- ern Australia has interested sci- entists for years. Madagascar's natives bear little resemblance to those of Africa, and are more like Polynesian and Malaya's than Negroes. The theory has been advanced that Madagascar was once part of a lost continent which includ- ed Western Australia. This con- tinent has been called Lemuria, because of the lemurs (monkey - like animals about the size of a cat) which thrive in Madagas- card These do not exist in Africa. British forces landed in Diego Suarez Bay to the north of Mada- gascar in May, 1942, and de- feated the Vichy French forces there with the object of fore- stalling a possible Japanese in- vasion. The following year the island was handed back to Free French 'Forces. It has been a French Protectorate since 1890. SNOWBALLS IN AUGUST Far a lesson in ice-cold ealcn,- lated salesmanship we recom- mend you to Master Russell Green, of Levittown, New York, aged nine. With an eye to the future he filled the family fridge with snow and slammed the door on his assets. Biding his time for a few months until the August sun was frizzling the pavements at 06 degrees, the lad opened the doors of the refrigerator and invited the public to buy his "Genuine Snowballs" at a guar, ter apiece. Topsy-TurVy X-Ray—Caroline Gol!bart isn't defying the laws at gravity. She's just being introduced to the newest thing in X -Ray equipment. The examining table of the unit is rnounted on ars 8 -foot -Wide steel ring, and can be swung through an arc of 180 degrees from the vertical position for chest examination, to the upside clown position for skull and spinal viewing. A special heavy footstrap supports the patient on the table.