Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 23 April 1938 — Page 9
Vagabonc From Indiana — Ernie Pyle
Because His People Are So Healthy Oliver LaGrone Has No Funds for ~ An Education. He's an Undertaker.
ALBUQUERQUE, N. M., April 23.—The name of Oliver LaGrone may or may not ever be famous. But it belongs to a young man who is already outstanding in Albuguerque.
Oliver LaGrone is a Negro. He is a sculptor. He is a senior at the University of New Mexico, majoring in art and sociology. With his brother, he runs a funeral home as a sideline. And he is as poor as Job’s turkey. He has been going to college for 10 years. He started at Howard University in Washington, D. C,, in 1928. He has had to go part time, and drop ouv entirely for many years. Heé has held as many as seven jobs at a time, getting up at 4 in the morning and working till | ‘midnight, to pay his way through : school. He gets his degree here this spring. E . Oliver and his elder brother Ho- = ‘#2 bart are so poor because the Mr. Pyle colored people of Albuquerque are , so healthy. Only two a month die out of the Negro population of 1500. The funeral par- _ lor barely breaks even. Sometime ago some friends of mine went to an ex‘hibition of painting and sculpture at the university here. We got to talking about it the other night, and they said that out of the whole exhibit the only thing they could definitely remember was a head of Calvin Coolidge, sculptured in wood. . Oliver LaGrone sculptured that Coolidge head. In . fact, it was the very first piece he ever made. He’ did it in 1934, just from looking at pictures of Coolidge. The image stands about a foot high. LaGrone carved it with a pocket knife, out of a soft pine crosstie. It turned out not to be thick enough, and Oliver had to whittle an extra piece and glue it on to make the back of Coolidge’s head.
Oliver LaGrone -is no simple whittler. He talks about line, and mass, and design, and uses other arty words that I don’t understand. He speaks.of things inside him- that he jis trying to express in his Sculpture, :
Feel He Has Genius
Oliver has only a few pieces he can show visitors. For he has either sold or given nearly everything away.
Oliver hopes to go to the Chicago Art Institute next year. ‘And then, maybe through a fellowship, to spend a year studying in Europe. After that, he will be ready. He says he considers every piece of sculpture he has done so far as merely practice.
Oliver is enthusiastic and keen, and full of happy idealisms. He doesn’t seek for money especially. He says he could make a good living by sculpturing small pieces that would please the public. But he doesn’t want to do that. - He is reaching higher. I have talked: with some of Oliver's professors at the university. He is a delight to them, not only because he is highly. intelligent, but because they feel-he has more than just talent—they feel he has genius. " The bars we put in the path of Negroes trying to march to greatness are tremendous. Oliver will be less ebullient a few years from now. But I believe he has the moral stamina to plunge on through to something permanently fine.
My Diary By Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt
Trip to Williamsburg Offers Easy Way-of Learning American History.
EW YORK, Friday.—I did not have space yester= 4 day to tell you much about my Williamsburg visit. The “Palace” has been very much more completely furnished since I was last there. Only old fabrics are used in the draperies and it creates a much greater illusion of age in the rooms. The gardens have grown up very quickly and are very attractive.
We ended our visit by paying a call on “Old Mary” in the kitchen. The guide asked her if she was 80 and she indignantly claimed to be at least a 100. Then she told me that Mr. Rockefeller gave her the kitchen and that, though one could not sit down anywhere else, we could sit down there. She invited us to do so while she explained the uses of the various utensils. When I saw a machine for peeling apples, I decided that we are not so clever in our modern inventions. To be sure, these machines were run by hand-power, but inventors had ideas in those days.
Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller Jr. happened to be in Williamsburg. They asked us to dine with them at-the inn and afterward took us over to see the craft shop. They are having old pieces of furniture, pewter and silver, found in Williamsburg, reproduced and are selling them in the craft shop and other parts of the country. On the second floor of the craft shop, there is on exhibition a most interesting collection of tools which have been donated. They even have a complete set of shoemaker’s tools.
We went to bed weary but filled with the beauty of the countryside and with the conviction that here was a marvelous way of learning American history. It lives all about you and I can think of nothing more educational for a youngster studying our colonial days than an opportunity to spend a day or two in Williamsburg.
Flies to New York
Thursday morning we visited the capitol, which has little that is modern in it. The jail has been made much more interesting by furnishings in the jailer’s quarters, and last, but not least, we saw Raleigh Tavern, which to me is the most delightful glimpse into past history. :Then we paid Mr. and Mrs. Rockefeller a call in their perfectly charming, secluded and peaceful house, stopped for a glimpse at Carter’s grove and arrived at Hampton late. Dr. and Mrs. Howe forgave us for being tardy and the ceremonies went forward in celebration of Hampton’s 70th anniversary. Into the building of this institution has gone much courage and much vision. I do not think one could be there and look into the young faces and talk to the faculty and the trustees without being moved by the courageous meeting of problems and the hope for a better future. Mrs. Morgenthau and I flew to New York from Richmond last Hight. Now I am off on a round of inconsequential errands. =
.
New Books Today:
2ublic Library Presents— ACK in the golden days of European royalty there ) came to the marriage mart a daughter of Leopold II, King of the Belgians, Princess Stephanie, who was affianced at 15 to Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria. After the wedding the young Prince, handsome, brilliant, but unstable, withdrew more and more into his own private world, leaving Stephanie, burdened with "heavy public duties, to a loveless and rather lonely "life at the colorful Viennese court. : Tn 3 WAS TO BE EMPRESS (Nicholson) Princess Stephanie, looking back from a world which has gone "to pieces around her; recalls a series of events which led up to her 25th year and to the tragic end of her marfiage through the fatal drama at Mayerling. * Disclosures bearing on the death of the Crown Prince at his mountain lodge make significant this memoir. Although 50 years have passed and an epoch ended since Rudolf was found shot to death with the body of a beautiful young noblewoman beside him, the mystery continues to lure. Was the affair a suicide pact, a double murder, or the result of a political
Second Section i
repetition of such disasters. .
8 » #
enthusiastic response.
tives of each of the American republics; and each American government suggested the topics it wished to see included: in the agenda. ; : The program, based’ upon the principle of unanimity in accordance with prior precedents for inter-American ' conferences, was then submitted to the Governing Board of the Pan-American Union and was formally approved by all of the governments concerned. Dec. 1, 1936, was set as the opening date of the session. During the intervening time the American governments consulted with each other, with respect to specific conventions or resclutions based upon the agenda. These negotiations and discussions assisted very much in carrying on the Conference in an expeditious and constructive manner, as soon as it was assembled. One of the reasons for the pronounced success of the Conference was this creative
SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 1938
His idea was embodied in a personal letter, sent on Jan. 30, 1936, directly to the Presidents of .all the American countries instead of through diplomatic channels. He adopted this unusual procedure, he said. because “the questions at issue are of such vital concern . . . ‘ as to warrant a personal interchange of views.” h
Following is the last of the four articles in the President's hitherto unpublished comments on the origin, growth and application of the Good Neighbor policy.) ~
NO my personal letter to the Presidents of all the other American republics, I received an immediate and
The message suggested a conference of American republics in the interest of pérmanent peace on the Western continent. By agreements, the capital of the Argentine republic, Buenos Aires,'was selected as the meeting place, and invitations to attend the conference were thereupon extended by the President of Argentina. A subcommittee was created to draw up the agenda -of the conference. This committee had on it representa-
Semoeraiio method of preparation or 1¢, : I think it is fair to.say that the good neighbor policy which had been expressed by my Administration not only in word, but in deed, since - March 4,-1933, encouraged this Conference at Buenos Aires to transact its business with an almost complete absence of friction, recrimination, or suspicion as to motives and objectives.
World Strife:
When I made the first suggestion for the conference, all of us had been watching with apprehension the recent events in world affairs beyond the sea. International and domestic strife, international anarchy, open violation of sacred treaties, undisguised preparation for war, unparalleled construction of armaments, selfish nationalistic eco-
nomic policies, economic aggres-
sion and retaliation, and the breakdown abroad of democratic institutions—all these facts and
By Raymond Clapper Times Special Writer ASHINGTON, April 23.—Harry Hopkins appears to be making more progress in Congress with his light-rolling work-relief end of the new Roosevelt recovery and relief program than is the proposal for reviving the slower-mov-ing PWA under Secretary Ickes. Mr. Hopkins will not come through without some scratches. The two Republican members of the Byrnes Senate Unemployment Investigating Committee, Senators Lodge and Davis, are preparing a minority report which will take some skin off PWA, and in the House, Republicans led by Rep. Bacon of New York aie agitating for returning relief to the states. But Hopkins isn’t worrying. His proposition is essentially to continue WPA as is. ; The Ickes heavy-public-works program labors under the charge that it will be too slow, which was the chief complaint against it the last time. Mr. Ickes was such a tight operator that not a comma slipped through unawares. The job was methodical and clean, but too slow. Mr. Hopkins, on‘ the other hand, was more slapdash, but men were put to work... The mayors, who have one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, strongly favor giving Mr. Hopkins the break.
#® ” » .
OWEVER, PWA officials say i this charge that they will sit on the money until it gets cold is unwarranted. Whatever the delays they suffered in the previous program, they insist that everything is
Hopkins Program for Relief Gains Favor in Congress
geared now for immediate action. They have 2800 projects on tap in which the papers have been approved. That is, in each case cities or states have said they wanted these projects and have: submitted general specifications and PWA engineers have approved them. Even so, say some of the municipalities, long delays still would be inevitable and it might be a year before the program reached its peak of employment. Projects approved by PWA and now on ice waiting to be started would have to go through some red tape at the other end.. Municipalities have to sign financial contracts with PWA before any money can be handed out. That usually involves obtaining authorization from the city council or other controlling agency. Then bids have to be advertised for 10 or 30 days. After the contracts are awarded at least 30 days more are needed before work actually begins. Perhaps before starting the project a street must be closed, and that involves long condemnation proceedings. At best there is considerable delay in- putting men to work on the site. But PWA officials point out that while there are such delays in actual construction, something else is happening.” As soon as the project is approved the ordering of materials begins, and long before a spade is turned on the site of the project, work ‘has begun on the materials back in the steel mills, the lumber mills and the factories of other supplies. That, say PWA officials, is too frequently overlooked by critics.
rk
Side Glances—
I
dresses o
RE i
All the population of Montevideo seemed to have - turned out to give President Roosevelt a rousing welcome when he arrived there on Dec. 3, 1936, on
's Own Story of the | F. D. R's Own Story of the | (Contained in an authorized advance publication of his notes and comments to “The Public Papers and Ad Article No. 28 On the Good Neighbor Policy (IV). (The desperate war between Bolivia and Paraguay in the Chaco éhded formally in October, 1935, with an agreement reached at Buenos
To President Roosevelt it seemed a favorable moment for all the American republics to consider means of guarding against a
f Franklin D. Roosevelt”)
his way to the Buenos Aires conference. Above,
trends made us realize how important it was to keep the disastrous effects of discord from the American continents.
I think that the responsible statesmen of the American republics all went to. this InferAmerican Conference for the Maintenance of Peace, at Buenos Aires, with a clear picture of the Old World's difficulties and with a . keen realization of the imperative necessity of preventing them from engulfing the Western Hemisphere. Realizing the great importance of the conference, I. decided to visit it in person. I visited Rio de + Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Montevideo and made various speeches. I was made to feel everywhere that the good neighbor policy of the United States which had been cpnsistently adhered to since
March 4, 1933, had dissipated the.
last vestige of mistrust and suspicion on the part of the other » American republics toward the United States, and that there was a real bond of friendship and common interest between us. = . On Dec. 15 I returned to the United States from this conference which had such far-reaching results for the future of the American republics. :
New Ties of Peace
The conference enabled the 21 American republics to among themselves new ties of friendship and peace. From the
very first it was evident that all
of the American republics were unanimous in their desire for peace among -themselves as well as with the rest of the world. Three main principles dominated the conferences: First, that no nation in the Western Hem-
threaten the peace of its neighbors; second, that the integrity of every country, large or small, would be assured; third, that renunciation of war required some method of obtaining instantaneously the co-operative effort of the entire hemisphere. : ~ The dominant idea was that any threat to the maintenance of peace on this continent must lead to immediate consultation to seek common policies and take common measures to prevent conflict. It was the basis of the major treaties and agreements negotiated at the conference. The agree.ments provide a complete consultative system intended to meet the menace of conflict by the quick and active co-operation of the 21 governments.
Accords Reached
The three most impertant of the numerous accords reached at Buenos Aires were the following: First, the convention to co-ordi-nate, extend and assure the fulfillment of the existing treaties between the American States. In this agreement the prior treaties ‘requiring settlement of international controversies by pacific
create
isphere professed any right to
"relative to nonintervention.
tered as Second-Class Matter oe atnthce Tadianagolis, Ind.
Our Town
A a aay
he rides along the Boulevard Artigas with Dr. Gabriel Terra, Uruguayan President. gave President Roosevelt a warm embrace when they
Senor Terra
SALVADOR: HONDURAS:
] BRUT eng
Sesesasservensesersirnas breed
Leeward. Islands
i BRAZIL
A Po
Countries - which participated in the Buenos Aires conference are listed on this map. The dotted line shows President Roosevelt's route
to the conference.
means are reaffirmed; and the nations agree to consult with each other and. tg co-operate toward peace. They further pledge abstinence from hostilities for. six months at least during such consultation.
If any nations should become involved in controversy, they agree to report to the other American governments from : time to time the progress made in the adjustment of their dispute. The
agreement also provides that if
war should take the place between any American republics, the other American republics will consult to adopt in their character
‘as neutrals a common attitude.
Second, the convention for the
- maintenance, preservation and re-
establishment of peace. In this treaty. the various American governments pledge consultation with each other whenever the peace of
the Americas is menaced and in
the event of an international war
- outside America which might menace the peace of the American
republics. Third, the additional protocol This agreement reaffirms the .conven-
—
9
Jasper—By Frank Owen
tion of Montevideo in 1933, which: contained the fundamental prin-
ciple that “no state has the right -
to intervene in the internal or external affairs of others.”
* In addition to the foregoing three principal agreements, there were a number of other significant and far-reaching accords and resolutions designed to stimulate trade, cultural interchange and improve communication. During this session of three weeks. the conference unanimously adopted a total of 11 treaties and: conventions and 62 resolutions and declarations. th
The Buenos’ Aires conference is -
proof that in a world which is beset with rumors and threats of
war, governments determined to .
keep alive the spirit of peace and willing to renew mutual trust. and faith in treaties can: move together in a co-operative search for the means of enduring peace. . opi - CE a Tr al his se: served under Inter-American Copyright
Union (1910) by Franklin D. distributed by United Feature Syndicate, A C. 5 <
NEXT—Social Security.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
1. Name the smallest state in area in the U. S. . 2. Whatehorse won the Grand National at Aintree, England? 3. Is a child born to American parents, temporarily residing abroad, an American citizen? .. What is the name for the side of a right-angled triangle opposite to the right angle? / . Name the capital of the Philippine Islands. . When should wedding an- " nouncements be sent out? What Is humidity?
” » .= r Answers ‘Rhode Island. . Battleship. Yes. . Hypotenuse. : Manila. 0 ae : . Immediately after the. wed-'
.
The moisture. or aqueous
vapor -in the atmosphere. Cs = os
ASK THE TIMES
Inclose a 3-cent stamp for reply when addressing question of fact or information
DE JANE JORDAN—I.am.a girl:of 19 and have
C Roosevelt; -
" '{ wife’s poor chin gets any
PAGE 9
By Anton Scherrer
Savoir-Faire, You Might Say, Was Responsible for the Publication Of a Best-Seller Here in 1898.
ITs simpler to come right out with-it and tell you at once that Lee Burns acquired his savoir-faire as far back as 40 years ago when the Bowen-Merrill people had him out on the road selling law books. He covered
| the whole state and met every lawyer in it.
Well, in the course of one of his professional perambulations, Mr. Burns stopped off in Shelbyville to call on Charles Major, an attorney down there. The big idea back of the visit was to sell him a law book—a set, if possible—but Mr. Major wasn’t interested. A situation like that called ‘for savoir-faire, and Mr. Burns used it for all it was worth. At any rate, he quit talking shop, and soon as he did he learned that Mr. Major had written a novel in his spare time. What's more, he had sub-
| mitted it to Harpers and they, in
turn, had sent it back. Said they weren't interested, Mr. Major won- Ms. Scherrer dered whether it was worth while to let the Bowene Merrill people have a look at it. It ended up,‘of course, with Mr. Burns returning to Indianapolis with the manuscript. It was the only thing left for him to do, and in so saying I wouldn't for the world have you believe that Mr. Burns chose the easiest way out. Not at all. The biggest things in this world are done by those who have the savoire faire to do the only thing left for them to do. Well, when Mr. Burns got back to town, he handed the manuscript to John J. Curtis who at that time ran the publishing end of Bowen-Merrill. It was a department still in its infancy, and I stress the point today because it lends a certain piquancy to the story. I don’t know whether Mr. Curtis was too busy to read the manuscript right away, or whether he just put it off, but the way things turned out Mr. Burns in the first one around here to read Mr. Major's S ry. : : :
Rescued by a Poet
Finally, Mr. Curtis read it, too. He liked the story as well as Mr. Burns did. All except the title. The more he thought of “Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk” as the title of a love story with the colorful background of the 16th Century, the more it got on his nerves. And I don’t know what would ‘have happened to Mr. Major's story—or Mr. Curtis’ nerves, for that matter—had not an almost forgotten 18th Century poet come to the rescue. Anyway, Mr. Curtis ran across Leigh Hunt's “The Gentle Armour” one day, out jumped these lines: “There lived a knight, when knighthood was : in flower ol , Who charmed alike the tilt yard and the bower.”
The Bowen-Merrill people published “When It reached a sale of 250,000 copies in two years and remained a best seller for 14 consecutive months. At a time, mind you, when it had to meet the competition of Winston Churchill's “Richard Carvel” and Paul Leicester Ford’s “Janice Meredith.” \
Jane Jordan—
Average Girl Fails to. Appreciate More Sensitive Boys, Jane Thinks,
been very much in love with A for years. We used to have just casual dates now and then but we have been going steady of late and he wants me to marry him. I see many faults in him yet it doesn’t tool my love for him. Instead Ftry to make him see that some of the things he says and does simply: are not right. For example, I have another friend, Jim. When I first met Jim we had an understanding that we would never be anything but the best of friends and that is the way things have stood to this day. Just once Jim told me that the only | reason he stayed around was that he loved me so much it gave him great pleasure just to be with mie. Now A doesn’t believe this story. He says there are no such fellows any more, but I know from experience that there are. A runs around with boys who think the same as he does. Please tell me if I will ba happy with him in married life. YELLOW.
Answer—I have no way of knowing whether you would be happy in marriage with this boy. All I know about him is that he has a suspicious turn of mind and that he runs with boys who believe that no boy sticks to a girl long if their friendship is on a purely platonic basis. As your friend grows older ha may learn that there are people in the world who are quiet differently constituted from himself and his friends. On the other hand his suspicions may ine crease to the point where you can find no happiness - in his company. ; : For my part I believe every word you have said about Jim. My guess is that Jim isn’t as aggressive as your fiance. : : If Jim should write to me for advice I would tell him to interest himself in another girl—one who wasn’t in-love with somebody else. The average girl fails to appreciate the more sensitive chaps and actually prefers the aggressors. : 5 FJ »
EAR JANE JORDAN—I am a girl 16 years old and I run around with some girls who think IT am silly for not wanting to go with boys so much and say there is something wrong with me. Is there? It you had never had a date with a certain boy and you were invited to a party where you had to bring a boy,
| would you take this certain boy or choose a boy
-whom you had had dates with? LEE.
Answer—There is nothing wrong with you except that you are young and timid around boys. You'll get over your timidity and like boys as well as your girl friends do. In inviting a boy to a party it is bete ter to ask-one whom you know fairly well. : " : JANE JORDAN.
Put your problems in a letter to Jane Jordan, who will answer your questions in this column daily, x
» . Bob Burns Says— _JOLLYWOOD, April’ 23—There’s no question about it bein’ more blessed to give than to receive; in fact, I've noticed that when a husband , buys somethin’ for his wife he makes sure that the ‘ blessing is there before he buys it. I was in a music store the other day when a [fella come in and wanted to buy a violin for his wife. I. thought to myself, “Well, now, there's an “unselfish man.” But after a while the storekeeper says “Well, now, do you want a chin rest for the violin?” The fella says “Oh, yes, and give me the most comfortable one you'got. The only time my rest at’ all is when she’s
rs Cooyrigw. 0 Walter O'Keete— SE . A home Ty
‘playin’ the fiddle.”
| are all having financial trouble with their parents
Knighthood Was in Flower” in the summer of 1898. .
nt i pRB BR
plot? Was the Prince insane, or did he nos die at fa as : RE ; f é l all? Was he spirited from_the scene o secret JE Soh ra ; a Eee noe Ll et to. to ard me activities, leaving beside the lovely Marie Vetsera an : wie ; Ne hetonar aol oD pa ty nil ay Ww. og Buren, | 1013 13th St, N. W., Washingmedical
life until he’s 21 and then his paren him, leaving him holding the ba
unknown to receive’ the royal death ceremony? €OPR.1938 NGA SERUCE HI. PES.0 5. INT.OFPR . tom, D.C. ' Legal and
"So that's why you brought the pan—you knew the jewelry:Papa | eciended reseasch be Ender:
Although admittedly deleted of some details, the “research under- .
bought was phoneyl" Jal od
“ex-Crown Princess’ story adds one more angle to the | “Hadn't we better start for home? I's 2:30 .and’ our host hes.
many-sidéd enigma, the much romanticized event at i .gone to bed.
re mi a hn