Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 11 May 1940 — Page 7

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SATURDAY, MAY 11. 1940

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dianapolis Times

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SECOND SECTION

Hoosier Vagabond

MEMPHIS, May 11.—Col. M. R. Meals is an auctioneer. He has sold more mules than any other man in the world. In 25 years of spieling, he has knocked down around 1,200,000 of the long-eared Species, and their total value runs to something like $168,000,000. Col. Meals is 48 and he has been auctioneering since he was 22. He loves auctioneering as Paderewski loves the piano; he wouldn't trade places with anybody in the world; his life is exactly as he wanted it from the very beginning. Col. Meals has auctioned in 27 states. So great is ‘his “money-getting” reputation that people send for him from all over the country. From September to May, Ool. Meals sells here at the Memphis stockyards —every Monday and Tuesday. He sells for Owen Brothers Commission Co., the biggest mule-sellers in America. The rest of the time is his own. He makes big money. He won't say how much. He has made as much as $3000 in one day, and he won't take a private sale for less than $100 & day. If he can't get $100 a day, he does it for nothing.

» Ld »

A Colorful Figure

Col. Meals is an enormous and picturesque man. He weighs 350 pounds, and says he's not the least bit sensitive about his size. His suits are specially made, and he wears knee-high laced boots, hand made at $27 a pair. They fit his legs tightly, and he says they help support his weight. Despite his size, his hat is only 7%. An auctioneer is a showman, and Col. Meals is not lacking in the tricks of the trade. He auctions always in either a derby hat or & flat straw sailor. He has 40 hats, and 40 walking sticks, which also are a part of the “business.” He pulls lethargically at a cigar. He has never smoked a cigaret in his life, and he does not drink. He says his only sin is cussing. He belongs t6 no lodges and to no church. And he has never married. He weighed 12% pounds when he was born. He was raised on a farm & few miles out of Moberly, Mo. At a dinner party once, & lady asked

Our Town

COMPARED with the flossy treatment of ‘modern taverns, the old-time saloon was more % my liking. My earliest recollection goes back to the neighborhood saloon of the late Eighties, more particularly to those places run by full-bearded Germans who knew their stuff There were two such places at Meridian and McCarty Sts. and they were sO much alike that one description fits both. Both ‘occupied corners. That was because they had to have two entrances—one on the front for week days, and the other on the side street to be used only on Sundays. The side door was called the “Sunday entrance.” Habitues who had the run of the place had their own Keys to let them in on Sundays. Father, too, had & private key, IT remember. To the best of my knowledge he never used it unless, perchance, he put over a fast one without the family knowing it. I don't think so. On the whole, Father was a law-abiding citizen. Just the same, he was mighty proud of his private key and the privileges that went with it. When Sunday came, he'd take the key out of his pocket, look it over, fondle it, and put it back in his pants. Tt wasn't until the turn of the century that the Sunday entrance became known as the “Ladies’ Entrance.” When Father heard of the change, he turned in his key.

» » » Those Mysterious Fans

The old-time saloon was a forthright affair. After all, the art of drinking is one of sound and primitive instincts and calls for a forthright architectural treatment. The old-time saloonkeeper knew how to handle it. He didn’t doll up his place with decorations and Schnitzelbank mottoes. He go to the point. Which is to say that the old-time saloon was a room with cool pale walls, a calm ceiling and a rigid floor strewn with fresh redolent sawdust As & rule, the old-time saloon was a room about 20 feet wide and, maybe, four or five times that in length. Along one of its sides ran the bar. Even as far back as 1880, it was a magnificent fixture made of walnut or mahogany. The shortest bar was about 20 feet long.

Washington

WASHINGTON, May 11—Although it was not his purpose to do so, Winston Churchill has given a most effective answer to those Americans who are saying that we ought to get inte this war to save the Allies. The answer is carried in these revealing words of ‘Churchill in the House of ‘Commons: “Our numerical deficiency in the air—in spite of our superiority in quality, both of men and materials—condemns us, and will condemn us for some time to come, to a great deal of difficulty, suffering and danger, which we must endure with firmness until more favorable conditions can be established—as they assuredly will.”

Time and again ‘Churchill came back to that point, emphasising Allied weakness in the air, and the time that will be required to overcome it. Without control of the air, the British could not use their navy to cut off the Germans in Norway. Sir Samuel Hoare, Air Secretary, described how when the British succeeded in establishing an airdrome in Norway, & mass of 80 Nazi bombers swept over and destroyed it within a few hours. The Allies have manpower and they have overwhelming superiority in seapower. But warfare has changed so that, until they can command the air, their other factors of greater strength are held

latent. *r ® =

We're Already Helping

So, as was pointed out here recently, what more can we do for the Allies than we are doing We have placed our entire aircraft industry at their disposal. American Army and Navy orders give way to Allied

My Day

HYDE PARK, N. Y., Friday. —After Wednesday's lunch in New York City, I hurried home to see & number of people. First and foremost, I saw a gentleman who has a vision of the way in which real lowcost housing might be developed for the benefit of groups which today are living in big cities In squalid conditions. He also has a desire to see private industry undertake a great housing program to eliminate slums in cities and rural areas and to replace them with me-dium-priced houses, either for rent or ultimate ownership. More and more people are coming to believe that a big housing program is really needed in this country, that it should be on a low-cost level which should be achieved by economies in the building industry and not by giving the consumers shoddy materizls and poor workmanship. I am always glad to find an interest of this kind, even though it may not be translated immediately into action. Our evening was spent with Mr. and Mrs. Edward . Flynn and some friends. I was happy to be with to see their boys, who were such delightful the te House not long ago. They have &

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By Ernie Pyle

him whether it was Harvard or West Point he graduated from: she just couldn't remember. The truth Ba never got out of the fifth grade of ‘country school. He began practicing auctioneering as soon es he could talk. He used to drive his team along the road, seliing hogs, plows, wagons and hay stacks to the thin air, One neighbor rted to his father there was something wrong with him-—always talking to himself. He got his first chance when he was 17-—the auctioneer at & church box supper was so drunk they wouldn't let him in the church. Young Marvin did all the box supper auctioning around there for the next five years. He got no pay. Even had to buy his own box. » » »

Entering the Big Time

Gradually he got a few farm sales. He really “broke into it professionally when & man gave him $25 and & $14 suit of clothes to ‘do & farm sale. It was & mail-order suit, and he picked every color in the rainbow-—a regular Jacob's coat. The same day, he won $25 betting ‘on a local election. So he took the $50, put on his Jacob's coat, and left for Kansas City, for the auctioneer tryouts at the big mule markets there. Tt was his first venture into the big time. There were 41 auctioneers on hand for the tryouts. Only one was to be selected for the permanent job. Most of them were veterans of the quick wit and the glib tongue. Each was given a few minutes of actual selling, and then the boss would ‘call for another one to try. : Gawky young Meals was called at 3 o'clock on the second afternoon. He was scared to death. But he started selling. A shrewd old mule buyer from Des Moines was in the crowd, and he edged forward as the lad began to speak. This ‘old ‘man sensed something. Finally he caught the young auctioneer’s eye, and he said out of the side of his ‘mouth, “Turn it on, kid.” That was &ll young Meals needed. He rose to his six-foot two, kicked over a stool, and went to town. When darkness fell he was still selling, and no other tryouts had been called. That night he signed a ‘contract for his first job—the first of the only three jobs he has ever held in his life. The contract was for five years, at $100 a week!

By Anton Scherrer

At the end of the bar was the free lunch department. As & rule, it consisted of half a dozen kinds of sausages, a big bowl of potato salad, and a good-sized order of cheese kept under a cone-like contraption made of wire netting which looked for all the world like a gigantic rat trap. Sometimes, fancy fans made of fringed pink-colored paper ‘moved to and fro over the free lunch department. They moved by some mysterious power. Nobody, not even Father, knew where it came from. More often than not,

though, a bunch of asparagus greens, hung from the

ceiling, kept the flies away. > » &»

A Fortune in Brass

The front of the bar was reinforced with a brass footrail and there was a lot ‘more brass up near the counter. On the floor were brass spittoons. A 20-foot-long bar had three. Every additional 10 feet of bar called for one more spittoon. Indeed, there was s0 much brass around & bar that somebody in Indianapolis capitalized the situation and made what he called “The Barkeeper's Friend” which was a polish guaranteed to keep everything shining bright. He made a fortune out of it. On the wall back of the bar was the “backbar.” (Sixty years ago we talked a language free of euphemisms.) The crowning feature of the backbar was & mirror running the entire length of the counter. Sometimes it was so high that it touched the ceiling. In winter, the mirror was ‘decorated with cupids, garlands of roses and even animals, like rabbits and squirrels, all splendidly rendered in soft soap. In summer, the entire reflecting surface was covered with pink ‘mosquito netting. The kegs of beer were kept under the front bar surrounded with cakes of ice cut in Broad Ripple. The beer was tapped straight from the keg, as good a way as any, I don't mind saying. This was before the scientific and ‘enlightened era of beer pumps, coils and swiggle sticks. ‘Out in the body of the room grouped around a big-bellied baseburner were a few tables, each with ‘its complement of sturdy chairs. There were no chairs at the bar. Each table had & brass spittoon. In the rear was a private room dedicated to the pinochle players. When the Sunday Entrance gave way to the Ladies’ Entrance, the pinochle room was called—what do you think? Sure, the Ladies’ Room.

By Raymond Clapper

orders. The Allies can have the iatest models that are in production. They have ample funds with which to buy these planes. Our production capacity is expanding almost miraculously. One authority says it is now at the rate of 17,000 planes & year and by the end of 1940 will reach an annual rate of 25,000 planes. Other estimates are lower, but in any case our capacity is considerably ahead of Allied purchasing. So when Winston Churchill says the reason the Allies do mot have the initiative “is our failure in the last five vears to maintain, or regain, air parity with Germany,” he points in the very direction in which the United States is helping the Allies to the limit, ® ® w

Could We Do Any More?

For many months, long before war broke out, President Roosevelt engaged in a bitter battle with Congress over his determination to throw our aire craft industry into the service of the Allies. You recall the French piane incident. Before the war broke out, Mr. Roosevelt urged Congress to repeal the arms embargo so that planes might be shipped to the Allies. Losing the first battle, he returned to

it after war broke out and succeeded in repealing the

CITY STUDENT NAMED

embargo. That is the record with respect to American aid to the Allies, the kind of aid of which they are in mest need, especially with the extension of the war into Holland and Belgium. Could we do any more with regard te supplying planes if we went into the war? As the Allies control the sea, their essential commerce moves with little difficulty. Our Navy would be of little use to the British because they already have an overwhelming preponderance but owing to lack of air strength can make only limited use of it. Tf that is the situation, and it appears to be, debate as to whether we should enter the war is beside the point.

By Eleanor Roosevelt

little girl who was considered too young to come to Washington, and so she announced last night that she was going to stay up as long as I was in the house. Many people came to see me yesterday morning to talk of their special interests. I often wish I had the power to help all the worth-while things brought vo my attention. However, it is encouraging to have the opportunity to see the fine people who are working so unselfishly in so many different fields to achieve results for the benefit of their fellow human beings. We had an early lunch and went to the broadcasting station and then motored to Hyde Park. The early part of the day was

by the time we were ready to start, and the drive along the park was beautiful, with the forsythia and trees and shrubs in bloom. After one night at my cottage, we started out again on our drive to Choate School in Wallingford, Conn. I thought all day of a trip we had taken a few years ago to St. Paul's School, when one of my nephews was

and curiosity about life. One cannot help what life may do to them and starts out with the same high high spirit. Youth venture and

3 ®

TYNDALL FLIES | TO WAR GAMES

10 On National Guard Staff | } Accompany General To Texas.

‘Voice of Hitler’ Rings Over the Lowlands

planes from Stout Field here. In addition to ‘Gen. Tyndall, officers who will participate in the

corps exercises are Brig. Gen. Ellerbe W. Carter, Louisville, Brig. Gen. E. Wray DePrez, Shelbyville; Col. Norman A. Nicolai, Indianapolis, chief of staff; Lieut. Col. Robert J. Axtell, Indianapolis, Lieut. Col. Cooper R. Smith, Bowling Green, Ky. Lieut. Col. Paul E. Tombaugh, Indianapolis, Lieut. Col. Russell B. Moore, Indianapolis, all assistant chiefs of staff; Lieut. Col. Frank C. Mahin, senior instructor; Lieut. ‘Col. Vego E. Barns, Frankfort, Ky., and Maj. Garrett W. Olds, Indianapolis. The staff temporarily will take over operations of the Army's new streamlined 1st Division which is a component of the “Blue” forces now being “attacked” in ‘“Dlitzkrieg” fashion by the smaller but faster “Red” army in the Sabine River border valley between Texas CO, and Louisiana. a The “Blue” army numbers some 50,000 troops. Tn ‘the smuatea [JON LEADER warfare the “Reds” are attacking toward the east, while the “Blues” | will defend toward the west. The! STATES 10 aes are the biggest in peace- | ime in the United States and are Zionist leaders of four states are S est © - He - a ot an to attend the annual convention of latest mobile and gunnery equip- the Ohio Valley Zionist Region at ment. [the Wotel Lincoln next Friday and

| Saturday

Times-Acme Photos, 1. “The voice of Nitler.” Tt calls for the doom of the British Empire and the French Republic.

2. Dutch soldiers, among the bravest and best armed in the world, resist the Nazis from entrenchments on the Germans Holland border. 3. Columns of smoke spiral

from a tiny village, confirming a direct hit by the Nazi bomber

overhead. 4. German troops disembark from an aerial transport.

stem the onsweep such as left their country in rains in 1914,

5. Belgian land forces dig in to |

518 BEDS ADDED AT LOGANSPORT

4 Hospital Buildings to Be Dedicated Monday at Open House,

Times Special LOGANSPORT, Ind, May 11. Dedication of four new buildings costing $1,120000 will be held at 2 p. m. Monday at the Logansport State Hospital. The oxpansion program adds 518 beds to the hos- | pital and raises the capacity to 2383 beds.

The new buildings will be open | for inspection ftom 8 a.m. 2 p.m. | and from 4 p.m. © 5 p. m. The |

buildings provide facilities for diagnosis, laboratory, medical and sure

Schools to Launch Annual Play Day Series Next Week

Next week will see the beginning | and mothers of the pupils will be

of the annual Play Days in Indianapolis public schools. These will be conducted in most of the schools in the afternoon or evening hours.

strations generally will last

The play demon= |

about demonstrate an hour and a half, according to| “chasing and freeing games.”

the children demonstrations, Some schools will

put to playing after have given their Mr. Rath said. have picnics. Mr. Rath said primary classes will action songs and The

Emil Rath, director of physical and intermediate grades will do stunts,

health education for the schools. some schools, where park facilities are available, the fathers

POWER ENGINEERS

T0 HOLD SESSION

Timer Special FRENCH LICK, Ind, May 11. Power engineers from all sections of the Country are expected to attend the 31st annual meeting of the

(modified forms of athletics,

(released as

EDITOR AT DEPAUW

Times Specim GREENCASTLE, Ind, May 11. James Hudson, Indianapolis, has been chosen editor of the DePauw University newspaper, starting next fall. . Robert Brown, Chicago, formerly of Indianapolis, was named business manager. Both are gradvates of Shortridge High School. Edward Waggoner, Cleveland, and Edward Allen, Evansville, were named editor and business manager, respectively of The Boulder, campus magazine,

—

The DePauw concert band will give its first spring concert Tuesday night under the direction of Leopold Liegl. Richard Rink, Bdinburg, Ill, xylophone soloist, will be featured.

PWA CHECKS MAILED TO 3 COMMUNITIES

Check totaling $373.67 have been partial payments on PWA grants in three Indiana communities, it was announced today in Chicago. The city of Hammond is receiving a $319,507 check to apply on its new sewage disposal plant; the city of Peru is receiving a check for $92.752 the cost of a new high school,

sewage disposal plant, while the School Township, Cass Coun- , is ving a $16,660 check for a

school

a check for $17,000 to apply on:

Rabbi Elias Charry, president of the Indianapolis district, said that delegates from eities in Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky are expected to attend. Rabbi James G. Heller of Cincinnati is region president | The meetings will be open to the (public. The tentative program includes an Oneg Shabbat Saturday afternoon, a dinner meeting of the executive board at 6 p. m. and vocal numbers by Cantor Myro Glass, a Palestinian movie and a talk by Rabbi Heller Saturday night. Sunday will be devoted to a dis-

cussion of the Jewish National Fund |

land election of officers. The lunchleon speaker for Sunday has not yet been announced. A banquet Sunday night will close the convention.

EARL C. BOOTH NEW AUTOMOTIVE LEADER

Barl C. Booth, Noblitt-Sparks Industries chief engineer and Columbus resident, is the new chairman of the Indiana section of Society of Automotive Engineers, He succeeded A. IL. McColloum, sales manager of Nationai Malleable & Steel Castings Co. here, who becomes a vice chairman. Other vice chairmen are George L. Brinkworth of the Aluminum Co. of America here and Prof. Joseph Liston of Purdue University. Robert C. Wallace, assistant chief engineer of the Marmon-Herrington Co. here, was re-elected treasurer and Harlow Hyde of Indianapolis was re-elected secretary.

i tonal Distr ati ssovia~ gical care and care of the mfirm Navonal District Heating Associa type tion at the French Lick Springs

The personnel budding provides Hotel Tuesday through Friday. housing facilities for 169 employees. | Addresses and reports will cover Wallace D. Wolfe, president of power rates, insurance, air condithe board of trustees, will be master yioning, heating economics, dust of ceremonies for the program. The catching and other subjects, need of the expansion will be ex- Educators scheduled to speak are plained by Dr. C. IL. Williams, | py, Irving P. Krick, associate prosuperintendent. Governor M. Clif | fessor of meteorology, California ford Townsend will accept the | Institute of Technology; Dr. A. A. buildings in behalf of the State. | Potter, dean of engineering, Purdue The building program t make University and G, K, Saurwein, the institution the largest of its Harvard University. kind in Indiana was started in| Paul F. Helm, Indianapolis Power February, 1937. & Light Co. is among officials inThe hospital was opened to re- Vited to attend the four-day proceive patients July 1, 1888 and had | gram. an original capacity of only 366 Activities, besides business sespatients. | sions, will include golf tournaments (for men and women, a barbecue, sightseeing tour and the annual

BRAZIL CO-ED TO TALK banquet. | ~ AT INDIANA CENTRAL BERNARD PFAU AND

Mie Dec: Goueuives of mol® 1-OTHERS JOIN. NAVY

de Janeiro, Brazil, a Purdue University student of home economics,| Bernard Joseph Pfau, 20, of 5338 will address the Besta Vesta Home|Ohmer Ave, was one of eight HooEconomies Club of Indiana Central ster youths who enlisted in the Navy oleae at 6:30 p. m. Tuesday at the at the recruiting station here this © . week, ‘Miss Goncalves is the first girl| A total of 18 more is scheduled from South America to be granted alfor enlistment next week. fellowship. She and her sister, also| This week's recruits, besides Mr. Pfau, were Gilbert E. Palmer, 19, of

a student at Purdue, will return to South America this summer. Evansville; Charles Randolph Davis, 20, of Shelburn; Philip Roy Schneider, 18, of Tell City; Wayne Harding Wallisa, 20, of Farmersburg: Donald Clinton Emerick, 18, of Warren; Russell Kenneth Norwood, 19, of

KILLED IN AUTO CRASH

EVANSVILLE, Ind, May 11 (U, P) Raymond Brosner, 30, of near Birdseye, died yesterday from injuries received when his oar hit a

and Marshall Biward,

Logansport, bridge rail near Celestine. Wood, 21, of Anderson,

relay games and rhythmic activities such as folk dances. Junior high school classes will demonstrate their condi= tioning work, their standard athletio tests and folk dancing. Some schools, Mr. Rath said. will begin the whole proceeding with a grand

march including all pupils of the school.

"TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

l--Name the only nation in the Western Hemisphere in which Portuguese is the prevailing lan« guage, 2--Who wrote Banner”?

‘The Star-Spangled

3—The unit of electrical resistance is the volt, watt or ohm? With what sport is Rollie Hemse ley associated? 5—Which three boroughs are linked

by New York City’s Tri Bridge? Buh

6—The Premier of France is P an Reynaud, Edouard Daladier 4 Albert Sarraut?

Who was Vincente Blasco Ibae nez?

8—In which direction is Denm from Germany? it

Answers 1—Brazil, 2-Francis Scott Keay. 3--Ohm. 3 Basel. anhattan, Brook Bronx. Yn and The 6-—Reynaud. 7—Spanish author, §--North., s s ®

ASK THE TIMES

Inclose a 3-cent stamp for reply when addressing any question of fact or information 0 The Indianapolis Times Washington Service Bureau, 1013 13th St, N. Ww. Washington, D. C. Legal and medical advice cannot be given nor cap extended research be under taken,