“On Being Well-Bred”
By Ruth Taylor
Conventions are the hall marks of civilized liv
ing. They are the traffic rules which man has a
dopted for the better conduct of his life. Their ob
servance is the card proving his right to member
ship in a civilized society.
There is no law against pushing your neighbor a
side in the street, but if you d*o so, you prove your
self a boor. There is no law against eating peas
with a knife—but if you do, you mark yourself ill
bred and unused to the amenities of civilized soc
iety. There is no law against discourtesy—but it
just isn’t practiced by the kind of people you want
to know.
Conventions are designed for the protection of
all. The common usages of society are ingrained in
childres from their earliest contacts with those a
round them. We do not condemn a child for his
bad manners, but we do comment caustically upon
his home environment.
To those conventions with which we are all con
versant, should now be added a new one. A person
who condemns another not as an individual but be
cause of the group from which he comes, should be
considered as guilty of bad breeding as he who
transgresses any of the other more material conven
tions. It just isn’t American, and' it just isn’t done
by ladies and gentlemen. We should hold it as im
portant to be kind as to be courteous, to speak fair
ly as well as truthfully, to respect our neighbor’s
beliefs as we respect his possessions.
We are now entering on one of the most trying
years of our material life. Let us resolve to con
duct ourselves as well-bred people during this try
ing time. Let us be good American ladies and
gentlemen first and set a seal upon our lips. Argu
ing as earnestly as we will, let us observe the can
ons of fair play and decent speech and not indulge
in generalized charges against anyone.
Observing at all times the conventions of society
let us prove to the world that the democratic form
of government with its freedom of speech for all
people can still be not only the most civilized but
the best bred form of government.
DO’S AND DON’TS:
Your tresses may be your crowning glory, but
don’t comb it in public. Arrange your coiffure
in the privacy of your dressing room.
Editorial: “ A HELL OF A HOME WELCOME”
*
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VICTORY FUND AND COMMUNITY MUST
—QUOTES-]
OF THE WEEK
!
“Be good and be game, Harry.”
— Mrs. Martha Truman, 92, to
her son, the President,
“I was never so scared in my
life!” — Admiral Halsey, after
riding gray (not white) horse
in Tokyo.
“Labor doesn’t do business in
the old-fashioned way any more.”
—Secy.-Treas. Geo. Addes,
UAW-CIO, in re 80% wage
boost demand.
“If industry and agriculture
will recognize their natural inter
dependence, any strife between
them will end.”—Gov. Chauncey
Sparks, of Alabama.
“America’s standard of living
today results from benefits of
technological advances passed on
to consumers in lower prices.”—
Walter B. Weisenburger, exec,
vicc-pres., Natl. Assn, of Manu
facturers.
“Loaning money is a poor road
to international friendship.” —
Former Pres. Herbert Hoover,
i
— ——— ■ ■ — -■ JPPV,—WM'* —
WASHINGTON R. F. D.
Washington, DC.-Having entered the Buck
Rogers Age with radar, jet propulsion and the atom
ic bomb, the Capital thinks a thoroughly impress
ed and somewhat frightened public will demand
that Congress establish the “ably staffed, adequate
ly financed, and properly equipped research and
development program” call for by General H. H.
Arnold, chief of the Army Air Forces.
Outcome of any future war is seen to hinge on
science and military intelligence; the best prevent
ive of war is seen to be the building of a topnotch
corps of scientists and the freeinterchange of facts
among all world peoples.
This new concept may defeat, or greatly modify,
the i)eacetime conscription bill.
★★★
Others here point out, however, that the reign of
peace and' prosperity made possible by the physical
scientists can be realized only by rapid advances in
the social sciences.
In our relations between man and man, they say,
we are but little further advanced than the Greeks
and the Romans. Most of our progress has been
on the materialistic side. We haven’t yet learned
to adjust our ways of living and doing business to
the machine, much less to atomic energy.
The proponents of research in the social sciences
of economics, planning, social organization, govern
ment and distributin cite the following as Americ
an failures:
(1) The richest country in the world' has been
unable to maintain steady employment.
(2) A country with marvelous production cap
acity has had to depend on depression to keep its
economci machine balanced.
(3) Sapping the nation’s manpower through
unemployment is comparable to the blood-letting
that was accepted medical practice twTo centuries
ago.
(4) Public subsidies to keep the economy from
collasping have the same basic purpose as the bread
and circuses the Roman emperors used to keep the
populace from revolt.
k_k k
^ ^ ^
Most of the major bills scheduled for immediate
Congressional attention are concerned with these
weaknesses. There is the Murray-Patman full
employment bill, the Murray-Wagner-Dingell pub-,
lie health measure, the unemployment compensa
tion bill, one for federal education, and others.
The nation is burning the midnight oil over its
lesson on the distribution of purchasing power. It
has received an “A” grade on production. So far
it is flunking the course on distribution.
The Murray-Patman full employment bill is con
ceded still to pass in some form. Skeptics claim it
assures employment only to economists and statis
tician. The bill provided that the President study
THE WORLD ABROAD
New York, N. Y.—The surrender talks at Gener
al MaeArthur’s headquarters in Manila produced
many columns of newspaper stories, but as yet
little hard news. One important piece of informa
tion, however, was released.
On the basis of staements by the Jaanese surren
der envoys, American estimates of damage done to
the Japanese Fleet were more than confirmed. In
fact they were shown to have been too conservative.
In th furious air-sea battles which have been
fought from Midway to to Japan’s Inland Sea, our
naval and air forces have destroyed all but 55 of
Japan’s 382 warships. Of the 55 surviving ves
sels, 26 are destroyers, of which 4 are heavily dam
aged; 22 are submarines, of which 6 are German.
That leaves only 7 major warships, all heavilv
O
| damaged and unfit for use. These are: 1 battle
ship, 2 heavy and 2 light carriers, and 2 cruisers.
We have sunk 11 battleships, 7 heavy carriers, 6
light carriers, 5 escort carriers, 41 cruisers, 139 de
stroyers and 118 submarines.
As to the Japanese merchant fleet, all that is
left of 7,000,000 tons of shipping is less than l,5f 0
000 tons, “counting all very small ships and very
few suitable for long voyages.”
There is no parallel in naval history for such ov
erwhelming disaster.
This is one reason why Japan asked Russia to ne
gotiate pease last June—long before she knew any
thing about the atomic bomb.
By order of President Truman, Lend-Lease came
and report to Congress each year the employment
situation for the ensuing year. It is aimed at stim
ulating private enterprise. Whether Congress au
thorizes public works and other public investment
to take up the slack between the number of persons
for whom private enterprise provides worke and the
number who want work is left to future legislation.
There is some danger that people may think pas
sage of the Murray-Patman bill guarantees jobs for
all, and that nothing more will be done.
Most Capital insiders feel that the country faces
a stiff and continuing fight for years to make good
on full production and full employment. The Mur
ray-Patman bill was a start that may, and should,
lead to supplementary measures which should have
given it teeth.
There are pessimists here who believe that full
scale unemployment, depression, and possibly soc
ial upheaval are fast approaching. But more are
optimistic, though even they view the immediate
future with uncertainty.
Balancing up the conflicting views, it seems prob
able that reconversion will be rough, and unemploy
ment severe for six months to a year, followed by
recovery. Depression seemes seevral years away.
Whether it comes at all depends on how fast Amer
icans think and act on the problems of distributing
the fruits of the enormous production of which the
nation has proven itself capable.
★★★
The end of meat rationing appears to be just a~
round the corner, though fats and oils and sugar
will remain or rationing for some time. Some food
experts doubt the wisdom of lifting meat rationing
if Europe is to be sent the increased food supplies
which are necessary to maintain stability there.
" if— if - " -ir— —■ ' ' ..
to an end on August 21, 1945.
Over 41 billion dollars worth of goodss and serv
ices were “Lend-Leased” to our Allies. By way
of reverse Lend-Lease we receivd 0V2 billion dollars,
most of it from the British Empire.
From now on transactions will have to be on a
cash basis, or else regular loans or credit will have
to be arranged.
The end of Lend-Lease raises an immediate and
very difficult problem for Great Britain. Speak
ing in the House of Commons, Oliver Lyttleton,
President of the Board of Trade in the Churchill
Government, said:
“The standard of life of ever}’ citien of this coun
try and of nearly every citizen of the British Em
pire depends upon our receiving sympathetic help
and a larger measure of financial aidHrom the Unit
ed States.”
Mr. Lyttleton evoked a sharp rebuke from Labor
ite leader Morrison, when he continued: “If you
wish wish to obtain assistance from the United
States, you must be careful about the nasty things
you say about private enterprise that will affront
American opinion. ’ ’
Although Mr. Morrison declared that “the Unit
ed States would not presume to dictate to the Brit
ish Government on its economic policy”, Britishers
are probably not unaware of the pressure of some
Americans upon President Truman to do just that.
Very likely uncertainty as to our future policy
toward Britain, now that she has a Labor Govern-j
ment, may have much to d'o with that Government’s
unwillingness to de -> 1 r from the Churchill foreign
policy of “what we have, we mean to hold.” For
eign Secretary Bovin’s first speech in the House of
Commons was disappointing to Labor and the pro
gressive forces in other countries and actually re
ceived applause from the Conservative benches.
Very likly, in refusing to give up Ilong Kong,:
(which most Americans seem to think should go,
back to China), Mr. Bevins is motivated by the real
ization that, until the American attitude is clear,
Britain cannot afford to give up an ounce of econo
mic strength anywhere in the world.
One of the great questionmarks overhanging the
whole world now is:
“How is the United States going to use its enor
mous economic power? To build1 up world trade
and thus insure its own rosperity? Or to try to
enforce its particular form of free capitalism upon
other peoples and thus endanger not only its own
and the world’s prosperity but the maintenance of
world peace?”
OVERTONES
(BY AL HENINGBUBG)
SURPLUS PROPERTIES:
Now is the time for community-minded citizens
to make plans for the wise use of surplus properties
Education and health aids are available for a wide
range of uses. Scientific and technical equipment
is available for trade schools. All these items are
free to organizations which ran show need, and can
provide housing for them. Keep your eyes open
for announcements affecting your city.
FRENCH APOLOGY.
How do the Chinese feel when the French say:
“Our shipping is a bit tinder par at present, so we
cannot take complete possession of Indo-China at
this time, but you look after our interests until we
get there.” Of course the Chinese answer politely,
(but a good guess is that they don’t feel too good ov
er this situation. And it’s worth noting that an
other war is in the making every time ANY western
power insists on holding colonies in the Pacific,
when the people concerned resent such colonializ
ation. World War II won’t mean much either here
or abroad until some of the noble ideals become act
ualities.
CAN MacARTHUR BE WRONG?
MacArthur’s announcement that 200,000 men
would he sufficient to police Japan has stirred up a
hornet’s nest in Washington. The State Depart
ment states very sharply that the Deparment and
not the General will make the poll icy with respect
to Japan. But Mr. Truman would not wish to of
fend the General, who probably knows more about
matters in Japan than all the wiseacres in the State
Department put together. But nobody wishes to
see a mere handful of American soldiers in Japan
fall victim to widespread fanaticism on the part of
the Japanese one night, and wake up next morning
to find themselves dead.
THE AGE OF STRIKES:
The thousands of men now oht on strike will un
doubtedly increase in number during the next few
weeks. Some business interests are determined to
break the power of organized labor, and too many
labor people are prepared to fight among themselv
es. Watch Detroit on this prediction.
THEY WERE THERE:
One of the best things ever to happen to Negroes
in this country was the hanpower shortage which
resulted in the inclusion of a million and a half
Negroes in war plants. The rerord shows that all
kinds of jobs were taken almost overnight by the
very men and women who up to that time had been
limited to the hardest and the dirtiest work in Am
erica. At the peak of wartime production, there
was hardly a skill at khich Negroes were not em
ployed. This is worth remembering, for in the
lean years race baiters will again charge that black
men cannot perform creditably in competition with
white men. You’ve heard this already about the
armed forces, and you’ll hear it again about indus
try. But they were there, on D-Day in Normandv,
and on D-Day in Detroit.
SELMA BURKE SCORES:
A few days ago President Truman unveiled a
plaque of the late President Roosevelt in the office
of the Recorder of Deeds in Washington. The art
ist who had been given the commission for the pla
que as the result of stiff competitive tryouts was
Selma Burke, a. young Negro sculptor from Wins
ton-Salem, North Carolina. Time Magazine com
ments on the “going forwardness” of Mr. Roose
velt velt as shown by the Burke plaque. As far as
Negroes and other poor people are concerned, Mr.
Roosevelt had more “going forwardness” than any
other man who has ever been in the White House.
SHOES OFF PLEASE:
While Japanese propaganda has been trying to
show that American soldiers in Japan are intent on
raping and lootiny, the press here at home tries to
prove that our boys over there are acting like gentle
men. Of course we have the advantage in this ex
change, for we can put any Japanese paper out of
business if MacArthur thinks such a measure nec
essary. Our guess is that neither side is corpletely
right. If all the Americans abroad act like gentle
men, they have certainly changed since they left
home. But they do seem quite adept in taking off
their sshoes, for that is an absolute must before en
tering one of the famed Geisha houses, where a
poor GI Joe can have a very good time at thirteen
dollars per hour.
Encourage your white neighbors to subscribe
to THE OMAHA GUIDE and learn what the dark
er one tenth of the American population is think
