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This newspaper page contains 28 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Dec 17, 1940
Page
4
Decatur welcomes Robert LeTourneau a prominent U S business leader who advocates simple fundamental truths for industry His upcoming address promises direct engagement with locals and a share of his widely discussed business principles LeTourneau is billed as unusual and time is described as precious for his visit and talk
Commentary notes Alabama will likely receive nationwide attention when the state finally pays off its last bond obligation. The article urges continued common sense in governing the state’s primary enterprise, its government, and hints at awaited news from the wires.
The Decatur Garden Club again invites residents to decorate homes or lawn trees in a spirit of community. Prizes awarded after judges review entries in multiple districts, with no single competitor favored. The event aims to encourage festive decorations citywide.
The report notes a shift in war coverage with Britain delivering a major blow in the Mediterranean. It says parts of the Axis alliance are faltering, and Petain’s Vichy regime holds the Nazis wary about action without consent. The French fleet’s strength is cited as a factor in Mediterranean balance.
An editorial urges Decatur Morgan Limestone Athens and state bodies to advance a regional airfield project. It argues the city and counties must secure 600 acres and involve the State Aviation Commission and federal help, warning against delay and stressing necessity over public acceptance alone.
Washington reports a faction counsels Roosevelt to declare a national emergency to provoke defense resolve though others warn Congress must provide legal power. Leaders discuss aid to Britain via Greece and shifts in tax timing while I T T and Romania probe frozen funds as potential compensation options.
The article reviews how hearing works and how deafness arises from middle ear problems. It highlights air conduction and bone conduction, the role of the Eustachian tube, and the progress of surgical approaches with a 60 percent improvement rate in tested cases. It previews tomorrow's piece on aids for the deafened.
The article describes middle ear disease common in children with bone destruction and pus formation that often preserves hearing but can cause chronic progressive deafness in later life when the ossicles stiffen. It explains the ossicles resembling a stirrup hammer and anvil and notes prior ear noises or tinny sounds as precursors.
The William Allen White committee, long influential, plans enhanced operations to sway American public opinion. Chicago's America First group shifts to Washington for national expansion led by the wives of Senators Bennett Clark and Burton Wheeler, CIO John Lewis' daughter, and William Castle, ally of Hoover. Their aim is to oppose entry into the war and aid Britain within neutrality.
Readers are invited to obtain seven health pamphlets from Dr Logan Clendening. Each costs ten cents, plus a stamped self addressed envelope for mailing. Titles include dieting, indigestion and constipation, weight control, infant feeding, diabetes treatment, feminine hygiene, and hair and skin care.
The American Vocational Association convention heard Lieut. Colonel Frank J. McSherry say the nation must train large numbers of skilled workers for booming war industries. He stressed that the United States must prepare to expand vocational education and national defense programs.
A Daily Thought explains how magnetism mirrors spiritual guidance. It compares ordinary steel to magnets, notes electrons’ parallel flow in magnets, and uses a needle on cork to illustrate navigation to true north. The piece ties aligning life with Christ to steady moral direction now and beyond.
The passage warns that military aggression would be matched by economic aggression after a totalitarian victory, signaling coordinated coercion and sanctions. It frames the threat as inevitable if such governance gains power, underscoring strategic leverage through force and economy.
A festive scene unfolds as a patron, enjoying cocktails for hours, asks for sobriety. The waiter presents the bill, signaling a brisk end to the holiday indulgence.
A humorous column notes Christmas brings snow and ice along with mistletoe, while a maid seeker and an employment agency swap quips about a former telephone operator. A child Ned writes Santa wishing to avoid a sled to skip uphill chores, framing lighthearted holiday irony.
A household joke turns on a child’s fall downstairs. Father jokes that quiet steps will be required, while Mother notes the culprit. The exchange captures a domestic moment with light humor about mischief and rules.
A line of dialogue shows a mother shielding a child from a man with a stick as the music director keeps time. The scene contrasts a gift lamp shade and a razor gift with tobacco coupons, revealing a troubling domestic moment.
A lighthearted line contrasts cheerful holiday mood with darker intent as a wry remark on human nature. The phrase suggests people wearing festive exterior while harboring hidden malice or crime.
In a cheerful exchange a father and son compare ages with George Washington as a young man. The son jokes that Washington was a surveyor at his age while the father notes he later became President, framing a light year-end moral.
A tired traveler halts at a small upstate town where trains barely stop. The lone hotel opposite the station is run by a multi talented elderly Black proprietor who serves as host, clerk, cook, and more as a three fifteen train looms.
Local residents from Carey and surrounding areas visit family and friends across the week. Attendees include Br o and Mrs Pat Abernathy Elkmont. Ethel Taylor and children. Lillie Craig. Robt Broadway. Harsh Gipson Athens. Norman George Alton. Hollis Joiner Anderson. Irene Johnson. Pauline Griffin. and many others at Carey Marvin Pitts and Marvin Pitts area gatherings.
Mrs Harvey Moore and two children visited sister Mrs Henry Calvert on Sunday. Miss Ester Noble and Odessa Ausborn stayed with Mrs W D Weinsman Monday. Mrs James H Moore visited near Hillboro Wednesday. baby care in Decatur Friday. Mr and Mrs Jesse Moore took their baby for medical help. The community hosts revival services during Christmas week. Santa Claus is hoped for local children. Mrs Dawson Cottingham and Nancy Ausborn host visits. W D Weinman improving after illness.
In Montgomery on December 17, Attorney General Thomas S. Lawson ruled that a war veteran deemed non compos mentis with a guardian may stand trial for assault and battery. He said guardian appointment does not bar a trial or presume insanity.
Dialogue shows a traveler awaiting the three fifteen train at the station with a boss and a sleeping Traveling Man. References to a Negro worker and respectful term indicate a period-toned street exchange. The scene centers on travel and station wait.
FBI director J Edgar Hoover and Attorney General Robert Jackson plan public hearings on an FBI report Hoover says confirms that Harry Bridges a West Coast labor leader is a communist The report allegedly accuses Bridges of advocating overthrow of the U S government Bridges denied the charges and accused Hoover of using faked evidence as Bridges traveled to Washington for unknown connections in the investigation
A rural notes column records visits and illnesses in Enon and nearby communities. Donnia Lou Jenkins contracts chicken pox. Elmer McCaghren, Earnest White and Catherine visit Hartselle. Mr. and Mrs. Myers and children visit Bates in Danville. R. I. Hensley travels to Moulton on business.
Blakely Ga December 17 the army's second armored division on the last leg of a Panama City Fla round trip sped toward its home base at Fort Benning Ga Brig Gen George S Patton Jr commands the division which includes about 10 500 officers and enlisted men and over 2 500 vehicles
In a concise appeal, the Daily Want Ad notes that good apartments are in demand and invites readers to rent theirs through the paper’s classified section.
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