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Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
May 15, 1940
Page
4
The Daily notes the 1941 global crisis amid a looming American presidential race. It argues Britain and France face risks less dire than today and questions Germany’s fate under Kaiser Wilhelm. It mentions Paris internments and Dutch Belgian invasions, praising US focus on a president over party, and cites Governor Dixon studying tax cuts while nations reel from aggression.
A media commentary urges Americans to stay calm yet ready for hemispheric defense if needed. It supports Navy and airplane plants switching to three shifts, 48 hours weekly to boost war material production in a dangerous global climate.
A historical comparison notes Knute Rockne's methods influencing German military planning, citing Rockne's idea of keeping opponents guessing, shifting personnel for interference, and the concept of downfield blocking as a strategic analogy to Hitler's campaigns and feints.
A vivid wartime observer envisions 2,000 tanks clashing and urges Allies to mobilize. The remark likens Axis leaders Hitler and Mussolini to rally supporters, signaling urgency for coordinated action and war effort momentum.
The Daily argues against municipal debt and praises Chilton County for a debt-free status and transparent finances while Morgan County lags with high interest payments. Excerpts from the Chilton County News praise prudent spending and suggest citizens must push for financial discipline to reduce debt and avoid heavy interest costs.
In a May dispatch, Roosevelt's era of naval buildup faces critique as U S fleets lag global rivals. The piece warns the Atlantic and Pacific remain vulnerable, with shipyards at capacity and planned five year improvements unlikely to change the outlook. It stresses Army weaknesses and material shortages plus a call for efficient planning over more funding.
In Vinita Oklahoma on May 15 the Grand River Dam Authority accepted a $250 bid from A F McGehee for wheat growing on land it had acquired Public Works Administration officials criticized asset waste and urged bidding The directors advertised and McGehee topped bids at $150 as the highest offer.
Walter Winchell reports on Broadway chatter about the Critics Circle medal and Pulitzer ribbon for The Best Play of the year The Life With Father team Lindsay and Crouse are praised by some and faulted by others The piece also notes a court insolvency and mentions Milton J Cross as a prize winning radio announcer with a New York Times Classified Bureau anecdote.
The piece recounts the imam of Shehodet Monastery brewing a bitter stimulating drink from berries, awakening thoughts and alertness, described as coffee’s first human use. It notes coffee’s Europe spread in the 1600s and its later social role, while weighing caffeine effects and health arguments.
A Hollywood chorus girl making her debut with a Marx Brothers vaudeville unit in Chicago sat in a dressing room chair that pinched her, prompting her to exclaim that even the Marx Brothers chairs pinch.
Joe Frisco recounts a long betting career of 25 years and says his doctor ordered a strict diet limiting him to one horse race per day as treatment for his gambling.
Mrs. Ben Bernie nicknamed Wes welcomed a foal into her stable. The newborn colt was christened Go Wes with acknowledgment of Wes Bernie’s nickname and the influence of H. Harris in naming.
In Chicago during gang rule seven years ago a young producer backed by underworld chiefs produced The Mikado. After rehearsals the cast wanted to face the audience, but he feared their fear. At the Gilbert and Sullivan show two acts in, a mugger exploded and exclaimed that the proceedings were all music.
Richard Bennett faced a low moment after a London performance as friends urged him to attend a swanky after party. He dramatically grabbed a bottle of iodine and acted out Hamlet before spilling it on his shirt, lamenting his fate and mentioning his Nazi views and Cleveland air races.
Mildred Dilling, a concert harpist at the Astor for a New York Federation of Women's Clubs meeting, listened to J. Edgar Hoover discuss crime. Backstage she found her necklace missing, realizing the theft had been underestimated.
Godwin Earl questions the claim that The Man Who Came To Dinner mirrors The Elephant Shepherd from 15 years earlier with Chic Sale. He cites a French Revolution episode where a Citizen rescues a frightened Nobleman and hides him, who then imposes as his uncle to live in luxury, while the Citizen risks execution.
In this excerpt from W L White in the New York Post the writer notes in England many Jewish men of military age are in uniform signaling a tense mood and readiness to fight as reflected in various wartime observations. The passage also references Bugs Baer in the Journal American and other contemporaries with a mix of cultural commentary and wartime sentiment.
The sermon extols unearned redemption through Jesus Christ and grace, urging gratitude and faithful service. It notes a Decatur system graduation, four twelfth graders, and local social visits including Mrs. H. A. Bedell from Opelika and Mrs. Charles Johnson returning from Birmingham.
One year ago today a Cullman Farm Bureau warehouse and 1100 bales of cotton burned in a morning blaze. Obituaries note the death of 90 year old Colonel Christopher James Hildreth at his son's home after pneumonia. Other local items report flu and mumps cases, travels, and school events including Johnny West's final game for Decatur High School before graduation.
The piece notes critics scolding flag-waving as they echo the very words they once used against us. It argues these critics now fear openly praising national vigor and have exhausted their own rhetoric.
Readers may obtain seven health pamphlets by mail. Each pamphlet costs 10 cents, payable with the correct coin, plus a self addressed stamped envelope and a three cent stamp to Dr Logan Clendening care of this paper. Titles include Three Weeks Diet Indigestion and Constipation Reducing and Gaining Infant Feeding Instructions for the Treatment of Diabetes Feminine Hygiene and The Care of the Hair and Skin.
Mary Hicks, testifying in an auto accident damage suit in Seattle, feared an attorney would befuddle her. She marked left and right in ink on the backs of her hands, and the tactic reportedly helped her recall directions during testimony.
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