Mark Twain, wbo said that
everybody talks about the wea
ther, but nobody does anything
about It, knew we couldn't Ifwe
tried. New Bern's weather,
like all America's, Is determ
ined largely by movement of
hot air from the tropics to the
polar regions.
Atmospheric patterns dictate
what will come to us from the
sky In the way of sunshine and
rain. It's all pretty complex,
but meterologlsts with the aid
of computers hope to accom
plish long - range forecasting
In the next 10 years.
Until then, an aching In your
bones, if you're getting along in
years. Is apt to be as reliable
a prediction of bad weather
as anything youll learn firom
television reports. A weath
er station in your Joints Is one
of the few compensations you
can count on In old age.
Maybe you've noticed that the
fellow who complains about the
way our courts are run Is the
first one In line to try to es
cape jury duty. In days past.
Judges excused a lot of folks
for keeps. Now, dodging your
obligation. If you're success
ful, only lets you off until the
next term of court.
Strong drink and sentimen
tal singing are linked as close
ly as the Siamese twins, and
the tune most of us associate
with over Imblbiing Is "Sweet
Adeline." Actually, when a
drunk staggers up to a band
stand to request the rendering
of a certain song, it's usually
"Come To Me, My Melancholy
Baby."
Of course, we're not refer
ring to young guzzlers, but to
swlggers on the shady side of
middle age. Gene Austin's ver
sion, recorded for Victor In
the Twenties, was a best sel
ler but didn't top his "My Blue
Heaven." Sales of this latter
tune exceeded 7-1/2 million.
Austin, a native of Louisiana
and an Army bugler during
World War I, grew wealthy
from his recording. He was
a welcome visitor whenhe pau
sed at Morehead City on his
"Blue Heaven" yacht, and gave
a durilling performance In the
ballroom of the Atlantic Beach
Pagoda.
Gene, an easy going, fun
loving character, wasn't one
to hold on to a dollar. His
big money departed as quick
ly as It arrived, and on the
way down he played New Bern
in the second rate tent show.
Even so, he will forever be
remembered by those who held
hands in a parlor forty years
ago, and listened to his sweet
tenor notes on the old phono
graph.
New York City's mayor,John
V. Lindsay, Is a native of the
great metropolis, but he rec
ognizes the fact that there are
better places In America to
live. Visiting Cooperstown
(pop. 2,700) he said "I'd like
to be mayor of this town, i'll
bet It's a good life."
"I'd never get bored here,"
added Lindsay. And why should
he, comments the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch, with the obser
vation that things go on in cit
ies, but In small towns It's
the people who go on.
"Many a smaU-townef who
has helped make a city big Shar
es Mayor Lindsay's dream of
winding up In a small town,"
(Continued on page 8)
The NEW BERN
FUBLISHIDWIIKLY
IN THI HIANT Of*
«AYimN NORTH
VOLUME 12
NEW BERN, N. C., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1969
NUMBER 30
THEY WERE WRONG — What better time than this
Worid Series week couid there be to saiute Ted
Wiiiiams, who confounded his critics by managing
the Washington Senators to their first successful
season in far too many years? The skeptics said he
wouid quit in disgust, but he breezed along with
the same boyish zeai he dispiayed whiie fishing our
upper Neuse and fiycasting in the iake at Camp
Bryan during his Cherry Point Marine Corps days.
Ted did two hitches in service, and the five years
inciuded combat flying in World War il and the Ko
rean War. He crash landed in flames in Korea, but
lived to return to further baseball stardom.