The Alamance Gleaner
Vol LXVIII GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1942 No. 42
You Have, Despite War's Growing Hardships,
Today Something to Be Truly Thankful For
Revolutionary War Brought Freedom
People Now Take as Matter-of-Fact
It was the successful completion of the Revolutionary War
which resulted in the designation of a national day of thanksgiving
for the benefits obtained during the year.
One hundred and fifty years ago, George Washington
recommended "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer,
to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts
the many signal favors of Al- <S
mighty God, especially by af
fording them an opportunity to
establish a Constitution or gov
ernment for their safety and
happiness."
Just previous to this petition, in
1777, the 13 colonies, acting as one,
celebrated a day of Thanksgiving
when the British general, Burgoyne,
was defeated.
True, popular tradition, has it
that the first Thanksgiving was held
at Plymouth, Mass., when the Pil
grims had gathered in their first
harvest. But the significant fact
about Thanksgiving is to be noted in
Washington's recommendation for a
national observance of a day of
thanks because of the opportunity
given the early colonists "to estab
lish a Constitution or government
for their safety and happiness."
A national, truly sincere spirit of
Thanksgiving was born out of the
aftermath of the nation's first war.
'MOTHER OF
THANKSGIVING DAY'
The daughter of a Revolution
ary war army captain, Mrs.
Sarah Josepha Buell Hale, native
of Newport, N. H., has the distinc
tion of being the "Mother of
Thanksgiving day."
For years she tried vainly to
mobilise governors of her time
to have them all agree on one day
which would be set aside as a
day of Thanksgiving.
Finally she prevailed upon
President Lincoln in 1863 to pro
claim Thanksgiving as uniformly
a national festival day.
Mrs. Hale, who died after 91
years of great activity, was the
widowed mother of five children.
She was an author, pioneer fem
inist, and also editor of Godey's
Lady's Book in Boston during the
1830s.
You can imagine what the thoughts are of these two kids as
they look at the giant turkey which has just been taken from the
oven. It doesn't seem that they are convinced it is true?that
they can believe what they see. Scenes such as this one will be
multiplied thousands of times Thanksgiving day.
Now, over a century and a half
later, while the nation is nearing
' the end of the first year of another,
but far more greater, war, it seems
fitting that a renewed, revitalized
spirit of Thanksgiving should be ob
served by the people of the United
States.
To some it might seem extremely
illogical to suggest the nation should
be thankful for its blessings while
engaged in a war which really is
just beginning in its intensity.
That is not the point. That is not
the reason for being thankful for
what we have, what we are still en
joying in the way of worldly goods
to a greater extent than are our
Allies?and our enemies. The
' reason, for a true, more sincere
SWING IT!
' The quartermaster corps of the
United States army is also making
sore the men in the army are going
to have the best dinner possible on
Thanksgiving day. Many of those
who get leave to be bome with their
parents on that Thursday will be
doing the same thing these two
Tanks are getting ready to do. Too
bad for that tnrkey!
observance of Thanksgiving is this:
We are able to carry the war back
to the enemy, and carry it. back
hard and furiously to him wherever
he is.
, In the early days of the Revo
lutionary war the soldiers, the
officers, the great majority of
citizens didn't have to ask:
"What are we fighting for?"
They knew. For the enemy
was here, on this continent.
They saw him. They fought him
up and down the Atlantic coast.
In addition to being practical men,
these early colonists were dreamers.
They dreamed the great dream
which has been realized today with
this nation stretching from one
ocean to another?from our north
ern neighbor, Canada, to our south
em neighbor, Mexico, both of whom
are now fighting a common foe
with us.
Rationing, increased taxes, sons
and husbands in the armed forces?
this is what confronts the whole na
tion as the first wartime Thanks
giving in almost a quarter century
is observed.
Those who ask themselves what
they have to be thankful for will
think at first that there is no an
swer.
But common sense and logic will
prevail. A glance at almost any
newspaper will convince the reader
that freedom of the press is more
than an expression in America. So
greatly valued is this freedom of
the press in occupied Europe that
thousands are risking immediate
execution by the Gestapo to print
underground newspapers with mes
sages for the unification of the op
pressed. These newspapers, prov
ing the value of a free press, are
often no larger than a handbill,
but the importance of their mes
sage cannot be overemphasized.
But maybe your mind doesn't run
in such a channel. Maybe you still
will not be convinced as you sit at
the table on Thanksgiving day.
There before you are mountains of
food?turkey or goose or chicken;
creamy potatoes, cranberries, all
kinds of vegetables; cakes, pies,
puddings, desserts. So much food
that the plates, knives, forks.
G. Obbler, caught in the act of
broadcasting a "flee for your lives"
warning to his unsuspecting kin-folk,
heard that not only is he going to !
get the ax, but also thousands like ,
him. Be doesn't know it, but his
"goose is cooked" in so far as his \
life on this earth is concerned. May- j
be you'll see him on Thanksgiving |
day. In a different pose.
glasses and coffee cups seem to be
in the way. 1
Food, and plenty of It before 1
you. Enough food there to feed 1
at least eight times more starv
ing Frenchmen, or Poles, or 1
Russians in territory under Hit
ler's oppression.
Something to be thankful for?
there it is!
What do you suppose Hitler's
"Master Race" in Germany would
say about the "New World Order"
if they had half the food in front
of them that millions of Americans
will have on Thanksgiving day.
Another thing: If you don't like
what your congressman is doing you
are free to say so. You might even
write him a letter and tell him just
what you think, and what you think
of him. If you don't like the way
the war is going you say so. You'll
argue in public with someone who
disagrees with you about national,
state, or local political activities.
Suppose you had this inherent right
taken away from you. You'd be
thankful for it then. So why not
now?
Put yourself in the place of a
conquered people or imagine
yourself living in an Axis coun
try. In those places freedom of
speech is limited to saying,
"Yes, yes" when permitted to
hear the master's voice.
Suppose the only church service
you were permitted to attend was
that one in which the "gospel" of j
the dictator was spouted by a party
sycophant. Suppose your church
was no longer the house of worship
you remembered it, but a meeting
place, a club for those who were
members of the dictator's gang.
Suppose you couldn't worship your
God the way you wanted to, because
THOUGHTFUL
This young native of Thanksgiv
ing, N. C., has paosed for a mo
ment before beginning decapitation
ceremonies. He feels that he )ust
couldn't possibly deprive the old
gobbler one last meal.
that way was against the "ruler's"
theory. Suppose your friend's house
of worship was entered by the "lead
er's" mob, sacked, religiohs articles
destroyed, and then the building
burned to the ground?
That is what has happened, and
is still happening, too many tMes
in Europe since Hitler began "sav
ing the world."
Something for you to be thankful
for? There it is: Freedom to wor
ship your God as yon see fit.
This Thanksgiving day will be re
membered as being an excep- 1
tional one. It will be remembered '
as the day when Americans were
fully thankful for the many rights
which in the past have been taken
for granted. I
By VIRGINIA VALE
Released by Western Newspaper Union.
MARSHA HUNT has learned
how to find a movie actress
in a big city. Recently she and
Ann Rutherford were both in
New York, and both on personal
business trips, so they hadn't
jiven the M-G-M office their ad
dresses. So, though they wanted
to meet, they couldn't locate
sach other. The day before return
ing to Hollywood for "The Human
Comedy," Marsha, besieged by fans
asking for autographs, asked one if
le knew where Ann was staying.
'Sure?right on thfe floor above
rou!" he replied.
?*
And, speaking of autographs?Vir
jinia Weidler's new picture, "The
youngest Profession," is about
hem. In it William Powell will ap
pear as himself; he's Virginia's
screen idol, and her efforts to get
ais autograph lead to a series of
ailarious situations.
?*?
Success Story; in 1940 Margaret
flayes was voted the best artists'
?nodel, then the best photographers'
model. She's made some pictures
?had the feminine lead in "In Old
Colorado" and a featured role in
MARGARET HATES
"New York Town," and Goldwyn
picked her for a principal support
ing role in "They Got Me Cov
ered." Now she's in New York for
three radio shows and a Broadway
stage production!
?*
Dick Powell teaches a elass in
navigation between Ms scenes in
"True to Life" at Paramount. He's
an expert yachtsman, and some of
the younger members of the com
pany who are preparing themselves
for flying and marine service in the
war asked Mm to do it.
?*
Neither Claudette Colbert nor
Rudy Vallee cares for eggs in the
raw?but for a scene in "The Palm
Beach Story" they each were to
swallow three "prairie oysters," con
coctions of raw eggs, Worcestershire
sauce, etc. The property man prom
ised to fix up something that would
look like the genuine article but
avoid the raw egg difficulty. He did
?but the substitute was apricots in
root beer!
?*?
It looks as if Warner's "Air
Force" might turn into one of those
star-maker pictures. John Garfield
and Harry Carey are the only time
tested stars of the production; the
youngsters of whom Director How
ard Hawks has hopes are Gig
Yonng, John Kldgely, Arthur Ken
nedy, Charles Drake, Bay Mont
gomery, Ward Wood and James
Brown. The first two have an edge
on the others.
?*?
Arch Oboler, writer-producer of
the weekly show "Lights Out," has
a new book of radio plays, "Plays
for Americans." As he's a top-notch
writer for radio, aspirants can't do
better than get a copy and study it.
Sponsored by the Association for Ed
ucation by Radio, the plays, through
agreement with Oboler, are avail
able to any group tree of royalties
tor the duration of the war.
?*?
Jack Pearl used to sign his name
to letters, and beneath it "World's
Greatest Liar." Now it's changed
to "World's Second Greatest Liar."
In explanation Jack says, "I couldn't
be champ with Adolf around." Phil
Baker ends notes with "Bye-bye.
Buy bonds!"
?*?
Brenda Marshall and Osa Massen,
of "Background to Danger," each
has a parent in a country occupied
by the Axis. Miss Massen's moth
er, sister and brother are in Den
mark. Miss Marshall's father
was managing a plantation in Ne
gro* when the Jap* moved in.
Second Front in Africa
Points North to Italy
Underground Anti-Fascists in Italy Want Strong
Brand of Democracy for Aiding the
Allies; Seek U. S. Pledge.
By BAUKHAGE
Netos Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, 1343 H Street, N-W,
Washington, D. C.
According to a number of people
in Washington, of whom your cor
respondent is one, the most star
tlingly important event of the war
may be taking place and nobody,
including the enemy, will admit it.
A second front has been opened,
the first carefully planned and
meticulously timed offensive against
the Axis since the war started has
begun in Africa. There are diplo
matic developments as well as mili
tary which, some believe, indicate
that the path to victory will lead
through Rome.
Of course, you couldn't get even a
whiff of official confirmation for
such a presumptuous assumption
from anyone higher than a first ser
geant. Nevertheless, there seems to
be quite a bit of circumstantial evi
dence to support the observation
of such a development. At the
same time certain happenings in the
diplomatic field add their touch of
verisimilitude to what the military
might say was a bald and unwar
ranted, if not unconvincing state
ment.
Such military information as 1
might offer, which has not been a
part of official statements, would not
be wise to print. Bat H Is permis
sible to recall that the Germans
claim that the British have a million
men under General Alexander's
command In Africa. The official
accounts of the number of American
flown planes in almost continuous
activity over a huge area indicate
that the American air force in
Egypt is not inconsiderable, even
in these days of giant armies and
armadas.
Apprehention in Tunisia
There are diplomatic reports of
1 apprehension on the part of the
j populace of Tunisia, a vital strip of
territory lying along the coast of the
narrow waters that separate it from
Sicily, the Axis stepping stone from
Italy to Africa, which hint that
activities may extend even further
I west than Libya.
These are some of the outward
signs which are there for all to see.
From a military standpoint
Italy is the weak sister of the
Axis partnership. From the
standpoint of anti-Naxi-Fascist
internal subversive organisation
she Is perhaps the strongest ally
for the United Nations. An Af
rican offensive might logically
end in an invasion of Italy.
The recognition of these anti
fascist underground organizations
as important elements in the gen
eral Allied offensive against the
Axis can be taken as a straw show
ing which way the tide of war may
be flowing. And they are being rec
ognized.
> One very significant development
1 was a recent statement from Lon
don, which at first blush simply
seemed to dampen any hopes that
the king of Italy might be a force
in bringing about a separate peace
with Italy. But this negative sug
gestion, when taken together with
certain other indications, has quite
another meaning. The London re
port indicated that the king was no
longer the "prisoner of Mussolini"
he had been pictured, but really the
friend of Fascism. This seemingly
gratuitous statement may well have
been offered as a piece of firing data
1 for the diplomatic marksmen indi
cating that they must change their
' sights. And an inkling of just what
must be done in order to obtain the
support of the elements in Italy
which can be of service to the Allied
cause comes from an objective re
port on the underground in Italy.
This report, originating with anti
fascist sources in the United States,
clearly analyzes who these people
are, what they have already accom
plished and what must be done to
get their co-operation. A realistic
program is laid down by inference
which will not be at all palatable
to the conservative or the conven
tional masters of official intrigue
among the United Nations.
According to this report from anti
fascist sources the underground in
Italy is now composed largely of
young men, bora and educated in
Fascism, who are working entirely
from within its framework. They
are members of the party because
they have known no other party and
no other government through their
mature years. They are members
of the armed forces because they
are loyal to Italy. ?
According to the report which
I mention, made by supposedly
authentic and authorized repre
sentatives of the anti-Faseists,
the underground movement in
Italy is powerful and effective;
it has accomplished a weaken
ing of civilian and military mo
rale; publishes a large and ef
ficient anti-Fascist press; has
organized political meetings
and combat groups ta nearly
every Italian town; has brought
about unity for the first time in
Italian history between the
working class and the intel
lectnals. It has caused general
inefficiency in the army, caused
sabotage in the campaigns of
Greece, Albania and Libya and
effectively sabotaged war indus
tries.
The members of these groups, the
young men who grew up under
Fascism, are not revolting to bring
about a status quo ante?they are
revolting against the status quo for
definite aims. They want a new
democratic order.
Italian Anti-Faacist Demand*
The members of the Italian un
derground are thoroughly deter
mined to overthrow Fascism wher
ever it exists. But they demand a
concrete, complete, sincere state
ment of the program of the anti
Fascist forces before they will join
them, since they risk everything
in revolt and think they might sim
ply gain new chains for old if they
faced a typical political peace.
They want, specifically, a clear
cut statement of the peace aims of
the United Nations. They want
these aims stated without equivoca
tion or couched in the fine generali
ties of the Atlantic Charter. And
they want to be sure that they have
the guarantee of the United States
as the administrator of those terms
with freedom to build the kind of
an Italy they want.
TL ___ 1. At-1 ? _ A .11.1
mere is sumeuung ox a parauei
between these Italian demands and
the revelations, or what the con
servative diplomats would call the
indiscretions, of Wendell Willkie
when he called for assurances of
the non-imperialistic designs of the
United Nations.
Willkie, as is his wont, used a
blunderbus instead of a scalpel to
obtain his end, but he did clear up
the atmosphere on the subject of
what Russia and China thought
about the need of extending the
scope of the Atlantic Charter. The
realistic Jan Smuts, prime minister
of South Africa, echoed this senti
ment a few days after Willkie'e re- i
port to the nation. Others are re
peating the demand for a full state
ment of peace aims.
Strong Brand of Democracy
Another point upon which some of
our allies, and particularly our po
tential allies in Italy, want recog
nized by us and emphasized is the <
belief, many times Ptpted but very
seldom elaborated, narh^ljr);' that we
don't expect to go back to things
as they were.
They expect democracy, bat
they make It plain they expect
It to be economic as well as
political, aad they want a brand
that may prove stronger medi
cine than every coo might care
to take. The groups la Italy,
like those In other countries,
have forged their political
phlloeophies In the Ire of perse
cution.
The revolt against the physical
brutalities of totalitarianism is likely
to carry them far in the opposite
direction. They demand an ideal of
democracy hard to attain.
It becomes, therefore, a vital task
of the American statesman, in as
suming the necessary leadership of
the United Nations as their supremo
physical effort approaches, to ta
rn ulcte a post-war world peace
ideal. If, as seems possible, file
second front will touch Italy, Hotrie
of Fascism, before it reacht* the
Nazi borders, the attitude of Italy's
anti-Fascists must be clearly under
stood and taken into account
WHO'S
NEWS
THIS
WEEK
General Brereton
Supplier Complete
Dramatis Perronae
By LEMUEL F. PARTON
Consolidated Features.?WNU Release.
"M' EW YORK.?News of our partici
pation in the Egyptian offensive
against Rommel has not been highly
personalized, but an occasional pass
t i on of
Maj. Gen.
Levis H.
Brereton
makes up (or the general lade of a
d/amatis personae. He's a whole
cast of characters all by himself, as
he commands our air co-operation
in the attack with the widest and
readiest grin, one of the stillest wal
lops and unquestionably the moat
flexible vocabulary in the army. Ha
swears in four languages, with rare
improvisation and m a rasping voice
which is said to be miraculously ef
fective in hopping up lighting men.
He is the commander of the U.&A.
Middle Eastern air forces, trans
ferred from India last July.
One might call Was the Larry
MacPhail af tha Amy, as ha is
both sestfal sad exaltast with a
fight sw, or the chance far a fight
anywhere in the dag. He par
ticolarty seemed to enjoy eom
mandiag America's first offea
sive hi the war to the Far East.
That was aa April 2. Headtog
the bembtog ailirisa fna India
to the Japanese-held Andaman
Islands, he Jockeyed Us B-n
right into the thick af the fracas
and by all accounts had the hap
piest day sf his Hie, as the Jap
anese were given a handsome
pasting.
He hit toe road to glory arts a
stiff jolt. He had Just been trans
ferred to the command at Clark field
in the Philippines when the Jape
nese came, with no time to get
things air-shape. The blasting at
his planes and men in the hopelessly
uneven contest was terrific and Gen
eral MacArthur, ordering no mora
sacrifices, sent him to Australia with
his air force and then to India. From
his new base, he swarmed all over
the battle area, fighting with Gen
eral Chennault's Flying Tigers and.
all in all. made a magnificent isms
back.
From Pittsburgh, he west te
(he Naval academy ia IN) aai
transferred te the xigual corps,
oar fledgling air service, a gear
after his graduation la 1M1. He
fought ia the air at V'erdaa, was
shot down at St- Mihiel and
came out of the war with the
Distinguished Service ernes, the
Purple Heart, the Legion of
Honor ribbon and the Croix de
Guerre. Last September, ia baa
or of his exploits ia the Paeifle,
there was added te these the
Distinguished Flying cross.
D AUL C. SMITH, quitting the OWI
to join the marines, hits this en
terprising outfit with a fast running
start and should catch their cadence
Halley"i Comet ef
N cwipaptrdow Is speed - ball
Now Uathernack
San Francisco, a West coast mar
vel of the last few years, who not
only supercharged the San Fran
cisco Chronicle, as its general man
ager at the age of 19, but outahoaa
many of the graybearda at the town
in labor mediation, civic enterprise
and battles for the public weal to
general.
He Jeiaed the OWI ia Deceae
ber, 19*1, aad became chief ef
Ha aews bareaa last Aagast. It
was te he expected that ha
weald jota the m arises. He saw
maay of the global aspects af
this war loag before H started.
The m arises go places, globally,
aad that's always Ma big Idas.
Mr. Smith, the Bailey's oomet
ef recast newspaper decades,
?ever west te college. Fist Ms
takeoff at Seattle, Ms heme
town, he worked h lumber
camps, coal mines mad as farms
la the northers United States
aad Canada aad later form slat
ed and applied mnch af (Ms ex
perience in newspaper work.
In 1928, when he was 10 years
! old, he made a few cautious plays
In the market, did well enough, and
! ventured into investment banking in
San Francisco and New York. This
turned him toward financial writing
and his first connection with the San
Francisco Chronicle. He became its
financial editor and Its general man
ager fc 1937.