bale Carnegie
5-Minute Biographies (ffjk
Author of n How to Win Friends
and Influence People*"
ELY CULBERTSON
He Stepped Outside For a Fight—While
He Was Gone He Broke the Bank and
Won SIO,OOO
In the year 1921, a hot-headed
young man was swaggering along
the boulevards of Paris. His
pockets were almost empty, but
his heart was filled with boiling
rage. Why? Because he had been
robbed of four mi'lion dollars. Or
at least his family had. Years ago,
his father, an American geologist
and mining engineer, had gone
to Russia, discovered an oil field,
and amassed a huge fortune. Then
after the war, the Soviets had
confiscated his property, and left
him penniless. His son had fled
to Paris to save his life, and there
he found himself in 1021, with
only twenty dollars between him
and hunger.
So he took a chance. He drifted
into a gambling club and bet five
dollars on the game of chemin de
fer. While his card was being
drawn, a Frenchman stepped on
his toes. He flared up like a rock
et, called the Frenchman a swine,
and demanded that he apologize
toute suite!
Did the Frenchman apologize?
He did not! He was highly in
sulted and challenged the young
American to a duel. They didn't
have swords or pistols, so they
rushed out behind the club and
tore into one another with their
bare fists. A couple of black eyes,
a bloody nose—and then they
were parted. \
When the arrogant yourig
American came back to the gam
bling table, he was speechless. He
had broken the bank. His stake
had won not only once, but, while
he was fighting, his winnings had
kept on mounting by geometrical
progression until his five dollars
had been boosted into ten thou
sand.
That fight changed the whole
course of his life—and it also af
fected several million Americans.
How? Do you play bridge? Do you
play the Culbertson system? Well,
there would probably have been
no Culbertson system if it hadn't
been for that fist fight, for when
Ely Culbertson walked into the
gambling club, he intended to Join
the White Russian army, run his
bayonet through a few Bolsheviks,
and fight for the return of his
property. But now with ten thou
sand dollars in his pocket, he for
got all about war, took the first
ship to American, rushed to
Washington, sued the Soviet Gov
ernment for four million dollars
and intended to become a novel
ist or a professor of economics.
That was in 1921, Culbertson
was a miserable card player then.
But now he takes in half a mil
lion dollars a year or ten thousand
dollars a week out of the game of
contract bridge. However, that's
not all profit by a long shot. He
spends thirty thousand dollars a
year in merely answering the
countless questions that are con
RCA— You benefit by the I
tfft&fk world'* greatest radio «c- V Mflßpi
"jfglf periencel Only RCA makes iPS|Jji
pp everything from the micro
■mmJ phone to receiving set I
/ more lifelike tonal Victor
BhU gives yoa the benefit of 30
years of sound reproducing I
MMKWMJ experience I
RCA creates and broad
/}/ry casts the majority of pro- o«»oll \
grams which come into °
FREE IQ-PAYHQME T * iA Payment 1
• 6 RCA METAL TUBES • DYNAMIC SPEAKER
• SUNBURST DIAL > • WORLD-WIDE RECEPTION
• BEAUTY-TONE CABINET • SUPERHETERODYNE
• TONE CONTROL • VERNIER TUNINO
{Spsp'
Harris Electric Co.
PHONE 250 ELKIN. N. C.
stantly fired at him by bridge
fans from all over the world. His
assistants answer every question
without charge.
Culbertson, whose name is al
most a synonym for contract
bridge, was brought up by a pious
Scotch Presbyterian father who
taught him that all gambling was
sinful and that cards were a sin
ister device of the devil.
A student of Karl Marx and
Tolstoy, he has always been ob
sessed with radical ideas. Even
when he was a school boy in Rus
sia, he organized a secret Revo
lutionary Committee among his
fellow students, and used his
American passport to go to Switz
erland and smuggle back forbid
den copies of a Bolshevik news
paper that Lenin was publishing
in Geneva.
When he came to America in
1922, he tried to get a job teach
ing philosophy and sociology; but
he couldn't.
Then he tried selling coal, and
he failed at that.
Then he tried selling coffee, and
he failed at that.
Finally, he gave private lessons
in French literature to a group of
Socialists in New York and acted
as concert manager for his broth
er, who is a violinist. ,
It never occurred to him to try
to teach bridge then. He was only
a poor card player, but a very
stubborn one. He asked so many
questions and held so many post
mortem examinations that no one
wanted to play with him. He read
books about bridge, but they didn't
help much. As the years went by,
he wrote five books about bridge,
but they were worthless and he
knew it, so he tore up the manu
scripts before they were ever put
in type. The books that he has
written since thpn have been
translated into a dozen languages
and almost a million copies have
been sold, one of his books has
even been put into Braille so that
the blind can improve their bridge
games.
Culbertson first came to Amer
ica in 1910. His Russian mother
sent him here then because she
wanted him to study at Yale. But
he failed in his entrance exami
nations—failed because he didn't
know enough English.
Think of it! He was an Ameri
can citizen. He knew American
history backwards and forwards.
He spoke Russian, French, Ger
man, Spanish and Italian; but he
couldn't get by in English. So he
turned his back on Yale, drifted
up to Canada, and got a job act
ing as a time-keeper for a gang
of laborers who were building a
railroad. With fiery oratory, he
told them they were being cheat
ed and underpaid, and robbed by
the company stores. He stirred up
trouble, organized a strike; and
* .
THE ELKIN TRIBUNE, ELKIN. NORTH CAROLINA
Play Important Roles In Crisis
BHANGHAI, China . . . These three ladles are sisters, and taken to
gether, are extremely Influential in the Chinese political situation of
today. Left to right: Madame H. H. Kung, wife of Finance Minister;
Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, wife of the Generalissimo, and Madame SUB
Yat-Sen, widow of the Republic's rounder.
got himself kicked out of the
company's employ.
He then walked two hundred
miles to the nearest town, and
beat his way to the Pacific Coast
traveling with hoboes, stealing
rides on freight trains and beg
ging for food at kitchen doors.
It Is quite probable that some
of the women out west who now
play the Culbertson system, have
handed out sandwiches and hot
coffee to Ely Culbertson at their
back doors. •
Copyright, 1937
| SHOALY BRANCH
Funeral services were held for
Mrs. Elizabeth Qilley from Shoaly
Branch Baptist church. The rites
were in charge of Rev. I. C. Wood
ruff. Mrs. Qilley was a sister of
Mrs. Joe Pardue. Mr. and Mrs.
Pardue wish to thank all of their
frlends for their kindness during
her illness and death.
Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Tulbert of
this community, Mr. and Mrs. B.
C. Tulbert and Mrs. B. F. Tulbert
of Elkin, visited Mr. and Mrs. R.
Q. Gentry and family in Winston-
Salem Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. O. H. Gentry were
the guests Friday night of Mrs.
Gentry's parents, Mr. and Mrs. L.
C. Carter.
Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Gilliam
were the Sunday dinner guests of
Mr. and Mrs. Worth McCann.
Mr. and Mrs. A. T. Gentry were
the Sunday guests of Mr. and
Mrs. Arville Gentry at Mine
Ridge.
TO HOLD STATE-WIDE
FIDDLERS CONVENTION
The old time State-Wide Fid
dlers convention will be held in
the school auditorium in Coolee
mee Saturday night, September
18. Cash prizes will be awarded
the best musicians and dancers. A
cash award will also be made to
the group giving the best exhibi
tion of the Big Apple.
The Missing
Jimmy—After all, fools help to
make life interesting. When all
the fools are bumped off, I don't
want to be here.
Grade —Don't worry, you won't.
FOR SCHOOL! The very best
writing equipment. No cost to
you. The Tribune is giving away
beautiful pen and pencil sets for
a limited time. Read about the big
offer in this issue and come in
and see the display at our office.
LEE'S RIDING DEVICES
4 - UP-TO-DATE and THRILLING RIDES - 4
Here All Next Weetil
With The Elkin Fair!
TO BE LOCATED ON THE FAIR QROUNDS AT SCHOOL GYMNASIUM
TWPII IQf P O R THE KIDDIES AND Tf-IDII I £
1 nKlLLijl GROWN-UPS 1 nKILLj
Visit the Fair for Pleasure and Entertainment!
Armstrong's mother and brothers
here last Sunday. Mrs. Armstrong
seemed happy to come back to her
old home to meet with loved ones
after being ill for several weeks.
Is it worth while J""™*
for Camel to spend I Camels are the I
millions more for I largest-selling
cigarette in I
ISST 1 \ 1 ing man does to tobacco can
■jMy .; take the place of what Nature
'* does. People prefer Camels
because Camels are made of
IIP* - FINER, MORE EXPENSIVE
TOBACCOS—Turkish and Do
mestic—into which Nature put
extra goodness.
Copy of Order Made By
County Commissioners First
Monday In September, 1937
REGARDING SALE OF
Wine and Beer
It is ordered by this Board the several County Tax
Collectors report to the next Grand Jury at Sep
tember Term of Superior Court any party or place
in Surry County at which Beer and Wine is being
sold, without proper license being on display in
their place of business, or on suggestions of said
Tax Collector the proper License be placed in full
view of the public. v
W. F. LAWRENCE
Register of Deeds and Clerk to
Board of County Commissioners.
FAIR GOERS TO
WITNESS RACES
Auto Speeders Expected to
Dish Out Thrills at
Wilkes Fair
EXPECT LARGE CROWDS
North Wilkesboro, N. C., Sept.
14.—Dashing knights of the roar
ing road will seek gold, glory and
the lead in the 1937 Atlantic
States Auto Racing Association's
championship at tl?e Great North
Western Pair, North Wilkesboro
on September 18, in
what promises to be the most
thrilling speed card ever dished
up on the fast half-mile oval.
Prom 1:30 o'clock when the
cars go out in the first section of
the time trial to the minute the
final checkered flag swishes at the
tape, an afternoon of thrill sport
is promised.
The leading independent dirt
track drivers of the USA stars
will be in the benzine battles. The
six races will be featured by
the Carolina's Heat Race, "The
Battle of Champs" and the Dixie
Distance Sweepstakes.
Saturday as "Auto Race Day"
at the fair is expected to draw
out the largest crowd of the week.
Six events interspersed with
vaudeville, circus, and hippedrome
acts are carded for "Speed Day."
Included in the entries are Bill
Rogers, Kentucky champion;
Johnny Wohlfield, Detroit V. F.
W. Speedway title holder; Fred
REDUCTION
SALE!
GENUINE CHEVROLET ACCESSORIES
Dress Up Your Car And Save Money
at The Same Time!
©DELUXE
STEERING
WHEEL
This smartly designed
steering wheel, with
attractive Tenite Rim.
will improve the ap
pearance of your Chev
rolet. Shockproof con
struction. Extra
strength for extra
safety.JVas $9.75, now,
Fender Lamps j
These smartly design
ed fender lamps will
mean extra safety in Jgr
night driving. Fit all
cars. Were $5.95, now,
installed—
® These chronium whee
disks cover entir
wheel. Will not rus
Fit Chevrolet
Were $9.60, now, Vn
stalled—
SAFETYLIGHT
Your car should have >1 S nM - I
a safety light. Beauti
fully finished in chro
aium plate. One-fourth ff* — ITSPB
mile beam. Was $15.95, —j>Q 1
now, installed— fIS
FW CHEVROLET cd
Phone 255 Elkin, N. J
Thursday, September 16. i&K
Bailed, Intermountain Champion;
Chuck and Lou Gray, Lexington,
Kentucky; J. Ford Burjess, Mar
tinsville, Virginia; Bert Hellmuel
ler, The Flying Dutchman, Larry
Varier, Atlanta, Ga., Carolina en
tries are Fred Reid and Ernest
Rushing, Winston-Salem, John
Whitt and Buddy Bleadsoe of
Greensboro, Roy Grubb of Thom
asville, Herman Owen and George
Ferguson of Charlotte, B&pks
Lopp of Lexington.