Much History To Be Learned n Pawnshops Of The World None Would Slay In 11 If They Knew Any Other. Arc Regarded As Social Tariahs. s Avery Strakosch In Century Maga-' zinc. Years ago. I had known "Uncle" Moe when he owned a pawnshop on Eighth Avenue In New York city. Last spring, while making a walk ing tour of the Riviera, I found him living, under an assumed name, in a beautiful villa In an enchanting town Just over the Italian border. "You must never divulge my se cret In San Remo, that I was once a pawnbroker!” he began. "It Is an honorable business, but alas, it will always have a dishonorable name! “I have known many pawnbrok ers who were fine men. There was my grandfather and my father— both honest to a fault. I, myself? My career la an open book! And yet well, my own children have no Idea their father was a pawnbrok er! For years, on the side, I traded in real estate—and as far as they know, my father and grandfather did likewise. I wouldn’t have them know ihe truth. I sent them abroad In school. I refused to see them be come social pariahs! Hate Tbelr Business. 1 "Pawnbrokers all hate their busi ness. There Isn’t one of them who would stay In the business If he knew how to do anything else that would bring him the same income. , As the pawnbrokerage business is 1 almost always inherited it’s hard to get away from It. It goes from fath er to 6on, and more often from uncle to nephew—that’s where the i pawnbroker got his title ’Uncle.’ Originated In Italy. 4 "Da you know how the business 'Started? Here In Italy two Francis |can monks were the first to start (the modern.pawnshlp. They believ ed the poor needed material help first and spiritual comfort after ward. All the grateful borrowers flocked to'tbem, and hence arrang ed their journeys to Paradise through the Franciscan order! Their competitors for souls, the Dominicans, were enraged at what the Franciscians had put over on them! What a picture! One order ’ considering the, pawnshop a device l ®f the devil, while the other gave it full benefit of clergy! Savonarola ‘ himself finally opened the iirst Florentine pawnship, surrounded by Dominican brothers, horror-stricken at the proceedings! Imagine! And best of all the Pope in Rome, an extravagant old fellow, agreeing to it all. What a borrower he was. Nothing of value remained station ary in the Vatican in his day. Papal plate, furniture and Jewels, any-, thing he could raise money on— there is even a record of his pawn ing statues of the Twelve Apostles! Not Originated By Jews. “My people did not,originate the business, as'popularly supposed. But the Jews were, as bald'as the Christ ians! Many of'them were usurers. People tried to borrow first at the pawnshopbecause the interest rates were low., but if* their collateral was insufficient, they had to go to the usurer It’became easy for the pub lic to associate the pawnbroker and the usurer, re w .persons realise that a pawn broker, more than any "other per son, has to'live by the letter ot the i law. In’New'Tork. or in any other American city, before a pawnbrok er can set a license, he must furnish the best character references. He j mUst^'lteo be a man of established ’ means, for he has to pay a high jprice for his license, and post a ‘bond of'at least $10,000. He must always have several hundred thous and dollars cash at his disposal so ! he; can"lend'large or small amounts at a moment's notice. Prohibit ion Change* Things. "Before the war, and especially before prohibition, most of our steady customers were among the poor. Those were the days when you could tell it was Monday with out looking at the calendar. I can remember when I was a child, the fear I had of the regiments of roistering Irish, soaked in whisky, who crashed my father's pawnshop at. tha beginning of the week. Sat urday. pay day. they returned for their belongings. This performance was repeated week In, week out. They borrowed at the rate of three per cent a week. Yet, if you had re fused them money your shop would have been wrecked. 1 am against prohibition, but I'm glad it did away with the men and women who would have taken the clothes from their children's backs if they could have found a pawnbroker heartless enough to lend to them on such collateral. “And who will ever lorget the panic of 1894! Thousands out of work and hungry. What a friendly place the pawnshop grew to be then. We nearly killed 'ourselves working on double shift, to keep open night and day. We often ad vanced money on utterly worthless things so the people could buy food. Saving Became Fetish. "War, prohibition, and fake jew elry were the blows that killed the pawnshop business. The war de veloped those entreaties to buy Lib. erty bonds on the Installment plan. People who bad never saved, sud denly began. Saving bfecame a fe tish. They kept away from the pawnshop. It was no longer neces sary. "On the other hand, (he war brought us new customers. Middle class business men who went over seas with the premonition they wouldn't return. Before they left they pawned everything they had Thousands didn't come back and the pawnbroker lost both his loan and interest. Of course, he could sell all unredeemed things at the end of l!l months, but one very sel dom breaks rvrh on such forced sales. Diamonds \ Portable Security. •Tlie final blow came when the French dressmakers decreed that women should pay large sums tor imitation jewels that are worth less than their settings. Fortunately, however, there will always be a certain class of persons who invest In diamonds—the best portable se curity in the world, quickly nego tiable from Cape Town to Shang hai. "The big diamond owners are in a class by themselves. They are the secret borrowers. A rich woman will seldom admit to her banker that she is so hard up for cash she needs to borrow an her Jewelry. She’d rather go to a pawnshop where she Is not known, where no questions are asked. "A prominent woman once brought me a long necklace of blue white square-cut dtamffhds. t loan ed her $56,000 on It. She confided to me that see was borrowing this money to help her husband, whose reputation would have been en dangered. his business lost.. If his associates had known his financial embarrassment. You'd be surprised at the well-known names on many a pawnbroker’s book of records. "I know you think I’ve painted the pawnbroker as an angel. Well, if he is. it’s very often because he has to be. Pawnbrokers have less chance to be dishonest than other men. They are all under municipal supervision. They are under oath to make a written report, on special cards furnished by the police, ol every loan they make. A pawnshop inspector arrives when least expect ed, checks up the pawnbroker's books and looks over every item he has taken in. The police have to have confidence in pawnbrokers, They depend upon them to help lo cate lost or stolen property to the tune, in large cities, of about two hundred thousand dollars a year. "There are over 5,000 watches and 6,000 pieces of jewelry pawned every day of the week in New York city! In the business districts thf average dally loans are 15 to hi thousand dollars. 1 "There are 191 registered pawn brokers in New York, but the num ber is growing loss each year. You see the game is no longer worth the name!" The wind came stronger from the sea. It grew chilly. Uncle Moe call ed for a wrap. The servant placed one over his shoulders Uncle Moe sat lost in thought, the old Eighth Avenue look, of weariness had re turned to his eyes. MllfflSS 1118 IT HIE Raleigh—"You would have only two blocks to move, if you should be elected governor of North Ceto llna,' the "inquiring reporter" re marked to Josiah William Bailey, one-time candidate for that hign office and possible candidate for the Mansion Sunday. "I would be inclined to rent the governor's mansion out. and con tinue to live here, if I should ever become eligible to live in that edi fice." Mr. Bailey responded. He remarked that he had lived in this same house at 531 North Blount street for 50 years, indicating that he'd "done a heap o’ livin' in the house that he calls homer” with apologies to Edgar Guest. “Pull up from this place and leave it to go to the United States senate! he exclaimed. Indicating that the tentacles which held his heart hod worked their wav many feet into the soil under and surrounding his home, and that it would be like pull ing a huge oak up by the roots Whether this remark should be taken too seriously, as indicating that he will or will not oppose Sen ator Simmons in the Democratic primary less than a year away, or whether the other remarks anont the governor's mansion should be considered as indicating his sta^c of mind, remains to be seen. They were uttered in the prrivacy of his own front porch and there was no evidence to indicate that they were for publication. Mr. Bailey was found with a child on each knee, and others playin:; around. He had .lust made a talk at Raleigh, urging law observance. He Is more of a settled man now than he was during the days when he served as secretary of the North Carolina anti-Saloom League, or when he managed Senator Sim mons’ campaign in 1912. and he may or may not be as firey and colorful as he was eight years ago when he opposed Angus W. McLean for the Democratic nomination for the gov - ernorship Topics About Town The sole topic of conversation about the court house square dur ing: the past few day's has d.u!c with the celebrated Rate King cane. Many of the Shelby and Cleveland county people appear to entertain the idea that the South Carolina au thorities have attempted to "frame" the defendant and one speaker yes terday remarked that he was of the opinion that the evidence pre sented, in some instances, had been bought and paid for. However, this opinion is not shared by those local people who have been to Chester since the trial began. For the most part they arc convinced that the South Carolina court Is endeavor ing to give the defendant an ab solutely fair trial. "I STARTED IN THE WRONG direction solely because it has been 15 years since I was back in Shelby" remarked a former citizen as he got off the Charlotte bus here yes terday. The visitor said he was born and reared in Shelby, but had been In other sections of tha country for a number of years and that so many changes had taken place since he left he did not kno.v his own street home. THE WEATHER FOR THE glorious fourth was ideal. with Just enough breeze to prevent the public from suffering. Old men thermometer managed to mount to 90 degrees shortly after noon yester day but the cooling breeze material ly aided In keeping the heat from belntf oppressive. AMERICAN FLAGS WAVED ON every street during yesterday and while there was no formal observ ance of Independence Day in the city or county, there was a general holiday and many of the store wind ows were fittingly bedecked. Note worthy among these was a display in the show windows at Stevenson s drug store. It included trophies from many wars, dating back to the American colonies fight for ind - pendcnce and coming on through the War Between the States and the World War. Included In the ex hibit. was a replica of the Liberty Bell and this attracted considerable notice and attention. "ALL NORTH CAROLINA AND especially this immediate section is progressing at a rapid clip now "said J. W. McComb, formerly of Shelby but who is now residing at Patterson Springs and who was among the visitors spending yester day in Shelby. “I can very clearly remember the time when Charlotte was ft village of about 2,500 people” said Mr. McComb. “and now I feel almost lost when I visit that metro polis." "THERE IS NO REST FOR THE wicked” remarked one Shelby drug gist yesterday as he languidly con cocted a favorite beverage. "The other stores, the banks and busi ness houses all get frequent holidays but we never do About the only time we close at all is for a funeral and then we hardly keep the doois shut until the procession can get by.” A visitor remarked that posstbiy the rest, for the druggists is being reserved for the next world, b>a this idea did not appear to meet with very common credence and an other gentleman present was so kind as to express open disbelief of this theory. Cleveland Cloth Personal Items (Special to The Star ' Mr. Russell Hull, a cousin of Miss Maggie Gladden's of Newton visaed her during the past wiok. Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Williams of Chesnee called on Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Littlejohn. Mr. and Mrs Laurens Prances and Mr. and Mrs. C. R Walker who are-old Green vi K> friends for a little while Wednesday afternoon. Mrs. Johnie Padgett of Lowell is spending a few days with hers on, Mr. Clarence Padgett. -w Mrs. Maggie Lay of GastoniarMs spending a few days with her son. ter Mrs. Nealy Addy. Mr. and Mrs. Garrett Scott ire visitors in Greenville at present. They will return this week-end. Miss Beulah Littlejohn had vis itors from Greenville end Chester for the fourth. Mrs. Nealy Addy and Miss Lore? Walker and Mrs. Addy's little grandchildren motored over to Oas tonia Wednesday night. Miss Mary Nicholson has pur chased an attractive little car. Miss Ada Wilson was a visitor of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Gladden for a day or so this week. Mrs. Laura Walker of Spartan burg is spending a few days with her son Mr. C. B. Walker. Mrs. Bonnie Green. Miss Chrla tena Panther and Miss Loree Walker called on some of Miss Panther’s friends at Boiling Springs Thursday morning. Seven young women recently sail ed from Liverpool to Canada to con duct mission Sunday schools. Bishop A Sunday Trader It seems to get a little bit worse as It goes along, for they are now charging that Bishop Cannon not only speculated through the bucket shop, but that he did business on Sunday. The records submitted of transactions with the firm of Kc.blc & company indicate that the bishop put through four stock transactions an three separate Sundays—and yet the bishop is given the bene fit of a doubt. Goldhurst, head of the firm and a friend of the bishop, developed perplexity. But that the readers may have the straight of the testimony, came over the wires. It runs this way: S. Edward Benoit, attorney for the Federal bankruptcy trustee ap pointed to take charge'of the firm's meagre assets, had handed Gold hurst photostatic copies of the Kablc Lexington, Va —Eleven years ago this week Lieut. Matthew Voltn, Im perial German infantry, sfood watching a group of queer little bal loons, made apparently of colored paper, float to the ground behind his lines, To each was attached a six-foot thread at the end of which dangled a packet of paper. ,A Ger man soldier ran up with two of them and reported: ‘•Millions of these are floating be hind our lines. They stick in trees and come even into the trenches. Lies are printed in German on the papers. See!" And back of the allied defense, French and British intelligence of ficers were sending up two and one half millions of these tiny oil-pa per carriers each week. They were released to travel with dominant air currents and timed to drop at spe cific distances on Teutonic territory, bearing messages to teach the Ger man masses that the war was fought for world freedom, not for allied conquest. 'Ml) Idea Of An American. It was the idea of an American teacher, whose contribution to allied victory came to light this week In connection with the retirement of Dr. Henry Louis Smith, president of Washington and Lee university. President Smith, physicist and met eorollgist, who devised the plan In 1918 for the American National De fense council, will retire at the close of this year to writing and lecturing, after half a century as an educator, the last 29 years of which have been spent as a uni versity president. i cKT*y, L,ieuienarn voim. now Professor Volm of the German and French languages at the Virginia Military Institute, the campus of which adjoins that of Washington and Lee university, and President Smith, who are neighbors in the academic calm of this little college town, sat many thousands of kil ometers from the French battle front and recalled for a newspaper man the planning and effect of the balloon device” which furnished th: chief means of distributing ‘he publicity which. George Creel, di rector of public information during the war, declared broke the Ger man moral in the summer of 1818. Splrttoal Collapse. "No credit is to be taken from the courage of the allies of the he roic decisive charges of the Ameri cans at Chateau Thierry, St. Mihiel, or Bellau Wood," Mr. Creel explain ed. "But the fact remains that the end came unexpectedly, dramatic ally because of a spiritual collapse in Germany. “In 1870 France fought on with out army, food or munitions. It was nothing but the truth that split the foundations of German militarism and brought about the surrender when the German army was well equipped with supplies and muni tions.” Prof. Volm Neighbor. How complete this collapse was how effective the stories about America dropped from the air, was suggested when Professor Volm remarked: “I did not dream that some day I would live a neighbor of the man who invented those bal loons: that some day our Joint purpose would be the training of young American minds.” In the closing weeks of 1917, booming howitzers echoed from France until they reached the quiet, orderly desk of President Smith ut Lexington. A mailed fist threaten ed democracy. American leaders needed a plan to undermine German spirit and to present the American point of view to the German people. The national Security League offered a reward for the best plan to distribute allied propaganda over Germany. The ac ceptable scheme came from Presi dent Smith’s study at Washington and Lee. Profeasor Of Physics. For fourteen years before coming to Lexington Doctor Smith had served as professor of physics and meteorology. He knew that north temperate air currents blow north eastward almost continuously over Germany. So he prepared a map of the cur rents and experimented with the escape of gas through slightly po ous paper and other substances. Then he proposed releasing large numbers of these colored paper and rubber balloons filled with coal gas and hydrogen. Borne by the air drift. each balloon would carry a message over the enemy lines. These papers at the end of a two-yard thread would flutter conspicuously as the carrier descended. Siae and gas content was to determine the distance traveled before the balloon settled to earth. Success was apparent when Amer ican officers found that eight out of every ten prisoners captured car ried allied propaganda in their pockets. Reports declared the liter ature "well thumbed.” Tell Of Plan’s Success. Professor Volm today told of the success of the plan. "I remember well the use of balloons to get in formation behind our lines,” he said. "We knew the balloons were floating continually into our terri tory. A reward was offered. I oe lieve, by our corps headquarters for every baHoon turned in; but of course, that did not prevent a reading of the messages.” Before August, 1918, twenty-seven million leaflets had been dropped into Germany. They contained President Wilson's speeches, true news of vast activities in America, millions of cartoons, statements of causes, significance and aims of the war. Doctor Smith was born at Greens boro. N. C„ in 1859. He reaches the official retirement age this July, but was asked by the trustees of Washington and Lee university to continue in office as president until January 1, 1930. Robt. E. Lee's Residence. Since coming to Washington and Lee in 1912 to take administrative charge of the institution Doctor Smith has lived in General Robert E Lee's former home on the cam pus—where the Southern chieftain died while president of the college in October, 1870. “The money I won as prise for this balloon device." President Smith smiled, "went toward buying the first automobile I ever owned—and I was a college president, not a col lege student, when I bought it!" Cannot Throw Stones. Columbia State. It is the custom with certain hy persensitive Southern papers to rear and plunge and cavort when ever a Northern or Western paper says we are more criminal-minded and less cultured In this section than even Chicago. Still yet, the records show that the South runs high temperatures of criminality. Chicago murders 15.8 persons to every 100,000 of population; while Memphis murders 60.5 out of every 100,000 Birmingham 54.9, Atlanta 45. New Orleans, quite tinged with alien blood—Creole and Cajun— has the best record (in the list be fore us) of any Southern city— 25.9. We might sit back and medi tate some before throwing stones at Chicago. Star Advertising Pays Plump Wives Desired By Boys Of Today, Dorothy Dix Learns Dorothy Dlx. the well known newspaper syndicate writer, has re ceived the following, and It shows that most young men in seeking wives, want those with a good deal of flesh on ’em: “Dear Miss Dix:—Why do girls starve themselves in order to get thin? I belong to a club of boys who have vowed to be old bachelors un less girls fatten up. We have pledg ed ourselves not to marry until we can get girls who are an armful.— Bub.” She answered: “You tell ’em Bub. They won't listen to me, but the only reason girls are living skeletons is because they think boys like them that way. "Let them find out that the young men are going in for the Oriental standards where fat is considered an evidence of beauty instead of a disgrace, and where the more there is of a girl the belter they like her, and we will have feminine form in the place of an gles, you can hang your hat on. “More power to your organisa tion. May its numbers increase. II will save a lot of the young women from T. B.—Dorothy Dix.” So girls, if you are “on the ccr pet” and want to "get off,” go to pilin’ in the rations and takin' on meat. FINE 1,019 TRAFFIC OFFENDERS THIS YEAR Convictions for traffic violations in North Carolina during the first six months of the year totaled 1,« 019, according to the report issued by the state highway commission Driving while drunk led all other causes by a wide margin, 340 hav ing been convicted of this offense. Speeding was next in line with 199 convictions, while reckless driv ing was responsible for 195 convic tions. January led in the number of convictions with 227, while other months were reported as follows: February 173, March 170, April 64, May 223, and June 169. Miss Dorothy Clifton of London was awarded $500 in a suit against, a hairdresser who injured her head while giving a permanent wave. Adam The Main Guy. Monroe Journal. In England In the twelfth century there were 2,000,000 people, about 500.000 families, less than now In North Carolina. These were the an cestors of all the English people >n the world today, and all people of English decent are kin to all of them. It’s no distinction to be de scended from a king, a prince or a ,, lord, for with that blood is mingled the blood of the fools and knaves and roughnecks of the times. So say the genealogists. As for ye edi tor, he takes no stock in family trees. Having long since accepted Adam as the main guy at the oth er end of the line, he looks over the intervening kings and knaves, and neither adopts the one nor high-hats the other. v A Wedding Map. Orange, N. J.—The latest wrinkle in wedding invitations is an engrav ed road map showing guests how to , motoi to the church, there was no trouble for friends in finding out where to see Robert T. Kane and Ruth White married. ADS TRY STAR WAN THE MOST IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TF THE SEASON YOUR CHOICE OF ALL! L'ADHbS’ AND CHILDREN’S READY-TO-WEAR AND MILLINERY AT 25% TO 50% OFF THE REGULAR PRICES. » Fallowing the Acorn Stores’ policy of.never carrying over seasonable merchandise, from one Season to another, beginning Saturday, July 6th, you may select your choice of our Entire stock of Ladies’ and Children’s Ready-to-Wear and Mil linery at 25 to S0% oft the Regular Price*. This is an opportunity that com es only twice a year, and it will be worth your while to make the most of it. When you remember that the Acorn Stores’ Regular, Everyday 1 Prices are as low, and in many cas es lower than other, so-called, Sale Prices, you can appreciate the im portance of this event. We never mark our merchandise up at the beginning of a season in order to be able to offer you absurd reductions later. You wiil find 25% off at the Acorn Store, will mean Bigger Savings to you than % Price Sales elsewhere. Remember, the merchandise offered you is our Regulard, Standard, Acorn Quality, not job merchan dise bought especially for sales purposes. This event comes at a most opportune time, just when you are need ing many things for Va cation Wear. By sup plying your wants at the Acorn Store you will have more to spend on your Vacation. No prices changed, Original Tickets on all Garments and Hats. Just come in and make your Selection, and deduct from 25% to 50%. COME EARLY WHILE SELECTIONS ARE BEST.