La Grange Journal (La Grange, Tex.), Vol. 47, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 2, 1926 Page: 1 of 8
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1926
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Opposite Masonic Building. Publi shed Every Thursday Morning and Entered at the -Poet Office as Second-Class Matter
By B. F. Harigel
Democratic in Principle and a Worker For LaGrange and Fayette Coanty
Volume 47
LaGrange, Fayette County, Texas, Thursday, December 2. 1926
THINGS IN GENERAL
Remarks by the Editor
December makes its bow to the public at
this time, and with the advent of that month
comes also two very interesting annuals; one of
these is the shortest day in the year, when a
shift of low gear to high will occur and for the
next six months after that date, the dark side
of the twenty-four hours of day will gradually
grow less in dimension and the brighter side—
supposed to be known as daylight will grow in
consequence. There will be several months
more of good, wintry nights, when sleep will be
agreeable, but after the twenty-first of the
month the days will gradually gain. The second
important event will be the twenty-fifth, and
while still a few weeks in the-distance, it is ap-
parent that the same good and acceptable cus-
tom is going to prevail. The big cities have
pulled off some interesting stunts, through the
efforts of their daily papers, and a sureaenough
Santa Claus with reindeers has made his appear-
ance, in order to keep the mind of the child ac-
tive and encouraging the real child meaning of
Christmas. So many have had the hard-
heartedness to destroy the illusion of the be-
whiskered friend of the children, to tell them
that the dear old Santa was only mythical
aft^er all.
Childish pleasures should never be de-
creased, never so long as such pleasures are
harmless. The little tot that kneels at jiight at
the bedside, in response to the dictation of the
good mother and asks that Santa be sent to their
home and to bring some toys, little electric
trains, or a drum of candy and apples, is dis-
playing the mind of a child, and whatever dis-
illusioning is necessary can be put into practice
after the child begins to reason out things that
it cannot understand when a mere child. And
yet it is. done. What applies to children, also
applies to the grown-ups. Christmas gifts will
be purchased,,they will be given, together with
the good cheer of the giver. But people must
not be kept in ignorance, as is the little child,
because it is Christmas. Last Friday a man
came into the Journal office, and after request-
ing his name to be entered as a subscriber, he
said; “I see by two signs hanging in front of
your business houses, that there is a sale going
on. I read your paper yesterday at the home
of a neighbor and did not see any advertisement
which told the reader of a big sale.”
Christmas trading will soon be the order of
the day; the man who sells serviceable goods
that can be given as Christmas presents can
take the hint that is carried in the foregoing
paragraph. An answer to the remark of the
visitor was made, certainly, but not of an offen-
sive nature, he was told that there were other
papers in the city of LaGrange where the adver-
tisements may have found place, that it was al-
ways a privilege to every business man to use
what paper he desired. Christmas advertise-
ments are going to be sought after; business
may not run high into the thousands as in the
past, but the goods and gifts will be sought
after. Hence, the suggestion is timely: “Place
your Christmas ads, and place them now. Only
three weeks remain before the holiday season
will begin.”
Another event of December, not written in
the calendar of all states, is the annual conven-
tion of the Texas Editorial Association, which
will convene at Port Arthur, on the morning of
Thursday, December 9. Interesting as the news
is to the large membership, composed of men
and women who have been in the newspaper
business for over thirty years, it carries no fur-
ther enticement for others; those who, having
abandoned the newspaper game and engaged in
other pursuits that bring gold pieces where
dimes were formerly acquired, and who are to-
day in the business world recognized as financial
men of prominence, will be with the editors and
spend the three days with them. One day will
be spent at Port Arthur, one day at Orange, and
one day at Beaumont. To be sure, it would be
an injury to personal self to stay away, so I
am going to do my bit and eat the wild duck
dinners and the sea food that the commercial
and manufacturing bodies have announced they
will provide. It will be a little different from the
usual run of things, but It will be worth while.
-o-o-o-o-
What the Report Contains and
Why it is Interesting
From the Department of Commerce at
, OUR WEEKLY POEM
AN OLD LOVE SONG
There was so much of splendor and of glory,
There was so much of romance and delight,
That there can be no ending to our story,
Although the book is closed, and it is night!
There was so much of fragrance and of wonder,
We dwelt so far from ugliness and strife,
Nothing could tear our gleaming love asunder,
Nothing—in life!
And though I can not touch you—though I, only,
Pass through a world of laughter and of pain,
Always I will remember, and be lonely,
When lilacs gleam swift April rain.
When candlelight is dim, and shadows, sleeping,
Fill all the softness of your cozy chair,
When I can feel the breeze, like fingers, creeping
Over my hair.
And though my mouth may smile, though I may
wander, jJTj
Over gay paths that living people tread,
Part of me, dear, will try to reach you, Yonder,
Part of me, dear, will hurry far ahead:
And though I hear an echo of your speeches,
Sounding from other lips, your soul will know,
There is a hidden heart that no one reaches—
That is aglow!
You—who walked with me, through life’s lovely
places,
Will walk beside me, down the years to be—
And when my eyes look into other faces,
Dear, it will often be your face I see!
And, though my lips may seem to tremble under,
Pleasure and praise and passion’s flaming
breath— >
Nothing can ever tear our love asunder,
Not even—death. . . .
—By Margaret Sangster in Christian Herald.
ROAD BONDS -FEDERAL AID
From The San Antonio Express
Washington, there' was Sent to the Journal a
“preliminary report of marriage and divorce in
Texas for 1926”—containing the comparative
figure of the year previous, 1924, and showing,
in the majority of the counties that the mar-
riages have by a slight,margin, exceeded the
divorces granted. The reading of that report
carries no great weight with the average reader,
because we have all been “fed up” with these
references in the press of today, but after read-
ing, it does create a little thinking. Conditions
in the home, where differences of opinion may
exist and where occurances with which the pub-
lic is not acquainted and need not be, for that
matter, may be responsible for some of the sep-
arations, and probably they are; but the great
amount of divorces granted within a year’s time;
makes true the jocular contention of a humorous
paragrapher, who said: “Men do not give wom-
en their names now, they only loan them for a
few months.”
This report which came to the Journal of-
fice, tells us that during the year 1925 there were
15,120 divorces granted in the State of Texas;
of this amount Fayette county granted twenty-
cne. At one time, in this county there were
over sixty applications for divorce. Query:
“Are the people losing interest in marriage, or
married life, or is the mis-mating feature res-
ponsible?” True, Texas is credited with having
a population of five and a half million; lots of
people, lots .of families among those people, the
fifteen thousand and over of divorces seems to
be rather small for that amount of population.
Divide it, however, reduce the population number
by dividing by seven and you have for example:
Population of family heads, 776,103, divorces
15,120. Thus the divorce number seems to be
rather large in comparison. And it adds weight
to the contention of the humorist who said:
“Men do not give women their names now, they
only loan them for a few months.”
Readers will find the article in full in anoth-
er column of the Journal, giving the counties of
the state, and the marriages and divorces of the
years 1924-25, Merely as a statistical item, the
article may have some value, as a matter of
criticism, its value is worthless, to say the least.
Opinions and ideas will have no effect on the
habits of the present generation, the public
cares little, it seems.
Sheriff Loessin Takes Pardoned
Convict and His Baggage
Occurred so that LaGrange and its sheriff
of the county had to become a part of the inci-
dent of the week. Sheriff Loasain on Wednes-
;V Having satisfied Eastern investors—as
Jqdge C. F. Gibson of Austin lately was assured
on a visit to New York*—the Texas Legislature’s
bond-validating acts also have met the approval
qlthe United States Bureau of Public Roads.
By authorizing the expenditure of Federal
funds for hard-surfacing a 12-mile link on State
jfcghway No. 58, the Houston-Palacios road—
the first consequential aid since the United
States Supreme Court's Archer County decision
raised a question as to the validity of Texas
highway securities generally— the Government
expressed its confidence in the State’s credit.
If there remained in an investor’s mind any
doubt regarding Texas’ public obligations, sure-
ly this official act will remove it.
jOne cannot conceive upon what higher au-
thority assurance might be sought, as the Fed-
eral funds are not applied on doubtful enter-
prises. Validation therefore has been consum-
mated in three quarters—the Legislature, th^
bond market and the Federal Government*
Born legally and morally Texas highway securi-
ties are restored to normal standing. For all
the cloud which the famous decision cast upon
the State’s credit in this particular, there was
never any serious question of Texas’ intention
to pay.
The significance of this development is con-
tained in San Antonio Express’ staff report from
Washington that the Bureau hereafter will make
allotments the same as before the road-bond
situation became acute. This means that Texas
will continue to receive regularly from the Fed-
eral highway fund the largest allowance granted
any State. For the fiscal year ending June 30
it amounts to $4,426,917.
Texas enjoys this favored position because
,i-- j J sostlcoftd mileai— ”TLL1‘1“
the next few years doubtless the 1
of designated Federal-aid highways will be fin-
ished, connecting with 4he national system. The
Texas- program already is approximately 55 per
cent constructed, which compares favorably
with progress elsewhere. Thus the great enter-
prise will go forward without serious interrup-
tion because of an untoward legal tangle.
day night of last week took Bob Whitfield from
off the midnight passenger train, charged with
having appropriated an overcoat of a traveling
man, and also being in an inebriated condition.
A telephone message came from Itasca, in Hill
county the next morning, asking why Whitfield
had been taken into custody, and the inquisitive
party was very politely told the reason for his
temporary boarding at the county bastile. But
the chief offense came to notice after the officer
had taken the prisoner to the jail and searched
his grip. In that grip was found a gallon, glass
jar, filled with the liquid that makes false mil-
lionaires. Transporting of liquor is something
to be reckoned with, or shall it be said, the pen-
alty for the transportation brings about the
reckoning.
This prisoner, according to all information
obtainable, was pardoned the first of last week
by Governor Ferguson. No, the statement is
not going ,to be here made that it is another
example of giving pardons for political reasons,
the governor was petitioned to pardon this of-
fender and give him an opportunity to go back
to his home for Thanksgiving because he had
made a good “record” in prison, and because
many citizens had signed the petition, also nine
of the jury that had passed judgment on his
case. That explanation will suffice to partly re-
lieve the governor from all blame, which the
rfiost of us are so willing to place. We all agree
that, after looking over the long list of pardons
and paroles, that Jt has been more than neces-
sary, but in this instance, let the facts govern,
if possible. What inquiry has revealed is- that
the man was pardoned on Monday of last week
and supposition enables the statement to be
made that after being pardoned the former
prisoner, and now a prisoner again, must have
journeyed on to Houston, there obtained his gal-
lon jar and juice and with friends or by self,
drank enough to make him a prisoner again:
He had the pardon notice in his possession
when arrested.
And still they come; it is apparent on the
surface of general happenings, that this pardon-
ing of convicts is ever to have a sequel. If the
pardon granted in this man’s case was just, and
“Everyone knows that the one cardinal vir-
tue of a first-class radio set is soldered connec-
tions. The fact that every point should be care-
fully cleaned and then securely soldered, has
tically every written article about radio set
building.
“When we buy any set of good quality, we
naturally take it for granted that all joints are
secure, because they are most carefully tested
before being sent out. We then install our set,
solder all antenna joints, put in a good ground
clamp, scrape and carefully apply all battery
connections, and everything is fine, until some
day we hear a noise such as is caused by a poor
connection somewhere. Perhaps the noises get
worse and worse, and upon investigation we find
all joints still secure—what then?
“The fact is that there are at least 22 con-
tacts in a 5-tube set which cannot even be sol-
dered. Twenty of them are tube prong con-
tacts, and the other two are the battery switch
and the rheostat. Dirt on any one of these will
be a fruitful source of noise. Many tubes have
solder (lead alloy) on their base prongs. This
solder rubs off onto the socket contacts, oxidizes,
and makes a high-resistance, noisy connection.
The battery switch is often liable to ‘dirty up*
after continued switching, and must be'cleaned.
The same with the rheostat. Imagine trying to
run an automobile and never cleaning the dis-
tributor or timer. A dirty distributor* contact
in a motor causes missing—a dirty switch or
rheostat contact causes noise in a radio set.
“The remedy is of course—cleaning. Keep
the tube prongs bright and shiny—solder will
oxidize and , blacken more quickly in some cli- i
mates than others. It is not enough to clean
needs cleaning any movement of the knob
cause the noise to change. Fine sandpaper may
be used, or even a pencil rubber—but never use
a file or hard emery cloth. It's just the very
surface that’s oxidized, and a light cleaning un-
til the metal is bright is sufficient.
“The next time the set gets noisy, try
cleaning the contacts—or better yet, why not
do it regularly and not have to apologize for a
dirty contact during a concert.” . • 1
if the pardon was given on account of the peti-
tion as it was presented—which is not here
questioned—then the governor has certainly
erred in following the recommendation of the
pardon board; it is shown, that, pardoned on
Monday, released and arrested on Wednesday
night, charged with having appropriated an ar-
ticle that belonged to another, and in an ine-
briated condition at the time he was arrested,
and later a gallon of whiskey found in his grip,
a mistake has been made. Deserving or unde-
serving of a pardon, for his previous offense is
not to be considered too seriously, the judgment
can be secured with one's own reasoning. The
man did not wait long after being pardoned, to
again violate the law for which he had been con-
victed. And it is such sequels that make the
criticism of the pardoning power possible,
whether the governor meant to be merciful
or not.
Wouldn’t a Community Christmas
Tree Help a Whole Lot?
Some years ago, while in the city of San
Antonio, it was my privilege to witness a crew
of workmen at work upon a large Christinas
tree, located on Alamo Plaza, and an inquiry
gave the information that it would be covered
with thousands of small electric lights and many
presents for the children of the city, especially
those children from the homes where the earn-
ing powers were comparatively small, and where
children yearned for a gift from “Santa Claus.”
A tree sufficient for the occasion was not to be
had from the cedar breaks or from the moun-
tains of the Southwest, so the city employed
competent labor and had the tree built, and the
building of that tree is what attracted my at-
tention. Here is how the work wak done:
A telephone pole, of the smooth kind, and
about fourteen or more inches in diameter at
the one end, and about eight inches in diameter
at the other, waa "planted” in a hole about ten
feet deefp, afid: the pole made to stand straight.
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La Grange Journal (La Grange, Tex.), Vol. 47, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 2, 1926, newspaper, December 2, 1926; La Grange, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth998485/m1/1/: accessed July 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Fayette Public Library, Museum and Archives.