Lowell Thomas Broadcast fo: Literary Digest
Monday, October 20, 19SO.
Introduction.
Yi'elD , it's cola. And that’s not news. At
least it isn’t to the millions of us who are not
lucky enough to be in Florida or Southern California.
This is the coldest October 20th, since 1876, so
the papers all say. I wasn’t around on that
particular day, but some of you old timers nay
remember it. There’s four feet of snow in upper
New York State. Hundreds of motorists are stranded
along snow choked roads, and squads of shovelers
are trying to dig them out. Out V.est there’s
heavy snow and bitter cold in sections where a
month ago they were suffering from the worst drought
and heat wave in a century.
And about that earthquake dovn in Louisfsna
yesterday, scientists now say it was caused by
a disturbance far out in the Gu]f of Mexico.
They also report that the deep moist earth in the
Mississippi delta country deadened r.be effect
of the vibrations and saved New Orleans and Baton
Rouge from greater damage. This was the first
quake that ev r ‘o shook Louisiana. But according
to the Associated Press no really serious damage
resulted, and the only injured were worshippers in
a church, who saw the walls start to sway. The
congregation bolted and some were injured In the
crush.
Now, an earthquake in Louisiana is a lot
more uncommon than eclipse of the sun. But
there will be an eclipse tomorrow that has the
scientists all keyed up.
Eclipse
There’s an Island cut in the South
Seas that's shaped like a doughnut. It's
made of coral, and a crowd of learned American
and Australian professors are sitting out there
on that coral doughnut tonight waiting for a big
event that's scheduled for tomorrow. They're
waiting for a complete solar eclipse. The name
of the place, by the v.ay, is even more curious
than its shape. Tin Can Island is its geographical
name.
The scientists selected Tin Can Island,
says the International Nev^s Service, because it's
to be the only spot of land on the planet from which
you are sure to see a complete solar eclipse
tomorrow.
p,
score of Australian and American
scientists are all excited tonight, because tomorrow
they are going to have their third real chance for
testing out the Einstein theory of relativity, away
out there in the dreamy, romantic South Seas, on
Tin Can Island. But I'm not going to interrupt
the evening’s news to explain the Einstein
theory. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t explain
it if I wanted to. But Commander Keppler, of the
U. S. Navy, reports that a sixty-five foot camera
tower has been erected on Tin Can Island, and a
twenty-five hundred pound Einstein camera has been
mounted on concrete pillars. So you can see
what a big time they are going to have out there
tomorrow on Tin Can Island, that speck of coral
in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean tomorrow.
This week’s Biterary Digest informs us
that this winter we are going to get some of our
heat from stars so many millions of miles away that
we can’t even see ’em. This is only one of a group
of fascinating articles on the "Science and Invention”
page of this week’s Literary Digest.
Washington
Historians too are discovering some new
things. After fourteen years of secrecy some rather
startling and Important wartime papers have just
been turned up in Washington. The State Department
has at last made public one thousand pages
of* documents that concern the negotiations
betv/een this country and England and Germany
during the ttorld Y/ar. Among other things they
show, according to a United Press Dispatch,
that Germany was ready to make peace in 1916.
An interesting point in connection with these
documents is that the State Department planned
to make them public early this year. But according
to the Press dispatch from V.ashington they were
held back for fear they might in some way influence
the London Naval conference.
Politics
Half the headlines in today’s papers
concern politics. That’s natural, for election
day is only two weeks off.
In Washington, both the Republicans and
the Democrats insist they will control the House
next session.
President Hoover*s special Cabinet
committee on unemployment holds its first
meeting today.
Down in Tennessee a senate committee
is invest'gating charges that negroes were
herded to the polls in the primaries.
In Pennsylvania, says the Kev,r York
Evening World, the dry issue is cutting through
both parties.
Y^Illiam Butler, Massachusetts candidate
for senator, says the big issue of this campaign
is the rebuilding of business and the creation
of more jobs.
Good News
Well, the stock market bucked up quite
a bit today and everybody cn Wall Street seemed
to be wearing a smile.
Yes, and this turned out to be one of
the record days in the history of Literary Digest
80,000 new subscriptions came pouring in to the
Digest office today. So, if the Literary Digest
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experience is any barometer, better times
may have arrived along with the cold weather
wave.
That cold snap has hit Michigan,
but there* a one city out there where they
are determined to wipe out hard times.
Muskegan
The city of Muskegan, Michigan, has
determined to put sin end to the so-called business
depression. According to the United Press they
have started a movement in Muskegan to be called:
’’Spend a million a week." The idea is to put a
lot of Muskegan*s idle dollars into circulation
at once.
However there is a Nebraska city where
the flags are not flying quite so high.
Crimeless City
The crimeless city of America is crimdes
no more. Lincoln, Nebraska, is - or I should say
- America’s city without crime. Lincoln has
was
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some 75,000 inhabitants, and among a host of
other things is famous as the former home of
General Perding, former Vice-president Dawes,
and the late Yun. Jennings Bryan. These 75,000
citizens have been proud of the fact that Lincoln
has had the smallest police force of any city of
its size on the continent. For five years there
was not a murder in Lincoln - nor was there even
a bankjrobbery. Its black maria became full of
cobwebs and at last they transformed its patrol
wagon into a repair shop for traffic lights. The
police had only one rifle, and that rifle v.ras the
personal property of the chief of police, used by
him for hunting Nebraska jack rabbits.
The only trouble they ever had in Lincoln
was from people who ran past traffic lights, or
college students of the University of Nebraska
celebrating a football victory.
But all of a sudden, bang goes
Lincoln’s
record as the crimeless city. According to the
United Press, six bandits dropped into the Lincoln
National Bank and at one fell swoop went off with
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$20,000 in cash and three quarters of a
million more in securities. The dispatch
adds that there has been a violent police
shake-up in Lincoln, and the mayor has demanded
the resignation of the chief.
Late News
You know ^ernt Balchen, the famous
flyer whom everyone admires. Well, girls,
that handsome airman is a bachelor no more.
Coytesville, N. J. Oct. 20 (United
Press)- - Uernt Balchen, famous pilot and former
aide to admiral Byrd in the latter*s Arctic
and Antarctic expeditions was married here
Saturday, it became known today. The flier*s
bride was Miss Emmy Loerlie of Brooklyn. They
had known each other since their childhood in
Norway.
Finland
Here is some fantastic news from
Finland. Three hundred men have confessed to
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kidnapplngs. Like Italy and Germany,
Finland has its Fascist party. They’ve been
raising quite a hullabaloo lately, and among
other things have been kidnapping people. The
Finnish government decided to punish the
people guilty of kidnappings, so the Fascist
organization ordered all its members who had
anything to do with the kidnappings to surrender
at once. Their hope was that this would embarras
the government, and It certainly has. Hundreds
of people are flocking into the Finnish capital
city, Helsingfors, shouting their confessions at
the top of their voices. The Associated Press
wires that they are going to arrest and try them
all no matter if they come by the tens of
thousands.
Palestine
The McDonald Labor government over In
London issued a statement today that it was
England’s definite intention to preserve Palestine
as a national home for Jews. However, says a
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dispatch to the International News
Service, it is essential that the interests
of the non-Jewish population be fully safe
guarded. Immigration into Palestine by the
Jews must be restricted to a number which
the country is able to absorb, and under
present conditions the country is able to
absorb practically no more.
Flash
Here!s another flash from the
■■ —--- -—
International News:
Dr. Chaim Veizmann, the president of
the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish
News Agency, has resigned his post. His
resignation is said to hinge upon the refusal
of the Jews to cooperate with the British
government*s new policy. A congress of
Zionists may be called to consider the situation
Nov/ let's see, this next dispatch.
It1s about Habindranath Tagorej the
famous poet and philosopher of India, has
been suddenly stricken ill, ^agore arrived
in this country a few days ago to make a
speaking tour of America, According to the
Associated Press he has had a sudden attack
of heart trouble up at New Haven, Connecticut,
and will leave this country for India as soon
as he is well enough to travel.
Miss Virginia Tufts of Beverly,
Massachusetts, has just written asking me to
tell over the radio, some evening, what I think
about the present turmoil in India. I talked
over this whole question with Tagore on one
occasion and as he is undoubtedly one of the wisest
men of our time I am sure It would be much more
interesting to give you his viewpoint.
I visited Rabindranath Tagore at his
home on the banks of the sacred Canges RiVi?r,
the river where even the murderer can bathe and
have his sins washed away. Tagore1s home is called
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Shantinikotan, which means the "Abode of
Peace." He has a school there which he hopes
one day will be an important world university
where the youth both of the East and the V*est
will mingle on terns of equality and learn the
finer things of our Western and their Eastern
civilizations.
TagoreTs remarks to me on that occasion
will be far more enlightening to Miss Tufts up
in fieverlyf Massachusetts than anything I might
say. Tagore said, "My criticism of the British
rule in India is that it is too perfect. The
government is so mechanically perfect that it
isn’t human. It is so mechanically complete that
it stifles Indian ambitions. Under it there
hasn’t been half the hum'n happiness of incentive
for individual effort that there was two centuries
ago under the autocratic and tyrannical rule of
the old Mohgol emperors. Vie Indians, nowadays,
have been made to feel that we are inferior
beings."
Well, no matter what our views may be
regarding the superiority of one race or the other.
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we cannot help hut agree that Rabindranath
Tagore, the poet and philosopher of Bengal,
is one of the greatest men of our times, and
all Americans who have read his gorgeous
Oriental poetry will hear with deep regret
that the Hindu patriarch has been obliged to
cut short his visit to these shores,
Tagore is a man of peace. But this
next is about a man of war, grim and battled
scarred.
Weyler
I wonder how many of you remember
General Y. yler, of Spanish-American War fame?
Cs
.Ye haven’t heard much of him in recent years,
but an Associated Press dispatch from Madrid
brings us the news that he has just passed on
at the age of 92. A fall from a horse was
responsible for it, and not old age.
General Weyler’s name was constantly
on the front pages of the world’s newspapers
in SpanishAmerican V.ar days. He was the
eommander of the Spanish forces who were
trying to put down the Cuban Revolution with
an iron hand before ^ncle Cam stepped in.
He went home to Spain before America
intervened. Since then, he has had a stormy
career. He was at loggerheads with the Spanish
government during the dictatorship of Primo de
Rivera, and he was arrested and tried for
sedition. But he died full of dignities and
honors, as General Valeriano Vveyler. Marquis
of Teneriffe, Duke of Rubi, Hnight of the Golden
Fleece, and Grandee of Spain.
News Item of the Day
I was talking today to a friend of
mine, and he said, "I111 pick your news item of
the day for you.”
Well, heTs an interesting fellow—
General Rafael de Nogales, Venezuelan soldier
of fortune who has fought in a dozen Latin-
American revolutions and who commanded a Turkish
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army during the World War. I knew heTd
pick something strange and bizarre. He did.
And here it is:
Arabic in Mex.
Borne hitherto unknown descendants
of the builders of the famous Tower of Babel
have just been found. Another weird language
is
hot
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added to the medley of tongues that
confuses the traveller when he starts out to
see the world. Wandering Turkish merchants
recently encountered a strange tribe in Mexico,
a tribe with Oriental customs; a tribe that
speaks neither Spanish nor Indian. Nor do the
members of the tribe show any trace of the Mayan
civilization. They speak a language that is
similar to Arabic. According to an Associated
Press dispatch from Mexico, the tribe is called
Absolutan. It dwells in a remote corner of
Southern Mexico, and according to the traditions
of the people, their ancestors have lived there
for many centuries entirely cut off from the
rest of the world.
And now f^r a few freak flashes.
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Shorts .
The other day a scientist predicted
that automobiles will soon be able to fly.
Evidently he was right5 because over on
Long Island an automobile took to the air
today. But according to the New York Evening
Post the explosion of a gas main was responsible
for its flight. The car was a taxi and according
to the account it did a complete outside loop
and then came down to a successful landing
without passengers or driver being scratched.
Dorothy Wilhelm of Cornersville,
Indiana, has just been elected champion milk
maid of America, which proves that there are
milk maids outside of musical comedies.
According to the Associated Press Dorothy
milked 205 pounds of milk in fifty-one minutes.
Cheers for Dorothy.
Fox
Well, welll Her name is Ada Weinham.
And she lives in Teignmouth, England, and the
New York Evening World tells the tale. The
hounds and the hunters were off after a
fox. Gaily they went cantering along, after
the fashion of .jolly old England. Then, the
scared fox dashed into Mrs. heinham1s garden.
She has a trim cottage, and her garden is
her pride. Hounds and hunters galloped in for
the kill. And they galloped right in among
Mrs. Weinham* s cabbages. And that lady grabbed
her broom. She lit into hounds and hunters.
She swung that broom. And she chased the whole
bally lot of them out of her cabbages, while
the fox escaped. And as we end our eveningTs
gallop with the news we blow a merry British
bugle blast in honor of Mrs, Weinham of Teignraoutb.
Goodnight,