4. A-
"Everyone in Southern Oregon
Reads The Mail Tribune
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WKuruiu-i fttilNiinL, u.
33 North Mr Jit., PrL772-61
' ROllFRTW RUHL. Editor
HERB GilEY Advertising Manager
GKRALD 1 LATHAM, Bus. Mgr.
EMC W ALLEN. JR , Mni. Editor
EARL H ADAMS, City Editor
RICHARO JEWETT. Sports Editor
OLIVE S TARCHER, women's Editor
DALEJCRIL'KSUN. Ulrcuiauon mgr.
' AnIiidependenTNewipaper
Entered as accond class matter at
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March 3. 1897
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United Press International
Full Leased Wire
U.P.I Telephoto Newsplctures
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Artv'eriisl'ng Representative:
NELSON ROBERTS & ASSOCI
ATES. Offices In New York. Chi
cico Detroit, San Francisco, Los
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NEWSPAPER
ISHERS
SOCIATION
NATIONAL EDITORIAl
asoc4atio;n
H1IIH
m'iT,',i m.i
flight o' Time
Bedford and Jackson County
(islory from tha file of The
vtail Tribune 10, 20, 30, 40
nd 50 yean ago.
)0 YEARS AGO
July 25, 1952 (Friday)
Mrs Kny Kunkcl, formerly
chief probation officer of San
Joaquin county, Calif., will
bo the new head of the juve
nile department of the Jack
son county circuit court.
Civil Air Patrol cadet Al
bert R, Eaton Jr., of Medford
among 50 youths flying to
Europe.
20 YEARS AGO
July 25. 1942 (Saturday)
Lodge at Crater Lake to
close for balance of 1042 sea
son because of lack of busi
ness caused by gasoline ra
tioning. From Arthur Terry s "Ye
Smudge Pot" column: "The
cluc'r season opens in the sis
ter state to the south Saturday
and several local nlmrods plan
to relax from the war effort
and take a chance on being
shot for one."
30 YEARS AGO
July 25, 1932 (Monday)
i nr-ai n I v I c oreanizatlons
back efforts to obtain funds
impropriated In Federal Re
construction Finance bill for
improvement of Siskiyou sec
tion of Pacific highway.
Man arrested here and
charged with forgery after
giving S890 check for full
payment on new automobile.
40 YEARS AGO
July 25. 1922 (Tuesday)
Medford Mayor C. E. Gates
announces "nothing could in
duce" him to run for governor
of Oregon on an independent
ticket.
Medford and Ashland
Chambers of Commerce sched
ule joint forum In Lithia park;
persons interested in attend
ing advised to "go to Ashland
bathing establishment in ef
fort to escape the heat before
going to the forum.
50 YEARS-AGO
July 25, 1912 (Thursday)
More than 100 automobiles
expected to pass through Med
ford during next week while
en route to Pacific Highway
convention in Los Angeles.
V'hal's Your I.Q.7
Nine or ten correct Is superior;
seven or eight is excellent; five or
six is good.
1. In the average human
being, one leg is longer and
Ktrongcr than the other; true
or false?
2. Mary Dodge made a
name for herself by writing
what book about Dutch chil
dren? ,'i. A much larger portion of
the dug's than man's brain is
df . oted to what?
4. Which President of the
TIi ited States had three Vice
I'lrsidents?
5. Pierre is the capital of
wh'ch slate?
!:. Are sugar beeU and su
R: . cane both grown In the
Ui 'ted Slates?
". Supply the line which
p, odes "Whence all but him
hr ' fled."
8. In what city was W. M.
Tvecd a political boss?
9. Correct the following:
"lie spoke to my wife and
myself about going."
10. Euthanasia is a new
wonder drug, a form of amne
sia, or a mercy killing of an
incurable person?
Answers; 1 True. 2. Hani
P nken or The Silver Skates.
3. Smell. 4. Franklin D.
F-nsevell, 5. South Dakota.
6. Yes. 7. "The boy atood on
the burning deck." 8. New
York City. 9. "He spoke to
my wife and me " 10.
Mercy killing.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25. 1962
Telstar and Language
Space shots and satellites have gotten to be
almost ho-hum in their burgeoning numbers these
days, but Telstar is something else.
Watching live television from Europe, even on
an experimental basis, was an exciting experience
the other night. It is, of
and triumph. But, even more important, it is po
tentially a cultural and sociological and political
event of major importance, perhaps even ap
proaching the invention of movable type.
Who can tell exactly what will be the reac
tions of the people of the world when they can
both see and hear what
across the oceans really are like, right there in
the living room?
f)NE major problem comes immediately to the
fore, with greater impact than ever before.
This is the language barrier.
Somebow, in some way, an international
language will have to be devised or adopted, if
any significant fraction of the potential of world
wide television is to be realized.
More people now speak English than any
other single tongue in the world, and perhaps it
may eventually become the means of all talking
to all, but there is no assurance that is the best
or only means to this end.
In a few years, world-wide TV will be a daily
occurrence. If it is to be truly effective as an inter
national force, all must be able to understand
it. E.A.
America the
There is a curious
Americans' attitudes toward themselves.
On one hand, we find many folk deploring the
morals and behavior of many fellow Americans.
Billy Graham scolds us as Godless and decadent;
Jenkins Lloyd Jones lashes out at the "tamper
ing" going on with "the Soul of America"; others
deplore the seeming apathy of the Congress in
coming to grips with problems of urban blight,
sprawling megapolises, civil rights, unemploy
ment, and medical care.
On the other hand, we take to our hearts as
national heroes such wholesome characters as a
John Glenn; we support
churches and our schools; we conduct clean-up
and beautification drives,' and to an increasing
degree turn to cultural events for our entertain
ment. "N ONE hand, again, we tut-tut about today's
materialism, the rash for pleasure, the high
rate of alcohol and tobacco consumption, the rush
to buy gadgets and appliances.
But on the other, we talk approvingly about a
tax cut so we can buy more things to keep the
economy rolling; we see that the greatest growth
in the recreation field has been in the wholesome
and constructive developments in camping, boat
ing: and other outdoor entertainment; and we
boast of our high and rising standard of living.
We moan about the high and rising crime
rate, and increases in juvenile delinquency.
Yet also we praise our young people, and are
proud of their constructive work in the schools,
both academically and extra-curricularly, and en
courage the boom in camps, in foreign exchange
programs, and youth organizational work.
WE CUT clown beautiful old trees to widen
streets and provide more parking places;
then we take pride in planting pretty little trees
in pots along our main thoroughfares.
We scream about high taxes for schools, po
lice, fire protection and road improvement; yet
spend more for luxuries than ever before.
We brag about being the first "affluent so
ciety," where all are now able to reap benefits
from the new industrial and technical age; yet
somewhere between 30 and 50 million of our
neighbors do not earn enough to provide decent
housing, food and clothing.
7E TAY lip-service to our democratic ideals
VT and equality of opportunity for all; yet
deny one-tenth of our people the right to equal
housing anil equal employment chances.
We nay for beauty in our parks and muse
ums and galleries, in new architectural achieve
ments, in splendid civic centers; yet we do little
or nothing to prevent the creeping ugliness of
seas of asphalt, honky-tonk fringe sprawl, and
jungles of telephone and power poles and wires.
We glady spend billions for new freeways;
yet we begrudge adequate appropriations for our
colleges. We spend annually more for cosmetics
than for teachers' salaries. We honor our scien
tists and teachers and authors, yet pay them less
in a year than an adulterous movie star with the
morals of an alley cat makes in a week.
CO WHAT'S the moral?
It is that we are a diverse people, with diverse
ideals and diverse ways of achieving them. It is
that all generalizations about what America is.
and what Americans are, are a compound of
truth and falsity.
It is that there is bad in the best of us, and
good in the worst, and that trying to untangle the
two leads to unending misunderstandings.
What Billy Graham says about Americans is
true about some Americans, ami wholly false
about others. We have good kids and baddecent
people and amoral people, rich and poor, black
and white, Christian and nonbeliever, Repub
licans and Democrats and non-voters.
All this is what makes America so difficult to
explain in any simple fashion. It is also what
makes it so utterly fasunating to observe, and so
much fun to live in, and to love. iE.A.
course, a technical marvel
their new near neigbhors
Ambivalent
ambivalence today
in
our charities and our
"My Old Man Can Lick Your Old Man!
Mine's A Doctor!"
... Communications ...
Letters to the Editor must bear the name and address of the writer, although under
certain circumstances the use of a pen na.ne or initial for publication is permissible
The Mail Tribune reserves the right to edit all letters with a view to clarification and
condensation. Letters submitted for publication must not exceed 400 words. The letters
printed in this column do not necessarily represent the views of the paper; in fact the
contrary is often the case. i
Why He's for Morse
To the F-ditor: Some of my
friends have asked me why I
have come out so much in
favor of Senator Wayne
Morse. I realize that, because
I believe him to be one of the
great Senators of our time,
may not be a sausiaciory
answer to them.
They ask why did he change
paiUes? I do not believe that
jur Senator changed without
giving It. considerable thought.
Possibly when he was deep in
thought on the matter, some
thing came to him .that said:
"I have given you a heart to
feel with, eyes to see with,
ears to hear with, a voice to
speak vith, and a mind of
your own. Use them well. Not
for just the rich or the poor,
the white or the black, the
intelligent or the not so
smart, the Catholic or Protes
tant, or those of other beliefs,
but for all people!"
We are all here, and when
it may not always be possible
to get along harmoniously, we
can try, can't we? That is why
I believe our Senator became
an Independent.
Then they ask, but why did
he become a Democrat? There
can only be one answer. You
can't win elections on good
intentions. He was faced with
choosing between the lesser of
two evils, and he felt that the
most good could be accom
plished by working with the
Democratic party.
I do not profess to be overly
intelligent, nor have I read
every book with good In it.
I have to call on inner intelli
gence to reach the conclusions
I believe to be nearest correct.
That is the kind of man I be
lieve and feel Senator Wayne
Morse is, and that is the kind
of man I want to represent
me In the Senate.
Think for yourself, and vote
for yourself, but do both, and
America will continue to be
the greatest country on this
Earth.
Rav C. Crantford
7708 S.E. 57th st
Portland 6, Ore.
Work Horse or Tiger
To the Editor: Except for
the Judge Lusk interlude it
has been years since we have
had a leaderly man from Ore
gon in the U.S. Senate: a bred
and born Oregonian, that is,
who has held public life In
this state; who has gone Into
uniform In wartime; who
doesn't duck a necessary fight
but is yet not quarrelsome;
who is anxious to do - not
just talk - assistance for our
embattled lumber Indus t r y
and economy; who is concern
ed for our nation's solvency;
who is dignified yet approach
able; who respects the motives
of all decent citizens and not
merely those In his own enmp;
who Is very loyal in friend
ship but wears nobody's hal
ter; who has had honors, but
keeps a sense of proportion
and a saving grace for life's
humor - and who can be be
loved rather than, as the union
blgshot said of his opponent,
only "loved for the enemies
he makes."
Mr. Unander comfortably
fills the bill, and to spare. We
and our friends will support
him gladly, not to say with a
a great sense of relief. 'Tis
time that proud Oregon has a
representative man there in
the Senate, Instead of mere
spokesinanforgroups: I.e. a
statesman. Or, to put In zoo
logically, we can certainly do
with a work horse for a
change in place of a tiger.
Yours, with a hail to Char
lie McNary.
Lincoln S. Ferris,
811 S.W. Sixth ave
Portland, Ore.
Lost Track
To the Editor: I have com
pletely lost track of happen
ing in the Arab World, Iraq,
Jordan and Egypt. Did Iraq
and Egypt consolidate? Or did
Nasser take It over? There
are immense oil fields there,
in Iraq
This Capt, Ali Diu of Iraq
MEDFOHD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFOHD, OREGON
made some hard remarks
about what he had planned.
I just wonder if King Hus
sein of Jordan went the same
way that King Faisal did.
Can you fill me in on
events to the present time?
Willard P. Norman
Box 143
White City, Ore.
-O-
Ediior's note: Iraq, Jordan
and Egypt are all still inde
pendent of each other. Syria
and Egypt formed the short
lived United Arab Republic,
which was dissolved some
months ago. Hussein of Jor
dan still rules that troubled
little nation.
A Modest Proposal
To the Editor: I have sent
the following letter to the
Jackson County Court:
Gentlemen: As you all
know, I have, over the past
four years, worked real hard
to get the Butte Falls to Fish
lake road improved. Now that
this road is in decent condi
tion and to commemorate my
efforts I think it only fitting,
that this Butte Falls-Fish lake
road should be officially des
ignated i.s the "McCabe Free
way." You guys named a bridge
for Paul Rynning, didn't you?
Well, I do think my proposal
has merit, debatable though
it may be.
When the Navy names a
ship for some indivi 'ual, they
generally choose the name of
some feller long since dead.
Trouble is, he can't get any
benefit from it.
Floyd R. McCabe
Mt. Pitt Star route
Butte Falls, Ore.
Speed for Pups
To the Editor:
On my porch, I sit and spy
The boys as they go racing by
On Bikes of any age or kind
While chase their pups a
block behind.
The little curs, all out of
breath,
Might even run themselves to
death.
And so the boyS should cease
to go
At such a clip, but travel slow
Enough so any common pup
Should have no trouble keep
ing up.
Quietus
(Name on file)
Medford
The Difference
To the Editor: In attempts
to justify Governor Hatfield's
use of his administrative as
sistant, Travis Cross, as his
political campaign master
mind, the Hatfield forces
around the state arc compar
ing Cross with Tom Wright,
who was administrative as
sistant to Governor Holmes.
Since Tom Is now out of the
the state on Army duty, I
am grateful for the privilege
of setting the record straight.
There is a vast difference
between the personalities and
goals of Wright and Cross, and
in their service in the Ex
ecutive Department. The key
to the contrast is in the gov
ernors themselves. For
Holmes the governorship was
the climax of his political
career; for Hatfield the gov
ernorship may be the step
ping stone to the U.S. Senate
or the White House.
Cross is a press agent, a
pitchman of truly extraordi
nary talents. He is motivated
by the personal political am
bitions of his Idol, and his
personal devotion to Hatfield i
is unquestioned. His job is
to make Hatfield look good,
and his success in promoting
Hatfield as a glamorous na
tional figure is obvious. Na
tional publications, such as
L'S.vi. pay tribute to Cross's
political craftsmanship.
Tom Wright, on the other
hand, ' a working newsman.
His is the cool, dispassionate
detachment of a professional
reporter, which drives poli
ticians Into frenzies of frustra
tion. He is not given to het'i-
worship, and his motivation
Youth Festival Embaarrassing To Finns;
Their Political Neutrality Offended
By PHIL NEWSOM
UP1 Foreign Newt Analyst 1
Helsinki-fUPD - Just across
from Finland's Parliament
building atands a statue
erected to tne
memory of
Field Marshal
Carol Gustaf
M a nnerheim,
the national
hero who as
sured Fin
land's Inde
pendence from Russia.
A street and
been named
ft
Newsom
museum have
after him. The state-owned
Marskl Hotel takes its name
from the affectionate nick
name grateful Finns bestow
ed upon him.
A few blocks to the east
is the domed magnificence of
the Lutheran Cathedral, one
involves such abstract Ideals
as the necessity for an in
formed public in a democracy.
Wright's assignment In the
governor's office was similar
to his present assignment on
the Oregon Statesman staff:
his job was to inform the peo
ple about their state govern
ment. Wright was specifically
ordered by Governor Holmes
to stay out of politics. Tom
did not attend governors' con
ferences with Holmes; he
stayed at the Statehouse and
minded the store. He wrote
no campaign news releases.
He did write a special New
York Times supplement, pro
He did help produce films
about how state institutions
work. He wrote a great many
informative news releases
about state affairs. If, as a re
sult of his work, the people of
Oregon know something more
about their government, then
that was all he wanted.
Mrs. Tom (Marguerite)
Wright
3565 Hulsey Ave. SE,
Salem, Ore.
What Is Needed
To the Editor: The following
lines, titled, "What the Church
Needs" were adapted by L. A.
Wilcox in his new book enti
tled "Now Is the Time." Mr.
Wilcox has granted me per
mission for use of these
thought provok.ing lines
Many of you readers I'm sure
would appreciate the senti
ments expressed in them.
i
A city full of churches, fine
speakers, learned men,
Grand music, choirs and or-gans-if
all these fail, what
then?
Good workers, busy, earn
est, who labor by the hour-
But where, oh where, my
brothers, is God's almighty
power?
Of talent and equipment we
have the very best,
The programs extra special
by any kind of test;
"Our features are unusual;
we offer crowds the most"-
Btit what we need, my
brothers, is God, the Holy
Ghost!
Our organization's hum
ming, our methods have ap
peal, Glad hands, good press re
lations, our modern reach re
veal, Our sermons, pictures, prizes
-the crowds must surely win
But what we need, my
brothers is victory over sin!
Where is the Holy Spirit
that wakes the slumbering
soul?
Where are the troubled wa
ters In which sinners are made
whole?
No modern innovation, no
skill or earthly art,
Can really stir the hidden
depths, or change the human
heart!
Large congregations nightly
-but where, my brothers, pray,
Is the holy breath of Heav
en that was promised for
today?
The crowds may come for
eloquence, the seats may all
be filled-
But where are those upon
their knees, self emptied,
Spirit-filled?
Where are the people tarry
ing for cleansing and for
power?
Where arc the Intercessors
for a Pentecostal shower?
Where is the old repent
ance? Where are the wrongs
confessed?
Where is the living witness
of lives transformed and
blessed?
Baptisms, some-of water
but what of faith and love?
"New members added to the
church "-but whom to Christ
above?
Where are the men and
women in travail for the lost?
Oh, what we need my broth-
of the imposing buildings of
Europe.
Together, the cathedral and
the memory of Mannerhelm
may be taken as symbols of
today's Finland which is re
ligious, conservative and with
a fierce pride in independ
ence. To these qualities harsh
reality also has dictated the
necessity of firm neutrality.
It is ironic, then, that in
the last days, by ship and
by plane, have been arriving
delegates to a festival which
most Finns heartily wish were
being held somewhere else
and which many feel is a viol
ation not only of Finnish hos
pitality but also of Finnish
neutrality.
Although some of the dele
gates are remarkably elderly
this is to be the 8th inter
national youth festival which
last was held in Vienna, also
a neutral capital, and which
is another of those fronts
common to the infiltration
tactice of world communism.
The Finnish National Union
of Students served notice in
advance that its 12,000 mem
bers would refuse to participate.
ers, is another Pentecost!
What we need is altars that
glow with holy flame,
What we need is vessels
brimming to the glory of His
name,
What we need is full sur
render to the wonder of His
grace,
When God sees His church
reflecting the full image of
His face!
"Outdoor Pictures," of Es
condido, Calif., is the pub
lisher of the volume from
which the above was taken.
Henry Johnson Jr.,
2315 Highway 66,
Ashland, Ore.
Bless the Players
To the Editor:
When the sun sets on the
Rogue Valley Hills,
Breath taking beauty com
bines with the thrills
Of watching the "Maids" and
the "Medford Colts" too,
Take on all comers in that
Indigo Blue.
You're so grateful and happy,
you think you've struck
radium,
Sitting out there at Memorial
Stadium,
Abner Doubleday invented
the game,
And Henry Chadwick brought
fame to the same.
So the future "greats" of our
national pastime
Are playing ball at Camp
White's fast time,
The patches of snow from
McLoughlin are gone,
But late into August they're
chanting that song.
"Take me out to the ball
game,"
To yell for those potential
stars.
Their careers are unlimited,
They may wind up on Venus
or Mars.
So bless all the players that
shoot for the moon,
Their prayers will be answered
and they'll be there soon,
To play with whatever is up
there on high,
And win all the games in that
Aqua-blue sky.
Fred A. Babcock,
V. A. Domiciliary,
White City, Ore.
Try and Stop Me
By BENNETT CERF
EDITOR TOM DREIER tells about a Missouri school
superintendent who chose this method to present "a
picture of the world his students could understand." If, said
the superintendent, the
almost-three-billion per
sons in the world were
compressed into a singie
town of 1000 people, the
following contrasts could
be seen: 60 persons
would represent the U.
S. A., 940 all the others.
60 Americans would re
ceive one-half the in
come, 940 the other half.
303 would be white, 697
non-white. The 60 Amer
icans would have a life
expectancy of over 70,
the others of under 40.
The 60. Americans would consume 15 per cent of the town's
food supply, and the lowest income group of the Americans
would be better off than the average of the 940. The 60
Americans would have 12 times as much electricity, 22 times
as much coal, 21 times as much oil, 50 times as much steel,
and 50 times as much equipment as all 940 remaining mem
bers of the town. Still feeling sorry for yourselves?
On a transcontinental plane trip, somebody asked a chewing
gum tycoon why he continued to advertise so extensively, when
his business already was a fantastic success. "For the same
reason," he replied, "that the pilot of this plana keeps the en
gines running when we're already 29,000 feet up in the air."
A well-travelled barfly was telling Boniface Toots Shor about
the restaurant at the Seattle Fair that revolves. "Stick around,'"
boomed Toots. "I can do the same thing for you right here."
Jack Fuller discovered a rare two-volume edition of the Essays
of Montaigne that evidently never had been opened, since the
pages were still unsiiced. "Oh, yes," nodded the bookseller, "thi
ta the uncuttest kind of all."
C 193. tr Bennett Ctrl. nut"-UtJ by Klnf futures Smdiiats
The Finnish government
also made It clear it had no
wish to host an event of sole
ly political orientation, organ
ized principally by foreign
authorities.
So it was with obivous con
tempt of Finnish students,
that the Iron Curtain organ
izers of the festival formal
ly announced that it would
In the Day's News
By FRANK JENKINS
Monday's big event was the
first exchange since the world
began of LIVING PICTURES
between the Old World and
the New World.
THE SHOW was presento-i
in two halves - like a
football game.
Europeans watched Presi
dent Kennedy in action at a
news conference in Washing
ton. During the second half
of the show, North American
viewers could watch the pro
gram put on for us on the
other side of the world.
WHY two halves?
The answer is quite
simple.
The first half was present
ed on Telstar's orbit which
crosses the Eastern part of
the United States during the
time when President Kenne
dy's news conference was be
ing held.
The second half, in which
we watched what was present
ed from the other side of the
world, occurred some three
hours later, on Telstar's next
orbit. In the interval between
the two shows, Telstar went
clear around the earth.
As of now, there is only
ONE Telstar. At some time
in the future, there will be
many Telstars, so that pro
grams can be presented more
or less continuously.
ON THIS side of the big wa
ter, four networks pre
sented the show - NBC, CBS
and ABC, in the TS., and
the Canadian Broadcasting
corporation in Canada.
On the other side, the show
was transmitted by Eurovis
ion, the network which ties
18 European nations together.
Questio"n1
Was the program car
ried by Intervision, the chief
network for the Communist
bloc?
Presumably not. Russia
takes no chances in the way
of letting her people see how
the people in, the FREER
parts of the world live. There
is a possibility that certain
areas in Communist East Ger
many can pick up West Ger
man transmissions, but listen
ers will do so at their own
risk. They may be arrested
and thrown in jail for watch
ing. Such is communism.
ANOTHER question
Can TV be jammed?
The answt is that 1'. can
be. Presumably it will be -Just
as radio is jammed. The
communist rulers of Russia
will probably reason that if
the Russian people can look
in every day on the doings of
common, everyday Ameri
cans they may start in asking
why they can't have the
things that Americans have
and do the things that Ameri
cans do.
That would be bad for
communism.
be held in Helsinki.
The advance program ad
vertises sporting events, con
certs and discussion groups,
the latter being most import
ant to the organizers who
push a line ranging from
peaceful coexistence to "bet
ter Red than dead."
Finnish authorities hope
fervently that the next week
will pass peacefully and then
go with as little notice as
possible Into history.
But with turbulent events
of the Vienna festival in mind,
they also have cancelled all
police leaves.
Strictly
Personal
By Sydney J. Harris
(c Field Enterprises Inc.
TV's DEBRIS
This spring I began m;- 18th
year of writing a daily col
umn. In that time, its reader
ship has in-,
creased slow,
ly but stead
ily through
out the coun-"
try.
Suppose,
however, that
I had begun
a similar
venture o n .
Hams t e 1 e v i sion. ..
The chances are overwhelm"?
ing that within one season it
would have been knocked off .'
and replaced by something
else.
This is the main grievance ;
that performers and writers,
have against the television.'
medium. In its mad scramble
for "numbers," for large and
immediate audiences, it hys-,
terically lops off many pro
grams before they have a
chance to grow and develop, .
to win loyal and regular au-
diences. r
,.
A television show must i:
be an immediae success, '
or perish. It must show a
high rating and must pull
in additional business for i
4WUIU, no urns, lor cumvai
ing a program, for allow- '"
ing it to find its own audi
ence and to become a
steady habit.
Television today is a "
mad game of musical '
chairs; every lime "le mu
sic stops, somebody is '
squeesed out. Programs
come and go with startling .
rapidity; and talent with- '
ers and dies under such
summary treatment.
Suppose my publisher
had said to me afler my
first year, "I'm sorry but
we have to discontinue
your column - it's not
drawing as many reader
as the comic strips or the
crossword p u 1 1 1 e or the
sports pages. We're going
to hare to try soi..ebody
else."
Obviously, it takes time
for a feature to catch on, to
find its proper niche, to build
a cohesive and responsive
audience. This is true for any
medium - and especially true
for a medium as elusive, as
evanescent, as television, in
which viewers have not yet
built up any patterns of loy
alty or rhythmic habits of
watching.
And the more the networks
shuffle around their pro
grams every 13 weeks, tha
more difficult will it become
to instill these patterns and
habits In the audience. The
constant search for novelty
is self-defeating; and, ulti
mately, it becomes a game of
follow the leader - if one
Western is successful, ten
others imitate its formula
slavishly; if one medical
drama makes a hit, a dozen
others become gross carica
tures of It.
Part of the trouble, ot
course, lies in the insatiable
appetite for material in tele
vision: the medium devours
talent by the ton, simply in
order to keep a picture on
the screen 18 hours a day,
seven days a week. With such
volume, most of it has to be
trash; but the non-trash
must be given a chance to
compete over the long haul,
or television will be buried
alive under the avalanche of
its own debris.
Bankers Life Names
New General Agent
Theodore E. Holmes, 4425
Jacksonville highway, was re
cently appointed a general
agent by Bankers National
Life Insurance company.
As a general agent, Holmes
will offer complete insurance
service. Before joining the
company, he was with Mutual
Benefit Life Insurance com
pany and the John Hancock;
Mutual Life Insurance com,
pany.
He Is president of Theodore
E. Holmes and Associates, a
member of the National asso
ciation of Life Underwrite
and the Elks.