Editoriaily Speaking The Bridge-Table Tribunal There is nothing, so far as we know, more cowardly or harmful than the useless, degenerate habit of gossiping or spreading Old Wives’ Tales. there is probably no pursuit iastically practiced. And at the same time more assiduously and enthus- More innocent men and women have been crucified on back fences than were ever cross. nailed in martyrdom to the Thousands upon thousands of reputations have been irrevocably besmirched and whole lives ruined by wagging, malicious tongues. The good men and good works hampered and blackguarded by folks whose imag- ination and natural propensity for invention run far ahead of their capacity for the truth are legion. - A lethal bomb is a puny whispered preface: Gossip is like a snowball rolling down a mountainside. weapon compared with the “Now here’s the way I heard it.” A bitter misstatement may become an avalanche of abuse and persecution. A man may argue with his wife in the morning. By noon he beat her cruelly. By mid-afternoon he threatened to kill her. about the house with a kite At suppertime he chased her hen knife. And by the next morning the vigilantes are out. Most unfortunate of all, it seems that malicious gossip and outlandish conjecture are most prevalent at such times when they can be the most dangerous and harmful. When people are keyed up emotionally the most irrational presumptions are given credence. A sly supposition spread about at the wrong moment may easily lead to the brutish and blindly cruel workings of a mob. Tragedies beget such thin horrible crime was perpetrated in this county. A few years ago a ale It still gs. remains unsolved. Yet at the time of its occurrence more than a dozen men stood wrongly accused by wagging tongues. Fortunately, none were personally molested. But the loss of reputation and stigma of suspicion will remain with them until their dying days . . . merely be- cause too many wrought-up people were willing to believe the worst, propounded by individuals who actually knew nothing. Just as everywhere else, the back-fence experts of Dallas work overtime, too. than we do. No one knows that better, probably, Week after week countless items come to our attention which prove on re-check to be nothing more or less than just boundless, unmitigated gossip, manufac- tured out of whole cloth. Not long ago some wild, im- probable tale of bombs being distributed through the mails by one of the local carriers even reached the city papers . . . the work of some Dallas gossip at his or her best, at a time when even the remotest suspicion of a for- eign plot is enough to permanently harm an innocent man. The whispered word is a juggernaut, for it works in a realm that cannot be controlled. A thoughtless remark can grow like an ugly mushroom into a shout of hate. We have no courts of inquisition in this country . . but we do have bridge tables, which can be—and often are—the most deadly tribunals of all. Why the knowing winks and sotto voice malingering of gossips must wield such a mighty influence is more than we know. It’s a rather forcible comment on the intelli- gence and character of people who take stock in such stuff—and we all do, more often than not. It is an easy matter, after all, to check back and get the truth. And if the truth i isn’t available, perhaps it just isn’t any of our business. FROM. PILLAR TO POST By Mgrs. T. M. B. Hicks, Jr. With so many nationally-advertised brands of this and that sponsoring prize contests im the weekly magazines, there is no adequate reason why anybody with a shred of writing ability should fail to gather in a good fat lump sum of money, or in lieu of that a monthly income for the de- clining years. able facsimile thereof, finish out the fifth line of a limerick, and live in luxury for the rest of your days. Remember, darling, how we wrote a little jingle on the back of an en- velope, and now our financial wor- ries are over forever? That thirty dollars a week is allowing us to live in a new little bungalow on Easy Street. It insures a college educa- tion for our four children and pays off the wolves of debt which have always yapped so distressfully at our heels. Qur pantry shelves are stocked abundantly with Ivory soap, guar- anteed to be ninety-nine and forty- four one hundredths per cent pure. The soap has been vastly improved by a secret chemical change in the formula during the last three months, but as it is still ninety-nine and forty-four hundredths per cent pure, the manufacturers must have slipped in a little something as an antidote to the extra goodness. All the cakes of soap are minus their outer jackets, because their outer jackets have gone to Cincinnati at the rate of two a day, one large wrapper and one small wrapper. Each .convoy of jackets guarded a delightful bit of literature, calcu- lated to melt the heart of the stout- est judge, and bring home the bacon in the shape of a weekly grand prize of five hundred dollars, with a fur- ther possibility of a super-prize of twenty thousand dollars in hard cash or a monthly income for life. Just write any old thing, urges the soap company, write it on scrap paper, or on typewriter paper, or on the margin of the morning news- paper, in longhand or shorthand or printing. Who knows what judge may look upon the most modest en- try with a gleam in his eye, and shout “Eureka! This is what we have been waiting for. This, and this alone, is destined to sell soap to the Great American Public. This sentence is calculated to make every housewife in America rush to the nearest chain-store and stand in line, if need be, in order to stock her shelves with Ivory soap.” ‘Being a methodical soul, and wishing to do the thing properly, leaving no stone unturned in my quest for riches, I got a book out (Continued on Page 8) The soap ads fairly bubble with a lather of inducements. Send in one wrapper, or a reason-® 2nd Meningitis Case Averted Quick Treatment Saves Dallas Township Girl The quick action of a local phy- sician last week may have prevent- ed a second spinal meningitis fatal- ity in the Dallas Area, When Irene Stofila, 15-year-old Junior at Dallas Township High School and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Stofila of Fernbrook, was ill. Wednesday afternoon and returned to her home, she was stricken immediately treated with a power- ful spinal meningitis remedy by Dr. Malcolm Borthwick. A culture of her spinal fluid was taken by Dr. Hayden Phillips and submitted to Kirby Health Center, where no trace of the dread germs were reported discovered. It was suggested, however, that the power- ful medicine administered by Dr. Borthwick may have eliminated the disease before it had a chance to spread. Miss Stofila has been confined to her home, located on the Goeringer plot in Fernbrook, and cultures tak- en from all members of her family, including her parents and four brothers and sisters. No other symptoms of the disease have developed and the young girl is reported to be in excellent condi- tion this week. Squire John Yaple, State Health Inspector for this area, claims there is no cause for alarm among residents of Dallas township. A Wilkes-Barre girl, Patricia Han- agan of Carlisle street, at whose home Miss Stofila was a visitor about two weeks ago, was reported Tuesday as having spinal meningitis and is being treated at her home. This is considered strong evidence that Miss Stofila was suffering from the disease before receiving treat- ment from Dr. Borthwick. Dnairas Post MORE THAN A NEWSPAPER, A COMMUNITY INSTITUTION 5. Vol. 51 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1941 No. 38 1. markings and numerals on all hemes in Dallas, Shavertown, and Trucksville. 2. Emphasis locally on activities which will train men and women in national defense measures. 3. The installation of fire plugs in Dallas Borough. 4. The construction of a new, short- er highway between Dallas and Har- vey’s Lake before 1942. tion in the Dallas area. 6. More sidewalks. THE POST WANTS: Permanent and legible street Centralization of police protec- Council Will Consider $10,000 / Bond Issue At Meeting Tonight Confronted with a seriously over- taxed budget, members of Dallas Council will discuss tonight the flo- tation of a $10,000 bond issue . . . second largest in the history of the borough . . . it was reported yester- day. The issue has been proposed to offset steady drains caused by the ambitious road im- provement program now being car- ried on and the return of three roads to borough maintenance by ‘the State. Although a $30,000 WPA appro- priation has removed cost of labor from the budget, materials, truck hire and other expenses have run far ahead of normal maintenance expenditures, and with the return of Lake and Church streets and the Dallas-Fernbrook road to the care of the borough, additional funds must be secured, according to Coun- cilman Morgan Wilcox. on finances. If passed, the bond issue may mean a tax increase of three mills to handle interest payments, and amortization will be over a period of at least 15 years. The funds will help finance a road improvement program which has already seen extensive repairs to and which will include ditching and curbing of Norton and Machell ave- nues and Spring street. Work has completed, workmen there will be shifted to Norton avenue. The largest bond issue of the bor- ough . .. $20,000 . . . was floated 20 years ago when the construction of Lake street was undertaken. The debt limit of Dallas, however, has never been approached, and the issue now under consideration can easily be carried by the borough, ac- cording to Mr. Wilcox. Hit-And-Run Principals Hailed Into Domestic Relations Court Harvey's Lake Man Is Involved In County's . Screwiest Case; Lake Cops Protest Ruling Culminating a case that would confound the best legal minds in the country, the principals in a hit-and- run accident which occurred at Har- vey’s Lake last month were this week referred by a Wilkes-Barre Justice of the Peace to a hearing before the Court of Domestic Relations. In- volved in the outlandish proceedings were Harold Boice of Harvey's Lake, plaintiff in the hit-and-run case, and John McGinnis of Cedar Lane, Wilkes-Barre, defendant. At a hear- ing before Squire Joseph Murphy of Scott street, Wilkes-Barre, Tuesday night, both men were ordered to appear before the Court of Domes- tic’ Relations on October 3 . . . a judgment protested in vain by both Chief Ira C. Stevenson of the Har- vey’s Lake police force and his as- sistant, Patrolman Fred Swanson, who argued that Boice and McGinnis were obviously not man and wife and hence not under the jurisdiction of the court. The hearing before Squire ‘Scott (Continued on Page 8) Firemen Discuss f ! Civic Center | Dallas Volunteers Will Wear Crimson Uniforms With an enthusiastic group in at- tendance, the first fall business ses- sion of the Henry M., Laing Volun- teer Fire Company was held Friday night in the hose house on Mill street. Feature of the evening was a gen- eral discussion of plans for a pro- posed community hall and fire house, led by Dr. Frank Schooley. The firemen voted to purchase 25 new dress parade uniforms... which will include bright red shirts and caps and new badges for each mem- ber. Harry Ohlman and Joe Mac- Veigh were commissioned to order the outfits, for which each member will pay $5. It was announced that 300 feet of new hose have been purchased from the Eastern Pennsylvania Sup- ply Company, and foreign fire insur- ance tax payments from the State covering Lehman and Dallas town- ships and Dallas sborough, amount- ing to $242, were acknowledged. Preceding the meeting a fire drill was held at Irem Temple Country Club with 15 members participating. The equipment was in perfect con- dition, and new safety helmets, tried out for the first time at the drill, proved to be a fine innovation. At the next session, 'it was an- nounced, a talk on first aid will be given by Dr. Schooley. TT ETT STOGNER CASE COMES UP TONIGHT AT LAKE AFTER WEEK’S DELAY Postponed last Friday, a hearing on alleged violation of fishery laws committed by Mack A. Stogner of Berwick will be held before Squire Ralph Davis of Alderson tonight. Stogner is charged with neg- ligence in not posting running lights on his sea-plane, which figured last week in a fatal speedboat accident on Harvey's Lake. A summons for his ap- pearance tonight was served on his secretary at Berwick Monday afternoon by Patrol- man Fred Swanson of the Lake police force. The sea-plane, a Taylorcraft which was nearly cut in half by a speedboat last Tuesday night in a collision costing the life of Teddy Frantz, lake real estate man, was taken away by truck Friday. 5 ; Dallas Area Receives $8,250 In Liquor Fees Liquor license fees collected by local municipalities during the six months ending July 31 were refund- ed by the State this week, as a total of $8,250 went into the gen- eral funds of six townships in this section and Dallas borough. Largest sum. went in Lake town- ship, where ‘a local option question was soundly defeated in the pri- maries last week, with 30 business establishments paying a total of $3,500, and the smallest payment, $150, went. to Franklin township. Dallas borough received $300, Dallas township $2,200, Lehman township $1,250, Kingston township $600, and Jackson township $250. Borough receiving the smallest license refund in the county was Courtdale, with $150, while its next- door neighbor, Pringle, equally small in population, was paid $1,500. To Luzerne went $5,900, and Plymouth, receiving $14,450, led all boroughs in the county. Franklin street and Lehman avenue’ already begun on Spring street, and | when the Franklin street project is (a LOCAL DCGS PLACE HIGH AMONG ENTRANTS SUNDAY IN ALLENTOWN FAIR SHOW = Two blue-bloods from this section won high honors in the Lehigh Valley Kennel Club show at the Allentown Fair Sunday afternoon. “Susie,” aristocratic wire- haired terrier of Mr. and Mrs. Oswald Griffith of Machell ave- nue, won best in class, best of breed and placed sixth in best of show when the judges’ de- cisions were handed down, and a Welsh terrier shown by Mrs. Thomas Robinson of Idetown won best in class. im Franklin Retires Post Was Secretary Of I.0.0.F. 31 Years On the eve of his 70th birthday anniversary and rounding out his 40th year as an Odd Fellow, James Franklin this week announced his retirement as secretary of Oneida Lodge, No. 371, I. O. O. F. A testimonial dinner will be given the grand old man of the lodge some time next week in Dallas, with the 22 members of the group joining together in paying tribute to Mr. Franklin and the fine record of ser- vice he attained. Dr. Robert M. Bodycomb has been named chair- man of the dinner, assisted by El- wood McCarty and Elwood Ide. In the entire history of the lodge, which was founded here in 1864, there have been only two secre- taries, the late William Brickel and Mr. Franklin, who was elected to the position in 1910 and served con- tinuously until this week. Mr. Franklin, 70 years old Wed- nesday, has been active not only in fraternal affairs of this community but also in its government, and is retiring this fall from Dallas Council. Mr. Franklin announced his in- tention of vacating the secretary- ship at the annual election of lodge officers Monday evening. New offi- cers include Elwood Ide, Noble Grand; Nelson Shaver, Vive Grand; Elwood McCarty, secretary, and Dr. Bodycomb, treasurer. Lehman Avenue Paved The ditching and resurfacing of Lehman avenue, an undertaking of the NYA under supervision of bor- ough road superintendent Bill Schmoll, was completed Wednesday after nearly two months of work. The level of the street was raised several inches for better drainage, and new catch basins constructed. “Know Your Neighbor” Rev. H. G. Durkin Father Durkin Is Dynamic Leader St. Therese Owes Its Success To Its Pastor From a geographical aspect alone Kiwanis Will Equip Borough Safety Patrol Directors Agree To Buy Standards; Six Man Patrol At Work Furthering the campaign of local service clubs to safeguard school children here from increased traffic hazards, spokesmen of the Dallas Kiwanis Club promised borough ‘| school directors Friday night that the club will purchase complete out- fits for a school boy patrol, includ- | ing sam browne belts, caps and raincoats. James Coates, Harold Flack and i Mert Swartwood, representing the ¢ | Kiwanis, suggested that the school board buy traffic. control standards to aid the patrol in its work, and a resolution for the purchase of the standards was unanimously passed by the board. Six will be bought and placed in pairs at the inter- section of Mill street and the new highway, the bottom of Huntsville road and at Franklin street opposite the high school. Prof. T. A, es supervis- ing principal of Dallas schools, dis- closed at the meeting that a half- dozen boys are already patrolling the three dangerous intersections, land that with Police Chief Walte St. Therese’'s R. C. Church and its | Covert directing traffic Main at Main pastor, Rev. Harold G. Durkin, wield , street and the new highway, they a considerable influence. The more than 1000 parishioners of the Shavertown' church . . . in- cluding those who attend mass at the Our Lady of Victory chapel at Harvey's Lake . . . are drawn from all corners of the Back Mountain region, their homes scattered along miles of lonely country road and in a dozen widely separated towns and hamlets. With its boundaries em- bracing some seven townships in the neighborhood of Dallas, St. Therese’s is easily the most far-flung parish in the Scranton Diocese. And oddly enough the parish. is as noted for its unity and com- munal works as for its great scope. When St. Therese’'s was founded, its members were taken from many churches in the valley . . . Irish, German, Italian, Slovak, Polish, Lithuanian . . . and most of them knew each other solely through the church itself. St. Therese's was not bound together by the natural neighborhood ties of parishes in more thickly settled regions, but rather was amassed from the Cath- olic folk of many different and some- times intensely rival communities. That it has reached any measure of real internal unity is somewhat sur- (Continued on Page 8) American Youth Still Courageous, Says Writer Editor The Post: On the front page of September 12th’s Post I had the pleasure of reading what “a college boy” thinks of the war. I'm a college boy my- self, so I thought it might be worth while comparing our points of view. The main theme put forth by my friend of Sept. 12 is a comparison between the college man of the first World War and his counter- part today. The conclusions are that the young college man 25 years ago had “rich, red blood,” boundless en- thusiasm for army service, and a rather gullible mind; while the col- lege man today is just the opposite —no “rich, red blood,” no enthus- iasm for army service, no gullible mind. At least) that’s what the col- lege man of last Friday's Post tells us. Unfortunately, I disagree on all three points. First of all regarding the “rich, red blood.” The men of 1914-18 had plenty of courage, but do the young men of 1941 have less? Do the young men of the R. A. F. look like a weak-kneed crew ? Do the young British women seem particularly terror-stricken? We all know the answer to that one. Then why presume that the Ameri- can youth of today can’t hold their own? Are we so blasted degener- ate? Give us a chance, we’ll show you, The young man of September 12 tells us that the men of World War days were wild about joining the army. Let's look it over. On July 28, 1914, Britain and France went to war with Germany. Not until almost three years later, on April 6, 1917, did we declare war and begin training an army. Then, after atrocity stories from Belgium, after the sinking of the Lusitania, after indescribable = submarine warfare was under way, after we had de- clared war—then the college men and all the other young men were rip-roarin’ ready to fight. Look at the situation today. The war is barely two years old, organized Ger- man counter-propaganda has just recently been shut off ,indiscriminate sub warfare has hardly begun, we have not declared war. Yet, what do- we find in America? We find a peace-time conscript army, an ex- panding navy, a growing air force, an awakening population. A year ago many young men weren't too enthusiastic about leaving college, or leaving good jobs, and going into the army. Do you think the boys would have been crazy about the idea in the spring of 1915, a year after the first war started? No one wants to drop his salaried position, his family life, his plans for the future unless it seems absolutely necessary—he must pause to think it out. The American people have thought this out for two years now. They've watched Hitler hoodwink the world long enough. They've seen him always have the jump on every- one else. Now the American people are ready to beat him at his own game. Read about the number of enlistments. These boys aren't waiting to be drafted. They're tak- ing the bull by the horns. There's still one more point to be cleared up. It used to be said that the men of 1914-18 were suckers for a slogan like “Save the World for Democracy” Don’t you believe it! They were fighting to save our way of life—freedom of speech, press, religion; trial by jury, cpen elections, and the rest. We have that here now, and in England. It was in France ’till France fell. We have here, and in England, the will to go on and try again—despite the chaos of broken treaties, rearm- ament, depression, and then this Hitler. Many good men have falt- ered. Like the isolationists they have preferred to get away from it all—ostrich-like, to hide their head in the sand. This is the great pity of the 20's and 30's in America. disillusian, defeatism, and cyni- cism hand in hand. The debunkers and misbelievers—those who pooh | | phamphlet “Facts in Review.” that stuff is enough to make any- | pooh when “the American way’ or “democracy” is mentioned. These are men with minds poisoned by a supposed failure and impotency. These are not the stout-hearted men who'll fight for the right—but these are few, thank God. . Most of us are a rather cool-headed, clear-sighted bunch, after all. A few banners and speeches to urge us on will do no harm. Heaven knows we've had enough “tender whisperings” of ap- peasers. Bring on the songs and slogans. We'll cheer for the “Land of the Free, the Home of the Brave” from now ’til kingdom come, be- evening shows. cause we like it. how one college man feels about the war. And I'm not the only one. A year ago I was an anti-intervention man, my room-mate was, my best friend was, and the two boys across the hall were. One of us voted for Norman Thomas because we thought he would keep us out of war. Two cf us were so disgusted at what we called “allied propagan- da” that we becarae regular weekly subscribers to the Nazi Consulate’s Well, body cut loose with a big horse- laugh. So we're all five rearin’ to go now. One in the Navy Air Corps, one in the Army Air Corps, one a Naval Reserve Officer in training, the other two still in college. We may be a little off the cross section, but not muck. Believe me, though, Mr, Sept. 12th, you're way behind thé times. Break down, old man; we need you for this job. And when it's over please forget that tripe about Wall Street ticker tape instead of confetti. You're mistak- ing the tree for the forest. We'd take the confetti any time, wouldn’t we? So what are we waiting for? Let’s go, U.S. A.! Respectfully, Bob Fleming, Dallas, Pa., Saturday, the 13th. | have handled the situation well. According to Mr. Flack, the Ki- wanis is discussing formation of a patrol for Dallas township schools with the township school board, and will also furnish equipment for that group. Uniforms for the Dallas pa- trol will cost about $50 he said. At the business session of the school board, salaries of the three new borough teachers, Melva M. Carl, Robert Henderson and George Lewis, were fixed at $1,200 annual- ly, and it was agreed that uncollec- able per capita taxes for 1934 to 1940 as indicated by Tax Collector Arthur R. Dungey would be exon- crated. J. George Ayre was appointed to get prices for repairs to the gym- nasium, and John T. Jeter prices for repairs to gutters. Three notes due at the First National Bank were ordered paid, and purchase of office supplies amounting to $33 approved. Local Band Plays At Wyoming Fair School Players Give Concert Tomorrow The Dallas Borough High School band will play its first concert of the year Saturday afternoon and evening at Tunkhannock, as one of the main attractions of the Wyo- ming County Fair. The 55-piece outfit, made up of both boy and girl students of the high school and known as one of the best scholastic bands in the county, is scheduled to leave Dal- las tomorrow at 10:30, and is to take the stand on the fair grounds at noon. The concert, directed by the new music instructor at the borough school, Robert Henderson, That's thot, my friend, and that’s | white trousers, of Forty Fort, will be delivered be- tween acts of the afternoon and in uniforms of blue capes, blue vests trimmed in yellow and blue overseas caps; the players lave for Tunkhannock from the school in a caravan of private automobiles. The following pieces will make up the program: “Prestige” and “Dawn Break” by Douglas; “Liberty Nattily arrayed Bell” by Sousa; “March of the Champions” by Huffer; ‘Yare,” an overture by Bennett; ‘Anchors Aweigh;” “Havana,” a Cuban ser- enade by Bennett, and “The Thun- derer” by Sousa. Members of the band include Graydon Mayer, Betty Jones, War- ren DeWitt, Peter Roushey, William Wagner, Thomas Brown, Victor Mc- Carty, Harold Bogart, Betty Welsh, Helen Kocher, Lois Bryant—trum- pets; Bud Nelson, Mary Jane Hislop, John Fink, Robert Moore, Marjorie Wood—saxaphones; Frank Kuehn, Gertrude Moore, Hester Jeter, Don- ald Verfillie, Claudia Shaver, Betty Bryant, Patricia Ferry, Jean Monk— clarinets; Lester McCarty—mello- phone; Kenneth Cosgrove—baritone; Richard Oliver—bell lyra; Alden Le- Grand, Jack Nelson, Arthur Garing- er—trombones; Lewis Kelly, Joseph Urban, Henry Urban, William Still, Edward Tutak, Ralph Templin—per- cussion; Donald Cosgrove, Ralph An- trim—basses; Nancy Swartz—flute; drum major, Robert Moore; drum majorettes, Jane Von Arx, Virginia Ferry, Nancy Hislop.