Rewarding Experience

    Ad executive Henry Mayers and his wife came home from a trip to southeast Asia about a year ago appalled by the deluge of printed propaganda they saw extolling communism and attacking this country.

    To help counteract it they started Magazines for Asia, a self-sustaining project wherein Americans who wish may mail, at their own expense, discarded magazines to designated people in foreign countries.  (For details, write Box 3196, Hollywood 28, enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope.)

    JOHN AND CELIA PALEY of Hollywood, who send Newsweek and Life to the Ramachandran family in Calcutta, have just received from Mrs. Jeya Ramachandran a grateful, friendly letter containing this paragraph:

     "It is with profound sorrow I write that I had to give up my job on the grounds of ill health.  I was all of a sudden afflicted with rheumatism and became immobile.  By God's grace I am much better now.  Anyway, each lapse in career is like the letting fall of a ball of string which one is carefully winding up, a single slip undoes more than what a great many turns will wind again.  Let me look at the brighter side of life.  After all, life is not black in itself, but we persist in looking at it through fear-smoked glasses.  Failure is only in failing to act."

    As others, the Paleys are finding the magazine-sending experience as rewarding as it is to the recipients.

    A MAN PHONED  the APCD yesterday and  said he'd heard on the radio that light eye irritation was forecast, but it was so clear he wondered if there would be any smog.   He sounded disappointed. 

    He was told there had been a  change in the weather.   A stronger wind than expected had come up and blown away the naughty olefins.

    He was sorry to hear that.  "I have a theory," he said, "that we wouldn't have all this flu if we had our regular smog."

    My, my.

     BABY SITTER
My charge is a buck and a
    half
When I mind the small
    baby
But my fee is just one buck
If the small baby minds me.
        –AULYN E. KANSTON

    IT IS downright uncomfortable here in the doghouse, where I was consigned for scoffing at the liquor chain letter.  As reported a few days ago, one gal who followed directions received 16 fifths of whisky, another 13.  Now a Van Nuys lady named Jane writes, "My husband got into the liquor chain on Jan. 7.  Within 24 hours he had his first call.  As of today (Jan. 26) we have received 18 bottles.  We really hit the jackpot.  But it looks as if the chain has now completely broken down." 
   
Okay, I'm crawling out.

    THE OLD hometown newspaper can sometimes be your best entertainment.  As evidence, Jim Hyde sends along this notice of a  public sale in the Clinton (Mo.) Eye:

    "As we sold our home and are moving away, we will sell at auction the following described property at the home, located 2 miles off Highway 7, 2 miles east of Coal, 1 mile north of Hinken's store, 1/2 mile west of Shady Grove schoolhouse, on Tuesday, Jan. 19."

    These lyrical directions are followed by a list of about 50 household articles including these:

    "Several chairs.  Large collection of whatnots.  A few ceramics, good.  Several wagon wheels.  Large copper funnel used in making moonshine . . . Terms:  Cash.  Nothing to be moved until settled for.  Lunch served by the Coal Community Club.  Phillip E.Pawley, Owner."

    All in all, a wonderful word picture.

    FOOTNOTES — Mrs. Bertha Homler still shudders at recollection of an incident at a movie matinee to which she accompanied her children.  Passing the candy bar, she heard a boy of 10 shout to a pal, "Hey, Bill, I'm getting the refreshments — you pick us up a couple of good girls!" . . . The day before the President headed for Palm Springs, J.W.Culbreth saw a truck and trailer headed that way with this line written in dust on the rear: "A load of golf balls for Ike."