The Charlotte News
Thursday, July 31, 1941
THREE EDITORIALS
Site Ed. Note: The News today, oh boycott, contemplates out loud the benefit and detriment of taking it to Tokyo forthwith. But hold, it concludes: Morals should inhibit doing that which our itchy trigger fingers might otherwise dictate, lest we become as them. There should be no pre-emptive strike, even if they were continuing to wage war in China, even if they were threatening now from their newly acquired territory in Southeast Asia to extend to the Philippines, the Malay Peninsula, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, Burma, even if they had slapped us in the face in 1937 with the Panay sinking, even if they had now slapped us yet again by bombing another American patrol boat on the Yangtze. We should withstand the insult and maintain the moral high ground, Senator Pepper's exhortation in May, the pregnant implications of the President's recent post-film inquiry to the contrary, notwithstanding. Yet, again, they had, after all, apologized for most grievous and dishonorable error.
Meanwhile, Fortune cookie found in its poll that over half the American people favored aid to Britain even if it meant a shooting war. Nearly three-quarters believed it would take a shooting war to stop Hitler's aggression even to the Americas. Still, however, a small minority only favored a post-war League of Nations, a leadership role for America in post-war peace, or that Germany ought be rendered so weak that it could never again wage war. By war's end, these opinions would vastly change. Too many this time were directly impacted.
And, Congressman Fish ends his 28-day stay at Fort Bragg, returns to Congress to suggest the notion ludicrous, from his hikes in Alaska, that should Germany defeat Russia, it could then pass over the 2.2 mile chasm of the Bering Strait and enter North America. The column thinks otherwise, given the history the previous year in Norway, and, more recently, just the previous spring in Crete. Congressman Fish could, in other words, hold his hiking and hunting lessons between his knees.
In Wilmington, the "Hut Sut Song", from which Cash, said Mary, had found metaphor for his "brawlah-brawlah soo-it" feeling in New Orleans at the end of May, was now translated to the "Hot Shot Song". Just what the "rillerah" became in the latter version is not imparted. But we can fairly interpret: "Hot shot bullfrog on the Raleigh bank in the brawlin' sunshine." We don't know if either the King Sisters or Freddie Martin ever got wind of that version. But we are certain, had they, it would have surely been every bit the hit that, say, "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha Ha" by Napoleon XIV, or "Walking My Cat Named Dog", by Norma Tanega, or "I Love Onions", by Susan Christie, were.
Speaking of which, we're going now to mosey on down to the A&P and get us 5 lbs. of leg o' lamb for a buck-35, a bushel basket of peaches for 85¢, 3 lbs. of cooking apples for a dime, a dozen Ball Mason quart jars--no lids needed, thank you--for 75¢, a 10 lb. bag of sugar for 55¢, a 3 lb. can of Blue Ribbon Malt for 59¢, make that two, a 12 lb. bag of Iona flour for 43¢, two loaves of Vienna bread for 17¢, and, as an aperitif, a 10 lb. ham for $2.70.
There, now, my man, ring that up and call forth the bag boys to tote it home for us.
Yessir, that's right. We got a raise. Ten bucks a week now. And, we're worth every penny.
We have a whole $.92 left over for all the exciting entertainment ahead during the week.
Yes, thank you, too.
Oh, while we're about it, throw in 2 lbs. of those Colorado peas for 19¢. For, my good man, no trip to the A&P would be complete without the complement of some nice peas.
Oh, incidentally, would you happen to have any rose hips?
Fresh out, ey?
Why do we ask? Well, since you inquired, my good fellow, it is so because "earthlier happy is the rose distill'd, than that which withering on the virgin thorn grows, lives and dies in single blessedness".
Oh. Well, now you do.
What did you say, sirrah?
No, we don't need any of your 7-day malaria remedy. They don't have tsetse flies where we're going. They have a whale of a good time, without malaria remedies. But thank you anyway for thinking of us.
Framed Edition
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