INSIDIE AN ON CHRISTMAS

p-Y GORDON CILMOUR'S#

/£pii3onT)iary
Santa tells of his
They're drinking toasts

I .joys and woes to

LONDON,
toiling
Wednesday.—
coal
This is
miners
a bad week for corny
crooners, slinky starlets, .dizzy , "debs." and other publicity
"
,"/ '. T/ '/ . r.. '. ... ' . .... .. . V '?'/ /l
- hounds, whose legs or teeth normally dominate the front
pages of Britain's newspapers.
in a sort of gildedcage in a well-known
ENTHRONED
toreVloy department, SantaGlaus has been- dis . The accent this w.eek is on. pro- ,
and the /only 'i sure."'way.
....Before he left London,
,-iil had a secret /consultattpn-
Chureh-
with
duction,
pensing cheerand wary promises to 1000 children' a to get into print is to /be photo King Michael of Rumania— ri'eWs
graphed beside a lump/ of coal. . ; . .of which has -just coirie. to /light.
dqy since November 17. The whole country. '"is talking- ' The young King slippedaway
— riot' . from -
coal,: coal and still more coal the Rumanian Embassy '
in -the grumbling fashion- of last . guards and sought Churchill's ad
winter, but with a "new /and al-- vice on' whether or not' he should
He will continue his. Solomon- most incredible optimism. . retut-n' to Rumania. v .
f
.. :Mr.' The advice he got was charac-
/ like work until Christinas Eve. ..LOWE frowns. This change in outlook happen-:
af.S' pm, he rises
By MUNGO \ MacCAJLL UM . "Littlp! boys sometim'es ask for . f'ed with fantastic suddenness. For- : teristically /Churchillian: Winston
.ft. Punctually:
from
dol IS. .1 say Ittl . try Ato. get . them ' months' everyone who could, read .: . tolif him- gravely that the prime
'I majestically and retires a boy-doll.". . ' ... . Britain , duty of a man, and. especially of
known that for it .was ;
ken until LO. o'clock' sharp . , Sir. . Lowe is an experienced ' ;has - a king/ was'/to show courage.
//childish ' the ruthless question of "Coal or
' - Santa. He. did the job last year, and for months / 'Michael; later . had a ,;.further
next day. : . . ... Coljapse," every
secret consultation .with Foreign
we but wouldn't have' it'on this time one feared it might be collapse.
/ Rather shyiy, one afternoon, " Minister Bevin; I hear that- both
-
.. without some- inducement;,: " /. Then,' like a magnum Of heridy
/: tracked him. He squeezed through . "It's . .a really / hard, tedious., . champagne, the last . few / /Churchill and Bevin -were tre-
and dis-.. came the
Vj, canyon of cupboards. chore,": he/explains, '"three 'hours, coal / riieridoiusly . impressed .by
weeks?' high production modesty -and straightforwardness
/.appeared/ into :a; wall. . We found ; talking continuously in the after-/-'
' , . figures./ / / ;/' / / ' :of Michael.'-.
noon/ two ;in 'the morning. I use'
r.a door and knocked. - It -may be because of "the 'Christ-
to. entery. we - my norrinal voice" — an agreeable
it may be plain, wish-
ft" Boyishly; bidderi " I couldn't ;. mas .spirit;
baritbrie— ' do .'it other-. . Sad qnd bright
i/found Santa; diSrobing in 'a tiny wise. ful t h:i n king,
and ' :but .in London spots for Xmas
room, cluttered., with toys "Sometimes :I want to go to
' " , pubs .tt|is week Christmas .shopping is reaching
vcyuletide- props. L sleep. : The. other day -1; could- -feel- . they, are raising a. fantastic, crescendo, and in the
my .nerves -going. ..I. thought, /I'll of
go . crazy;' -/ So I came out for - their pints
- bit
'West End stdres it has become
mild-and of the survival
He turned out to be
three
,'ette.":
minutes
' ' and had
1
a "cigar-
.
ter.' in a toast
a question
. fittest. Never has Christmas,
'
of the
been
to the
.none other than Mr. Frank Lowe,, miners, as commercialised as 'this.
arid: cheerfully In streets, are selling
of the North Shore,, 9 . years . .of, - ' ' o tangerines
: age, tall, "medium , Apparelled' for p i./n i n g: at half a crown per lb., and Brazil
fresh-faced, the '-'We'Ve turned
road,' ; Mr. Lowe hangs up. / nuts /at ; 12/6- per lb.—or 6d a nut
weight, ahd. cheerful— even minus his costume— ' red .. satin, rabbit-, the;
'
corner at long' last./',: .
-" - ?!yeri:
-. Old Man Santa Claus has
a- fine figure of a in/ .this balmy -mental atmos- with'
; ; his habiliments, 'trimmed. becbirie; tairited lucre, and
: man.. . ; , ,-.'/>'/ "Rather a neat suit,", he says, phere/ of April in; December, in ' Vsoriie,, . tby;/ /stores . they are
/. is being
.with.. quiet '.'The 'best in. ... broadest grin in /town children' for the privilege
As he -resumed :the character of pqide.
- specially, worh by War Minister "Manny"
/charging'
. of- .'shaking hands with the old
he told us ' " . Sydney, made, ; No, I /"
' , Shiriwell,
Lowe; man-aborit-town, heyer feel hot, even with/the wig . whose hotly-debated ' man/iri 'the scarlet/ coat and white
of his work:/ ''I'm doing .'.llOO- kidsi " '- policy While Fuel Minister riow " / -:/-./:
; ' /arid Beafd. .. Usually cool, in fact."
a day ' now/ but I can do up to ' ' - ; looks.r)ike being .vindicated. . beard/
;. There is on'e;. bright
1800. "When there's a queue, I the mother,; ,If; she. 'shakes' her . As we ponder this"phenomenon,
in the - spot on the
/Mr/ Not far behind Shiriwell horizon r- >ri / /Trafalgar
head/ 1- say no." .///- Lowe; dons ' his overcoat. We Square.
turn over six .'aminute. When- '
' "But him. . cheerfulness , is "England's a site for
there are .only' a/few; I give them some of these mothers are ' apologise.;: for /detaining
one-man'
stakes
/ dynaffib//:/Sir. Stafford Workmeri/are; preparing
"That'? dll- right," he says, . "not .
. as much as' 20 seconds each. just gigsthey;,just;.look or laujjh." ' Who Has r actually , been
' ' six/' o'clock yet. . Goori-riight," /. . ' ;Cri'pps, .mas/z/tree, /-pre- I
..' "Average ' . age is four to seVen, Parents 'seen 'to' sriiile' twice/ in. the last sente'b by :Nor- 'I
"pre ' a .terrible niiisance, ; ;. ; '.And leaving us to. follow, Mr.
but they range from" six . months Lowe strides . seven days. . 7 . . ;> . way 'for/-: Lori- I
are you know." When 'th"e kids are purposefully away,
' '
16. Yes, even" 16-year-olds ' prist/ his : deserted don's kiddie's.
: to to have sliy, /-.mothers them closer palace, still
US dcjllgirs
brought 'by- their/mothers push' rind ;the, expensive toys
tikr . It/--Will- be- :top- I
. .. and /scare; ihem'iworse,;. ahd ''they ', .jshiniiig,
a look 'at mfcr-it'6isilly, really; which . salesgirls are - reverently ; ped with snow 1
start : screaming, . Makes you- feel Churchill's tf'ft
. "The eldest,' are the worst," : draping- Tor the night. .- -—brought f-r o'-m-l
a gig. And they/talk f or the kid ./ Meariwhiie, Mr. Churchill, al-
Mr. Lowe adds ."bitterly; "they Oslo, and de- I
—they -ask for dozens .'rifth irigs - V.tjiough out. of town, iili;ln ,the., coi-ated with
. giggle— and make you .feel »
' the kid won't get... . Sometimes'' I .; rie.ws. .Some critics//are, : carping

[?]
of
gig. . '/ ,Y feel like ' :saying, 'I'll . choke you about his Moroccan ti'ip arid.ask-.
hundreds
in a minute'." . , ' iairy-iignts. .. '
-'There's, ho difference between ing why he should be - -allowed At London's
'
the : -.'iisual
' .GPO;
the little tots. But the bigones-T-I Among crowds of mothers",
: / the ; privilege of taking '/sterling ' ' pathetic collection of ; letters, : a'd-
could sometimdS choke the girls, . . Mr. .Lowe;
' sees; about; so fathers . '
Salads are easy to grow, but
' 'abroad, . dressrid' "Santa .Claris,, care of
Definitely. I get rid of. them the are of better flavor and textrire' The truth is that all -Churchill's
a". day; They usually'- make a GPO,"- is accumulating in th'e lost-
nicest way I can." crack, like "How
. when' grown on rich soil with expenses on the trip,' including; letter room: . The letters Willi be
' sympathetic adequate watering. Lettuce, those of his daughter and secre
would a schooner ro?!' going back in the next few days
cress, mustard, radish, /endive taries, are being paid/for in; good to 'broken-hearted little
Most . popular girls', and
Knotting his tie
boys arid
request among
is
and "white' onions .are quick to . honest American dollarsL-by /the
" boys,"
-
:,'//
girls; surprisingly, mature. ..' Beetroot/' cucuiriber of "Life1,"- -.which;
I 'the he# Windsor way, with care-
tents.
'
and tomato
proprietors
>bought-.: the /Next spring Britons will be able
/less skill,; Sir. Lowe he, gets- take longer, to grow serial rights of ?his , to- read, the personal war diary
I says,
I three- or four letters a day;;. It was the same last year, Mr. ,. but keep up continuous sup- .. iook abput .the war. ' of Goebbels. ; The / publishers,
i.hly N He has gone to MarrakesH/
I /"L/SajftlUl-. attend to it. But I Lowe recalls. "All ages down to. .. . pnes. . . on Hamish, Hamilton,, are - now get
them. "OLD JACK." to com-
hever'promise anything-.- Boys. five-year-olds.want Funny/-; ' the,, edge of. the Sahara, ' ting it ' ready for publication.
; might 'ask for something isn't it?" plete the ' .first volume of it. :-j - y '
I costing
I look at t: ' -- Odd . Points: Best man at the
I >20 quiff— a bike, say.
I :;1Y :' . Royal wedding, Marquess of il-
> ford Haven, has been, seen aro. A

I / ( SCIENCE QUESTION") Todtiy's Peterson < . .» A Sydney view / , night spots' squiring/lush
tha
">le
me
;Lrindis. . . . . Fewer,
/ British . family' in /four w ,' sit
' j . dowhc to Christinas /dirin of

Why do
,
: Tutkey; . goose,/ duck/ br chi :en.
- /'// ;Hbard '.irt queue: -"He- bust
';; be aV Blackateer or - millv iaire.

i dream? He's giving

. dred. cigarettes
his girl friend: Y hun-
and 'a bottle of
B When we go to sleep our
..Scotch for Christmasi" \'-\t
! bodies relax and are at Test, .
|
I but the mind almost never-
| entirely stops working. '
V . ureams are uneu miiueiiucu Cuiet motnent —
8 . by -physical conditions. Too
I :
:
much heat or cold,, even loud [?]
/noises may alter the shape and -life is 'good and
I color of our dreams. . . ."jrHNK '
you will find- ;it'- so ; will to
. These sounds .and sensa- succeed -— and watch' your
j '
1 tions penetrate to the picture- -troubles 5go. "In every un-
| making part of the mind with- 'seeri turn 'of chance youPmind
| out waking us, and the mind cnn -.-ti'ile
' the circumstance: and
I at once builds' a scenario. - when linked
faith and hope
B . around them. , ' will can rout defeat —
with
I , A door that has been ,'siid- you're victor still. Turin the
I . shut hurt
denly slammed by ' the blind eye to things that
B wind may become a gun fired and: sear, look- for the-best and
B : by a bandit in our dream, or , , say good-bye. to fear; just keep
I i in the tempera- the happy you find in
'/a -sh'arp?:drop things
S . ture of the "room may inake us. 'the harvest of , the day, . let the
I i . dream/that we /are/wandering other things go by— and God
I through the -chilly r criverns of/ ;- will bless your way. ...
/ 'an iceberg.;. —southern cross.

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