8 minute read
wHo ASSAY rH FORE
Secrets loag held deep in the tees of the forests arc being dkclosed todcy by a gtoup of chenists doa'n in Laarcl, ilississippi. Wo*ing tith prominett scientists throtgho$ the clrrl;nFy, thq arc doing tndrcameil.of things nith too&s basic ingreilients. Thq are deteloping na, matqicls (from the heaiest to the lightest meile frcm sood! ), cteating hatdboards yith aa' ttropaties, and discot'*ing nen' rses lot the famors Masonitd Ptesd*oods.*
You have been selling lignin and cellulooe fiber for yeanl tley are the basic materials in all lumber. A unique gun devdoped by Masonite research men separates the two by "explodingf'wood, freeing the fiber in varying degrees of plasticity, and releasing /r'Jnrn-wood's natural cement.
Next, these two materials are bound together at various controlled heats and pres{rur6-to produce, among other things, the ligno-cellulose hatdboards, with new and useful qualitics.
Masonite Presdwoods have glass-like sm@tluress, yet do not shatt€r or crac&.
They take all typ€s ofpaint and bakedon fuiishes, and will not chip or check They do not warp when propedy used. They are stro'ng in orery direction. Carp€nters work them easily with ordinary wood-working tools.
Masonite products are noqr going into more ttran 500 difrerent war jobs, saving rubber, steel, aluminum and other strategic materials.
You can secure ttrem today for warcssential construction after Victory, you'll use and sell them for hundreds of war-developed purposes, in addition to familiar jobs sudr as walls, panels, c€ilings, cabinets, counten, furniture and the like. Masonite Corporation, 111 W. Washington St., Chicago 2, Ill.
On this dawn of a New Year, ivhicil'finds nearly ten million young Americans in uniform and fighting for their lives and ours, it is with some definite reservations that a thinking person says-"HAPPY NEW YEAR." With more than half the world at war and the remainder blanched at the fearsomeness of all this bloodshed and violence, the words ttMerry" and ttHappy" mlust necessarily be used with mental reservations. * ,r *
But we can and do wish our friends of the lumber and building industry wherever they may be, a peaceftrl, hopeful, and thankful holiday season. 
We look back with satisfaction and gratitude to the many kind and friendly acts and words that have come our way during 1943, smoothing our pathway during a trying year. We have tried to make this a journal of practical service during abnormal times; trying by helpful suggestions and unbiased advice to point the way through the fog. We are grateful to our friends for accepting our efforts along that line in so generous a*fashion.
Those of us who hoped that by the end of 1943 the lumber industry would have emerged from the fog and climbed the final hill of wartime conditions, have been doomed to disappointment. It would be foolhardy, indeed, to fail to admit that 1944 opens with more serious problems facing the lurnber industry than prevailed at this time a year ago; or that ever prevailed before in history. Which simply means that the industry must use both its brain and brawn as it never did before, in this continued sunrival of the fittest battle that the war has brought upon us. Wc shall try to continue to point out in these columns, practical and intelligent ways and means by which this battle may be won. .Suffice it to say right here that 1944 is going to be a poor year for the faint-hearted.
So, in place of ah" ";o;; "Happy New Year," we wish our friends in the lumber industry the gifts of high courage, and faith, and sticktoitiveness. May they at dl times be able to work, "Ttt.l live, laugh, and love.
How about having a whistling New Ycar? For the fcllow who knows how to whistlg and whistles, is a benefactor to hurnanity. Just pucker up your lips and whistle. Whistle the poison out of your soul. Whistle the bitterness and despondency out of your heart. Whistle hope. Whistle cheer. You never heard an unhappy man whistle. You ncrrer heard a discouraged man whistle. The old remark about whistling through a graveyard to keep up your courage is all hooey. If you're scared, you can't whistle. Whistling is a sign of courage, hope, joy, faith. So keep whistling.
Hang onto your ,"rr""1r1*lro", and keep it well polished and in working order. That's a fine thought for the New Year. The antideluvian I have the most respect for is that man, whoever he was, who first brought to the world the rqusic of laughter; that rnusic that drives fears from the heart and tears frorn the eyes; the man who first sowed with merry hands the seeds of humor. F'or laughter is the blessed boundary line between man and brute.
I believe in the m"aicirre 1t 1rrir,rr, in the long life of laughter. Every man who brings joy and laughter to his fellows, benefits them. In a world such as \n/e see about us todan anything that causes laughter to triumph over tears, is worth whilc Discard solemnity. It is the brother of stupidity-alv/ays. Show me a solemn man, and I'll show you a dutt and stupid one. That's been my experience' at least, and what better teacher can a man find, trhan experience? I love the man over whose lips flows frequently the mufc of laughter. I don't like sarcasm. I don't care so rnuch for wit. Humor I love. It soothes. There is the same difference between wit and humor that there is between a bcc's sting, and its honey.***
Here's another New Year thought that has some sound sense behind it. Keep yourself fit. Study your physical equipment and keep it in good running order so that you -and not your heirs-may enjoy whatever fruits your offorts may create.
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Dream a bit more this year. Men cursed with too literal minds, rniss a great deal as they go along. Such men are usually so bwy mending their nets that they have no time for fishing.
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We might well pray for some worth-while freedoms for the New Year. Freedom from want, freedom from fear, and the otter fundanental freedoms, have been among the strongest desires of mankind ever since old John Stonehatchet started trying to feed himself and family and carved a cave for a home frorn the hillside. But there are ot'here much to be desired right now. Take freedom to wo,rk, freedom from confusion, freedom from inefficiency, free- dom from power-madness, freedom from political chicanery, freedom from "who-the-hell-caresr" atld various otherE. We could use a lot of those jrlaoms this year.
Helpfulness would be a grand thing to strive for this New Year. For helpfulness is the most dazzling star in the firmament of human characteristics. Helpful people are God's most gracious gifts to society. A man may possess no great gifts of mentality, money, or infuence, but if he is helpful and works at it, he stands shoulder high above the gifted, the rich, and the powerful who lack that spiritual inclination.
Hang onto your balancing pole in 1944. Once upon a time there was a young man who conceivcd the idea of becoming a tight-rope walker. He stretched a wire a foot or so above the ground, got a balancing pole, and forurd that walking on the wire was surprisingly easy. Before long he threw away the balancing pole and proudly declared that he walked the wire as well without it. F'uU of confidence he then stretched the wire from the top of his house to the top of his barn, and started to wdk it. The funeral was largely attended. *
Someone asked Oliver Wendell Holmes one time why he made it a rule always to attend church services on Sunday, and the great thinker replied that he had discovered in himself a little plant called reverence that needed watering at least once a week
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Among other things, the war is teaching us every dav that a man should stick to his specialty. Look how much better off the Italians would have been had they stuck tcr grand opera.
Our air attacks or, ""irn n""" *** Hitler a splendic chance to practice up on some of our popular old American songs. Take "Keep the Home Fires Burning," for example. That ought to go good in Hitler's realm right now. When the German listening posts hear the bombers coming, instead of an alert they might start a band playing, "There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight." That would be clever. fnstead of the "all clear" signal after the bombers leave, a su/eet rendition of "Smpke Gets In Your Eyes," would explain the matter. And when the folks at home get to asking Goebbels how much longer the baptism of fire is going to last over Germany, he might have the orchestra play "Night and Day." trr|l
It is doubtful if the New Year will produce any event of its kind to compare with the now well publicized dinner that our representatives to the far East conferences helped stage; the one where some fifty toasts were drunk amid scenes of garish splendor. When King Henry the Eighth, of England, had his glamorous meeting in 1520 with Francis the First, of France, a British historian, reporting the meeting wrote: "Nothing like it will ever be seen again on
Chcrlie Gcrtin With Oregon Lumber Scrles
Chas. T. Gartin, who recently resigned his position with Schafer Bros. Lumber & Shingle Co. at Reedsport, Ore., is now associated with Oregon Lumber Sales, Eugene, Ore. He is well known in California, having been with Schafer Bros. Lumber & Shingle Co. at the San Francisco office for about 10 years.
Will Resume Operctions
Jake and Iay C.Walker, Arrow Sash & Door Company, announce that they are resuming operations at their old location in Burbank, beginning January l, 1944.
earth." But Time Magazine quotes a journdist as saying with regard to the recent one in the East: "The most spectacular meal since the Lord's Last Supper."
And wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if sometime before the New Year ends, we could take the alphabets away from Washington, and give them back to the school children?
1943 marked the passing of an unusually large number of men whom f loved and respected. The harvest was a shocking one, but as we grow older the law of average speeds up. One by one they passed beyond the twilight hills to that realm where the innumerable dwell, leaving behind them their wealth of thought and deed; their imperishable memories. Several of the most unforgettable men I ever knew, died this past year. While it is true that the memory of a brave, honest, useful, lovable man is a heritage that makes the world a better place for those who remain to live in; yet the loss is none the less keen.
Pray well for the survival of private enterprise during 1944. Hard work and personal ambition and initiative built America. Remember this: no recipe aiming at the destruction of a nation could improve on one to let the government do for the individual those things that he should do for himself. Anyone 'iyho wishes the government to tale care of him, has missed the entire purpose of existence, w[ich is to develop one's talents and devote them to tAe progress of the race.
Promoted To Rcnrk of Colonel
Frank B. James, son of Roy E. James, wholesale lumberman, Huntington Park, has been promoted to the rank of Colonel in the U. S. Army Air Forces. He is stationed in England with the U. S. 8th Army Air Force.
In a letter to his father, he states: "f had an interesting experience. f, along with two hundred others, had tea at Buckingham Palace with the King and Queen of England. They are very gracious and fine people."
Col. James is a graduate of the University of California at Los Angeles, and when attending college used to work during his spare time at the lumber yard of Alley Bros. in Santa Monica. He is in the regular army.
