The Glass Partition

By Jack Dionne

The keeper oI cnr cqucrium once tried qn experiment. He divided the cgucrium into two sections by putting in cr partition ol clear glcss. On one side oI the pcrrtition he put cr hecrlthy b<rss. On the other side he put <r lot ol minnows.

For dcys the bcrss mcde c rush every time a minnow ccme close to the glcss pcntitioru qnd ecrch time he succeeded only in bumping his hecd mighty hcrd. He wcs bull-headed, cnd kept crt it lor severql dcrys, trving in vain to grcrb one oI those elusive minnows. Finclly he scrw the light, cnd quit pcrying the slightest crttention to them.

Then the keeper brought his experirnent to cr hecd. He took the glcrss pcrtition out ol the <rqucrrium, lecrving no proteclion lor the minnows. And ihey crrtlessly swcrm all qround thcrt little pool, crnd qll qround the bcrss. But he never struck crt one oI them.

HE HAD BEEN COMPI.EIEIY SOI.D ON TTIE IDEA THAT HIS BUSI. NESS WAS BAD, AT I^EAST SO FAR AS TIIOSE MINNOWS WEBE CON. CENNED.

That's c good story lor sclesmen to remember.

And there's c morcrl lor scrlesmen there, too, which is-take another shot crt thct glcss trrcrtition.

M4YBE IT ISN'T THERE ANY MORE.

OI course, the bcrss wcs stcking his laith in cr good old human proverb, to wit, thct it is sale to iudge the luture by the pcst. But this, like mcny other well-worn proverbs, is lar lrom inlcrllible, as the bcss-<rnd the minnowsmight well hqve discovered.

And here's cr truth qbout selling things, the successful salesmcn is Irequently whct he is beccuse he reluses to trdmit c lot oI things thcl most people tcrke lor grcnted. A pctriot sqid once oI his ncrtion: "They crttempted the impossible, crnd succeeded in cccomplishing the unbeliev<rble."

Thct's the code ol better selling.

Travelin' Light

I travel light at Christmas timeI drop my heavy load And just go singing merrily Adown the sunlit road; And every soul I chance to meet, A "Howd'y" has from me, No inhibitions hedge me round At Christmas time, you see.

I'm friendly now with everyoneMeat eater, Elk or Jew, I do believe if we should meet,' I'd risk a word with you; I pass no human brother by With scorn upon my brow, Our difierences of race and creed Seem not to matter now.

So all my envy, hate and spite, Intolerance, pride and greed, I cast aside at Christmas time, And find it sweet indeed, To sally forth without the load That weights me through the year, And chirp a "Merry Christmas, bo," Amid the yuletide cheer.

Now, this year when I throw aside That mass of superstition, And noted its moth eaten parts, Its size and composition, I vowed a vow that from this time, I'd leave it rvhere it lay, And free from its corroding blight, I'd walk the sunlit way.

I have no need to hide away Within dark walls of pride; What matter race and birth ancl creerl To one who walks-outside ? And so I left it where it lay, A sordid, outworn sight, And from this time, I'm telling you, I'm going to travel light.

-A. Merriam Conner.

The dealer who stocks VELO High' Ecrly-Suengrth Portlcmd CEMENT is in cr Position to serve customerE when the service is most keenlY qPPreciqted.

Concrete work must often be done in qn industrialplontwithout interfering with production. There is a mcrchine foundcrtion to be built, cr floor to be lcid, a drivewcty or locrding plcrtlorm to be repcrired in the shbrtest time possible. Around homes cnd public buildings, qlso, similcn emergencies crrise.

And VELO is THE emergency cement' In mqny types of work it mcrkes concrete recrdy for use within 24 hours' Foundotion forms cqn be stripped in 48 hours or less' Being extremely plcrstic, VELO mcrkes qn eosy mix qnd cr dense, wotertight concrete. Its finol strength meets the highest stcrndords for Portland cement.

Recommend VELO without qualifications . . qnd keep it in stock for customers' emergenciesl

Around The Christmas Board

Ah, friends, dear friends, as years go on and heads get $raY, How fast the guests do go !

Touch hands, touch hands, with those that stay. Strong hands to weak, old hands to young, around the Christmas board, touch hands.

The false forget, the foe forgive, for every guest will go and every fire burn low and cabin empty stand.

Forget, forgive, for who may say that Christmas day may ever come to host or guest again !

Touch hands!

-John Norton's Vagabond

THE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH

Lawyer: "Then you admit that you struck the plaintiff with malice aforethought?"

Defendant (indignantly): "You can't mix me up like that. I've told you twice I hit him with a brick, and on purpose. There wasn't no mallets nor nothin' of the kind about itjust a plain brick like any gentleman would use."

Sticktoitiveness

The most common of all failures are those that fail to exert the final spurt, the sticking out to the finish. A salesman will make four calls on a prospect and then give up, when the fifth call would have meant an order. Life is constantly doing the unexpected. Success is a matter of margin-a minute perhaps; an inch; a word spoken or withheld.

-Burkart

My Sun Room

Today the skies are sunny, Not one cloud blots the whole, So f must lay up treasures In the sun room of my soul.

-Mary Kyle Tucker

Sew It Seams

He married the dressmaker's daughter, Many years ago; But he can't get along with her mother, For she's an old sew and sew.

The Real Spirit Of Christmas

"Oh ! merry piping time of Christmas ! Never let us permit thee to degenerate into distant courtesies and formal salutations. But let us shake our friends and familiars by the hand, as our fathers and their fathers did. Let them all come around us, and let us count how many the year has added to our circle. Let us enjoy the present, and laugh at the past. Let us tell old stories and invent new onesinnocent always, and ingenious if we can. Let us not meet to abuse the world, but to make it better by our individuat example. Let us be patriots, but not men of party. Let us look to the time-cheerful and generous, and endeavor to make others as generous and cheerful as ourselves.

-Charles Lamb.

Arithmetic

He was teaching her arithmetic, He said that was his missionHe kissed her once, he kissed her twice, and said, now that's addition.

He kissed her and she kissed him, in silent satisfaction-then Quickly took the kisses back, and said, now that's subtraction.

Then she kissed him and he kissed her, without much hesitationThen both looked up and smiling, said, now that is multiplication.

Then dad appeared upon the scene, and made a quick decision;

He kicked the lad three blocks away, and said: THAT'S Long Division.

Research

She (coyly:) You bad boy. Don't you kiss me again ! He: I won't. f'm just trying to find out who has the gin in this party.

A True Measure

Life is the acceptance of responsibilities or their evasion; it is a business of meeting obligations or avoiding them. To every man the choice is continually being offered, and by the manner of his choosing you may fairly measure him.

-Ben Ames Williams

Advance d $93,2971000 in HomeMortgage Loans During October

Chicago, December 9-Savings, building and loan associations advanced $93,D7,000 in home mortgage loans during October, making this the third best month of 1939 in volume and topping all previous Octobers in this decade. This word comes from the United States Savings and Loan League which points out that the margin of increase over last October is 27.9 percent. There was also a gain of 3.9 percent over September.

Analysis of the October loans and the purpose for which they were made follows:

George Kincade Ill

George Kincade, salesman for Western Hardwood Lumber Co., Los Angeles, is confined to his home with a recurrence of the illness that necessitated a major operation a year ago.

Newg Flashes

Paul E. Overend of the California Redwood Association, San Francisco, recently returned from making an agricultural survey in Northern California.

R. E. (Bob) Caldwell, salesman f'or Hammond Redwood Co., San Francisco, is back at work after being away for two weeks owing to illness. t

Geo. R. Kendrick, manager of the California Sales f)ivision of Pope & Talbot Lumber Co., returned December 11 from visiting the Los Angeles and San Diego offices of the company.

C. O. Limecooly, sales representative of WillametteHyster Co., Portla.nd, Ore., manufacturers of the Willamette Utility Lumber Carrier, has returned to Portland from a sales trip to San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.

Lee H. Eubank of L. H. Eubank & Son, ironing board manufacturers, Inglewood, Caiif., has retttrned from a business trip to Texas.

Pacific Fruit Express Company's car rebuilding and repair program for 1940 will soon be under way. The project is expected to use a total of 16,000,000 board feet of lumber.