The "let your hair down" column

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Part of The American Chamber of Commerce Journal

Title: The "let your hair down" column
Language: English
Source: The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume XXVIII (Issue No.1) January 1952
Year: 1952
Rights
Fulltext: 32 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL January, 1952 “LET YOUR HAIR DOWN’’ CHRISTMAS and New Year cards were received by the Journal and the editor from a large number of Chamber member-firms and individual friends, here and in the United States, including Am bassador and Mrs. Myron D. Cowen, the Hornbostels, Mary Ann Seman, now in the United States, former secretary-stenographer to Mrs. WilliTODAY'S modern, smart home owner demands two qualities above all from any home furnishing or accessory: it must render perfect service . . . and it must add charm and beauty to her home. That's why in most modern homes today, Lifetime graces more windows than any other Venetian blind. Glamorous, smooth-operat ing Lifetime Venetians can be installed in either wood . . . regular metal and wood ... or in the finest all-metal Venetian available today. In any color or size—with co lored cords and tapes to match or contrast. With cornice for window ele gance—plus exclusive LEVOLOR self-adjust ing tiltcr. Call 5-42-71, or If rite P. O. Box 285, Manila, For Free Estimates CADWALLADER PACIFIC COMPANY 337 Perez Street, Manila Borromeo Street, Cebu City mont, Mr. and Mrs. Salvador P. Lopez, Mr. and Mrs. Alf Welhaven, “with renewed thanks for your ex cellent Journal”, and many others too numerous to mention. Also there were calendars and calendar-pads, automatic pencils, and, best of all, a few boxes of cigars and bottles of whisky. Herbert and Janet Walker brought the editor a .small bottle of what is a rarety, here at least, the drink called mead, with which he had only a literary acquaintance up to about one minute after he received the bottle. Mead is a fermented drink made of honey and is mentioned in all the great classics of Europe from Homer on. It is still made commercially in England. The liquor sent to the editor was made by the Walkers themselves some years ago and tasted (it’s all gone by this time) like a fine dry sherry. This sur prised him, he said, as he had always imagined mead was a thickish, foamy drink, probably too sweet. Ah, well, live and learn! And how pleasantly! “That’s the kind of object lesson I still gladly take,” he added. One wouldn’t think, perhaps, that the Journal is of any special interest to churchmen, but we had a letter recently from a clergyman in the Mountain Province who renewed his own subscription and that of a gentle man in New York City, the Assistant Treasurer of the National Council of the Episcopal Church, who, he informed us, “has written me a number of times expressing his ap preciation of the Journal and for the information concerning conditions in the Philippines which it gives him”. We much regret that Mr. Luis J. Reyes resigned as editor of the Jour nal's “Lumber” column, effective this month. Mr. Reyes, presently Philippine representative of Penrod, Jurden & Clark Company, formerly of the Bureau of Forestry and the author of a standard work on Philip pine woods, has conducted a most informative column for around two and a half years, and we are sure that all Journal readers will miss his presence in the “Business View” pages. However, Mr. Reyes him self recommended and introduced to the editor, as his possible suc cessor, Attorney Pacifico de Ocampo, Secretary-Treasurer of the Philip pine Lumber Producers Association, Inc., and Mr. de Ocampo, expres sing his willingness to undertake the task, the editor, with relief and gratitude, all but fell on his neck. One happy circumstance in the new arrangement is that the office of the Lumber Producers Association is right in the same building that the Chamber offices are in,—in fact, one floor, and directly, below. That will make for easy contacts. We published a note about Mr. Kenneth B. Day’s resignation as President of the Philippine Refining Co., Inc., and his dropping of his January, 1952 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 33 Journal “Copra and Coconut Oil” column as he plans to spend much of his time in the United States after this, though he remains with the Company as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He will be mis sed too,—the editor says that, al though he has no direct personal interest in copra or coconut oil, he always enjoyed reading over Mr. Day’s “copy” for the fine New Eng land English. In this case, the Journal, very happily, has Mr. H. Dean Hellis to fall back on, newly elected Vice-President of the Philip pine Refining Company. Mr. Hellis has in times past conducted the column in Mr. Day’s absence, so he will not be a new hand at the work. During the past month, however, circumstances combined to make it difficult for Mr. Hellis to take over the column for this issue of the Journal. He has promised to make up for this in the next issue. Down’ column, and a hard job it is, but getting it sometimes, as in a letter such as this, to have it end with a post-script like this, look at this, at the end, scribbled in on the last available quarter-inch of space, see for yourself, blankety-blankblank-blank. . .” We saw in good plain handwrit ing, and with every word under lined :— "No part available for the HairDown column.” “There ought to be a law,” groaned the editor. “There is a law, in fact, but it does not go far enough. The law says that the receiver of a letter STEEL FABRICATORS CONTRACTORS is the owner and that the writer has no right to demand its return. Yes, the receiver or owner may keep it, or tear it up, or sell it for the auto graph, but publishing it is another matter, especially if it were con struable as slanderous or libelous or likely to expose the writer to public contempt or hatred. Publishing a letter may also be adjudged to be a violation of privacy, at least, so I understand the blankety-blank legal ‘dope’ on the matter. So when a correspondent definitely warns against the publication of his letter, he has the receiver, even if he is an editor, by the short hairs. . .” Readers will find the “Mining” column missing also and this is because Mr. N. N. Lim had not sent in his “copy” and was still out of town when this issue of the Journal went to press. “ t>l an KETY-blank-blank-blank! ” We ■L^were startled and looked at the editor. He was waving a letter in his hand and his face was red up to the roots of his. . . well, up and over and down the nape of his neck. “What burns me up,” he shouted, “what with looking for good stuff for the ‘HairENGINEERS MANUFACTURERS MERCHANDISERS RIVER & HARBOR WORK SHIPS’ REPAIRS Operating: MACHINE SHOPS FOR CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR FOUNDRY FOR CAST IRON, DRASS & BRONZE STRUCTURAL STEEL FABRICATING SHOP MARINE REPAIR SHOPS WELDING SHOP WOOD PRESERVING PLANT I I ADVERTISE in the JOURNAL ¥ It goes straight to the desks of leading government and business execu tives every month ATLANTIC, GULF & PACIFIC CO. OF MANILA (PHILIPPINE CONTRACTORS SINCE 1905) EXECUTIVE OFFICES • ENGINEERING DIV. STRUCTURAL 4 MACHINE SHOPS Barrio Punta, Sla. Ana, Manila Tela: 6-75-31 • 6-75-32 • 6-75-33 MERCHANDISE SALES DIVISION Robert Dollar Bldg., Muelle de San Francisco 4 23rd St., Port Area, Manila Tel. 3-36-61 (Connecting all Depts.) 34 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL January, 1952 “Very short hairs, in your case,” said we. “How did you ever come to call that Journal column the ‘Hair-Down’ column?” “Go ahead, enjoy your own pitiful and pathetic so-called sense of humor, but here is a letter worth printing, with nothing dangerous in it to writer or recipient. . . or rather,” the editor went on with a grim, almost a ferocious look, “here was a letter that was worth printing,”—and vi ciously he tore it up. With teeth clenched, he hissed: “That at least I can do!” The editor has been quite perked up of late about the way his small book, “A few poems and essays”, published last month, has been re ceived. Only a few formal reviews of it have so far appeared in the press, but these were favorable. Most of the local critics have not as yet spoken,—perhaps, joshed the editor, they are somewhat in doubt that the poems are poems because they can understand them! Then he told us about a Manila banker who had told him he would try to read the book, though he generally did not read poetry because he could not under stand it; the editor then said he would give him a peso for every line in his book that he could not under stand. Up to now the banker has not presented any claim. “Why don’t you make that a general offer?” we suggested. “It might help the sales.” “I would be perfectly willing to,” .answered the editor, “except for the fact that there would be such great difficulty in checking the claims for bona fides and veracity. You know the trouble the United States-Philippines War Damage Commission had in respect to that. Where would I get the necessary personnel? No, you see, I could trust the banker; besides, he wouldn’t take any money from me; I don’t think he would.” “You’re on top of the world, this morning,” we said. “Guess you haven’t seen this.” We fished a small clipping out of our drawer and read the following to him aloud: “ 'And the venerable A.V.H. Hartendorp, now practically a relic, perhaps a precious one, already has a collection of essays and verse. . “You’re spoofing me,” said the editor, red-faced. “That’s the deliberate statement of one Amando D. Manalo, in a short column in This Week (Manila Chro nicle) of December 16, on the subject of books available or soon to be available suitable as gifts. . .” “Relic!” groaned the editor. “Venerable,” we said, laughing heartily. “Perhaps,—but only perhaps, a precious one,” we added, slowly draw ing the line out, making each golden word count, as the editor winced at each syllable. “And here’s something else, far ther down in the column: ‘Hartendorp’s book is beautifully printed,’ we accented the ‘printed’.” “Never mind that,” said the edi tor. “He didn’t mean it the way you read it. . . But relic. . . even a venerable relic, no, no . . . it must be that he just does not know me ... He must be one of the younger post war fellows. . . probably has seen me only from a distance or mistook some old codger for me.. Yeh, that must be it.” C. F. SHARP & COMPANY, INC. 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pages: 32-34