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Show U";j WHO'S ; NEWS THIS I WEEK By LEMUEL F. PARTON NEW YORK. Just a year ago, Will H. Hays noted a possibly regrettable tendency of the movies toward "escapism." This led to ' suggestions that billy Hays Now he Was suc. A Matter of cumbing to the Fact EudemonistveThf ehf ments of the Hollywood intelligentsia. That al) blew over, but here is Mr. Haya today frankly proclaiming himself a eudemonist. Our somewhat conservative con-servative dictionary is a bit vague about it, but, in his rough outlines, a eudemonist seems to be one who believes in fairies. In his annual report as president of the Motion Picture Producers & Distributors of America, Mr. Hays cites with satisfaction the record box-office success of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," and is happy hap-py that "there are still a number of eudemonists left in the world." There is no disparaging or invidious reference to non-eudemonists, but, since Mr. Hays also reports with gratification that there are no "isms" and no "social significance" in "Snow White," it is perhaps a fair inference that such black witchery witch-ery is the dramatic antithesis. Practicing law in Sullivan, Ind., the homespun, sagacious Mr. Hays was no rising young eudemonist. That came later. He was, however, a rising young Republican politician and a Presbyterian elder, one of the deftest inner-circle technicians of the Indiana party tournaments, tourna-ments, where professional standards stand-ards and scoring are high. That led him inevitably to what statesmen of his earlier day used to call "political preferment," prefer-ment," and, as postmaster general gen-eral in President Harding's cabinet, he exercised political power of wide range and penetration. pene-tration. For seventeen years now, he has headed the moving picture industry. - r - round of eight Czar Is Out, "silents," when Prefers 'Bill' he left his cab-As cab-As His Han die inet pst-' now about 28 companies putting out highly vociferous vo-ciferous films no wonder he believes be-lieves in fairies. He doesn't like to be called "czar," preferring just plain "Bill," if there is any call for an informal salutation. Hearing him wind up in an address, or even in casual talk, one could understand how he could be a eudemonist, as he invokes the founding fathers or the palladium of our liberties, against this or that, but he usually coppers such oratorical bets with a remark like this: "And, after all, it probably wouldn't work." Thus he is revealed as what might be called a pragmatic eudemonist. In his county seat town, he inherited his father's land-law business. A fragile man, with a slight limp and outstanding ears, he has the mannerisms of the country lawyer, and he wins over opposition, as he used to win juries, with a winsome and disarming smile. He is at times a euphemist, as well as a eudemonist eu-demonist insisting, for instance, in-stance, that censorship is mere- ly "self-regulation." Several years ago, he waB worrying because be-cause the movies were going "masochist." Sullivan, Indiana, is still home base for Mr. Hays and he is the town's favorite son, in spite of his philological flare-up. i IT WOULD be fine if we had a cash register which would ring up a true prophecy when it was turned in. About a year and a half ago, George Messersmitn Messersraith, Called Hitler's assistant secre- Moves Early ar ot stat' former consul-general consul-general at Berlin, called Adolf Hitler's Hit-ler's next moves as clearly and accurately ac-curately as a spieler for an old-fashioned barn dance. He turned iz to the state department a precise statement state-ment of what der fuehrer had on his mind, now fully validated and certified. Naturally, it got little attention at-tention because it was obviously incredible. in-credible. The Nazis can't say it was a prejudiced opinion. When Hitler was emerging, Mr. Messersmilh thought "evolution would follow revolution," and everything would work out nicely. He changed his mind. When Dr. Albert Einstein suffered certain indignities in getting his passport, pass-port, Mr. Messersmitb was unjustly un-justly accused of responsibility. This was all straightened out and President Roosevelt upped him as minister to Austria. He returned to his present post in July, 1938. He was for 14 years superintendent of the Delaware schools before entering the consular service. ConsolH.ilprl News Features. WNU Service. |