munger

Tuesday Feb 12

by


12:10 P.M.

The radio afforded me the
opportunity to hear the adress
of Pres. Coolidge, delivered at the
Waldorf Astoria. It was a
masterpiece, He is for tax reduction
against a bonus, and the way I
understood it he made an overture
for the European Nations for another
conference for still more disarmament.

He is for National economy.
He states that the 3 Americans that
are in Europe conferring about the
present situation, are not the repre-
sentatives of the government, but they
have with them the mind of the Am.
people. He outlined his attitude
toward Mexico.

Although I do not fully agree with
him, he won for his simplicity and
frankness my highest admiration
tonight.

———–

Matt’s Notes:

Coolidge’s Lincoln Day Dinner address at the Waldorf-Astoria was his first appearance in New York, his first national address, and, as the the New York Times noted, “was generally considered as the first utterance in his campaign for election to the Presidency…” Presidential radio appearances were still novel at the time; I think the way Papa introduces his recap of the broadcast (“the radio afforded the the opportunity to hear the address…”) shows how unaccustomed he was to such a privilege. Similarly, the Times devoted a few paragraphs to the logistics of the broadcast (“atmospheric conditions were splendid”) and assorted snafus (apparently the broadcast crossed wires a few times with a broadcast by the China Society).

I’m tempted to kid myself into pining for a long-lost America whose airwaves weren’t befouled by political dross, but Coolidge’s speech betrays signs of the approaching darkness. In it, Coolidge tries to contain the Teapot Dome scandal, which he inherited from Harding and centered on the illicit relationships between Cabinet members and oil companies; defended his plan to give tax breaks to corporations and wealthy Americans, even though he said the government could not afford bonuses for the military (something about how soldiers had fought WWI for principles, not money); and gave a lukewarm nod toward world disarmament while pitching an arms sale to Mexico.

It’s hard for me not to cringe at Coolidge’s speech because it reminds me so much of the crap Dubya spews, but even factoring that in I find Papa’s kind assessment of such a non-progressive speech incongruous (the New York Times’ transcript is here; subscription required). Still, it’s not incomprehensible for a few reasons. First, as I’ve noted before, Papa inherently expected the best from people and had a remarkable ability to look kindly on their flaws; why wouldn’t this apply to Presidents as well? Second, the mere excitement over hearing the President on the radio may have predisposed him toward what he heard. Third, Woodrow Wilson, who I think Papa was particularly attached to, had died nine days earlier; maybe Papa just needed to be won over, to feel the “highest admiration” for a President once again and get back a little of what he’d lost.

In any event, now seems like a good time to share this photograph of Papa listening to his radio. Maybe this is what he looked like when he heard the Coolidge speech:

photo of Papa listening to radio

Thursday Feb 14

by

Attended [at Cooper Union] massmeeting of the
United Hebrew Trades, launching the
campaign for $150,000 for the Jewish
workers in Palestine. —

For the first time in its history
Jewish organized Labor in the U.S.
is taking an active part in the
Jewish Homeland, This certainly
was an epoch making affair
former Anti Zionists delivering
Palestine loving speeches.

I was happy to hand in the
check for $125.00 that was
collected today in my place of
employment.

This was a fine beginning
May their efforts be crowned
with success.
————-
The collection at the place [shop]
gave me joy

—————

Matt’s notes

Perhaps guided by my own shitty February mood, I’ve been paying close attention this month to signs of loss and sadness in Papa’s diary, whether overtly stated or between the lines. I think a slight correction is in order, though, since I may have lost sight a bit of Papa’s innate hopefulness and sense of duty. The diary is a private place where he feels free to acknowledge his doubts, but I don’t think he let other people perceive him as doubtful, and I don’t even think he saw himself that way. It surprises him to feel lonely, and it disappoints him when others act badly, but I don’t think he ever resigned himself to loneliness or disappointment no matter how burdened he felt.

As my wife (Stephanie) pointed out, for Papa to collect $125 from his shop was no small feat. It was a big deal when he got a $5 raise a few weeks ago, so we can be sure he didn’t collect the money in $5 or $10 increments from a few dozen people; he must have approached and gotten donations of a dollar or less from scores of people, all of whom respected him, found him trustworthy, allowed him to persuade them. That’s not how people react to someone who appears downtrodden or out of sorts. His joy over the donations he collected was sincere, as was the pleasure he took in giving his sister a housewarming gift the day before.

I need to keep this in mind as I think about how Papa’s generosity and soothing ways survived so many trials. His difficulties and depressions were symptoms of his personal circumstances, but he didn’t feel they were his lot. He may have been Romantically inclined to describe his disappointments in dramatic tones, but he was not romantically attached to them, and in fact eventually outran them.

———-

Additional Notes

I haven’t learned much specifically about United Hebrew Trades and their relationship to Zionism, but Jewish labor organizations with strong socialist ties (the UHT was founded by Morris Hillquit, a Russian Jew who also helped found the Socialist Labor Party) did tend to spurn any causes without immediate relevance to their domestic members. In fact, Jewish labor didn’t get entirely behind Zionism until the 1930’s (at least according to the 1950 Jewish American Yearbook) so the meeting described above really was an “epoch making affair.”

Friday Feb 15

by

Movies & home.

I’ve a nice little home
but it is awfully lonesome.

————-

Papa doesn’t say what movie he went to, but here are a few that were in town that week:

  • The Yankee Consul
  • Bachelors and Children
  • My Man
  • An Innocent Sinner
  • Name The Man
  • When a Man’s a Man
  • The Ten Commandments
  • The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln
  • The White Sister
  • The Great White Way
  • The Eternal City
  • The Covered Wagon

When he wanted to take a break from his “awfully lonesome” apartment on Attorney Street, there were at least two theaters right around the corner:

Saturday Feb 16

by


4:30 P.M.

Am waiting for a friend
since 2 o’clock, just another
little disappointment, Meanwhile
Enjoying radio. —

Attended evening a
party of the White & Blue
Club and addressed them –

—————

Matt’s Notes

I assume the White & Blue club is the same as the Blue & White club Papa mentioned in an earlier post. (Then again, maybe they were rival organizations, locked in a bitter Talmudic feud over whether the colors of Zionism were “blue and white” or “white and blue.”)

A couple of days ago I speculated on Papa’s personal disappointments and whether they affected how his family, co-workers or activist colleagues perceived him. I don’t think so, or at least not much. To be around Papa was to be on the receiving end of genuine empathy, of the instinctive, effortless way he worked to to make things better for everyone. And people who accept such attention — whether as a gift, a kind word, or a heartfelt talk — tend to admire and appreciate the giver, not to wonder what they might need or if they might indeed need anything.

In short, I think Papa, who was outwardly generous and focused on his causes, looked to others like he had his act together. I don’t think the people he spoke to about Zionism at the Blue and White club would have known how he spent the earlier part of the day, how a “friend” had kept him waiting for two-and-a-half hours, or if his “friend” was a woman he hoped to spend the afternoon with, or how cold a comfort the radio was while he sat by himself in his “awfully lonesome” apartment. I don’t think anyone would have asked.

Sunday Feb 17

by


After a rather monotonous
day spent the Evening at
home with some friends
(Bluestone, Blaustein & Julius)
at a little sociable game.

—————

Papa was hanging out that night with at least two important figures (Bluestone and Blaustein) from the early days of the Order Sons of Zion. I learned this when I called B’nai Zion’s New York office a few months ago; I don’t remember exactly how the conversation went, but I think one of the people I spoke to mentioned Bluestone and Blaustein without prompting, and the historical brochure they subsequently sent me devotes prominent space to them.

Since I’m not a practiced historian and I was just starting this project when I made that call, I didn’t yet know what it was like to stumble on the the answer to a question I’d never considered, in this case “who were Bluestone and Blaustein?” At most, I’d made a mental note to ask my mother if she’d ever heard of them, but they certainly weren’t on my mind or written down anywhere. So, it really rang my bell when they suddenly showed up in my research — it was like I’d found $20 in the lint screen of the dryer or bumped into David Bowie at the deli.

I half expected the B’nai Zion people to thank me for some reason. They had, after all, devoted their lives to an organization founded by Bluestone and Blaustein. If they hadn’t visited my grandfather that night, Bluestone might have gotten run over by a trolley, or Blaustein could have been falsely arrested for smuggling prohibition hooch. At the very least, my grandfather probably served them sandwiches. Doesn’t B’nai Zion at least owe me lunch?

Anyhow, nowadays the buzz of sudden discovery is more familiar and routine, more along the lines of finding a parking spot in Chinatown as opposed to hitting the numbers. Still, every name on my Cry For Help list could give me that Bluestone/Blaustein feeling again, so there’s nothing for me to do but chase the dragon.

Monday Feb 18

by

[no entry today]

——————-

This is the first day without an entry in Papa’s diary. Perhaps is was just an ordinary day in which Papa visited his sisters on the way home from work and spent the evening by himself.

Temperatures in New York were in the low to mid 30’s most of the day with no precipitation. Time Magazine’s cover featured Eleutherios Venizelos, the outgoing Premier of Greece, though much of the issue focused on Woodrow Wilson’s funeral and legacy. The Teapot Dome Scandal shows up in Time and The New York Times, but is not yet in full flower. In sports, the Westminster Dog Show reintroduced the Best In Show award after the previous year’s elimination of it proved unpopular; a Sealyham Terrier took the big prize.

Papa must have been pleased to read an article in the Times about non-Zionist Jewish leaders agreeing to invest in Palestine, another sign of American Jewish sentiment shifting toward unified support of a Jewish homeland. Maybe he read about it before he went to bed, or maybe he spent the night talking about it with friends.