Seward Seaport Record
Postoffice Box 1204 - Telephone Main 1 OB
Published on Friday of Each Week at
Seward, Alaska
John M. Coleman
Editor and Publisher
$5.00 per year by mail. 10 cents per copy
EDITORIAL
An epidemic of door-to-door
salesmen struck Seward last
week when a whole team of
“working our way through col
lege” m agazin e subscription
salesmen and saleswomen des
cended upon the town. They
represented themselves as com
ing from Moose Pass or some
other neighboring town. Glib,
fast talkers, they were all well
trained in the business of con
fusing tlie customer until it came
to the point of getting a name
on the dotted line.
Absence of the itinerant door
to-door salesman has been one
of the charms of Alaska and
Seward in the past. There is
no reason why we need to allow
the nuisance to continue.
When the city of Palmer re
ceived its charter last year, the
farsighted framers of the Palmer
code of ordinances included an
item to protect tlumselvts and
merchants from this nuisance.
Palmer has a licensing ordi
nance which requires the non
resident salesman to obtain a
$25 license for each month that
he operates in town.
Anchorage has a similar ordi
nance ,which prevented the trav
eling team from annoying the
people of both cities last week,
but left Seward wide open. They
take hundreds of dollars out of
a town every year. It is a nui
sance to the housekeeper and
a detriment to the business
houses.
We pride ourselves on being
known as the “Friendly City,”
but that is no reason to allow
ourselves to be imposed upon.
The City Council will be asked
to investigate the possibility of
a protective licensing ordinance
at the next session of the coun
cil, and it is hoped that business
people will show enough interest
to be present.
"Ws I Believe"
Famous Reporter Holds Quest for 'Inner
Life' Stimulates Man's Will to Survive
A native of the Midwest, family man and world traveler,
William L. Shirer reveals here his personal creed. This is
one of a series of statements prepared for broadcast by thinking,
useful people in all walks of life. The program is presented by
Edward K. Marrow over KI3I1 at 3:55 and 10:30 Monday thru
Friday.
By WILLIAM L. SHIRER
Commer.ialor
Author of "Berlin Diary"
It's rather difficult in these
noisy, confusing, nerve-wrack
ing days to ac.iiovo the peace of
mind, in which to pause for a
moment to reile et on what you
believe in. ri h res so little time
and opportunity to give it much
thought though il is the thing
we live by; and without it. with
out beliefs, human existence to
day would hardly be bearable.
My own view of life, like
everyone else's, is conditioned
by personal experience. In ray
own case, there were two ex
periences, in particular, which
helped to shape my beliefs: years
of life and work und.r a total
itarian regime, and a glimpse
of war.
Living in a totalitarian land
taught me to value highly—and
fiercely—the very things the dic
tators denied: tolerance, respect
for others, and above all—the
freedom of the human spirit.
A glimpse of war filled me
with wonder not only at man’s
courage and capacity for self
sacrifice; but at his stubborn,
marvelous will to persevere, to
endure, to prevail—amidst the
most incredible savagery and
suffering. When you saw people
—civilians—who were bombed
out, or who, worse, had been
hounded in the concentration
camps or worked to a frazzle in
the slave-labor gangs—when you
saw them come out of tees ■
ordeals of horror and torture,
still intact as human beings,
with a will to go on, with a faith
still in themselves, in their fel
low-men and in God, you real
ized that man was indestructibl .
You appreciated too that despite
the corruption and cruelty ox
life, man somehow managed to
retain groat virtues: love, honor,
courage, sol. sacrifice, compas
sion.
Il filled you with a certain
pride just to be a rncrnb: r of the
human race. It renewed your be
lief in your fellow' men.
Of course, there are many
days in this Age of Anxiety
when a human being feels aw
fully low and discouraged. I
myself find consolation at such
moments by two means: trying
to develop a sense of history,
and renewing the quest lor an
inner life.
1 go back, for example, to
reading Plutarch. He reminds
you that even in the golden days
ol Greece and Rome, from which
so much that is splendid in our
•own civilization derives, there
was a great deal of what we
find so loathesome in life today:
war, strife, corruption, treason,
double crossing, intolerance, tyr
anny, rabble - rousing. Reading
history thus gives you perspec
tive. it enables you to see your
troubles relatively. You don’t
take them so seriously then.
Finally, I find that most true
happiness comes from one's in
ner-life; from the disposition of
the mind and soul. Admittedly,
a good inner-life is difficult to
achieve, especially in these try
ing times. It takes reflection and
contemplation. And self-disci
pline. One must be honest with
oneself, and that’s not easy. You
have to have patience and un
derstanding. And, when you can,
seek God.
But the reward of having an
inner-life, which no outside
storm or evil turn of fortune
can touch, is, it seems to me, a
very great one.
PHYLLIS BAKER HOME
FROM CARNEGIE TECH
Phyllis Baker returned home
Wednesday evening by plane
after her first semester at Car
negie Tech in Pittsburg, Penn
sylvania, where she is majoring
in dramatics.
Miss Lak r is well known
here as the Emcee of her own
radio program and several spon
sored spots on radio station
KIBH last year while she was
a senior in Seward High School.
Although still in her first
year at Carnegie, Phyllis was
assistant stage manager of the
freshman play and had a role
in t’ne production of “The Thr e
Sisters," which was the final
play of the year.
Enroute home, she had time
to visit with Mrs. Kay Johnson
in Seattle, and also with Mrs.
Elmer Johnson, formerly of
Seward, with her talented danc
ing daughters.
Phyllis will work at Seward
Drug Store during her vacation
then return to Pittsburg for the
fall semester.
ANCHORAGE YOUNG PEOPLE
VISIT SEWARD CHURCH
Seventeen members of the
Youth Canteen group of the An
chorage Methodist Church, ac
companied by Mr. Powell, drove
into Seward last Saturday even
ing to spend the weekend with
the local youth canteen group.
While here the young folks
toured the Sanatorium, Jesse
Lee Home, and Seward General
Hospital. They participated in
the Youth Canteen at Seward
Memorial Melli o d i s t Church
Saturday night after a picnic
supper.
Jesse Lee Home was host at
Sunday‘dinner, after which the
group took off again in cars for
the trip back to Anchorage. Bad
road conditions delayed the cav
alcade several hours on Satur
day, but they were somewhat
improved by Sunday evening.
Youngsters from the 1 o c a 1
Methodist group will return the
visit to the neighboring city in
the very near future.
Army Rec Center Is
Open For Summer
The Seward Army Recreation
Center opened this week for its
third year of rest and entertain
ment for Alaskan Command per
sonnel.
The center is under the direc
tion of Lt. Robert F. Farrell,
with Miss Hammond as hostess.
They will direct the comfort
and happiness of approximately
150 persons each week, and do
it so subtley and unobtrusively
that their guests will not be
aware of its being directed.
Enlisted men, officers and the
families of both are all made
welcome at the Seward Center,
although not in mixed groups.
Officers come in a different
group so that neither enlisted
men nor officers are disturbed
by the presence of the other.
Fishing parties, pleasure trips
on Resurrection Bay, also deep
sea fishing, movies, games, and
just plain resting are at the
choice of every guest; in other
words, they can do what they
please without let or hindrance
—with all the good food they
want to eat (sounds like Utopia!)
for three whole days.
As in former seasons, the
Center will entertain two groups
each week. It was so popular
last year that, we were told,
requests for leave and reserva
tions stacked up beyond possible
fulfillment. And it looks like an
even better deal this year with
all the new paint and fixin's
that have been done on the
buildings and quarters—and 3
new boats. Return customers
wiil hardly know the place.
Lt. Farrell is new to Seward,
although he has been in Alaska
for three years. He commented
that the merchants and every
body that he has met here have
been most friendly anc^ coopera
tive—he likes us.
FOR ROAD TRIPS
Main 54 cr Main 55
NORTHERN CAB
t
I^^etails on the catching of Alaska salmon—
so vital to the economy of the Territory -
are included in "Alaska’s Salmon Industry,”
a colorful, 16-page booklet. Of special
interest to housewives is a section of tasty
recipes in this booklet.
Write for your copy of "Alaska’s Salmon
Industry." We’ll mail ycu a copy or send
it to anyone you designate.
Now also is a good time to send friends
copies of "Welcome to Alaska,’’ 12 pages
crammed with information about
the Territory.
Address inquiries for either of these booklets
to Alaska Salmon Industry, Box 893,
Ketchikan.
Hear Sc-m Hcsyes, noted radio commentator
... every Sunday over your favorite
Alaska station.
Slmsmiz Institute
SEATTLE — KETCHIKAN — JUNEAU