This pamphlet was conceived in enthusiasm by men and women who are bristling with PEP to build a Beautiful Church in St. James Parish. They are impatiently waiting: they are clamoring for action. They want YOU to know what they propose doing. They hope you will be with them. Don't look for a seat in the Grand Stand-People who do things move-the disinterested sit and watch -- Our Parish Big Drum is beating a marching tune – “LET'S GO."
Minute preparations in every detail are being made by the committee in charge of the Carnival which will be held June 19, 20, 21 at 6600 Clayton Avenue. Hundreds of volunteers are executing the work planned, and the entire parish is behind the movement to raise a nucleus of a fund to build a Convent for the Sisters who teach in St. James Parochial School. There is scarcely a possibility but the Carnival will go over big; the 450 Alumni of the Parochial School, the Mothers' Club Sewing Circle, the experienced workers of last year's Carnival, St. Ann's Sodality, and a host of others are thoroughly though quietly organized and an army of volunteers are now taking strategic positions in the fleld; without doubt this will be the biggest, the best and the most successful Carnival ever given by the Parish.
50 Valuable Prizes for Drawing
The Alumni Association have secured 50 valuable' prizes for their raffles, innumerable lesser ones for their booths, and a cash donation of $200 from Mr. Harry Scullin; more than 400 drawing cards have been mailed to its members scattered in this and thirty other cities. Danny Murphy, Arnold Clegg, John Moore, Fred McKenna, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Coad, Mary Wack, Mrs. Evelyn Jones Corrigan, Rosalie Moran, Delphinia and Euphronius Jones, Genevieve Mahon, Mary McCauley, Rosemary Newport have devoted the greater part of their evenings and Sundays during the past two weeks to making lists, addressing envelopes and attending to the correspnodence. The William Jones home and the Parish Rectory have been utilized as committee headquarters and work offices. On several occasions there were six typewriting machines clicking in the Rectory 'till midnight and fifteen or twenty energetic clerks forgetful of the alarm clock that would arouse them next morning to take up the routine work of their day in office, shop and city store.
The Alumni being all young bring into action unremitting energy, intelligence and enthusiasm; they make work a play and exchange badinage, jokes and pleasantries while they work; the Rectory, when they are present, has the atmosphere of light comedy pervading its usual solemn sacredness. The strain of the Carnival is broken by laughter and sleepy eyes and weary yawning toilers, throw off their ennui when youth meets youth at work or play. These young people surmount difficulties with delightful speed. On Thursday evening when the drawing cards were ready to mail they found they overlooked getting stamps and the local post offices were closed -- that did not faze them -- "let's jump into my car" said Fred Coad, "and we will run down to the General Post Office." In less than an hour they had covered the sixteen mile drive through the city and returned with the stamps.
Mrs. Evelyn Jones Corrigan has more time than the others, being a newlywed (what if she is married a few years, that does not count when one has the neatest new dress and the best husband in the community and lots of good will). Mrs. Corrigan has given most or her time during the past few weeks to Carnival arrangements and has accomplished a great deal which the rest of the committee had not time to attend to. She is organizing a committee in each class which will stimulate class activity and collect money and prizes. She will report every few days to the committee and award honors to the class that accomplishes most. Mrs. Corrigan's activity is to be commended since she is no longer a member of the parish, but her helpfulness and enthusiasm is in keeping with the family tradition; the two Jones families are like some more of St. James loyal ones, they can be always counted upon to be with us when there is an opportunity of giving the old parish a helping hand.
Danny Murphy beat the gun at the start or the raffle and was the first to make returns to the Sisters on his cards. The drawing had not gone on over half a day when he had sold two cards and returned $17, he rushed to the Rectory for three more cards and informed us that the tickets went like Hot Cakes. "Anyone who makes a half effort and gets into a crowd," he says, "can dispose of a card in a quarter of an hour." This is very encouraging. The Alumni deserves the whole credit for this plan of drawing, they fought against another plan of raffle that was submitted at the Parish Meeting which they called "antiquated." They have been given full freedom to introduce innovations and they and their immediate families will be given full credit for the Alumni Raffle Receipts. The Sisters appreciate this fine spirit of gratitude. It is consoling to them to know that the parents and children for whom they have been giving their lives, are not going to desert them when they make an appeal to raise funds for a Convent.
New Parishioners
The parish raffle is for the parishioners, who though they may have had children in school or now have children in school, are without graduates. These comprise the greater part of the congregation. Of the 94 children who received First Communion on Ascension Thursday, not more than 24 were baptized in the parish. The personnel of the parish has considerably changed since the war. The old settlers are now in the minority, they left a fine tradition to the congregation, also a fine school and it is the duty of the newer members of the flock to carry on the fine tradition and emulate the fine spirit of the past. Every Catholic man and woman within the boundary lines of the parish have a sacred duty to the Nuns who are conducting the Parochial School. They have not sufficient room nor comfortable housing in the old Convent. These women have given up their lives in the interest of religion and devote all their endeavors toward the Christian education of little ones. They have a claim on you, not only because you are parishioners but because you are Christians. Give a helping hand also in disposing of admission tickets among your relatives and acquaintances; spend a day among your old friends. They will admire the zeal you manifest even though you may not succeed in getting them to help, and the Lord will reward you for the sacrifice you make.
Mr. George S. Kletzker, 1041 Fairmount Avenue, assisted by Mr. Clyde Stiff, 1360 Central Avenue, and Wm. H. Henkel, 1040 Fairmount Avenue, have charge of the Parish Raffle. Last year they put it over big; their accumulated experience and the prizes incline them to hope they will give a tight run to the Alumni. Of course they are in the hands of the rest of the parishioners and their many friends and they will deem it a personal favor if you call them on the phone and ask for another book.
The, Carnival is an appeal for funds outside the Parish. There are many big hearted people all over the City who will be glad to help if a proper appeal is made to them. The tickets that have been sent to you are forwarded in the hope that you are willing to go out and dispose of them among your acquaintances. Your active cooperation is requested. Your influence undoubtedly is great if you will exert yourself. We want you to have a share in the honor of building a Convent for the Dominican Nuns which otherwise cannot be erected for several years. Don't allow yourself to have the consciousness that you failed to do your part.
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FOR RENT: Three room cottage and garage $25. 1320 Ripple Street.The annual ceremouy of the Crowning of the Statue of the Blessed Virgin in St. James Church on Sunday, May 19th was performed with unusual pomp and accompanied with more elegance than on any former occasion. This was the first time the statue was crowned in che New Church and an effort was made to increase the impressiveness of the pageantry.
The procession formed on Tamm Avenue, in front of the Rectory and proceeded to the west entrance of the church on Nashville Avenue. The Cross bearer was followed by altar boys; fourteen priests; 43 children of Mary; ladies in their teens in blue cloaks and rosette crowns carrying a small statue of the Virgin; the First Communion Class in their First Communion dress; the Angel Sodality wearing wreaths and a few hundred other school children singing hymns to the Virgin.
When the procession entered the Church, the organ took up the melody of the singers, and as the children marched; along the extensive ambulatories and the center aisle, the head of tho procession caught up with those in the rear and formed two unbroken circles in motion. A riot of colors caught the eye of the spectator, the blue cloak of the Children of Mary harmonized with the blue sashes worn over the shoulders by the children and emphasized the white dresses of the Angel Sodality and First Communion Class; the dimly lighted church put on a mystic solemnity and the varied tinted sunbeams falling on the procession from the stained glass windows, the tapestries in the church, the flowers, the Statue of the Virgin setting in an arch of myriad blooms, the altar erected temporarily in the Sanctuary, the tiny gleam of the votive lamps and candles, made the scene mediaeval and gave a beautiful setting to a magnificent pageantry; those present were quick to perceive the artistic effects and extraordinary religious impressions the scene produced.
Whilst Miss Vera Bersch was placing a crown of roses on the statue, the whole congregation joined in the hymn, "0 Mary we crown Thee Queen or the May," after which Miss Ruth Bovard recited the Act by which the children consecrated themselves to Mary the Virgin and Mother.
An eloquent sermon was delivered by Father Leo Steck, Assistant pastor in Kirkwood, Mo., and solemn Benedlction followed during which Father Huelsmann or the Holy Family Church was celebrant, Father Michael O'Leary, Deacon, and Father Leo McAtee, Sub-deacon. Other priests in the Sanctuary were, Father Nugent, St. Catherine's; Father McKeon, St. Mark's; Father Butler, Spiritual Director of St. Vincent de Paul Society; Father Keaney, Visitati.on; Father Dan Ryan, Little Flower; Father James McGrath, St. Columktlle's; Father Pohl, Father O'Connor, Father O'Keefe, Holy Rosary.
After devotions Father O'Connor gave a dinner at Garavelli's to the clergy and later entertained them at the Rectory where they were joined by Father O'Sullivan, Immaculate Conception; Father John Ryan, Maplewood; Fathers Keating and Rider of St. Mary and Joseph; and Father Baumann.
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Every lady in the parish who does not belong to a sewing circle is requested to make a prize or to attend the sewing circle which is being held in the school hall every Friday night.To every property owner on this side of the park.
The South Forest Park Improvement Association decided at its last meeting to bitterly oppose the proposed thoroughfare along the south side of Forest Park and adopted a resolution sigued by 213 property owners denouncing the city plan of condemning 50 feet of the park from Kingshighway to Hampton Avenue to be used as a commercial thoroughfare and made at the expense of the propertv owners immediately adjoining the southside or the park.
A committee composed or Messrs. Ray Dolan, J.P. O'Gorman, H.W. Daub and others has registered the community's oppositlon to the Board of Estimates and Apportionment. Their objections to the plan briefly are: The property owners have already paid for Clayton Road and Oakland Avenue, two commercial arteries from the city to the county; they object also to making any part of the park a commercial driveway and are urging the need of a vehicular driveway of the south side of the park from Kingshighway to Skinker Road to be paid for by the city.
The property owners feel that a park drive is necessary to take care of the traffic that is now coming via Clayton Road, and which will greatly increase when the road is finished in the county. This drive was promised by the Hon. Dwight Davis when he was Park Commissioner and he laid out the lines and agreed that such a drive should be constructed out of Public funds. The concrete slab at the southwest corner of Forest Park was aproned to merge this drive into Wells and Government drives. The Mounted stables fences and the fences of the propagating plant (the Greenhouse) were set back to make way for this drive. Every city administration from the time of Mr. Davis to the present has seen the need of and agreed to this park drive. The Association has determined to take this fight into court, if necessary and counsel has already volunteered to represent the body.
On May 15th 43 young ladies met in the school hall at the request of Sister Gabriel and formed a branch of the Children of Mary. The need of such an organization arose from the fact that the Virgin Mother's Sodality did not seem to be able to draw recruits in sufficient numbers from among young ladies in their teens. The younger girls, prefer a separate organization and decided to confine membership to girls under 21.
A special costume to be worn on Communion Sunday and special occasions was agreed upon, this consists of a long blue cape which can be slipped over the ordinary dress and a bandeau and rosette for the head.
The Society made its first public appearance in the May Procession, and attracted a great deal of attention. It will be under the direction of the Sisters and will go to Communion on the first Sunday of each month during the summer months at 7 o'clock Mass.
Young ladies who prefer being members of the Virgin Mother's Sodality are free to do so regardless of age. A spirit of rivalry is expected to benefit both societies and stimulate devotion to the Blessed Virgin.
It should not be necessary to remind mothers of the dangers that modern environment make for girls in their teens. The best antidote is devotion to the Blessed Mother and frequent Communion. There is nothing more attractive than a sweet virtuous young lady and every girl necessarily takes one of the two great highways of youth: the easy way of worldliness and self-indulgence or the harder way of modesty and self-restraint. A home that values virtue will appreciate this opportunity of voluntary discipline and will urge every young girl in it to be a member of one or other of these sodalities.
Mrs. Caroline Mohr, 6947 Bleeck Avenue, on her death bed.
Ann Isabelle Brennan, 1025 Art Hill.
Sarah Jane Lyons, 6234 Oakland.
Richard Joseph Steger, 1127 Louisville.
Raymond Michael Kehm, 6744 Nashville.
Rosemary McHugh, 6844 Waldemar.
Joseph Francis, 1328 Kraft Avenue, is convalescing at home after being a patient for four weeks at St. Mary's Hospital where he was treated for a broken limb.
St. James School Children's Picnic will be held on Tuesday, June 11th at Creve Coeur Lake. John D. Bersch who is in charge of the arrangements, informs that four cars will arrive on that morning at 9:15 o'clock at the Tamm Avenue Loop.
Tickets will be sold at the school on the week preceding the picnic, adults 35c and children's round trip 20c. No one way tickets will be issued. An extensive program of sporting events is being planned including sack races, three leg race; peanut race, balloon inflating contest, nail driving contest for ladies, men's and boys' races.
A prize will be offered to each class and a baseball game will be played. On the grounds are Merry Go Round. Ferris Wheel, Miniature Locomotive Train, candy and ice cream booths and various other methods of entertainment and nickel-catching. Parents are expected to accompany the children if possible. A picnic is twice as pleasant for a child when daddy and mother are there with basket and purse.
Mr. Chas, P. Hell, 2102 Forest Avenue, father of Charles Heil, prominent in St. James Parish Choir, celebrated on May 5th the 87th anniversary of his birth, surrounded by 53 guests, five of whom were his children, 22 grand-children and 8 great grandchildren. Father O'Connor also was a guest.
Mr. Heil looks hale and hearty and had something personal to say to everyone present. He was given many gifts and seemed to appreciate these manifestations of affection.
He was the founder of the Heil Packing Co., which has grown from the little slaughter house at 3855 Chouteau Avenue, that killed on big occasions 14 hogs, to the Heil Packing Co., now located at Missouri and La Salle Street, a six million dollar corporation that ships bacon and harn to every state in the Union and slaughters daily from five to seven hundred hogs.
Mr. Heil has no pretensions and takes peculiar delight in the reminiscence that he landed from Germany in New York almost 60 years ago a poor immigrant. He was one of those who realized the dream of immigrants, that money can be picked from the streets of American Cities and tells that after getting off the boat he found a dollar lying on the sidewalk at his feet. On coming to St. Louis he bound himself as an apprentice boy in a small slaughter house where he got board and $22 the first year, $32 the second and $50 the third. On having completed his apprenticeship he set up his own slaughter house October 1, 1866 and married a year later.
He was the father of eleven children, six of whom are now living. Though he has practically retired from business he is quite conversant with the modern method that prevails in the Hail Packing Company. His son George who is President of the institution, remarked "Dad had little to learn, we have not improved on the old methods of curing bacon and hams though we are more efficient and rapid in packing it because of modern machinery."
The St. James Alumni Association went to Communion in a body at the 7:30 Mass in St. James Church, May 5th. Following Mass in Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was given; approximately 130 members received Communion.
Breakfast was served after Mass in the assembly hall which was decorated with green and white crepe paper, the school colors; and tables were adorned with ferns and white sweet peas; these were donated by the Canary Flower Shop. Ray Usher, toastmaster, welcomed the graduates in the name of the association. Speeches were made by the outgoing president, Mr. Fred McKenna, Ray Dolan and Father O'Connor, and officers for the coming year were elected. These are: President, Mr. Arnold Clegg; Vice-President, Mr. John Moore; Secretary, Miss Helen Saxton; 1st Assistant Secretary, Rosalie Moran; 2nd Assistant Secretary, Miss Mary Wack; Treasurer, Euphronious Jones; Assistant Treasurer, Mr. Walter Strathman.
Breakfast was served by Mrs. Bovard, Mrs. Fred Coad, Mrs. Ray Dolan, Mrs. Louis Larson, Mrs. Dan Murphy, Miss Josephine Nerviana, Mrs. Ed. Pierce, Miss Catherine Ward. The Alumni was presented with a cake baked by Mary Corbett, covered with white frosting on which was written in green frosting, "St. James 1929."
It was announced the banquet in honor or the graduating class, would be held on Sunday, June 16th, at Hotel Chase.
Among the members who live outside the parish were noticed the Syrons, the Bawns, the McKennas, the Kellys, the Ushers and others whose names I can't now recall, in fact all those whose loyalty and love for the parish has not been effaced by time or distance.
Mr. J.P. O'Gorman informs us that a, contract will be soon let to widen Dale Avenue and make, it a 60 foot street from Manchester to McCausland. The extension of Kraft from Dale to Central is to be improved completing the thoroughfare.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart which falls on June 7th, also the First Friday, will be celebrated in a special manner at St. James Church. On that evening the Holy Hour which is usually held on Thursday preceding the First Friday will be kept and a public devotion in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus will be held at 7:30. A sermon will be given explaining devotion of the Apostleship of Prayer, diplomas will be awarded promoters and all the members of this organization are expected to be present. A plenary Indulgence can be gained by going to Communion on this Feast under the usual conditions, and devotees of the Sacred Heart will be given an opportunity of manifesting their zeal and of encouraging others to have a special love for the person of Christ.
Thomas Fay, 5912 W. Park Avenue, has suffered an aggravated case of influenza and has been confined to his bed, during the past six weeks.
On Saturday, June 1st, Ruth Cenatiempo, 1020 Forest Avenue, expects to be married to Fred Wenzelburger, 6922 Sutherland Avenue. Fred has become a convert to Catholicity and will be baptized by Father O'Connor previous to his marriage.
On June 15th, Mary Cenatiempo will be married to Earl Kempff, 704 Chouteau Avenue. Both sisters will be married from Nuptial Mass.
Thomas Gannon, Pom Oak Apartments, and Beatrice Grogean were married at St. James Rectory on the evening of May 8th. Miss Grogean is not Catholic.
Helen M. Justice, 6704 Clayton Avenue, was married on May 18th to George W. Talley, a student in the electric department of the Rolla School of Mines. Mr. Talley is a member of the Baptist Church of Rolla in which town his parents reside.
Robert Sailer, a bridge designer for Sverdrup & Parcel, will be married at St. James Church on June 5th at Nuptial Mass, to Miss Viola Barr, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robt. Barr, 6801 Magnolia Avenue. Walter and Miss Alvina Barr will be bridesmaid and best man.
After the marriage the young couple will visit Chicago, Cleveland, Niagara Falls, and sail from New York on June 15th to Germany and later visit Mr. Sailer's birthplace in Rocharch, Switzerland, where his brothers and sisters reside. Mr. Sailer hopes to achieve considerable importance in his home town when he visits there with his American bride. After he has received the honors, he and Mrs. Sailer intend going to Rome and having an audience with the Holy Father.
A "hold-up" is where a person is ordered at the point of a gun to raise his hands above his head; the order begins "Hold Up!" and the trembling victim finds himself and his pockets in a hopeless state of indefense and his memory and mind not registering clearly anything but confused impressions that he is being separated from his money.
The Hold-ups in the Parish are at the point of pleadings, smiling eyes and the robbers are the innumerable children and young ladies who are on the corners of every street asking the passersby to take a ticket or something or other to raise funds to build a Convent for the Nuns.
Last Saturday I met a band of these marauders on Hampton Avenue, little Italian girls whose roguish black eyes and rosy cheeks shine and glint like moorish steel in Arabian sands -- they asked me for money -- it was a real "hold-up" -- I could not refuse them, they got my cash and ran away laughing.
The culprits are still at large. Don't be harsh with them, the impulse to help makes them blind to the fact that you are perhaps a very irritable person.
A class of thirty-four will graduate from St. James Parochial School and receive their diplomas in church at High Mass on Sunday, June 16th at 10 o'clock.
Helen Hazelette who has received class honors. Veronica Duggan and Catherine Mary McGrath were selected to represent the school at the examination held a week ago for scholarships at Font Bonne Academy. The result of the examination has not as yet been published. Robert Mahoney, Raymond Buescher, and Joseph Jirauch who were in the city competition far a scholarship at the Christian Brothers, made excellent examinations but failed to win.
The other graduates are: Eugene Godfrey, Katherine Maloney, Eileen Houlihan, Florence Kelly, Helen Martineau, Albertine Bigney, Eleanor Knickel, Antonette Palumbo, Virginia Arnold, Lawrence Beinecke. Helen Kelly, Julia O'Shaughnessy, Thomas O'Shaughnessy, Byron Fannen, Edward Cadwallader, Charles Schatzle, Jack Oates, Louis Schmid, Harmann Duvall, Dominick Borrelli, Sylvester Nuelle, Henry Hugeback, Andrew Doering, John Murphy, Dean Bisso, Harold Thompson, Robert Kelly, Loyola Charleville.
The books mailed out for the Parish Raffle contain 25 tickets to be sold at 25c each, bringing in $6.25. The person to whom the book is mailed is requested to make a return of $5.00, which allows $1.25, or 5 tickets as a commission for selling the book.
The card game sponsored by the Bridge Club Committee and promoted by Mrs. Geo. Kletzker and the Mathers' Club which was held in the school hall May 22nd was probably the most delightful social affair given in the past year in the hall, and drew together all the families with few exceptions, north of Clayton Road.
This section of the parish has many new parishioners who were desirous of getting acquainted with their neighbors, and the Bridge Club brought them together and introduced them to one another; in one instance, two families who live in the same flat met one another far the first time and a greater number af the Catholic families who reside in the same block.
Baskets or flower plants in bloom were given as prizes, and coffee and cake refreshments were served. About 50 tables were used.
Last year the Carnival dragged, because it was too difficult to win a prize. This year the committee have arranged a lottery wheel that will make one believe the Parish is playing a losing game. A valuable prize will probably go with every turn of the wheel and every booth will have in addition to its nominal display, prizes of bacon and ham; there will not be a ham booth.
Mabel O'Donnell, 1228 Tamm Avenue, quickly recuperated after an operation for appendicitis at St. John's Hospital in the middle of May, and is now home. Her sister, Hazel (Mrs, Rehagen) is home on a visit.
Jerry O'Connell, 6458 Wise Avenue, after recuperating from a prolonged illness was taken suddenly ill and is in a critical condition.
Ninety-three children, the largest class yet recorded, made, their First Communion at St. James Church on Ascension Thursday. Forty-three members of the class were gathered from among the public school children in the vicinity and given special instruction by the Catholic Instruction Center, the priests of the parish and the Dominican Nuns. The children were trained by the nuns to go to the Altar and were given special trimmings that unify the Communion costume. The children looked very lovely and devout and the majority of their parents also went to Communion. A capacity congregation was present in church.
Mrs. Kate Shields. 6431 W. Park Avenue, who has resided in St. James Parish over 50 years, died at her home on Monday, May 27th. Her end came unexpectedly. She was dead when the priest arrived.
She was a kindly, sympathetic woman, much beloved in the community, of deep religious faith and practical piety. She was buried from St. James Church on May 29th. May she rest in peace.
Colis Edward O'Neill, son of Mr. and Mrs. M.M. O'Neill, Pom Oak Apartments, who traveled as an estimator for the Gates Rubber Co., and resided during the past year at Denver, Colorado, was taken suddenly ill at his home there on May 7th of double pneumonia and died on May 9th. His mother was called to his bedside' but received news whilst enroute at Kansas City that he was dead. His remains were brought to St. Louis and he was buried on May 13th from High Mass at St. James Church. He was 23 years old and had been married two years. The family are close relatives of Father O'Rourke, St. Mark's Church. Father O'Rourke was ill and unable to be present and his assistants Fathers McKeon and Daly attended the funeral. Deep sympathy is extended to the young wife and sorrowing parents. May he rest in peace.
Francis Collins, 6214 Berthold Avenue, was taken to St. Mary's Hospital, May 15th, suffering excruciating pain. Doctor Simon diagnosed the case us an abscess of the kidney. A few days later an operation was performed and one of his kidneys was removed. He is convalescing.
UNCLE HENRY'S LETTER
June 2, 1929.
dear Charlie:
you should of been here on Wed. the 22nd so you could of attend the card party that marge Kletzkcr give at the school hall. from wot i understand they give the affair just to let everybody hav a good time, an not to make eny money, an they wus 100% sucesful in both endeavors. nobody could be expect to make enything ware they give as much for the money as marge an her girl-friends, an if they is eny of the customers that thinks they didn't have there 35 cents worth, i would be willing to reimburse em out of my own pocket -- in spite of my scotch ancestry.
wenever sumbody offers you a, whole evenings card play an gives out a big bunch of valuable prizes, then fills you up with all of the cake an coffee you want, an winds up with a lot of high-class entertainment, all for the price of 35c, you better "set aside all manner of excuse," an be on hand wen the doors is opened. i dont understand how they manage to get the consent of the pastor to give sumthing without trying to make eny money, but they did, an to show how whole-heartedly he entered into the spirit of the thing, he generously invited several of his pinochle partners like Newport and Cody and Pahl into a friendly little game and the last report was that he give a very nice party an his guests had a pleasant an profitable evening.
i got a big kick out of the party on account of i won the 1st prize, an demonstrate once an for all that i am the best bridge player in the hall; that is wen mary Manion is busy getting ready to go to Europe an cant attend, an Sally Dolan is home minding a sick husband, and jim Egli is absent, an margaret McDonnell has poor partners, an Camilla Jones and delphina get rotten cards and arthur Pahl is playing penochle, an i get a few more breaks like that. of course i still had to beat frank Walsh, but then i can beat him the best day he ever lived an he knows it, but Helen dont seem to reelize it, an she put up a awful squak wen it was anounce that i beat him out of 1st prize. the "old tar" tried hard to win cause he told me that for yrs, he has been referd to as Holen Dolan's husband, an he is sick an tired of it, an would like to have peeple reckcrnize who he is, an not his illustrious in-laws.
everybody was remarking how excellent the coffee was an i found out that the reeson was that Ed. Cross, who is building up a nice coffee business wanted to show wot a good brand he is selling, an so he pushed his wife and the other wimen aside, an made the coffee hisself, like eny other man has to do when he wants a good, cheering cup of java. wen i ask Ed the price of his coffee i was surprise to find out it is cheaper than we been paying, only he dont give any dish-pans or soap, an so 1 told the mrs. to order a cupple pounds an maybe i could get Eel to show her how to use it.
the Conroy-Gittins trio entertain with several tons of harmony, an maybe you dont realize it, charlie but since they have become perfessionals, they are proving the truth of Dr. Coue's theory: "Every day in every way, they are gettin better an better."
You probably won't believe me wen i tell you that we wus also entertained by no less a celebrity than estelle webb Hartnett. i guess we have got sumthing to brag about wen a concert an stage star like that settles down in our parish, an steps up an does there bit just like one of the family. an boy, wot a voice she has got. wel charlie, i suppose you have made all of your arrangements to attend the St. James carnival on the 19-20 and 21st of this month. If you will take my word for it, this affair is goin to be the biggest thing of its kind in 85 years; my memory don't go back any farther than that. you aint got a chinaman's chance to escape the vigilance an energy with which the alumni is flooding the country with leterture an searching for prospective customers.
delphina Jones an marie O'Gorman have got a publicity program mapped out which you cant get away from unless you are deaf, dumb and blind, an understand only a forein language. delphina was telling me that is going to publish a newspaper of carnival news an i understand she is trying to arrange a St. James hour over 1 of the chain brand-casting hook-ups. if you are a alumni of the school i bet that evelyn Corrigan is already on your trail, an she is as relentless as a post office inspector. You are really lucky if martin Coard aint sent you 1 of his letters givin you a job without askin if you would take it an they aint no doubt that geo. Kletzker will send you 1 of his "books", so you mite as well come along peaceful an we will all have a grand time
Your perticuler friend and unkle,
HENRY
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