MiddletonFamilyNewYorkWorldsFair

From the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Time to eat. Ready? 1 2 And over 600,000 young Americans are stepping hopefully out into the world this year looking for their first jobs. The same number faced a similar problem last year. An equal number will face it next year. What chance have these boys and girls in a world already staked out? Now that the land frontier is closed Good morning, son. Have a good sleep? Slept like a log. Will they find welcome or closed signs on the gateways of opportunity? Blah blah blah What hope can you stand if you don't look forward to Wait a minute, Bud. What hope is there for youth in the world of tomorrow? The answers to these questions are vital to every man, woman, and child in the nation. They present grave problems to labor, commerce, agriculture, and industry. Their solution should be of primary concern to education and government for the quality of citizenship. You're telling us. The facts involved, however, are both difficult Sorry, Dad. I got to do it. HE'S BREAKING MY HEART. I SHOULD THINK YOU'D BE INTERESTED in hearing about opportunities for young people. What opportunities? Say, do you know the motto of the last graduating class? Something lofty, no doubt. Yeah. WPA, here we come. That's super lofty. Well, I guess times change. I remember when I was your age I Your age, I know. You were working for a hardware job, weren't you? You kept right on till you saved enough to open your own store. Yes, and I don't see Because times changed, like you said. We got all the hardware stores we need, and all the grocery stores, all the doctors, ALL THE LAWYERS, ALL THE GAS STATIONS, ALL THE EVERYTHING. But it don't stand to reason that a country with our record could all at once lack openings for young fellows. No, you just try and get a job. Maybe it is difficult, but it's worse to be a quitter. Now, you've got years of school ahead of you, yet you let your friends talk you into believing you're licked already. Well, they know what they're about. Now, listen, son. I wasn't going to tell you this, but you're the reason we came here all the way from Indiana. You've heard all the talkers. Now, I'm going to show you the doers. That's why I brought you and your mother to the fair. Holy smoke, the fair! I FORGOT WHERE WE WERE. HEY, GRANDMA, A COUPLE OF GUYS ARE STARVING OUT HERE. HOW'S THE JOB COMING? HOLD YOUR HORSES, BUD. WE'LL be ready in a minute. He sure do think a lot about his stomach. You probably had a good appetite yourself at his age, Elvira. Lord, Miss Harrison, if appetites was house, I'd own most all OF HARLEM RIGHT NOW. HOW'S THE TABLE, JANE? Is it set? All set, Mother. Come on, everybody, breakfast is ready. That's the best news I heard since I got here. Hi, Mom. Boy, am I hungry. I don't know which I've been looking forward to the most, the fair or your cooking, Mother. Don't pay any attention to him, Grandma. He says that to all the cooks. Well, you can't make a cook mad by liking a cooking. That's a good thing for a young man to remember. I'll say it is. That's how Dad got his corporation. Hey, that's not a corporation. That's private ownership. A man's entitled to a stomach at his age. Anyway, it's nice to have my family with me again, even if it took a world's fair to get you here. Well, we thought you had your hands full with just one member of the family. Nonsense. Barbara's been a lifesaver. Really, she has. I'd have been pretty lonely here without her. Uh how's she getting along with that art business she's studying? I don't know, Tom. It's over my head. I gave up when she told me pictures on calendars weren't art. Wonder what in the world's keeping her. Babs, your breakfast is ready. We're waiting for you. Well, we may be waiting, but I don't think it's noticeable. Good morning, Dad. Good morning, Babs. Good morning, Mother. Good morning. Good morning, Grandma. Good morning, dear. And that's for a fresh little brother. That's a fine way to treat a girl that's come all the way from Indiana to see you. The fair, of course, had nothing to DO WITH IT. MY, I NEVER REALIZED what a good-looking daughter I have. Hmm? Oh, pardon me. We have. Grandma, do you have to run an all-night lunchroom for a boyfriend like Mom did? No. There's only one, and I don't see him very often. Why, of course, Jim Treadway from back home. He's working at the fair. You couldn't do better, Babs. Jim's a fine boy. Chip off the old block. He's going places. Not with me, he isn't. What are you trying to do, get rid of me? Well, Jim's a nice fellow, of course, only I'm not in love with him. But, Babs, I thought you had, you know, some sort of understanding. That was in high school. I was young then. I'm grown up now, and I have better judgment. When do we get our peep at your better judgment, kid? Why, I didn't know you were going with anybody else, Babs. Is it somebody we know? Now, Jane, there's plenty of time. We just got here last night, and you want to know everything before she even gets a chance to say hello. There's nothing to get excited about. I'm not in love, but at least I don't think I am. Oh, I was afraid something like this would happen. Oh, stop flying off the handle. I know all about it. Who is he, Babs? He's Nicholas Makaroff, my art teacher. Oh, so you turned out to be a teacher's pet. I suppose you take him an apple. That will do from you, young man. Nick's been in America since he was a little boy, but he knows the world like like we know Main Street. He's a genius. You'll like him. Oh, sure we will. Anybody you like is okay with us. Well, I've got to be running along. I'm late. Uh where will I meet you for lunch? Well, I thought it'd be kind of nice if we looked up Jim Treadway first. His folks said he's working at the Westinghouse building. Supposing we all meet there. Babs, why don't you bring Mr. Mac, uh your friend along? We'd love to meet him. Sure, fetch him along, Babs. Well, all right, if he can get away. He's he's awfully busy right now, but I'll ask him. Goodbye. Goodbye. You sure he's just what this family needs, an artist. Now, maybe we can get the house painted for nothing. You go through the Microbarium to the Playground of Science. HI, YOU JEALOUS OLD BOY. HELLO, BUD. THE SAME OLD BUD. THAT'S A NEW ONE, isn't it? Yeah, isn't it a beaut? Hello, Jim. Hello, Mrs. Harrison. How are you, Mrs. Middleton? Oh, Jim, it's so good to see you. You're looking fine. It's good to see you again. Hello, Mr. Middleton, how are you? Well, hello, Jim. You're certainly a sight for sore eyes. It's sure grand to see somebody from the old hometown. When'd you get in? Just last night. Your father and mother saw us off. They said if we didn't look you up the first thing, they'd never speak to us again. Say, Jim, just what do you do around here? Are you a boss or something? Well, not exactly, but I'm well, I'm sort lot backstop for the guides. When they can't answer a question, I take a crack at it. If I don't know it, I look it up, which is often. Gee, I didn't know you were that smart. I'm not, Bud. As I say, before the Fair opened, we took a special course of instruction to prepare us for the questions the company thought might be asked. Do they stick you very often? And how! Why, just this morning a lady asked me how long it would take to read the micro file in the time capsule. Yeah, we've been reading a lot about the time capsule. Could we take a look at it? Why, sure. You can get to it this way. Time Capsule of Cupaloy, deposited on the site of the New York World's Fair on September 23rd, 1938 by the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. IF ANYONE SHOULD COME UPON THIS capsule before the year A.D. 6939, let him not wantonly disturb it, for to do so would be to deprive the people of that era of the legacy here left them. Cherish it, therefore, in a safe place. 5,000 years from now, the peoples of the future will look back on us as we look back on the early Egyptians and Babylonians. The time capsule down there is actually a message from our time to theirs. Those who open and study it will know more about us than any man living today. But Jim, how in the world do you know it'll last so long? Because the copper tools of the ancients have come down to us from even farther back. The capsule is made of a still better copper alloy called Cupaloy. It's hard as steel, but an equal to pure copper in resistance to corrosion. Well, what I'm wondering is how anybody will know how to find it in the year What was it? 6939? How to find it? What's in it? In fact, everything about it was printed in a book of record of the time capsule. It's on permanent paper that's been distributed throughout the world to libraries, museums, lamaseries, monasteries, temples, every safe place imaginable. Well, who picked the stuff that was to go in it, Jim? A committee, aided by authorities in every field of science and the arts. It's a complete record of our civilization. Is this exactly like the capsule? Yes, it is cut away so you can see how it's packed. These side cases show you the variety of things in it. Look, here's a woman's hat. A lady's hat will reveal a lot about us to future scientists. It sure will. They'll think we're nuts. Are these little reels the micro file? Yes. It's hard to believe, but on these small reels of film are reproduced all these books, papers, and magazines. It's a record of 10 million words and a thousand pictures. How will they read them? A small microscope is included. But there are also instructions how to make a large reading machine. Also, how to make a motion picture projector for the three special newsreels. I suppose clock, things like that, are in it, too. Everything from samples of fabrics to a dozen different kinds of common seeds. I'll bet you, Nick, I know something that isn't in it. Mickey Mouse. You lose, Bud. Mickey Mouse, Dick Tracy, Barney Google, they're all there. Even toys and money. Why, the list of contents alone takes up 17 pages of fine print. What were they wanting putting in that capsule, anyway? It's the brains of the world done up in a small package. And it's the most permanent exhibit of the Fair. It will still be here when the rest of this place is nothing but dust. That's remarkable. Have you got time to show us some of the other sites, Jim? Why, they can use You men go along. Jane wants to write some postcards home. We'll look around and meet you later. Well, that's the writing room over there, the glass-enclosed room. Perhaps you'd like to enter our letter-writing contest. Letter-writing contest? What's that, Jim? Well, both the folks who write and receive the best letters home from the Fair each week are awarded cash prizes. The winners are announced every Sunday evening during our Letters Home radio program. So, see if you can give me the dope on that contest while you're over there. I might just as well have some of that cash as the next guy. Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you, Bud? Well, they can't shoot you for trying. All right, let's stop at the shop OF OLD WATCH THE PRETTY SHOTS. Remember them, Jim? Six deluxe portraits for a buck. You better take another look. He never had a camera like that one. That's a television camera. Holy smokes, does it work? Of course. You go down there, Mr. Middleton. You can see and hear Bud in a whole row of television receivers. You better be good. Bud, this is Frank Wells. Frank, this is Bud Middleton from the old hometown. Hi, you, Bud. Hi, you. Now, just act and talk naturally. How's it going? It's on. Hi, you, folks. This is Clark Gable Middleton speaking, as you can see if you've got your television sets turned on. What state are you from, Bud? Indiana, the greatest state in the world. And if Grover Whalen's insisting, New York's okay, too. Well, what do you think of the Fair? Well, as a guy I once studied about said, I came, I saw, and I'm almost conquered. How am I doing, Dad? We call this the Playground of Science. It really covers a lot of our normal research activities. Mostly, exhibits are made so the visitors can operate them. Built in Westinghouse. What's it do? The bi-metal discs like these are used to control the current in our electric irons, refrigerators, and other home devices. They save you money by shutting off the current as soon as the right temperature has been reached. Well, that's a new one on me. They're used by the millions. Only they're hidden in the appliances where you can't see them. Oh. What's that? Well, that's a thermostat. Say, Jim, don't you ever feel bad about passing up that chance to play pro football? Well, once in a while, I get the urge to plow into the line. But outside of that, there's more kick to this game. Oh, you don't have to kick an old friend of the family. I guess it must be pretty interesting. What gets under your skin about this search is the attitude of the men in the labs. They work on the principle that nothing is impossible. You hear that, Bud? Oh, sure, but I don't believe it. Open your eyes, Bud. The proof's all around you. Why, the whole Fair is a product of our search. Uh-huh. One can't help marveling at all the new things they're inventing every day. A company can't stand still under the American system of private enterprise. It has two ways to go, back or forward. If it can make better products than the other fellow, it moves ahead. If it can't, the other fellow gets the business. In either case, the public benefits. You mean in better goods? Yes. That's where fellows like me come in. In our research labs, we have four main jobs. We must constantly improve our existing products so more people will be enabled to buy them. We must try to lower their cost by cutting waste of effort and material. Then we must anticipate the demand for new products before people realize they need them. Well, that's only three jobs, Jim. I kept count. The last is industrial prospecting. Like, well, like prospecting for oil or gold. Sometimes we hit gushers, like radio, mechanical refrigeration, or air conditioning. Then a hundred new industries spring up, and thousands of new jobs are created. And another boost is given to our standard of living. Just remember that, Bud. Well, here's something else that might interest you, Bud. Here's the oscilliscope. Talk or blow or whatever you did before into the mic, and you'll see your voice projected on the screen. Tell me, Jim, do you honestly believe that industry can make enough jobs in the future to take care of the young people that are coming along? I think the problem's going to be the other way around. Industry will make so many jobs, there won't be enough people to fill them. So, you don't believe me, do you? Well, you sound like you're in cahoots WITH DAD. FROM ALL I HEAR, YOU'RE LIABLE to hear anything these days. You're willing to sit back and let a lot of self-appointed leaders do your thinking for you. Yeah, well, they believe we're on the skids. Yes, and the men who built this Fair believe the opposite. And what's more, they back up their belief with 200 million dollars' worth of facts. Well, maybe the other side would, too, if they weren't busted. And they'll stay that way till they learn that prosperity and pessimism don't travel together. But they're like you, Bud. They don't like facts. Oh, I don't mind them, Jim. Good. Then I'll introduce you to the group. Come along. Isn't it wonderful, Nick? Beautiful. I guess we're a little early. What do you want to do? Anything but inspect this Temple of Capitalism. Oh, Nick. Look at Their eyes popping out of their heads, drooling over the very things that are taking away their jobs. Now, Nick, don't get all excited. My family thinks that America is a pretty swell place, and I don't want you to disillusion them. I know. I'm here to be exhibited, mute but beautiful. Don't say that, please. I want them to like you, to know you as I do. Did you tell them we're in love? That I want to marry you? That I've asked you a hundred times? Of course I haven't, Nick. It It isn't like telling them that I've got a new hat. I have to do it gradually, the right time and the right place. But why all this strategy? We don't have to maneuver like a battery of tanks. We're not at war with your parents. This is between you and me. It isn't as simple as all that, Nick. Listen to me, Babs. If there's one thing in our lives that doesn't concern other people, it's our marriage. We can slip away after lunch, and by dinner time you can be Mrs. Meeker. Not so fast, Nick. Give me a chance to find out whether I really love you or not. Then if I do, all right. I want my family's blessing beforehand, not when they can't help themselves. Afraid of being cut off of the proverbial shilling, darling? No. Money doesn't count where love is concerned. No, no, of course not. Here are some people who believe in finding out things for themselves. These boys and girls are all members of the science and engineering clubs. They're sponsored by the American Institute of the City of New York to encourage the scientific knowledge of young people. Movement spreading over the whole country. Now, this is the kind of a thing that appeals to me. Do these same kids stay here during the whole fair, Jim? No, there's constant rotation. Each group stays here only a short time. Altogether, about a thousand of them get a chance to use the lab. You know, Jim, the children seem to think that I'm an old fogey, but I just can't help believing that our welfare is rooted in character, not in panaceas. To me, systems don't seem to count half so much as the right kind of men and women like these kids are going to be. You can get my vote on that any day. No system can make up for bad citizenship. No, sir. Well, I think I'll go find mother and Jane. I'll see you at lunch. All right, Mr. Middleton. I'd like to show you about a few more things. He's a pretty hard fellow to convince. Yeah, but I think he's weakening. So long, Dad. By the way, Bud, how's Babs? Okay. Is she going to be here today? I heard her say she was coming out here for lunch, but you never can tell about women. Well, that's Mrs. Drudge hitting those dishes with everything she has. She's consistently diving in the bottom of that dark and greasy water to search for knives and forks. Dishwater splashing around terrific rate. Oh, it's all over, MRS. DRUDGE. THAT RUBBER APRON isn't much HELP NOW. SHE'S SPLASHING SO HARD IT'S GETTING ALL OVER ME. It's a little dangerous attempt to give a blow-by-blow account of what's going on in that dishpan. There's a lot of action over here. She's mopping up with a towel to get the water off some of the dishes she dried a few minutes ago. That water in the pan is an awful messy-looking sight, folks. I wish you could see it. It's a deadly anti-Drudge operation. The dishwasher will use a total of only 15 quarts of water, which is a lot less than Mrs. Drudge has used. And over here, Mrs. Mrs. Drudge washes dishes just like home. The water's not coming out, I remember, folks. They seem an hour to wash a plate. But he uses a big tub of water in that door. You mean he gets more water on the floor than on the dishes. That's why I never let him help me anymore. Now I know he's smarter than you. Very fast, Mrs. Drudge. Come on, please. Hurry, Mrs. Drudge, before it's too late. That water's coming out very fast. Too late. There's the last drop of water, folks. The contest is over in exactly 7 minutes and 58 seconds. In that time, Mrs. Modern has washed 50 dishes and 40 pieces of silverware. As I Well, it's all over, Mrs. Drudge. You may as well rest now. As I said before, ladies and gentlemen, this contest is going to be scored on three counts. First, the time it takes to do the dishes. Unquestionably, Mrs. Modern wins on that score. Second, the cleanliness of the dishes. They are clean, they are dry and sparkling. They would do honor to any woman's table. So, Mrs. Modern wins point number two. Her dishes are certainly cleaner. And now, point number three, the condition of the contestants. Mrs. Modern looks as fresh and neat as when she stepped into the ring. While Mrs. Drudge, well, I have to leave that to you. And so, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the winner, MRS. MODERN. I'M TIRED JUST FROM WHAT THAT ANNOUNCER SAID. Did you hear him, mother? In 15 years, a woman washes, dries, and stacks a pile of dishes nine times higher than the Empire State Building. Imagine it. Well, that didn't impress me half as much as seeing Mrs. Modern read a paper while her dishes were being washed. She'll look young when she's a hundred. Hi, Babs. Shake hands WITH AN OLD PAL of yours. Why, Jim. Babs. How are you? It's nice to see you again. You're looking well, as usual. Oh, this is Mr. Macaroff, my art teacher. Nick, this is Jim Treadway, one of the hometown boys. to know you, Mr. Macaroff. How are you? And this is my little brother, Bud. Hi, Mr. Macaroff. Hello. Oh, say, Babs, we're on our way to the Hall of Power. Why don't you tag along and learn something? Oh, there's plenty of time before we meet the folks. I don't know, it might be fun. What do you think, Nick? All right, but don't expect me to be amused. There's nothing funny about the tools of capitalism. Boy, look at that machine make ribbon, seven at a time. Isn't it a honey? You'd be nearer right if you call it a Frankenstein's monster. No, that's in the movies. Why do you call it that, Nick? Machines like this destroy jobs. Think of the number of people who'd be working if we didn't have these power looms. Yes. I guess every woman in America would be weaving. And their home would be a sweatshop producing clothes for the family like they were before we had power looms. I don't think I'd like that very much. I don't think you'd like homespun clothes, either. Grandma tells me they didn't have much style, but they cost so much in hard labor you wore them till they fell apart. That's what the Cossacks do in Russia. Every couple years they peel off their duds like sticking plaster. It might interest you to know that only the peasants do that. Not here they don't. We ain't got any. Bud, you didn't answer Nick's question. I mean, about looms like this keeping people out of work. The fellow with the red beard asked me the same thing the other day. He waited while I looked it up. And there were four textile mills in America in 1800. Employed a few hundred workers and used water power. Today, with electric and other power, around a million persons are employed in the textile industry. And clothes are so cheap, no one has to make his own. That, I think, answers your question. What's over here, Jim? What is it, Jim? Look at that thing go around. It's a manipulator table, used in a steel blooming mill. You can control a billet with these switches. Watch out, IT'S GOING OFF. OFF. The photo electric equipment keeps it on the table. I suppose you're going to tell us machines like this benefit labor. And how. Not many years ago, steel making was a dangerous occupation. Now, the safest place a steel man can be is in the mill. It's safer than his home. That's right, capitalistic propaganda. Oh, you're kidding, Jim. I'm stating a fact. I know one steel plant that employs 10,000 men. While 15 of them lost their lives at home and other places, not one was lost in the steel works. That's hard to believe. Well, there's the answer right there. Electrical control. Instead of swinging a sledgehammer all day and risking his neck, the steel man sits where Bud is and does his work with a master switches. Well, if one man can do all that with a machine, then I agree with Nick. It can't help but lessen jobs. Here's why they don't, Babs. It's very simple. Machine production makes better and cheaper products. As a result, more people want and can buy them. That in turn creates a demand for more labor. That's just one of those so-called economic laws that doesn't work in practice. It works in steel, printing, textiles, and automobiles, and they're the most mechanized industries in the country. Yes. Let's go see what's over here, Nick. Can you operate that yourself, Bud? Oh, thanks. Step on the dead man's pedal here or I'll keep it down over the lever. That's your brake. This is your gong. Does your company make any really large equipment, Mr. Treadway? Yes, they do. Some so big it has to be shipped piece by piece. For example, the electric furnace we made for a large motor company is 330 ft long. I thought so. Those are the kind of machines that displace men. Mass market industries don't modernize to save jobs, Mr. Macaroff. Their aim is to increase production. That's how employment is created, the only way, in fact. General statements don't mean much to me, Mr. Treadway. All right, facts, then. I know of one year these people spent 9 millions for what you call the labor-saving machinery. That same year, they increased their payroll by 40,000 men and 88 million dollars. Well, they hauled a guy with facts and break up an argument. I suppose you think that's funny. Oh, so you can't take it, huh? Don't you think we'd better look up the folks? It must be nearly time for lunch. Yes, I guess you're right. They'll probably be looking for us. Come on, Babs. Okay. Nick, please be careful during lunch. Dad looks on things the same way Jim does, and he might take you seriously. But I am serious. I know, but promise me that you won't start an argument. All right, if you say so. But I won't enjoy myself. Now, we'll expect you for dinner tomorrow, Mr. Macaroff, and please come early. Then we can have a chance for a nice, long talk. Thank you very much. I'll be glad to come. Sorry, I have to break away now, but I must get back to school. Au revoir. Goodbye, Mr. Macaroff. I enjoyed meeting you all. Sorry, but I must go. Au revoir. Goodbye, Mr. Babs. Oh, boy, was that a meal. I could go for chow like that all the time. You do and you'll wind up in a sideshow. Oh. Well, did I behave all right? You were fine. Only don't misinterpret dad's approval of Karl Marx. He thought you were talking about relatives of Groucho and Harpo. I I don't believe I know them. I'll see you in class, Babs. I will see you in there, Mia. Now I won't take no for an answer. You're coming to dinner, too, and like it. Hey Jim, how about joining dad in the Hall of Science? He'll go for that. glad to, Bud. Fine. How about you, Mrs. Harrison? Would you care to join us? No, thank you. I want to show Jane and Barbara some of the things in the Hall of Electrical Living. Well, say. Electro, the Moto Man, will be doing his tricks at 2:00. Let's meet there. All right. Come on, Jane. Barbara. Well. This way. Yes. That's what I call smart. Making time the theme of the home exhibit. I don't get it. What's smart about it? Well, if there was one thing a woman in my day never had enough of, it was time. With her master. Some had two. If they had a bossy husband. Don't tell me you're against husbands. What's with you, grandma? No, indeed. Only against slavery. Domestic or otherwise. That's why I like electrical engineers. They signed our emancipation proclamation. Beautiful kitchen. Neat, isn't it? Neat? Nothing. It's a paradise. No one who hasn't cooked over a wood stove by the light of a kerosene lamp can really appreciate what it all means. The steps it would save. The good old days, eh, grandma? Yes, and anybody who wants them can have my share. This is the new electric dishwasher. That's keen. Bud and dad would sure go for it. They're the official dish dryers. Tom's going to get me a dishwasher like that for my birthday. It's the last thing he ever does. But mother, your birthday was last month. Well, I've just decided I'm going to have another. This is nice. Very modern. Magnificent, too. Miss, is that a three-way floor lamp? Yes, ma'am. If you step over here. You should show Nick these rooms, Barbara. It's a subtle way to set his feet in the right path. But what do you mean, grandma? Well, even artists have to live, so there's no harm in showing them how you'd like to do it. Oh, that's old-fashioned. There are more important things today than homemaking. Maybe, but I don't know what they are. I always figured raising my family and keeping your grandfather well-fed and happy was pretty important. So did he. But Nick's different. He wouldn't care if you fed him sawdust. He just isn't interested in such things. He put away a mighty good lunch for a fellow who doesn't care. But he doesn't care, really. He's an idealist. You should hear him in class. He talks more about Aristotle than he does art. Did he tell you how Aristotle got the time to be a philosopher? No, I don't believe he did. Well, he talked the richest woman in all Greece into marrying him. And so, ladies and gentlemen, with a great deal of pride and pleasure, I present to you Electro, the Westinghouse Moto Man. Electro, come here. And here he comes, ladies and gentlemen, walking up to greet you under his own power. Stop. You see, all I need to do is to speak into this phone, and Electro does exactly what I tell him to do. Sometimes. But I don't see why I'm telling Electro's story when he's perfectly able to tell his own. So, let's listen and see what Electro has to say to us today. All right, Electro, will you tell your story, please? Who? Me? Yes, you. Okay, toots. Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be very glad to tell my story. I am a smart fellow as I have a very fine brain of 48 electrical relays. It works just like a telephone switchboard. If I get a wrong number, I can always blame the operator. I can And by the way, I see a lot of good numbers out in our audience today. Electro, behave yourself. Quiet, please. I'm doing the talking. I'm sorry. That's the most remarkable thing I've ever seen. Boy, what a guy that guy would make on my football team. Now, Electro, a moment ago you were bragging about being able to count on your fingers. Do you remember that? Well, we're going to find out about that. Now, do you remember how many children were born at the same time to a certain family up in Canada? Do you remember that? All right, let's see if you do. Count them on your right hand. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Five? Well, that's absolutely correct. Why, he's almost human. If he wasn't so big, I'd take him for an engineer. All right, now, Electro, I know you enjoy these, and I'm really going to try to give you a nice pleasure out of these. So, here you are. You got that? Now, hold on to it. You may now smoke this cigarette. Go on. Oh, yes, Electro, you do need a light, too, don't you? All right, here you are. And folks, he's only 2 years old, too. Just learning. How can he do all those things, Jim? He's full of motors, gears, cams, and photoelectric cells. You could fill a book with all the electromechanical principles involved in the thing. All he lacks is a heart and a brain. If you ask me, I'd say he had nothing. Well, then all he lacks is a heart. He's not the only one. What's a neat little word for a gusty wind in Patagonia? Begins with a W. How about heart, GRANDMA? HOW CAN I WRITE A FRESHMAN LETTER WITHOUT you asking about wind and Oh, I'm sorry, Bud. I won't do it again. Oh, that's all right. I'll give you a wish this. If I ever do. Say, Jim, what would happen if all the things Westinghouse developed first just disappeared? All suddenly, I mean. Well, it's easy. There'd be no electrical industry. It'll put the world back 50 years. He asked. Well, I figured all the others would write about what they saw at the fair. So, if I tell them what wouldn't be there without Westinghouse, I won't have any competition. You got something there, Bud. Go to it. Hey, wait a minute, Jim. I need some facts. All right. Consider three out of the thousands of things we pioneered, and where we'd be without them. Well, just a second. All right, go ahead. Uh, first, alternating current, or AC, as most people call it. It permits the economical sending of electric power long distances from where it's generated. Second, uh, the steam turbines for use in the big power stations where electricity is made. And third, radio broadcasting. The Westinghouse station KDKA Pittsburgh was the first to broadcast programs on a regular schedule. Do you think those are enough? Well, we make over 8,000 other products you could mention. I don't like that guy, either, Jim. I didn't say I didn't like him. You'd be surprised what a fellow like me finds out just keeping his eyes open. Jim, come over and talk to me. How are you coming along? Well, I thought I was doing all right until Babs Well, turned from science You're just like your father. He wasn't very smart where women were concerned either. It wasn't until he fell off the roof and broke his leg that your mother found out that she loved him. Do you think that would help? I don't think it's necessary. Most women you'll find pick husbands who see the world pretty much as they do. Who think as they do about uh religion war politics Yes, even communism. They do it unconsciously. It's bred into them from childhood. Yes, but they can make mistakes, too. And they can also correct them if you give them a little time. I never knew time had so much to do with love. I don't understand what you mean exactly by abstract form, Nick. That's the trouble with verbal language. It's too clumsy to express elusive qualities. But to me, abstract form is the essential substructure. In short, the fundamental rhythm underlying our conceptions of spatial limitations. Do I make myself clear? Oh oh perfectly. It's very clear now. Thanks. Say, this weather's almost as good as Indiana's. Uh don't get up. Uh what have you got there, Mr. Magrath? One of your paintings? Yes, it's a a work that I'm rather fond of. A good piece of abstract painting, don't you think? Yeah. It uh Oh. Hm. It's uh it's remarkable. Certainly got a lot of color. No doubt about that. Uh what does it represent? Represent? Why, it doesn't represent anything. Why should it? It's a picture. An independent entity. There's no reason to imitate something else. No no, I suppose not. It It It's just that I'm sort of used to looking at pictures of people and objects, you know. Why? Uh why? Well, it's um um uh Uh why? If you want a house or a flower, you can go and look at them. Or if you want them represented, you can have them photographed. So, why allow them to intrude into pictures? Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're right. Well, if you young folks will excuse me, I think I'll take these flowers in and put them in some water. I think they uh need a drink. Dad's idea of fine art is rearing a two-fisted family. Too bad. You ought to keep up with the times. I meant to show you this before. What do you think of it? Oh, it It's unique, all right. I don't think I've ever seen a ring like it. It's really a collector's item. A rare specimen of barbaric jewelry. It's been in our family for about 300 years. 300 years? Uh notice its color. Why, it's a study in poly-chromatic harmony. It's beautiful. Really lovely. Oh no, Nick. I couldn't take a ring like that. Why, it must be priceless. Don't be silly. I want you to have it. Oh, please. I I couldn't think of it, really. Wear it for a while. There's no harm in that. As a favor. Oh, no. Now, you're being provincial, Babs. Well, just for a week or so. How does it look? Now that you're wearing it, I can tell you. This ring has been put over a dozen generations. The official seal of the Troth of my family. Well, I think the others would like to see it. Mother. Dad. It's too big to describe in a song or a sonnet. So, dress yourself up in your best bib and bonnet. The Westinghouse mat has a welcome up on it for you when you come to this fair. WELL, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. AND NOW, THE FOURTH WINNER IN OUR LETTERS Home Contest, a very young man from Riverdale, Indiana. Dear old Indiana, garden spot of America. Mr. Bud Middleton. All right, this way, BUD. AND CONGRATULATIONS. YOUR PRIZE-WINNING LETTER IN THE Westinghouse contest made all the judges sit up and take notice. These are unusual judges. That's all they took. Well, let's see. You had all your family with you, according to your letter. So, you wrote that letter to a pal of yours back in Riverdale, didn't you? Yeah, to Tubby Parker. But I won't know how much of a pal he is until I get back home and find out if he's been dating my girlfriend. Uh-oh. Maybe you made a mistake writing to Tubby. Remember, he gets half of your money, you know. Well, that's okay. But I'm serving notice that's as far as I share it goes. Well, that's fair enough. But tell me, Bud, what are you going to do with your prize money? Well, I think I'm going shopping for parts to make a shortwave radio set. And there you are, folks. The boy of tomorrow. But no fooling, Bud. Really, you wrote a mighty interesting letter. You described how the fair would look without the electrical contributions of pioneers like Westinghouse. Imagine a fair without electricity. Say, the folks. Uh-huh. Hello, folks. But I'm going to spare the details that you went into in your letter. And suppose you just sum up what you said. If it weren't for fellows like these Westinghouse engineers, what would this fair be like? Well, I don't think there'd be any fair. Well, that's fair enough, too, isn't it? And very much to the point. Thank you very much, Bud, FOR THOSE KIND WORDS. BUT I BELIEVE OUR VICE POSTMASTER in charge of judges, the personable Miss Bennett, uh has the verdict ready as to the grand prize, our double award for the best letter this week's crop. Am I right, Miss Bennett? Yes, I have it here, Mr. Perkins. And who, may I ask, is the lucky winner? The winner is Mr. Bud Middleton. Very good, Bud. Oh boy, the jackpot! ELECTRICITY, HERE I COME! GEE, GRANDMA, the more you see of New York, the bigger it gets. This is the same as Main Street back home. Only larger and busier. Well, maybe we can get WHAT I NEED HERE. I WONDER IF THEY'VE GOT ANY NEW GAGS. The spitting image of you, Robbie. Your head without salt. Now, we might be wrong. May I see the box of rings in the middle of the window? Why, certainly. You can search the city, but you won't find a nicer piece of costume jewelry. We can see all right, Grandma. That's a perfect copy of a ring in a Moscow museum. Is it very expensive? Well, I'll be very honest with you. It's worth more, but you can have that for $2. And at that price, I'm practically giving it away. I'll have a half a dozen, if you please. Won't you let me fix these things, Miss Hasson? You know, Big Feet, that's my next-to-the-last husband. Big Feet said I make sandwiches that'd knock your eye out. That's why I'm doing them, Elvira. I have use for my eyes today. Huh. Ears is all you needs if that fine gentleman's coming. He sure got a powerful tone. Mr. Magrath's to be the guest of honor. Hello, Grandma. Hello, Elvira. How you showing all the my my my. You look lovely, dear. Anything I can do to help? Oh, I nearly forgot. You left your ring on my dresser. My ring? That means bad luck of some sort. Grandma, I've got my ring. Why, they're absolutely the same. Where did this other ring come from, I wonder? I don't know. Hello, everybody. Can I help? What's the matter with you, Babs? Are you sick? No. No, I'm all right. Oh. I declare, I think you'd lose your head if it wasn't glued on. Here, it's your ring. I found it on my dresser. What's wrong? Don't you want it? The very same. Why, they're all alike. Where'd you get them all, Babs? Land's sakes alive. Do you know what this is all about, Mother? Me? How should I know, Jane? Come on, Elvira. Take these sandwiches in and and stop looking at me as if I'd stolen your purse. My face isn't used to this shaving twice a day. Why I should look pretty is beyond me. You won't even know I'm around. Where's my tobacco? Oh, Babs. You left your ring in the bathroom. You know, that's no way to treat a valuable ring like this. You might lose it. Say, how many of them have you got, anyway? Too many. Hi, everybody. Has eating commenced, Jud? Gee, I haven't had anything to eat in about 4 hours. Mhm, food is good, but the service is awful. Oh, say, kid, just how many rings did that guy Nick give you? Was he in the jewelry business? Why, I found two of them in my room. Holy smoke, you got a million. Good afternoon. Is this Barbara Ann? Yes, Mr. MacLeod. There's Arthur here. Come right in, sir. Just lay your head on the table there, son, and follow me. MR. MACLEOD. Good afternoon, Mr. Middleton. Hello, Bud. Mrs. Harrison. How are you, Mr. Middleton? Babs. Haven't you lost something? Young ladies shouldn't leave their valuables lying around. I found this on the hall table. Quite a study in poly-chromatic harmony. Don't you think? What? Why, the dirty cook told me there was only one of them. Don't push him, DAD. GIVE HIM A CHANCE. HEY, LET GO OF MY ARM. Will you get up, please? Come on, NOW. YOU GOT A BEATING, NICKY. HE'S A WILD MAN. WHEN HE GETS GOING, I CAN'T HOLD HIM MUCH LONGER. LAND SAKES ALIVE, WHO ALL DONE BUSTED WHAT? I think you scared him, Dad. He didn't even wait for a chow. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Tom Middleton. What do you mean by carrying a gun? A gun? Why, I don't even own a gun. It is that uh practical joking son of yours. I'll have you know, Tom Middleton, he's just as much your son as mine. Well, now that the guest of honor has departed, what are we going to do? What are we going to do? A whole table full OF CHOW IN FRONT OF US, AND YOU ASK WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? OH, I mean afterwards. Well, I know what Mother and I are going to do. We're going to take our shoes off and listen to the radio. Can't you listen to it with them on? We can sit around the house when we get old. Tonight, we're going to look for a silver lining. Just 46 years ago this month, I was doing the same thing. Watching the lights of a world's fair. The Columbian Exposition at Chicago. That was the first American fair lighted by electricity. Yeah. And Jim's company furnished most of the lighting for it. We've come a long way since then. Say, Jim, did you hear about the dame asking when they keep his feet in the lagoon? I can't help it, Babs. I've got to talk. I Please, Jim, not now. Just let me hold on to you. I wonder if the years ahead will be as bright as this. We haven't seen anything yet, darling. Why, all this is merely a sample of the real world of tomorrow. This has been a presentation of the Library of Congress. Visit us at loc.gov.