By Morris Rote-Rosen
Spring reached Granville on schedule, bringing the warmest day since last summer ... Saturday, March 20, saw a great baby parade on Main street ... And one wondered where all these fine children were stored during the cold weather ... The babies crowding the sidewalks and the robins bouncing on the freshly exposed lawns brought a note of cheer to every one ... The snow which was three and four feet high, gave way to green patches everywhere ... Even "Pat" Considine couldn't believe his ears when he heard the song of the first robin ... He rubbed his eyes several times to squint up a tree on Quaker street, to spot the spring vocalist.
Lake St. Catherine, which the week before, showed a thickness of 18 inches of ice was beginning to crack up, the ice breaking away rom the shore line ... Holes cut by ice fishermen looked deserted and abandoned for the season ... And streams of water from the melting snow on the hillsides, pouring over the highway, signaled the exit of old man winter ... The rush of the Mettowee river in Granville could be heard a block away ... And the fact that Arthur Woodard has substituted his broom for the snow shovel, is an indication that the coal bin is about to realize its long desired rest.
We are all proud of Granville, but what really makes the vest button fly from chest expansion in all directions are remarks we overheard two visiting Albany men make when they stepped out of their cars and looked up and down the street. Said one: "This looks like one of the most progressive villages I ever saw." ... "Say", said the other, "this village is alive." ... These men were impressed with the cleanliness of the street, the way business places and residential buildings are kept up. And after making their rounds they expressed pleasure at the courteous reception by the people of Granville.
A disabled Granville veteran of World War II, with a distinguished overseas war record, the holder of several decorations including a Purple Heart, tried an examination for the position of state prison guard. His application was rejected "because he has had no previous experience" for that particular job. Since when has the State of New York been accepting only those for the job of prison guard who have had prison guard experience? In spite of the civil service law giving veterans preference, they are still being given the "run around" by the powers that be.
Congratulations to Ben Getty, Granville's grand old man of 96, who observed his birthday anniversary, March 15 ... It has been a long time since Granville voters cast their ballots by candle light as they did at the village election, March 16, when the current was shut off ... As long as Granville has citizens of the caliber of Dr. V. K. Irvine and "Bill" Corey who are willing to serve the community by taking their places on the village board, our people may rest assured that their interests will be well guarded ... But, why don't more voters turn out to give such men a vote of approval, even though there is no contest for the office.
We drop in occasionally on Jerry Dwyer and take advantage of a ringside seat at the telecast of the boxing shows staged at Madison Square Garden, Friday nights. And we have been impressed by the gentlemanly crowd occupying the booths and lining the bar. The place is quite, no loud or boisterous talking is allowed, no profanity is tolerated and intoxicated persons are taboo. It makes one realize that alcoholic beverages can be dispensed on the same legitimate basis as any other business. And Jerry Dwyer does just that.
Greetings to Rev. R. T. Bliss, the new rector of Trinity Episcopal church. Good men are always welcome to our village and the new rector and his family will find a warm spot in the heart of Granville ... The name "Rising and Nelson" is the last of old pioneer slate companies to go out of business. It was one of many slate companies which flourished in the N. Y. - Vermont slate belt sixty-five and seventy years ago. Hugh G. Williams who still continues in business, is the last of the younger slate firms, but he is the last of the old well known slate manufacturers.
Not many remain who can recall such names in the slate industry as Hugh W. Hughes and Son, Norton Brothers, Auld and Conger, Williams and Edwards, T.R. Griffiths, Hugh J. Williams, The Penrhyn Slate Co., S.C. Dennison, Anniflan Slate Trust, Buckeye Slate Company, Owen W. Owens Sons, Columbia Slate Co., New Empire Slate Co., Fred S. Sheldon Slate Co., and many others. And did you ever hear of the Manhattan Slate and Tile Company, which opened the first red slate quarry in the United States, in Slateville, paying $53,000 for 35 acres of land in 1853?
We would like to see Granville come up with a good local baseball club. Granville has been baseball starved ever since the Y. M. G. laid down their baseball bats. What happened to baseball in Granville? ... A salute to the PTA of Wells for bringing free educational films to the children of Wells. It must be a relief for a youngster not to have to sit through nerve-racking, blood curdling western and murder stories. The PTA everywhere can be a force for good for cleaning up the motion picture mess for children ... What did Mrs. John F. Evans say when a passing car splashed a handful of mud into her face?
Irene Carroll twitted a friend for not wearing the green on St. Patrick's day, overlooking the fact that she was in the company of a young man wearing an orange jacket ... What's in a name? We received a letter from a gentleman who signed his name as "Pufpaff", believe it or not ... When the death of Robert W. Edwards was announced, a group of Granville men said they had never heard of him. And yet he was an active business and fraternal man in this village for a long long time about 35 years ago. ... When we saw Mrs. R.E. Brown crossing the street, we thought of her work as Superintended of District schools for many years and whose work is now being done by THREE such superintendents. What a worker Mrs. Brown has been in her day.
Granville music lovers are in for a treat with the musical program which is being presented (this) Friday evening at the high school auditorium ... We watched Albert Berkowitz assisting as referee at the K. of C. - Whitehall Merchants basketball game. After bouncing around the floor for the first three quarters, following the young players, it looked like Albert needed an oxygen tank ... Discussing the rough going some married couples have, a visitor said: "When I have an argument with my wife, the first thing she says is 'Whose fault is it? You asked ME to marry YOU.' "
Let's not get too hysterical about an approaching war with Russia. Stalin knows what happened to Fascism and Naziism in war. Russia cannot win the next war and Stalin knows it. And a defeat for Russia would mean the end of Communism and of the Kremlin. And, besides, we can stay out of a next war be being more hard-boiled than President Truman has been with his wishy-washy, weak-kneed foreign policy of the past. Plain talk backed by a strong national defense will make the Kremlin boys think twice before they start shooting.
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