DETROIT JEWISH
By C. W. OTTO,
)1,0yer Flint Chamber of Commerce
A resident of the State of Missis-
,1;0,-,wdb.o.hloived in Flint forty years
helped build into the cit y
e'rlailroad now known as the Grnad
old home
tame bark to n
Trunk,
win list week.
1,l ,Nitat he saw—al-
He was amazed at the extent to
out
;hide the "old town" had changed,
frown, developed intoa mod-
d
over one hundred thousand
elled), a
peo ple.
rought here,' was
laic has been -w
ay of describing the evolution of
his l w modern city from the struggling
t il
hamt be had known in the old days.
le one who studies the underlying
To of this growth from a strug-
ases
e eng101-111ill town to its present size
becomes apparent that the "Magic"
it poken of by this wan was of a very
f
s
Moen kind.
Ken of an unusual type refused to
let Flint die simply because he saw-
mills bad exhausted nearby supplies of
timber. As a result of their energy
sod determination Flint became a
leader in the manufacturing field,
red carts, wagons and buggies being
for prc.duct.
Mien these vehicles went out of
fashion and automobiles were invented
these same men looked into the future
And visioned the great manufacturing
NsSibilitie5 of this new means of
transportation—result, Flint soon be-
came a prominent name wherever au-
tomobiles were known, and through
the years it has maintained a promi-
nent place in this great industry until
way there are more automobiles
manufactured in Flint than in any
ether municipality except Highland
Perk. Flint leads even Detroit.
Due to this team-work, Flint has
overcome tremendous handicaps and
obstacles and her growth and energy
continue to astound less progressive
rites.
In lees than nine years the assessed
valuation has jumped from $35,000,-
000 to $171,000,000.00, and the
number of miles of street railway has
been increased from ten to thirty
Mles. Twenty miles of paved streets
in IP1J—today more than eighty-six
miles. Thirty-eight thousand people
in I910—today more than one hun-
dred and twenty thousand.
One factory alone employs 25,000
People.
To those who call it "magic" we say
"yes it is magic," it is the magic that
an be wrought by an aroused and in-
telligent citizenship who have learned
that King Solomon spoke wisely when
he said "Where there is no vision the
people perish"—a citizenship that be-
lieves with George B. Irving that:
- sot gold but only men can make
A city great and strong;
Hen who for truth and honor's sake
Stand fast and suffer long;
Brave men who work while others
sleep;
ISho dare while others fly,
They build a city's pillars deep
And lift them to the sky."
JEWISH HUMOR
Do you remember X., a distant rel-
ative of ours, who lives in the North
of England? lie came to see us the
other day, and despite his three score
fee and five he can still ride a
hone, sail a boat, dance a fox-trot,
and tell a story. Indeed, he is full
of stories, and he tells them with a
trnkle in his eye that enhances their
honor I thousand fold. He always
reminds one of Milton's "laughter
bolding both his sides." If, as Em-
erson says, a reception of the comic
appears to be an essential element in
the character, X. must have a very
toe character. But Emerson also
ass that the perception of the comic
.t I tie of sympathy with other men,
ad truly X is the most sympathetic
and tolerant of men, a human sun-
beam, lighting up dark corners of the
tool
I. has a theory that Jews are spe-
!ally gifted with a sense of humor,
ad that only few Jews lack the
mese. I remarked that the trend of
let* history hardly made for glad-
test It seems as though out of age-
ong sufferings the Jews can seize
:Pon the whimsicality of the moment.
Sot for hie sense of humor, which
Tints from his optimism, the Jew
ros'd have been overwhelmed long
ago. I suggested that the sense of
humor is a primary instinct of hu-
man nature, but maintained that in
the Jew the instinct is strongly
marked. Jewish humor has a flavor
of its own. To illustrate his point,
he proceeded to relate yarn after
yarn. I cannot possibly remember all
of them; I only know that he kept us
in fits of laughter as he told one after
the other. Let me jot down a few
for your benefit.
A Berlin Jew had occasion to stay
some little time in a small Galician
village on business. While there he
ordered a pair of trousers from the
local tailor. But the tailor took it
easy, and the trousers were not ready
before the commercial gnetleman
CHRONICLE
from Berlin had to leave. Four years
later the visitor again came to the
village, and the tailor brought the
trousers. "This is a bit thick," he
exclaimed to the tailor. "God Al-
mighty made the world in six days,
and you require four years to make
a pair of trousers!" The tailor
spread out the garment before the
customer, lovingly se.t raked the
creases, and remarked: "Mr. Levy,
consider the difference. Just look
around the world, and then look at
these trousers."
It is well known that Jews in
Eastern Europe have a weakness for
obtaining medical advice from as
many sources as they can, and as
Page nine
cheaply as they can. On this topic
X. told the following story:
A Galician Jew came to Berlin to
consult an eminent specialist. Ile was
told that the fee for the first visit
was 100 marks, and for each subse-
quent visit only 50. The patient, in-
tent on spending as little as possible,
entered the consulting room jauntily
with the remark, "Ilere we are again.
Doctor!" and put 50 marks on the
table. The great man was unper-
turbed by this shameless attempt,
and carefully examined his visitor—
felt his pulse, hooked at his tongue,
sounded his heart, and so on; and
then declared, "You had better go on
with the medicine I prescribed when
you were here last."
ORT
S I x
Three-Door Coupe, Six Cylinders
$1535, F. 0. B. Flint
A NEW COUPE AS ROOMY AS A SEDAN
This smart Dort Three-Door Coupe will comfortably seat five
larger-than-average people. Doors and windows are extra
wide. There is ample leg room in both front and rear com-
partment. The cumbersome practice of crawling over front
seats has been avoided by a new feature—a rear door on the
right which provic'ts easy entrance and egress. Improved
springs have added greatly to the riding comfort. Equipment
includes trunk; mirror; spare tire, cover and carrier; cur-
tains; full-crown fenders; windshield cleaner; sun visor;
motometer; cowl ventilator; and disc wheels. Finished in
lake blue, with black running gear. Trimmed in sparkling
nickel. And of course it is powered by the smooth-running
Dort six-cylinder motor that operates in a "bath of oil."
Dort Sixes $1095 to $1595, at Flint
GEO. L. SIMMONS SALES CO.
Successors
DORT SALES CO.
917 S. Saginaw St.