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Marches past, 75 years ago.

From the LaGrange Daily News, 1938.

Editorials:

Thanks Goodness for a Good Hospital — We understand that there is some concern in Troup County and the city of LaGrange official circles concerning the fact that the new City-County Hospital is not being used to capacity, or even near capacity.

The concern arises because a health plant such as ours must be used fully, else there is a financial deficit in operating it. In spite of the most efficient management of the hospital’s board – composed of good citizens who serve without remuneration – operating expenses are considerably in excess of revenues. It cannot be otherwise as long as many of the rooms are without pay-patients.

Right now the community is in pretty good health, but no one knows when another wholesale sickness will come our way. Hospital facilities should be adequate to handle emergencies. We have such a hospital in this community. We ought to be using it more than we are doing.

In the meantime we should be thankful that the hospital is ready to receive us, that there are cheerful rooms available and trained hands and minds ready to minister to sick bodies. That knowledge alone is easily worth the financial deficit which comes at times when our hospital facilities are not used to capacity.

Town and County Must Cooperate in Diversification Program — We continue to believe that the future prosperity of Troup County depends on better farming practice, better marketing facilities for the products of the farm and a rebuilding of the fertility of our farms. Diversification is a necessary part of the better farming program, an in this effort, we are convinced that the people of LaGrange must contribute a substantial part.

With cotton acreage cut to the place where many of the farmed acres in the county must be placed in pasturage and other feed crops, the only way out for our farmers is via the livestock route. Better cows, and many more of them, better hogs and many more of them, better poultry and many more of them, better feed crops and much more of them make up the program that will bring back profitable agriculture in Troup County.

It will be up to the civic organizations of LaGrange to help underwrite this financial and educational program in which all of the people of the county must join.

All Eyes on Europe — Not since the World War days has there been such intense interest in the European scene as has been in evidence recently. Why this interest of the man on Main Street in LaGrange? Why the worried questions of mothers and fathers everywhere? What is it all about? What’s going to happen? When?

The answer is, of course, that the world is in the grip of a war scare. In the totalitarian states peace hangs on the utterances and actions of one man. Hitler or Mussolini can plunge the world into war before breakfast in the morning if they desire to do so. The fate of millions of people hangs today on the whims of the dictators and their ambitions for power and perpetuation of power.

Hitler hopes to establish a German empire in middle Europe. In the five years since he came into power, his steps have become bolder and now there remains little doubt as to his intentions.

America may be able to hold her peace for a while, but eventually she will be forced to take her place beside the other democratic states. No wonder then that all eyes are turned to the European scene. Is another world catastrophe being manufactured there? Who knows?

Front Page News:

LaGrange Rated High in District — Highest possible district rating in three contests will accompany LaGrange representatives to the State Music Festival in Milledgeville April 11 and 12, following rating competition with other schools of the Fourth District in Thomaston yesterday.

In three contests – girls’ three-part chorus, girls’ trio and girls’ soprano solo – LaGrange received a rating of one, which entitled the local school to enter representatives in the State Music Festival.

Members of the girls’ trio of the high school receiving the highest possible ratings are: Misses Georgia Head, Mildred Fincer and Dora Anna Gay. Miss Gay rated One in the soprano solo contest. Twenty five girls took part in the girls’ three-part chorus.

Miss Isma Swain is director of the high school group.

People Getting Better, as Arrests Show Decline — People in LaGrange and visitors in the city are just naturally getting better, or at least that’s the reason Identification Officer Gene Hawkins gives for the drop in number of cases booked by the local police.

A total of 364 persons have been booked by the local police so far this year, as compared with 559 over the same period in 1937, and 468 over the same period in 1936.