“Citizens Demand Greater Protection for Swarthmore Ave. Railroad Crossing Following Fatal Accident Monday Morning” (1 – AD, BB, and CV) – headline
“Season Tickets for Chautauqua Placed on Sale. Tickets This Year $2 Instead of $3 as Previously – Children $1. Proceeds to Library” (1 & 7 – AC and AE) – Photo with caption “Don Manuel Tellez, Mexican Ambassador Scheduled as the feature lecturer at Chautauqua this year”. The Chautauqua was to take place in a big tent on the Prep School Grounds, its proceeds above expenses slated for the Swarthmore Public Library. The program was going to include a talk by Manuel Tellez; productions of “Skidding” and “The Romancers”; and a “romantic travel lecture by Ellery Walter, entitled ‘Around the World on one Leg.'”44
“Musical Service Sunday by Presbyterian Choir” (1 – AC and RS)
“False Economy at R. R. Crossing” (1 – AD, BB, and CV) – Just a few months earlier, when “a coupe struck a train and was demolished, but without serious injury to the occupants,” it was more than clear that the crossing was an accident waiting to happen. This item demanded that the Borough Council ignore monetary costs in order to save future lives. At the end of the article on page 10, The Swarthmorean printed “a few of the letters” that were received “protesting against the crossing at Swarthmore avenue. They do not indicate the number of phone calls we have had about the subject.” Letter-writers were Maud L. Bishop, “A car-driver — taxpayer — and user45 of this crossing”; and “A Resident”. The Swarthmorean also reprinted an editorial from the Chester Times that called the crossing a “death-trap.”
“Hundreds Attend Library Opening. New Rooms in Borough Hall Opened for Inspection” (1 & 4 – BB)
Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Bulletin: “Where the Crash Occurred Early Monday Morning” with caption “View of the Swarthmore avenue R. R. crossing which has long been pointed out as a death trap.” (1 – AD, BB, and CV)
“Home and School Elects Officers. Exhibits of School Work and Class Demonstration Precedes Meeting. Condemn Grade Crossing” (1 & 7 – AD, BB, CO, and CV) – After it elected new officers, the Swarthmore Home and School Association resolved to petition the Borough Council “to take immediate steps for the adequate safeguarding of the Swarthmore avenue R. R. crossing at all hours of the day and night.”
“Resolutions and Petitions Sent to Borough Council. Death of One Swarthmore Resident and Injury of Three Others When Train Hits Automobile, Stirs Public Opinion as Never Before; Victim Buried Yesterday” (1 – AD, BB, and CV) – George D. Hodgson, 26 years old, of 30 Amherst Avenue was driving over the Swarthmore Avenue railroad tracks at 1 a.m. and died from the impact of being struck by a train. His three passengers were injured, including his wife and sister.
“Council Upholds Zoning Ordinance. Special Permit Refused for Rebuilding Farley Apts. on Larger Scale. Order Sewer Survey” (1 & 4 – BB and RE) – At its last meeting, the Borough Council “refused to issue a permit for the rebuilding of the Farley Apartments, on Park Avenue.” The request had been to construct a four-story building at the site.
“Women Voters Announce ‘Our Town’ Meeting” (1 – WO) – The May 28th meeting was to have as its theme “Our Town: Some Reasons for its Success.”
“Social and Personal” (2 – SL)
“Fortnightly Closes Successful Year” (3 – AC, AE, PO, and WO) – “The object of this organization is purely cultural, each member, during the season, reviewing a book, reading a poem or play, discussing a current event or in some way contributing toward the entertainment or enlightenment of its members.” The article listed the 14 books reviewed for the Fortnightly’s past season; they included Biography of Susan B. Anthony, The Intelligent Woman’s Guide to Socialism and Capitalism, and Mary, Wife of Lincoln.
“B. & C. Association to Meet Next Tuesday” (3 – BB and CO)
“Program by Drama Section of Swarthmore Woman’s Club” (3 – AC and WO)
“County Federation Meeting” (3 – DC and WO) – Delaware County Federation of Woman’s Clubs
“Women Invited to Garden” (3 – GN and WO) – The “Garden Committee and all members of the Woman’s Club who are interested in flowers” were invited to Mrs. E. Irwin Scott’s at Elm and Maple.
“Girl Scouts” (3 – KO)
Ad: Media Theatre (3 – QA): “Clara Bow in her first talking picture, ‘The Wild Party'”
“Annual Recital of School of Music” (4 – AC and CE) – at the Woman’s Clubhouse
“Children’s Story Hour Postponed to June 7” (4 – CE)
“Main Line Repertory Production June 5-6” (4 – AC) – A.A. Milne’s “The Romantic Age” at the Merion Cricket Club in Haverford
“Church New” (4 – RS)
“Public Library Rules” (5 – BB) – Hours and rules for borrowing books
“Hedgerow Announces Program for May 30” (5 – AC) – Susan Glaspell’s “Inheritors” and George Bernard Shaw’s “The Devil’s Disciple”
“‘Rancour’ to Be Given at Hedgerow Tonight” (5 – AC and RR) – Lynn Riggs’ “Rancour” was replacing August Strindberg’s “The Stronger” and Eugene O’Neill’s “The Emperor-Jones”46
“Christian Science Churches” (5 – RS)
“Legion Planning Annual Memorial Day Program” (6 – BB and VM) – Parade to East Lawn Cemetery followed by a ceremony at the Memorial Tablet at Station Square
“Demonstration of Rhythmic Dancing” (6 – AC and WO) – Miss Alice Kraft at the Woman’s Clubhouse
“Swarthmoreans Named Sunday School Heads” (6 – DC, RS, and SN) – Isaac Yocum and George Friend
“County Welfare Council to Meet at Lima May 28” (6 – CW and DC) – “Annual Conference and Institute on Relief Problems”
Ad “Swarthmore Radio Shop” (6 – QA and RR): Among the new releases advertised from Columbia Records were “Freeze and Melt” and “Mississippi Moan” by Joe Turner and His Memphis Men47
“Presbyterian Women to Hold June Festival” (6 – WO) “Electric Co. Announces New Rate Schedule” (6 – MI) “Sheriff Sales” (6 – RE)
“Estate Notices” (6)
“Mary Lyon Golf Course to Be Opened for Public” (7 – SS) – on Rose Valley Road
“Boy Scout Notes” (7 – KO)
“Twilight Baseball Team to Open Season Soon” (8 – SS)
“Classified” (8)
“Art Club Meeting” (8 – AC) – on the works of Madame Le Brun48
“Daughters and Mothers Guests at Dinner” (8 – RS and WO) – at the Presbyterian Church
“Prep School Notes by Mark Wilcox” (8 – CE and SS) – track and baseball, and highlighting of Robert G. Putzel, the Swarthmore Preparatory School alumnus at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance and Commerce who conducted research on “Underwriting and Investment Profit of Fire Insurance”
“Correspondence” (9 – SC and SN) – letter from Harvey M. Watts of Philadelphia with regard to the article by his “friend Professor Bye”. Watts asserted that Swarthmore College was in fact to blame for Benjamin West’s obscurity.
(9 – AP) – letter from “A Neighbor” on two “playful puppies”: “they ‘go’ for tradesmen, they snap at pedestrians and one of them gave a good sized bite on the leg of one of the residents on the block, so that it was thought necessary for Dr. Kistler to treat the wound.”
“Hedgerow Announces Program for Next Week” (9 – AC) – “A Doll’s House,” “The Devil’s Disciple,” “The Stronger,” “The Emperor Jones,” and “Uncle’s Been Dreaming”
Photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Bulletin: “Wrecked Car in Swarthmore Avenue Crossing Accident” with caption “View of the car in which George D. Hodgson, Amhurst [sic] avenue, met his death when struck by a train at the Swarthmore avenue R. R. crossing. Insert – Photo of the man who was killed.” (10 – AD and CV)
NOTES:
44 Ellery Walter’s (1906-1935) The World on One Leg (NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1928) chronicled his international travels after he lost a leg before graduating from University of Washington.
45 Bold typeface in original
46 The IMDB entry accessed in 2020 for the 1933 film based on this play and starring Paul Robeson reads: “Unscrupulously ambitious Brutus Jones escapes from jail after killing a guard and through bluff and bravado finds himself the emperor of a Caribbean island.”
47 Joe Turner and His Memphis Men were in fact Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.
48 In 2016, the Metropolitan Museum held an Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) exhibition called “Woman Artist in Revolutionary France.”