The Philosophic Mind

In Hollywood, when Mrs. Clara Samossoud, daughter of Mark Twain and widow of Pianist-Conductor Ossip Gabrilowitsch, put her father's 3,000-volume library up for sale, some rare literary footnotes came to light. In the margin of one book, scrawled in Twain's own hand, was a note on his attempted suicide in 1866: "I put the pistol to my head but wasn't man enough to pull the trigger. Many times I have been sorry I did not succeed, but I was never ashamed of having tried. Suicide is the only really sane thing the young or the old ever do in this life. 'Feeble Jerusalems' never kill themselves; they survive the attempt."

Back at work again after a long spell of shattered nerves and canceled contracts, Cinemactress Judy Garland arrived for a month's stand in London's Palladium. Theater. To reporters who noted her plumpness, Judy had a ready reply: "I may be awfully fat, but I feel awfully good. I just want to get up in front of an audience again."

The British weekly Spectator took seasonal note of a social item: "The lady who is apparently still generally known as Rita Hayworth has arrived in the United States with her two children. Her husband Aly Khan has not. He explains that 'it is impossible for me to leave Europe now that the . . . racing season is starting.' Clearly and manifestly impossible. How stimulating to find someone prepared to put first things first."

The 55th annual meeting of the American Academy of Political and Social Science in Philadelphia was interrupted by hooting laughter as members listened to Juliusz Katz-Suchy, Permanent Polish Delegate to the U.N., praise Russia and brand "imperialist America" an "aggressor" in Korea. The next scheduled speaker, Adolf A. Berle Jr., onetime Assistant Secretary of State, ignored his prepared speech, began: "When my esteemed friend is making one of his periodic visits home to take back a report to the Russian general who commands the Polish Army ..." Katz-Suchy dashed back to the platform, grabbed the microphone for a few more bellowing words. After the chairman parted the tussling debaters, the red-faced U.N. delegate stalked out of the room.

Nostalgic Elder Statesman Bernard Baruch, 80, class of 1884, turned up for the diamond jubilee exercises of Manhattan's Public School 69. For his free pencils, books and early education, said the Old Grad, "I owe an obligation to the City of New York, and I hope to repay it . . . Teachers, lay and religious, do the most for the community, and are the least recognized and the least paid."

Native Customs

The sun had a hard time setting on the social and official activities of Britain's royal family. In Windsor, tightly clutching his grandmother's hand, little Prince Charles watched his grandfather, King George VI, present new colors to the Coldstream Guards, did his best to come to attention afterwards while the King took the salute. In Malta, photographers snapped a carefree picture of Charles's parents, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, leading a garrison ball. At the Royal Navy College, Dartmouth, Princess Margaret handed out end-of-term prizes, later tested the aplomb of a few cadets in a round of Paul Jones dances.

In Kansas City for a concert, Margaret Truman confessed to a dinner-table tradition carefully preserved in the presidential family. Said Margaret: "It's an old superstition handed down from his side of the family. He puts the salt shaker where I can reach it, but never hands it directly to me. I'm the same way."

Guri Lie, blue-eyed, 22-year-old blonde daughter of the U.N.'s Secretary General Trygve Lie, was chosen queen of the 24th annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Va. The queen's first official duty: to bake a passable apple pie.

The Boss's favorite son, Lieut. General Vastly Stalin, who had already worked his way up in the Soviet air force to command of the Moscow district, was getting a little political grooming. He was elected to the important policymaking central committee of the Communist Party for the city of Moscow.

In Geneva, a U.S. Army food adviser reported that one of General Dwight D. Eisenhower's favorite dishes is madzoon (Armenian for yogurt). "He frequently makes a meal of nothing but madzoon and carrots. He loves it."

Next to baseball, said Actress Ethel Barrymore, her favorite sport is football. "But I never attend the games, because I'm always doing a matinee on Saturday. The only time I got to see football was when I was expecting a child. I nearly gave birth to my son Sammy at Princeton."

Please Remit

Tired of waiting for his money, the Hollywood lawyer who successfully defended Sabu ("Elephant Boy") Dastagir against a paternity suit last fall, refreshed Sabu's memory with a $50,000 suit for fees.

Internal Revenue agents seized the lavish San Fernando Valley ranch belonging to Cinemactress Veronica Lake and her director husband Andre De Toth, gave them 20 days to settle a $62,000 back income-tax bill or see the property sold at auction.

In Detroit, Edgar Leroy Bryant, brother of the late Mrs. Henry Ford, who ignored him in her will, filed a claim demanding her entire $8,500,000 estate.

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