Saturday July 5

Radio and C.I.

Like an aimless wanderer
I find myself, I feel rather
pessimistic today, the outlook
is not so bright for the future,
constant worries, a little
idleness, and the continued
loneliness, are beginning
to have their affect on me.

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Matt's Notes

Papa loneliness and worries about the future are familiar subjects in his diary, but for him to say they're only just "beginning to" affect him, as if he's feeling them for the first time, must mean he's caught in a particularly voluminous wave of sadness right now. Unlike those on the beaches of "C.I." (Coney Island) though, such waves do not break predictably and are difficult to avoid if they become too rough.

It is, of course, entirely reasonable for him to feel out of sorts since he's only two months removed from the death of his father and he's on a forced, extended break from work due to his factory's slack season, but that's only easy for us to see. He is simply overwhelmed by it all, and as is his romantic wont he casts is sadness in epic, poetic terms -- "Like an aimless wanderer I find myself" -- as if he's living in a Greek myth, an allegorical hero forever riding between Coney Island and Manhattan but unable to touch either shore.

Yet even though his natural optimism has failed him for the moment and "the outlook is not so bright for the future," we know how the story ends. Papa, this is you:




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Democratic Convention Update:

The balloting deadlock continued at the Democratic Convention, but something new was brewing. If Papa had his radio tuned in to the proceedings, he would have heard the day's session adjourn so candidates' representatives could begin private talks on how to end the Democrats' embarrassing show of disunity. It was impossible to deny that such a solution would have to include the withdrawal of both Al Smith and William McAdoo's candidacies. Headlines from the New York Times tell the story:

• DELEGATES TAKE NEW HOPE; Also They Are Glad to Rest While the "Big Men" Work.
• PEACE MOVE IS WELCOMED; Taggart Plan Is Adopted After Several Others Are Voted Down.
• 4-HOUR CONFERENCE HELD; Preliminary Discussions Lead to Plan for Informal Meeting Today.