Thursday August 21, 1930

Josephine’s note home today was brief (1):

"It rained all day and the boat rocked more today than ever. Mrs. Duhon is under the weather - she say this is homesick - we passed three boats today - they were about eight miles - we had a dance tonight - only the society folk danced"

According to a note (2) from Josephine that I think is a continuation of the note just quoted – but I am not sure – the weather today caused the ship to “rock” more today than it did yesterday. The ocean was choppy in the afternoon and the sky was cloudy. Josephine hoped that a storm was not coming.

Josephine and the other passengers enjoyed seeing three ships pass by today, about eight miles out. I am not sure of ocean “horn blowing” rules – I think in 1930 the ship blew its horn three times as it passed another ship.

Josephine reported that Mrs. Duhon was feeling bad. Was Mrs. Duhon one of the passengers who got seasick yesterday (if she was, we assume she did get hysterical about it!). According to Josephine, Mrs. Duhon blamed her not feeling well on homesickness but perhaps it really was sea sickness.

Josephine noted that she walked three miles and wrote about a movie she saw and a nice salt water bath she had in the evening – the first one she ever had! She noted that she has enjoyed every bit of the way so far:

"Norma Shearer in Their own Desire. Walked about three miles today - the ocean was chopper this afternoon and the sky was cloudy hope - we are not due a storm. Well I’ve enjoyed every bit of the way so far - had a nice bath this evening - first salt water bath I ever had"

As discussed earlier, movies were very popular on the ship and a movie most probably was shown every night. The movie Josephine referred to was Their Own Desire, a 1929 American romantic drama film starring Norma Shearer, Belle Bennett, Lewis Stone, Robert Montgomery, and Helene Millard.

The film was adapted by James Forbes and Frances Marion from the novel by Sarita Fuller, and was directed by E. Mason Hopper. Shearer was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, but lost to herself, for The Divorcee!

The plot of the movie: A young woman is upset by the knowledge that her father is divorcing her mother in order to marry another woman. Her own feelings change, however, when she falls in love with a young man who turns out to be the son of her father’s new love.

I wonder what Josephine thought of this movie. Did she get to attend many movies when at home in Schrab? I am sure they would have had to go to Morganza to see movies. At the time of her pilgrimage in 1930, most of the children were grown and moved away from home.

Josephine probably went to the dance after the movie. She reported that only the society folk danced. I wonder if that changed as the trip progressed.




Source: written by Carolyn Ourso