davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
The Railroad Centenary,

From tho Houston Chronicle.
When we consider what railroads
were hundred years ago and what
have been in promoting the progress
OF mankind. and opening up virgin
realms for the use of the eager mil.
lions who have sought to better their
condition, we cannot fail to see that
mankind is debtor to the locomotive
ana the train to an extent which is
absolutely incalculable
In 1873 there were only 25 miles Of
railroads in all the world: now there
are 100000. enough miles to circle
the earth at the equator nearly 30
times. and approximately one mile of
line for every so square miles of the
land area of the globe. and n mile
for every 2,400 members of the hlma n
race.
The history of every 100 years since
the dawn Of time will be searched in
vain Tor parallel to such achieve
ment
The Increase in milage is not the
only remarkable feature of railroad de.
velopment.
b There are readers who can remem-
Der when a freight car had a. cana CITY
of only II tons. Today freight cars
carry upward Of so tons, and a modern
freight locomotive can pull so of such
cars.
The time was when the rails were
iron, laid on small crossties. Now the
rails are steel, and stone ballast SUP.
ports the rails.
Couplings were made with link and
pin, and brakes were set by hand.
Now air brakes put trains under alb.
solute control
If there had never been a line of
railroad in America. what would con.
ditions here he now?
Texas in 1870 had III miles of rail.
road. Suppose she had no more now.
How far would her frontier he east
of where it is now. when she has
over $4,000 miles of railroad lines?
Her far.f1ung plains would be yet
the hunting grounds of savages and
the feeding grounds of buffalo.
1t would battle the most vivid i'm.
agination to picture what conditions
in Texas and all the United States
would be If there were no railroads
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
The Phone Girls.

As the year waneS and thoughts re-
: months soon to become lust another
date in life it is we'll to recall those
who have been helpful. There are many
n them-some we'll known, some
intimate friends, some compare tive
strangers. some even unknown Yer.
lily, unknown. for there are some Deo-
pie who enter into the daily life of
flmost every person in helpful man
nor whose names are never heard
whose faces are never seen. whose
voices only reach the ear. These are
The young women in the telephone eX.
"hangcs
So commonplace has the telephone
become that the user of il rarely
kinks of the means whereby the voice
i carried TO the car of distant friend
ar business representative. The re-
ceiver i taken off the hook, voice
responds. number is called. verified,
and buzz indicates that bell is be
ing Tung. Then comes the answer, or
perhaps there is merely series OF
rhythmic buZzincs that to the prac.
ticed ear means line busy" 1t is
really quite simple, and, when the
great volume of telephone calls sound
ed during the day is considered. re.
markably efficient.
The young women who sit at the
exchange switChboards and plug in for
connections and signals. who enable
us 10 speak SO promptly 10 our friends
and to transact so large a part of our
business so eXpeditiously. arc highly
trained. They make mistakes occa-
.ionally. Eut so do we. Now and
then they call the wrong number, or
get the wrong exchange. But so do we.
Perhaps some statistician OF teleph
ony has figured out how large q
per cent of the calls in error" are
due TO the operator and how many to
the caller. 1t is safe To say that the
callers make as many errors as do the
operators, perhaps more.
Consider the conditions in which the
telephone switchboard operators work.
From the time they put on their head
gear until they lay it off, several hours
later. they are hearing little else than
numbers. Exchange names and num-
hers. by the dozen, the score, the
hundred, even the thousand. exchange
names and numbers! There is little
chance for ina sinative work. little op.
.crtunity for Any mental activity. The
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
monious appearance of the who
structure

monious appearance of the whole
structure.
In the proposal that is now in con
temptation is included a rebuilding Of
the dome, which is an iron structure
resting upon it's own foundation indie
pendent of the building itself, and re
curing annual painting to preserve il.
Ii is planned to reconstruct Ii of mar
bic. There may be varying opinions
on this point. The dome is one of the
scape. Freshly painted annually, it is
maintained in its Wilderness peren-
nially, and il shines inspiringly by day
and night, thanks to the special illumi-
ma ton that has been devised for the
hours of darkness. 4 masonry dome
would weather to a darker tone that
could not be prevented, and in time
the dome would lose its glory.
More room is needed in the Capitol
and ii would be afforded by the pro.
posed changes. But it is hoped that if
this legislation is enacted it will he
stipulated that the historic chambers
of the old building will not he altered
The supreme Court room. once the
Senate. and the present Statuary Hall,
once the House of Representatives
should be forever preserved as me
MORALS of the early days of the repub
lie, whatever may he the externa
form of that portion of the building
which was for SO many years he Cap.
itol of the United States,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

caller has some specific line Of talk to
deliver. but the operator can think
only in terms of exchange names and
numbers.
SO as the year wanes. let us give
thought TO these young women who
sit at the switchboards and help us to
transact our business by taking our
calls-sometimes, having to guess at
the numt ers. because we are prone TO
speak indistinctly-and making our
connections. They must be patient
while we are inpatient. They must
be polite while we are perhaps impo-
lite. They must give the best of serN-
ice, and they do. So they deserve q
Happy New Year thought from all
who use the phone.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
A Gold Strike in Mexico

Reports come from Mexico City of
the discovery in the state of OaXacs
OF the greatest gold vein ever found in
the world A rush has already started
toward the small village of Vata, near
which the gold was found, and il IS
probable that unless word comes
promptly that the find is of much
smaller value than now appears great
numbers of people will join the pro.
cession in the hope of stalking profit
able claims
The state of Oaxaca lies on the
southern shore of Mexico, being di.
rectly south of the port of Vera Cruz.
Its own chief port is Salina Cruz.
The entire region is mountainous. the
higher peaks reaching an altitude of
over 5000 feet. There is Il rail line
from the city of OaXaca. the capital of
the state, to Vera Cruz with connec.
lions 20 Mexico City. the latter being
about 200 miles distant by air line,
though much greater distance by
rail.
would be attended by great discom-
forts and much danger 1t would be
comparable in some ways to the rush
to the Yukon, though with totally
different climate. Fortune hunters
would not suffer from the cold, but on
the contrary would be subjected to
tropical heat, Salina Cruz lying on the
10th meridian of longitude. 1t would
be wild work indeed for the ha rdiest
pioneers.
The possibility of A gold rush into
Southern Mexico evokes thoughts Of
the political contingencies likely to
arise. 4 swarming into that region of
great numbers of Americans intent on
finding precious metal would almost
surely precipitate trouble. The hope is
that the Mexican government will
promptly and effectively take precau-
tons against an indiscriminate inpour-
ing of fortune hunters, needless of
property rights and prejudices, and
far more likely TO become embroiled
with the native population than to
strike rich claims and return weighted
with wealth from the Sierra Madres.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS
BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN,

states the transforms ton from low
order Of industrial organization =" 81
higher order did not begin until the
first half of the nineteenth century
and its full effects were not felt until
the second decade after the Civil War.
Q. How does the Belmont race
track compare in length with the
course on which the English Derby
is rum. G.
\. The length Of the main track
, at Belmont Park is l'a miles e feet
3 inches, which compares with the
English Derby mile SSl yards.
The Derby is run. however. on the
Derby Course, which is open coun-
try. and cannot be compared with q
race course as laid ont IN This com
try.
O. Does the Government accept
and experiment with the inventions 81
private citizens?-E. -.
y. Representative BluOm 81 New
| York is expected 10 Introduce bill
in Congress providing for bureau t.
accept and experiment with inven-
! tions offered 10 the Government hv
private citizens. This bureau would
give all such inventions the consid-
Grafton they deserve. If established.
the bureau would probably he made
part of some existing department.
as there is growing sentiment
against the forma ton Of more inde-
pendent organizations.
q. Nhen was the hrst game ~
base ball under electro light PLAYED
\ -. b
A. ~ was played al ri. Wayne.
ma June = 1875 Inc ga me was
/ prayed ny RI. wayne ana quincy, ~
/ Wayne winning by score of J" TO II
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
Pedestrians. Obey the Law

instruction DAYS are over. The
pupils must now stand on their own
feet. Pedestrian regulation in Wash.
'nSton becomes reality Walkers as
We'll as motorists must obey traffic
signals. and both are liable TO Police
Court punishment for disobedience.
WaShinCton's new pedestrian rule is
ten days old. 1t has found MANY sup
p"rters and few opponents. Members
~ the instruction squad. who have
been teaching walkers how 10 walk
At busy downtown intersections. re.
nort that the public generally has en-.
deaVored to cooperate
popular misconception of the new
regulation has developed during the
instruction period. however. which
needs immediate correction if Wash.
inGton is 10 join the ranks of well
trained traffic cities. This mistaken
idea seems TO be that if the police
SQUAD is not on duty at the four cor.
ners walkers can proceed as of yore.
1t Is evident that many of the pc
destrians are under this impression
and that they do not regard the po-
liceman with a semaphore as the sole
authority. This MISUNDERSTANDING
must be cleared up if the regulation
Is TO he successful.
Cross only with the signal, That is
The rule to follow. This signal may
he given by policeman or it may be
flashed by the new traffic control bea-
cons. In the latter case there NAV
rot be policeman within blocks. but.
nevertheless, the signal must he
oheyed
Serious accidents are bound to &C.
cur unless the great mass of walkers
in the District become familiar with
nd obey the regulations Motorists
facing a go" signal at an inte"sec-
ton have the right of way and with
the general speeding up of traffic il
behooves the pedestrian TO keep clear
while this movement is in progress.
Washington traffic control is emery
Ing from its Swaddling clothes There
can be no more reading OF papers
while crossing the street or stopping
half way across 10 greet friend
Motorists are bound by strict set of
regulations. Pedestrians must obey
the only regulation that has been
promulgated for them and for their
protection.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACER ELL.

speaker it might have been the sta
| ton.
The delicate ear Of Templeton Jones
finally called "A halt.
Don't like that" he finally said.
shutting off the set.
The next day the five-tnbe affair
was installed
Now we're going to get some
thing" Jones said. turning the dials.
There were three of them, shiny and
capable looking.
The local station came pounding in.
Not SO good" said Jones.
Whats the matter with it-sounds
all right to me" remarked Mrs. Jones.
Don't YOU hear that fuzzy sound?'
Fuzzy sound"
'Sure-there on the edges
Fuzzy on the edges
Yes. il sounds fuzZy on the edges
Listen to that" Jones expanded his
ltGnal views 1t isn't round enough.
il doesn't sound solid" he CROPPED
for figures-"it sounds mushy."
He tried tuning in some out .of-town
stations.
They came in. all right. but sounded
nlushier than local, and We're accom-
panied by some delightful static, crisp
ing and swapping.
Don't like this set at all" Jones
ended up. Wen try that first one
again. | thought distant reception
was all bunk"
so the next day one of the three
ltubers was brought out again.
The young man was as pleasant as
ever. the store was IS accommodating
as could be.
Then Jones decided the trouble was
in the loud speaker, 50 he tried several
very expensive affairs.
Still his ear was not suited.
The trouble with me- he told his
wife. is that have to" delicate an
ear.
Jones WAS in n quandary.
Toe delicate an ear iS a fault he
continued Now. if I had an ear
Ike some Of these chaps. who don't
know u cello from pip" organ. every
thing would he all right.
/ His wife suggested that such folk
probably get more real enjoyment out
Of radio than others.
II have no doubt OF it." agreed MIR
/ Jones, with sweep of his left hand.
Put what is a chap to do if. he hap
pens to have a good ear? Now | hear
all sorts of things | wish didn't"
1T might he the station" suggest
cd Mrs. Jones. 1t sounded fine the
[ Otnei night.
That evening technical friend -,
! the Joneses dropped in for : little
visit He is employed IN one Of Nh
Government bureaus which have 10 do
with radio. although his r"n york is
not directly concerned with il.
The man, however. is an expert in
radio construction. probably one of
the first in Washington to build a
superheterodyne. commonly known as
"het" or "HettY."
He spoke favorahiN Of the three
tube set So much 50. indeed. that he
decided Jones.
The next day Templeton went down
10 his friendly store.
II believe I'll take that first sol
after all" he said
WHY. certainly" said the kindly
proprietor.
AS shadows were falling. the firSI
receiving set went in again, and the
same type OF loud speaker.
The dinner music came in swce.
and clear.
That's good said Jones.
suits Your ear asked Mrs. Jones.
A fellows got To have a good ga
To enjoy music" placidlv replied Ten.
pleton Jones.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

y. How much alcohol should / put
in the radiator of my car in Winter?
G. :. A.
A. Using dena tured alcohol. not
wood alcohol. a 20 per cent solution
"A little over three quarters Of d
pint of alcohol in each gallon of So
lution-will Withstand temperature
Of Is degrees above zero, Fahrenheit.
A 25 per cent solution, one quart Of
alcohol in each gallon of solution,
VIII withstand a temperate of zero,
ard will be found sufficient in most
parts of the country. A 40 per cent
solution. three and three quarters
pints Of alcohol per gallon of mix
ture. will give safety at "A degrees
below zero.
Q. How fast was the first steam
boat II. s.
A What is said to have been the
first practical American steamboat
was exhibited on the Delaware Rive
in 1887 by John Fitch and attained
a speed of eight miles An hour il
dead water.
q. What musical instruments we' Q
used by the EGyptians?- y. 7.
A. The Egyptians attained some
skill in music. They possessed SUCH
instruments as the hafp, the pipe, the
guitar. trumpet ana drum. me last
TWO inspired me EsNp Soldlef on
'iie ma run
O. Have all The Germa ships sunk
at Scapa Flow been raised ?-R. X.
A 10 GATE destroFers nave been
raised. put II is stared that Wlthin
the Mex le" rnoh'nS the hummer VIII
FIoDdpiE pe %.
V. Is II True that thunderstofnls
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
THE PROBLEM OF THE RAILROADS
H-Automobile Competition
BY J. T.. DAVIS
Director General Of Railroads Of The fmted S,nir.

certainly sound proposition Of law.
and appeals To good business jude
ment. that when the earnings of n
particular piece of road fall far short
OF producing operating expenses. its
irelEht ana passenger traffic being
carried by other means of transporta,
ton, this is evidence that the road is
not an essential public necessity. and
unnecessarily high rates on other
parts of the system should not lie
maintained to pay the operating eX.
penses of those lines which do not
receive sufficient public patronage To
pay their way. Definite rules govern.
ing this situation. which must even.
tua lily arise in many places. must he
formulated by the commissions and
the courts
ofopyricht 1875
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
Discretion

Did you send Christmas cards to
all the people who voted for you?"
No" answered Senator Sorghum.
If some of those old-timers suspected
me of trying to be poetical or pictorial
they'd think l was trying to be over
refined. I'd have to go home and eat
with my knife in order to square nv.
self"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

The effort to compel women TO wear
long skirts and quit smoking cigar.
cites will. If successful, save the feel.
inSs of any Rip Van Wrinkle who han.
pens to he waking from a twenty.vear
| sleep. AS a rule others have gotten
used to the styles and are no longer
agitated by them.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

II was the week before Christmas,
ana all through Templeton Jones
house not created thing was stirring
not even the radio Zones is telling
! this story on himself nowD
The reason the loud speaker was
not aSilating it's magnets was very
simple. There was no radio. Jones
had been talking radio to his wife
Tor days. but could not make up his
mind which receiver to buy
lie read so much about radio fire.
/ quency sets, and 'dyne" this and
! 'dyne" that, straight line condensers
ana audio frequency amplitication
| that he became hopelessly confused.
don't see N.hv | Should get a
hVe-tube set. Templeton said. when
all | want is local reception good"
You see. Jones had very fixed ideas
as to what he wanted lie said he
would be satisfied with local recep.
| ton If he could get il of the tone.
| quality and volume he desired He
had no Use at all for distance" he
declared
Il don't want much. hut want it
good
Such was his declaration. in part Of
which, at least. he was echoing the
overwhelming desires of the ma iority
of set buyers throughout the United
States this year.
Whereas two or three wears ago
radio fans" put stress on getting dis
tant stations. this year the clamor
has gone up for quality reception.
\ few years ago he WAS u bold soul
who stood out for quality. 1t was
quantity. and plenty of it. the average
fan wanted. The more noise he
could induce from his loud speaker.
the happier he was.
The real radio addict would stand
half block from his house and listen
with pleased grin To his set roaring
away. The innocent wight who could
hear his sci for "A block felt he had the
very best receiver in the neichh"r.
hood.
Templeton Jones backed up by Mrs
Jones, was among the group wh" held
our for real tone In radio. he man
aged to make out with his old one
tube set that squealed terribly every
time he removed his hand from the
condenser dial. but which did give him
quality reception over the headphones
After much consideration he mar
rowed his choice down to two we'll ad
vertised sets. one of three tubes. the
other Of five. Wei find a dealer
who will let uS try them out in ouI
own home he said. THAT = the only
way IL tell
The very first man they tried
proved to be n mos. accommodating
soul. Jones is willin" t. admit now
in the light of what happened that
this man is the most accommodating
merchant in Washington. II will dc
YOU no good TO tell Templeton Jones
now that there is no such thing a.
service" in Washington.
He knows better.
Hemminc and having over riS pur
chase. Temp Jones had the three-rube
set sent out. \ young chap brought
the whole outfit out in car. installed
the set and the batteries and the loud
speaker.
That evening the local station on
the air came in - well that Jones
made no attempt 10 get anything our
Of town. He just let er rip and
WAS well pleased.
IF the other station comes in this
we'll" he stated. well get this set.
The next evening the big test came
Matters did not turn out SO we'll
About 3 O'Clock a rattle crept into re
ception. II might have been the trans
formers: it might have been the loud
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

The wise congressman is already
framing his correspondence so as to
assume as much personal credit as
! possible for the reduction in income
tax. Knowing when to get on board a
band wagon is still an important
branch of political erudition.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
Historic Protest.

Are you in favor of the old
fashioned dances2"
Certainly not" answered Miss Cav.
enne. They were so harshly criticized
by our Srandmothers that l should be
very reluctant about being associated
with them
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

in that great wonderland of the
Southwest where the painted desert
enchants one, where the canyons hold
him in awe, where the ancient life
has left traces of a civilization new
and strange to us. One cannot de-
scribe the charm of this book. Part
of 1t lies in the subject itself. And an
appreciable part lies in the writer-in
his intimacy with the subject. in his
loving sympathy with it, in his gift
for telling the tale.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
Limitation.

Money is a strange affair
Which naught is able to control.
It's good for land and jewels rare,
Yet cannot buy a ton of coal.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

The Associated Pros 70 Exclusively entitled
to the use for reDu'3geASih3 OF I'll news dis
patches credited to & a. rot otherwise "r"+
ltcd m this rdper nd AhSn tho local news
buhhsho, herein. Al +Ehts Of publication
or speclal disuatches herein arc also res>rr ed.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

Various expressions dropped bv
emedieY Butler indicate a disposition
TO point with pride to the special
brand of political unpopularity he en-
countered in Philadelphia.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
SHOOTING STARS.
BY PHnANDER JOHNSON.
New Year Resolution

New Year Resolution.
The words our lexicon displays
Must cause us to be grateful.
Some nave a charm that will amaze
And some are rather hateful
AS through the year we trudee alon.
Wen try. of self forgetful.
To choose the noble words and strong
And shun the language fretful.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

Hope is stronger among leading citi.
ems Of Europe than it would be if in
stead Uf expecting financial relief from
Uncle sam they were looking for an
anthracite supply
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
And the World Goes On

A Happy New Year We'll acclaim
Though problems veX severely.
The kids are laughing just the sam
And their mothers love them dearly
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

II the farmers of the Midwest have
been burning enough corn to keep
them warm the drop in temperature
may have an important effect on the
Chicago grain market
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
Lively Times Ahead.

From the Omaha World Herald
No extra session in Texas. but the
next regular session will probably be
extra ordinary.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

Tho cold wave eXerted a moral in
fuence in Chicago by suppressing the
crime wave. The underworld grows
yearly more solicitous as to matters
of comfort whether in or out of Jail
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29

Skating on thin ice is matter that
claims especial care in Washington,
not only outdoors, but in the United
states Capitol.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-29
Rate by Mail-PayabIe i'm advance.
MARYLAND and virginia
All Other STATES and Canada.
Member of the Associated Press.

natiy and sunday. W. ~" 90 ! mo. 81 "o
Daily only W IS 90. mo- -,
SUNDAY only .....l yr.. $500: mo. SO