davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1925-01-07
Filtered Water for Sluicing

Washington's troubles since New
Year day have been coming in
punches, especially as to weather. Its
experience has been somewhat on the
fashion Of first it blew, then it snew;
then it friz, then it thew" And the
fourth phase is the one which has
caused most of the discomfort and in
convenience, resulting in denuncia-
ton Of conditions in general, and max
ing the National Capital feel like a
poor, neglected stepchild.
The thawing process. however, is
temperature prevailing. and old Sol
faithfully on the job lending aid to the
street cleaners, the Washing gtonian is
pulling out OF the mire, but taking a
look around to see what IS happening
is again plunged into gloom. For what
he sees is tons upon tons Of clear.
sparkling water gushing from the fire
plugs to help send the street slush on
it's way to the sewers and to keep the
sewers themselves flushed.
This is the water that has been inn
pounded, filtered and purified for
drinking purposes. 1t is the water that
the Washingtonian is periodically ad-
monished to use economically because
the ratio of consumption to filtration
capacity has nearly reached its limit.
Every time q fire of any unusual
magnitude occurs Washington quakes
for fear its water supply will fail. In
every period of intense heat-the time
when most of all water should be
available without stint Tor the sake OF
health as well as comfort-Washing-
ton must put on the brakes and use
less water instead of more. The city's
beautiful fountains cease to flow. and
lawns must thrive on minimum Of
moisture.
Remembering these privations of
the Summertime and the ever-present
menace of a disastrous fire necessitat-
ing a heavy drain on the water supply,
the heart of the District resident is
made sad at the sight Of the precious
sparkling drops merging into huge
streams turned loose to force the filth
now clogging the streets into the
sewers. The National Capital is, in
deed. in this particular respect a badly
abused stepchild.
The solution of the problem high
pressure water system in the down.
town district.
Evening star., 1925-01-07
The Veto Sustained.

President Cooiidge's veto of the
postal pay bill is sustained by the
Senate. The margin by which the
Senate failed to pass the bill over the
veto was the smallest possible--one
vote. That vote may be attributed to
a Democratic source, as Senator Dial
of South Carolina was the only mem.
ber of his party to vote to sustain the
veto. Two others, Senators King and
Owen, were paired in support OF the
bill.
However narrow the margin Of the
sustaining vote, it suff1ced to prevent
the enactment of measure which, in
the judgment of the President, is con-
trary to the principle of economy and,
moreover, is not accompanied by
means of increasing the revenues suf-
ficient to meet the additional cost.
President Coolidge has not been op.
posed to increasing the rates of pay
in the postal service. He recognizes
that they are low and should be in
creased. He merely contends that
there should be no salary advances
without a corresponding revenue in
crease Various methods of increasing g
the postal revenues have been pro
posed. Until decision is reached and
action had upon these proposals---in
other words, until the means of rails.
ing additional postal revenues are
nrovided-pay increase must wait.
The sustaining of the veto should
hasten action.
Evening star., 1925-01-07

Bad lighting undoubtedly makes for
most of the accidents at night. Day
time accidents are caused by careless
ness in some degree and by actual
congestion i'll the main. Motorists
| need to be educated in law observ-
ance. Only the willfully disobedient
need to be punished. More policemen
are necessary to direct traffic and to
catch these willfuI vfolators. Out Of
1850 drivers, if the figure given by
DR.. Harriss is correct-and it prob
ably includes those registered in
Maryland and Virginia who .use the
Capitals streets daily-there may be
1 200 who are actually reckness and
Indifferent to regulations. These can
do irreparable damage.
The problem to make the streets
safe by lighting them properly is
merely a matter of expenditure; to
make the streets wider and to provide
means for systematic control Of
traffic is also a matter of expenditure;
and, finally, to provide sufficient
force to catch the willful violators
and eliminate them by punishment
and license forfeiture.
DR.. Harriss estimates that SIS .000,-
900 may be the cost of ameliorating
the complications OF the chronic dis
ease of traffic congestion from which
Washington is suffering. 1t is a large
sum, but not too large if it will effect
the end sought. 1t is not too much
to pay to prevent the scores of deaths
that occur here annually and the i'm
mense damage to property and to per-
NIT speedy, free and safe flow of the
traffic through the streets of the
Capital.
1t is refreshing to hear such state
ments made to the Districts legis-
lators by one who is qualified to speak
authoritatively. Perhaps now this
problem will be attacked for correct
solution on the right scale.
Evening star., 1925-01-07
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

notated edition to your friend, he
would resent that worst of all. He
would not believe a word of IT, either.
"On such and such a day." you
would begin. when I ungramsticaily
said II looked like rain. you asserted
that II appeared fair. On such and
such a day, l made the innocent re-
mark that street cars were prefera BILE
TO busses You declared that busses
were much better than street cars.
Several days later, just to catch you
| mapping, l spoke up In favor of
busses. and you, with sublime disdain
for consistency. said that street cars
were the only logical method of city
transportation for bipeds.
Then again 1 chanced to declare
in favor Of a certain play You said
, you thought IL rotten. When / ap-
plauded a new popular song, you
thought 1t atrocfous, and when l said
was sick Of hearing the Meditation
from That's" you did not see how any
one ever GOULD grow tired of that
lovely composition. Now what have
you to say to all this?"
Bunk" he would say.
y y Il II
To be an Appreciator, one must
give up suspicion.
This is one of the deadly sins
automatically blots out so much sun
shine, such healthy. life-givins sun
shine OF the spirit of mans best en-
deavors.
When some one bubbles up to you
with the advice that by all means
you should read at once So-and-So' s
| newest book, If your mind gives ar
automatic reflex. just as your les
kicks up when the examining doctor
| raps you smartly on the knee, know
then that you are suffering from sus.
picionitis.
This merely means that you take
the matter with suspicion. Maybe
you are right. Perhaps the book ISM
worth whoop, and you will find il
! out before you have finished the frs
chapter.
That makes no difference. Right
| or wrong. you have been suspicious
and you must pay the penalty.
To be an Appreciator. you must
pass up sneering: Oh. this is the
worst sin of all, among the Apprecia'
| tors. No man, or woman, either, car
| be of this tribe IL he or she sneers
| either openly or secretely, either
| fgurativeIy or literally.
| You may get by the doorkeeper, il
| you have a grain Of resentment, tive
| grains OF suspicion, and three of mi
| tigation, but IL you sneer-
Into the outer darkness with him!
roars the boss Appreciator. from the
mysterious inner chamber where 81
! the charmed few.
| And the sneerer is cast forth int
| the night.
Z y y x
ITO have sreat poets, we must have
| great readers. too," said old Walt.
There are the need and the remedy
| in one great prescription. And there
| is the reward for all of us wh'
| honestly believe that we belong e
the Apr eciators.
BY appreciating properly, We carr
| our place alongside the great, ane
shine with some of their luster. May
| be in our turn we will CLEAN will
equal light, some day, when we have
taken the last degree and are mum
| bered with the most appreciative o.
| the Appreciators-those who nave
loved others as themselves.
Evening star., 1925-01-07
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

street-cleaning department out of
gear. II also put out of action the
celebrated senatorial double octet
of golfers-ls inveterate disciples of
the links who seldom are terrified
by the elements from indulging in
their regular Sunday morning game.
So far in 1925 the four foursome es
post-mortems. Senator Capper is
one of the shining lights of the
group. He justifies golf on the
Lords day on the ground that mem
bers of Congress really have no
other means, of keeping in physical
trim. MY conscience began to hurt
me less said Capper, who is
Quaker, when 1 saw august justices
Of the United States Supreme Court
breaking the commandment" The
senatorial golfers, whose Sunday
game dates from its initiation by
warren G.. Harding. when he was
in the Senate, begin operations
regularly with an alternating
breakfast at one another's homes.
X X = n
Missouri next week will inaugurate
a governor who is so taciturn that
he is compared to President Coolidge
and has already been nicknamed
Silent Sam" His full name is Sam
uei A. Baker. He has come up, po-
litically, from behind, for he began
life as a railroad section hand and
school teacher. Missouri first came
to know Of his qualities as State
superintendent of education. Baker
is a native of the Show-Me Common
wealth and has lived there all his life.
He is a Republican, a Presbyterian
and a Mason, opposed the Ku Klux
Khan and was nominated and elected
governor without funds, organization
or prominent hackers. Here's his
recently expressed political philos-
ophy:
"As a school executive, / learned
that I could not satisfy all the peo-
pie, so / adopted the policy of salts
flying myself, and found that, after
all, I had probably satisfied a greater
number of people than could have
policy I shall adhere to as governor
of the State"
There's a Coolidgesque ring about
that.
:: x X ::
A reporter rushed through the
White House executive Offices the
other day and exclaimed: 'McKen-
mas resigned" A sergeant of police
on duty said: We'll, wen miss him
around here" He thought it was
Pat" McKenna, not Associate Jus
tice McKenna, who was leaving office
Pat" has been the Presidents door
keeper for nearly quarter of 8
century. A whole generation Of dis
tinguished Americans has passet
through the portals he guards, OF
their way to audience with the CHIEF
of the republic.
copyright, 1924)
Evening star., 1925-01-07
The Biggest Things.

We keep on building the biggest
things. A few weeks ago the Shenan-
doah was the biggest thing in avia-
ton and then came the ZR-3, Los
Angeles or the Los Angeles, which
while it did not "minnowfy" the
Shenandoah, at least made it seem
rather small airship Now, we have
1t from Navy experts that plans are
before Congress for a 100000 cubic
foot airship. which would dwarf the
2,600, 900 capacity of the Shenandoah
and be very much larger than the
two 5000, ,OOO-capacity ships ordered
by the British government" Perhaps
when this new ship takes the air she
will be named "Mastodon," or I'm
mensity" or THE Limit" and four
days after she is launched the experts
will come along with a new set of
plans and say: ''Tush. The Limit
is really small potatoes in the way
OF airships. Here are plans for a
worthwhile and stable airship. When
she passes between sun and earth
farm and her hangar will make the
biggest barn in western Maryland
look like a bluebird box
Americans think there are some
big buildings in the United States.
1t has been said so several times
and newspaper readers have fire.
quently seen the phrase colossal
structure" in the news columns.
Really, we have come to think of
the Egyptian pyramids as small ob-
jects. Some day an American archi-
tect will get the idea Of buying the
Evening star., 1925-01-07

pyramids and setting them up as
ornaments in the lobby of a new Office
building.
In the matter of biggest things
comes this dispatch from Chicago:
"A worlds temple to agriculture, the
largest building In the world, includ.
ing a radiocasting tower rivaling the
Eifrel Tower, a convention hall Of
20, 600 seats and a commercial hotel
OF $500 rooms is planned for Chi
cago.' The date Of that dispatch in
December 16, 1924. BY December 16,
1925, we may have dispatch saying
that the Worlds Temple which was
built a few weeks ago and was con-
sidered a structure of great size is
being torn down to make way for
large modern building.
Evening star., 1925-01-07

Quite a variety OF opinion is ex-
pressed by American editors toward
the decision of the Allied Commission
to defer the evasuation of the Cologne
Bridgehead under the terms of the
treaty Of Versailles which would
have made that action automatic on
January TO- Many express the opin-
ion that the fact that the treaties for
commerce which prevented a German
tariff wall against allied nations ex-
pired with the evacuation made, have
played no small part in what has
been termed by some "a trumped-up
excuse" to halt the evacuation.
THE reasons are more technical
than substantial says the New
York Times, (which the conference of
ambassadors assigns for deciding not
to prove that Germany has been
guilty of formal violations of the
treaty provisions regarding disarma-
ment But no one supposes that Ger
many contemplates an early mill
tary aggression against France. What
has happened is that the conference
of ambassadors has found sufficient
legal warrant, under the Versailles
treaty, for carrying out a policy
which had previously, been decided
upon for other and larger reasons.
Three wars of invasion have
burned it into the blood of the French
people that they must have security
il they are to live in peace without
carrying the burden of an immense
military establishment. That Is the
big question for France which lies
behind the present dispute, so large
ly technical, about Germany's having
failed to live up to her undertaking
to disarm and abandon plans for
revenge" s-,
'The charge that there are more
arms in Germany than the treaty al
lows is, of course, true" declares the
merest, shabbiest pretext for this re-
turn to Poincarism. For every person
of Judgment knows that the absolute
ly literal fulfillment of such a treaty
is impossible The British know 1t,
the French knowaft They announce
that there is a store of light arms at
Essen. Well, Essen has been occu-
pied by the French army since Janu-
ary, 1892, and IL the French. army
could not stop bootiegging in arma-
ments it must be because the thing
cannot be done. Nor is 1T worth try
ing to do In the opinion Of the
Louisville Courier-JournaI, 'the bald
faced truth, as every traveller to
France today knows, is that the
French are in mortal fear OF Ger
man effort at revenge. and this fear
will not down as long as the present
generation lives. Herriot personally,
II is hinted, would chance leaving
Cologne unguarded. now. even If the
British were to get out, but the state
of feeling at home Is such that he
dare not. And. of course, the Ger
mans, understanding the situation
thoroughly,z are taking every advan-
tage of it," g.
Technically" says the Richmond
News-Leader, 1.-The reason on which SO
much emphasis will be placed in the
Evening star., 1925-01-07
The Surest Traffic Remedies,

Plain talk. directly to the point, By
City. an expert on traffic, has perhaps
given the members of the two Dis
trict committees of Congress before
whom he appeared the other day
clearer idea of the real needs of Wash
ington in respect to traffic control and
management. Poor street lighting,
lack of sufficient policemen and mig
gardly appropriations, he said, are the
Five hundred policemen for traffic
control alone should be put on the
streets Immediately. There are now
only 63 policemen available for cross
ing duty, a ridiculous number for a
city with practically 1856 automo-
biles. Two hundred men should do
crossing duty. and $50 should have
the latest type Of motor cycle.
The street lighting in the National
Capital" said DIR. Harriss to the COM
mittees, lis the worst l have seen in
any city in the world This remark
elected agreement from members of
the committees, not only as to the
fact itself. but as to the remedy in
terms of larger appropriations.
The widening of certain streets is
requisite to establish arterial traffic
ways. DR.. Harriss suggests Connect
cut avenue as one of these, and cites
the success of the tower-control sys-
tenn in Fifth avenue, New York, to
be adopted here for such streets as
Connecticut avenue and Pennsylvania
avenue.
Proceeding on the assumption that
most motor drivers are careful and
reasonable and law-abiding, it is neces-
sary to seek for the present evil con-
dition a cause in the physical situation
Evening star., 1925-01-07
SHOOTING STARS.
BY PHILASDER JOHNSON.
Beautiful Snow,

Beautiful Snow.
Oh, the Snow, the Beautiful Snow,
Like lofty peaks in an Alpine row
You freeze in a glistening, grimy ma ss,
We find the street like a mountain
pass,
Wheeling, freezing and all infirm
Nobody likes you except a germ.
Oh, the Snow, the Beautiful Snow,
You land wherever you choose to go.
You park yourself in the crowded way
In spite of the law, and there you
stay.
Humpy, lumpy, with sooty streaks.
You park for a day and remain for
weeks
Evening star., 1925-01-07

The need for more and better ap-
preciators is felt In the land, along
with the urge for better homes. better
gardens, better children, better writ
inga
Some active soul ought to organ
ize the Appreciators, to be composed
of a group of those men and WON en-
whose minds and hearts are sincerely
open to the best the world has to
offer.
Do you think it is easy to appre-
ciate?
Bless you, it is one of the hardest
jobs in the world, and constitutes one
of iife's most obdurate lessons. "Oh,
I like IT," Is not enough.
To be an Appreciator, a charter
member OF the greatest society in the
world. one has 60 give up resentment,
suspicion, sneering, mitigation and a
few other choice vices, and devote
himself whole e-heartedly to attempt
ing to see the good in others, the best
qualities in the worst productions. the
dim light amid the gloom, the laugh
ter amid the frowns, the heart balm
where others And only heart ache.
Easy to do? Why, this 10 perhaps
the hardest task in this whole wide
world, and one which calls for the
highest intelligence, the finest quail
tiles of heart and soul that any man
or woman possesses.
The Appreciators.
To them belong the great and good
things of this world. from the tender
caress of the little child to the grand
est fiow of symphonic music.
To them comes the light of stars in
another way than to those dull souls
that look into the heavens and hear
not the music of the spheres.
nf such la the X nRdnnl of the A.
preciators, where every man is a
knightly gentleman in truth, and
every woman Is a fair lady in fact as
well as in fancy: where life lifts to-
ward the better and the best. and all
the dull cares that infest the day tend
to disa ppear, like the ugly dust be-
meath the modern magic wand known
as the vacuum sweeper.
* X y
To be an Appreciator one has tc
give up resentment.
Senator Royal 8. Copeland of New
York In recent article said: I'm
fortunately, life is so constituted thai
everybody has daily experiences tha
seem to demand some form of resent
ment. If you happen to get out ot
bed on the wrong side in the morn
ing. these disturbing experiences ap
pear 10 nave Deen multiplied Uy lHs
million. This is because you are tired
you are worn out, your nervous sys-
tenn has not recuperated overnight"
Some people are chronic resentors
IL there is such a word as that, and
If there is not, we will use IL anyway
for 1t is a perfectly good word
whether one ends 1T with "er" or cor.
Many perfectly good folk seem Il
resent everything any one says Il
them. They must take exception t.
any statement, no matter what II il
If you say the day is fair, they imnle
diately declare it is somewhat cloudy
Had you remarked the day seemed
trifie cloudy, they would have said
"Oh. do you think so. Why, ! think
Ii is very bright"
Oh, indeed. would some power th'
gift give us, to see ourselves as Others
see us, Bobby Burns was right. i
only we could-but we cannot, 81
that tell, Bill, what tell.
Were you to carefully and secretly
jot down these dissgreements. and a
the end OF the month present an an
Evening star., 1925-01-07
No School Survey Needed.

protest has been made against the
Immediate adoption Of the pending
hve-year school building program on
The score that it is hastily devised,
ill-considered and based upon no scien-
tIfic survey of conditions. 1t is pro-
posed that the legislation De delayed
until such survey can be made
There should be no delay in the en-
actment of the pending fve-year pro-
gram. No survey is needed to ascer-
tain the facts Of the situation. No
elaborate scrutiny of the needs of the
District in this respect is required to
reveal the requirements. They are
obvious, and whether the particular
statement of specific structures in the
immediate measure is complete or
exact in detail is of far less moment
than the adoption by Congress of the
principle Of a series Of building con-
structions covering a period Of years
to bring the District for once in its
history up to its needs.
A survey of the Districts school
situation would take time, more time
than Congress can devote. certainly
at this session. To order a survey Of
school needs would surely postpone
action on the five-year program propo-
sition until the next Congress. That
would simply add further to the neces-
sites. as the District is growing in
school population rapidly. In all 1ikel-
hood any measure providing for a
series of constructions over a period
of years would be amended later. add
ing new items, possibly changing
locations, perhaps altering specifica-
tiOns as to size. The most effective
survey would be one looking to such
amendments.
1t will be a great pity, says Supt.
BallOu. with reference to the proposal
for a survey, to delay the quickest pos
sible enactment Of the f1ve-year pro-
gram bill, while waiting for considera-
tion Of any other measure, whether or
not it involves investigation of the
schools. There are, undoubtedly, diff
ferences of opinion regarding the
school organization. There Is no diff
ference Oh opinion IN respect TO the
need Of more buildings at once. To
mix the questions of school admins
tration and organization with those Of
providing the physical equipment for
the school system would inevitably
cause a postponement, perhaps indef-
tnitely, of the urgent matter of equip
ment
At present there is a favorable pros
pect for the enactment Of the five
year building bill at this session. Con-
gress is fully aware of the imperative
need of the District in respect to its
school facilities. A disposition prevails
to deal literally with the District in
this as III other matters of municipal
requirements. Advantage should be
taken of this condition to press vigor-
ously for the enactment at this ses-
sion of the pending five-year program
measure. regardless of the possibility
that that program does not wholly
cover the needs in all particulars to
suit all judgments. Any move to in
terpose a survey is calculated to de-
feat this object.
Evening star., 1925-01-07
Street Car Stops Are
Puzzling to Drivers
To the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor of The Star:
Is there an automobile driver here
in Washington who knows when and
where street cars are going to stop?
Here they go; first just around the
corner, then the next one hesitates
and stops in the middle of the block,
then the next one flies clear across
broad street and stops on the far
side of the intersection, and we auto.
mobile drivers driving carefully fon1y
to miss our guess) jam ont. the brakes
and find policeman looking, while the
motorman slams open the front door
of the car, then $40 fine, and this is
traffic in Washington.
Put a stop signal on all street cars
or stop on the near side of all main
Intersections. G. s. NEWLIN.