davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1926-12-16
"Gangway!"

Litigation has arisen in Detroit over
the disposal of patent rights to 6
speaking automobile horn, which. Il
is claimed. will voice clearly and ir
| the best Of English information fol
fellow motorists that the driver Of the
car purposes to stop, to turn to the
right or left and to perform other
vehicular maneuvers. 1t would also
give forth warnings to pedestrians.
However these legal proceedings
template in fancy some substitute fol-
the motor horn which, in the pressure
Of modern traffic, has been developed
to about the uttermost point that hu
man ears can withstand. The newly
invented device, it is pointed out, will
voice the warning. or demand, or re
quest in "the best of English" That
might do for Washington, or Boston
or for many Western points, but how
would 1t go in New York, or in Provi
dence, r. l.? In the metropolis a
driver would need a polyglot instru
ment, and even then, were he not a
perfect judge of nationality. tragedy
might easily ensue. Your Honor
was sure he was a Turk, and / blew
to him in Arabic that 1 was turning
right. Is it my fault he was Lithu-
anian and was going to a masked ball
in a fez?" Such might be a common
plea in court.
The task of inventing such a horn
seems child's play compared to the
task of composing the language that
it should disseminate. To one class of
driver gentle request is as effective
as or more SO than a command. To
another nothing less would suffice
than "Git over, blank you, or yen
lose a fender!' Along this line there
comes to mind the story of the British
motorist who, asked by his dealer If
he preferred something loud in the
way Of horn signals, replied languidly,
mo, something sneering." With all
due Difference to the genius of the in
ventor Of this newly announced de-
vice, 1t is thought that the present
form Of inarticulate horn will persist.
Were the vocal variety in vogue, too
many pedestrians would pause sud.
denly just outside the safety zone to
shout, SOS your old man" and SINH
lar repartee, only to fall victims to
the succeeding vehicle, which would
be just voicing the first word or two
Of the stereotyped and otherwise ade-
quate warning.
Evening star., 1926-12-16
The Passing of Jim.

1t Is not often that the death of a
mule furnishes news item, but that
has happened in the case Of Jim, the
dean Of the motive power of the
Morris Canal, an historic waterway
in the State of New Jersey. A
significant anniversary of that canal
is about to be commemorated and
those in charge of the proposed exer-
cises had thought to make Jim one
Of the features of the celebration, for
Jim has for thirty-six years been
trudging the towpath, hauling barges.
He has become a feature of the or
ganization, famous throughout the
route and for miles on both sides
of the channel. But Jim could not
wait for the celebration. His years
were too many and the other day
he took his last walk on the tow
path, turned into his stall at the end
of his beat, gave a final flip of his
tired old ears and slithered down in
his last sleep at the ripe age Of forty
years.
During the last four or five years
Jim has been failing. His boss has
favored him. giving him light loads
to haul, and taking special care of
his diet, but these precautions could
not check the flow of time and the ebb
of vitality. Jim was once a white
mule, but of late years his coat had
turned dirty gray. He was not at
tractive in appearance. But the
canal men loved him for all hfs
idiosyncrasies and his mulish pro-
pensities, which had become ac-
centuated with the years. In the
course of his thirty-six seasons Of
canal service he had survived one
| boss and seen another into retire.
ment.
So goes a relic Of a passing in.
stitution. Canals are no longer the
important factors of transportation
that they once were. The little
| waterways that netted the country
have fallen into disuse in great meas.
| ure. Some of them have been en-
| iarged into barge canals on which
power boats ply. Only here and
! there the mule-drawn scows are
| moving. They are passing, as Jim
has passed. while the motor busses
spin up and down the highways
which run alongside the water routes.
This mule Jim in thirty-six years
of service on the towpath has seen,
even though he may not have appre-
ciated, great changes. When he
took his first step at the end of a
towrope the gasoline engine was not
known. Nobody foresaw the flying
kmachine. The telephone was in its
kasfancy. Radio was unthought of.
Evening star., 1926-12-16
Speeding the Land-Purchase Bill.

Acton by the Senate yesterday on
the Mall-Avenue triangle bill puts
the measure up to the House of
Representatives. where a committee
has already begun its consideration.
The Senate expressed only slight
opposition to the measure, and that
was based upon the question of the
propriety of providing at once for
the acquisition of all the property
in advance of the Immediately essen
tial sites for the construction pro-
gram now in hand. AS to the
economy of immediate purchase of
these lands there can be no doubt.
On the piecemeal basis every square
taken for building purposes will add
to the value of those that remain
within the area that has been in
effect prescribed. 1t was pointed out
yesterday that q few years ago the
Government could have bought all
of this land for approximately
$4,000, 900 and that the present esti-
mate is that it cannot be secured
for less than $17,000,00O. Recent
developments in the matter cannot
fail to advance the price and it is
doubtless with that fact in view that
the bill has been drawn with a
limitation of $25,000,000 to the total
appropriations to be made for the
purpose.
The bill as it passed the Senate
provides for the acquisition of all the
lands not now owned by the United
States within the triangle bounded
by Pennsylvania avenue, Sixth, B
and Fifteenth streets, except square
256: also the areas known as reser-
vations A, 3. c and D. Those four
reservations" are in fact privately
owned properties, though originally
designated on the maps of Wash
ington as public spaces. They are
now to be added to the public area.
Square 256 is that occupied by the
Southern Railway. 1t is contem-
plated that provision for its pur-
chase will be included in the bill in
the House, though it may be spe-
officially designated as the site for a
District government building. in
which case the cost Of it will be
allocated to the District
Such speed has been shown in this
matter within the first fortnight of
the short session that there is now
reason to expect enactment before
adjournment in March. Indeed the
way is clear for final action within
a month. The subject is so perfectly
we'll understood in Congress that
there is no occasion for debate or
delay. AS business proposition it
is undeniable. In the light of past
experience in the taking Of sites for
public buildings the truest ecofomy
is to move Immediately to provide
an area that is surely large enough
for all the constructions contem-
plated under the present building
program already adopted by Con-
greSs
Evening star., 1926-12-16
The Strange Case of Col. Smith.

An unprecedented situation exists
in the matter of the seat left vacant
/ by the death of Senator Mckinley
and to fill which, for the remain
der of the present Congress, Gov.
small of Illinois has appointed
Frank L. Smith. Senator-e:ect for
the term beginning March 4 next.
Word to the effect of that appoint
ment came from Chicago today to-
5ether with conflicting reports as to
Col. Smiths intentions regarding ac-
ceptance and immediate appearance
in Washington with his credentials.
Ordinarily there would be no doubt
bout the presentation of those Gre
dentials. The appointee would i'm
mediately come to Washington to
take the oath of Office. But inti-
nations have been given that if he
should come he will be refused ad-
mittance, members of his own party
joining with the opposition to deny
him a seat. Probably never before
in the history of the Senate was
there such a case.
The reason for Republican opposi-
ton to the seating of Senator
McKinley's successor is that it is
certain that his appearance here
would be the signal for a protracted
fight which would block the regular
and essential legislation and compel
the calling of an extra session to
pass the appropriations. The Re-
publican majority does not wish such
a session to be called, for it would
be the new Congress, elected last
November, that would meet and in
that Congress the Republican mar
gin in the Senate, with all those
bearing credentials seated, will be
extremely slender. II an extra ses-
sion can be avoided the new Congress
will not meet until next December,
and by that time the situation may
have changed.
There are no charges against Col.
Smith as a Senator-appointee. But
he is the same man who it is alleged
secured his nomination in primary
by the excessive and improper use
of money. Strictly speaking, the
Senate has no right to question the
validity of his appointment or the
propriety OF his taking this seat.
Actually. however, under the Con-
stitution, the Senate can, judging as
to the qualifications of it's own
members, rule him out by vote be-
cause of his identity with the Sen
ator-elect whose right to sit in the
Seventieth Congress is challenged.
Col. Smiths appointment was
made by Gov. Small shortly after
word had been sent to the prospec-
tive appointee by representatives of
the Republican majority that they
could not vote to seat him II he
should present himself. 1t would
seem as though the governor had
accepted the challenge. if challenge it
may be considered. At any rate, the
admonition precipitated the appoint
ment, and now the case is put up to
the appointee, who finds himself in
predicament such as never before was
faced by the holder of senatorial Gre
dentials.
Evening star., 1926-12-16
The Great Mystery.

With all the progress that has been
made toward the discovery OF the
means of curing and preventing can
Ger no remedy or practice has been yet
found. So-called cures have failed to
yield the results initially claimed for
them. Not even the cause has been
identified. Some advance has been
made in narrowing the field of re-
search and much has been gained to.
ward an understanding Of the true ma.
ture of the disease. Yet it stands to.
day as the most battling puzzle in
medical science.
Research, however, continues, and
all over the world men and women are
engaged in a hunt for the causative
principle and through that discovery
for q means of checking or curing the
toll OF human life. There is no lack
OF means for the prosecution Of this
research. Generous gifts have been
made by philanthropists to enable
oSbOAAAcL5 ~ pursue IL. Inc latest IS
that Of William L. Saunders, head of
q large industrial corporation, who
offers 100000 in prizes to the per-
son or group discovering a way of
controlling or preventing cancer This
offer was announced at a dinner of
the American Society for Control of
Cancer, at which campaign was in.
augurated for an endowment fund of
one million dollars. The offer Of Mr..
Saunders, which will hold good for
three years, bestows $4,000 to any
person who discovers what human
cancer really is and how 1t can be
prevented positively and $4,000 for q
proved cure.
In the light of the length of time
that has been covered by the re
searches thus far, this period would
seem to be short one. And yet with
, hundreds Of people working along
Evening star., 1926-12-16

! II consider Victor Herbert the
! greatest musician of all time with
Irish blood in his veins,'' said the
late Henry T. Finck, great music
| critic, whose autobiography has just
been published.
Since the writer of this column has
been boosting the music of Victor
Herbert for years and years, it Is nat.
urally pleasing to him to discover
that no less a man than Finck be-
lleved exactly the same way.
while the music of Herbert has
always touched the public fancy, as
i. %'A by The Dox-office appeal of his
score or more comic operas. there
was for many years a tendency to
cry down his wares as popular
In legitimate musical circles there
was. even to the time of Herbert's
death, some disposition to belittle the
melodies Of this master of melody.
Every one admitted their fascination,
but some affected to sneer at them
because they were forsooth tuneful.
Happily, there Is no doubt in the
mind Of America today as to the
proper place of Victor Herbert s
music IN its repertoire. Over radio
one hears no composer as often as
Herbert, nor the melodies of any one
with perhaps quite the same appre.
ciation on the part of SO many.
The attempt to "please every one"
SO often tried in this democratic coun.
ery (still so, despite the slurs Of many
often results In pleasing no one exact
ly. The composite taste" Of the
fearful and sometimes a wonderful
thing.
In country where every one with
ears to hear can set himself up as a
judge of music and bring forth that
unansWerable judgment, II know
what like" it is no easy thing to
find music that is at once musicianly
and possessing popular appeal.
Victor Herbert achieved this result
No wonder the service bands of the
National Capital have included Sc.
lection from his operas in practically
every Summer concert for many
years!
1t is extremely difficult, in writing
or music, to preserve ones common
sense. To transfer this peculiar art
medium bodily to another, as one
great stemptation to a writer in the
way Of fanciful phraseology.
In reading criticisms Of concerts
for instance. one often runs into such
phrase as delicate traceries of
lace" or something Of the sort, re-
ferring to the perfect technical man.
ner in which the pianist played diff
cult runs.
All sorts of adjectives are used in
all sorts of ways. Nouns are deliber-
ately hurled into the context. the au-
thor leaving to the reader the difficult
task of making them fit If he can.
In many such instances there Is no
doubt that the critic knew what he
intended saying, but the sad part of 1t
Is that he does not make the poor
reader understand, too.
We have often thought that there
ought to be some rule prohibiting the
free use Of adjectives in criticizing
music, and especially something
against the use of metaphors and
SMILES of all kinds.
In reviewing the work Of Victor
Herbert one is Immediately faced with
this difficulty. For where will one find
music which can be less easily trans
lated, as 1t We're, to the printed page
of words?
The staff was what Herbert used,
not the line, and on It he placed mu-
sical notation. not the signs which we
Evening star., 1926-12-16
SHOOTING STARS.
BY PHILANDER JOHNSON.

Sayings.
If you have bitter thought,
= Don't say it.
Even though with truth 'tis fraught
Delay it.
It's no hint Of the sublime
That may help the world to climb.
Let it fade with passing time
Don't say it.
If a selfish sneer seems due,
Don't say it.
It will do no good If you
Betray it.
Even when you know the truth
That would bite with cruel tooth.
1t it only hurts, in sooth,
Don't say it.
If you have a thought worth while,
Then say 1t.
If it tempts the world to smile,
Display it.
If it helps to hopeful joy
AS our efforts we employ
More to build than to destroy
Then say it.
Evening star., 1926-12-16

this line and with a large accumula.
ton Of knowledge as a result Of past
researches, 1t is possible that the solu'
ton of this vitality important problem
may soon be found.
The statistics Of cancer mortality
are stimulative to the utmost en-
deavor. Medical science is baffied by
this disease as by no other known to
man. Its ravages are shocking. Its
victims are in all social ranks. The
person who discovers it's cause and
who thereby finds or leads to the find.
ing Of its cure will be a benefactor
of humanity whose compensation can
not possibly be measured in monetary
terms.
Evening star., 1926-12-16
Ford's ''Give Boys Jobs" Idea
Meets Widespread Approval

cit is doubtless good psychology to
give a boy mans work, if there is
enough of 1t to go around, also to pay
| the boy what a man would be paid for
| the same work." agrees the Elkhart
Truth, remarking further that boys
tend to rise to such treatment. doing
what Is expected of them Every boy
likes to feel himself a man. 1t is an
experiment that will be observed with
widespread interest,"
Henry Ford is certainly daring a
good deal in these days, when there is
d clamOr for a prohibitlve law over
spreading the United States which
would bar all youth under 18 from
work at all,' is the comment of the
Charleston Daily Mail, which contends
that one cause of disapproval of work
for the young folks is that "the older
folk fear the competition of the young
fellows, who, if they have not the ex-
perience and acquired skill of the
older folks, have energy and the ca
pacity to learn. Not all the propaganda
for law that would put it in the
power OF Congress to prohibit employ
ment OF the young before the age of
20 Is for altruistic reasons" declares
the Mail, cor does it bear any rela-
ton at all to the welfare of the youns;
man"
y 4
"Idleness is the greatest curse to the
majority of boys and young men, be-
cause 1t is a period of life when energy
runs high and youth is not satisfied to
remain quiet" remarks the Racine
JournaENews. as it states that Ford
undoubtedly has In mind that there
are just so many boys who absolutely
Will not pursue their studies one whit
more. than possibly through the
eighth grade-that they have a love
for mechanics and machinery, and will
make every effort to get in some
where so that they can escape fur
ther schooling and at the same time
crafty their love for mechanical
work"
Henry Ford doesn't take any stock
in the prevalent notion that boys and
girls have degenerated," says the Tex
arkana Gazette, but he does realize
that the time following their release
from school, before they take up any
regular occupation. Is a critical period.
If they do not find satisfactory work
after a short quest. they may drift
into thriftless or evil ways. He aims
to catch the boys and get them into
self-respecting habits of industry be-
fore they start drifting" concludes
the Gazette.
A report Of the Federal Labor De.
partment Is quoted by the Hollywood
Citizen to show that many children
are being employed for excessively
long hours and that many are being
forced to do night work Of a tedious
character in spite of State child labor
laws" and 1t suggests that with the
example set by Henry Ford. we may
expect to see a general awakening and
stirring within the ranks OF indus
trial leaders in regard to their civic
duties toward boy and girl employees.
provided OF course, that public opin-
ton does its share In supporting a high
standard Of Improvement"
Evening star., 1926-12-16
s'VOice of the VOteless.>
From the Boston Transcript.

From the Boston Transcript.
The Evening Star Of Washington,
through it's editorial columns, broad
casts an appeal to the country to es-
pouse the cause of the residents of
! the National Capital and request
| Senators and Representatives to
favor submission of constitutional
| amendment granting the right of
| suffrage to the citizens of the District
| of Columbia. The proposal, which
/ has been advocated for many years
| takes the present form of a resolu.
ton which, If ratified by the States,
| would empower Congress to enact a
| law granting to Washingtonians the
right to elect Senators and Repre-
sentatives in Congress, to participate
| in the election of President and Vice
President, and to sue and be sued in
Federal courts. Full local self-gov-
ernment is not sought for, as this,
while theoretically desirable, presents
practical difficulties, with Washington
established purely as the seat of Gov
ernment and developed and admins
tered on different lines than obtain in
any other community, either here or
in Europe. The District has had its
experience with Self-gOvernment.
which resulted in confusion, graft and
municipal bankruptcy, and while the
plan still has it's advocates it never
has commanded the support of the
community In any such measure as
does the proposal just outlined.
We doubt If many people in the
United States understand that cit
izens of the District of Columbia
have no right of suffrage whatever,
1t Is, in a way, of more moment to
them who is President of the United
States than to any other group In the
country, yet they have no representa-
ton Of any kind in the body which
ievles taxes upon them and spends
their money. The American Revolu.
ton was fought in defense of the
principle which is violated by the
anomalous situation existing in the
District OF Columbia. Government
employees, under certain conditions,
retain the right to vote in their own
states. either personally or by mail.
but no one outside the Government
service may vote; nor have residents
of any class the faintest voice in the
selection of District Commissioners
and other local officials.
The appeal of The Evening Star
that the country interest itself in this
proposal Is well made, for only
through the development Of a Nation.
wide sentiment can Justice he done
the men and women who have no one
to speak for them, who are Ameri.
cans in name only. 1t is noteworthy
that wherever outside Washington the.
subject has been discussed a lively in.
terest IN it has been aroused, and
there can be little doubt that If the
matter could be brought home to
every outside community, an over
whelming majority Of voters would
favor granting to the citizens of the
District of Columbia the same civic
rights they enjoy themselves. Indeed.
they would find 1t difficult to discover
arguments on the other side.
Evening star., 1926-12-16

all f1ancees of American citizens
which arouses the scorn Of Commits
sioner Curran ct al. That plan would
require only that the alien girl who
desires to enter, ex quota, must
promise" to marry a certain Ameri-
can, but she may break her promise
as soon as she arrives safely beyond
Ellis Island. Mr.. Curran adds, with
a gesture of disgust:
Il want to say that every American
citizen who cannot find a helpmeet
among American girls, but wants an
immigrant Wife, need not come to me
for help. Every one who sends abroad
for wife states that he is "45 years
old, but looks 30" At times. when
the girl arrives in New York, the
man will come there in such a condi-
tion that he looks to be 20, and the
girl will return on the same ship"
1t is estimated by Mr.. Curran
that there are not more than $4,000
immigrants who succeed in getting
into the country unlawfully, each
year: we are deporting about 1900
Q year. ass eundesirables.
tCopyrighk 1926. hy Paul v. Collins.)
Evening star., 1926-12-16

Life was much simpler for men,
though no different for mules.
Jim should have a monument
somewhere on the Morris Canal as
testimonial to faithful service.
Perhaps his efflgy will some day
stand at the head of navigation with
an inscription that will tell later gen.
erations the strange story Of how
once upon a time hoofed creatures
hauled the goods of the world to
market.