davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1926-11-20
Ten Cents a Life.

a California statute has just led
- . court decision that illustrs tes
the tendency ~ the law 10 hege; dis
respect on the part of the people. A
citizen .sf that State sued for dam
ages fc~ the death of his wife and
sen, attributable to the eating Of
canned salmon. Al the trial Of the
case IL was proved that the poisoning
was due to that food. A verdict WAS
rendered in favor OF the plaintiff
against the canning company. BUT
under the statute the damages were
limited 10 the amount paid for the
feed, and the costs We're assessed at
twenty cents. the price Of the can
Of salmon.
II II not related in the news dis
Patch which tells of this ren,a rka he
verdict whether the existence Of the
law was known To the plaintiff the
may have heen surprise to him:
prcbs bly, il was. for it is hardly 10
be believed that he would have taken
his case to court had he known that
the maximum Of damages recover
able was the price OF the can. II
would therefore be ressona hle TO
conclude that the fact that such q
law il on the statute books OF the
State Is not generally known. IL
was perhaps a Joker" slipped into
the enactments.
Judges and iuries are moi likely.
In assNsine damages in such cases.
to imppse too heavily punitive costs.
Evening star., 1926-11-20
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

fact that this Ounce knows and loves
books that we have never heard of IL
distinctly nothing to us. y @(Naturally9
Next to Shakespeare" we declare.
with an accent that puts the hard in
his place. Browning is undoubtedly
the greatest writer in the English Ian
guage."
So 1t is settled. Isn't 1t wonderful
what one word, Undoubtedly, :"
can do?.
Your real lover of books, however, is
never SO.
Let us see.
John Macy, in his STORY of the
Worlds Literature" published last
year, dealt the death blow to this
sort Of snobbery.
'In order to be well read. it is not
necessary to have labored through all
the acknowledged classics" he said.
1t is enough to have dug into "A few
of them and bla ndly to ignore the rest.
"One of the most sensitive and high
ly literate men / know does not hap
pen to have read Dante and has no
intention of trying to read him.
Let us read broadly or narrowly, ac-
cordng to the needs of our individual
natures. SO there are small
hooks which are great friends ana
great books which remain remote
strangers or intolera BILE bOres.
IF you do not happen to like this
or that great man. you can let him
pass and be better off for not having
your intellectual bones broken
There you have the matlred creed
Of great reader and scholar. Indeed,
only a man Of true knowledge and
versatility would dare to put himself
so unreservedly in print.
He runs the danger Of being rawly
misunderstood by the book snobs and
others. But he does not fear, for he
says: 1T is to the reader Of books
that this book is addressed.
BY readers" he meant the real
readers.
On the other hand because one has
fair for Browning is no sign what
ever that he does not genuinely ap
preciate and love the man and his
work. He is not a snob because he
does His snobbery arises when he
expects all readers to be his own type
Of reader, and in his assertions to
which others must agree.
Greatness" in an author Is not a
thing apart from life. but is part and
parcel of his gift. There must always
be something Suspicious about the
artist who writes only for limited
few.
Greatness is moral. not intellectual
If this were not SO. the butchers OF
the human race must unreservedly
be given first place.
The appeal of true greatness is not
to the intellect but to the heart.
Civilization Ia based on love in
action.
Purely intellectual appeal strikes us
as cold, however great it may be
whereas the sermon on the mount IL
great beca use it touches the best that
10 in us.
The total effect of a writer. there
fore, cannot be measured by the
mind. We are not sure that Long
fellow, now so much sneered at by
the socalled intellectuals, measured
by the yardstick Of love, is not a
greater poet than Browning.
If this be literary treason, make the
most Of it,
Evening star., 1926-11-20
Politics and Taxation.

Present agitation over taxes calls
to mind that time honored and still un-
solved problem: Which came hrst, the
chicken or the egg? In this case the
question is: Which comes hrst, po-
liticsl advantage or sound principles
Of taxation to NEE. the country's
needs?
Democratic leaders, notab bly, Senator
Simmons o. North Carolina and Rep
resentatfve Garner Of Texas. who
would be chairmen, respectively. OF
rhe Senate Ana nee committee and the
House ways and mea ms committee II
the Democrats were i'm power, are
drafting bill which would cut the tax
receipts by $40O, 600 ,Oa0 annually. Nat
urally. 1t would be plea "a mt to double
this cut in taxation, or treble 1t. But
the United States is. unfortunately,
srill faced with huge war debt; 1t
still has to maintain a government
and to increase the efficiency Of gov
eminent If possible. These things cost
money. The present administration
has economized until there have been
screams Of pain from members Of Con
sress from all parts of the country,
whose constituents want new public
buildings and improved rivers and
harbors.
But now the Democrats are propos-
ing TO amend the perma nent rates OF
taxation in A way which would lop OF
s4OO 900 Osa Trea sury experts figure
that il such tax cut were put
through it might result in a deficit OF
$3.50 900 900 or more in the next fscal
wear. This would not be so pleasant,
particularly as it would then become
necessary to increase taxes again and
possibly at a time when business could
not 40 we'll stand taxation.
Paying taxeA can scarcely be classed
as a popular pastime. But taxes have
been reduced in this country very
greatly in the last few years. At the
a. me time. the Government has cut
off large slice of the billions Of dol
lars of war indebtedness. The sooner
this war debt is wiped off the books
tha lese interest the people have to
pav on it. The public sometimes for
sats that the interest on billions Of
dollars runs into the hundreds OF mil
lions IN a. single year, and that. over
a few years it becomes Itself billions
OF dollars. In the LONG run the ccun-
try would suffer from policy which
prevented or delayed greatly the pay
ment Of the war debt.
There seerns little doubt. however,
that there ia to he a wordy political
ba title over tax rates in the coming
session Of Congress. Income taxes
have heen cut until the taxation Of
persons in moderate circumsta noes is
almost negligible. Many OF the so
called nuisance taxes have been wiped
ou; The taxes that still run are
levied largely on luXuries. Yet the tax
laws continue to weld huge sums OF
money. needed TO meet the expenses
ot the Government to pay off the war
build roa ds. to erect new buildings The
Army and Navy appropria tions have
heen pared down TO the quick. Why
NOT use a little of this surplus. which
apparently has been paid into the
| Treasury without any sreAt hardship
70 the people, to meet some of these
needs:
Evening star., 1926-11-20

What does any one mean by the
term the worlds greatest writer?
When he says, Browning undoubt.
edly is the greatest poet in the world.
does he mean that for you and for
me OF Just for himself?
If one desires TO avoid dogma tism
in literal ture he ought to leave such
expressions alone.
In literature there is no great and
high per Sc, hut each writer is great
or the reverse In proportion to the
effect he has upon the reader
1t Is needless to say that the reader
must have placed himself. through
native intelligence and training, in
position to Judge.
Careful students Of world litera.
ture--which Is what every mature
reader is-are ready ITO agree more
or less upon a list of the worlds
greatest writer's" but wisely refuse To
he led into any more positive asser
tiOn, which latter would place them
in the unenviabl position of the book
snob.
SnObbery is at the bottom OF this
unhappy business of bla ndly holding
up any author as the worlds great
est
There is no other way to account
for it.
1t Is proved by the fact that prac
tically every one who INDUCES in this
unhea lthy indoor sport hnds 1t nee
essary to pick out some writer whom
the world at large has agreed to brand
as obscure.
This has occurred too many times
in our own experience for there to
DO any particular doubt of 1t.
~
Now 1t Ia utterly impossible for any
one man, no after who he be. to
have read completely every writer
who ever wrote.
Likewise, 1t is equally impossible
for every great writer to impress
every reader alike
Only those who pretend to such
knowledge would attempt to impress
| others by the selection Of a worlds
greatest writer" or the grea test Eng
sish writer"
The thing is very easy; any one may
encompass 1t.
Select Browning, for instance, a
great writer. indeed. characterized as
masculine" and too abrupt" in the
ga me breath.
Then read The Ring and the Book. -
Re struck. If you will, by the cha "a cter
of Caponsachi.
Do not be dismayed by the fact that
hundreds Of others. who care for books
Just as much as you do. have found
nothing particularly impressive about
| either the massive poem or the par
| ticular chara cter.
| Here is your cha to study one
poem intently and to sneer at the ma j.
jority Of mankind for the remainder
| Of your natural life.
| One may give the most pitying looks
q Inn q 0Ao rCtn nifln I'M nj n
as to his liking for Caponsachi, and
the discovery that the poor wight has
in some unholy manner allowed the
vast importance Of that character to
escape his purile admiration.
| What! he does not remember Capon-
sacchi! Write him down a Ounce.
The fact that he admires Browning.
in his way, is nothing. Browning
must impress him with equal weight,
must appeal to him with the same
force. Browning is our test of a man.
! Love love NV Rr0wninR The
Evening star., 1926-11-20
Radio Pros and Cons.

The merits and demerits of radio
are strikinElv illustrated in the days
news. At approximately the same
time that word reached the United
States Of a radio miracle in the Arctic
New York ma n lost his CO se when
he asked the court to eliminate the
radio of his next door neighbor on &C.
count of the noise. Arctic dispatches
tell Of music being carried through
the air from Vancouver to Bafinla nd
in one sixty-fourth Of a second. al
though it takes a letter mention.
ing the feat more than Ave months
TO reach Vancouver. These two
cases represent a wide divergence Of
thought: one shows the extraordinary
advances being made in radio science
and the other demonstrates q lack Of
sympathy with the science that is ac-
complishine such miracles.
Late last May ofices of the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police outpost at
Ellsmere Island picked up music
hroa dcast from vancouver. ana com
puted the time required for sound to
travel through the Arctic wastes. The
next day a letter was disps tched Civ
ing the results Of the tests. The let
,er was borne out Of the frozen North
by dog team. snowshoe messenger.
motor stage and train and has just
arrived at Vancouver.
While there is likely to be some
feeling Of sympathy for the New York
man who is annoyed by the radio be-
cause music and singing for steady
diet ar. bound to get somewhat on
the nerves, even IL the singing IL by
a we'll known opera rtsr and music
broadcast. tnsna- -asnak ksraMay -atatisn
Evening star., 1926-11-20
The Monument Suicide.

shocking suicide occurred this
morning at the Washington Monu-
ment. man leaping to dea tn
through one Of the windows on the
top landing. This is the second case
Of its kind, the other having occurred
In March, 1923. At the time Of the
earlier voluntary fall, which was the
first that ever occurred at the shaft
1t was suggested that preca ution be
taken to prevent repetition. Moth
Ing was done save that the watch
men on the top landing were in
structed to keep closer observation
OF visitors. At times of crowding,
however, it In impossible to note the
doines Of all who visit the top of
the Monument and opportunity for
a leap from one Of the windows is
easy, 40 long as the openings are
unprotected. This morning the
guard had returned to the ground
level and no attendant was present
when the man made the leap.
ANVN tAdt II SCScho ho's
occurred no time should be lost in
making it impossible for any person
to era wi across the broad sill and
drop over the edge for the fve-hun-
dred-foot plunge. A heavy glass set
at the outer edge of the sill which
could not be broken save by the use
Of a missile-which would attract at
tention in time to prevent the use
Of the window for suicidal purpose
should be installed in each Of the
eight openings. In Summer, when 1T
Is desira BILE to keep the windows
open for ventila ton, this glass should
be repla ced by a stout wire grating,
sufficiently large of mesh to permit
free vision Of the scene but strong
enough to prevent exit.
person who iings himself from
the top Of the shaft may be actuated
by a fixed suicidal purpose, in which
case it is proba BILE that if fOiled at
that point he would take his own
life elsewhere, or by some other
means. But it is possible that
person not moved to self destruction
may feel the strange impulse which
great heights sometimes cause to
leap forth into space. Such persons
should be given the fullest protec-
ton. and the way Of escape from the
burden of Mfe through the windows
Of this memorial shaft should be
closed to those pitia BILE people who
feel that they can no longer bear IL
Evening star., 1926-11-20
SHOOTING STARS.
BY pHTLANDER JOHNSON.

The "(Dld. Fashion" Fad.
Old IA shion flddlers I have heard.
Il did not find them cheerful
Old fashion dances have been stirred
To steps that now seem fearful.
Old. shion girls I've seen portrayed
In albums all demurely.
Old IA shion stun. I am afraid.
Appeals but insecurely:
Old ia shion hoss and buggy rides.
Old fashion street cars rambling;
Old IA shion plumbing which decides
To keep the microbes scrambling-
Old IA shion sentiments. I And,
Bring memories unpleasant.
So to be grateful I'm inclined,
For living in tho present.
Evening star., 1926-11-20

arbitration" continues the News.
Germany, as a member of the League
Of Nations, again is allowed a voice in
international councils and is develop
ing a. national conscience that is en-
couraging as an indication of the dis
appearance Of traditional trends Of
national egotism that made an armed
camp Of Europe for so many centu-
ries
''The greed and gluttony OF imperial
ISM" according to the Los Angeles
Evening Express. cannot easily he
eradicated. But there was a dream.
and because the dream WAS charged
with the hopes of humanity there ex-
lists at Geneva today that which prom
ises ultimately to make the dream
come true. Already we have Loca mo
as part fulhllment, and statesmen talk
peace, not war, when discussing AZ
fairs between nations. The eight
years have not been barren. 1t was
an ideal. it was the vision, Of one who.
men believe. was gifted with pre-
science. But the promise made to the
soldiers and the people must, as GER
tainly an the justice Of God, be full
filled" The Winston.Salern Sentinel.
however feeling that Woodrow VIII
sons dream Is still unfulfilled," states
that 1.-The League Of Nations is a fact,
but handicap pped by old jealousies. old
suspicious and the absence of the
United States
To-day we are friends Of the former
enemy people" says the Jackson Cit
Patriot. I'VE know 1t was not
they, but the institution of autocratic
militarism which was conquered. We
now admire the resourcefulness and
coura ge which have enabled the Ger
man people to snatch economic victory
from the jaws of militaristic disaster"
The Altoona Mirror adds its opinion
that during the eight years that have
elapsed since the last gun was fired
we have learned many things. among
them this truth: No one special ma
ton was exclusively responsible for
the outbreak of that conflict or for The
unprecedented devastat ton wrought.
The eager ambition of the German
kaiser. the trade jealousies. the cui-
tivation Of the spirit Of revenge In
France, the imperfections OF fallen hu-
man nature. were responsible"
The thought that "Armistice day -
more akin to a festival Of thanksgiv-
ing appeals to the Oklahoma CITY
Okla homan. which suggests: "It
marks memory that once set world
on nfe WIN JOY. IL carries the mind
back to dark November morning.
when the clouds OF carnage and ter
ror were rent in twain. and there
streamed through the passing murk
Of battle the light OF -unspeakaDle
peace. 1t signalizes the happiest mo
monts the modern world has ever
known" Giving assura nee that the
people have not forgotten. the Char
totte Observer holds that "Armistict-
day In one Of holy memories for the
people,"
Recovery has been rapid" con.
cludes tho Toledo Blade. until never
before was the Nation so prosperous.
We would rather that other nations
were an prosperous. than that they
turn our way with envy. We are not
selfish because we look after our own.
The American heart is without bitter
ness on this anniversary"
Evening star., 1926-11-20

There is sincere regret throughout
America that events should 30 shape
themselves in Europe as to obstruct
the earnest desire to show Queen
Marie q wonderful time. At all events
the sincere intentions of the people of
the L. 8. A. cannot be questioned or
be misunderstood. ...
Evening star., 1926-11-20
McAdoo Again.

1he McAdoo battie nag mas Deeh
hung TO the .hreeze. Former Secre
tary Of Agriculture Edward 7. Mere
dith proclains him the rallying point
for the dry" Democrats in 1929. Nc
Adoo is the mar who is TO stop" Gov.
Al Smith Of New York. just as Smith
was the ralying point Of the anti
McAdoo Democrats in 1924.
In long interview in New York.
Mr.. Meredith insisted that the dry
South and the dry West would dom
inste the next Democratic national
convention. His opposition to the can
didacy OF Gov. Smith was ba sed
ostensibly and outwardly on the wet
and dry issue. No mention was made
by Mr.. Meredith Of the opposition
among ma ny Democrats to his nom
inetion on religious grounds. Mr.
Meredith also claimed for Mr.. McAdoo
the support Of all the Prosressives.
notwithsta ndinE the fact that Gov.
Smith is held to have as progressive
a record as that of Mr.. McAdoo, IL
not more 30.
1t Is no news 10 those who have
followed the trend Of politics that Nc
Adoo is to seek the nomins ton for
President in 1929. He and his friends
country in the last six months. sound
ing out sentiment, lining up their
forces, detailing the prohabl McAdoo
strength. Mr.. McAdoo himself several
which he cham pioned the ca use Of pro-
hibition so strongly that it was gen
orally interpreted as bid for the
support Of all dry Democrats.
But Mr.. Merediths statement at this
time is regarded as an effort to halt
the progress which the Smith can
didacy has heen making since the
election.
seek the presidential nomination
while not unexpected. sends a cold
chill down the backs Of party leaders
who recall the Madison Square Gar
den row Of two wears ago. II Smith
and McAdoo enter the convention as
heads Of rival factions-and there is
now every indication that they will
the Madison Square Garden fra ca g
may prove to have been mere warm
ins-up gallon for what is to come.
The Democracy Of the West rep
resented by McAdoo Of California and
Meredith of Iowa. and the Democra CIV
Of the North and East. represented
by Smith OF New York and Walsh Of
Massa chusetts. are both bidding for
the Southern delegates TO the Demo
cratic ma tionaI convention. The South
which is the backbone Of the Demo
cratic party. must and will decide
Smith or with McAdoo. or whether
there is to be a compromise.
The South is rated dry. though this
is now disputed i'm some States. 1t is
also rated anti-Catholic. But the
Southern Democratic leaders are not
averse 10 victory. Some are asking
themselves today if il he not possible
10 win with Smith.
Mr.. Meredith's statement has served
again to empha size the important part
which the wet and dry issue iS 10 pla V
in he national "a ,pa ian Of a2S The
drys are out to prevent at All cost {
the nomination ~ q wet or the adoI,-
ton Of 4 wet platform rla nix by either
Of the ma ior parties
II am Republics ms have heen css
down hv the recent election results
the Meredith statement has doubtless
raised them again 70 ha ppy fra ame
of mind
Evening star., 1926-11-20
0hscuratiOn.

Your speech was rather a long
affair."
II made it so on purpose" answered
Senator Sorghum. II put in a whole
lot Of words, 30 me as they do in an
insurance policy, so g to make it hard
to remember anything in particular"
Evening star., 1926-11-20

wrench and German diplomats
shake hands. This does not prevent
the arrest OF a French railway man
fer selling secrets to Germany. One
~ the dficulties in completing an
understanding among nstione is
lack Of coordination
Evening star., 1926-11-20

A man who says he IL q Com
munist" is generally one who wants
to play the game of life with the per-
sonal privilege OF being shy in the pot
Evening star., 1926-11-20
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Member Of the Associated Press.

The Aspoc. .ated Press il excius;veiy sct,tied
- the use for republication OF all news cik-
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Evening star., 1926-11-20

number of so.called cults appear
TO do their most effective and innuen-
tial work in passing the contribution
plate,
Evening star., 1926-11-20

TITLES are only words, after all. Mus
solini has shown, that a premier
"a be grea ter than q king"