davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1926-12-15

A suggested saving of billion dol
lars year through reform of the al
phabet, as proposed by DR.. Godfrey
Dewey of Harvard, has not yet re-
ceived much approval from the pub
lie. In view of the apparent failure
of simplified spelling. critics suggest
that only the slow process of natural
evolution produces such reforms or
chs uges. Some of them believe also
that anything which makes printing
and publishing cheaper is likely to
increase the output Of unnecessary
literary work. The new alphabet
would consist of "a consonants. IS
vowels, diphthongs and a sign for
the article the
"One of the interesting aspects"
as viewed by the Ann Arbor Times
News. 'is that the professor has not
pointed out a single benefit which
culture would derive from the change.
Possibly there would be some such
benefits, but Prof. Dewey probably
concluded that results expressed in
terms of money would be more ap.
pealing. Nevertheless, it may be that
we Americans. who are supposed to
be commercially minded, will not look
with enthusiastic favor upon this pro-
posal to commercialize the alphabet
business, but we have not yet de-
manded 1t of politics. which Is one of
our favorite sons, and we are not de-
manding it of culture. We have never
tried to regulate the use of paint by
artists or the number of G-clefS and
whole notes utilized by the composer.
And, just as likely as not, we'll keep
on using the old alphabet even at
the cost of billion year. The more
efficient we become the more we like
luxuries. and a billion for one of them
is a bag of Shells
Raising the question whether
economy of space is the chief object
Of an alphabet" the New York World
feels that it is "easy to go DR.. Dewey
one better" That paper says: Dor
rowing from Ring Lardner, we pro-
pose the following: Friends, I seen
2 or pieces in the paper this am.
about making up a new a b C, be-
cause this here l takes up too much
space. I am VS.. that idea, on acct.
already learned this here 1, and
what Is the sense of having q new /
when we got 1 already? Maybe the
pieces in the papers are too long.
but you don't have to read them, &
anyways you save yourself cts. IL
you don't. What I say, cut some
paper often the bottoms of the news
papers & then the pieces won't be so
long & we won't need no new a b c."
X
"a more practical movement than
that of reducing printed matter by
simplifying the alphabet" suggests
the Topeka Daily Capital. might be
to devise some plan of reducing it by
creating a general interest in less
writing and printing. The saving
that might be effected by cutting out
all unnecessary writing and printing
would make Prof. Dewey's reform
seem trivial. But, in point of fact,
the Dewey alphabet would not pro-
mote economy or restraint among
writer's; it might even, by making
writing easier, aggravate the evil, if
evil it is, of a superfluity of printed
matter" The Beloit Daily News also
expresses the view that "the canny
Evening star., 1926-12-15

knows about this phenomenon, after
all? Perhaps the lady has, in fact,
been spoofing the public and showing
how easy it is to disappear" and by
simply taking another name to live in
a public place without recognition for
days at a time.
Here was a nationwide hunt for a
missing woman. with almost daily
printing of her features, and it finally
rested with a chambermaid to identify
her, although the guest had been con-
stantly mixing with the others in the
hotel, dancing with them, playing bill
liards and otherwise associating freely
with them. If she was, in fact, trying
out theory she proved it pretty
Thoroughly. If she was in truth suf-
ferer from loss of memory she demon
strated, unconsciously. how easy it is
for identity to be lost, even in these
days of wholesale publicity.
Her story has a happy ending"
after all, and probably nobody is hap
pier over the outcome than the Scot
land Yard officials. to whom an un.
solved case is a veritable tragedy.
Evening star., 1926-12-15
Pass the Triangle Bill!

Placed on the Senate calendar with
O favorable report from the committee
on public buildings and grounds, the
Smoot bill. authorizing the purchase
by the Government of all the lands
within the Mall-Avenue triangle for
building purposes, Is in position for
early consideration and passage. A
similar bill is before the House com.
miftee and will doubtless receive sim.
liar approval In that body and be
placed in an equivalent position.
It 60 therefore in order to look for
action at this session on the measure,
which, without actually making appro-
priations for the purpose, announces
the intention Of the Government to Sc.
cure the lands not already owned by
Il which lie within the bounds that
have been laid down to encompass the
prospective building sites under the
new program Of Federal constructions
A. long step will have been taken
when this measure is adopted. It will
then be distinctly established as the
policy OF the Government to acquire
this area, which has SO long lain un-
der the ban of prospective proscrip.
tion. It Will establish the axis OF pub.
Ito improvements in a manner to per.
INIT private enterprise to proceed In
the improvements that have been held
in abeyance until the Government
pronounced its policy.
IT cannot be too often urged that
immediate action is in the interest OF
everybody in this connection. the Gov.
ernment for the sake of economy OF
purchase OF lands that are inevitably
+. necessary for construction purposes
the owner. Of these lands who have
suffered for years because OF the In
Q decision and delays In tha formulation
Evening star., 1926-12-15
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

way as any to pass the three run
hours until the gas-lamp man comes
around with his stick to turn out the
lights.
Happy Iamplighter, He has some
real reason for being up; but you, IN
your slippers and bathrobe, have no
more sufficient excuse than the dlctum
of a gentleman gone these many
years.
when you begin to turn over, 1t
is time to turn out
sound. If one resolutely arises from
slumber--no, it can't be called that
we'll. if one arises from lack of slum-
ber. then, no doubt he will be good and
sIeepy that evening and will make up
for lost time, as the boys say.
Perhaps genuine cases of insomnia
might yield to this prescription. Ger
tain obscure chemical irritants In the
system worry the nerves, so that one
cannot yield, as one would, to thai
which the Ancient Mariner called "a
blessed thing"
Yes, the furnace is all right; look
into the feed door shows it to be in
perfect condition. How bright the
lights are, at this time Of night; one
light does the work of six!
The backs Of houses look silent in
the darkness. Some have their win
dows clear up. some not so far, some
but little, some not at all.
After all, one catches ones self
wondering, just how much truth is
there In this fresh air" business.
anyway?
Why, you have known old codgers
who slept on featherbeds, and who had
every window down every night of
their lives, and they were as healthy
as crickets, and their cheeks were
rosy even unto a ripe old age.
And you have known children raised
as fresh air babies" who slept out Of
doors each one of their yet few years
and who were wheeled out in billiards
and all that sort of thing who yet had
as many bad colds as any one.
X y X
You turn on the light in the living
room, feeling somewhat shy about
doing 80, for fear the milkman might
knock on the door.
Positively, it would startle one to
have the milkman knock on the
door! Milkmen 80 seldom knock on
doors; they seldom do anything except
deliver milk, that it would astound
one to have one knock on the door
at am.
Suppose the milkman should
knock and should say, Hello, mister,
l thought you might like to take a
nice ride"
And you, in your slipper feet and
bathrobe. which never stays shut in
the front. would greet him with out
stretched hand and say:
Hello, Bill, glad to see you again!
Wait till ] get my gloves. and will
be right with you"
Whew, but 1t Is cold in the milk
wagon. You notice, with a start of
surprise, that your living room is the
only lit room in the neighborhood.
Suddenly you wish you had not
promised Bill to ride with him. If he
is a milkman, that Is his fault, not
yours. A man doesn't have to take
such a job, and to drag friend into
1t, why
You wake with a start. The sun
shine makes the electric light look
pale. You have been sound asleep on
the davenport, the alarm clock hav-
ing gone off an hour ago.
Evening star., 1926-12-15

Q. Which grows faster. the popula-
tion Of the United States or the
wealth?-P. G. NJ.
4. Since 1850 our population has
more than doubled and our wealth
has become 40 times greater.
Q. What schools have the most
valuable campuses?-T. j.
a. The Bureau of Education says
that the following schools have the
most valuable grounds: Columbia Uni
versity, University of Chicago and the
Massachusetts Institute of Tech
nology.
Q. Why is some hair naturally curly
while other hair is straight?-E. A.
A. The contour of the hair is cir
cular, oval or flattened. Whether a
hair is to be curly or straight is
largely dependent upon it's contour;
the more oval or flattened it is the
more it will be curled. The curliness
is Influenced also by the condition Of
the atmosphere; naturally curly hair
becomes more curled when the hair
is surcharged with moisture. and less
so in dry weather.
Q. How many apples does the most
profitable single apple tree produce?--
n. L. T.
A. A tree owned by Joseph A. Kins.
man of Kings County, Nova Scotia,
produced 81 barrels of marketable
fruit in 1898. This is the highest yield
for a single tree as far as records
show.
@. When was the Italian majolica
first made Pr. H.
A. The earliest date found on an
Italian luster-piece is 1889. The only
men acquainted with the use of
luster were Pesaro, Gubbio and
Deruta, and after a vogue of 80 years
it became a lost art, about 1870. The
craft has been revived with varying
success, but the new enamels cannot
compare in beauty with the old mod
els. The finest specimens Of majolica
were made in northeastern Italy
Vases, pitchers, plateSy bottles and
odd-Shaped TASKS We're the most com
monty decorated objects, but tiles were
sometimes made for floors and walls
@. Where is the geographical cen.
ter of North America?--W. p. H.
A. 1t is impossible to say definitely
where the geographical center OF
North America is because there are
many acres of land in Canada yet un
surveyed. 1t is approximately located
at latitude 49A' and longitude go.
@. What is the origin of shellac?-
r. E. A.
A. Shellac is modified form of lac
which is a resinous substance formed
by an insect as a coating on the twigs
and young branches of various trees
| in India and neighboring countries
The term LAC" Is the same as the In
| dian numeral meaning "a hundred
! thousand" and is indicative Of the
myriads Of insects which make their
appearance with every successive gen
Grafton. Lac incrusting the twigs a:
| gathered is called "stick lac; the
resin crushed to small fragments anC
washed in hot water to free it from
| woody particles and coloring matter
is known as "seed lac" or "grain lac,
and this when melted, strained
through thick canvas and spread ou
into thin leaves is known as "shellac.
| @. How many bridges besides Lon
don Bridge are there across the Rive
Thames at London, England?-A. w
| A. Fourteen road bridges cross tn
| Thames within the County Of Lon
Evening star., 1926-12-15
The Missing Woman.

When a woman writer, author OF
popular mystery stories, disappeared
in England nearly two weeks ago,
leaving no trace but an abandoned
motor car, there was great hue and
cry. The case suggested that she was
trying out in actual personal expert
ence one of the situations that she
had in the past developed in fiction.
Scotland Yard took hand in the
search. Local police all over England
hunted. Volunteers secured their
neighborhoods. The land was combed
for clue to the missing woman. In
the absence Of any known cause for
her disappearance the matter became
profound problem.
Photographs Of the missing author
were published in the English news.
papers. and day or so ago a cham
bermaid in a Yorkshire health resort
hotel saw one OF them and found a re-
semblance to a woman who had been
there as a guest for some days. The
matter was brought to the attention
of the management, the husband of
the author was notified and he went to
the hotel, saw the woman and recog-
nized her as his wife. She greeted him
pleasantly, calling him by name. and
they had long talk, after which the
husband announced that his wife had
suffered from complete lapse of
memory.
So the mystery is solved, officially.
There has been no tragedy, and there
case. Merely a lapse of memory
That. at least, goes as the formal ex.
|planatton OF the matter. But who
Evening star., 1926-12-15
Good-By, Pi!

There is modest flower blooming
IN Beauvais, France, who announces
that he can solve mathematical prob.
lems which have baffled the world S
best brains for centuries and many
OF which have been deemed insolv-
able. This amateur mathematician,
whose name is Lepere, and who seems
to be entirely sincere, offers to give a
demonstration of his powers before a
competent commission.
Here are some of the acts which
compose his repertoire. To begin
with, he can square the circle, with
the consequent disappearance of ''pi,"
that bugbear of scholastic youth for
nearly two millennia, during which the
phrase "squaring the circle" has
grown into a proverb indicative of
utter impossibility. He has solved
the problem of the trisection of tri-
angles, the multisection of straight
line, the circumference of a circle and
an angle into equal parts; those of
duplication, triplication and so on UP
to -septuplication of the cube, and
others so far beyond the average
mans powers even to state that not
one person in hundred will know
whether the foregoing is Transcribed
correctly. Probably he will soon give
the Einstein theory either a knock or
a boost.
All very we'll and fair enough and
undoubtedly highly useful. But can
he do this: Can he keep the stubs in
his check book for. say, six months,
so that at the end of that period his
balance will correspond precisely to
the figures given him by his bank?
Evening star., 1926-12-15
Lettering.

Traffic officials of the District were
busy yesterday explaining to Judge
Mcmahon in the Police Court what
agreement. if any, they had with taxi
cab companies relative to enforcement
of the lettering" law. The upshol
of the case was that the defendant
iaxicab driver was fined $40 for park
ing outside of a public hackstand,
after the court had unsuccessfully at
tempted to jog the memory of the off,
c,als anent the alleged agreement.
Some of them remembered that a con-
ference between the taxi interests and
the authorities had taken place, but
could not remember just what had
been the outcome; others could not
even recall that there had been a meet
ing. At any event the court very prop
erly fined the driver for direct viola
ton Of the law, agreement or other
wise notwithstanding.
The Star, for years, has urged strict
enforcement of the lettering regula-
ton, and. in view Of the peculiar case
just concluded, 1t emphatically reiter-
ates it's stand. Lettering means not
only parking on the city streets out
side of the regularly designated hack
stands, but cruising slowly around the
streets in front of hotels and theaters
and generally blocking traffic and max
ing the task of control more difficult.
While taxicab chauffeurs are, as a
rule, good drivers, they have not, in
Washington or anywhere else, COM
piled an enviable record for courtesy
on the streets toward the public. They
likewise, because of this bullishness,
do more than their share to cause
nicked tenders and ruffled tempers.
Every city unquestionably needs
taxicabs for the transportation Of the
public. These cabs must be readily
available and should be situated on
properly designated stands. If Wash
ington is lacking in facilities for the
taxi companies in the way Of reserved
space additional stands should imme.
diately be apportioned; always with
the realization. however, that the
streets are in public ownership and
that undue infringement on this own.
ership by private organizations is i'm.
proper.
The streets are primarily for the
public, and hackstands, popcorn
stands. newspaper stands and all
kinds of stands should be planned so
as to result in the minimum curtail-
ment Of public use for private benefit.
Parking space is now at a premium.
At certain periods Of the day and
night 1t is almost impossible for the
private owner to find room enough
in which to squeeze his car. So this
fact must be borne in mind when pub
lie space is allotted to private com.
panies.
An agreement not to molest taxi
drivers for parking and lettering on
the streets in violation of vital regula-
tions for the conduct Of traffic was
not shown in the recent case. but the
faulty memory of those called before
the judge gives rise to a suspicion
that perhaps there has not been the
zealousness that there might have
been in carrying out the terms of the
lettering rule.
The motoring public. for this reason,
will hereafter watch closely the appli:
cation of regulation which is en-.
| forced in every city in the country.
Evening star., 1926-12-15

when you begin to turn over, it is
time to turn out" said no less an au-
thority than Gen. Wellington.
This is a heroic soldiers prescrip-
tion for cases of waking up too early
in the morning. the common sense of
which will appeal to every one.
Those who will be able to carry it
out, however. will be few and far be-
tween, for there is something distaste-
full to the average man about getting
up at 3 or 4 o'clock
What is one to do at that hour?
If the restless one were a milkman,
now. there might be some rhyme and
reason to it, but your average man Is
much at loss to know what to do with
himself between such time and his
usual hour of arising.
Being creatures of habit, most men
have a set time for arising to take up
their part in the worlds work. Many
even have alarm clocks set to go off
at the appointed hour.
The trouble with alarm clocks, as
every one knows, is that after period
one fails to hear them. Let them go
off ever so loudly, the intrepid sleeper
sleeps right through them, as the ex-
preston has it.
Even if he is awake from to 5, or
from to 6, or from 4 to s, he will
undoubtedly be sound asleep when the
bell in the lighthouse rings. This is
a universal failing of alarm clocks, it
makes no difference whether cheap or
costly.
If some genius could devise clock
that would adjust itself automatically
to the sleeper's. sleeping, that would
be an entirely different matter. and
one out of which the lucky inventor
ought to reap untold profits.
* * y X
1t takes q soldier, no less, to reso.
lutely throw off the covers and crawl
out Of his warm bed into a cold house
>at 3 am. for no other particular rea-
son than that Wellington once de.
clared, in a moment of abstraction:
when you begin to turn over, it is
time to turn out"
Yes, general, but the turning out is
hard.
The night is cold and bitter and the
wind has been whipping in over the
windowsill ever since 10 o'clock the
evening before.
The last cars have ratified into their
metal garages. The last dogs have
wakened everybody except their own
owners. The determined broadcasters
have turned off their transmitters at
last, and rabid radio fans" have been
forced to call 1t off for the night, for
few sets will get California, after all
And now one Is wide awake again
just when the sleeping Is best. One
may lie upon ones back, If one
pleases, but it is not very diverting
exercise. Rolling over on the right
side fails to give the customary ease
The left side, for some unknown
rea SON is no better
When you begin to roll over----
BY George, he was right! There Is
nothing to do but turn out!
Accordingly, the covers are lifted
and the walker stands forth with cold
feet and chills running down his spine
wondering what he Is going to do from
now until o'clock.
X X n
Well, the night cannot last forever
Didn't some one write poem about
an Egyptian king who had a ring
on which was engraved the sapient
line. even this shall pass away?
That must be down In the library
some place. Perhaps that is as good
Evening star., 1926-12-15
A Billion-Dollar Day.

This is a busy day at the Treasury
OF the United States. one of the
busiest of the year. and yet although
transactions totaling about a billion
dollars are in progress there is no
sensation, there is no outward dis
turbance-there is, indeed, no inner
agitation. A billion-dollar business is
being carried on just as calmly as IS
the hundred dollar days work of a
small shop.
For one item. the Treasury is re-
deeming certificates of indebtedness
amounting to about $453 3,00",00 that
mature today. At the same time it
is issuing something over 5000. .0o0, 900
of new certificates of Indebtedness.
bearing interest at 3A per cent, the
Issue having been already heavily
oversubscribed. Interest aggregating
$77,000,000 on the First Liberty loan
Sh per cent bonds, on the convertible
a per cent bonds, on the convertible
Az per cent bonds and several other
issues is also payable today. Then
come payments by foreign govern
ments on their war loans reaching d
total of about $95, 100000. Balancing
the outgo items will be an income of
about $400, ,000, 900 in internal revenue
taxes.
This is a sample day, though heavy
In detail. There have been numerous
occasions on which the Treasury has
been receiving and paying cash by
the hundreds of millions since the
war. during the period Of debt man.
agement. This particular day has
cts special interest, however in view
Of the fact that 1t so nearly comedies
with the decision of the. House ways
and means committee that the Treas
ury surplus should be used for debt
reduction rather than tax reduction
or rebate.
The story of finance, especially Gov
ernment finance, is not particularly
thrilling. 1t is difficult to compre-
hend it. Yet some day it will be pos.
sible to tell in terms that will be
vivid to all the narrative Of how the
United States Treasury attacked the
enormous burden OF debt created by
the war. BY frequent new issues Of
short.term notes at ow rates Of inter-
est the slscoesgive deb installments
have bear met without the slightest
disturbance of the money market.
Immense sums in interest have been
saved by these refinancing processes.
Every one of these new issues has
been oversubscribed. They have been
sought eagerly by banks and individ.
uals. Money, or the equivalent credit,
has flowed back and forth between
the Treasury and the banks in a stu
pendous volume. with a constant
lowering of the Government indebt.
edness.
Back of all this success in the
smooth administration of the war OBJ
legations Is the strong credit of the
United States. And back Of that
credit is the success Of the tax meas
ures that have been enacted: The
people have paid their taxes fully and
hav" kept the Treasury amply
supplied with means to manage the
debt.
Evening star., 1926-12-15

entitled to the appointment. The ques-
ton is how far are the regular Repub-
licans of the House willing to go for
the sake of harmony, for the sake of
bringing the Wisconsin insurgents
back into the organization, and how
far the Wisconsin insurgents are pre-
pared to go in the way of cooperation
with the regulars. AS a matter of
fact, to be cast out of the organiza-
ton by the party in Washington has
tended to make martyrs of them in
Wisconsin and has strengthened their
hold in their own State. 1t is possible
TIT the Craftsmanship of the invalid
rt.lsions committee will be held in
allegiance until after the beginning of
the Seventieth Congress, when all the
Insurgents can be cared for at the
same time. -
Evening star., 1926-12-15

The death Of the Emperor of Japan
Is surrounded with the mystery that
has been preserved from time i'm
memorial about everything pertaining
70 the sacred ruler of Japan. The
ONCE is regarded as too high to per.
NIT IT'S occupant to mingle in the pub
licity of politics, to the interference
perhaps of the plans of the politicians
who surround him.
Evening star., 1926-12-15

Beautiful snow" sentiment has all
vanished, except as it relates to deco
tions on Christmas cards. There is no
longer any Joy in the music of sleigh
bells. People simply sigh and bring
out their skid chains.