davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1927-12-08
Educational Work
Done by the w. C.. T. u.

To the Editor Of The STAR.
/ trust you will give me space to
state in your columns that recent OBJ
lection by the Association Against the
Prohibition Amendment to the work
of the w. c. II. u. in the public
schools seems to have arisen from a
misunderstanding. The great educa-
tional work of the Woman's Christian
Temperance Union for half a century
has not been "proselyting of dry
propaganda" but has been the well
known work of educating the Ameri-
can public in the effects of alcohol on
the human system.
The first public school system to
adopt this education as a necessary
part of its curriculum was in the Dis
trict of Columbia. the education being
made necessity by an act of Con.
gress which has been on the books
for nearly 45 years. That was. If my
memory does not fail me, the work
of the late Senator Henry Blair of
New Hampshire, foremost pioneer
in temperance matters.
Recently the National Education
Association and it's subsidiary depart
ment of superintendent have adopted
resolutions favoring strong continu-
ance of the once universal policy of
educating the children in the effects
Of alcohol.
The w. C. r. y. believes with many
historians that the pathway to prohi-
bition was laid by the work of the
school teachers in the little red school
houses of the 7Os and sos. Surely.
the Association Against the Prohibi-
ton Amendment cannot object to an
educational campaign among the chill
dren. MRS. N. M. POLLOCK,
President w. c. T. u.
Of District of Columbia.
Evening star., 1927-12-08
Proposed Phone Rate
Increases Are Scored

To the Editor of The Star:
l read, with much interest, your
editorial regarding the contemplated
increases by the telephone company
on telephone rates, and l am certainly
glad to know that you are looking out
for the citizens of Washington in this
respect, as we have frequently en-.
deavored to get both the Public Util.
tiles Commission and the Interstate
Commerce Commission to refuse to
allow increases to the telephone COM
pany when practically all other cor.
porations are reducing the prices of
their services and increasing their
efficiency, which, to my mind, is not
being done by the telephone company
l might also call to your attention
that about one year ago the long.
distance messages to nearby points
throughout this section were increased
anywhere from 5 per cent to 40 per
cent when the telephone company
advertised that they were reducing
the rates. What they did was to
reduce the rates for great distances
and increase the nearby ones. thereby
collecting from the citizens of Wash
ington and all other nearby citizens d
great deal more, / suspect. on the
short distance messages than the pa.
irons i'm the same territory save on
the longer-distance messages.
l am inclined to think that the
weapon which you have is the only
one. namely, publicity. that will do
the citizens very much good as the
commissions, evidently, do not trouble
themselves very much about looking
after the public's interests.
VERNON NJ. GREEN.
Evening star., 1927-12-08
THIS AND THAT .
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

of emptiness and wasted capacity.
And also: perhaps at the distance OF
a score of years. If / then inhabit this
world. or still more. IL I do not, these
will appear frightful confessions: they
may or may not-it Is true picture
of barren and desolate soul
He who had fruitful soul called
himself barren. He who was to make
| words grow into flowers Of thought
and phraseology called himself desc
| late"'
| How absurd they seem. from the
slight peak of even a little maturity,
these lamentations of youth. Too often
| they abuse themselves unjustly, even
unrighteously They accuse them
selves of all sorts of crimes and hold
themselves up to themselves az doers
of evil or failures Of the worst sort.
when all the time they are as white
as driven snow.
| 1t would be a fine thing, perhaps.
If every youth could realize that his
sorrows, of whatsoever nature. run at
least an equal chance Of being no sor-
rows at all. but only the fine self-pity
Of youth trying to exalt itself before
| the time comes.
| If Emerson ever looked back over
his journals, as no doubt he did. he
must have smiled at himself, as self.
pictured.
| Indolent -- insignificant - barren --
dasolate. Surely the sage. il he ever
went back over these records. smiled
whimsically at the fine beat of his
youthful period.
| Granting that there was a germ of
truth in the structures which the phi.
losopher-tobe cast upon himself, 1t is
more than evident that he used his
musings to good purpose.
| Thus it Is seen that no sorrow of
youth. whether just or not, Is wasted
il the bewaler goes on to correct HIM
self in the light Of his self-discoveries.
| Only the conceited person is lost in
| this world. lie who is so self-assured
as to find no imperfections in him
self. to be wholly perfect in his own
eyes. he will never attain to the sig
nificance which every man hopes for.
He may come to spurious success
on a cheap plane, but it will hardly
he the sort to command the respect
| of the world.
IL there is q grain Of truth in self
censure. it behooves the critic to
make the next step-to determine to
right the wrong.
This Is where so many of us fall
down. 1t Is not so hard to single out
deliberately as to correct after the
fault is discovered.
| A more mature person. as well as
a younger man or woman, may find
it profitable to study Emerson's re-
morse. in the light of his subsequent
career, with an eye to applying it to
his own case.
Jot ones faults down on a piece of
paper and consider what steps one
might take to correct them. The
happy thing is that there, is sort
of magic in this procedure. No
sooner are the shortcomings down on
paper than the precious magic-black
and white magic, if you will-gets to
work.
Defects, imperfections. infirmities,
one and all tend to right themselves
if one is honest enough to look them
squarely in the face. Such self.
inspection is rather old-fa shioned, but
it is just as wonder-working today as
when Emerson and Franklin tried it
out.
Evening star., 1927-12-08
UNITED STATES
in WORLD WAR
Ten Years Ago Today.

Sixty-nine American officers and men
lost on the destroyer Jacob Jones sunk
by German submarine in the North
Atlantic while doing patrol duty. Goes
to bottom so quickly that ONLY 43 of
the crew are saved. Fate of many
others still in doubt. Two previous at
tempts had been made to sink the
Jacob Jones while still i'm American
waters. 80 Following up the declara.
.tion of war against Austria.Hungary
the work of wedding out Austro. Hun.
garian subjects from the National
Army begins. Many are ordered to
leave training camps and report back
to local draft boards for discharge
on the ground that they are enemy
aliens. President indorses the
efforts of the Salvation Army to raise
$l.000,000 for work behind the
trenches. Many women of the organi.
zation are already doing their bit in
France near the firing lines. 80
Trotsky demands allies war aims and
gives them week to accept or reject
armistice plans. Al rumors that the
Bolshevists may repudiate ali foreign
loans fails to disturb bankers in this
country.
Evening star., 1927-12-08

were doubled these crimes could per-
haps be checked, for then 1t would
be possible to place men on patrol
throughout the business district In
such numbers as to insure constant
watch over premises. But such a
crime as that of the other day, when
expert operatives looted case Of
valuable contents in a jewelry store
during business hours, is not to be
scored against police inattention or
inadequacy.
Perhaps i'm some respects the police
have not been as thorough in their
pursuit of lawbreakers as the public
wishes. The other night a man was
detected by a janitor in an effort
to enter an apartment house and was
wounded by a shot. He sought
refuge in a shack, which was sur
rounded and searched without result.
Later, after the police had left, ne
was seen to depart and all track OIL
him has been lost. He may nave
heen the so.called "Cat" burglar, or
he may have been an imitator, or an
other who knows nothing of the un-
savory repute of that marauder' IL
would have been more reassuring II
this man had been caught when an
opportunity was afforded.
In the District estimates just SUD-
mitted to Congress is an item proVlo'
ing for an increase of IS men in the
police force. This Is not enough.
Washington needs a much larger
rumber of patrolmen to insure IL
against depreciation and crime.
Evening star., 1927-12-08

enter into social contacts with the
palace.
The American Minister, however.
was a recess appointment Of Presi.
dent Wilson, and, as the Senate in
its final session in 1920.21 refused to
confirm any of President Wilson's ap.
pointments, the commission Of the
American Minister automatically
ceased upon conclusion of that ses-
sion Of Congress, at noon, March 4,
1921.
We could not appoint a new Minis
ter without accrediting him to the
King; neither could we receive a
Greek Minister without accepting his
credentials from the King. Therefore
it was impossible to carry on any
negotiations of an official nature with
reference to the loan agreement for
period of several years. This is
probably the essential reason for the
delay in the adjustment which has
now been made, as during the period
when it was impossible to carry on
negotiations certain differences in
opinion arose, due to the different
interpretations Of various factors
which had arisen affecting the situa.
ton.
1t is not disputed that Greece per-
formed her portion of the original
contract in good faith. This is conclu.
sively shown by the fact that the
Interallied Financial Commission ap.
proved and forwarded to Washington
vouchers in the sum of $4S.236 ,629.0 .05.
for which the Treasury of the United
States accepted obligations of the
CrooE Oouornrnont in oconrdQ nee will
instructions previously given.
y X X n
One of the main points of the pres.
ent settlement Is that Greece, while
agreeing to relinquish a claim of $685.
000, 900 in exchange for a loan of $12,-
000,0 900, will get money which is ur.
gently needed for the final rehabilita.
ton of 100000 refugees who arrived
in Greece from Turkey between 1922
and 1924. OF these refugees the larger
number were agriculturists, and these
have been settled upon the land in
Macedonia and other sections.
One great difficulty which has been
encountered is the extremely heavy
percentage of women and children.
Greece, not being an industrial cOun.
try, has found it necessary to create
industries where women could find en-
ployment, and now that the agricul-
tural refugees are settled, the commits.
sion is in need of immediate funds
to establish small industries where
the women can become self-support-
ing. Any one who has seen how
quickly and surely these people get on
their feet If given a little aid declare
American friends of the Greeks can
appreciate the great humanitarian
work which Is being accomplished by
the Refugee Settlement Commission
and the vital need of giving 1t both
material and moral support. Among
the industries established for employ.
ment of women is that of weaving
carpets and rugs. 1t is said that prac-
tically the entire industry Of making
Oriental rugs has been transferred to
Greece through this gigantic migra'
tion of Greeks from out of Asia Minor.
Copyright 1927, by Paul v. Collins.l
Evening star., 1927-12-08
Kansas City Wins.

Selection of Kansas City Ior the
meeting place of the Republican party
next June. when it assemblies to select
presidential candidates, is in the nat
ural course of political expediency. 1T
Is located in the heart of the corn
belt" that great area Of American
agriculture regarding the state or
which there has been much concern
of late. 1t is we'll known that there
are schsms in the Republican ranks,
due to this very problem of agricul-
tural relief. Success at the polls in
November. 1928. depends in large
measure upon the degree to which the
farmers of the West are assured by
legislative action OF the sincere desire
of the Republican party to ameliorate
their troubles and to aid them to Sc
cure their rightful share of the ma
tional prosperity.
The contest before the national COM
mittee lay between San Francisco and
Kansas City, with the former in the
lead at the outset and the latter grad
ually gaining until on the twentieth
ballot it polled a ma jority vote. Geo.
graphical considerations had probably
much to do with the decision. Kansas
City is fairly central and will be much
more convenient of access than the
Pacific Coast city. From the point Of
view of the Eastern press, further
more. the choice of the Missouri city
is much more satisfactory than would
have been that of San Francisco, for,
as the convention of 1920 showed. the
task of reporting to Eastern readers
the events of a meeting at such a
distance is attended with extreme diff
Guilty owing to the adverse time diff
ference.
Whether the decision of the ma.
tional committee favors any particular
candidacy is matter of speculation.
1t is not established that the locale
Of the nominating convention Is an
advantage to an aspirant for the nom-
ination. 1t certainly did not prove to
be so to Gov. Smith of New York
when the convention of 1924 was held
in Madison Square Garden, and Viii
liam Gibbs McAdoo, Californian, de-
veloped probably no less strength
there than he would have west of the
Rockies.
Kansas City is equipped to entertain
the convention, with a large hall ca
pable of seating all the delegates COM
fortably and reasonably large gal.
lery." That it will be the scene of a
lively gathering is assured. President
Coolidge's latest announcement opens
the field wide for favorite sons and
other aspirants. and without doubt
within a few weeks there will be a
list of possibilities long enough to as.
sure an entertaining meeting.
Evening star., 1927-12-08

Those with some maturity, though
it may not be very much, often find
themselves plying young people who
find life a very difficult proposition.
1t Is common experience with men
to go through various sloughs of
despond along the road of life, and, in
later years, to laugh at the misery of
the former, SO unnecessary, yet too
cruel; so uncalled for, yet so harsh.
A child's sorrow, they say. is the
greatest OF all. If this be SO, then
the disappointments of youth are al
most as bad
1t takes a certain amount Of living
to teach a man or woman the sublime
truth Of the homely saying, ut will
all come out in the wash"
The wash of the years - truly it
teaches us q great deal, in it's resist
less flow!
Ralph Waldo Emerson, whom some
call Americas greatest philosopher,
and believe equal in rank to the divine
Plato, had a very hard time of it
during his young days.
And his trouble was all self.caused.
1t was in his mind, the worst and
best place for troubles to be. for real
troubles can be driven out Of there. as
have enough experience.
In one of his journals. under the
date Of October 25, 1922, Emerson
jotted down the following:
II find myself often idle, vagrant
stupid and hollow. This Is somewhat
appalling and. if I do not discipline
myself with diligent care, I shall suf-
fer severely from remorse and the
sense of inferiority hereafter.
"All around me are industrious and
will he great, | am indOlent and shall
be Insignificant. Avert it, heaven.
avert it, virtue! I need excitement"
Thus, at II years of age, Emerson
lamented the very fate which was not
to he his-that of insignificance. If
there was any young man of his day
and age who was to become signifi-
cant, I'm American life and letters, he
was the man.
1t is difficult. in the present age of
theaters, movies, motor cars and ra-
dios. to realize that when Emerson
grew up the pulpit and the lecture
rostrum were almost the only public
presentations" which were open to
the average man.
the entire populace to the meeting
house. Everybody who was anybody
was there. He was a travelling
"show" in himself, appealing to the de.
sire for excitement. for something
different. as well as making a direct
call upon the minds of. his hearers.
X X X X
GAN around me are industrious and
will be great. / am indolent and shall
be insignificant"
So spoke the heart of youth-and
spoke falsely!
This is the hope of every young man
or woman who finds himself bewailing
his fate His lamentations. 10 or 20
or 80 years later, will look absurd.
1t will seem foolish, that is. il he
shall have done what Emerson did
determined that he would correct his
faults, or seeming bad points.
There is nothing in the life of Emer-
son to show that he actually was in.
dolent. He merely had very high
ideals for himself. Even when 10 years
old he wrote: MY approaching ma
turity is attended with goading sense
Evening star., 1927-12-08
PHILOSOPHERS
GLENN FRANK

Genius in the arts and sciences has
long been associated in the popular
mind with garrets.
Genius in politics has long been as
sociated in the popular mind with log
cabins.
1t is popularity assumed that sleek
elbows, frayed cuffs and empty stom-
achs lure the gods of inspiration. while
warm clothes. clean linen ana COM
petence frighten them away.
A while ago Herbert Hoover took
pot shot at this theory in plea for
adequate endowment for scientific re.
search in America.
1.-The day of the genius in the gar
ret has passed. if it ever existed A
host Of men, great equipment. long,
patient, scientific experiment to build
up the structure of knowledge. not
stone by stone but grain by grain, is
now our only sure road of discovery
and invention"
J Modern research tends more and
more to become a we'll financed and
thoroughly organized enterprise.
There Is both promise and peril in
this fact.
There Is promise in that large re-
sources are being put at the disposal
of the hitherto lonely genius, and there
is nothing but promise in this; ade-
quate facilities help genius; they do
| not hamper it.
The geniuses of the garret have tri-
| umphed in spite of the garret and the
bleak poverty 1t symboliZes.
Genius need not be killed by sub
| sidy; but genius can be killed by a
busybody supervision that worships at
the shrine of bogus efficiency.
The magnificent laboratory that in.
stalls a supposed superman of science
as director and surrounds him with a
band of scientific slaves may serve the
| shorttime ends of quick invention but
| it Is likely to fall short of adequate
service to the longtime ends Of justice
The scientific genius is at heart an
artist-prophet. despite his objective
weighing and measuring; he cannot
always. as John Jay Chapman has sug.
gested, "expound his halfborn insights
to n board of management, or give
such an account Of his time as would
show favorably on a balan nee sheet"
] want to say my word for the full.
est possible endowment of scientific
research; / want to say my word for
the fullest possible organization of sci
entiflc research; but l want also to say
word for the Importance of lodging
the direction of scientific research in
the hands of men who know when to
halt the factoryizing of research, men
who know when to excuse the genius
from the laboratory lock.step and per.
NIT him to follow his dimly sensed
trails into the unknown
Copyright. Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.)
Evening star., 1927-12-08
History.

Commenting upon the average
Frenchman's ignorance of American
history and traditions, says a dispatch
received today from Paris. a widely
circulated newspaper of that city
prints the following remarkable con-
tribution to the information of it's
readers:
The American fete of Thanksgiving
was instituted three centuries go by
Lincoln following an astonishing event.
In 1895, while some Of the settlers
were dying Of hunger, others had mar.
velous crops and were able to come
to the rescue of their distressed breth-
rem. Very religious himself, President
Lincoln saw in this miracle, and
named day of thanksgiving, upon
which God was to be thanked for His
mercy. He fixed, arbitrarily, upon the
last Thursday of November for the
annual observance Of the fete.
Truly, this is helpful correction
of misunderstanding. Even Ameri-
cans are informed by it and are thank.
full to the Paris journal for the service.
They have heretofore supposed that
In 1895 the settlers in America were
under British dominion and that the
word president" had not yet been
coined. They have been told by
their historians-Mayor William Hale
Thompson of Chicago will take notice
that it was not until some time aft.
erward-nearly century, in fact
that there was such an Office as that of
President of the United States. And
they have been perhaps crudely mis-.
led into the belief that George
Washington was the first to hold
that Office, and that Abraham Lin.
| coin did not come along to occupy
it until 1861, or 1855 years after
1895. There are other items In the
corrective publication in Paris which
are to be appreciated. For instance
it has heretofore been tradition
firmly accepted by the American peo
pie, that the earliest harvest thanks
giving in America was kept by the
Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth in 1921
on an occasion Of an especially abun
dant yield throughout the Northern
colonies. and was repeated Throughout,
that and the ensuing centuries; tina,
Congress recommended days ol
Thanksgiving annually during the
Evening star., 1927-12-08

Modern prison reform methods per
mitting loose handling of dangerous
criminals and the incompetence OF
political 'appointees as executives are
blamed by many newspaper editors
for the recent mutiny of a thousand
convicts at Folsom Prison, California
Several men were killed and it was
necessary to use troops and machine
guns to retake the prison from the
mutineers.
Pointing out that the convicts had
been released from their cells and
workrOoms to assemble in the theater
for a motion-picture play" the Los
Angeles Express observes that their
return for the kindness was murder
of some and attempted murder of
others of those who provided the
treat" and adds: 'Convicts should be
treated humanely. That is the right
of every creature. But prison is meant
as a place of punishment for crime,
a place where reparat ton may be made
for the injury done society. where
men who at large are dangerous to
their fellow men shall be kept, so they
can do no further HARM"
Too frequently, in our sympathy
for the criminal" says the Oakland
Tribune, I'VE forget the families of
those who have been bereft of their
main support because of murders
which have taken place. -" 1t
should be kept in mind that in the
effort to make life there too pleasant
we are likely to afford opportunity to
those who await the least chance to
take advantage of every kindness to
jeopardize lives of innocent parties"
y 4
"Is it possible to convert these pro-
fessional criminals by appeals to SEN
tim mant?" asks the Minneapolis Trl'
bune, with the comment: Here Is
practical answer. We might as well
leave sentiment alone in dealing with
bad men. Obviously they have no ca
pacity for it or they wouldn't be MAX
ing a profession of crime" And the
Flint Daily Journal wants to know:
us this epidemic of Jail breaks the
thanks the we'll intentioned prison re-
formers are getting for their efforts?
Is this murder of Jail guards by con-
victs, who always seem to have arms
and ammunition handy, the fruit or
the efforts to make things soft for the
fellow behind the bars?'
"There must be something radically
wrong with the management" ac-
cording to the San Francisco Bulletin,
which argues: I'VE are given eiaDo'
rate stories of the GOODNESS and courage
shown by the warden during the cri-
sis, but coolness and courage. though
commendable qualities, are not sub
stitutes for the ability to foresee and
prevent a revolt"
The Fort Worth RecOrd-Telegram
declares that "the nature of the penal
institutions of the entire Nation is in
need of reconstruction and thor
ough renovation" That paper sug-
gests that "to permit the punishment
of law violators to be part of the
political Vaccinations of two state
polictical factions is an unbelievable
condition"
1t is apparent that there was some
failure in watchfulness," says the Al
bany Evening News. prison guards
were not vigilant enough. This is not
the first time that riots like this have
arisen in prison. But whether these
men considered themselves abused or
not does not matter so much. What
matters is that men of that type
should be given an opportunity OF any
kind to rise in revolt and hold au-