davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-12

Gov Smiths action In refusing clenl-
ency 10 Ruth Snyder and Henry Judd
Gray. WHO have been condemned 10 die
for the murder Of the formers hus-
band, viii be generally approved. heart
lily and without reservation. The gov
ernoY had given an indication Of this
disposition Of the matter on the coca
sion Of the hearing Of counsel for the
two prisoners. Ia the course Of which
he expressed his impotence with what
he termed the "psychoeis stun" which
formed the basis Of the plea for them.
In his formal decision he says that the
execution Of judgment O! death On a
woman lie 50 distressing that he had
hoped TIA, the appeal would disclose
some fact " justify his interference
with tie processes Of Law. But ne has
searched Ia vain for any basis on which
his conscience. in the light of his oath
OF once. viii approve and which he
might temper the Law with mercy. No
eztenuatlOn has beer shown fof what the
seven judges o! the Court Of Appeals. in
sgreemen. with the twelve jurors and
the trisl justice. have found 10 be &
deliberate and premeditsted murder.
In the light 81 the extraordinary
notoriety Of this case which has held
the attention u the country from the
moment of the discovery of the crime.
this sctl0n by the Governor of New
York has q national significance. OF
late years the penalties for murder have
been greatly modified by both statutory
e1setneIts and by iudicia! processes,
coupled with d sentmentality that has
In some Jurisdictions almost negatiyed
this Law Thu sentimentsiity has ex~
tended " crimes u d heinotls char
Aeter committed by women. Excuses
have been found for them. although In
many instances they have been the
principals and, what ia some cases has
been worse. the insugst0rs u crime.
In this case there lie, ne Coy. Eniti,
points out, no ground u extsnuatlon.
Ths crime wss sbonlinsbis, q cold
baooced plotting against man wbo
had la no wise given offenss. who WA
' Good husband. q go1d pfoyiaET and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-12
PHILOSOPHERS
GLENN FRANK

Henry Ford captured the attention
OF the Nation a while ago by his pur-
chase and restoration Of the old Way
side Inn, near Boston, which was i'm
mortalized in Longfellow's Tales of a
Wayside Inn"
Everywhere comment turned to this
quaint adventure OF man of the ma
chine age who had set out to restore a
fragment Of premachine civilization.
Editorial writer's recalled the gay and
colorful days. before the stress and
strain OF rapid transportation, when
men on horseback or in picturesque
coach came to these roadside taverns
in whose lovely bathrooms and taprooms
love and laughter Powered in the soil OF
an unhurried leisure.
Moving under the surface of most
of the comment on Mr.. Ford's restora-
ton Of the Wayside Inn was the as
sumption that he was doing something
in fiat contradiction OF the sort OF
things he stands for as an effective
manufacturer Of automobiles.
Had not devices of modern travel
caused the colorful roadside taverns OF
earlier centuries to disappear?
Was not Mr.. Ford with one hand
destroying these centers Of delight as
actual institutions of modern life, and
with the other hand artificially restor-
ing one OF these taverns of Revolution
airy days?
What connection could there be be-
tween this man Of the motor and this
man Of the museum?
The fact Is there is very close con-
nection.
For a time the railroad caused the
romantic loneliness of the old road
side taverns to disappear; but the au-
tomobile is making the roadside tavern
again possible. and within so years we
may see the rise of new Wayside Inns
that will vie with the wayside inns of
premachine days; we are seeing them
now. but mean that We shall see their
development in the direction of charm
and loneliness: they will outgrow the
quick-lunch and commercialiZed dorml-
tory stage many of them are in now
All this is but symbol of one of
the most important facts of our time,
namely. that most of the virtues and
charms Of the premachine age are due
for return as our machine age out
grows its gawky youth and begins TO
achieve the solder virtues of maturity.
With the development Of the automo-
bile and the airplane We are seeing
the return OF the sort of individual
IIhNclcE dIUuIlu WtlO!H the glamour OF
Chaucer's Canterbury tales was thrown.
G. K. Chesterton, who heartily dis
likes to have to say a good word for
machinery-a man born too late a man
who would like to step on a magic
carpet and be whisked back to the
walled town Of the Middle Ages-speak-
ing of the social effects of the auto
mobile, says:
The free and solitary traveller is re-
turning before our very eyes: not always
equipped with scrip or scallop. but
having recovered to some extent the
freedom of the Kings highway in the
manner of merry England"
Let's be patient with machinery.
fCopyrigh.. Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-12
A Delicate Task.

Brig. Gen. Frank r. Mccoy, selected
by President Coolidge to supervise the
Nicaraguan elections next october. left
Washington today intruSted with q
mission so delicate and so important
that he should carry with him the SYM
pathy and best wishes Of every Ameri-
can. Much depends upon his success.
Nicaragua-and this is freely admitted
on all sides-has never known a fair
election. A Nicaraguan government
has never known defeat at the polls.
Under the system there. defeat Of a
government has been accomplished
only through revolution or coup d'etat,
and, by refusing to recognize a new
government coming into power through
such expedientS. the United States. in
effect. has been placed in the position
of guaranteeing the indefinite continue
ton in control of one party Such a
policy is dangerous. but as long as fair
elections have been impossible there
has been no alternative, unless it be
passive ndifference-andt that is impos-
s!ble.
At the request of the liberal and con-
servative parties of Nicaragua. and I'M
der the terms Of the Stimson agree
ment reached last Summer. the United
States has guaranteed that the cleo
tons next Fall in Nicaragua will be
fair, and it is up to Gen. Mccoy to
fulfill that guarantee. The danger now.
of course, is that there is more than
one SANDING in Nicaragua. and, no mat
ter how fair the election may be. there
will be members of the defeated party
who will blame their downfall upon al
legged discrimination and partiality of
the United States. This will furnish
those within and without the United
States who disagree with. our policy a
new theme for hymns of hate against
the peacemaker.
The more optimistic view to take,
however, is that, with fair elections guar
anteed. the people Of Nicaragua will
themselves learn she secret and the ad-
vantage Of substituting ballots for bull
lets, and in time they will come into
that independence and freedom which
they have so far sought in vain. Then.
but not until then, will they be able to
assume the full responsibilities and en-
Joy the rich benefits of a republic.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-12

ty-two he went to London and at twen-
ty-three won two prizes in national
competitions. While working and
studying at his trade he read deeply
in Greek and Latin classics and be-
came interested in science. which had
achieved q new Importance in the in
tellectual world through the work of
Darwin. The result Of this study was
the development of one of the most
abundantly stocked brains in Europe.
and when. in obedience to an early
urge, he finally turned to writing, he
was better equipped for this newly
chosen profession than most of his CO.
temporaries or his successors in the
field of English letters.
AS boy he had given the service of
his pen as letter writer to the illiterate
Of his neighborhood, and in his visits
to the homes Of the people of Wessex
he absorbed much Of the mythology
and folklore Of that district. In later
years this acquaintance with the tradi-
tons Of his native country stood him
in good stead and greatly enriched his
literary product
At the age Of twenty-seven, Hardy
wrote his first novel. which was re-
turned by George Meredith, then acting
as a publishers manuscript reader,
with the recommendation that the au-
thor write another story with more
plot" Three years later. in 1870, was
published his Desperate Remedies"
the chief criticism against which was
that it had too much plot Numerous
stories followed, attracting increasing
attention. but it was not until 1891
that he reached his maximum in his
most famous tale. Tess of the d'Urber-
villes," story which was later drama
tized, and in the stage version of which
Mrs. Fiske made striking success in
this country. 1t was notable con-
tribution. for it was accepted as alter
ing the main purpose of the novel from
cheerful expurgated entertainment to
serious social criticism. It was follow
ed, in 1895. by Jude the Obscure"
which has been rated as one of the
most painful stories ever written.
1t is noted in one of the estimates OF
Hardy's work that he has been COM
pared to Halls and Matsys for the mi
nuteness and finish of his pictures: to
Shakespeare for power and insight in
his woman characters. and to the Greek
dramatists for the inevitableness with
which his powerful narratives march to
their fatal conclusions. Students Of
the English literature of the later VIC
torian period will find in the works Of
Thomas Hardy model of literary pre-
cision and finish. Of teeming informa-
ton and of profound thoughtfulness.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-12
Increase the Pittances!

Bills have been introduced in Con-
greSs at this session looking to changes
in the Federal retirement act. in the
interest Of the annuitants, mainly in
the direction Of an increase of the
maximum amount payable to them
They provide for an advance from
1000 10 $1,000 year as the highest
annuity TO be paid. and make the re-
tirement Of Government employees after
thirty years of service optional. An
other bill has been presented creating
q commission Of five persons, charged
with the duty Of making thorough
study OF the retirement situation. to
report back to Congress with sugges-
tons Of changes in the law.
It is evident that the retirement act
should be changed in several respects, as
to the terms and conditions Of trans
fers from the active to the inactive
list. On one point, however, there is no
question Of the need of amendment
The law should be modified to increase
the minimum as well as the maximum
Of payments.
A report has just been made to Con-
gress By member Of the board Of ac-
tua-ies of the retirement fund in con-
nect;on with an item placed in the In
terror Department appropriation bill
providing for sls5oo,ooo as the Gov
ernments contribution to the fund.
Prom this it appears that while under
the 'liberalized" law as now amended
the contributions Of the employees have
been increased from two and one-half
70 three and one-haE per cent of their
salaries. the Governments obligation.
which, under the original act, was ex-
pected to be one-half Of the total. has
been reduced to about one-third OF the
cost Of operation.
It must never be forgotten that the
employees Of the Government are carry
ing the heaviest part Of the burden OF
the retirement system. The report Just
mentioned shows that they are, in fact,
contributing about two-thirds Of the
cost. Increases In the maximum
amounts to be paid are not in proper
ton with the change in the system
which has lessened the Governments
contribution from one-hak to one
third Proportionately the annuities
paid to those at the lower end OF the
scale bear more heavily upon the lower
paid employees than those In the higher
scales of compensation.
Il should not be necessary to conduct
an exhaustive inquiry by a commission
into the retirement system TO demon
strate that the retirement law works
gross injustice on those who are forced
70 leave the active service in the lower
ranges OF the pay scale and TO subsist
upon the pitifully small sums that are
allotted as annuities. In any changes
that are Effected in the retirement law
the welfare Of these recipients Of mig
gardly doles should be chiefly cons!d-
cred TO the end that the spectacle OF
the United States Government handing
out snall-change aims TO its former
faithful workers may be ended.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-12

One may get a great deal more than
tone and distance out Of a radio re-
ceiving set if he applies himself to It.
What are some of these benefits
which the kindly manufacturer fur
nishes free Of charge? Perhaps he
doesn't realize that he put them in his
box, so we will tell him what we found
there.
Besides the tube sockets, transform
ers, condensers. and so on, the inter-
csted radio fan" may find nice set
of lessons in his receiver.
Through his radio. besides stations
WRC. VIDAL, KDKA and so on he may
receive lessons in the following:
/. Forethought.
2. Caution.
3. Patience.
a. Thoroughness.
5. Need for investigation.
He will learn, in addition, these two
following. cardinal facts:
!. That nothing is perfect.
2. That progress is made little by
little.
Take the quality of forethought.
A little of this in operating receiv-
ing set. will save world of trouble
*,
ing of faults and failures is called.
A modern radio set is precision In
strument, involving that most wonder
full of powers. electricity. From the
crystal set, mere bit OF wire and
quartz, to the elaborate 6 and z tube
affairs Of 1928, the radio receiver is
made up of series of delicate adjust
ments. one within the other.
Most sets still require the use OF an
outside aerial of some type, and a
ground wire to the water pipe or rad
iator Many set owner becomes care
less in regard to these two highly i'm
portant factors of good radio reception.
and tends to forget them altogether.
Service men who call because set
is not "percolating" often discover that
the aerial is broken. or that the ground
has become unfastened. Had the own
or used little forethought. he might
have saved himself money and annoy
ance.
Just a little forethought in operating
a receiver will save the owner a great
deal of trouble. Forgetting to keep the
"A" battery filled to the proper level
with water-this is another failure
through lack of simple forethought.
Caution IN nandilng batteries ana
the large voltages built up for the use
of the power tubes enables set own
er to save himself somewhat of shock.
to say nothing Of preventing blown
tubes
Blowing out all the tubes in set
was for several years. in the early days
of the receivers-away back III 1922
a favorite indoor sport of many owners
who had neither caution nor fore
thought in their makeup.
Patience. too. is a splendid virtue, as
much needed in handling receiver as
in the other activities of life. Its best
use. perhaps. comes in running down
various failures in operation.
One must check over the wiring. the
tubes, the antenna. ground-in fact,
every single point in the set and its
appurtenances in which something may
60 wrong. 1t never pays to say to ones
self, "Oh, the antenna Is all right: ]
know 1t is" Patience is the watchword:
This calls for thoroughness. II
patience is required in keeping at II un-
til the trouble is foupd. thoroughness Is
the guiding force along the way.
Nothing must be overlooked. A Sc.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-12
UNITED STATES
IN WORLD WAR
Tea leass .tss rs~SsS.

Cen, NesSAsssS acs4csS NsSSssAa &C.
GERS wssN egsesra ~ serve III the AsvS,
seAo ex,ss<sltssAayS tSgceS that sAe laws
~ Tire United States pseNNas Ms AZ
eSrtsns their svsteCy>ssS Ngter, n
sae nine mouths this e<sSlasSy has sesN
IN ire wag, enemy GsSeNSAAyksS nave
DESTROYED ey ore asSSV ElNAa SAeNNsG<As
with " paNSNer<S, industries VsSANSy
nseeSSASS ~ tse NAtsenS waE sencsexNcy
NNss,e ~ SsssCN saspssSsea wttA
fscSadeas W,Aen< ase SgS<SsA On Ai.sS>i
MAR AIMS Ills aeehAsAkSeNs cA ASAS,s
and she Russian a<,seeS esa ne SrSAssSs
fANST, British sevegugaeat ~.
eisseS ~ establish insSNnAl rSsAskSAS
with NsasSiaa kAA>AeVSSs aMSASsASAN AZ
leSsSsrNa, SsSgSaAFy Baker ~
ssSSeS egeAttea ~ SScsetAYy az Man
uSaAS StaN<t ey htS YS>NgSAnssAlsCa
GheaAe AMI lASsSts u veil preNs eee.
csenI NSsSSsAAS ASVSs ~ s<3a,
tnsNse ssAayv pAgseSS With Ghe SensgAl
lsaNess and ~ MAT Ast~eaasnt ne
AtnAIssle< = extended tN Naslass
mouth
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-12
THIS AND THAT

BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

owner ought to have at least an ele-
mentary knowledge Of radio, and de-
termination to slight nothing when ne
begins to investigate.
Often the trouble" Is only some abb
surd oversight, such as dial acci-
IDENTIFY de-tuned We have seen radio
owner work himself into a fret. with
one of the old three -dial sets, only to
find. after an hours work. that some
one had accidently turned dial while
busting!
Our fifth virtue, II one may call 1t
that. is the recognition of the necessity
for investigation
Too often this Is not held necessary.
either in life, as whole, or in so small
detail as the radio receiving set.
Yet it Is the crux Of the whole mat
ter
No man is sos"smart" that he can
know all without looking into the mat
ter
Patient investigation was the way Of
Edison and the other great inventors:
and does an ordinary human being
think to get along without some por-
ton. at least, of the same beneficial
quality which some call genius" and
some nara Work !
1t cannot be done. When child, or
a radio set. or anything else, is not act
ing up to standard, an investigation Is
called for.
May it be made in peace, with low
ing understanding, not in a spirit Of
resentment and fretfulness.
X **
The cardinal facts as they have been
called here which one may learn as he
turns the dial Of his receiving set. are.
first. that nothing Is perfect, and. sec
ond. that progress comes bit upon bit.
line upon line. not by grand leaps
These facts are useful. too. in the
daily life. Learn them at the dial. but
apply them elsewhere. There is no re-
ceiver on the market that is perfection.
Radio engineers will be the first to ad-
NIT this; perhaps the last to admit it
will be some conceited chap who has
paid large price for good receiver
and feels that because he. wondrous
man. bought it, the thing must be per-
lection.
The engineer knows better Al
though the science and art OF radio
broadcasting and reception have made
remarkable records in five years. much
tCiIldiIiS W NC QOlC iC Happy POI =
of ii is that it is being done!
Slowly, slight improvement upon
slight improvement. the sets are living
up to Coue's dictum, Every day. in
every way. I'm getting better and bet
ter"
Perfection in tone and distance-get-
ting have not been achieved. but when
the results obtained from good re-
ceiver today are compared with the
output of four or three years ago. or
even two years ago. the improvement
is inspiring
Here a betterment there a better
ment-so grows the perfect radio set
of the future And IL each one Of us
would work in the same patient way
TO improve ourselves. We. too, might
some day crop up perfect.
II this shall happen. however, 1t will
be largely because We have kept in
mind the necessity for forethought.
caution. patience. thoroughness, and in
veStigation in the daily life. No man
is perfect. any more than his radio set.
If the engineers can perfect the one
the hope is that the Great Engineer
will perfect the other.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-12

well behaved citisen. II was q sordid.
selfish, cruel murder and II ever MUIR
der deserved the fullest punishment It
was this.
There will. of course. be some reac-
ton of disapproval Of the execution OF
a woman. however objectionable her Of
Tense. But sex should not be differ
entiating factor in any degree in the
administration of justice, and IN rem
dering his decision as he has done Gov.
Smith has strengthened the law and
the safeguards against crime which the
law supposedly provides.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-12

in 1910 as q magnificent folio book. with
colored plates.
O. How many Jews were there in the
world in the time Of Christ? How
many are there now?-W. r M.
A. In the time Of Christ the num-
Der Of Jews probably did not exceed
100000. The latest estimates Of the
Jewish population of the world, accord
ing TO DR.. H. 8. Lindfeld, statistician
OF the Bureau OF Jewish Research, is
1880 900. OF this number approx
mately 3,742.000 are in North America.
$500, 900 residing IN the United States.
@. What was our average daily ex-
penditure during the World War;
A. o.
A. During the first three months our
war expenditures were az the rate OF
$4,000. 900 per day. During the next
year they averaged more than $4,000
900 day. For the final 10 months o.
the period the daily average was over
@. What Is a bannock?-J. D.
A Bannock IS the Scotch equivalent
for biscuit, soda bread, griddle or pan
cakes. II is baked on top or az the side
OF the fire and II properly made Will
keep for days. Il is fayo-!te bread
Of hunters.
@. Please name the German organ
ization whose purpose IS 20 restore mon
archies-W W.
A. The Steel Helmets. Escher;cn
Organization, and the STastika have
such aims. In Hungary. the Awaken
Ing Magyars have the same purpose.
@. Where is Seven Dials. often met
ivn
S. s. z.
A. It is locality In s. Giles. Lon
don, between Trafalgar Square and the
British Museum, formerly noted as the
resort Of criminal and degraded classes
A clock pillar with seven dial faces
formerly stood there.
@. When was the seal Of the United
States adopted2-E. D.
A. The seal Of the United States vas
decided upon June 20. 1882.
@. How large is Guam?-M A. C.
A. This American island IN the Pa
cific Ocean is 80 miles in extreme
length and averages about s miles Il
width.
@. Were any Of the children Of Prans
Halls, Artistic. T. P
A. At least seven Of his sons were
painters. and his daughters married into
the profession.
@. What part Of the weight o. steer
is salable as beef?-P. D.
A. One authority says that 543 per
cent Of The finished product IS beef and
45,7 per cent IS composed Of oy-p-o6-
ucts.
@. Where and how are polo ponies
kept during the Winter?-G. NJ
A. The Field says that the s-perh;gh-
priced mounts are never allowed 70 get
out Of condition. As soon as ne
matches are over. the shoes are taken
OF and the ponies turned loose In q
soft soil grass paddock. which is free
from stone. Two or three months later
they are shipped South. and worked
into condition for the early Spe.ng
matches.
O. What is the difference between =
drunkard and an haoitual drunkard3-
T. T.
A A drurkard is q person who has
the habit Of getting drunk. so the term
~habitual drurkard~ IS taurologicAl TIE
term. however. has definite legal value
and Is applied TO person that has BE-
come 50 confirmed drinksr as 20 rem
der him proper subject Of legal guard
ianShip.