davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1931-12-20

sometimes embarraSsingly-dead II he
should turn up, he has hard time cor
Vnclng the court that he isn't his onn
shadow, and If he insists upon using
his old name he runs the chance OF he-
ing hocked for misrepresenting his iden-
tity, since all the time he was being
thought OF as second tenor in the
Angel Chorus. or something like that.
All sorts of complications naturally
arise when dead man comes back to
HE. Property has changed hands,
wives have remarked and borne new
children. insurance has been collected
upon. AS consequence, it takes the
strongest evidence imaginable to froce
the courts to revise pronouncements of
death.
Among the many devices resorted to
by living corpses to obtain recognition
as living members of society, a favorite
IS TO refuse the payment Of taxes The
Boards OF Assessment will then applv
Tor an order to make the taxee swear
the oath OF manifestation. This is in
Varlbly objected to on the ground that
a dead man can neither be assessed
for MADE to take an oath. Some courts
are IN the habit CT overruling such OBJ
JectlonS. The oath is then sworn and
the courts certificate is introduced as
evidence in another suit for nullifca-
ton OF the declaration of death. II
would be so much simpler Just being
porn all over again and present the
oaIly judge with 'fait accompli."
(CopyriEht, 1912
Evening star., 1931-12-20

tailed scene in st. Mark None the less
snow falls at times over the city Of
Bethlehen-perche1 on its high hill
ridge, south of Jerusalem-thougn it
seldom lies long. There Rachel was
buried; there st. jerome. amazing work
er that he was. translated the Bible
into Latin. The rock -heWn stables and
managers remain. There. too, on site
once devoted to the worship Of Adonis.
stands the fourth century church, the
Oldest perhaps in the world" though 1t
had to wait eleven centuries for its
roof Of English oak.
whether the first Christmas Eve on
WllCh the shepherds sa: watching their
;heep was actually "a cold Winters
night that was so deep" whether the
itar which the three kings followed
ron southern Arabia OF their three
months JournCv at B c. was one OF
he cOHJunctlCn5 of Jupiter and Saturn
that occurred in that year, are ques-
uonS-if need be-lor authority to de-
eide. But the actual fact that not only
the folk, but English people in general,
associated that Nativity of centuries ago
IN the gloom OF the stable (because
there was no room in the inn with
Evening star., 1931-12-20
Dead Man Jailed for Pouring Bottle of
Ink on Head of Judg &c in German Court

BERLIN-When a dead man re-
ceived a Jail sentence for contempt
OF court in Berlin the other day it was
no trick of spiritualism, but a trick CT
the law.
The defendant. or his legal ghost. had
aroused the wrath Of the court by
emptylng an ink bottle On his honors
head because the latter had styled him
an alleged" man, with no intention of
insult but simply because the court
records showed plainly enough that he
was dead.
Fortunately the culprit was a mem
Der of the Federation Of the Living
Dead, which has come to his aid. The
roster OF this organization is made up
OF persons who have been declared de-
ceased under court writ, either through
long absence from home or official re-
ports OF their deaths in battle, accident,
or ShlpWreck. The federation assists
them in returning to life.
1t is comparatively easy to become
dead man under German laws. but
extremely difficult to be revived under
those same laws. After a man has been
unheard Of for 10 years, any one who
has legal interest in his being dead
usually in connection with insurance
or an inheritance) may have him pro-
nounced so by regular court proceed
ings, as is, OF course, the case in other
countries too. If it can be proven that
a man has disappeared in war or at
sea, he may even be declared non
existent after three years.
Court orders containing the declara-
ton Of death are printed in federal
gazette, and actions Of denial may be
instituted only within four weeks there
after. From that time on the victim
remains totally, permanently "a d
Evening star., 1931-12-20
BY JOHN ELLIOTT.

ERLlN.-What We are now wit
* Messing IN Germany is the final
attempt to preserve the existing
- order Of society. The success or
downfall of the parliamentary
democratic political system, together
with the economic system. in which
capital and labor ale more or less equal
in power. will be decided within the
next three or six months. There are
only two alternatives to the present
system. One is an authoritarian
state IN which the big industrialists
of the Rhineland will be dominant.
IhlS Is the regime that may be ex-
pected to be ushered in if Adolf Hitler
ever becomes supreme. The other is a
system Of state capitalism on the So
Wet Russian model which will be in
troduced if the Communists ever get
control of power
Chancellor Heinrich Bruening stands
as the champion of the existing order.
His downfall will probably signify more
than mere change of government It
Will mean the overthrow of regime,
The name that the Hitlerites have
given to the state which thev will rule
the Third Reich-iS full of significance.
For state governed by the Nazis will
bear no more resemblance to the pres
eIt parliamentary democracy than the
Second Reich" does to the empire of
William II and BueloW. Bruening'S
hope of maintaining the staus quo is
largely wrapped up in the success of
his latest emergency decree, which by
ordalnlng concurrent reductions m
prices, interest rates. rents, wages and
salaries aimed to obtain an entirely
new price level throughout the country.
Bruening's Last Chance.
Bruening will have the last chance he
has craved. The Socialist party. con-
fronted with the alternative of swallow
ing more wage cuts for their workers,
or seeing the Fascist government in
power, has pumped for Bruening. The
Steering Committee of the Reichstag
has rejected the motion to convene
Parliament before the holidays. There
will be no christmas crisis" which
means that the chancellor is safe until
the end Of February, when Parliament
is due to reassemble, and perhaps until
Spring, when the presidential and Prus-
sian elections are scheduled to take
place.
This gives Bruening breathing space
In which to work out his grandiose
economic schemes He also will be re-
sponsible for the decisions made by
Germany at the reparations and dis
armament conferences. For it must
not to be forgotten that Bruening's fate
and therefore probably the fate Of the
Evening star., 1931-12-20

TIE mere notion. indeed, Of piping
up The First Noel or See amid the
Winter snow" under the e1ulgence Of
tropical stars in the Stagnant heat of
a tropical night is as queer a trans
formation Of the appropriate as that
recorded by Edmund Gosse when. on
visit to frien1s in Denr ark many
Ch-iStmases ago, his charmingly hospi-
table hostess. having heard of the ma
tional plum pudding. served it up as a
pOrrldge in a soup tureen.
Reference Lacking.
But. though, like Christina Rossotti in
her carol, We associate Christmas with
all that is typical of Winter:
IN tne bleak Mldwinter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as IRON,
Water like a stone.
Snow had fallen. sncW on snow,
Snow on snow.
In the bleak MidWinter
Long ago,
there is not the faintest reference to
this in the Gospels. In transposing we
have unWlttingly transmitted the &C.
Evening star., 1931-12-20
FEARS ADOPTION OF "DOLEn
WOULD PROVE DISASTROUS
Salvation Army Head Expresses View
After Two Months Tour in
European Countries.

situation Is deplorable. The system OF
unemployment insurance. known as
the dole" is severely criticized by many
British themselves, who point to obVl-
Gus abuses in its administration and
also to the fact that an unearned wage
works deterioration in the character OF
the recipient.
Since the war there has grown up a
generation that includes tens CT thou
sands of young men and women who are
without work. They spend some OF the
dole. l am sorry to say in the pubic
houses, where drink undermlnes thelr
morals A man who rests in the aSSur-
ance of himself and family being fairly
we'll fed, housed and clothed, without
the smallest effort on his part, cannot
but become degenerate, both morally
and intellectually, and consequently he
finds himself in the years of middle age
utterly ignorant and incapable OF Serl-
ouslv undertaking the task OF self-sup-
port. In very numerous cases the erect
on yirility Is most unfortunate.
Prays U. S. Will Escape Dole.
When. therefore, it is suggested to me
that the United States should adopt the
dole I can only pray that we may never
find ourselves under any such necessity.
With 48 States all running separate
schemes. the complications would be
formidable. and the political results
must not be overlooked. Indeed, might
thev not be disastrous? To open the
flood gates is so easy. But who is going
TO close them?
But 7 recognize that to this difficult
problem there has been another Slde
Even amid an economic emergency lie
comes first. 1t is the opinion OF some
Salvationists in Britain-than whom
there is no group of social workers that
knows more intimately the necessities
of the poor-that the dole has re-
lieved the actual suffering Of innumer-
able families and probably saved Brit
ain from the threatening menace OF
social calamity.
Surveys Conditions Among Poor.
Naturally. because of this provision,
conditions among the poorer classes are
in many ways better than they used TO
be during the several depress1ons OF the
last half century, with the details OF
which I am personally familiar. May i!
add that according to the widespread
belief Of many people who have rlght
tn sneak it has been the work and
teaching of the Salvation Army that
has been perhaps the most powerful
single factor in bringing about these
results.
The former home secretary, J. r.
Clynes distinguished leader of the
CONTINUED on Fourth Page9.
Evening star., 1931-12-20
BRUENINC'S FATE HINGES
UPON DECISIONS ABROAD
He Also Will Be Held Responsible for
Action by Germany at Preparations
and Arms Conferences.

! present order is dependent not SO much
on the decisions taken at home, but
more on the actions of foreign govern
ments
Bruening will survive if he can point
to achievements and gains for GERMANY
in reparations and disarmament, but if
he is defeated diplomatically, even bril-
liant success for his emergency decree
won't save him.
Has Made Many Mistakes
Concerning Bruening opinions differ
radically, as they varied over Woodrow
Wilson or any other outstanding figure
in world history. Mistakes he has GER
tainly made-big errors of Judgment
which would be sufficient to ruin any
lesser man. One has only to point in
this connection to his rash decision in
the Summer of 1880 to dissolve the
Relchstag, which was the beginning of
all his troubles, and to the hapless ad-
venture in the matter of the Austro-
German customs union.
Some think that Bruening also is
really responsible for the Reichsbanks
valiant but futile efforts to cover its
notes at 40 per cent last Summer, and
that If the government had used its in
fiuence for a lower legal percentage
earlier, the financial disaster that
struck the country in July might have
been alleviated, if not altogether
averted.
But when all deductions are made
the verdict of history on Bruening will
probably be the same as Napoleon's on
Goethe'S VOLTA I'm Homme!" He is the
strongest defender Of the existing regime
that could have been found, and the
best man to represent GERMANY abroad
at the coming international conferences,
The mention of Adolf Hitler sows dis
trust abroad, especially N France, where
his name is regarded as synonymous
with the reputation of treaties and
written agreement and the symbol of
Germany's resumption of the policy of
force in the place of conciliation in its
foreign dealings.
Bruening, on the other hand. has ac-
quired vast fund of confidence abroad.
which can be great asset to Germany
in the pending negotiations. His OBJ
vious sincerity, his courage in the teeth
of great obstacles and his endeavor TO
fulfill GermanyS obligations to the limit
of her capacity by heaping unheard Of
sacrifices upon her people have had
this result, that today Germany has the
sympathies of most Of the world on her
side, whereas, in 1923, at the time Of
the Ruhr invasion, Germany stood well
nigh friendless. being suspected of
having deliberately evaded her repara-
tions Obligations.
Evening star., 1931-12-20
BY SU-LEE CHANG.

Santa Claus is just as warm of heart
to folks far away as he is to us here in
Washington. After December 25 he
t-ovels across the Pacific Ocean and
b"!ngs blessings to millions OF people in
Asia. For Christmas in actual life
ccm25 among the Chinese on January l.
This is a bad year There have been
m2ny bad years. But January l, as
Usual will be a day of universal peace
and happiness All will be quiet on
the Manchurian front Warning mill
tarists bury their hatchets. Peasants
forget about taxation and bad crops.
Politicians cease their senseless recrimi-
nations Merchants set aside their
money worries. And even rowing bands
of bandits stop plundering All China,
rich and poor, young and old, join in
offering thanks to the Heaven Endless
strings of f1recrackers are set off every
where. not necessarily to have a rousing
start for the new year, but to positively
scare away the phantoms of civil war
and depression.
From the government, if there is one
to speak of. come words of apology and
promises of reform. The condition Of
the country is deplored and rosy fu-
ture pictured to the skeptical public
The masses celebrate without the gov
eminent.
Farmers Cease Work
Farmers put away their ploWs and
rakes. There will be no plowing and
wedding until next Spring. Barns are
fastly locked, for stacks of hay must
be kept safe to keep the goats and cows
fed. They count over the chicken yard
and see if few may be spared for the
i1y- H,,n ttfrn Mic al RI 1n
local butcher. After so much is set
aside for buying fertilizer the rest is
put away in caches underground. If
the year is tolerably good, they buy
heavy-lined cotton coats and put new
placterS on the falling shade. For VIM
ter is cold in China.
Cutting. stitching and sewing are
heavier than usual for mothers. Every
body of the family should, if possible,
have new dresses and new suits.
Fathers and sons clean the house and
walk miles to get bamboo leaves and
oak branches for decoration. Many
kinds of cake are made and colored for
neighbors and relatives. An expensive
present is sent to the family doctor.
Family doctors in China are always
warmly remembered on festival days.
Children are doubly happy. Indeed,
they are the happiest Of all Every
January l is also birthday to them.
If little JOHNNY happens to be born in
December he will be two years old
after the New Year feast. So is every
body a year older What has been de-
MED to them on account of age Is now
given. Charlie may be permitted to
wear long gown and Mary to bob her
hair. Respect, honor and privileges all
come with the turning of the last leaf
in the calendar.
Girls Have Gay Time.
Young maidens take great delight in
New Year day. For it is to them a
day Of eXuberant romance. In China
girls do not have dates and dance
They stay home until they are called
to the wedding altar. On and around
January mothers and aunts keep
t.leir mouths shut and pretend to be
ignorant Of what their daughters sne
Evening star., 1931-12-20
Santa Visits China on New Years.
Bringing Gay Spirit With Him

nleces are doing. Girls paint the town
red with excitement In tWos and
threes, with shy but eager face, they
parade the streets and watch the 60
! lngS-on. These are the only days in
the year to be flirtatious without being
deSplSed. Some set their eyes on the
dashlng Lochinvar of lonely dreams.
Few would mingle with the crowd. make
their debut and never return home
Beggars prepare for their annual COL
lection. There are more beggars in
China than the almhouse can take care
of, To them New Year is a business
season. House by house they go and
chant songs of blessing. They knock
at the door until they are listened to.
The coins thus collected are hung
loosely from an oak branch which is
called the money tree" Muttering
words to rhyme with the dangling and
tlnkllng of the 'money-tree' they stroll
slowly and beg earnestly More money
comes IN. Some of them get enough to
go away for a vacation after the first
week in January.
Feast Is Elaborate.
The New Year feast is an elaborate
affair. In variety and delicacy there is
no equal in the West 1t is mothers
hardest task. Both head and heart are
called to consultation on this once-a-
year banquet. 1t must be plenteous,
tasty, healthy and conforming to rules.
Planning and buying have to be done
ahead OF time. The mere number of
necessary ingredients for seasoning the
main dishes would battle the memory of
a culinary expert. But the ingenuity of
Chinese housewife with generations of
rich background never fails to bring JOY
to the family circle with a luxurious
menu Of birds nest soup, sharks fins,
goose feet, sea- jelly, pigskin, fried grass
| hopperS, snake meat, bamboo shoots,
| lotus seeds and many others. Includ-
ing side dishes and appetiZers in which
| Chinese are experts, 15-courSe dinner
is considered a moderate affair for a
moderate family for the last day of the
yeal.
The dining quarter is decorated with
riot of colors. Candles, and not in
candescent lights, make the room cozy
and cheerful. The wine is always the
best and oldest in the family cellar
Old and young drink and make merry.
soon come in handy to warm up cold
dishes and to make boiling hot tea
right on the table. Everybody is having
the life of a good time at home.
In spite of late occasion and heavy
eating, all strive to get up early on
January /. The new year should be
started right. A vegetable breakfast is
served. Nobody eats. But everybody
must sample the seven 6ishes of spin
ach, green pepper green onions, bean
sprouts celery leaves, seaweeds and
garlic blades. Seven is lucky number
in China. Vegctarianisn is symbolical
of chastity. forbearance and self-recti-
| f1cation. The saints of old taught that
these ideals should be read into the
mind before travelling on the rough road
of the year.
Brief ceremonies of respect begin the
| days program. Two red chairs are
placed in the east end Of the ball room
for grandpa and grandma. Behind
them are ancestor tablets, books of
| family records and picture of five
| generations reunion A lacquer tray,
holding a pair of tangcrines with green
leaves on and dozen green olives, is
Evening star., 1931-12-20

in the front. A stream of fragrant
smoke rises from an antique incense
burner in the center. Children of two
or three generations. ranging from sew
eral months to middle age, line up in
seniority, males on the right and fe-
males on the left. for family review
Kneeling is not required. But they bow
three times respectfully before the ven
cradle heads of the family. The grown
ups withdraw. The children hang
around until grandma distributes lucky
money" to them. Servants come for
lucky money" too.
The usual round Of New Year calls
comm ences with exchange of greetings
Drum corps lead the village procession
from the ancestral temple. Cheering
crowds follow. Sword dances are held
in market squares. Pagesnts parade
the streets There is gambling; there
is drinking; there are petty uuarrels
and physical alterations; there is ey-
cess CT amusement and dissipation. The
serious-minded and quiet Chinese turn
epicureans, but there is never public
disorder
All feel the need of rest. But
vacation is coming to an end. Another
celebration passes to memories. How
ever, 1t serves to increase faith in life
and to brace them up for whatever the
new year may bring. The children he
gin to talk about the next New Year.
Evening star., 1931-12-20

//IN ENGLAND j.. 1t is Winter al
Christnasti1e 1t Is odd that
statement so matter-of- fact
as this should have the effect
Of an incarnation. I found it
printed in a brief note on the program
CT Christmas play acted some little
time ago by children in South Australia
And instantly, like vivid and brilliant
little scene in peep-shoW, all that
comes with Christmas in England. in
doors and out-of doors, fountained into
the mind. Bells and freight and
candles and chil-ren, waits and the
deep b1ssCcn. ana the bare English
fields and woodlands. hooded with snow.
night at the window, Sirius up aloft,
end tire fires of the frost smolderlng
under the moon. Mere Senti7' ent, even
sentlmentality, maybe; but. whether or
not. Winter and Christmas are for Eng
llshmen as CLOSELY linked together as
Guy Fawkes and the Fifth of November.
as Shrove Tuesday and pancakes, and
not even Nature and the English cli-
mate-hoWever hard they usually try
can put them aSunder
Evening star., 1931-12-20
BY EVANGELINE BOOTH.
Commander in Chief OF the Salvation
Army il the United States

SCHHdnCer IN Cnlel OF the Salvation
Army in the United States
7 HAVE just returned from two
months trip in Northern and Cen
trail Europe, during whicn time I
touched 10 countries and visited a
score Of the largest and most I'M
portant cities in the Old World The
Kings of Norway, Sweden and Denmark
have been so gracious 2s to confer upon
me the honor Of pirate audiences
which were much more than the usual
royal formalities. For with them. as
with President Doumer of France l had
the privilege of exchanging views of
many deeper aspects of the present seri-
Gus situation.
Also I met number OF Germany's
state presidents and mayors, and was
brought into contact with sources of au-
thoritative information on the serious
economic and political crisis which today
agitates all classes III all nations. On
various aspects of the prevailing situ-
alton I have brought back fairly clear
and comprehensive views. especially of
the position in England.
The depression IS. of course, the sim
gle subject of which people are think
ing. In Great Britain I should say
that, generally speaking, the industrial
Evening star., 1931-12-20
Enterprise Frowned Upon.

From the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin.
Jersey court denies a murderer the
privilege Of collecting life insurance on
his victim. Isn't this an interference
with governmental encouragement Of
private initiative?
Evening star., 1931-12-20
Contributes Share.

questions. What have its influences
been?
Contributes Share.
To that imaginative delight" at any
rate the Authorized Version itself has
contributed its share There is scarcely
mention of ice or snow or of frost in
the Old Testament that is not vivid
with their curious strangeness from
the comparison Of the one to leprosy
and to the sins like scarlet to the
mamma in the wilderness. "a small,
round thing. as small as the hoar
frost" and the supreme verses in job
Hast thou entered into the treasures
of the snow: or hast thou seen the
treasures Of the hail
Out Of whose womb came the ice:
and the hoary frost Of heaven, who
hath gendered it,"
And however long one lives. to wake
at morning with that strange un-
heavenly glare" Of the sun upon new
fallen snow reflected on the ceiling, or
to watch at Winter twilight the first
Continued on Fourth Page)
Evening star., 1931-12-20

al that delights and enchants us most
in our English Winter raises other
questions. What have its influences
been?
Evening star., 1931-12-20

s.: $ :;: 5 : : :: :: Z: j: : s: 8: 5 IL: il:
Evening star., 1931-12-20

Democratic presidential stu
atlcn has passed definitely into
new phase An outstanding
i sign Of it is the action OF very
lmpOrtant DemOcrat John
Evening star., 1931-12-20
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.

TARIS.-A dramatic financial strug-
gle is now proceeding in all
parts of the world for the main
L tenance or overthrow Of the