davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06
A Record of Progress.

The American Civic Association has
added 70 an already notable list Of ac-
compliments an annual review of the
stations progress in preserving and
safeguarding through Intelligent plan
ming for future growth, those priceless
assets that lie in unspoiled natural
beauty. This annual review takes form
In the American Civic Annual One who
reads this amazingly interesting volume
obtains new idea OF the vast scope Of
the work In which the association has
been engaged. and OF the remarkable
progress in fostering and sustaining
public interest through organized and
consistent effort.
The theme OF shis years volume. as
explained by the associations presi-
dent. Mr.. Frederic A. Delano is, on the
one hand, an emphasis upon some Of
the more stupendons beauties OF nature
unspoiled. as In our great national
parks. and on the other side. the neses-
eity Of making our own cities more use
ful. more wholesome and more ENJOY
able by intelligent planning And in
this latter regard. Neutrality-suspicious. VIII
be repaid by reading the two chapters
devoted TO the FEDERAL City and the
washington plan. one OF them By Lieut..
Col. U. q. Grant. "a. and the other by
Mr.. Charles w. Eliot ID Col. Grant.
optimistic as he Is. and satisfied with
the real progress 50 far made on realiza-
ton Of the plan for the Capital o. the
future, points out. nevertheless, that
resistance has been encountered from
iiltrasconseryatise municipal osiiciAls
who natsrally resist any change ihtheir
established routine. and from private
interests a. wen Is individual Govern
naens agencies VINO prefer an inAdeQuate
ard merely expedient solution 81 prob
lem 10 better and generally sd-
nlntasee eolusson q slightly greater
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06
Highlights on the Wide World
----------------- ~ -
Excerpts From Newspapers of Other Lands

loaf Of white bread in the capital now
costs so pfennigs C2ls cents.
y
Slavs throughout World
Hold to Religious Customs.
Bulgarian British Review, SOMA
The Slav people throughout the world
hold more to religious customs and
superstitions than any Of the peoples
OF Western Europe. Many of these
beautiful old customs were created and
preserved by the Bulgarians during the
five centuries under Turkish rule.
The people are. IS rule, also most
superstitious. and In consequence the
clergy Is called upon to perform cere-
mony for what woulc appear, IN
Western Europe most trivial things.
In addition to the ceremony performed
in the case of marriages. births and
deaths, the cutting of the first sod and
the laying of foundation for Q new
house or public building. the opening
% new street, building. public gar
& or q factory. ETC.. without re-
ligious ceremony Is considered a. an
III cmen. immediately the roof Is
placed on a new house or building, q
cross. blessed by the priest. with q
wreath OF flowers attached. Is hoisteo
and remains until the work is finally
completed. In the villages certain
Superstitions are carried to extreme
limits, and the parish priest is called
upon to perform all sorts of cere-
monies, such as blessing the land.
prayers for rain, storms and the
harvest, etc
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06
A Change of Mind in New York.

The corporation counsel Of Greater
New York, who declined to furnish In
restigator Seabury with certain records
relating to injunctlcns 10 prevent a for
Tner police commissioner from making
raids on gambling clubs that were spe :
cially favored by politically important
personages. has come to the conclusion
that his relations with his client. the
city. are not. after all, 50 confidential
that he cannot disclose the documents.
Possibly the spectacle OF a recsiciirant
witness WHIP declined to answer certain
questions IN the same inYes cation Ian
gushing in jail pending tcs outcome
Of an appeal may haze effected a
change or mind regarding The respoa ST.
bissty Of ne corporation coaascl to his
naunscipal el,eni. Perhaps the prevail
ing tsnpf ssture made The prospect Of
a b.t OF fe.dsnce beh.sa SsTs abilo=-
rent. even to the point of overcoming
conscientious scrapies sgainst revealing
records.
TINS demurrer Of the corporation
counsel is a BIZ OF TIE spirit tina. makes
Tammany government m Greater New
York snch an efense 70 the honest
citizens The claim that the city Il 9
client" who're secrets mast be pre-
served from public scrutiny Is just q
BIZ OF the doctrine that the municipal
administration Is prlFats graft. The
records themselves. when disclosed. may
not prove TO be especially important or
revealing Of skaiilduggcry. though the
reluctance disEved BY the corporation
counsel s1ssss0 that there must b
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06
THIS AND THAT
By CHARLES 3. TRAcEwELL.

chattering noise, and the eat may be
said to be tree climber. too. although
In Q much smaller way than monkeys
and squirrels.
The cat VIM chatter when II sees q
bird which It realizes II cannot reach.
Most often II makes this peculiar noise
when seated inside q window and look
bird outside. Female cats chatter In
this way more than males.
4 u
The sheer audacity Of squirrels In
leaping from tree to tree will take the
breath away from the human observer
If he is in q vantage point where he is
fully able to see just what tremendous
Jumps they make.
One must be up In the cir. indeed, II
he Il TO see typical squirrel leap at
It's best. There IL nothing quite like
it In Nature
If one Is so fortunate as-to have q
house situated among trees. and the
neighborhood TO have plenty Of squir-
rels he may be able to see the squirrels
at their play.
There can be little doubt that the
squirrel 10 proud Of his ability at tree
leaping.
The other day we watched squirrel
dart out on the very topmost limbs Of
at least 90 feet in the air.
The outer branches of the tree were
quite pendulous and not over the size
of an index finger. The largest main
branches were certainly not bigger than
the diameter Of thumb.
&%
When the squirrel began to run out
to the very tip the section Of branches
started 10 drop, and finally dipped 90
-
that he was several feet lower than he
had been.
This did not deter him in the least,
however. He knew what he was doing.
His ancestors before him had known
what they were doing.
Farther and farther out he went and
lower and lower sank the branch. The
nearest. flimsiest tip Of the next tree
was fully dozen feet away, swaying
and rustling in the wind.
The squirrel leaped.
There was q mighty rustling % he
set sail through space. The kick he
gave the branches he left made them
CULVER and almost ring.
He landed on the very tip Of the
branches Of the other tree. causing them
to heave downward madly. To the
observer 1t seemed for moment as II
the rodent would 60 plunging down.
WSTu 70 Tie SaILH.
But ne might have known better.
This squirrel knew his trees. Quicker
than a wink he was on larger branch
and then on a bigger one.
At first he had to run upward, but
shortly he was running downward, head
first, in that inimitable fashion which
must forever be the despair and envy
of cats, who must 60 up and down q
tree the same way, head up.
One morning we saw two squirrels
leave their tree and descend TO the roof
of a garage in order to hurl their
maledictions the surer at q couple OF
cats.
Haunting their banners Of tails over
the ridge pole, the squirrels called the
cats scoundrels In the best rodent
language.
Not satisfied with making themselves
very plain, they ran out to the edge OF
the roof, looked over and began again.
Then, feeling perhaps that the cats
were hard of hearing they came down
onto the top CT the doors. which were
open. and from that vantage point, only
q few feet above the cats, proceeded to
deliver another lecture on the general
inconsistency of the entire cat tribe to,
catch a certain couple Of squirrels.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06

price Col. Grant Is too generous to
attribute Any real difficulties to such
opposition, pointing out that murh Of
IL d due 10 the completely Of the wash.
ingcn plan itself ana 10 the natural
differences Of opinion that viii arise -
to its best execution. one agrees with
him in his contention. however. tnat
the very purpose Of the National Capital
Park and Planning Commission, with
its well equipped star Of a6yisefs and
its facilities for gathering data for Eari-
Gus studies, Is 10 carry out the wash
ington plan. Eavirg been given tie re-
sronslt.iity. It n1ust possess the author-
lts 70 pfsss,It deviation from THE plan and
to keep the oh ectiye OF complete realiza-
tion without resort to abort cuts that,
In the end. viii destroy It's value.
Beautifully illustrated with photo
graphs, this third volume of the annual
series contains $50 pages, upon which
are spread q fine record OF hope and
achievement. It's contributors have
written authoritatively on such subjects
as the national parkx, the national for
ests. housing, regional planning, work
By the States on their capitals. the de-
velopmcnt Of their highways and their
protection against the Entertainments
of hillboards. Especial reference Is con-
sained to the campaign to protect wash
ington and Its approaches from this
beauty destroying menace.
The American Civic Association can
be proud of its title as publisher Of
these volumes and of the encouraging
realization on the part Of thousands of
Americans of their true value.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06
SHOOTING STARS.
BY rHrt.ANDra JOHNSON.

The Knockers Disbursement.
"oh. what's the use of effort that !:
narifully applied"
The knocker in his gloom was heard
to say.
I'VE did our best his motives and his
manners to deride
We even felt readiness TO pay
For anything that might assist 10 queer
him with the crowd
And help to block his visionary game
We uttered protestations that were We
henent and loud,
But he went and got elected just the
same.
we published pictures Of him that
were comical and bold;
The public seemed 70 thank him for
the laugh
We ridiculed him freely. Many anec-
dotes we told;
They liked him all the better fol
the chah
We talked about his family and tried
TO scare his friends,
We said his arguments we're limp and
lame.
oh, what's the use Of honest toll which
unrewarded ends
He went and got elected just the
same.
You can get up fabrications Of q most
ingenious style
And satirize his habits and his dress
And intimate that he is but an instru-
ment Of guile
And his frankness is assumption
more or less.
You can rail- ct his achievements til
the very air will throb;
You can smile and sneer and whisper
and deciaim.
But II the public likes the man and
thinks he's on the job,
He goes and gets elected just the
same!"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06
Germany's Internal Woes.

Gernnany's woes seem endless. No
sooner has the financial crisis eirnmered
down. with the restoration of normal
banking conditions and the cessation Of
panic. than an internal political crisis
raises its head. 1t ranges around next
Sundays plebiscite in Prussia. which is
to decide for or against dissolution Of
the Prussian Diet.
The BrueninE government opposes
dissolution on the ground that an en-.
suing general election might not only
bring the Hitherto and Communist enc
mics Of the republic into power In Prussia
but simultaneously wreck the new and
valuable friendships the Reich has just
cemsnted abroad, That structure OF
good viii toward Germany undermined.
the aid which she Graves would almost
constantly be denied. Economic ruin,
so recently averted. once again would
stare the Reich In the face.
The National Socialists fIitlers
brown-shirted F'ascists--w1o instieated
the Prussian plebiscite by obtaining the
required 100000 signatures favoring
1t. have suddenly found allies in the
Communists. Until lately the latter
could find no vituperation in their red
vocabulary vivid enough to denounce
the MAILS" Now, according to Berlin
cables. the Communists. under orders
from Moscow. are aligned with the Hit
lerites in the effort to overthrow the
Socialist Centrist Democratic govern.
ment. which for seven years has visor-
ousfS ruled Germany's Overwhelmingly
largest and most populous state.
The failure of the plebiscite Is fore
Swallowed, but In no terms Of reassur.
ing confidence. A clear majority Of
13,s00.000 voters would have to approve
the project, II 1t is to be carried. The
hitler steel helmet" contingent and
afiiliated reactionaries count some
5000, 900 cohorts. The Communist cleo
torate IL put at 1000 900. II the gov
erninent's foes combine in anything like
fun numbers, the forces Of constitutional
law and order are confronted by q
tight squeeze II they are to hold their
own.
Just before proceeding to Italy for
conference with Premier Mussolini and
Foreign Minister Grand this week. the
German chancellor, DR.. Bruening,
broadcast Reich-wide appeal against
the plans Of the republics detractors.
He painted persuasive picture of the
zeal with which the German people
have blckled down to the task of help
ing themselves If they expect to benefit
further from the help Of ether coun-
tries. They have made an impressive
beginning in that direction, as yester-
days resumption of unrestricted bank
ing activities indicates 1t would be a
thousand pities II next Sundays cleo
tons In Prussia were to result in de-
veiopments capable Of causing fresh
internal havoc and reviving foreign
Tears OF the Reichs stability and ca
pacity fer rehabilitation.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06
Rewarding Pure Science.

From the New York Times.
When argon was detected in the air
no one suspected that 1t would be used
in electric lamps. The widest fantasy
in which Faraday might have INDUCED
would have fallen far short Of what has
actually been accomplished by applying
his discovery of induction. Not one OF
the physicists to whom We owe radio
dreamed that he had in his grasp new
instrument of communication. So one
might review science after science to
find that principles which were at
first merely additions to human knowl-
edge have been exploited by practical
men to the worlds technical advantage
and their own profit.
To remove some Of the injustices I'M
der which pure science labors an inter-
national treaty has been drafted for the
consideration of the League of Nations
"a treaty which creates new kind OF
property right In purely scientific dis
coveries. Against 10 strong objections
have been raised. notably by Mr.. Ed
ward s. Rogers, who has made q Spe-
cial study of intellectual property for
the American Bar Association. He
makes the point that every scientist has
q technical heritage Is a Faraday
alone to be rewarded when behind him
stand Oersted, Ampere. Arago and q
line going back to Thales Every dis
covery is the result Of an evolution.
In an effort to overcome objections
such as these, DR.. Lucien KlotE has laid
new plan before the French Academy
of Medicine. The state Is TO appoint .
committee Of competent judges to de-
terTnine the social value of an achieve
nlent In medicine, whereupon legislatures
are to behave handsomely. In the past
the granting Of rewards by the state
has been haphaEard. Faraday almost
lost his pension when Sir Robert Pee,
gave way. to Lord Melbourne. DR.. KlQts
would substitute system for accidental
bounty, without creating new property
rights. A great discoverer should be
honored rather than paid; and II honor
can be conferred as q moderate but ade.
quate financial reward, DR.. Kiotgs plan
has much to commend It,
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06

American ideas on the function OF
a prison take two divergent paths. as
shown by national comment on the re-
port of the Wickersham COMMITTEES
condemning conditions found in vart-
Gus institutions. Briefly, one theory
holds that prisons are for punishment;
another. that penal institutions should
treat those who have violated the law
with q view to making some salvage OF
human lives.
THE problems raised by the criminals
themselves are almost the same every
where. The methods of dealing with
them vary greatly" says the Morgan
town New Dominion as 1t voices the
thought that ut Is encouraging 70 know
that every prison in the land is not
30 ineffective and brutal as those pic
tured in the report" The Lincoln
state Journal feels that the commits
sion plans an ideal system" but asks,
win the states be able TO afford Q
vast and complicated parole system.
prisons constructed on the plan OF Q
university. and the payment OF wages
to the prisoners?" :
would effect a reduction in crime
through reforming the individual Is O
question that only experience can an
swer," states the Charleston CIV. Va)
Mail, which believes that something Is
radically wrong with the prison sys-
tenn or the general administration OF
Justice In the United States" and that
the subject demands earnest and seri-
Gus thought" The Bradford Era holds
that "the reforms suggested are not Tor
the purpose of 'coddling' criminals. but
to protect society and to reform the
criminals, II possible
This indictment of American prisons
is almost blood-curdling' In the
opinion of the Pasadena Star-News,
which is convinced that IL should
arouse the American people to demand
reform forthwith" The Chicago Daily
News concludes: "It Is easier to pro-
pose these major improvements than
to carry them into effect. The OBJ
stacleS in the way are many. But
clearly rational and constructive prison
reform lies In the specific directions
pointed out in the commissions report. !"
The Haverhill CARTE welcomes "a
sensible program of reform and one
that will work" and comments: The
commission points to the happy ex-
perience of Massachusetts, with wise
and humane parole system as evidence
OF the workableness OF its ideas. 1t
points. too, to the new State prison ct
Norfolk as evidence that the ideas 1t
urges already are being recognized and
carried out"
"It is too easy" declares the Nil
wankee' Sentinel, "for us TO send the
captured wrongdoer to prison and for
get about him. because he Is out Of the
way" That paper advises that "the
recommendation suggest that the COM
mittee members believe that the ma
jority OF convicts can be reformed,
whereas prison conditions - they are
now tend to make habituaI criminals"
The Youngstown Vindicator recognizes
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06

The way Of q squirrel with a cat 4
one Of the most interesting things tn
Nature.
Il uses the deceit Of the fox, the
effrontery Of the bulldog, the speed Of
the greyhound
The cat in its pride of feline grace
IL left a poor second when It takes
after q squirrel.
one OF these rodents can outrun Q
cat any dagoin the week.
AS for jumping around IN the top
most branches of tree, that is where
the cat gives up entirely.
Many cats cl1ase squirrels, but few
ever catch tfem. Now and then, of
course, flying cat happens to fly just
little bit faster than flying squirrel
In the very vast majority Of cases
however. q squirrel Is as safe from a
cat as II the latter never existed.
y -
Az far as we have been able to OBJ
serve. the house cat merely affords the
squirrel some pleasant excitement.
The spice of danger. evidently. Is en-
joyed by the brute creatures as much
as 1t Is by man.
Any one who has watched a squirrel
chatter at q cat, at the same time
tantaliZe 10 by coming down closer and
EAQ6EAF N0A VIC 0AAAA4N W aAAIlib blidb bil5
rodent seems to be fascinated by the
slight chance he is running.
We have seen squirrels. playing to-
gether, run within three feet of q cat,
which, apparently smaSed by this
boldness, merely sat watching the
animals ct play.
Not until the squirrels started to run
away was the cat lured to pursuit.
which proved squirrelless. owing to the
superior speed of the rodent.
A squirrel seems to enjoy batting a
cat.
It has highly nervous organization,
manifested by It's quick. darling move
merts It's twitching tail, and its cratic
changes Of direction.
1t may be suspected that the squirrel
comes as near to being a sophisticated
animal as there is In Nature. If any
four footed creature could suffer from
what used to be termed neurasthenia,
the squirrel would be 1t.
Perhaps its nervous character Is more
on the surface than anywhere else,
owing to the constant twitching and
flirting in which 1t INDUCES.
No sooner does 1t start to run one
way. than 1t changes its route and goes
another II it is up tree, 1t never
seems to be satisfied to stay there, but
must come down Immediately, or leap
to another.
b
Worrying a domestic cat Is one of its
chief diversions.
The cat, OF course, brings this on
itself
If II were content TO let the other
creature alone, IL would never be Kissed
and chartered at as It is, nor 1ured out
onto slim branches along which 1t Is
afraid TO advance farther.
The cat apparently knows that 1t
can never catch the squirrel In its
native arboreal elements, but neverthe-
less is sport enough to try it upon any
and every occasion.
A squirrel, seeing a cat looking up at
II from the ground. will run around
the trunk 10 the cat side, and then
proceed to come down as close IS 1t
dares.
All this time IT is chattering away.
with the grating noise peculiar to 1t
when angry. The nearest approach to
it may be heard from some of the
monkeys at the Zoo.
Is IL or IL IL not peculiar that this
same sort of noise should be made by
tree-living animals exclusively?
The cat itself sometimes makes q
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-06
A NACIOE, Buenos Aires.-At
meeting of the Society of Natural
Sciences in the Museo Mitre. the

- UOD.C was JIOS14S OtAN Va AAS
Cat" Especially the gait, or gall
lop, of the cat which is supposed to be
tl1s feature or peculiarly of the ami
NAL which will clear up The old mystery
of Its origin.
phile Qautier. is the tiger Of the
door," has not solicited this minute
research on the part of its investi-
gators, and prefers very much to be
left alone rather than photographed.
measured and charted. These views
are shared not only by all the cats OF
low degree, but by the Angoras and
Siamese as well.
For the strangest thing about cats
is that they are all alike in every re-
spect-in their nocturnal and COM
planning presence on the roofs; in their
stealthy progress about our yards ana
lanes-in their decorative and tran
QUILTING pose before the stove. and
they are all interesting, but more 50
to the poet than the sage-tnat u.
until the sage conceived the idea OF
finding out from what remote ancestor
the cat is descended by observing its
'.sallop." This important sciereffic
problem has reached the stage where
the progress of the cat has been de-
scribed es rotary But whether this
method OF loeomotion is character
istic inherited or acquired remains TO
be discovered
Certain it is that it's flexible spine,
and. as it were, double -iointed" ar
ticulation gives 1t very rhythmic
end undulating aspect when seeking
to escape the unwelcome attentions OF
an inQuisitiye canine But Just what
ancestor Of the animal in the remote
ages had the same style of locometion
and nine lives, according to the popu-
lar superstition. still is to be dis
covered.