davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1936-07-24
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

New England has sandy beaches, as
the following letter attests:
Dear Sir: Ever since ] first came TO
live in Washington have read your
articles with a great deal Of interest.
I share your love of birds and flowers
and how loved your kind words about
cats. You surely know your subjects.
But OH my dear sir, we must dis
agree on the subject of beaches! L
agree with you about their merits-long
have I cherished q secret longing such
as you describe.
I'VE New Englanders must differ with
you about the rocky beaches, however.
True, some are rocky. but 1t is clearly
evident that you have yet to enjoy the
pleasures Of tramp along miles OF
sandy New England beaches.
II leave Washington in a week to
do just that-for q whole blissful month.
Sincerely, N. E."
Here's one from a correspondent who
wonders what the centipede is for:
Dear Sir: have enjoyed your artt-
cles in The Evening Star for some time.
They are very much in accord with my
own feelings and ideas about things.
II enjoy the whole outdoors. l like
the birds and all kinds of ornament:
fish, both outdoors and indoors, and
dogs, cats and all other fur-bearing
animals
Il can't say like snakes exactly, but
don't mind them il they keep their dis
tance, and I can't say that I actually
dislike the inmates OF the insect world
However, of those with which have
direct acquaintance, I believe I under
stand the centipede the least. l have
heard that it is quite innocent and
harmless, which may be, but it happens
to be the one like to give the most
room, in case 1 can't extinguiSh it,
Yours very truly, o. M. b.
All sorts Of queer and Gravity things
are found on beaches as well as in
homes. Sea shore life is a department
all by itself, with strange forms of sand
insects to replace what might be called
the domestic insects of the basement,
attic and living quarters.
Most of the insect forms of the sandy
beaches are gray in color. to escape at
tention, although what their enemies
are the Summer sojourner will have
difficulty in discovering.
Yet Nature knows what she is doing.
and no doubt made the spiders and
lice" and other beach insects the color
they are in order to help them escape
certain enemies.
Sand dunes offer a wonderful field
for the amateur student of such things.
On them he will find at most of the
beaches a variety of strange life, little
of which he suspected.
This life will include the grasses which
grow in the sand. Tough. wiry, these
grasses are interesting in their own
right as well as in relation to the dune,
which gathers around them. Focusing
the energies of the dune. the grasses
must move along with it, as the wind
carries 1t along in the strange way in
which these structures come into being,
grow day by day and actually move
along.
Sea shore sand often contains sand
fleas" as well as lice" The latter are
not lice at all. but queer little grayish
curstaceans with Semi-hard shells. They
scurry in and out with the waves often
digging themselves in before the next
wave can reach them. Their facility for
getting between ones toes is well known.
Mostly bathers are too busy to pay much
attention to them.
Evening star., 1936-07-24
Introducing Capacity
And National Indebtedness
To the Editor of The Star:

10 the EDITOR OIL Inc Star-
If he isn't too choked up with emo
ton from thinking about that wild
man, Roosevelt" or if he hasn't been
standing SO long at the wailing wall
that his eyes are swollen shut, any
business man who knows the bare rudi-
mentS of economics and simple multi
plication can check these figures. They
are rough figureS-but not too rough
to give fair picture.
In the fiscal year of 1888 the national
annual income fell to less than 10 bill
lions. Continued upon this basis, if the
average natural increase in productive
capacity had taken place (that is,
doubling every 80 years. this generation
would have a total income of less than
1900 billions.
In the Roosevelt administration the
national annual income has risen to SO
billions Upon the above basis if con-
tinued the total income of this genera
ton go years. may be expected to gross
nearly $500 billions.
But an independent survey of the
national product capacity shows that
if we could so distribute the national
income as to provide consumption for
everything we could produce we could,
in 1929, have produced in goods and
services 135 billions. Upon this basis
the present generation will have total
productive capacity Of 5000 billions.
Whether Mr.. Roosevelt has gone into
debt Is billions, as his opponents con-
tend, or less than billions net, as his
Treasury Department asserts, in an at
tempt to raise the gross income from
300 billions to 900 billions the goal
is worth shooting at. Nor is a 35-bil-
lion debt back-breaking, soul sinking
sum to generation that has a wealth.
producing capacity of 5000 billions.
DWIGHT T. SCOTT.
Evening star., 1936-07-24
American Folk Art.

No American ever can claim that the
art of his countrymen is isolated from
its origins Indeed, it may be doubted
that any esthetic element is truly native
to the United States. Civilization in the
Western World has been from the be-
ginning an importation. 1t came from
the ancient East through medieval
Europe, moving over the Atlantic as the
sun moves in its daily path-a progress
from Orient to Occident.
But the art impulses of people are
conditioned by their environment to a
notable degree. Hence, new mannerisms
have been developed, new styles and
modes of execution invented in America.
And it is interesting to think Of what
they are. Perhaps an accurate appraisal
is imperative to improvement Even
when the verdict is negative in any given
case, it may be necessary if q cultural
correction is to be effected.
For example, the free verse" of Walt
Whitman is not strictly novel. The
Good Grey Poet had the Bible for his
model. Also he was influenced by
Shakespeare and by the libretto texts
of operas which he heard sung at a
time when he was peculiarly responsive
to the pattern of music-drama. But his
technical skill was defective, his pen
inadequately trained. So he wrote, as
he himself declared like a "barbarian
And it was that limitation, that handi-
cap, that made his efforts distinctive.
In other words he was symbolic of his
age, his scene and his fellow-country-
men.
The same observation applies to
Stephen Collins Foster and his songs
and to the so-called Hudson River
school of painters and their canvases.
Evening star., 1936-07-24
Many Novel Government
Experiments Succeed
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor of The Star:
Conservative people are always say
ing that novel proposals are the product
of minds which cannot learn from ex-
perience. but ignore the teachings of
history. The critics say these proposals
are old stun; these things have been
tried again and again, and are always
failures.
Such statements simply are not true
The things thus condemned have Just
as often been tried out in practice and
found to be successes. Yet these moss
backs do not know any better than to
repeat the statement that these things
are always failures. They merely have
not yet come into general use, and So
the mossbacks have not learned about
them These contemptuous critics
themselves are really the ignorant ones.
For instance. private cooperative
common ownership communities or So
cieties These are often called COM
munistic societies. This does not mean
that they are communistic in the polit-
ical sense because they do not repre-
sent general mass movements through
the agency of any government. Yet
they are .communistic in the sense that
the members of these societies work to-
gether and own the means of produc-
tion in common. Rugged individualism
is not their ideal, but brotherly mutual
help.
Nineteenth century history is full of
these. Often they were based on re-
ligious foundations, yet not always.
Many of them have f1ourished splen-
didly, and their members have been
prosperous together Sometimes after
a long course of success they have given
up their peculiar form due to changed
circumstances. Sometimes they have
failed to provide for recruiting and
hence have died out with the lapse of
time. One of this kind was the famous
Harmony Society in Pennsylvania.
There is one in Maryland. The Shakers
were an order. so to speak, with six or
eight branch houses in a number of
different States. The Amana Society
in Iowa had half dozen branches.
Just SO with proposals for govern
mental efforts. People OF naturally
conservative disposition always say:
"Oh. no, no, such things cannot be: they
have been tried again and again. Yes.
indeed, they have been tried. and some
of these trials have been highly sue
cessful: they should be pushed farther.
WILLIAM c. LEE.
Evening star., 1936-07-24

Inherited or traditional ideas may be
detected in both fields of creative effort.
But certain twists are given to those
conceptions; the plus and minus factors
of personality are introduced into them.
Thus it becomes apparent that Ameri-
can art differs from the art of other
nations because Americans as men and
women differ intellectually and spiritu-
ally from their contemporaries in other
lands. The variation may be either
superior" or inferior" but the fact
cannot be challenged. 1t exists. is recog-
nized and conceded everywhere.
AS to the future, the question is: Quo
vadis? But 1t Is not easy to answer
with assurance. The trend at present
worries one group Of critics, encourages
another. Neither is wholly confident.
The debate. war of opinions, wakes
hot. Rockwell Kent expresses the philo-
sophical point Of view when he says:
art is free-free in an iron age to pro-
claim the might, magnificence and power
of commerce, industry wealth, war. of
wild extravaganza, of repression. of
drunkenness, of fervent faithfulneSs;
and it is free to hate all this. to find
no beauty anywhere but In the intimate
and most secret realities of the human
spirit and in the way Of life that may
evoke them; and against the brazen
clamor of jazz there may be heard as
from remote. deep, starlit. inner spaces
of mans being dissonances frail and
infinitely poignant"
Evening star., 1936-07-24
What Naturalization of
The Bank of France Means

10 the Editor OF The Star:
PARIS, July l6-Bank of France
almost completely nationalized tonight"
Baby bonds" are to be offered for SUBJ
scription to the French people. If the
people do not buy these baby bonds"
as they did not receipts" only for
United States baby bonds" then what?
Devaluation "off gold" of the 20-cent
down, 31z cent, 4cent, scent and g.
cent franc. About a year ago the
French franc was on the ragged edge
of off gold" Our Secretary of the
Treasury, Henry Morgenthau. jr. gave
the Bank of France" United States
gold credit of $4,000, 600 900. And in an
interview with the United States press
Self-lauded his act The United States
did not then have $40, 0,714, ,0O0, 900 of gold
stock under lock and key" when Henry
credit-loaned the Bank of France 81
0OO, 900 900" to keep the French franc
on a Accent on gold basis. Congress
only directly or by congressional dele
gated act shall pay out or credit-loan
the peoples money. Where did the
Secretary of the Treasury, Henry Nor
genthau, jr., get the power to loan
$4,000, 100000 in gold "credit loan" of
the United States to keep war-debt in
est-defaulting France on Accent
franc on gold basis?
Now that the taxpayers of the United
States have, under Henry Morgenthau,
jr. as Secretary of the Treasury. $10,-
7l4000 600 moneygold under lock and
key" may not the Bank of France"
look to Henry Morgenthau. jr for. an
other $4,000. .OOO, 900, $4,000, ,OOO, 900, or
$4,000 100000 money-gold credit
loan? That would obviate the issue
of French baby bond" which bonds
the French shopkeepers, working peo-
pie and land-owning, money saving
French peasants may refuse to buy.
What's the answer to this? Another
money-gold credit loan" to France to
keep the French franc on gold?
W. E. RYAN
Evening star., 1936-07-24

Whether the beach "f1eas" are much
different from the so-called cat and dog
flea is a question. Most beaches are
overpopulated with humans nowadays,
and this means they bring their dogs
along.
It is highly probable that many fleas,
getting their first taste of seashore life.
find the warm sand very much to their
liking. The cat and dog flea is differ
ent from the famous European human
flea. The idea that some people hold,
that the dog flea will not get on humans
nor bite them, is quite erroneous. Tender
skinned persons are this f1ea's meat"
1t will leave cat or dog-it is one and
the same flea on both-any time of day
for such person. This flea lays its
eggs preferably on woolen material,
which is one good argument for taking
up woolen rugs in Summer, as has been
the old Washington custom.
When Fido is taken to the shore his
fleas probably think the sand is just
another big, warm carpet like back
home" Off they hop, much to their
CONSERVATION later, when they find
themselves at the mercy of the elements.
One of the faults to be found with
many beaches is that there simply are
too many people on 'em.
Which gets us back to SPAIN coun-
try SO much in the news now. in this
roundabout route:
A Spanish gentleman by the name Of
Ortega wrote a book several years ago
called THE Revolt of the Masses" His
main theme seemed to be that there
simply were too many people enjoying
the good things of life.
Beaches were crammed with human
ity nowadays, he went on. Theaters
were packed to the doors. Streets were
teeming with motor cars And so on.
Everywhere you went. and every place,
there were too many people. the faith
full old common people at last enjoying
the luxurieS and amusements formerly
enjoyed only by the aristocrats
Just too bad. isn't it? But really, it
does help account for the traffic problem.
AS for centipedes, they belong to the
grouping Anthropoda, which includes
certain insects, spiders and cruStaceans.
Most persons have an instructive dis
like for these queer-Segmented, many
footed things. No doubt this dislike is
foStered by the old-folk belief that they
particularly like to crawl into people S
ears, wherein they cause many troubles.
If one dislikes the centipedes. he or
she does well to keep in mind that some
of the species found in tropical coun-
tries are a foot long and often inflict
severe bites.
The common centipede-which.b by the
way, doesn't have hundred legS-is
said to be an efficient destroyer of small
insects. Most housekeeperS. however,
would rather rely on insecticides in
liquid form.
Centipedes are nocturnal in habits
and are said to hunt in pairs. so that
if one is killed the other will be found
nearby.
If you do not like centipedes in your
basement, get cat. 1t is not generally
known that the domestic cat loves to
catch centipedeS, and eat them. too
which is a form of diet difficult to
understand. However. Nature saves her
closest creatures from the qualms and
SqueamiShneSS which make life miSer-
able at times for her humans, and so it
may be that Tom and Tabby'S centipede
diet is just as good for them as orange
juice for us. A vitamin is a vitamin,
wherever found.
Evening star., 1936-07-24
The Crisis i'm Spain.

Although civil war and revolution in
Spain are confined in their immediate
effects to that stricken land, the vio-
lence now raging between the Pyrenees
and the Straits of Gibraltar is causing
Europe anXiously to wonder whether the
Spaniards' tragic experiences may not
provoke repercussions beyond the ma
tion's borders. There are fears that col
lapse of the first effective Popular
Front" government to be established in
Western Europe may prove the spark to
ignite confiagrations remote from
Madrid.
The Socialist-Radical Socialist Com
munist government of France, being
closest to them, is regarded as likely to
be the first that might be infected by
developments in Spain. Should Right
ist conservatism and faScism win their
rebellion against the Spanish LeftiStS,
an impression has taken root that the
reactionary forces antagonistic to the
Blum government will be incited to
emulate the Spanish effort, and that 1t
might not be long before Belgium's new
and growing Fascist group, the Rexists,
we're encouraged to do likewise.
If, on the other hand, the Radicals
crush the Fascist rebellion, it might
mean the complete obliteration of DEM
ocratic elements in the government and
lead to an outright Socialist or Com
muniSt regime. Such a solution would
also be designed to produce far-f1ung
results Everywhere in Europe it would
strengthen conservative opposition to
elements and forces seeking to estab-
lish a sway of extreme radicalism and
almost inevitably pave the way to fresh
eruptions.
All authorities acquainted with vol
canic conditions in Spain since the fall OF
the monarchy agree that it would be
utterly idle to venture to predict the
final outcome of the present upheaval.
No other country presents so chaotic and
explosive a complex of bitterly antagon-
istic elements. The republic has never
been supported by anything approx
mating a majority of the people. Con-
servative elements, including mon
archical-minded army leaders, have
more or less acquiesced in abolition of
royal rule, but never wholeheartedly
accepted the republic. They have, on
the contrary, never ceased to suspect and
resent it as an instrument designed
sooner or later to establish a prole-
tartan dictatorship. When the Popular
Front won last February's elections.
bringing into power combination of
Left Wing Republicans and the three
avowed revolutionary parties-Social-
lists, Communists and Syndicalists-
conservative fears reached the boiling
point. The fratricidal strife now devas-
tating the country became a foregone
conclusion.
In national community torn between
conflicting ambitions, suspicious and
hatreds of Monarchists, Socialists, FaS-
cists, Communists, Syndicalists, cleri-
Gals, militarists and anarchists, to name
only outstanding rival factions. it is
futile even to guess what will emerge
from the seething cauldron. Passions
are aroused to a pitch that makes it
difficult to conceive how radical and
conservative viewpoints can possibly be
reconciled. The outlook for democracy
in Spain no matter what eventuateS
from the nations sanguinary ordeal, is
anything but hopeful.
Evening star., 1936-07-24

ital, is one of the youngsters of the
United States foreign service. Native
of New Hampshire and graduate of
Brown University, he entered the State
Department in 1881 after having been
attached to the World Peace Founda-
ton as a research assistant. Mr.. Wen
delinis first foreign assignment was as
vice consul at Montreal. He was on
duty at the consulate general in Havana
when appointed third secretary Of the
Madrid embassy in october, 1884.
Echoes of Senator Carter Glass out
spoken remarks at the recent Patrick
Henry celebration in Ashland, Va, seem
likely to reverberate throughout the
1886 campaign. Although there is no
indication that the veteran Virginian
thinks of taking walk away from the
Roosevelt ticket on AL Smith lines.
Republicans are sure to exploit Glass
only .thinly veiled castigation of the
New Deal as indiSputable evidence that
in his heart he opposes certain things
at which the G. o. P. is fitting as
vigorously as does Gov. Landon him
self New Dealers are said to be rely
ing heavily on the Old Dominion states
mans influence and example to keep
conservative Democrats in the fold.
His outburst on Patrick Henry day in
dicateS that while Glass is no party
bolter. he doesn't want doubts to exist
as to where he stands on some of the
fundamental political questions now
agitating the country.
If mid-campaign trends run true to
FORM the immediate effect of Gov.
Landon's acceptance speech will be to
infuse Republicans with an augmented
spirit of optimism and generally to
diffuSe throughout the country the i'm
preston that G.. 0. P. chances of VIC
tory are appreciably enhanced. Demo-
cratic leaders have been diScounting
this prospect. They foreshadow that
Republican hopes will probably reach
their zenith in August and then under
go steady diminuendo While New Deal
ers remain supremely confident, the 20,-
600 two-to-one bet on RooSevelt's re-elec-
tion, Just offered by former Ambassador
James w. Gerard, is not believed to re-
fleet their "off the record" view of the
situation. Prevailing betting odds range
from seven to five to six to five on
Roosevelt, with prospects of reaching
even money before November. Non
partisan observers say that at this ad-
vanced hour neither Roosevelt nor
Landon is a sure thing proposition;
that it's "horSe race" likely to be far
closer than super optimists on either
side publicly concede.
y 4 4
Three well-known family names hg-
ure in the roster of officers of the
newly organized Democratic Roosevelt
First Voters League. The president is
Francis B. Sayre. jr, grandson OF
Woodrow Wilson and son OF the AS
sistant Secretary of State. Young
Sayre is now a senior at Williams and
head of the college Y. M. c. A. Miss
Betsy Dern, coed daughter of Secre-
tary of War Dern, who gives promise
of becoming a political chip of the old
block, is secretary of the organization,
and Herbert Bayard Swope, jr, son of
the former managing editor of the New
York World, is treasurer. The league
plans to wage a whirlwind campaign
amcng young people who are casting
their maiden presidential ballots this
year.
eoopvsassk 1eesJ
Evening star., 1936-07-24

than the extension of the powers OF
personal government-under Consti-
tuition recognizing that certain rights
reside with the people. that GER
tain powers are reserved for the States
and that certain functions are delegated
to the Federal Government" will be
approved by most everyday Ameri-
cans"
Evening star., 1936-07-24

A picturesque figure in pugilistic cir
cles was "One-Eye Connolly" who
crashed the gate whenever he desired.
He should be restored to prominence
as a reminder of certain spirit OF toll
Grant sentiment that once asserted itself
even in the mercenary development OF
the prize ring.
Evening star., 1936-07-24

Initials have their modifying value.
Instead of saying that the United Mine
Workers have defied the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, it might have broken
the news more gently to say the U. M. w.
is in disagreement with the A. F. l..
This might have left many casual read
ers under the impression that the item
referred only to another controversy in
the Government departmental circles.
Evening star., 1936-07-24

Al Smith took a walk, and on the
promenade met John Hamilton just the
other day. It is intimated that Mr..
Smith declined a ride in Mr.. Hamiltons
band wagon, but let it be understood
that he would continue walking in its
general direction.
Evening star., 1936-07-24
Breath Saving,

We dive into a sea of thought
And do some splashing there.
The most important thing we're taught
Is coming up for air.
We venture into depths unknown
And wait the truth to tell,
BY such relief as may be shown
BY just a breathing spell.
Evening star., 1936-07-24

One of the finest works Of the Post
Office Department was putting special
delivery stamp on the presidential NOM
ination that carried it promptly to
F. D. r.
Evening star., 1936-07-24
Mexican Roadsides.

From the Omaha World-Herald.
We fear the only difference between
the national highway in Mexico and
those in our country will be the differ
ence between hot dog stands and hot
tamale stands.
Evening star., 1936-07-24

Sympathy may be due Chairmaster-
Postman Farley as one of those great
executives who, although technically on
vacation, is obliged to take his Office
cards with him.
Evening star., 1936-07-24

If the campaign develops further
fierceness the Democratic art depart
ment may favor postage stamp featur-
ing the conscientious but relentless
Carrie Nation.