davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

government seem safe enough, for they are based on gold reserve painfully built up in this country by the Chinese govern ment and people. The $135, ,OO0, 900 said to be standing to their credit probably repre- Sents millions of small gifts from har- raSSed and impoverished people, much of it contributed in the form of jewels, rings, cherished old coins and household treas ureS. There may be many melted Bud- dha or Confucius or Mencius represented in that fund.-
 Incidentally it should be observed that Great Britain and the Bank of England are involved in this belated cooperation with China. It has dawned on John Bull, as well as Uncle Sam, that it would be much more unpleasant and insecure world if the Chinese democracy were erased from the map.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
Work Filling Up

Legislators at the coming General Assembly session will find their work piled up for them as it hasn't been for some years past. After a complete change in administration, such as was brought about by the results of the November election, there is always lot of shifting scenery back and forth. It makes 1t necessary for legislators of all parties to accustom themselves to changes in lines. That will be very true, too, in 19S9, for according to all reports 1t IS new Re- publican regime that is being started 1n Connecticut.
 And to top off this change in political rule, there is the added feature ot pre- pared legislation. For the first time the new Legislative Council will be function ing. It already has submitted report to Governor Wilbur L. Cross calling for many changes in our present laws ana suggesting certain new statutes. And we have the perennial, but very import ant, topic of judicial reform. Ever since Governor Cross was first inaugurated in 1881, there have been efforts to do what the newspaper boys have come to call remove the minor courts from politics.
 That may be the bugaboo on which the Baldwin administration may falter It is a big obstacle for any official. Even Governor Cross with all his desire to bring about changes in the minor courts, such as the method of appointing the judges, never was able to convince his own party that it's weight should be completely thrown into the fight to get these ap- pointments out of the Legislature and into the executive office, where appoint ments of upper court justices now are vested.
 Sentiment, however, seems definitely on the side of judicial reform right now and unless some real startling change is made in the minor courts we are apt to find the new administration that is com ing into power getting off to an early bad start.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
New London's Problem

Plans for a magnificent ocean front at Ocean Beach, just outside New Lon don, call for creation Of what mlgnC pc the finest recreation Shore-Spot along the Connecticut coast It would be a mag nificent development, but also very ex- pensiye one The cost would be over S2.OOO,O ,O0O which, to our way ot thlnKlng, is a high price for recreation for any clty or town, but time may show that the cost was cheap compared to the amount of physical well-being that might have been produced by the availability ot sucn a public center to New London and en- vironS.
 Half of the cost would go towards buy ing up the needed land for the develop- melt. The other half would pay TOT all the numerous details that such 1ar- reaching project would entail. The clty fathers of New London are indeed con fronted by problem that well might oe placed before the electorate In speclaI referendum. It is such tremendously important one, too, that it would seem as if everyone had right to express hls or her opinion once all the facts have been collected and placed before the public.
 There may be objections on the ground that all property owners at Ocean Beach are not as anxious today to sell what's left of their real estate along the beach as they were right after the September hur- ricane. One fact must be kept in mind, however. All such resorts as Ocean Beach which were terribly hard hit by the wind and wave storm may find 1t difficult for establishment of property lines, vital to the owner who wants to rebuild on his own land and not his neighbors.
 No doubt there will be many questions, raised in the wake of the hurricane, con fronting the 1889 Legislature. It may be necessary that special committee be set up to hear just such proposed legislation. However, aside from that the prospect of a new Ocean Beach rivaling the famous resorts of this nation and Europe allureS, even if the more prosaic matter Of cost does intrude.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

Clowns come to town! You must have seen them yesterday dashing around our city streets. Perhaps you got taste of their antics. The clowns were those thoughtless and utterly needless motor ists who thought it smart to dash along the city streets, scattering slush and water high into the air and all over anyone and anything that happened to be in their immediate vicinity. It was funny to see sheet of dirty spray go smack against somebody else's car. It was also funny to make women scamper away from the croSswalks as the clowns drove by swishing dirt this way and that. Anyone who drives a car in this weather can't be ignorant of the fact that he or she is responsible for what that vehicle does. No one needs to be in such hurry that it is necessary to drench everyone else in the haste to get somewhere quickly.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
Incredible .WIIain What Good Can Be Said of Gaston Means After His Death News Writers Seek in Vain
 for Good Side of His Character.
HARTFORD COURANT

ton that John Milton gave to the Satan of Paradise Lost" He was everything that he shouldn't be by common standards. He was without pity and without scruple, as witness his conduct in the Lindbergh case. Under oath or not, his word was utterly valuless. Even the brief bio- graphical details that he revealed during the numerous trials are open to doubt. Was he, indeed, born in 1879? Did he, in fact, attend the University of North Carolina? If the answers to this question are what he said they were, they are among the few true words he spoke after he first came to potoriety.
 One of the scandals of an earlier administration was his employment as an investigator in the department of justice, despite record that even then was shady. He repaid scandal with scandal, as witness his CO., authorship of life of President Harding which even his collabrator later repudiated.
 What made him what he was? What were the motives of his extra ordinary career? When he had trends, they said he had never been quite right since he had fallen on his head from Pullman berth, but could mere blow on the head ex- plain to overlapping an aversion to the truth as he possessed? The question is likely to go unanswered, for Gaston B. Means, the fantasti- cally incredible villain even of ihis own stories, is dead, and no one but he knew what inspired him to evil If indeed, he knew himself.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

If one topic of conversation pushed the Waterbury and Merritt Parkway "scan- dals" almost completely into the back ground it was the McKesson and Robbins "strange interlude'. Nothing makes such good reading or conversation as the story of Donald Coster. A career that ran high and low each day brings out the many sided nature that must have been his to impersonation as he did for many years And but for a bit of inquiSitivenesS the mask might not be removed today.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

And while on this topic, we return again to an issue that was brought up by that other holiday storm-Snow removal. The slush that had to be removed yester- day constituted menace to drains and gutters Most people just shoveled it into the gutters and clogged them so that water backed up over sidewalks. There were great pools of deep slush everywhere you went because the water couldn't drain off. It ought to be the business of property owners ordering sidewalks cleared to see that gutters are given chance to drain and don't remain blocked when rain follows snow storm.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
Selected Poem
A LITTLE BOY

(Martin O'Nolan in the Poets Corner,
 Hartford Times) little boy with curly hair And dream-mists in his eyes, Growing so tall-it's the heart of her Is breaking, when Mary cries. The little boy is soon 8 man, And man must go away With only his soul and dreaming heart Mary is left to pray. Always alone with none to love This maid or that one who smiled Into the dream-mi of his eyes They all loved Mary's child. The little boy is soon man With blood-stained paths to tread Son, am proud, but it breaks my heart"- Was all that Mary said. The curly head had thorns to wear With arms outstretched above Had only his soul and dreaming heart And the comfort of Mary's love.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
Help For China

That Bank of China" to which Amer ican credit facilities for food and war supplies are being extended, is a curious institution. Nobody seems to know where it is just now. It might be under Chiang Kai Shek,s hat. The Chinese government has had to jump around so much in the last year or two that it is hard to be defi- nite about such things. It may be as- slImed. however. that there really is such financial institution still functioning. And It has an honorable history it has never failed to pay.
 Anyway, the credits proposed by our
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
A Book a Day
Reporters Tell
 Of Inside News"
By BRUCE CAPTION

The craze nowadays seems to be for the news behind the news. If this is because the public feels that the important news of the day somehow doesn't get printed, the public is badly mistaken; by and large, news coyerage was never as thorough or as fearless as today. But that there can be an interesting yarn in the correspondent himself that the incidents which don't get on the wire can make absorbing reading - of this there can be no doubt.
 So there ought to be 8 wide au- dience for We Saw It Happen" (Simon & Schuster: $3), written by l3 correspondents for the New York Times.
 Here, for instance, is G. E. R. Gedye telling what it was like in Vienna during the Dollfuss murder, during the Schuschnigg resignation, and at other times. Here F. Ray mond Daniel tells of the share croppers, of the Scottsboro trials, of Huey Long-a revealing, intimate picture, this latter. Elliott Bell tells of the decline of the financial ti- tans of Wall Street. Russell Owen writes about little America; John Kieran about sports.
 And so on, and so on. There is wealth of fascinating material here; there is also a good deal of stuff that will set you thinking Ferdinand Kuhn'S essay on present. day England and its problems, for instance, is something to ponder over; so, too, is MT. Daniels dis turbing account of the strange change he has noted in the tradi- tional American spirit.
 In any case, it makes a fine book well worth dipping into over and over. You could do great deal worse than mark it down on your Christmas gift list.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
In New York
By GEORGE ROSS

New York, Dec. 28-Here's stack of the most welcome mail of the year. We mean the hundreds of Christmas cards that Maxine has piled neatly atop our desk. Many from folk we've personally known; others from folk we don't But this is no season of the year for formal il1- troductions. These greetings reflect the warmth of spirit which the send CTS sealed in the envelopes.
 There's Helen Morgan's, coy one of 8 piano top, her favorite perch, and Gertrude Lawrence's, a con- posite of telegrams to rush her greet ings to near and distant friends. The Gene Lockharts rely upon Dickens simple dictum, that Christmas would not be Christmas but for the happy interchange of wishes to convey theirs.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

De mertuis, nil uisi bonum-notn- ing but good of the dead-is all very well, but what if there is al- most literally nothing goon to be said? Such is the plight in which the elegiast for the late and unlament- ed Gaston B. Means finds himself. Spy, forger, extortioner, wife-beater, probably a murderer, certainly an unmitigated liar, he was about as rmpreposessiong 8 character as one could find even in fiction, at least since the black-hearted Victorian villain became no longer popular.
 Yet his ''bad eminence" was so high that one views his career with much the same grudghg admira-
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
Questions and
 Answers
 cgvrisAA NsN NIX
By Frederick M. Kerby

Enclose . three-cent stamp for reply when addressing any ques- ton of fact or information to the Waterbury Democrats Service Bu- reau at Washington. Legal and medical advice cannot be given, nor can extended research be un- dertaken. Be sure all mail is ad- dressed to the WATERBURY DEMOCRATS SERVICE BU- REAU, 1913 Thirteenth Street, Washington, D. c.
 THE EDITOR o. Why do some soaps float and others sink in water?
 A. Those that float contain numerous air bubbles that make the soap lighter than an equal vol- ume of water.
 o. Who was President of the United States during the Revolu- tionary War?
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
Daily Almanac
! sets 1l:20 p. m.

Moon sets 1l:20 p. m.
 Sun rises 7:16 a. m.; sets 4:3l p. m.
 All vehicles must be lighted thirty minutes after sunset.
 December came in with snow and ice coat ing the ground. It looks as if 1t would go out the same way. It's the first month in 1888 that we have seen forecasts based on change of phase in the moon practically right every time
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

 last page for the answers. l. In which State is Lake Okee- chobee?
 2. Whom did President Roosevelt recently appoint Surgeon General of the Navy, with the rank of Rear Admiral?
 3. What is ph0noscope? { What is the name for persons who devote their lives to the study or collection of antiquities? 5. In which city is the Field Mu- scum of Natural History2 6. What is antimony? T. What does the Italian word maestro mean?
 8. Tn units of length, how many links are in one mile? g. Which country uses as na- tional insignia a crossed hammer and sickle?
 10. Where is the city Of 0uaya- quil2
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

which is a harmless departure from fact. Few columnSts do.
 From Hollywood, our favorite movie star, the blonde Marie Wilson --one memorable evening we spent in the film center was at dinner with this unique creature wires her pla- tonic love (darn itl) and best wishes. A sterling actor, John Alexander, also uses the telegraph system to convey his Christmas cheer.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2S, 1888
A Thought for Today

One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.-EcclesiasteS 1:4
 what must be shall be: and that which is necessity to him that struggles, is little more than choice to him that is willing.-Seneca.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

If you want . copy of our book to The Waterbury Democrats Washington Bureau, 1913 Thir- teenth street, Washington, D. c. Enclose 10 cents in postage.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

Thirty-two Manx doctors on the Isle of Man have protested against two Jewish doctors, Austrian refu- gees, taking up practice there.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

Mankind is reverting to the tribal stage, with this difference = with pres ent weapons it's easier for the tribes to destroy each other.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
sy DREW rRARsols
anA ROBEET c A11Al. 7

Jockson, Murphy and Brion McAohon lnNew. DeoI Row Over Cummings Job; Garner Urges Roosevelt Not to Appoint
 DonoId Smith to the Labor Boord Again;
 Says the Senote Will Not Confirm Him,
 Giving Advantage to Anti-New Dealers
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

Some people fish in troubled waters. and others just trouble the fiShin' waters.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
Peace on Earth-Maybe

KcdCc Ou EAEtu-NdyUC
 The most cynical greeting in the mail is from Walter Hartwig, the mountainous, volcanic man who gave us our initial job when we wore our knuckles out rapping on producers doors in quest of work on any side of the footlights. Walters artist has drawn 8 fairly gruesome catalogue of the worlds ills across 8 wide parchment. punctuated by slogans of "Klil, Revolt, Purge, Strikel" and so on. Under this happy illustration, Walter urges Peace on Earth. Good Will to Men," He always faced his friends with candor.
 Frank Libuse, whose anctics as a gag maitre d,hotel had the town holding its sides months ago, went to the glad pains of greeting his friends in brilliant pictures that he drew himself.
 Mother Leone, whom we along with any satellite of the sports world regard as the best feminine cook in New York. is among those who send kind remembrances. There is an aesthetic card from Emil Coleman the smoothie maestro, and a family portrait of the Meyer Davis family all beaming with holiday solicitude
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

Q. From what material are Panama hats made?
 A. From native Panama palm grass, which is cut while somewhat green. It is boiled and dried in the sun.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
Sway Greetings

Sway Greetings
 Guy Lombardo wires his most dulcet salutations and part French chanteuse, Yvonne Bouvier, who has sung more of our favortte songs than we've had a right to request, 1- hstrates her own billet with pen sketch of her pretty face. A glamor- ous cameo framed in silver oval brings us the greetings of the season from Hope Hampton.
 Miss Irene Bordoni, Paris gift to New York, indites a thank you" note for kind words we may have said about her, next to her seasonal salute. Mary Martin who is our fa- vorite girl of the year (she is the toast of Leave It to Me'O sends us a greeting that is charming for its simplicity.
 One of our most valued cards is from Joe Cook who has mixed un- affected altruism with warm greet ings in it, for it is a paste-job of Tuberculosis Fund stamps.
 A Christmas remembrance from Stan True, the genial man over at American Airlines who nursed us into our maiden voyage aloft and was saint-like in his patience. R. H. Burnside sends us a vignette of our- selves. reading our own column,
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

WASHINGTON, December 28. - There have been plenty of braws among the New Dealers but nothing like the who should succeed Attorney General Cum mings For bare-knucke mauling and gougng it takes Ina okn
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
TODAY'S COMMON ERROR Do not say, "They bought the
 land with . view of making . profit; say, "view to mak- ing a profit"

A. The office of President of the United States was not created until the adoption of the Constitution of the United States in 17ss. No such office existed during the Revolu- tionary War.
 e. Which are the three largest city parks in the United States?
 A. Fairmount Park, Philadel- phia; Rock Creek Park, Washing ton, D. C.; and Pelham Bay Park, New York, in that order.
 e. Does the Republic of Panama get a percentage of the postal re- ceipts of the Canal Zone?
 A. No.
 @. What is the address of The British and Foreign Bible Society?
 A. 146 Queen Victoria St., E. C.. 4, London, England.
 @. Please give the titles of the songs that Rosemary Lane sings in Four Daughters"
 A. She sings Mende1ssohn's "On Wings of Song," Schubert's "Seren- ade," Brahms Lullaby" and Brahms "Medgerose."
 Q. When did Christmas fall on Sunday prior to 1888?
 A. 1882.
 o. How is the name of the liquer Creme de Cacao" pro- nounced?
 A. Krame day kah-kay'-o.
 Q. From what material are Panama hats made?
 A. From native Panama palm grass, which is cut while somewhat
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28
Test Y Q ar Knowledge

Can you answer seven of these test questions? Turn to last page for the answers.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

Copyright, 1888, by United Feature Syndicate, Incl
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

Q. How is the name of the liquer Creme de Cacao" pro- nounced?
 A. Krame day kah-kay'-o.
The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-12-28

Q. When did Christmas fall on Sunday prior to 1888? A. 1882.
The Washington times., 1938-06-17
Two Score of Roosevelts
On Hand to See John Wed

ON THE EVE Of their
wedding, John Roosevelt,
the Presidents youngest
son, and his bride-tO-be,
Anne Lindsay Clark, were
photographed informally on
the Clark estate at Nahant,
Mass. They are to be mar
ried tomorrow.
The Washington times., 1938-06-17
HERE IS NAKED
TRUTH IN REGARD
TO BARE STROLL
Bare Facts Only Given
Of Au Natural Stunt

Boy!
Bring over that box of wheezeS
about bare facts, the naked truth
and also that birthday suit refer
ence. We're going to need 'em
all for this yarn!
1t seems that Robert Reno, who
lives at 1915 A st. S. E., went
walking this morning at 1880
And there wouldn't have been
anything to make news about that
except that Mr., Reno did this all
natural, which is Gallo euphem-
ism for naked.
Even that wouldn't have been
particularly interesting news if
Mrs. w. A. Purll hadn't happened
to look out of her window at
Eighteenth ana A Streets South
east and seen Mr.. Reno cavorting
about the apartment lawn, laugh
ing and having quite a time!
Also a truck driver happened
to see Mr.. Reno as he wandered,
clad in the morning sunlight and
wreathed in smiles, to the back
yard of the apartment. Now the
truck driver thought something
should be done, and he remem-
bered that the police are trained
to cope with any emergency. So
he called the boys from the Ninth
precinct.
They caught up with Mr.. Reno,
learned that he lived at 1915 A
St, took him home, and found
out that once he had walked
through Worcester (MasS.) streets
in midwinter, clad in very little
more than he wore this morning.
Also that about a week ago he
had done the same thing!
Mrs. Margaret Reno, Roberts
mother, promised to keep the
doors locked hereafter.
Robert. by the way. is 3, going
IN
The Washington times., 1938-06-17
4-H GROUP TOLD
ABOUT WEATHER

The 1859 of the nations future
farmers encamped on the Monu.
ment Grounds heard today how
the weather forecasts, which SO
closely affect their home life. are
determined. The explanation,
made to the All Club annual en-.
campment, came from Willis R.
Gregg, chief of the Weather
Bureau.
Earlier in the day the delegates
swan in the East Potomac Park
pool. The afternoon was spent
sightseeing.
Meanwhile, 1t was announced
that two former All Club mem
bers, Blanche Brobeil, of Boone
Iowa, and Max A. Culp, of Char,
lotte. N. c., have been awarded
the 1888 National All Club fellow,
ships Of $1,000 each made by the
Payne Fund of New York City.
Miss Brobeil was an Iowa dele
gate to the 1880 camp. while Cup
was a delegate from North Caro-.
lima in 1882. They will come to
Washington in October for a nine.
months study with the Depart
ment of Agriculture.