Evening star., 1941-10-19
Arlington Swimming Star Wins Many Medals Eastern Tournaments
Just
Between
Ourselves
|. BY PHILIP III. LOVE
Junior Star Editor


One of the most perpleXing prob
lens engaging the attention Of
Washington authorities at present
is how to make the city's streets
safe for its people.
Everybody. from President Roose-
welt down. is concerned with this
problem. And while everybody talks
about it. the number Of persons
killed and injured by automobile;
and other vehicles continues TO
mount.
Perhaps there is no real solution
i for one don't pretend to know.
But one thing I do know, and that
is that. in this age of high-speed
travel on loW-speed streets and
highways, every individual must
learn to fend for himself if he
hopes to attain anything approaching
his allotted threescore and 10 years.
And I know of no better way to
learn to look out for oneself than
by taking lessons from the expert
enCe of others.
For instance, I have before me
table of figures issued by the Depart
ment of Vehicles and Traffic. 1t
shows that out of a total OF 887
children injured in traffic accidents
during the fiscal year ended last
June 80. only 72 were observing the
ordinary rules Of safety. In other
words, of the 815 boys and girls who
were hurt, it may be said, in the
slanguage of the day. They asked
for it."
Statistics are ordinarily dull-but
certainly not that one. On the con-
trary. 1t is both dramatic and mean
ingful. 1t means. if you will pause
to reflect on it for but a moment,
that if those 8l5 youngsters had
obeyed the rules of safety the num-
Der OF juvenile traffic injuries last
year would have been only 72 in
stead of 887. And if that isn't a
dramatic realization 1 don't know
what is.
Maybe YOU would like to know
In what ways these unfortunate
children were disobeying the rules
of safety. Well, here are some more
of the figures compiled by the De-
partment of Vehicles and Safety;
Crossing streets elsewhere than
at croSswalks. 1856 stepping from
behind parked or passing cars, 1871;
playing in streets, l72: engaging IN
other dangerous practices, l16;
riding bicycles, skating and coast
ing. 108: becoming confused or in
attentive. AZ.
And what. you ask. can YOU learn
from those dry statistics? Simply
that
If those 1876 boys and girls had
crossed streets at crosswalks-
If the 16l had done likewise, in
stead of stepping from behind
parked or passing automobile
If the 172 had gone to play
grounds. or stayed in their yards,
instead of playing in the streets
If the 116 had not engaged in
other dangerous practices
If the I08 had exercised greater
care in their bicycling. skating and
Coasting-
If the AZ had kept their heads,
as the saying is. instead of becoming
confused or Inattentive-
The number of youngsters hurt
in traffic accidents last year might
well have been only 70, instead of
S97!
=
Junior jott.ngs:
Jack Guy Wood. 10. whose father
was a United States Consul in
France until last July. is among
this years crop of new students
at Mckinley High School
Jeanne Barinott, IA. one of Techs
several j. S. correspondents, re-
Gently won a tennis racket by writ
ing an essay and solving a puzzle
for the Quiz Kids Magazine :.
Anna E. Moore, Is, Roosevelt High
School. contributed her last J. S.
prize dollar to the Red Cross cam
paign She also has been buying
defense stamps lately, she writes.
AllU SIlt dOuS. L all SldU 1Ilt
Junior Star is back on the air. I
have been listening to the programs
every week and have enjoyed them"
Ah-hal A FAM Carmaleta
Brewster is president of a club COM
posed of a dozen Calvin Coolidge
High School girls. The name of the
organization is "ThothekaS,' which.
according TO J. S. Correspondent
Demetra Bacas, is Greek for the
number Of members . Demetras S
cousin. Magdalene Louvis of Sum-
NIT, N. j., became a J. S. contribu-
tor during a recent visit to WASH
ingtOn. She won a dollar. and
now she writes: Perhaps you would
like to know how I'm going to spend
it. I intend to do an unusual thing
with it,-save it for rainy day"
Well, unless the weather man does
better than he has been doing lately,
Magdalene is likely to hold onto
her prize money for a long time
. Elizabeth Arms, Central High
School, and Shirley Jackson, Hy-
attsville Md High School, are
authors of poems appearing in the
current issue of the poetry maga-
zine Whispers.