davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1941-01-16
Plymouth

Dispatches from England report
that German bombers have left
Plymouth "a sorry sight" The refer
ence, obviously, is to the beautiful
old seaport of Devonshire, known to
and keenly appreciated by three
living generations of travelling
Americans.
Something better than two hundred
miles from London, the town never
theless was a gateway of a sort to
the metropolis in Elizabethan times.
Colonization of the New World
brought the place a durable pros
perity. Sir Walter Raleigh sailed
from Plymouth Sound for Virginia
in 1884. The one hundred and one
Pilgrims of the Mayflower company
were banqueted in building until
recently still standing. 1t was in
1920 that their best British ship
at1oat" set forth across the Atlantic.
Martin Frobisher and Sir Humphrey
Gilbert already had made the name
of the port famous. 1t was the de-
parture point of Sir Francis Drake
when he commenced his voyage
round the globe in 1877. Captain
James Cook in the Endeavour moved
out of the Sound for New Zealand
in 1769 Within the circle of hills
which guarded the docks and piers
the English fleet waited for the
Spanish Armada in 1888. The Black
Prince, Warwick and Clarence, Mar
garet of Anjou, Katharine of Aragon,
Admiral Blake, William of Orange
the shades of these worthless are said
to move through the ancient streets.
Of course, the Roman Catholic
cathedral, the Church of st. Andrew,
the Guild Hall, the Citadel, the shops
and stores and houses which have
served a quarter million residents
and unnumbered tranSients these
many years may be battered to pieces.
The NaziS have the power to ruin
the physical aspect of Plymouth as
they have blasted London, Coventry,
Southampton, Bristol and other CEN
ters of British life. 1t is part of the
business of modern war to commit
such crimes against civilians. But
the legend of England is not hurt
by destruction. The tradition of the
people of this dear, dear Isle" per-
sists. Nothing that Adolf Hitler can
do with his stukas will destroy the
faith and the hope by which his foes
are sustained. The futility of trying
to accomplish that must be evident
now, after months of experimental
devastation.
Evening star., 1941-01-16
Let Us Remember Lee as Youno

(From q portrait at West Point
For all the glory of IMMORTAL Lee
At Charlottesville, genius who fired
His followers to blind idolatry,
A picture I have long admired
Is Lee, cadet endowed with boyish charm,
West Point and shadows Of Filtration
Walk,
A girl in crinoline upon his arm,
His dark eyes flashing as they talk.
All honest history has given him
The greenest laurels honor may be-
stow,
Yet I would keep Lee for an interim
Untouched by destiny, aglow
With youth. Never was braver soldier,
cause
More chivalrous, but Robert was lad
Like any other, happy for applause,
Now difldent, now strangely sad.
Though all remember him with whitened
hair,
On Traveller, his figure still unbowed,
Somehow like to see him debonair,
Before his greatness, like cloud,
Had made him solitary, one apart.
o constantly will Lees renown be
sung
He lives forever in our country's heart,
So let me picture him as youngl
LOUISE CRENsHAw RAY.
Evening star., 1941-01-16
Wants Republicans to Support
'The Peoples Choice"
To the Editor of The Star.

To the Editor of The Star:
In his column for January 10, David
Lawrence paints picture of the Re-
publican Congressman which, if true,
represents them at their worst. They
did not applaud the Presidents address
and do not trust him because "he never
mentioned the name of his opponent in
the campaign-he failed to attend the
Gridiron dinner at which Mr.. Willkie
was an invited guest-they are firmly
convinced that the artificial draft and
exploitation of the war crisis abroad
were responsible for the loss to them
of the national election" With these
momentous things on their minds, some
Republican Congressman are sulking
These esteemed gentlemen forget that
this country is one in which the ma
jority candidate occupies the seat of
the mighty and that the people are
overwhelmingly for President Roosevelt
and his policies. 1t behooves them to
remember that unless they play ball
with the peoples choice, they are quite
likely to find themselves on the sidelines
In the next election.
Berkeley, Calf. DIR. OLIVE sWEzY.
Evening star., 1941-01-16
British Medicine

In a manner little short of mar
velous, British medicine has shoul-
dered heavy responsibility during
the past few months. 1t has labored
under the most adverse circum-
stances possible. Yet in the face of
drastically reduced budgets, lack of
essential foods and fuels, and the
constant nervous strain of the Eng
lish people, there have been no wide
spread epidemicS, no overt signs of
malnutrition, little decline in the
general health. This has not been,
in any large measure, a matter of
luck. For the most part it has been
due to the devotion to duty, the con-
slant vigilance and the admirable
organization of the British medical
profession. Even with such heavy
burdens, and with many Of its men,
bers in the army and navy, it has
continued the fundamental jobs of
research, made notable discoveries
such as pencillin, and thus improved
health and prolonged life the world
over.
America has much to learn from
this record. Surgeon General Thomas
Parran is sailing for England on
Saturday to spend several weeks
studying the organization and meth
DDS of the British medical services.
He will be accompanied by other
physicians, presumably American
service officers. They may be able
to offer valuable suggestion, but
there is little question but that they
will bring back more than they give.
Upon no other foundation stone
does nation depend more than on
the health of it's people. In the
emergency which now faces the
United States it is essential to draw
upon all the experience of a country
which has met the challenge so
Skillfully. In this unprecedented
kind of war the medical problems
which arise also are unprecedented.
There are few beaten trails to fol-
low. British medicine has met these
problems and has explored new
trails. Its experience should prove
invaluable
Evening star., 1941-01-16
THIS AND THAT
Bu Charles E. TrdceUelI.

Speaking of the husks which have been
discarded around thriving bird feed
ing station, 1t may be said that 1t is
good general policy to keep this matter
cleaned up.
Persons who put out just handful of
seed or breadcrumbs day, or maybe not
that often, will not realize how much
refuse can collect around feeding sta
ton in which many pounds of food are
fed day after day.
There are, Of course, two main methods
of feeding
The first may be called, in the new
popular phrase, the "all out" method of
feeding.
In the "all out" method we give all the
birds which come as much food as they
can eat all day long from first light to
last.
The second method is one which some
folks prefer, and certainly it is far less
expensive. Just enough food is put out
in the morning to give the feathered
hosts a good breakfast.
Then in the late afternoon a supper is
placed for them.
In this way they are fed, but they
must fill in for themselves as best they
can. 1t keeps them scratching, in the
belief of its proponents.
Both methods have their uses. hut
surely the "all OUT method is both the
birds favorite and also of the human
being who gives it fair trial. He or she
has more birds, and has them more con-
stantly, except at times when a hawk
or air rifle invasion happens to scare
them away for time.
*
Sparse feeders may not realize lust
how much of mess a hundred or so
birds can create in a month
Discarded husks of seeds are spread
for feet in every direction, and often
as much as or inches thick.
II warm spell arrives, with rains,
these husks may mildew, and cause an
unpleasant odor, to say nothing of the
fact that they are unsightly, and per-
haps dangerous to the birds. because
birds are true children of nature. not ar
all f1nicky, and insist on grubbing in
the mass for seeds which have been
missed.
Ornithologists believe that certain bird
diseases may be caused by eating mouldy
seed.
1t is a good plan, therefore, to clean
up around an active feeding station at
least every four weeks, and two or three
weeks would be better.
1t is not particularly good idea to
feed ground beef at this time of year.
In the spring and summer, when the
fedglings are coming along, ground beef
is a great help to the parent birds
In winter, however, it serves merely
to draw hawks and starlings. A hand
ful, now and then may be helpful, but
1t cannot be recommended for general
feeding at this time of year.
1t is a question whether the cardinal
or the blue jay is the king of the Wild
birds"
For sheer majesty of appearance and
action we rather hand the crown to the
jay.
What do you think?
Evening star., 1941-01-16
Wuqe Demands in Britain

If a survey Of social conditions, IN
which field he is a specialist, is one
of the purposes of Harry l.. Hopkins
mission, President RoOSevelt'S per-
Sonal emisSary would seem to have
arrived in London at pSyCholog1-
cal moment. In addition to para
mount problems of national de-
fense. Britain is suddenly faced by
a wages crisis in the armament in
duStry. A million workers have
asked an increase of five cents an
hour in pay now averaging seven
teen dollars a week. They base the
demand on higher cost of wartime
living. Shipbuilding workers seek a
similar "rise." AS the law bans
strikes, labor must submit its griev-
ances to official arbitration tri-
bunals, which have taken them
under advisement.
These bodies have already granted
many minor wage increases. In the
first ten months of 1910, 100000
workers received additions averaging
a dollar week. But labor claims
the government has not kept down
living costs as a means of controlling
the vicious spiral" and that it has
become a "one-track" spiral marked
by skyrocketing prices out of all
proportion to wages. Employers,
pledging new deal" when the war
is won and intermediate wage boosts
to workers actually in want, con-
tend that the hour which finds the
whole nation in a grim struggle for
survival is no time to slow output
or force wages up. Management
points out that not only is British
labor better off than working men
anywhere else in Europe, but that
increased domestic sales of goods
due to workers augmented purchaS-
ing power-would prevent exports
required for foreign exchange to pay
war bills abroad.
Labor apparently is not impressed
by those arguments. Associated
Press correspondents report it as
saying: 1--WE want a better deal now.
We don't want to wait until the war
is over" 1t alleges there still are
almost a million jobless in Britain
and that ce-fxing and other de-
vices to keep food costs down have
failed to prevent them from outdis-
tancing wages. Complaints are made,
too, that the pinch of rationing is
not felt by the rich. Labor insists it
will endure anything for victory as
long as all are treated alike.
Demands for fatter pay envelopes
stress the hardship of subsisting on
a seventeen dollar weekly wage, with
rent costing $6; coal, $1.20; cigarettes,
30 cents a pack; beef, 35 cents a
| pound; lamb, 80 cents; eggs, Z cents
Evening star., 1941-01-16

apiece; bacon, 40 cents a pound;
flour, cents. and potatoes, cents.
The prevailing seventeen dollar
wage is said to be forty-three per
cent higher than pre-war, but work.
ing hours are longer.
British workers are capably and
Loyalty represented in the Churchill
government, with leaders like Ernest
Bevin and Herbert Morrison in posts
of responsibility. The hope seems
justified that with such spokesmen
in the high command, labor's inter-
ests will be safeguarded to the widest
extent that war exigencies permit.
Evening star., 1941-01-16
Praises China for Resisting
japanese Invaders.
To the Editor of The Star


In the midst of all this world turmoil
there is one nation that has stood out
firmly and resolutely against aggression
without receiving the proper credit I
refer to China. Primitive, illiterate, weak,
lacking in all the essentials of modern
warfare except courage, the Chinese
have resisted Japans attempt to domi-
nate them for nearly four years. Re-
Gently Japanese military spokesman
admitted that hopes of conquering China
had vanished.
The Chinese recognized their enemy
from the outset, although the japanese
brought with them the pretty disarming
phrases of the aggressors that they were
there to help China, to free her from
Russia, to rid her of British, French and
American imperialisms.
Is it not strange that those nations
which are the most primitive have the
keenest sense of reality? When they
observe foreign agents at work they
ignore the honied words which the more
sophisticated permit to trick them. Life
for them is harder and their vision
clearer.
The Presidents program of aid to
China is one which in the long run will
pay this country rich rewards in the
friendship of nation which sooner than
many think will be a mighty power in
the world. JOHN ARCHER.
Evening star., 1941-01-16
EAST FALLS CHURCH. VA.

Dedr SlI.
"The New Yesr was greeted with much
hilarity among the feathered folk, since
their regular fare was supplemented by
a handful of ground beef which was
withheld from the dogs dinner the
previous afternoon, to reciprocate for
an equal portion Of suet which was
stolen from the woodpecker by the dog.
1.-The earliest of the breakfast guests
is the cardinal, who perches on a nearby
bush and respectfully waits until his
mate has eaten enough sunf1ower seed
to satisfy her modest appetite, but not
until she leaves the breakfast board will
he alight for his meal, nor will he
breakfast with other birds.
HE is not so concerned about his hun
ger but insists on solitude and must be
lord and master Of the board. The dig
nifty and poise which he displays bespeaks
him as the very king of the wildbirds.
THE handful of beef was spotted by
five or six jays, while the cardinal was
concerned only with the sunf1ower seeds,
having just begun his breakfast, and in
a few minutes little white hen reached
the scene. Thereupon the jays began
contending for the beef, the cardinal
flying of in disgust, while the white
hen lost no time devouring the grains
After the smoke of battle died down the
chickadees, titmice, juncos and nut
matches made general cleanup.
This short colorful display of the
national colors furnished the observer,
whose imagination is ever tuned for such
sights, the belief that the wildbirds have
their own way of ushering in the New
Year, which is so full of promise.
Sincerely yours, o. E. c."
person interested in natural objects
will always keep eyes and ears open for
them.
In this way he is able to see much that
escapes the person who is interested
mainly in man-made objects.
1t was a red-letter day for one such
observer when he saw woodpecker on
the ground for the first time.
He had been watching these ODD fel-
lows for many years, but had yet to see
one OF Jnem anywhere except On tree
trunk or "a house.
Yet here suddenly was a downy wood
pecker, smallest OF the tribe, calmly
walking around in the husks in front
of the feeding station beneath the maple.
While tree trunks and limbs seem the
most natural places for woodpeckers
they sometimes may be seen on rooftops
and even on cornices or metal down.
spouts.
1t is not generally known, perhaps, that
when a woodpecker drums on a metal
object it is singing love song. This is
about as near as this bird comes to sing
ing. Even woodpecker knows it is not
going to be able to find an insect in
any hole it might manage to drill into a
downspout or gutter
1t is simply doing it for the fun of it,
to roll out its own kind of melody This
bird is the real drummer boy of bird
land 1t not only is able to drum rhyth-
mically, but it selects the two best ma
terials, wood and metal, for its work.
Evening star., 1941-01-16
Emergency Finances

In a report published this week,
the Brookings Institution has pre-
sented arguments for reducing nom
military outlays, broadening the tax
base and increasing tax rates which
merit the consideration OF every
American at this time, as the coun-
try faces the question OF financing
the total defense program. II ma
tionaI income can be increased to
an annual average of S05 900 ,OOO,OOU
over the next three years-and our
income this year seems likely to ap-
proach this fgure-if military ap-
preparations are held down to clearly
established essentials, taxes raised,
and their base widened, and nom
military expenditures drastically re-
duced, the defense program can be
financed, according to the Brook
ings Institution report, without in
creasing the public debt.
Though it is perhaps too much to
hope that rearmament can be paid
for without some resort to borrow
ing, prudent management" is clearly
needed in dealing with the financial
problems of rearmament, as DR..
Harold G. Moulton points out in
summary of the Brookings Instltu-
ton study. The achievement OF a
balanced budget, he says would have
three results. First, it would prevent
dislocationS arising from Imitation
during the present emergency. Sec
ond, it would mitigate the depressing
effects of postwar readJustment
that would otherwise be caused by
deflation. And third, it would pro
vide a basis for confidence in the
Nations ability to maintain fiscal
and financial equilibrium in the
future Even though it may be i'm
possible to finance rearmament
strictly on a "pay-as-you-go" basis,
the more nearly the Federal budget
is kept in balance, the easier will be
the transition, at the end of the
present emergency, from war to
a peace economy.
That the American people, to de-
fend democracy as a way Of life, are
willing to pay more taxes, is not to
be doubted. In addition to increas-
ing taxes, Congress should broaden
Evening star., 1941-01-16
For Self

Opponents of increased aid to Brit
ain have sought to show that the ad-
ministration's policy is intervention
list rather than defensive. They have
|. endeavored to draw a distinction be-
tween arms for embattled democra-
cies and arms for our own Army and
Navy, between the defense of Eng
land and the defense of the American
hemisphere. 1t was in emphatic refu-
tation of such arguments that Sec
retary of State Hull Solemnly de-
scribed to the House Committee on
Foreign Affairs yesterday the critical
situation which confrontS the world
today. With 'forces of conquest now
on the march across the earth" with
dictators showing no qualms about
scrapping treaties and international
law in their ruthless quest for power
and loot, with neutrality and ap-
peasement doctrines constituting in
vitations to be attacked, it has be-
come increasingly difficult to draw
any real distinction between the de-
fense of Great Britain, of Greece or
of China, on the one hand, and of
the Americas, on the other.
Secretary Hull properly stresses
that the democratic world-What
little there is left that is free-can-
not afford to regard the Battle of
Britain, the Greco-Italian campaign
or the Sino-Japanese hoStilities as
regional wars or isolated conflicts"
They are far more than that. They
are parts of an audaciouS tripartite
pattern of aggression, designed by
forces which are not restrained by
considerations of law or principles of
morality; which have no fixed limits
for their program of conquest; which
have spread over large areas of land
and are desperately struggling now to
seize control of the oceans as an eS-
sential means of achieving and main
tanning their conquest Of the other
countries"
If control of those oceans should
pass from democratic hands into
those of totalitarian opponents of
ominous new orders" the front lines
of this worldwide war of conquest
automatically would close in upon us
from both sides. The Atlantic and
the Pacific Oceans are barriers to the
aggreSsorS only so long as Britannia
and America rule the waves. The
British Navy is our strong right arm
in the present emergency, for, alone,
we have not the naval strength today
to maintain dominance of two oceans
against a combination of tripartite
powers. This is the stark, dark pic
ture that Secretary Hull so ably pre-
sented to the House committee yes
terday; and it is against this back
ground that the administration
lend-lease plan of maximum aid to
Britain must be considered. This is
a proposal for all-out help to an ally
blocking the ocean highway between
axis-controlled Europe and the
Western World; hence, it is a self-de-
fense measure of paramount urgency.
The bill can Standard undoubtedly
will undergo-certain revisionS; but
in its broad aspects it is security in
surance of the highest Importance.
Evening star., 1941-01-16
Rejects Pacifism to Join
In Resistance to Intolerance.
To the Editor OF The Sta

To the Editor Of The Star:
A few years ago I was a pacifst,
fed up on capitalistic wars History
seemed to indicate that every American
war since the revolution was at core an
economic struggle. Of course, all were
given a patriotic or altruistic back
ground. The industrial clash between
the abolition of human slavery, and the
interests of United States money invested
in Cuban sugar were cloaked with a
humanitarian mantle of concern for
freedom of the exploited peoples of Cuba.
But today I am not a paciflst. The
return of the paganistic culture which
threatens to overcome the feeble light
Of Christian civilization would force
every believer in altruistic good to rise
against and meet the return of the
monsters out of the dark ages.
The essence of Fascism and Nazism
is anti-Christ. Christianity overthrew
the favored people" gospel of the Jews.
The Christ, Of the Gentiles Symbonzed
the spirit of universal brotherhood, and
the God of superior race was elimi-
mated, The Germans revived a pagan
myth and invented a theistic philosophy.
Every Christian or minority group
member in the world should align
against this sinister force. We can af-
ford to dismiss Communism, a political
theory which will fail when tried oL-,
as it always has. Human nature detests
drabness and dead level mediocrity.
Fascism Is religious zeal. 1t has the
fervor of the Zealots of the Inquisition.
Its believers are stirred to excesses
equalled only by savages. 1t justifes
no contracts, no faith between its super
men and individuals of other races.
Americans who subscribe to discrim-
atory practices against racial or re-
ligious minorities are at heart already
Fascistic. These people are the fifth
columnists" in America.
E. B. HENDERSON.
Falls Church, Va.
Evening star., 1941-01-16
Traces Prevailing Conflict
To Pair of Dictators.
To the Editor of The Star:

Should Hitler and Mussolini die 1t is
at least conceivable that the axis bubble
would burst for lack of leadership, espe-
cially as the people are war-weary. And
SO it would seem that the war is being
waged largely in order to vanquish
Adolf and Benito. In other words, some
100 million or more helpless civilians
are subjected to starvation and the man.
fold horrors of war because these
aggressive rulers are in command.
One is reminded of the man who
burnt his barn and all that it contained
in order to get rid of few rats.
A PLEA FOR PEACE.
Evening star., 1941-01-16
Liberty. the Cool
From the Providence, r. l., Sunday

From the Providence, r. L. Sunday Journal:
Neither war nor peace in this tragic
moment of world history is the end all
of us in America seek. The end we seek
for the Nation as whole and for our
selves as individuals is life of freedom
in the democratic and Christian way
That is the objective. Whichever road
we may have to take we must take to
secure such a life for ourselves and for
the generations Of the future.
Evening star., 1941-01-16
Suggests President Roosevelt
Seeks "WOrld Influence"

To the Editor of The Star:
To those who believe that only Hitler,
Mussolini and Stain have the world
influence bee in their bonnets, the fol-
lowing proposal, accredited to President
Roosevelt by Jay Franklin in a recent
article, may be revealing:
Freedom of speech and expression
everywhere in the worldA
Freedom OF every person to worship
God in his own way-everywhere in the
world.
Freedom from want-everywhere in
the world
Freedom from fear-everywhere in
the world" J.J. SPERRY.
woodstock, Va.
Evening star., 1941-01-16

their base, thus distributing the bur-
den of. financing rearmament more
widely, and reduce non-military ex-
penditures to the bone. Such reduc-
ton will require courage, but cour-
age is plainly called for in meeting
the fiscal problems of rearmament.