davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
THIS AND THAT
BY Charles E. Trdce1peH.

Squirrels in any one group differ ire
mendously in their tameness or lack
thereof
OF the eight animals which frequent
our yard regularly, only one seems to
have any desire to be friendly.
Even he will not permit any one to
come closer than 3 or feet. The re-
mainder are as wild as they come, and
this after 10 years of feeding them. You
might think that in such a length of
time they would become used to those
who fed them regularly.
Yet squirrel down in the next block
came down a tree and seemed to be
begging for peanuts. No doubt this was
an animal which had been tanned by
some one person who fed it in this way.
II these little beggars are made to
plead for their dinner, they will do So
and hence we say they are tame"
If food is placed out for them, along
with the birds, they take it simply as
matter of finders are keepers" as the
old saying has it.
Probably they do not understand in
the least that the food has been put
there.
They just find it there, that is all. If
they have any thought about it, they
must think of themselves as remarkably
clever to find SO much food for them
selves every day
Sometimes persons who feed the birds
wonder if they are doing the right thing.
Will this daily aid, they ask them
selves, make the birds soft" that is,
will it make them lose their ability to
find food in forest and field?
The answer to that is that the birds
must look upon themselves as very, very
clever in finding food so easily.
When they stick to eating it, day after
day, they are not losing their ability to
use their instincts, but are really using
them in just the same way they would
be if they were flying through the woods
to look for food
They find more here, and at the same
place, but that is the only difference.
In any case they are exercising all their
ability at finding food
There seems to be a constant change
in the squirrel population of any sub
urban neighborhood.
One peculiarly marked specimen will
be seen for a year. then it will not be
sighted again.
Probably the annual hunting season
drives many of the forest squirrels into
the suburban sections. where they settle
down for the winter if they find ready
food.
The young ones remain in the block
where they are born for the first winter.
but whether they stay thereafter is hard
to say. Squirrels are restless animals,
always on the CO. 1t would be strange if
they stayed put, as a sedentary human
might.
Squirrels look so much alike that it is
difficult for the average garden observer
to know whether the particular one he
sees at any time is the same one he saw
the day before.
We would advise no one to try to find
out by attaching bell or other marker.
Those sharp teeth will show in a flash
that the squirrel is true individualist.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
Dangerous Innovation

A new grass is being developed for
putting greens that is expected by
its introducer to be a great boon to
that backbone of golf, the duffer.
Hitherto he has had to contend with
rough green's afflicted with patches,
no great handicap, perhaps, to the
expert, but serious matter to the
dub. Now, with the new product,
automatically designated as c l.,
he gets a surface practically as good
as that of billiard table slightly
in need of a shave.
1t is not yet estimated how many
strokes C is worth. If it could be
trained to act like a sunflower and
lean toward the cup, forming fool
proof pathways to that desirable
goal, it would be almost as valuable
as a caddie trained to kick the ball
into a good lie when the opponent
is not looking. But if, as seems more
probable, it fails to realize it's re-
sponsibilities, it may actually be a
liability and not an asset The "a
handicap player prizes, next to the
impossible boon of a good score, a
good alibi for not getting it, and
from time immemorial has been
accustomed to making rough greens
take the rap. Deprived of this OPP
pOrtunity by the encrOachment of
C /, he may feel almost as restless
and frustrated as the notorious
Philip Nolan, the Man Without q
Country.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
One Tongue, Perhaps?

A proposal for the development of
q language which may be employed
throughout the Western Hemisphere
has been announced by DR.. Bronson
Price of Ohio State University. The
plan anticipates the scientific crea-
ton of q new medium of expression
biased on the language customs
already familiar to the peoples of
the Americas" Professional lin
gusts, it is explained, are to do the
work. The result will not be Eng
lish, and it will not be Spanish,
Portuguese or French" Perhaps it
is intended to borrow phrases from
all existing tongues. If so, a pot
pourri of sort would be produced,
and doubtless any such melange
would serve the need, at least in
part.
English, however, could meet the
requirement equally well. There is
nothing essentially limited about the
language of Shakespeare and Milton,
nor about that of colloquial mod
ernists like H. L. Mencken and
Sinclair Lewis. Fragments of the
jargon wrought by the Bard OF
Avon and the author of Main
Street" already are current in the
countries south of the Rio Grande.
Their adaptability is symptomatic of
their vitality. With reasonable con-
cessions to local preferences, they
adjust themselves to most practical
uses. Tars from ships of the United
States Navy are in little danger of
starving in Rio or Santiago for lack
of ways and means of ordering
meals. Money helps them in their
effort to make their wishes under
stood.
And the pragmatic element, it
ought to be remembered, is ire
mendously important in any problem
involving the manners of nations
Speech, it might be argued, follows
trade. The ancient merchant
mariners of the Mediterranean
spread Greek and later Latin in
their quest for business. So, too
prevailing enterprises of defense
embracing as they do the entire
Western Hemisphere, have a COM
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
Defends Local Drivers
Against Strangers Criticism.
To the Editor of The Star

To the Editor of The Star:
A letter by Arthur G. Peacock. ia
malca, N. Y, appeared in The Star of
January "a to the effect that Washing
ton drivers are more reckless than those
residing elsewhere.
My occupation necesstates that I
make my home wherever ordered. This
has resulted in my holding driving
licenses in most of the large cities on
the coast line of the United States.
1t has been my experience that each
city has Its own system of driving
My impression when driving in a strange
city has invariably been that of Mr..
Peacock, and my opinion has been SINH
lar to his. However, after a short period
I become native to the extent that what
I had considered recklessness became
logical action and I had to watch my
step when driving in another city. In
this connection, 1 never took a wilder
ride than on the ramp to the Holland
tunnel. felt like a racer on the Mime
apolis speedway. 1 was on the inside of
the course, and though I wanted to make
the Holland tunnel, was forced at great
speed to enter Jersey City.
also may be in a position to explain
why Washington office workers use pri-
vate cars instead of public vehicles when
going to and from work. In my case
I am required to take three separate
and distinct public conveyances in trans
it from my home to the Office. This
necessitates considerable time waiting
on corners, sometimes in the rain or
snow; inability for what seems hours to
get a toehold in the bus or streetcar;
and exasperatingly slow progress due
to traffic congestion after I have man
aged to squeeze into one of the torture
chambers. Furthermore, while I can
leave my Office and be home in 20 min
utes when using my own car, it takes
longer than that to travel on each of
the three public vehicles referred to.
EXPLANATORY.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
Shows Sympathy for Peoples
OF Germany and Italy.
To the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor of The Star:
Whether or not one agrees with Col
Lindbereh, one must be blinded by bias
not to realize that the Lone Eagle"
has heart. His bold testimony revealed
that he is interested in people, all the
people He expressed sympathy for the
helpless inhabitants of England Italy
and Germany, who are the victims of
war. His judgment of rulers responsible
for the conflict was withheld.
1t seems sad commentary on our So
called democracy that rarely, If ever,
do We near the slightest sympathy ex-
pressed by New Deal politicians for the
hundred million or more helpless civil
ians of Italy and Germany who are
being destroyed by starvation. Britain's
aim of course, is to starve the people
into submission. Nevertheless. the pic
ture of aged men and women, children
and infants in the agony of hunger is
terrible to contemplate. If men pos
sessed more imagination, they certainly
would seek to discover ways of ending
war
Sherman was right War is hell,
whether waged by Germany or Eng
land. 1t is mass murder in the first
degree" 1t solves no problems, but, on
the contrary, promotes the worst forms
OF hatred which, after smoldering dur
ing periods of temporary peace, bursts
forth in fresh, devastating fires. Unless
nations, as well as individuals, develop
respect for the commandment Thou
shalt not kill" it would seem poor hui
mainly is headed for destruction.
EDMUND K. GOLDSBOROUGH
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
Shortage of Skilled Workers

In pointing out, in his recent ad
dress before the Emergency Commit
tee of the Pittsburgh District, that
rearmament faces a serious bottle
neck in the shortage of skilled de-
tense workers, Brigadier General H.
X. Rutherford, director of the plan
ming branch in the office of the As
sistant Secretary of War, has sounded
timely warning. Though the pro-
duction program for which contracts
have been let is just starting, short
ages of Workmen in some OF the
skilled categories already exist. To
meet the urgent need of Great Brit
ain for war materials, it will be neceS-
sary for American industry to enlarge
its production, thus creating a de-
mand for thousands of new workers.
To prepare for this demand, Cen
eral Rutherford urged industry to
take immediate steps to train work.
ers for defense jobs. Though it re-
ouires several years or more to school
workers in some of the specialized
defense skills, through vocational
and on-the-job training, it will
nevertheless be possible, in COM
paratively short time, to increase the
number of skilled and semi-skilled
workers available to American in
dustry.
The Defense Commission and other
Federal agencies already have train
Ing programs in operation These
need to be supplemented, however, by
training systems established by in
dustry. In training as many defense
workers as possible, thus preventing
a delay in production arising from a
shortage of Workmen, American in
dustrialists can render vitality i'm
portant service to the country.
The Government ship construction
program alone will require the en-
ployment of $4,000 more persons,
most of them skilled or semi-skilled
workers, between now and June,
1877, GIle buIedu VI LdUOl OIdlIoI4CS
recently estimated. These figures do
not include the additional employees
needed in the construction of ships
for Great Britain and private enter
prise. Surveys made by the bureaus
experts show that other defense in
dustries will also require, during the
next few months, hundreds of thou
sands more skilled craftsmen.
In the light of the bureaus esti-
mates of labor requirements of re-
armament, the shortage of skilled
workers will be even more serious
three or six months hence than it is
today if steps are not taken i'm
mediately to meet the shortage. To
secure an adequate supply of skilled
workmen, it is essential that both
industry and the Government ex-
pand and speed up their training
programs without delay.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29

inflnitesimal amounts Of certain
chemicals essential to physical and
mental welfare. These are vitamins
and organic forms of four or five
minerals. They are distributed
widely in nature and in food. Per-
haps only a dietitian could set a
table whose menu would include
adequate amounts of all of them.
Now, at least three of them-iron,
thiamin chloride and NICOTINE acid
can be incorporated in wheat flour
with practically no additional ex-
pense. Generally speaking, every
body eats bread. For the Nation as
a whole it constitutes almost fourth
of the diet. So these indispensable
substances will be placed in a food
where everybody is bound to get
some of them.
Specifications for the new flour are
being drawn up by the Food and Drug
Administration. Milling companies
not only are cooperating, but are
asking permission to incorporate
even more essential food elements
Within a few months America will
have new bread which, noted
health authorities say, will consti-
tute one of the greatest steps ever
taken toward prolonging the lives
and increasing the general health
of the population.
The new flour is being prepared as
a national defense measure. The
great confagration which is sweep
ing the world is leaving, as such con-
flagrations often do, some slight resi-
due of good. Had it not been for the
present emergency, many years
might have elapsed before this step
could have been taken.
Now, it seems, there is an over
whelming public sentiment in favor
Of if
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
Stuff Of Life

Bread, which constitutes nearly a
fourth of the food of the American
people, is about to become literally
the staff of life"
1t is a long recognized and confus-
ing fact that the people of the United
States are undernourished- strange
condition in a country with abundant
food supplies of all sorts. A rela-
lively small part of this undernour-
ishment is due to poverty. The ma
jority of the people have, quanti-
tatively, enough to eat. They do not
complain of hunger.
One of the chief troubles is that
their diets do not contain almost
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29

ing facilities for his tenants; no such
requirement is in force in the District.
Under decision of the United States
Supreme Court Barney V. Baltimore
City, Wall. 280) people living in the
District are not citizens thereof and
are not permitted to maintain an action
in any Federal Court in the United
States on grounds of diversity of citizen
ship. Should Mr.. Delanos suggestion
prevail, the present residents of Airing
ton also would lose this right
For the above reasons I am opposed
to any move on the part of the Federal
Government to take over any part Of
nearby Virginia or Maryland.
ROBERT B. ANDERSON.
Arlington, Va.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
"P1NEY BRANCH ROAD.

Dear Sir.
ITO those of us who love the birds, but
who are amateurs, your daily column is
a great help.
Your suggestion about sand was fol-
lowed at once with complete success.
There also was the idea of having sew
eral feeding stations, which has been
an immense help, for now I know that
all of my large family will have chance.
1.-TWO feedhouses are beside each other,
one on the back of the lattice which
supports the lovely Mrs. George C.
Thomas semi-climber dixie the one on
the wall in the Cathedral garden) and
the other nailed to post of the house
My birds like the ground, too, but
many foraging cats menace them fire.
quently and they can't take many risks
my house in the front yard is in the
branches Of a little balsam tree.
The warm water suggestion has helped
also. The cardinal has his own feeder
that doesn't mean that others don't use
it-but as you have written, they come
first and leave last so that by careful
timing they can be fed with certainty.
The juncos haven't come to see us
yet this year, nor the chickadee, but they
will later. took the leaves off my holly
from Christmas and put the berries in
one spot near the house and today the
mocker was eating them fast.
He comes by himself as you also wrote.
but mine belongs to the Well-beloved
ones
Last summer in the afternoon the old
male cardinal bathed twice, while I was
sitting on bench quite near to him.
1T must be as you have stated, the
fact that there are many trees tall
white oaks) opposite us, that we have
so many varieties of birds, SO near to
traffic-less in winter, of course, than
summer.
The suet only attracted the starlings
so do not bother with that. They have
bread every day, cake when I can spare
it, and in very cold weather, corn meal
moistened up well. This years crop of
sparrows had to learn about the corn
NEAL couldn't understand why until
your column mentioned their reaction to
new foods, and they hadn't had any
since last winter.
The other day the cardinal was try
ing to open peanut so I cracked some
Walnuts and pecanS The Sparrows will
leave the seed for the nuts. when they
see me putting them out for the squirrels.
Il could spend hours watching the
latter. Do the older squirrels always
leave in a year? AS I remember, when
lived Southeast and only saw robins
and sparrows to feed, our squirrels were
tame and came all the time.
of course, there were no autos then,
and we lost many last summer that way,
and now dogs and cats have been chasing
them.
I'VE seem each fall to have the new
crop, no old tame ones. and it takes a
little time for them not to be afraid.
Thank YOU for the pleasure you have
given in your daily column and for all
the helpful knowledge. With best wishes,
Cordially yours, K. R. G."
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
Opposes Extension Of District
Into Maryland and Virginia.
To the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor of The Star
read with anxiety the suggestion
of Frederic A. Delano, chairman of the
National Capital Park and Planning
Commission, as outlined in your edi-
torial of January IA, 194l, wherein he
proposed to extend the boundaries of the
District of Columbia to include Arlington
County, Alexandria, Va, and nearby
Maryland
In the first place, 1 wonder if Mr.
Delano ever considered why thousands
of persons have packed up and moved
to nearby Virginia and Maryland in the
past 10 years, if it was not for the sole
purpose of getting out of the District.
Under ouU system of Government, the
peoples wishes are still given consider
alton, and Mr.. Delano failed to state
how the people in the nearby States
would be better off If included in the
District, except that it would promote
better metropolitan administration. 1
disagree with this viewpoint because the
District is famous for its lack of good
administration, and the lack of control
by the people over the laws and admin
istration which governs them. In Vir-
ginia, if we do not like some State
official, we can vote him out of Office
at the next election. In the District,
the only thing that can be done is to
hope the President or the next Presi-
dent will appoint better official.
In Virginia there are effective laws
and regulations which segregate men,
bers of different classes as to lands,
tenements and Entertainments, which
prevent certain districts from becoming
so valuable that the tenants are forced
to pay very high'rate of rent. There
are no such laws or coming regulations
in the District.
The land taxes in Virginia are cheaper
than those in the District because the
assessed valuation is lower
Our Virginia lawmakers are from Vir-
ginia and interested only in Virginia
affairs.
fail to see that there is need for
space for Government buildings in the
District.
The District has more parks and less
places to park Zones carr than probably
any other city in the world. 1t is not
lack of space in the District, but
lack of the proper use or ALLEGATION of
the space in the District.
In Virginia, apartment-house owners
are required to provide adequate park
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
Corrects Exaggeration
OF Sea Elephants Weight.
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
In the January "a issue of The Star
there appeared the following item: "A
rare specimen of sea elephant weighing
over 100000 pounds was captured re-
Gently off Playa Pocitos, Argentina, and
placed in a ZOO"
hold The Star in the most profound
respect. I have no intention of ques-
tioning its veracity. This communica-
ton therefore requests information as to
the make of scales upon which this mon
ster was weighed. E. H. WHITE.
Editors Note: The Star regrets
this gross exaggeration of the sea
elephants weight, which resulted
from typographical error and which
was not intended as reflection on
the species. The figure given should
have been 10000 pounds.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29

mercial significance. The ties which
are to bind the Americas together
in the critical period Immediately
ahead are largely economic. That
they may be reinforced with helpful
cultural exchanges, a medium of
conversation, a literature spoken
and printed will be wanted. 1t may
be another universal language, made
to order as DR.. Price suggests, or it
may be English or Spanish or a
medley of both. The principal re-
quirement is that it must be con-
genial to all of the many commune
ties concerned.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
Sees Relation Between "Frightfulness'
And Col. Lindbergh's Attitude.

To the Editor of The Star:
When Hitler's bombers laid waste whole
squares in a surrendered city without
regard for either life or property, the
sole motive was to demonstrate the in
vincibility of Germany, to create through
fear and hopelessness in the countries
ravaged willingness to surrender to the
inevitable.
1t appears that Col. Lindbergh's re-
turn to inactive Reserve status was based
on his belief that he could do more good
as a proponent of isolationism. A con-
trary view is that it the better enables
him to carry on the German invinci-
bility idea in connection with his isola-
zionist propaganda. These two ideas
mesh perfectly with Germanys scheme
Of things. E. M. PETERSON.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-01-29
Sees Colonial Status
For the United States.
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
1t is customary for diplomatic repre-
sentatives to present their credentials
to the head of the state to which they
are accredited. 1t seems, however, that
our President went to meet Lord Halifax
at Annapolis, to present his credentials
to the Ambassador.
Verify, it would appear that we have
become in effect, If not in theory, crown
colony of Great Britain and are without
even dominion status.
ALEXANDER SIDNEY LANIER.