davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1941-05-21
Nearer America

Iceland has been separated from
Denmark again. A treaty of union
signed in 1918 is announced to have
been dissolved by formal action Of
the Parliament at Reykjavik. King
Christian, prisoner" of the Ger
mans in Copenhagen since April 9,
1910, has been relieved of his duties
as sovereign of "the last outpost of
Europe" Similar breaks have oc-
CURED before. The present choice
was dictated by conditions related
to the prevailing war. Inevitably, it
signifies future developments of in
terest to the United States.
The people of Iceland possess a ira
dition of freedom dating back more
than thousand years. Many beau
tiful old sagas preserve the spirit
of the democratic society which
the earliest settlers from Norway
and the British Isles established be-
tween 870 and 1125. A general as
sembly-the Althingi-was held in
$50 and in the tenth week Of suc-
cessive summers after that date "for
the transaction of legislative and
legal business" Local gatherings for
the same purposes were held in
spring and autumn. How vital to the
colonists was their liberty may be
estimated from the report that:
Life in the commonwealth
produced men of mark and foStered
bravery, adventure and progress"
When self-government was denied
in the Middle Ages, the historian
says: "All this ceased, and there was
left but a low dead level of poor
peasant proprietors careless of all
save how to live by as little labor
as possible and pay as few taxes as
they could to their foreign rulers"
A picture of pioneer Iceland at
its romantic best may be found in
Maurice Hewlett's novel, "Gudrid the
Fair" the narrative dealing in part
with the expedition of Thorfinn
Karlsefne to Vineland-a voyage Of
exploration which subsequently in
spired Christopher Columbus. 1t is
automatic that the ties between the
farthest western community of the
Old World and the eastern portions
of the New is very ancient. Reykjavik
today is closer to washington than
to Berlin.
And Iceland, it seems, is destined
to move even nearer to America.
For practical as well as idealistic
reasons, the Government Of the
Evening star., 1941-05-21

within Pennsylvania. shall be free
of revenue claims on that account.
Probably no discrimination against
the Federal Government was con-
templated by the author of the origi-
nal law. That it might have the
effect of a slight upon the Nation,
however, now is evident. Under the
terms of the pending amendment the
generosity of presumptive donors to
the Union would be protected. Con-
tributions to the Library of Congress
and to the Smithsonian Institution,
including the National Gallery of
Art, would be among the philanthro-
phies advantaged by the concession,
and the gamer in the circumstances
would be every citizen of the Repub-
lie of which Pennsylvania is a con-
Stituent member.
Evening star., 1941-05-21
Tells of New Jersey Editors Answer
To Proposal for Battleship Convoys.
To the Editor Of The Star:

To the Editor of The Star:
One of the most ardent boosters of
aid-for-England among editors of rural
papers in Northern New Jersey is James
White, editor and publisher of the
Butler Argus. Last week he was asked
by representative of an Authorizing
land group to sign petition urging the
Government of the United States to use
American battleships in conveying sup
plies to England. Mr.. White asked time to
think, and his answer, appearing in
the Argus for May IS was: ." 3" AS far
as our signature to such a petition goes,
England must get along without our
conveys yet this year, for in our opinion
we haven't one hundredth of the air.
planes we shall need for conveying. We
think that every one of our battleships
should be accompanied by enough of
the latest fighting planes to ward off
any attack by the Germans; for Just as
sure as we attempt one convoy job,
: there will be airplanes galore to bomb
our vessels and submarines galore to
attempt to sink them =" If we jump
into conveying now, we shall probably
be returned for insufficient postage"
Mr.. White, by the way, is highly re-
garded by both Morris and Passaic
County Democrats and Republicans,
even though he has been an ardent
Roosevelt man. FREDERIC FROST.
Evening star., 1941-05-21
THIS AND THAT
By Charles E. TrdceDell.

Thumbs down." they said. ut will be
raining by the twenty-third hour"
One of the surest-fired ways of draw
ing rain, even in time of drought, is to
take big can of brass polish and sally
forth to give those old knobs on the
front steps iron railing a twirl
Rain can be confidently expected
within a few hours.
AS matter of fact, SO firmly must
manufacturers of iron railing believe in
this method, that they have almost
stopped manufacturing step rails with
brass knobs.
Or-who knoWs-perhaps 1t is the
astute home owner, who, knowing the
connection between rain and brass,
calmly paints over the brass with black
paint, ending his troubles forever.
If you don't want it to rain, what can
you do about it?
Well, popular superstition has two
remedies, and two only, as far as we can
recall.
The first is taking an umbrella.
This is perhaps the surest of all known
methods. 1t means that it won't rain.
The moment "it" sees that umbrella, it
holds off. in the well-known fashion.
The clouds may lower, the winds whip
up. but there will be no rain, not, at
least, as long as you carry the umbrella
Another method is to sweep the walk.
Just how this one arose we cannot
imagine. Practically all these supersti-
tions are based on appeasement of some
obdurate and inimical force in nature
which delights in doing what We do not
want it to do. But this one seems to
work by contraries. If we sweep up the
walk, get all the leaves and litter of,
sit" will chuckle good humoredly and
say, We'll, there is somebody keeping
things nice and clean. I, mighty I, will
not rain this time" ut" is in a good
humor, for once in 'its" life.
Appeasement. then, is seen to be no
new thing in the human world.
Today We think of appeasement as
something political, but in all the past
ages. man has appeased or tried to ap-
pease the forces of nature
There was something terrible in all
things, force which looked and saw and
then delighted in destroying what man
had built up.
This force was so malignant. according
to the unspoken popular mind, that it
even delighted in poking its long nose
into the petty household affairs.
If one, in an expansive moment
Dragged bit. the indicative force
heard, and hearing took keen delight in
tumbling the speaker into the abyss.
If good housewife washed the
windows Of her home, before dark came
the thunderclouds would roll, and out the
skies would tumble many millions of
gallons of water, primarily for the pur-
pose of wetting those few square feet of
window pane.
1t was all very fantastic. but through
the ages there were many who believed
it, and there are many who believe it
still.
Evening star., 1941-05-21
Blames France Alone
For Defeat of France.
AN OBSERVER

To the Editor of The Star:
Since the French government" has
seen fit publicly to accuse Britain and
the United States of having abandoned"
her, would like to say few words on
that. The United States had not prom
ised anything and was very much aston
ished at the sudden fall of France.
Being unprepared herself, she could not
have done anything
And as for Britain: 1t is conveniently
forgotten by the French that Britain
offered citizenship and equal rights to
all Frenchmen; offered to share what
she had with them. This offer was so
big in scope that people have shrugged
1t off as impossible. though it might
have revolutionized the world and saved
France.
The fact of the matter is that no one
is to blame for the fall of France but
France herself. Leaving aside her tragic
mlsconception of modern warfare, she
at least could have defended Paris. She
could have rescued her fleet and with
drawn her soldiers to her colonies. She
had chance to cover herself with glory,
and missed 1t. Now she Is jealous of
Britain, who took 1t. H. M.
Evening star., 1941-05-21
Wants Weight of America
Thrown Into Fray Against Hitler.
To the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor Of The Star:
The only way we can convince our
selves of our staying out of war is by a
heavy overdraft on optimism and wish
full thinking. But that, at best, would
remain a conviction-for political os-
triches-only to be shattered by coming
events in the near future. All the dec
larations and statements we have been
hearing about aid short of war should
really be modified to read war short of
declaration" for to all intents and
purposes, we are at war already.
And now that the question of war has
been settled" why not 60 at it the
right way by using little more of the
speed which is the most essential charac-
teristic of blit1 war?
1t looks as if this country is overesti-
mating the Japanese menace at this
international juncture. While the Mika-
dos attitude toward other nations in
terests in the Far East cannot be de-
scribed as benevolent, the world enemy
No. is still Hitler. If the overwhelming
weight of American economic and naval
might is to be thrown into the fray
which is certainty rather than pos
sibility-it should be done now, and in
the Atlantic, even to the extent of NOV
Evening star., 1941-05-21
Civilian Defense

In setting up at this time an Office
of Civilian Defense under the direc-
ton of Mayor La Guardia, President
Roosevelt presumably is acting in
the belief that it is better to be ready
for an emergency which may not
arise than to assume that trouble
will never engulf the country and
then be caught unprepared by its
arrival.
The program outlined by Mr..
Roosevelt is an ambitious one. Among
the duties to be assigned to the new
agency, which will be in charge of
planning civilian protection and fa-
cilitating variety of volunteer con-
tributions to the defense effort, are
those of co-ordinating Federal,
State and local civilian programs,
working out measures to protect life
and property, and sponsoring the
recruiting and training of civilian
auxiliaries for such duties as fire
fighting, bomb protection and the
guarding of key industrial establish
ments.
Obviously, most of these functions
would not become of pressing impor-
tance except in case of actual attack
on this country, but it would be rash
indeed to do nothing by way of
preparation on the blind assumption
that an attack will never come
In England, if one may Judge from
yesterdays comments by Lady Astor,
little was done toward working out
a comprehensive program of civilian
protection until the war was we'll ad-
vanced, and to this day it does not
appear that the British government
has evolved any satisfactory solu-
ton. AS, result, according to Lady
Astor, England is losing the battle
on the home front" and suffering
needless loss of lives and property.
1t is to be presumed that in NOV
ing to organize an effective civilian
defense program now, the President
hopes to guard against duplication
of Britain's mistakes, and it is an
effort which will pay rich dividends
If the Nation ever is confronted with
need for an integrated civilian de-
tense organization.
Evening star., 1941-05-21
Offers Transit Suggestions
For Improvement of Service.
To the Editor Of The Star:

10 tne EGltOI OF Inc Stx.
Here is suggestion which the Capital
Transit Co. should adopt right now:
Street car motormen should be ordered
not to poke their cars along between
stops. even though there may be red
light ahead. BY poking along, these cars
hold up all types of traffic. And when
car is ready to go. it should move up to
the crosswalk instead of standing beside
the platform. have missed bus con-
nection several times because the cars
at the platform failed to move up and
permit other cars to unload. And when
there is string of cars, the first car
should move ahead without stopping
several times to pick up passengers who
have just rushed up to the platform and
knocked on the car door. I have seen
as many as eight cars lined up behind
one slow motorman who opened his door
twice to let on additional persons.
Here is another suggestion: The
street car stop on the northwest corner
of Seventeenth and I should be elm
mated. There is stop at Connecticut
and X. and another between H and 1.
The one at Seventeenth and I blocks
automobile traffic, the street cars in
variably just miss going through on
green light, and passengers could just
as well use the platform between H and
I. The time required to get down town
by street car from Dupont Circle is
ridiculous.
A complaint: Service between Penn
sylvania avenue and Twenty
street NV. and the Capitol is very, very
poor. There are plenty of cars as far
east as Fifteenth street, but they go on
New York avenue and G. street. And
when a car does come from Friendship
Heights, it is usually jammed to the
rafters Such consistently poor service
is inexcusable.
ONE WHO SUFFERS.
Evening star., 1941-05-21

@. How many men compose a troop
in the United States Army?-M. F. r.
A. The word troop" in the singular
commanded by captain. A troop cor
responds to a company in the infantry
in the United States Army. The num-
Der of men in a troop varies from 100
to 200.
@. What percentage of w. P. A. funds
has been spent in wages?-P. r.
A. Up to the end of November, 1910,
a total of s8S13141 900 of w. P. A. funds
had been expended for projects operated
by the w. P. A. and other Federal agen-
cies. Eighty-nine per cent of this was
spent for wages and salaries.
O. At what temperature should milk
be kept?-B. T.
A. Milk should be kept below so de-
grees. The colder you keep it, the longer
it will stay fresh, provided. of course,
that it is kept above the freezing point.
Q. Did Roman candles originally come
from Romeo. N. G.
A. Roman candles are really Chinese.
@. When was the United States flag
first raised over the Philippine Islands?
%. N.
A. At 8 am, May 3, 1898, the United
States flag was raised over the Philip
pines by Commodore George Dewey.
@. What was the Tay Bridge disaster?
II. S. L.
A. The Tay Bridge disaster in Scot
land occurred during the night Of De-
cember %, 1879, while gale was blowing.
A train passing over the central section
of the viaduct was hurled into the water
as a result of the wind. Some 80 persons
lost their lives.
O. How much has been paid In un-
employment benefits since the enactment
of the social security law in 1887.
O..
A. Since these were first payable,
s1,451 ,43654o has been paid in unem-
ployment benefits.
@. What is the prevailing religion of
Iran?-B. S.
A. Most of Trans 100000 people are
Moslems.
O. Who was the first woman to make
a speech on the radio?-T L. A.
A. Margaret McElroy Story, a style
specialist. broadcast radio address from
Static KDKA, Pittsburgh, on January
5, 1922.
Evening star., 1941-05-21

Since everybody Is interested In the
weather, 1t is interesting to look at the
ways in which many persons think they
can make 1t rain" Superstition or not,
these methods are looked upon as sure
fire:
l. Getting the car cleaned.
q Washing windows
8. Having ones shoes shined.
4. Getting ones trousers pressed.
S. Mulching the flower beds.
6. Planning a picnic.
7. Circus comes to town.
g. Polishing exterior brass work.
So firm is the faith of many house.
wives in our No. 2, washing windows, as
a rain maker, that they believe they
can even predict the direction in which
the rain will come
If they wash the windows on the
north side Of the house, the rain comes
from the north, and so on around.
Some people believe that rolling the
curtains up on a sleeping porch-one
without windows-will achieve much the
same results
-
As for the car washing method. every
taxi owner is firm believer in this
method Of getting good rain.
1t is almost impossible to step into
a cab during rain without having the
driver tell you that he had the car
cleaned yesterday, and now look at it.
Having ones shoes shined or trousers
pressed, is system which many feel
is a sure-fire rain bringer.
1t is to be remarked that interest in
these amateur systems arises in propor-
ton to the dryness of any given month.
One heard much discussion of them in
April, which, though traditionally the
month Of showers, was really summer
in disguise, and not so much disguise,
at that
Mulching the flower beds is another
old standby. 1t simply means that when
the home gardener goes to the trouble of
stirring up the soil, or making a dust
mulch, as some call it. he does not want
1t to be beaten down fiat again inside of
day or two.
He wants to get the full benefit for all
his squatting. This business of squatting
down is wearisome, after the years begin
to pile up.
Planning a picnic has been regarded
by small town people as a way to bring
rain before the night.
Usually one is safe in predicting it, by
this method, just about pm when the
amateur ball game gets to going nicely
The ants are all heading for the picnic
ground, ready to crawl into the food
Just how ants know about picnics no
entomologist has ever explained Maybe
the creatures have some mysterious
radio activity which signals them just
where to go.
AS for the circus, as a weather prog
nosticator, it is as old as circuses. No
doubt the Romans who had a slightly
different sort of circus, it is true, began
IL.
Evening star., 1941-05-21

United States may be concerned to
protect the friendly population Of
the principal stop over" Of the North
Atlantic. The strategic significance
of the country is manifest.
Larger than Ireland, supporting
more than a hundred thousand men,
women and children psychologically
akin to citizens of Scandinavian de-
scent in the United States, Iceland
has a meaning which, especially
in the present crisis, Americans will
appreciate to the full.
Evening star., 1941-05-21

. reader can get the ansWer to any
question OF fact by Drittng The EUe-
ming Star Information Bureau, Fred
eric J. HuSktn, director, Washington,
D. c. Please incloSe stamp for reply.
@. How does the territory taken BY
Hitler in Europe since September /,
1889, compare in size with the United
States?-N. A. D.
A. The total area of all the countries
conquered by Hitler is about equal to
the combined area Of California, New
Mexico, Texas and Louisiana.
@. Has the President ever adjourned
Congress?-S. F.
A. Although the Constitution provides
that in case of disagreement between the
two Houses with respect to the time
of adjournment the President may "ad-
journ them to such time as he shall
think proper" no President has exercised
this power. There is some question
whether it may not apply solely to
extraordinary sessions.
@. What country has the lowest death
rate?-T N. M.
A. In 1885, the latest year for which
figures are available, the Netherlands had
the lowest death rate-8.7 per 1000.
@. Who was Paul Bunyan?-B. j.
A Paul Bunyan is legendary hero
of the lumber camps. Innumerable stO-
ries of his prowess have been invented
by the lumbermen for their own amuse-
ment.
O. What is the most numerous sea
fiSh?-L. N.
A. Sardines and herrings are probably
the most numerous of the ocean fish.
@. Is the proportion of women among
the Nations workers increasing?-P. G..
A Twenty-four and three-tenths per
cent of the employed persons in tbs
country are women as compared with
% per cent 10 years ago.
O. Are there Any broadCasting stations
in Alaska and if so where are they
located?-C. A. L.
A. There are only four broadcasting
stations in Alaska. locat ted at Anchorage,
Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan.
Evening star., 1941-05-21
Going Middle East

s''SSsS @0Sa
Several ominous signs indicate that
the conf1agration which already has
kindled the Arab lands is spreading
eastward across vast regions to the
borders of India There are the
native states of Iran Persia) and
Afghanistan. Technically, they are
independent. But their independ-
ence has been due chiefly to the fact
that they are buffer states between
two traditionally rival empires in the
Middle East. Those major powers
are Britain and Russia.
At times, this rivalry has been
acute, at other times it has been
quiescent. Yet always 1t has been
present. Now, under the stimulus
of what appears to be an impending
understanding between Soviet Rus
sia and Nazi Germany, tension in
this middle zone may be about to rise
again. From Turkey come reports
that heavy concentrations of Russian
troops are maSSing on the Iranian
borders, in conjunction with a ru-
mored Russo-German accord for the
use Of Russian merchant shipping
on the Black Sea for the transport
of German war materials toward
Iraq. The whole trend of current
events indicates a Russo-G German
deal of far-reaching scope.
From the truly revolutionary Rus
so-German understanding just be-
fore the outbreak of the present war,
the possibility of such deal covering
both the Near and Middle East has
hovered in the background. The
Nazi government is supposed to have
broached the subject during Molo-
tov's visit to Berlin last year. From
the German standpoint, it would be
the ideal field for Russian expansion,
since German interests are not
directly involved and because it in
evitably would embroil Russia with
Britain.
Expansion in the Middle East has
been a traditional Russian policy,
going back to Peter the Great, the
father of Russian imperialism. Iran,
especially, has long been coveted.
This large but weak country would
give Russia access to what she ar
IDENTIFY deSireS-a frontage on the
open ocean. Not even possession of
Istanbul would do that for Russia,
since the Straits lead into the closed
sea of the Mediterranean. The taking
of Iran likewise would lead Russia to
the gateway of India.
Should such deal be consum-
mated, there seems to be little to
stay Russian advance through Iran.
Though the present Shah has done
something to raise his country from
its decadence under the previous
dynasty, its army is negligible and
the hard-pressed British presum-
ably could give but limited aid. The
chief obstacles to a Russian invasion
would be mountain barriers, broad
deserts and long lines of communi-
cation in primitive land Yet the
present war has shown that these
hindrances can be overcome
Such action on the part of Russia
would introduce new complications
and spread the theater of war into
remoter regions, thus further en-
phasizing its universal character.
From the relatively restricted Euro
pean battle-ground in which it
started, the war seems to be develop
ing into a truly universal conflict,
with no logical limits and no portion
of the globe genuinely immune.
Evening star., 1941-05-21

ing there part of our Navy from the
Pacific.
This, of course. may induce the Japa-
nese to a new attempt at real estate"
expansion. but how tenable such acqui-
sitions will be after Hitler is crushed
need hardly be explained. 1t would not
be difficult for the United States alone,
once Nazi-ism is relegated to the ash
heap of history, to instill the fear of
the Lord into the Rising Sun"
AN OBSERVER.
Evening star., 1941-05-21

zation which has its fingers on the
pulse Of our economic life and not left
to the exigencies of chance and the
selfish interests of the individual
entrepreneur.
CLARENCE ARMSTRONG.
Evening star., 1941-05-21
Common Household Pests u

Common Household Pests "A
32-page booklet containing infor-
nation on clothes moths. carpet
beetles, mosquitoes, flies, termites,
f1eas, centipedes, silverfish, wasps.
rats and mice. These and other
household pests can be cheaply
and easily controlled. Fight these
pests successfully with tested
methods. To secure your copy
inclose 10 cents in coin. wrapped
in this clipping, and mail to The
Star Information Bureau.
Name
Address
Evening star., 1941-05-21
Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor must
bear the name and address OF
the ,Uriter, although the use OF
q pSeudonyn for publication is
permissible. The Star reserves
the right to edit all letters NTH
q U1e1D to condensation.
Evening star., 1941-05-21
Member Of the Associated Press.

The Associated Press is exclusively entitled TO
the use for republication OF al news dispatches
paper and also the local news published herein.
All rights of publication OF special dispatches
herein also are reserved.