davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1943-11-24
Mice and Steel

A great number of Britons are re-
ported to be considerably exercised
over Sir Oswald Mosley's release
. from prison. Apparently they feel
. that the best way to treat any tin
horn Fascist is to keep him under
, lock and key indefinitely, if not for
ever. There may be some warranty
for such a feeling. but it is not in
keeping with traditional Britain's
nice regard for the normal processes
of justice in government of free
men.
Back in 1910, when the British
were desperately backed against the
wall, they were compelled to resort
to extraordinary security measures,
arresting and interning such people
as MoSley without bothering to place
them on public trial Always a some
what ridiculous figure as "fuehrer"
of the Union of Fascists, Sir Oswald
was nevertheless potential menace
at that time, largely because of the
mischief he might have been able to
perform in the event of an attempted
NaZi invasion. But now the invasion
threat no longer exists in any appre-
ciable degree and he seems hardly
worth the trouble or money it takes
to keep him behind bars.
In freeing him. therefore, ostensi-
bly, because he is in poor health, the
Churchill government is not only
easing up on the application of it's
wartime security law but is also, in a
sense, showing its contempt for Mos
ley. 1t has stopped paying him the
honor of regarding him as impor-
tant and dangerous enough to be
jailed. He and his kind have been
altogether discredited. with one of
the Fascist idols in Europe already
fallen and the other tottering amid
the ever-expanding ruins of the
new order" Perhaps there is
something to be said for letting him
stew a while longer in a cell, but
there appears to be as much to be
said Tor letting him out where he
can see and feel the scorn of honest
and loyal Englishmen for the rest of
his days.
The Mosleys who are left in this
world, the weak and absurd carbon
copies Of Hitler, never did amount to
much and they will amount to even
Evening star., 1943-11-24
TotuI War Comes Home

The story of what is happening to
Adolf Hitler's stricken capital has
been told with stark simplicity by a
SWedlSh newspaper correspondent,
who reported yesterday that Berlin
burned throughout the night"
And Berlin is still burning. During
Monday nights mass air assault the
big RAF bombers dropped $500 long
tons OF high explosive bombs and
lncendiaries on the city which is
home to 5000, 900 Germans. Some of
the eyewitness descriptions are stag
gering. Great fires raging in all
sections of the capital, the asphalt
in the streets boiling and bubbling
from the heat, people, untouched by
the bombs, collapsing from the in
tensity Of the flames. That was
Berlin on Tuesday morning.
Twenty-four hours later ruin had
been heaped upon ruin. On Tuesday
night the RAF struck again, and
apparently in as great force as the
night before. Guided to their target
by the fires which were beyond con-
troll, the big Lancasters and Strings
unloosed another torrent of bombs
and incendiaries-nearly 5000 tons
in all during the brief span of forty-
eight hours.
No other city-not even Hamburg
has ever taken such punishment
as this. And it may be said that
without a doubt no city can take it
for long. The people of Berlin. prob
ably abandoned by their Nazi mas
ters, are learning a terrible lesson,
For total war was born in Berlin and
1t has come home now with a
vengeance.
Evening star., 1943-11-24
Dean Dun's Election

The election of the Very Reverend
Angus Dun, dean of the General
Theological Seminary at Cambridge,
Massachusetts, to be Bishop of
Washington in succession to the late
Right Reverend James E. Freeman
is an event of Importance to the
whole community of the Nations
Capital. He is a man who would be
a reinforcement of the religious
agencies of the city. IT he decides
to accept, he will be welcomed by
people of every denomination. There
is work to be done, and his help
unquestionably would be an asset.
Dean Dun, as it happens, resem-
bles Bishop Freeman in many re-
spects. He is broad" churchman,
rather than high" or "low";; he is
liberal and tolerant in his attitudes;
he is scholarly, eloquent, persuasive,
a skilled writer, teacher and preach
er. His experience includes business
and administrative duties. He is
"a born organizer" has been presi-
dent OF the equivalent of the Com
munity Chest in his home town, was
secretary of the American division
of the Faith and Order Movement,
has been associated with the con-
ferences of the College of Preachers
at Mount Saint Alban and similar
study group activity in the Boston
area. Born in New York, educated
at Yale, at Oxford and Edinburgh,
= and most especially through his own
extensive reading, he is at the apex
of his powers at the moment of the
call which now is addressed to him.
The task to which he is invited
admittedly is a challenge before
which any individual might quail.
1t long has been an open secret
that the Washington diocese makes
demands upon bishop which are
exceptional and unique. Because he
serves in the Capital, he has many
obligations which other ecclesiatics
do not have. His responsibility also
embraces the care of a number of
rural parishes in Maryland, which
he must visit at periodic intervals.
AS far back as 1908 two bishops
elect Charles Henry Brent and
Alexander Mann, who subsequently
became bishops of Western New
York and Pittsburgh, respectively
declined the summons. Bishop
Freeman shortened his life in his
effort to perform efficiently the
labors of his position.
1t follows that If Dean Dun re-
spends to the draft" of the diocese
of Washington he will need and will
deserve the wholehearted, unwaver-
ing support of all friends of religion
Given such aid, his fine qualifications
certainly should flower into fulfill
ment of permanent social and cul-
tural value and worth.
Evening star., 1943-11-24
Behind the Lebanon Crisis

In order to evaluate correctly the
situation in Lebanon, broad views
should be taken The Lebanon is
geographically a small country, but
the disturbances there have far
flung repercusSions The lands of
Arabic speech and culture, stretching
from Morocco to Iran are most di-
rectly affected and the entire Mos
lem world is likewise involved. But
even that is by no means the whole
story. Other collateral issues are
French resurgent nationaliSm, the
evolution of the French overseas
empire, Anglo-French relations, and
the mandate system of the League
OF Nations. 1t is indeed a tangled
skein that remains to be unraveled.
While recent French concessions
to the Lebanese are a step in the
right direction, they are in no sense
a solution. The release of President
Khoury, Premier Riad Solh and other
Lebanese leaders arrested by the
French authorities means merely the
canceling of strong-arm methods to
deal with Lebanese assertions of in
dependence. Another conciliatory
French gesture is the recall of Com
missioner Jean Helleu, who started
the policy of force, though it is
pretty obvious that he did so with
the tacit approval, at least, of Gen.
de Gaulle and the French Commit
tee of National Liberation at Algiers.
Making Helleu a scapegoat and let
ting imprisoned leaders out of jail
are not enough to satisfy Lebanese
demands. Even if the French au-
thorities were to reinstate the ousted
government and Parliament, it
would merely put things back to
where they were before Helleu's mill
tary coup. That coup was precipi-
tated by series of laws passed
almost unanimously by the Lebanese
Parliament, which asserted virtual
sovereignty, in reliance on the prom
iSes of independence made Jointly
by the Free French and the British
when they invaded the Lebanon and
Syria two years ago in order to oust
the Vichy regime there for it's COM
plaisance toward Axis penetration
The Lebanese have been so encour-
aged by the unanimous support of
the Arab world and by the diplo-
matte pressure exerted by Britain
and America on the Algiers commit
tee that they are in no yielding
mood. They realize their strategic
position, and they will probably ex-
plot its possibilities to the full.
However, continued Lebanese in
sistence upon immediate independ-
ence, or at least upon the reduction
OF French mandate authority to a
mere empty form, will confront the
Algiers committee with a most en-
barraSsing dilemma Gen. de Gaulle
and his followers, who now dominate
the committee, owe their ascendancy
to their uncompromising champion
ship Of resurgent French national
Evening star., 1943-11-24

less from now on. They are capable
still Of annoying us, to be sure, but
men of their character and stature
cannot prevail against our free sys-
tenn Of government. They are. part
Of the lunatic fringe, and as long as
the overwhelming majority of us re-
main sane and hold fast to the prin-
ciples of liberty, we do not have to
fear them. In both Britain and
America We should be strong enough
to laugh them out of countenance,
as If they were nothing but mice
nibbling away futilely at steel.
Evening star., 1943-11-24
THIS AND THAT
BIZ Charles z. Trace1Dell.

cult to say whether these are the result
OF wrong feeding, or due to too many
babies in season.
English sparrows begin nesting early.
and keep 1t up late. During q season
one pair may have as many as IS young.
This probably Is an extreme case. It
may be realized that this many hungry
mouths to feed make certain that some
of the nestlings will not get enough.
The parent birds, confronted with
such a problem, cannot be blamed If
they 60 to the nearest place where some
approximation of natural food Is to be
found.
1t may be that such food. cleaned and
ready in too great quantities, results in
diseases that any doctor could put
name to. There is too much Of one
kind, and not enough of another. In
vestigators claim that at least one-third
Of our Nation do not receive enough
food, and enough variety of foods. Just
how they are SO sure about such figures
we do not know, but We have often
thought that II this Is true of humans,
it may also be true Of animals and birds.
One may feel pretty sure that nature
does no such perfect job, at least at
times, as many of us are inclined to
think. No doubt there are many woeful
things which humans do not see, but
which they may reason do exist, judging
from what they see amongst themselves,
for they, too, are part of nature, try
as hard at times as they may to ignore it.
Human wars are the equivalent of the
tiger stalking and striking its prey. 1t
try to forget about the tiger in us that
we let ourselves be stalked and jumped
on by human tigers. It Is not good to
forget about the tiger in ones SELF be-
cause then one will be unprepared, and
it is even worse to forget the tiger in
others, because then we suffer Pearl
Harbor.
The towhee is one of our finest birds.
No tiger in him.
He is a perfect wintertime prince
Not every garden will have one of these
in the cold, by any means. Only a
garden here and there will be so for
tunate
The male is the beauty of the family
He is a combination of black, red and
gold, with much white on him.
Somewhat smaller than a robin, he
mixes freely with the other wintering
birds at feeding station.
He is inclined to be somewhat timid
at first, but after few days comes to
feeding station freely.
1t is not often that both sexes come
to the same feeding place in winter
and when they do many watchers fail
to recognize her, she is so brown and
plain, in comparison with her flashy
mate.
Perhaps "flashy" is not as good word
as gorgeous" On a cold morning,
with the sun striking him. the male
towhee makes a perfect picture, one
quite on a par with a sudden flash of
beauty from some ancient vase in a
gallery somewhere.
Evening star., 1943-11-24
Minister, Clarendon Presbyterian
Church, Arlington, Va.
Discusses Bill to Discipline
Labor Stacking War Jobs.

To the Editor Of The Star:
Now that the question of the order Of
precedence of the draft of prewar
fathers appears to be settled, there are
other questions concerning the draft
that, seemingly, could engage congress
Sional attention.
Specific reference is to the 4-F class
in which it is believed little "combing"
might produce results; also and specifi-
cally, to those who heretofore exempted
on account of war occupation don't
stay on the job.
The anomaly of any employer any
citizen of the United States for that
matter-being privileged to "walkout"
on war production job in this hour OF
the Nations greatest need for fullest
production is difficult for the country to
understand. The public don't under
stand it and they expect Congress to do
something about it.
Representative Clare Luce has pend
ing, in the House a bill that seems to
cover this situation. Her bill provides
for an Army and Navy maintenance
corps of draft-age men who have not
been inducted into the armed forces.
This bill would seem to put the question
of work or fight" up to those short
sighted employees on war-production jobs
who elect not to stay on the job in this
time of the Nations most critical need.
Mrs. Luce has expressed desire to
speak on her bill.
am sure the country would be glad
to hear anything she has to say on this
subject. WILBUR H. CLOSE.
Evening star., 1943-11-24
British Soviet Pact of 1912
Considered Still Valid.

To the Editor Of The Star
Secretary Hull's Moscow report to
Congress is particularly noteworthy for
its declaration that there no longer will
be need" for alliances" or balance of
power"
But some of us do not have memories
so short as not to recall that as late a,
May "a, 1912, the British and Soviet
Empires entered into 20-year alliance,
still in force and not proposed to be
dissolved or abandoned. The fact that a
painting OF the signing of such 2O-year
alliance pact was displayed on the wall
of the very room in which Secretary
Hull recently sat at Moscow would seem
to indicate that new pair of eyeglasses
is much more needed by the Secretary
than the Congressional Medal proposed
by Senator Byrd.
GEORGE E. SULLIVAN.
Evening star., 1943-11-24

ism, which is extremely touchy on
French dignity and sovereignty, and
which reacts violently against any
thing that savors of foreign pres
sure, even when exerted by their
allies in the common struggle against
Germany. Commissioner Helleu, by
his unilateral action in the Lebanon,
unjustifiably taken without consult
ing or even notifying the British,
who are in joint control of Lebanon
and Syria has given the French a
bad legal case besides precipitating
a crisis throughout the Near and
Middle East which the British can
not allow to persist. But If De Gaulle
and his committee, under Anglo
American pressure, yield in the
Lebanon. they will undoubtedly be
bitterly criticized by their national
1st following and may also precipi-
tate similar situations in Syria and
even in North Africa. On the other
AAoAAN, ~ VAACy ACAuoC w uldkc UEOdu
concessions and the Lebanon situa-
tion gets worse, the British may be
compelled to act and take over con-
troll there, virtually ousting the
French authorities. This would
probably embitter French national
ism and seriously becloud Anglo
French and even Franco-American
relations.
All this emphasizes the vital ne
cesSity of wise and statesmanlike
handling of an extremely delicate
and potentially explosive situation.
Probably no arrangement would
satisfy all parties. But it would
seem possible to evolve compromise
which would at least temporarily
deal with the situation during this
crucial war period.
Evening star., 1943-11-24
Report on Personnel

The Byrd committee has loosed
another attack on the overstaffing of
Government agencies, and threatens
now to seek legislation to force elimi-
nation OF upwards of a quarter of a
million employees from the payroll,
II the agencies themselves do not
take the initiative in this direc-
ton. Coupled with the demand
for retrenchment is a recommended
ton that the Civil Service Commits
sion and the Budget Bureau insti-
tute manpower utilization surveys
throughout the Federal establish
ment, with view both to the
reduction and better use of per-
Sonnel.
On the record to date, legislation
will be required-and should be en-
ployed-if appreciable reform is to
be hoped for. The Joint Committee
on Reduction of Nonessential Federal
Expenditures. which Senator Byrd
heads, and the House Civil Service
Committee for months have been
hammering away at excessive hiring
and duplicating activities, with but
little to show in the way of results.
According to Senator Byrd's figures,
there was drop in employment OF
about 131 900 persons between June
and September, but, the report adds,
several agencies are anticipating in
creases aggregating 10000, which
will more than offset these econo-
mics. Nor is there any reason to
believe that the suggested surveys
would help the situation. Under the
overtime pay laws the Budget Bu-
reau for nearly a year has been
required to call on the executive
agencies for periodic statements
designed to show if they had a sur
plus Of personnel, so cuts could be
made. This provision, however, has
had little salutary effect" Senator
Byrd says.
There is one group in a position
to make its ideas on economy felt,
and that is the House Appropria-
tions Committee. The estimates for
the next fiscal year soon will be
coming under scrutiny on Capitol
Hill, and the mass Of data compiled
by the Byrd and House Civil Service
Committees offers fruitful field for
study by the appropriations group
as 1t prepares to deal with new re-
quests for funds.
An unusual addendum to the Byrd
report was a letter from Secretary
OF the Treasury Morgenthau, men,
ber of the committee, who disagreed
with some of its conclusions, but
conceded that the tremendous ex-
pansion in Federal personnel is a
cause of serious concern" Custom
arily, the tendency in the admins
tration has been to defend the size
OF the executive establishment.
Evening star., 1943-11-24
Halo for Harvesting

/ thank Thee, Lord,
For this fruitful acre;
/ am the planter
But Thou art the Maker
OF each ne1D tree;
The pit of each fruit
Would but for Thee
Withhold the root:
The grain is as chat
Lest Thou make it groD;
My lips n1oue in prayer
Along each rusSet roU,
And the 1Dind curpes the grain
Like a huge congregation
Bo1Ding obeisdnce
In mute eraltdtion.
When fruits all are gathered
And bins bulge Nth pheat,
Dear Lord, doubly humble,
I kneel at Thy feet.
JESSIE FARNHAM.
Evening star., 1943-11-24
ARLINGTON, Va.

Dear Sir:
There was towhee out in the yard
the other day. 1t has one leg which
stuck out at an angle. believe you
once wrote an article about q one-legged
catbird, and said its leg stuck out this
way.
This bird got along all right. AS I
recall, you said your catbird Topped
and floundered around. This towhee.
a male, flew perfectly, and got over
the ground as well as any bird I sup
pose his leg is not out at such an angle.
ut seems to me that the more closely
look at the birds in our yard. the more
of these imperfections I see. I wonder
If they were born that way. or II they
were crippled afterwards. 1t might be
that some animal got them. I have
seen squirrels rush at birds, evidently
not so much to hurt them as frighten
them. Still, maybe some of the birds in
these rushes could be hurt. Squirrels
are not what you might call careful,
are they?
yours truly, X. o. s."
X 4 \
There can be little doubt that there
are many malformations In nature.
And these appear among birds which
live entirely on natural foods, or almost
entirely on them.
Such birds as towhees and catbirds
seldom frequent feeding stations. The
towhee will partake Of seed, in the
winter at feeding station, but not at
any other time Of year.
The catbird seldom if ever visits q
feeding tray, board of box.
He will eat raisins, when they are put
out for him. During the time he is with
us, spring and summer, he has no need
for any other "handout."
This means that any malformations
in such a bird will not be the result of
faulty diet.
The same thing can be said for the
towhee.
English sparrows sometimes develop
poor youngsters through eating too
much carbonaceous food when they can
get it.
These are probably perfect cases of
vitamin and mineral deficiency.
Sparrows are greedy birds, and have a
philosophy Of living which makes them
incapable of seeking their own food in
nature when they can find 1t easily
where it has been put out for them.
Most birds. In spring and summer,
will seek their own food in insects and
weed seeds, and the various berries. but
not SO the house sparrows; they prefer
to eat where there is the most food so
that if any one places food for them
regularly, they will never search for it
elsewhere.
The result is, in yards where bird
feeding Is carried on the year around
there usually will be several overfed
sparrow young. Some of these are puffy
In appearance.
They have too much fat few of
them die later. One or two may have
malformations Of some sort 1t is difi-
Evening star., 1943-11-24
Clergyman Expresses Thanks
For Help in Direst Need.


TO the Editor Of The Star:
Will you allow me to express through
your columns my deepest thanks to the
Police and Fire Departments of Arlng-
ton County for saving the lives of my
wife and myself early last Thursday
morning?
We were overcome by gas from an ex-
plosion in our coal furnace and were in
complete collapse.
My wifes aunt called for help and
both departments responded immedi-
ately. With the help of the resuscitator
and oxygen they brought us through
No policemen and firemen could have
acted more swiftly nor been more under
standing, skillful or courteous.
1t was striking example Of the kind
of service that is at the disposal of the
people of Arlington County when they
need it. All this in face of the fact that
the war has depleted the ranks of the
policemen and firemen to an extent un-
dreamed of by the average citizen. They
carry on and when you need them they
are there. They certainly have proved
that to us and we are grateful to them
far beyond anything we can say or write.
ISAAC STEENSON,
Minister Clarendon Presbyterian
Church, Arlington, Va.
Evening star., 1943-11-24
Education Of Children
In Moral Law" Advocated.

To the Editor Of The Star:
1t recently has been suggested as a
remedial measure in checking juvenile
delinquency that q book of laws per-
tanning to the teen age be printed ex-
pressly for study in the public schools.
wonder If it ever has occurred to
those who offer this suggestion that the
basis OF all law is the moral law, and
until children are taught something of
the moral law there can be no assurance
that they will have any regard for any
civil law.
God also has rights. He has given us
laws and commandments which are the
principal fundamentals Of good citizen.
Evening star., 1943-11-24
Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor must
bear the name and address of
the 1Driter, although the use of
a pSeudonym for publication is
permissible. The Star reserves
the right to edit all letters ,Uith
a Uie1D to condensation.
Evening star., 1943-11-24

ship, and when His law and religion
are given rightful place in the education
OF our children then and only then will
tne-e he hope for the future OF young
America. M. JENNINGS.
Evening star., 1943-11-24

From the way the Tirpitz hugs
the shore and avoids conflict, it
might well be called 4 battleskip.
Evening star., 1943-11-24
Wants Election
In Behalf of Democra

In Behalf of Democracy.
TO the Editor Of The Star:
I would like to answer Mrs. E. G.
Smiths letter of November II.
President Roosevelt has been in Office
II years. In that time he has completely
dominated the United States and half
the world. But yet Mrs. Smith wishes to
have him remain until IL months after
this war.
Mrs. Smith also said that Mr.. Church.
Ill thought an election would be bad for
the war effort and would cause disrup-
tion. If he said this. can only say he
is wrong. Tell the people that they
cannot vote, and you would have a dis
ruption little short of the one in 1860.
Democracy means government by the
people. for the people and of the people.
and If we keep within the boundary of
the Constitution We'll always have it.
OLD-TIME DEMOCRAT.