davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
Burn Wrappings

Inc Agricultural Department! urges all per-
sons who receive Christmas or ether packages
from men in foreign service promptly to burn
all Wrapplngs and packing material to pre-
vent insect pests and insect eggs being intro
duced into the country.
The department says that MANY serious in.
sect pests have been discovered in such wrap
ping and packing material, ard if they were
allowed to escape might kause great DAM
age They cite the fight against the Mediter-
ranean fruit fly, which was wen only at a
cost of millions of dollars
Another reason for following the depart.
ments advice is that in addition tn incec+s
anu 'helf EGGS dlsease germs might also be
lhtroouced and cause even greater loss
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
That Secret Weapon

The Allies are pretty well persuaded that
Germany's secret weapon is fifty-ton pro-
jectile of the rocket type with power to reach
the British coast if fired from Frances chan
mel shore. This may largely account for the
persistent pounding the Raj IS giving the
enemy's channel defenses and also whv If has
sought out new targets in northern France
They would very properly seek TO DESTROY not
only the guns that fire these new shells but
the factories where both guns and shells are
manufactured
If the Germans do actually possess such
a powerful shell and have installed guns capa-
BILE of discharging it. no hope Of success could
be entertained for cross channel invasion
until its shells and guns were gut out of COM
mission. The destruction resulting from the
explosion of a fifty-ton projectiie upon mill
tary target is incalculable.
The only other way to account for the major
air raids across the channel, if they are not
actually directed against Germany's secret
weapon, is that they are preparing the way
for invasion. All major offensives OF the Allies
have been preceded by heavy air attack by
which enemy installations and defenses have
been .ssoftened'' There is no leason to think
the Allies will attempt landing in western
France without first raining bombs upon enc
NV positions there. In fact, it would be fruit
lees and prohibitively costly to star the battle
in any other way.
So if the present air campaign IS not oi-
rect1v aimed at destruction OF this boosted
weanon it is fair to think it the opening stage
of = thrust through France at Germany ltsen'
Tho actual attack might not come before
snr;no but the air attack viii go on with
little interruption in the meantime.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
Police Recreation Hall

BY giving its approval to plans for a recre-
alton hall for the police force the City Council
has taken wise and truly needed step. The
men now have no place to rest while off duty
but must put up with the congested head
quarters space. AS the men themselves pro
pose to furnish the nal with their own money
the expense of adapting part of the space
beneath ITALIAN hall may well be borne by
the city. Surely it will be splendid invest
ment. Let the job proceed then with all pos
sible dispatch for the comfort and morale
Of the force.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
The Literary Guidepost

a mlser who was made into good
r" an through a dream IN which I
vas led around London by ghosts.
"Tsk-tsk," the editor of Cosmu
would say, "tisn possible
Imagine digesting a g.ost De.
Witt Wallace might snort.
This isn't Post material at all, -
the steersman OF that Phlla 1alunia
Institution would roar.
And worse mistakes than these
ere made every day. - mrs.
mas CAROL has lived century
Il is still possible to sniver win
Bob Cratchit il Scrooge'c free,
Il g counting house, to srcel thu
C1atchit goose as it is carveu. IL
hear Tiny Tim pipe, 'tiod tless
US every cne.' 1t is true that
Atrooge'S nephew makes very higt
TOWN speeches. and that Scrooge
himself is d little inc cedibl. Il
TACT, a cynic might even sy5npa
tfjze with him when in his 5i.ostiy
wandering he .,eets the en,st Of
MS long-lost .soIcee, and 81, dc.
c'ares that Il nave seen yo1r ,ob.
Aer asperat1ons fall off one bv one,
uis'll the MASTERY assion, Gain, en-
srosses you.''
But put tot ether, the whole thing
makes an effect nobody has ever
matched. 1t is Dickens, it is
christmas, and it is wonderful.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
TO THE EDITOR:

1t seems that it is about time
something is dore about the OPA
and various other federal bureaus
charged with keeping the cost of
living doWn-or at least to the le-
vels at which it was pegged.
BY cost of living, l mean not
only the meat and vegetable prices
in the groceries. out also the meal
prices in restaurants, and eating
places, and also single room &C.
comodations.
Places here in Wilmington are
charging rates, which according to
The OPA are the ceiling pr e
charged for article or service du-
ing the base peiod. For foods and
such it is one thing; for rooms,
it is another, and for individual
meals, it is another. Landlords are
charging rates equal to IN e
which were in effect in April, 1912
supposedly. However, If per
son asked for a room then what
sc1ne of them are bringing now,
they would have been shot-but
quick.
Tor example: A lady has son
Ia service. thus giving her a spare
room in the house. She decides tc
rent it. She hasn't ever rented be.
fore and doesn't like the idea, but
it's a way to make some easy
money. so she says she has a room
tor rent. How much should she
charge? 1t should be the same as
she would have gotten for thai
"nom had she rented it il the 1941
base period But is it? In nine
cases out Of ten, it is NOT. Ir
computing the cost OF the room,
she most likely called couple oil
her neighbors and asked them how
much they were getting for q
room. One said So, another So
and another $12 She says: Hum.
m. If Mrs. Jones can get S12 for
ner room. so can l." So she
charges SIP for it. without ever
consulting OPA, or registering the
room, as is required. Thus another
profiteer is born.
The same holds true, in the
main, for restaurant. Their prices
are 'pegged.' 60 II so, why is it
that some items on the menu are
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
BY JOHN SELRY

Christmas Carol" by Charles
Dickens (Most publishers; prac-
tically any price,.
Almost exactly a century ae:..
Charles Dickens broke off work
on Martin Chuzzlewi: =
CT ough to turn out a Christmas
,oncelt, as was the custome in tnae
Gays. He got his idea out of the
t'Ce-or more likely GU. If Lo,
CONS December fog. 1t losses 80,
him; his biographer, F,rseer de.
Cares that he seemed half mad
while writing it, stalking the I'm
Lighted London streets night after
right, laughing, crying.
When it was done, aaf!y in d.
cember of 1843, he called it "a
Christmas Carol which is h .
perfect title since it IS just tha;
"a prose song on one 81 m D Z
theme. simply harmoaizsd ami
unforgettable. Perhaps it is as
Well Dickens was wri lag a GER
tury back, however, for l doubt
Y at any of our maya zine or book
publishers would have bough. 1t
if it had been offered them N this
Christmas season.
Imagine what the editor Of
Cosmopolitan or the Reader; Ei-
gest or the SATURDAY. Evening
Post would do with the story Of
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24

one price one day and another,
usually higher, price the next
Gradually they are creeping up
Wien the government figures the
rise in the cost OF living, by usinS
The Department of Labor's price
irdex. do they include costs sue"
as these? Here's your answer
They use items such as hlgh pur
tom shoes and detachable collars
Maybe this is why the moe,
when it is released, is able "
s,aow a drop in the cost Of llVIns
5cl the nation from one moAth !"
the next.
Perhaps for the homeoWheIs
costs are being held down , ow
how about the thousands VINO NV ",
in one or two rooms, and oan,
d: sh out money to establishments
which either can't understand '''
regulations or won't? -,
The idea behind the OPA, to noiu
prices down. is wonderful IL
theory. Put in actual practise Nv
dismal flop.
Yours for lower living.
OPAtet.
Wi1ro7i77toH
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24

want to avoid the crowd by attending an
early show or dining after the rush at res
taurants.
Here is nice distinction for the police
whether postal patrons are more to be con-
sidered than other evening drivers The af-
fected area is small but large enough to point
Wilnington's need for more downtown park
ing lots
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
The War Guilty

Commenting on the execution at Kharko'
of four war criminals. the New York tt
points out the responsibility resting upon thu
United Nations to see that nc person who's
war guilt can be proved escapes punishment
and at the same time to protect any person
falsely accused. the Times sums w til,
way:
To take these precautions is not in the
least to minimize the enormity of the
crimes the Nazis have committed all over
occupied Europe. 1t is simply to be sure
that we get the real criminals. The exc
cution of any man wtcse guilt is not clear
ly established would make that man a
martyr. It may be difficult now to mag
inc any large section of the German people
as possessing sense of justice. Yet in
the end they, too, must come to see that
the killing of hostages, the murders, slow
or swift, committed N interninent camps,
the horrors of the .ethal chamber, the
almost inconceivable savagery which not
only wiped out the innocent people of
Lldlce but boosted OF it, were not merely
crimes against those who died but crimes
against all humanity-even German hui
manly. They will see this sooner and
with better effect on the peace of the
world II every offender, from private to
general, from Sinking spy to arrogant
Gestapo official, has his day in court
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
BOX

The editor does not necessarily
endorse any article appearing in this
department. They represent the views
of the individual readers. Core
spondent are warned that all COM
munications must contain the correct
name and address for our records,
though the letter may be signed as
the write sees fit The Star-News
reserves the right to alter any text
that for any reason is objectionable.
Letters on controversial subjects will
not be published.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
STATE OFFICES CLOSE

RALEIGH, Dec. % R Al
State department offices WI Ee
exception of Selective service
closed at noon TO-DAY for three,
day Christmas holiday. They vi"
reopen Mon ay.
selective Service headquarters
will remain open tomorrow Cd.
serving Saturday and Sunday as
holidays and reopening with othef
departments next week.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
Adkins Is Promoted
To Rank OF Colons!

Lieut.. Col. John E. Adkins, Jf,'
commanding officer Of the 00la
Antiaircraft Artillery group d,
Camp Davis, has been promo'ea
to the rank of colonel.
He recently returned to Cah,y
Davis after serving overseas WIZ
the First Battalion in the So''
Regiment, with which he was loi.l'
erly connected at the NEARBY a.
my camp. .a
Colonel Adkins was graoud'e'
from West Point in 1923.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
BY RAYMOND CLAPPER

WASHINGTON, The Soldiers
vote question cannot be left where
the Senate has attempted to leave
it. In effect the Senate has said
that the Constitution prevents the
United States government from in
surfing that It's soldiers have the
opportunity to vote.
How does it come that the dis
tinguished Constitutional lawyers
of the Senate have so suddenly
lost their ingenuity that no way
can be found by which American
soldiers can be guaranteed an op-
portunity to vote?
These distinguished Constitutions
al lawyers of the Senate have sell
dom before been so completely at
a loss.
Ways have been found by which
the Government Of the U d
States fixes rents on your shelter,
fixes the price of your groceries,
and tells you how often you can
buy pair of shoes.
Ways have been found under the
Constitution by which the United
Stages Government has spent S15.-
900, 10000 to build war plants op-
Grated by American industry.
Ways have been found by which
the Government of the U n e d
States can take your 18-year-old
son and either put him through
college or fix him up with a nice
foxhole out on some godforsaken
Jungle island in the South Pacific.
Ways have been found by which
the Government of the U n e d
States can do just about anything
that it is necessary for the Gov
eminent to do.
It is odd that these Constitutional
lawyers in the Senate simply can't
find a way to insure vote for
the soldiers who arc drafted and
sent out to defend Iceland or to
fight in the cold mud OF the Italian
mountains. The Government can
do anything except insure to the
men who defend il with their hands
and lives an opportunity to vote
on who shall run it.
Will the service mer accept any
such excuse?
AS one distinguished veteran Of
the last war. Col. E. Brooke Lee,
saws in an editorial in The Mary
land News, there has been no talk,
even in the United States Senate,
that this is states war. Every
thing that has or will happen to
these Young Americans in this war,
he saws. has been voted by this
Congress to be completely Fed
eral and national responsibility and
function. This war is complete
national effort. To work at all,
Colonel Lee adds, the m ct h d
through which the service men are
tn vote must flow along the same
channels.
His point, which many service
men are making, is that no real
opportunity to vote will be allowed
those serving the fighting forces
if the states are requested" by
Congress to set up machinery for
conduct of the voting. The reason
is that the Army anc Navy are
far removed from the sphere of
state government. Men in t h e
Army and Navy are hot allocated
to services, divisions or ships with
any regard for their states or vot-
ing residences. The leadership of
the Army and Navy have no con-
Germ whatever with state govern
ments or election laws or voting
procedure.
AS Colonel Lee says, the 48
states as Individual agencies of To-
cal government can no more con-
duct an election among the mem.
bers Of the armed forces Of tho
United States than they can con
duct the supply system. the hos.
pital system, the mail system ~
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
Inside
Washington

WASHINGTON.-scme N,
flclals in Washington are exnso'
ing intensificatlon of Japan,s s,s
marine campaign against Am.,
merchant shipping in the ps,;t.
resulting from the current otf.,
sive which deprived the Min, -,
valuable air bases on the wo',
flank Of the shipping routes,
Hitherto. the Japs relied ~
planes from. the Solonons and c w
berts to th1eaten American sh;n
ping and to force vessels to taG.
wide, Understanding detour o ="
the route to the southwest paciti UA
Best bet is that the jap. bavin.
lost his air bases in the solomonss
and Gilberts, will resort TO otbas
tactics. 0''ief
Early in the war, the Jan u.os
his submarine neet--except in ''a
few isolated cases-in coni,mc nj
with his surface forces aga;nnl
American warships. These tsctio 9'
proved costly to Americans earIS
IN the war, both in the solomnns
and elsewhere.
Prediction: Japan may attemnt
sub attacks against Allies
chant Shipping, but most Navv
men feel the enemy high COM.
mand has waited too long. If such
a method is used, it probably win
do little harm to Allied shipping
which now is well protected IN
conveys.
Gopolitics arc watching with
keen interest the selection Of Ron
Charles A. Hallecs Of Indiana re-
chairman OF the national Republi.
can congressional campaign com.
n14y-te SC, eeutAG Reg. u. imam
Otter of Pennsylvania, killed in
an airplane crash
There IS much behind the move
and 1t has many implications.
Halleck ATTAINED national prom.
inence in 1910 when he nominated
Wendell W,llkie. another Hoosier
for president. To Halleck's speech
was attributed much of the su,.
cess of the 'Willkle Bit" Hal.
leck, however, has now cooled on
Willkie-which is important in njv.
otal Indiana and dangerous to Will.
kie.
Halleck is assured of a seat in
the House as long as he wants il
observers agree, AMI as congress.
sional campaign leader he will be
in line for majority leadership if
the Republicans capture the lower
branch in 1914
The National Planning Associa.
ton takes credit for the fact that
Bernard M. Baruch is in charge
Of drafting the broad blueprint for
postwar conversion. Insiders say
that NPA quietly recommended
delegation of the assignment 10
B aruch to President Roosevelt
weeks ago.
NPA also would more or less
bypass WPB on the postwar job.
Its program includes creation Of
a National Reconversion commits
sion and appointment Of national
reconversion administrator.
Good chance for another round
of alphabetical federal units!
Although the administration has
told farmers they will get plenty
of farm machinery 70 do the job
in 1944-the fact is that there u
some doubt about it now.
Huge orders for landing barges
from the military have put crlnp
in steel allotments for farm ma
chinery. 1t s the old case OF the
military needs coming first-Wlth
the farmers in close, but TOO lar
second.
Already hard-pressed for ma
chinery, farmers may nav e 10
stretch out their oil equipment an
other year.
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
Our Chief Aim
To aid in every way the prosecu-
tion of the war to complete Vic
tory.
THOUGHTS FOR TODAY

THOUGHTS FOR TODAY
A hint of halo in the day;
A thought of "others" when we pray;
A gentle glow that lights the way
That's Christmas;
manger bed where Christ-Child lies;
A wondrous message FROM the skies;
A glad, new Hope that never dies
That's Christmas.
E. c. BAIRD
The Wilmington morning star., 1943-12-24
Fair Enough

tsditor's Note-The Star and tho New aceepts ne
snsibility the personal views OF MI rex'ei
IA .ften itsaxree VI, them mueh - many O
~. rs.Ser. His srtte serve the good purpose O
naking people think
Detroit evening times., 1943-08-15

her drivers license for three months, But it
was great fun!
On another Treasure Hunt one Of Lois
friends Lady Eleanor Smith, daughter Of Lord
Birkenhead, and her escort were the first TO
get to a clue which was fastened to the frame
of a second-story window in the house Of
distinguished gentleman.
Aroused from his sleep by what looked
like ghost in an evening gown scratching
at his window, the gentleman was shocked
to discover that the apparition was the daugh-
ter Of his old friend, Lord Birkenhead and
that she had been boosted up to his window
on the back of a man in evening dress who
was standing on top Of a limousine.
Indignant over such gongs-on, despite Lady
Eleanors merry explanation, he promised to
report her conduct TO her noble father Soon
afterwards he heard somebody else trying to
get at the clue, and threw out a flower pot
without looking.
Imagine his CONSERVATION, when he did
look. and discovered that the intruder he had
conked on the head with the flower pot was
Lord Birkenhead himself, who was also on
that Treasure Hunt.
Lord Tredegars sister, the Hon. Gwyneth
Erica Morgan, was also enthusiastic MEM
Der of the original band of Bright Young
People-and one of the first to fall by the
wayside. The ordinary thrills were not enough
for her. She craved more excitement than
could be derived from cutting up capers in
public and her solitary search led her to the
Limehouse district, London's sordid and de-
vious old Chinatown.
1t was there that she came under the in
fluence of Chang Nam, known as Brilliant
Chang, the leader of gang of dope smug-
glers. Brilliant Chang taught her to smoke
opium, made her a drug addict and his mis-
tress and when he grew tired of her, set her
adrift.
For a while she dropped out of sight COM
pletely and then one foggy morning her body
found, floating in the murky waters of
the Thames and clad only in silk lingerie.
Detroit evening times., 1943-08-15

Nell Gwynn in screen production Of The
Glorious Adventure" But she was not present
at her ex-husbands reunion Of the old crowd
for the very good reason that her Glorious
Adventure ended a few years ago with her
death in Budapest under what have been
described as mysterious circumstances.
In her heyday, London was the scene of
most Of her pranks but one Of the most
curious Of them all took place in New York
City.
Appropriately enough, the occasion was
the opening night Of Tonight at s:30.'
series of one act plays written and acted in by
Noel Coward, who is considered by some
observers 10 be the chief historian and high
priest Of the Bright Young People.
If ever there was an opportunity for some
member Of that privileged set 20 come for
ward with spectacular stunt, this was it,
and Lois certainly rose TO the occasion.
Among other distinguished theatre-goers
IN the audience that night was Lucius Beebe
Cafe Society's arbiter Of elegance, fashion
plate and severest critic. With his flair for
conspicuous adornment, such as fawn- -colored
top hats and checkered vests of jonquil hue
1t was inevitable that he, too, should rise 10
Detroit evening times., 1943-08-15

I'll after he had visited a nearby bar during
an intermission. When he returned TO the the
atre he was dumbfounded to discover that his
Lend-Lease gardenia missing.
It seems that while he was having his
drink, Lois just happened to be standing next
TO him. having several drinks, and working up
a great urge for some novel form of self
expression.
Mstakng the gardenia for a piece of
costume jcwclry of the kind sold by five-and-
ten-cent stores, IL was her intention-so the
story goes merely TO swipe it as a lark and
afterwards have a good laugh when she re-
turned il TO Lucius But as the evening wore
on she had some more drinks, so many in
fact that she clean forgot about returning
the $4,000 bauble 20 Mr.. Beebe
Meanwhile frantic Lucius had called the
cops and for a while there was great excite
ment Accounts differ as TO what happened
after that, but, according 20 one version some
body who had been at the bar spoke up and
mentioned Lois name, and the hunt eventu-
ally led 10 an apartment where she was
aroused from n deep sleep and icily asked 20
return the gardenia.
At any rate, Lucius got his haubIe back
Detroit evening times., 1943-08-15


pranks in which Lois participated-such as
the celebrated Mozart party which had an
obstreperous aftermath that caused Mem
Minister Ramsay Macdonald a question that
has never been satisfactorily answered.
How long is this sort Of thing going to be
tolerated ?"
At the Mozart party everybody came in
18th century costumes, satin breeches, pow
dered wigs and hoop skirts. II was amusing
enough TO begin with, but after while it be-
came too tame, just for a lark they de-
cded TO dig up Piccadilly, one Of London's
busiest streets They hired steam drills, picks
and shovels and since il was about four o'clock
in the morning they had no interference
BY the time the police arrived they had
dug up wide stretch Of paving. Morning traf-
fic was hopelessly tied up and the stern city
fathers made them pay for repaving what
they had dug up. But it was great fun!
In the opinion of Lois and her set, party
that stuck too long in one place became stuffy,
and il was this conviction that gave birth 10
the Treasure Hunt.
The idea to plant series Of clues in
various unexpected and often forbidden places.
Then the couples raced all over town in their
cars, searching for the clues until one couple
found the final clue that led TO a hidden prize
usually a sum of money somtimes much
as $4,000
on one of these hunts, Lois got arrested
for driving 90 miles an hour past a traffic
light driving on the wrong side Of the street
and refusing TO stop when ordered to. An
irate magistrate fined her $50 and suspended