davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1945-02-16
On the Record
By Dorothy Thompson

Alas, in this moment, his ambition
seems rather to make himself the great
est Frenchman who ever lived. He re-
wives all the old-and oft-defeated-am-
bitions Of France, the very ambitions
which have repeatedly failed.
Since Richelieu and Louis XIV the
acquisition of the Rhinelands has been
French ambition, and today De Gaulle,
touring Alsace, gestures dramatically to
the French Rhine" "Our stream"
Alas, 1t Is but stream. Like Old Man
River, it just keeps rolling along. As
security frontier, in roofless world of
planes and robot bombs it is but re-
hective water.
And the system Of alliances which De
Gaulle demands-did not France have
them in 1899?
And the imperial ambitions? There
was time when France could chal-
lenge Britain, even in North America.
But this is not time when France can
challenge North America. 1t is mean
ingless gesture to announce the build
ing of 4 great fertilization in Dakar, at
this moment.
All fortifications are directed against
some menace. There are only two pow
CAS tA1dt SnA ROoSADy CAAAlcuBS TIc&lCu
West Africa-the great naval and air
powers Of the United States and Britain
There has been no disposition for a CEN
tury on the part Of either to menace
France. But if either did-what good
would bristling Dakar do France?
Let not France repeat the tragic his
tory of Germany-the history of nation
that could not digest defeat and out of
it begin a new life. Weakened by the
World War, Hitler's Germany tried to
overcompensate its Illustration by pool
ing all the ambitions of q once much
stronger power and did indeed, and at
unheard-of sacrifice, accomplish mir
acles Of strength-but no such miracles
as could overcome the changed facts
of life and history. So her defeat car
ried her not to new national glory but
to another and infinitely worse defeat
to national and spiritual ruin.
The defeated nations of Europe can
not be reconstructed as great powers
Only a new Europe can be reconstructed
to re-enter the world of the great
power systems.
released by the Bell syndicate, 1ne)
Evening star., 1945-02-16
around stake and walk behind the

around a stake and walk behind the
sled.
Layer by layer, the pile in the ice
house grew higher. Then, at last,
when the last load was home. the
sawdust was shoveled over the mass
and around the sides. Last of all,
the big. bulky pieces of frozen saw
dust were tossed on top. The ice
house was filled. 1t would chill the
tank in the milkhouse next sum-
mer, keep the refrigerator in the
back room cold and provide the es-
sential for making ice cream on a
hot day when a soup plate full of
frozen goodness covered with
crushed Strawberries made a lad
glad the icehouse was we'll filled.
Evening star., 1945-02-16
A Convincing Cuse

An increase IN teacher salary
scales is long overdue and the report
and recommendations from District
Budget Officer Walter L. Fowler to
the Commissioners yesterday should
assure early consideration of the
necessary legislation.
The thoroughness of this report
and the fact that its recommended
tions represent the joint conclusions
of the school and District budget au-
thorities should carry much weight
with congressional committees whose
spokesmen already have indicated a
receptive attitude.
Certainly they make out strong
case for the teachers. Basic salaries
have remained unchanged since
1924. although teachers under 5000
are receiving the $500 annual war
time bonus authorized in 1943. Since
1924 required cational standards
for teachers have been increased,
without additional compensation.
And Washington's rank among COM
parable cities, in teachers salaries,
is near the bottom of the list in most
of the categories.
The effect of the recommended
scales is to absorb the wartime
bonus, making it part of basic
salary, with increases in both mini
mum and maximum salaries and a
resulting tendency to increase the
number of annual step ups. The
increases are less, on the whole
Though more in some cases., than
the original recommendations of the
Board of Education last year. AS
Mr.. Fowler intimateS, the teachers
increases were studied in anticipa-
ton of other salary increases for
District personnel which are most
certain to be considered after the
war. The recommended absorption
of $500 annual bonus in the new
salary scales for teachers (Which
also was done after the last war;
o056CoOo Illdu az lCdoG d pOl tiOll VI
the overtime payments received by
other District personnel eventually
will become basic salary
In this same connection, there has
always been some relationship be-
tween the salary scales for teachers
and for public library personnel.
Recommendations already have been
prepared by library authorities for
higher salary scales and it is reason
able to expect that the proper legis-
lative amendments for library SAL
aries will be presented to Congress
for consideration along with the
teacher pay amendments.
While the estimated cost of put
ting the proposed teacher salary
schedule into effect is $1,118,4O0 for
the first year, all but 80,40O of this
amount is already being paid out in
the present bonus. There is such
a clear and equitable Justification
for the pay increases, however,
that the cost becomes a secondary
consideration.
Evening star., 1945-02-16
Filling the lcehouse

In the northern part of the coun-
try toward the close of winter, when
the ice on lake, pond and river is
thick and solid, comes the time for
filling the icehouse.
Last fall, before freezing weather
set in, the sawdust was shoveled out
side. Now. under its white snow
cap, it is waiting to be used again.
There are six or eight inches of
frozen Sawdust, but with a pointed
pick it is easy to crack off the frozen
layer and get at the loose sawdust
beneath.
Those who take for granted the
magic of mechanical refrigerators
may forget that tens of thousands
of farm homes depend on frozen
water in the warm months. Get
ting up the ice is one of the winter
seasons tasks. And while it is hard
work and for best results must be
rushed through when the tempera-
ture is below freezing. it is a job
that farmer and his boys enjoy.
The village pond is a scene of gay
activity when ice-cutting time ar
rives. Horses and scrapers are used
to clean the snow from an area.
Then the ice is plowed with sharp
marker, lining off the cakes about
two feet long and a foot or more in
width. Next comes the saving. The
Ice saw with its big, sharp-pointed
teeth, slides through the frozen mass
in an easy way that makes many a
countryman wish for a saw that
would go as easily through beech
and oak. When the cakes are sawed
off, they are pulled to the shore.
Hour by hour, the space of open,
black-looking water increases.
A generation ago, the ice was
hauled home on horse drawn sleds.
On cold, sunny day it was far from
being the worst Job in the world.
The snappy weather put life in the
big farm horses. On the down
grades they trotted briskly, and the
bells on their collars echoed along
the valley road. If too cold to ride,
. boy could always wind the reins
Evening star., 1945-02-16
Rupier GIudness

NoD let the heart be bright With
untorgetting
OF greening bough, OF mopement in a
Breaking the crystal-burdened shell Of
iUinter
Beyond all sorrop and the scars OF
grief.
Let memory be keen NTH bredthless
silence
OF orchard -Donder apricot and
In rapt resplendency OF iOaking spring.
time
Clutching the breath. 'TUas then the
lips tDere dumb,
Afraid lest any utterance t0ould shatter
The heapenly moment that tpds ours.
0 not1,
Think, heart, on radiance of rapier
gI1dness
OF moonlight sitting through a petaled
bouch!
ROSE MYRA PHILLIPS.
Evening star., 1945-02-16
Time VS.. the Nazis
By Maj. George Fisldinf Eliot

1t Is becoming clear that the German
high command must form its basic
plans for the immediate future on the
bitter realization that the North Ger
man plain is becoming indefensible.
There seems good reason to anticipate
that somewhere on that plain, within
a comparatively short period Of time,
the Anglo-American armies from the
west and the Russians from the east
will join hands. Z
The expression I have just used-"a
comparatively short period of time
is used in the military sense. It is
not an attempt to prophesy . date at
which this event will take place. It is
rather reflection of conditions which
already exist and those which may rea-
sonably be anticipated. as combining to
produce the predicted result.
In the west the further defense of
the Siegfried Line by the depleted Ger
man forces of Field Marshal Won Rund-
stedt becomes more hazardous almost
daily. This observation applies partic-
ularly to that portion Of the Siegfried
Line lying to the north of the Moselle
River.
In this area it appears to be the pur-
pose of the supreme Allied headquarters
to bring about a battle of encirclement
and annihilation in the area between
the Rhine and the east and the Mas
and Roer on the west. It Is dimcult to
see how, in the long run. Won Rundstedt
can prevent this from occurring, TO
the. destruction Of his army, unless he
withdraws that army behind the Rhine.
y ~ =
But it is also dif1cult to see how Won
Rundstedt can hope to make = lengthy
defense Of the long Rhine frontier all
the way from the North Sea to the con-
f1uence Of the Moselle at Coblenz against
the mounting weight Of offensive power
presented by five Allied armies, plus
probably new American Army and
the Allied air-borne army.
If he attempts to do SO, and break
through occurs, he would suffer ir-
reparable disaster; not in terms Of ter
ritory lost, but in terms Of the destruc-
tion OF Wehrmacht divisions which
could not be replaced.
That this is q comparatively short
term consideration Is further empha-
sized by these facts:
"a Gen. de Gaulle has stated that
eight additional French divisions will
be trained, armed and ready in April;
t2) the weather conditions In the North
Sea will permit Amphibious landings
to BE- undertaken late In March or early
in April, which it might well b I'M
Evening star., 1945-02-16
The Navy Visits Tokyo

1IlIS is lnQeeQ great DAY Tor the
Maya day which marks the full
f1llment of the deeply cherished
desire" of the men of the Pacific
Fleet to pay personal call at the
home Offices of the architects of
Pearl Harbor.
Much has been done already to
settle that score. In terms of pun
ishment given and received, the
japanese have been forced to pay
dearly for the sneak attack of De-
.cember Z, 1941. Their own fleet has
been mauled and driven to cover.
Their island. bases have been torn
from them. The Mikado's admirals,
harasSed men that they must be,
have learned in scores of engage
mentS that the arm of retribution is
long and~that the penalty of treach-
cry is severe.
But this is different-this is the
first time that Navy planes and
Navy guns have been able to carry
the war in all it's fury to the home
islands of Japan, and thereby to
wipe out once and for all the shame
of that day which will 'live in in
fanny"
The communique from Admiral
Nimitz contains no hint of the
specific military objectives of this
attack. If the Navy is adhering to
the familiar pattern, this all-out
assault on Japan may well be paving
the way for new landings, perhaps
in the Bonins, or in China, or at
some other point which will facili-
tate the launching of still harder
blows against the enemy. 1t may be
designed to force the enemy admi-
rails to commit remaining units of
the Japanese Navy to what would
surely be their last battle Or, if
the immediate objective is more
restricted in scope, the Navy may
be seeking to smash the bases from
which japanese interceptors have
been rising to challenge the Army's
B-29s.
There is one objective, however,
that will certainly be achieved. All
Americans have been proudly aware
of the tremendous growth in our
naval power since that far-away
day in April, 1912, when a handful
of Army bombers took off from the
Hornet to scatter a few bombs on
Japan. That was a gallant, but
token, attack. When it was not
repeated the japanese, or some of
them, may have half believed the
glowing versions of the terrible
punishment that was being meted
out to what had become a fifth-rate
American fleet. If so, the events
of February 16, 1945, must have
opened their eyes. For the fleet
which has been utterly routed and
destroyed on half a dozen occasions
by the japanese propagandists has
paid its first visit to Tokyo, and the
little men of Japan must now be
diStreSSingly aware that they have
been told something less than the
truth, the whole truth and nothing
but the truth.
Evening star., 1945-02-16
This Changing World
BY Consfasfins Byo,On

Far from the turmoil Of power poll
tics, Gen. Macarthur and Admiral
Nimitx are preparing (and, as todays
news shows, are delivering) new blows
against the Japanese, who are now
lighting . purely defensive war and
may be unable to resume the offensive
Many ideas are expressed by high
omcials as to how long JAPAN will be
able to hold out. The forecasts from
political men are based, as q rule, on
domestic political necessities.
According to officers close to the
two military leaders, Gen. Macarthur
and Admiral Nimitz are convinced the
japanese are near the end of their
rope and will reach it when the newly
established naval and air bases sever
their lines of communication with the
South Pacific and Japan's industrial
centers are subjected to daily destruc-
tive air raids. And this, they said, is
near at hand.
Regardless OF what has been agreed
on among the Big Three ut Yalta, the
American high command in the Pacific
is convinced that it can do the job
without any outside help. An early
ending Of the war in Europe will help
the situation considerably.
X 4
While Admiral Nimitz has all the
warships he needs for the planned
operations, the dispatch to the Pacific
of additional ground forces, transports
and air forces will strengthen Gen. Mac
Arthur's hand considerably. He has OBJ
tanned spectacular successes with small
ground forces, and the arrival of an
other half million men and several
thousand planes would shorten the war
considerably.
There is no tendency on the part of
the American Army and Navy COM
mands in the Far East to underestimate
the Japanese willingness to fight to
the last man. After having offered only
a token resistance to the American
forces which advanced as far as Manila,
the Japanese are now fighting with their
well-known stubbornness.
Neither is there any desire to mini
mize the efficiency of the Japanese
Army commanders. They know how to
plan and are making the best possible
use of the fanaticism OF the men under
their orders. They cannot be described
Evening star., 1945-02-16

possible for the Germans to counter
and which would mean the destruction
Of any troops then attempting to hold
the northern end of the Rhine front;
(3) the passing of winter means a tre-
mendous stepup Of Allied aid opera
tions.
Furthermore, the western situation
must be examined in the light of what
Is happening in the east There the
Russians, having reached the Middle
Oder, opposite Berlin, have set about
widening their salient. They have. on
the north, taken Schneidemuhl and
Chojnice, cutting the Berlin n-Stettin-
Danzig railway at the latter point, and
the isolation Of Pomerania and West
Prussia seems certain.
On the south they have isolated Bres-
lau and Glogau and have reached the
Neisse River. The fall of Budapest
forecasts the election of the Germans
from Slovakia, the capture of Bratislava
and linking up Of the Russian armies
in Silesia with those in Hungary through
the Moravian gateway. Thus the Ger
mans seem likely to be faced, on the east.
with q solid Russian offensive front
stretching from Stettin through Kustrin
and Frankfurt to Gorlitz and the
Sudeten Mountains, and then southwark
to the Middle Danube.
When this has occurred-perhaps even
before such q front is fully formed-a
Russian advance in strength into the
North German plain west Of the Oder
becomes possible.
The Germans may seek to delay these
events by local counterattacks and by
quickly switching reserves from one
point to another. They have done the
latter to try to delay the 1st Canadian
Army in the west. They may try q
counterattack in the east. though they
have probably been forestalled in that
attempt, and the fall Of Poznan and
Breslau would just about put an end
to their reactive opportunities for the
immediate future.
But they can win no more than delay
by such measures. The odds against
them are too great and will become even
greater as result Of the closer military
coordination between the Allied powers
ut the Crimea conference.
Therefore the German high command
must realistically face the fact that
when the Anglo-American armies pierce
the Rhine front and when the Russians
pierce the Lower Oder the chances OF
survival for any German troops yet
remaining In open country are rather
remote-they are, indeed, nonexistent.
ttCopyrisht, 1e48)
Evening star., 1945-02-16
This and That
By Charles Z. Trace1oeI.

wild turkey recently few down In
a yard in the Wesley Heights area.
1t had been attracted by the scent of
rice put out at bird feeding station.
The owner noticed that the small
birds had flown away, and in trying to
find out what had made them vanish
he saw the big bird
1t was beauty, fully feet long, with
fine coloring. probably male.
The typical turkey noise arose, after
which the bird ate rice, finally flying
away.
Probably few bird friends will be so
fortunate, even if they put out rice.
This big bird was at one time very
plentiful in America, and still may be
found in Virginia and some of the other
eastern States, and in the Southwest.
At one time hunting the wild turkey
was great sport, if the method used
could be called sport.
Often great gangs of men and boys
hunted the tame birds, and killed as
many as 500 with guns, clubs and stones.
One special method of killing them
was with dogs, the birds being repeatedly
driven into the air until exhausted when
the dogs sprang upon them.
1t is no wonder, with such methods,
that they are no longer common.
The wonder is that there are any at
all.
Some provision of nature has enabled
them to survive. Probably it is their
real intelligence. since from being so
tame that they were regarded as stupid
they have grown to be extremely wary.
Hunting today is done with a turkey
caller, usually made from the thigh bone.
At one time the big bird was a COM
mon resident of the District of Columbia,
but now it is rare. Some years ago there
was flock in Fairfax County, in nearby
Virginia.
The birds were common enough until
about 1890. Eggs were found near Falls
Church in 1908, and a flock of II was
seen near Neabsco, Va, on December 2,
1928.
Our domestic turkey has been bred
from the descendants of wild birds taken
to Europe from Mexico by Spanish ex-
plorers.
1.-THE Book of Birds" of the National
Geographic Society tells how the name
turkey" came to be attached to the
birds.
Originally the word was used for
the guinea fowl which was brought ia
Europe from Africa by way Of Turkey
and in early English was known as
turkey cooke
I'm the 18th century the newly i'm
ported bird from America was con-
fused with the African guinea fowl, Sc
that both were known as turkeys
From this the American bird retained
the name"
They are not good flyers, but can go
up into tree easily enough. and when
hard pressed put on pretty good job
The nest is on the ground, in dense
thicket. The eggs range from to 18
usually not more than dozen. They
are yellowish- white, evenly dotted brown
The mother turkey hides the nest very
cleverly
She is not only afraid of men and
foxes, but also of the father-he will
break every egg, according to legend.
Maybe you have wondered where the
feathers the Indians used came from?
Well, some of them came from wild
turkeys. The Pueblos regarded them a,
sacred, and had special room fol
them. The feathers were used q Offer
ings. and also as head dresses.
Evening star., 1945-02-16

~ amateurs by any stretch of the
imagination. But the fact that the
imperial navy has been reduced to
impotence makes 1t impossible for the
Japs to receive the necessary supplies
and reinforcements.
In the meantime the Navy is putting on
another spectacular show which should
place the Japanese homeland within the
reach of our escort planes, thus render
ing the task Of the bombers easier Japan
has transferred to the Chinese mainland
some Of her war industries. But the
majority Of the war plants are still in
Japan and these will be destroyed
quicker than those Of Germany.
As soon as we are disentangled in
Europe the bulk of the trained forces
which have fought the Germans will be
available for the Pacific theater. It is
conceivable that some new strategy may
be adopted after Germany's collapse to
suit the new situation. Even II the
japanese military clique which still
dominates Japan can persuade Emperor
Hirohito to transfer to the Chinese
mainland, Gen. Macarthur and Admiral
Nimitz are said to feel that with large
additional force from Europe they can
put an end to the Japanese resistance
in China.
In the past the operations on the
Asiatic continent were handicapped by
the fact that there was only q token
aviation, which did marvels under the
existing circumstances, but could not
really hurt the Japanese armies in China
seriously.
II
Neither could the Chinese armies do
more than fight token defensive battle.
But as soon d America has her hands
free across the Atlantic and new forces
will be available for the Far East, far
more comprehensive operations will be
possible and already are being planned
by the two commanders in the Pacific.
Generalissimo Chang Kai-shek and
his American adviser, 1t. Gen. Albert G.
Wedemeyer, are getting ready to CO.
operate and dovetail the actions of the
Chinese armies with plans to be def
nitely formulated this spring. Chang,
who only . few months ago appeared to
have been at the end of the rope, has
managed somehow to keep most of his
troops together under unbelievably Diff
fcult circumstances.
Evening star., 1945-02-16
Everybody's Business
From the Halifax Herald.

From the Halifax Herald.
General Franco lays 1t down as . 1945
dictum that what Spain is and what we
want to be concerns only us Spaniards
alone" Such "nationalisticn scruples are
in significant contrast with the Franco
attitude when the Axis was in its hey
day. Then the Spanish Caudillo was
poking his Iberian nose into everybody's
business, slanging the democracies, and
rejoicing in Nazi victories. What the
apostles Of Fascism have done to the
world, and would like to have done, is
very much the concern Of the world at
large.
Evening star., 1945-02-16
No Air FIivvers Yet
rom the Fort Scott Tribune.

From the FoTt Scott 1Tlbune.
The family flying flivver may not be
here as soon as many people have been
led to believe. T. P. Wright, new civil
aeronautics administrator, formerly a
vice president and director of engineer
ing for the Curtiss- Wright Aeronautics
Co., is of the opinion that there is
lot Of research and designing yet to
be done before the family air flivver
arrives