davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1946-10-17

ask their customers to supply the
necessary soap. which Is practically
unobtainable. Both may be ra-
toned, by popular demand.
Evening star., 1946-10-17
Wush Girls Ask Soup

Wash girls who collect laundry
to wash on their own premises, in
johannesburg, South Africa, now
Evening star., 1946-08-11

ever given to the development of
art in the Nations Capital and in
the Nation itself has resulted from
Andrew w. Melons munificent gift
to the American people of his un-
fexcelled art collection and a SIS
100000 building to house it, with a
liberal endowment fund to pay the
salaries of directing officials and for
the acquisition of additional art
works. Mr.. Melons gift was made
on December 81, 1886, and in the
spring of 1887 was officially accepted
by Congress. BY this act of Con-
gress, the name of the extensive art
collection which had been assembled
by the Smithsonian under the pro-
vision in the act of August 10, 1S46,
and designated the National Gallery
of Art, was changed to the National
Collection of Fine Arts and the
name National Gallery of Art" was
transferred to Mr.. Melons gift.
The Mellon collection proper,
carefully selected over a period of
40 years, includes approximately 100
paintings by old masters. They
Evening star., 1946-08-11

Canal. the former of which once
wended its way through the north
ern part of the city. around the
western slope Of the Capitol Grounds
and thence westward to the Poto-
mac River. 1t was, indeed, a sight
to behold.
The Center Market, however. did
not have its beginning at the Ma
tional Archives site. but originally
was located about where is now the
old State, War and Navy Build
ing at Seventeenth street and Penn
sylvania avenue. And, although
there seems to be no certainty as
to when the market was erected so
close to the White House, vet 1t
was there in the summer of 1901
when, as Mr.. Bryan tells us. the
citizens started a movement to
erect market house on Market
Square, on the south side of Penn
sylvania avenue between Seventh
and Ninth streets. The Commits
sioners at first agreed to help the
good work by subscribing $500 to-
ward the building fund. But evi-
IDENTIFY the popular subscription did
not warrant such an ambitious
scheme, although DR.. Thornton
acted as chairman of the meeting
of citizens, and William Brent was
made treasurer, and James Hoban
and Clotworthy Stephenson were
constituted building committee.
Finally the Commissioners pro-
posed that if the expenses of re-
moval were paid by the subscribers
they would give the market house"
Evening star., 1946-08-11

standing paintings from Chester
Dale.
The collection installed In the
Freer Gallery of Art were brought
together by Charles Lang Freer of
Detroit as the result of Mr.. Freer's
personal efforts over a period of
about IS years, the earliest of his
acquisitions dating from the later 80s.
During the administration of
President Theodore Roosevelt these
collections were presented by Mr..
Freer to the Nation, with the under
standing that they should be placed
under the direction of the Smith
sonian Institution, and on May S.
1906, the formal deed of gift to the
Smithsonian was executed.
Mr.. Freer was convinced that the
more nearly cultural object of any
civiliza ton expresses the underlying
principles of artistic production in
soundness of thought and workman
ship, the more nearly it takes its
place with other objects of equally
high quality produced by any other
civilization. With that in view, he
Evening star., 1946-08-11

cover the important schools Of
Western European painting, the
works being of exceptional quality
There are also a number Of por-
traits by important American paint
ers, and the Dreyfus collection of
Renaissance sculpture.
Even before the building was
completed, gifts began to come to
the gallery. In 1899 Samuel H.
Kress gave his collection OF Italian
paintings and sculpture, stated by
experts to be one Of the finest pri-
vate collections OF Italian art in the
world, and in 1910 the famous
Widener collection of paintings
to the National Gallery. Other
gifts are the Lessir" I.
Rosenwald collection Of more than
5000 prints and a number of OUT
Evening star., 1946-08-11

man lnSL1LuL1On.
ings. potteries, sculptures in stone,
in wood and objects in lacquer,
bronze. jade and other materials.
The Chinese field is represented by
the largest number of objects COW
ering the longest period of time, but
Japan, Korea and the Near East
are included literally.
American Ethnology
Is Extensive Field
Since 1879 the Smithsonians Bu-
reau OF American Ethnology has been
gathering, recording and publishing
information on American Indians
their relationships, languages, ma
terial culture. history, customs and
myths. In addition, it acts as a
clearing house for American eth
nology and archaeology, answering
hundreds of inquiries each year, CO.
operating with other agencies work.
ing in these fields, and serving in
an advisory capacity on archeo-
logical projects throughout the
country.
Maj. John w. Powell, famous
scientist and explorer, who, although
handicapped by the loss of his right
arm in the Civil War. made the
first journey down the length of
the treacherous Grand Canyon of
the Colorado River in a boat, was
responsible for the creation of the
bureau. AS member of early
Western exploring expeditions, Pow
ell became interested in the many
Indian tribes encountered, and when
In 1879 Congress organized the
Western explorations as the Geo.
logical Survey, the study of the
Indians was also included by Great
ing the Bureau of American Eth
nology, under the Smithsonian In
stitution, with Maj. Powell as it's
first director.
The work of the bureau was soon
divided under four major headings:
Cd Language, upon which the clas-
sification of the tribes is based;
ca the Native Arts; go Institutions
and Organizations and "a Myths
and Beliefs. At first it was intended
that all its work should be restricted
to living Indians, but Congress soon
authorized the study of the pre-
historic remains of ancient tribes,
and today archaeology forms an i'm
portant part of the bureaus scien-
tific work.
At the present time the bureau
is conducting chronological and
archaeological researches in various
parts of the United States, Canada
and Mexico.
The object of the Smithsonian
Astrophysical Observatory is the
study Of the physical aspects Of the
Evening star., 1946-08-11
Butter at zoe a ound!

town market district looked like
prior to the erection of the Ma
tional Archives, the Department of
Justice Building and the Bureau of
Internal Revenue, or can visualize
the enormous excavations that had
to be made that opened up to view
the bed of the old Tiber Creek, later
converted into the Washington
Evening star., 1946-08-11

the Center Market was the fact that
many fish dealers sold fish alive.
When the fish were caught in the
Potomac, or elsewhere. they were
brought in live boxes, and 1t was
no unusual sight to see fish jumping
about the fish stands as prospective
purchasers inspected them. If no
sale was made the fish were simply
Evening star., 1946-08-11
he Smithsonian's nst >enturv

heavenly bodies. No star Ia 10 I'M
portant to us as our sun, and slnost
all Smithsonian observing has been
related to 1t.
With the eve and by Photographic
methods. visible and ultraviolet sun
rays had been much studied before
1890. Since 1890, the main objective
has been to measure the quantity
and quality of the suns radiation.
For this research several stations
have been occupied. ranging In al
titude from sea level to 1880 feet
and situated in North and South
America and Africa.
At present the institution main
tains three solar observing stations
one in Chile, one in California and
one In New Mexico, where Smith
sonian observers record daily the
value of the solar radiation.
In 1881, the institution received
bequest from James Arthur of
New York to support researches and
lectures on the sun. The income
from the bequest has aided In pro-
noting solar investigations and
every year since 1882 lecture has
been given at the institution on
some phase of the study of the sun.
Geological Park
Is Popular Division
Our attention Is focused at tn.
moment at the National Zoologicsl
Park, located in a beautiful wood
land tract Of ITS acres in Rock
Greek Valley In our Capital, which
Is one of the most popular of the
activities under the Smithsonian
Institution. Here more than 25Oo,-
900 visitors each year receive first-
hand instruction in natural history
through the observation of living
mammals, birds and reptiles. More
than 2,400 individual animals make
up the population OF the National
Zoo. many Of them rare creatures
not shown elsewhere In the country.
The idea of a national 100 orir-
mated with Samuel Pierpont Lang
ley, third secretary of the Smith
sonian. Having in mind the saw
ing of the American bison from
utter extinction at a time when this
species was at low ebb, ne in.
Evening star., 1946-08-11


and as the pages of its his
tory are turned, valuable
chapters of information and data
reveal an investment In science as
secure as United States bond.
each one a milestone In the progress
of mankind.
1t was created by act of Congress
based on the bequest of James
Smithson, an English scientist, who
left his entire estate to the United
States ito found at Washington an
establishment for the increase and
diffusion of knowledge among men,"
The museum was primarily to con-
tain objects of art, OF foreign and
curious research; of natural history.
plants, and geological and mineral
ogical specimens belonging to the
United States. The Smithsonian
Is neither endowed nor maintained
by Government appropriation. al
though the Government intrusts
the administration of several pub
licly supported bureaus to its care.
Its Board Of Regents, members OF
the Government and private citi-
zens, has included the names of
Louis Agassiz. Alexander Dallas
Bache, George Bancroft, Rufus
Choate, James Dwight Dana, Ste
phen A. Douglas. Asa Gray, Gen.
Montgomery C. Meigs, Noah Porter
Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman,
Alexander Graham Bell, Chief Jus
tices Of the United States and Pres
idents Fillmore, johnson, Garfield,
Theodore Roosevelt and
Coolidge, as well as the President
Of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis,
when a United States Senator.
The Smithsonian Institution COM
prises six separate units:
l. The National Gallery Of Art.
2. The Natural History Building
Of the Museum.
). The Arts and Industries Build
ing.
4. The Administration Building.
S. The Freer Art Gallery.
s. The Aircraft Building. .r
Probably the greatest impetus
Evening star., 1946-08-11

was intent upon bringing together
such expressions of western and
eastern cultures as seemed to him
to embody, at their best, those
characteristics which he believed to
be inherent in all works of art.
From the West, he acquired Amer
lean paintings by men, inheritors of
European traditions, in whose work
he found qualities and tendencies
with those of earlier
painters in China and Japan.
From the East. he gathered paint
Evening star., 1946-08-11

dumped back into the baskets and
then into the live boxes, which were
floating in the canal, only rs feet
south OF the market. The stock
could be kept alive as long as de-
sired. or until sold, and the method
had many advantages over cold stor-
age, the chief of which was its
inexpensiveness."
My, how this neighborhood has
changed since the old market was
first opened there on Tuesday. De-
cember Is, 1901! Just a building
here and there and the rope walk
on the south bank of the Tiber i'm
mediately opposite the market. An
old wooden bridge, built in 1895, by
the Commissioners. at Seventh
street, and the Twelfth street wharf
close by, where is now the Internal
Revenue Building, and only a foot
walk up the Avenue made of stone
chips from the public buildings. Even
game, We are told, came up as far
as Seventh street. Indeed, the pro-
jectors showed much courage when
they selected this site for their chief
market.
Evening star., 1946-08-11
smithsonian Institution Photo.

terested Congress in providing q
site where these animals and others
OF equal interest could be protected
and displayed to visitors in natural
surroundings. Aside from the
American bison herd are the tall
giraffes in new large animal
house, all their own, which attract
great attention.
The National Zoo was established
FOR the advancement of science
and the instruction and recreation
OF the people"
The head of the Smithsonian In
stitution goes out periodically on
Held expeditions, spending a great
many hours on valuable expeditions,
particularly in South and Central
America. DR.. Alexander Wetmore
has developed a standard classifi-
cation of all the birds of the world
and has made a complete research
on birds. During the war, a great
many European collections were
damaged, but the Smithsonian In
sltutlon has the est-known coilec-
ton OF any in America today.
Many Worldwide
Expeditions Sponsored
In all its history, the Smithsonian
Institution has been prominently
connected with the exploration Of
little-known districts of the earth.
and the collection of specimens and
scientific data from them The in
stitution has co-operated In many
OF the Government surveys. The
famous Theodore Roosevelt African
expedition, in 1909-10. which brought
back a rich collection of African
fauna, was carried out under Smith
sonlan auspices. Extensive collec-
tions representing the East and
West Indies, Australia and South
east Asia, were made for the in
stltution for many years through
the generosity OF DR.. william l..
Aboott. Archaeology, astronomy, bot
any. ethnology, geology, paleon-
tology, zoology and other sciences
all have benefited by the journeys
OF members of the institutions staff
to sections of our own great country
and to distant lands. Notable among
them have been the solar expedi-
tions, the exploration of prehistoric
Indian ruins in the Southwest and
In Latin America, and DR.. Walcott's
studies of Cambrian fossils In the
Canadian Northwest.
1t is estimated that the institu-
ton has sent out or co-operated in
more than 1900 separate expedi-
tions, which have covered the earth
like gigantic dragnet
Valuable Service
During the War
During World War II, the in
stitution suspended many of its
normal activities in research and
exploration and devoted itself to
the limit of its ability to projects
concerned with the war. Its stan
to more than 2,o00 re-
quests from Army and Navy officials
for technical information, many
extended researches
and reports. 1t took part in estah-
fishing and maintaining the Eth
Board. clearing
house for data in the fields of an
thropology, biology, geology. geog-
raphy and other sciences urgently
needed by the Army and Navy.
At the request Of the Navy De-
partment, the institution, through
the Ethnogeographic Board. pre-
pared q survival manual for the
servicemen stranded In strange lo-
cations, of which l,oO0,ooo copies
were printed.
Evening star., 1946-08-11
Not a House
On the Avenue

One hundred and forty-fve years
ago this area was almost as wild as
the Indian had left it. To quote
Hines again, about 1896 or 1897.
After passing the Presidents
House." says Hines" our road lay
along F street until we arrived at
Eleventh street west. We then
Evening star., 1946-08-11

passed in a southeasterly direction
to a small creek that crossed E stree
north near where DR.. Borrows nov
lives. We then continued along thi.
stream in the same direction until
1t crossed Pennsylvania avenue
where the Center Market House now
stands, and then we crossed the
bridge. At that time there was not
"a single house on the Avenue from
the Presidents House to the Capitol
On the east side of the road there
were, l suppose, several acres of ele-
CANT forest trees. On the west side
there were not so many, there being
only a narrow strip. 1 think part
or perhaps all of them were on the
Public Mall. The bridge, as well as
| can remember, was constructed in
this manner: There was a causeway
or rather two small wharves, con-
structed OF logs and filled in with
earth, on each side of the creek
They were built so close to one an
other that large scow could scarce
ly pass between them. On these
wharves, or causeways. the bridge
was erected. The bridge was very
low and not wide enough for two
carriages to pass over side by side.
Close by the end of the bridge, on
the left-hand side In the marsh.
grew some beautiful red berries,
something like cranberries. 7 have
often stopped there with my bundle
or basket and have plucked and
eaten them and thought them deli
cious. I have never seen any since,
to my recollection"
The Big Market
Fire of 1870
From the time the market was
placed on this spot it was added to
from time to time until almost the
entire two blocks were taken up by
sheds and buildings Of different sizes
and character until early Sunday
morning, December 18, 1870, an &C
commodating Providence caused the
entire destruction of the market and
its nondescript structures by fire.
The market building that was re-
moved in 1881, was erected in 1912.
on Reservation No. 7, of red
brick aad of picturesque design. It's
whole length on Seventh and Ninth
streets and Constitution avenue was
TAO feet. Its northern part was used
for wholesale purposes, and over
this was an armory, with a drill
room on the Ninth street side. In
all there were 666 stalls for retail
purposes, and these were rented by
256 different dealers.
Evening star., 1946-08-11
on the Presidents Square as a tenn.
porary aid to the market.
Market Boats
On Tiber Greek

-F1o al nSt DodlS
On Tiber Greek
On a subsequent date, James
Hoban was authorized ito remove
the public sheds from the Presi-
dents Square TO the Market
Square. By the middle of Decem-
Der, on Tuesday. the 18th, the mar
ket was opened and also on the
following Thursday and Saturday,
which are the market days at the
present time. The place soon re-
ceived the name of Center Market.
which it bears to this day.
The new site was not delight
full area in which to place a market,
being marsh land, as Marsh Mar
ket' would imply. and even after
this reservation was taken pos
session of for this purpose there
was no positive assurance-at least
from the flrst-of a definite mar
ket day, for the Tiber had habit of
backing up and covering those
blocks with water after every
heavy rain. But no doubt, after all,
it was due to the Tiber that this
spot was selected, for the market
place under favorable conditions
could be reached by small boats,
and the Twelfth street wharf was
only a couple of blocks away, which
was also an inducement.
Evening star., 1946-08-11
By Roe Robins

HE Smithsonian Institution
was 100 years old yesterday,
and as the pages of its his
Evening star., 1946-08-11
Where Live Fish
Gould Be Bought

Naturally, all sorts of methods were
employed in bringing supplies to the
market. Christian Hines, speaking
Of these early years, tells us:
1T was customary for the country
people to bring in their produce,
such as corn, corn meal, potatoes,
apples, ETC., on horseback, and in
return take back few groceries, not
forgetting jug of whisky. The to-
bacco, of which there was a large
quantity shipped (more particu-
larly from Georgetown to Europe,
was brought to market in a way
that may appear strange to many
who have never seen it. II was done
in this manner: The hogshead con-
tanning the tobacco had a hole bored
IN each head and an axle run
through from one end to the other.
To this axle shaft was attached
something like the shaft of a cart.
To this a horse was hitched and
the tobacco brought to town, up and
down hills, over stones, etc. It looked
precisely like the roller with which
the streets are now rolled"
Fifty years later we are told:
"One Of the great attractions Of
Evening star., 1946-08-11
Coffee and
Coffee Substitutes

OoItSS
AS to coffee, since this delicious
beverage had TO be brought to the
States in vessels that had to run
the blockade which existed during
the War Between the States, its
price during that period was in
some places practically prohibitive
and especially was this true in some
of the southern States. Indeed
in Nicolay and Hays Life of Abra-
ham Lincoln" it says that the
women of Alabama used as a sub
stitute for making this drink
parched yams or the seeds of the
okra plant.
Few newcomers to Washington
have any idea OF what our down.
Evening star., 1946-08-11
By John CIoeett Proctor

A PPARENTLY, to use SLANG
~ expression. I'VE are get
~ ting no better fast" In
deed unnn the contrary
Evening star., 1946-08-18
BemedoIed Army Bond Knows
Warfare as Well as Music

The United States Army Band,
which will present the second of its
series of Water Gate concerts We'd
nesday, is not without its chests of
iglittering decorations. To many Of
the bands members combat areas
are as familiar as the bandstand.
Boasting repertory ranging from
Enescos 'Romanian Rhapsody No.
/" to band version of Holiday for
Strings which Leader Hugh Curry
calls stringless holiday for clari-
nets, the 85-piece organization is in
terchangeably proud of its musi-
cianship and its military record.
In the latter department. Sergt.
Robert Bartlett of Clarksburg.
w. Va. wears the Purple Heart be-
side three other ribbons. Sergt.
Bartlett found Antwerp, Belgium, an
unhappy place to be during the rain
of Nazi V-2s.
S /Sergt. Paul Freeman, who
played string bass with the National
symphony before l941, eventually
wound up in the jungles of North
and Central Burma, where he re-
ceived a direct field commission on
the recommendation of Gen. Joseph
Stilwell
Chief Warrant Officer Curry, on
whom an act of Congress this year
conferred the title of leader-the
third in the bands history-saw ac-
ticn with the lst Field Artillery of
the 26th Division. Chief Curry's
duties during the war took him to
North Africa and Europe. He has
Evening star., 1946-08-18

the institution. to the health officer
for hearing, and if he desires may
also appeal to Municipal Court for
hearing on his discharge. Such
hearings may be Sin or out of the
presence of the detained person, in
the discretion of the court but if
the detained person requests pub
lie hearing, then the general pub
lie must be admitted.
Act Provides Penalties.
Penalties for any person who vio-
lates the act are to be fine of
not more than $500 or imprison-
ment for not longer than 90 days,
or both, in the discretion of the
court.
Persons with certain religious
faiths, such as the Christian Sci
entistS. are exempted from certain
provisions of the act. The law pro-
vides that such persons who rely
in good faith upon spiritual means
or prayer in the free exercise of
religion to prevent or cure disease
may not be forced ito go to or be
confined in a hospital or medical
institution unless no other place is
available" Neither can they be
compelled to submit to medical
treatment"
Corporation Counsel West, pre-
pairing to draft new regulations un-
der both the old and new laws. de-
clared, IT'S a good bill l think it
will work.