davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1950-10-06
A'Moster Plan for Washington

comprehensive report on planning for the
growth of Washington and the Metropolitan
Area has been in the Government Printing Office
since last April. There have been circumstances
which delayed its printing, but the estimates are
that the first part, an illustrated summary, will
be of the presses early in November-with six
other sections amplifying topics discussed in
the summary-to follow.
This report ought to be ready for the new
Congress. Lack of adequate knowledge of the
plan for Greater Washington was one of the
factors which defeated the Budget Bureaus
recommendation, in the closing days of the past
session, for an appropriation that would make
possible beginning on spreading the Govern
ment establishment into adjoining areas of
Maryland and Virginia.
This sensible sort of decentralization should
take place only as part of carefully considered
master plan for the Metropolitan Area. If done
piecemeal, it can create about as many mistakes
for the future as the immediate problems it is
designed to solve. There should be general
availability and thorough discussion, in and
out of Congress- of this master plan. Its
publication should not be longer delayed.
Evening star., 1950-10-06
Mabel Howell.

ana she was very proud of them; then,
the next being mule, she simply refused
to pay the slightest attention to it, ap-
parently being ashamed of it.
They finally had to take it away from
her. as she refused to mother it.
These actual happenings of the ami
mails on the farm visited have made
me say that now believe many of the
stories of the intelligence of animals
even If they seem rather improbable.
VERY sincerely yours, D. S. B."
The fox hound, both in the old and
the strictly American breed, is one of the
most intelligent of all dogs
For many years there was one run
ming around out in our suburban neigh
borhood simply as a pet.
He probably never hunted in his life
He was always on the scene, always
well hammered. active and friendly,
good dog to have around.
Our American hound is smaller and
lighter than the English foxhound.
The English think we breed our fox
hounds indiscriminately, as they say.
Every lover of the breed has his own
ideas, and every farm it's own hounds,
so that the term "foxhound" is very
elastic.
It is grand dog, which should be
used more as a city pet as 1t is capable,
clean, silent and hardy, as well as
friendly. What more could one ask in
dog?
Evening star., 1950-10-06
The Annual Leave Problem

That it has required careful study by the
Controller General to clarity the recently passed
congressional restrictions on accumulated leave
of Federal employees is not surprising The ban
on any carry over of this years leave into the
next fiscal year was adopted by House and Senate
in the form of rider on an appropriation bill.
The rider originated in the House Appropriations
Committee, which made only brief reference to
the provision in reporting the appropriation bill
Members of the committee explained that the
rider was designed to end leave abuses which
hampered administrative efficiency.
But the rider was adopted over the objections
of the administrative branch as represented by
the Budget Bureau. Budget Director Lawton
pointed out that the subject of civil service policy
on leave was complicated one that did not lend
itself to simple solution through the rider method
It was subject he said that should be handled
by the legislative process of reference to the
Civil Service Committees of both houses Mr..
Lawton was right in this contention. Considera-
tion should be given not only to the admins
trative angles but to the employees side of the
story. This can be done only in regular hearings
before appropriate committees.
The rider places departmental personnel
Evening star., 1950-10-06
"B STREET NE.

"B STREET NE.
Dear Sir:
"I have been living in Washington
nearly month. I am from the South
like The Star better than any other
paper here and especially enjoy your
section.
II have read stories of animal intelli-
gence, some of which have taken with
grain of salt. After visiting my niece
and her husband on their farm near
Laurel, Miss, however, am not ready to
believe these stories.
"One day we were sitting on the back
porch and noticed one of the fox hounds
with bottle.
"We soon discovered that he had re-
moved one of the small bottles of milk
which his master had brought home
to give the kittens.
First, he jumped up on the coop.
where the bottles were lying and brought
the bottle to the ground. After working
at it awhile. he succeeded in removing
the stopper from the bottle, holding it in
the meantime so that the milk would not
spill.
Gently tipping the bottle. he licked
the contents of it with his tongue, getting
all of the milk without spilling it, He
did this with two bottles and had just
started on the third when his mistress
decided that, while it was plenty smart,
enough was enough.
1.-THE next is the story Of a fox hound
Evening star., 1950-10-06
By NewboId Moves, Jr.

THE POPULAR THOUGHT. these
n days, seems to be that man is his
own greatest enemy. do not subscribe
to the popular thought. 1t has long been
my belief and contention that things are
the greatest enemy Of man.
Some people hate music on buses.
Some people hate Russians Some peo-
pie hate to get up in the morning. But
hate things.
You know what mean by things. I
mean those inanimate objects. those
lumpish bits of obstinacy, those nasty
little instruments of refined torture-in
short, those things with which man is
fool enough to surround himself and
which make his life one long, frustrated
travail
7 mean, for instance, the bureau
drawer that sticks the shoelace that
snaps, the card table that won't unfold,
the pocket-knife that breaks your finger
nail, the empty match box. the roller
skate on the stairs, the bow tie, the
But why go on?
have become persuaded these things,
and all their ilk, are engaged in a relent-
less conspiracy against man. They are
out to wear him down, to break his
nerve, to reduce him to whimpering
senility before his time. They are
out to get him. And unless man can
effect fundamental change in his per-
sonality, developing a philosophy and
psychology which will enable him to get
along with things in sort of live-and-
let-live truce-unless man can do this,
things DiH get him.
am aware that there are people
II hate them. too) who seem to have
reached an understanding with things
some things anyway. I once met man
from Copiah, Miss, who could change a
tire without having one lug stick on him
or the car once slip off the jack. OF
course, he was specialist. There also are
some things which do not seem to take
part in the general conspiracy against
man, serving him with apparent faith
fulness. Beer can openers, for instance.
But these are exceptional cases, danger
GUS in themselves because they tend to
lure man into sense of false security.
Things know exactly what they are
about, in their attack on man. They
show highly-developed sense of team
work. They supplement each other and
back each other up.
Take windows. There is absolutely
nothing about window that cannot
Evening star., 1950-10-06
Frederick L. Freeman.
Missing Voice

Now that the winter season of music
is about to begin in our city, promising an
embarrassment of riches there is only one
flaw in the picture. This is about the only
major city in the nation which will not
have the opportunity of hearing undoubt-
edly the worlds greatest singer, Kristen
Flagstad. now at the summit of her pow
ers A paragraph from the British maga-
zine Opera is pertinent.
I'm 1947 Flagstad set out from Norway
to sing again. After an initial appear
ance in London, she went to America,
where she met with particularly savage
reception from an ignorant minority who
pretended, in spite of assurances from the
Norwegian government, that she had
been, and still was Nazi sympathizer.
From America she returned to England.
Evening star., 1950-10-06

officials In serious dilemma. The Korean
emergency has imposed heavy additional loads
on military and other security agencies. It has
been necessary to curtan leave of many key
employees in these branches of the Government.
Such employees, because of the rider, will be
prevented from taking the Cancelled leave later
Yet employees fortunate enough to work in
esS-and-usuap' Offices will be able to take
their full vacations this year. This is discrim-
inatory arrangement that is apt to impair,
rather than improve administrative efficiency.
The House Appropriations Committee, cognizant
OF the cursory attention given the leave problem
recommended special studies of "the entire leave
situation" by the Civil Service Committees The
confusion caused by the appropriation rider
shows that this was-and still is-good advice.
Evening star., 1950-10-06
This Is Where We Came In

The dull thud heard in the corner when
Mr. Stassen unveiled his statement, billed in
advance as something of great Importance, was
the sound of hope crushed to earth. The hope
was that Mr.. Stassen would say something new.
BY this time everybody knows that Mr..
stassen has burning yen for conference with
Mr. Stain. He began playing this record last
February-a sort of variation of "Open the Door,
Richard" He told Mr.. Truman to call an inter-
national conference and to be sure that Stain
was there. He himself appointed the members
of the American d elegation to this conference
Secretary Acheson; the former Secretary OF
Defense, Mr. Johnson; General Bradley, Senator
Taft Senator Vandenberg, Bernard Baruch and
General Eisenhower. It may be that Mr.. Stassen
concluded that if the members of this delegation
could get along with each other, they could get
along with anybody-including Stain.
BY last March Mr.. StaSsen was calling for
an offensive strategy in the cold war. The
offensive strategy would include a conference
with Stain. Members of the American delegation
remained the same. In August Mr.. StaSsen was
evidently becoming quite irritated at the delay
in holding the conference with Stain His dis
pleasure was directed against the Truman ad-
miniStration, which Mr.. StaSSen said had become
"almost unbeevably confused and inefficient"
and Mr.. Stain. He thereupon called upon Con-
gress to take the leadership Congress was
urged to send an ultlmatum TO Mr. SCalln 10 the
effect that if Russia made military assault
anywhere in the world, war will come to Mos
COW, to the Urals and to the Ukraine
This suggestion seems to have made deeper
impression in Russia than in Congress. The
Literary Gazette, weekly printed in Moscow,
rudely responded last month with the prediction
that Mr.. Stassen would some day be tried as
war criminal, along with other nominees for this
distinction named by the editor of the Literary
Gazette. In Philadelphia, few days later, Mr..
Stassen ignored the war criminal business but
warned Mr.. Truman and others against appeas-
Ing Russia, China or anybody else.
And now, after advance billings Mr.. Stassen
once more has enticed the reporters to a press
conference and issued a statement. This time
it is in the form of personal letter to Mr. Stalin
telling him how wrong he has been all along
about the United States and suggesting a con-
ference in Moscow. The original appointees of
the American delegation however, evidently have
lost out. This time Mr. Stassen would head the
delegation in person, accompanied by number
of distinguished Americans whose identity has
not been revealed.
In this country we should do everything
possible to urge upon Mr.. Stain that he accept
this proposal and let Mr.. Stassen talk to him. II
will give Mr.. Stassen new subject matter for 6
press conference and statement.
Evening star., 1950-10-06
Support for 'Sojourner'

A very valuable letter under the title
Pedestrians Plight" by "Sojourner," was
published in your paper recently. Every
word of it is true. am pedestrian. Driv-
ers are responsible for these accidents be-
cause they don't observe the law and do
not give pedestrians the right of way.
Police encourage the drivers too, because
they almost always make pedestrians wait
and motion drivers around the corner
Then the drivers think they always have
the right to do it.
1t is the greatest menace to safety.
G. W.
Evening star., 1950-10-06
w. (. Woodward

There was much about w. E. Woodward
which contradicted his own theory of realism
Born the son of dirt farmer in Lexington
County, South Carolina, he might have remained
what his father was-a poor white agrarian de-
pendent upon half-starved mule Instead. he
made himself celebrity and a power in field
OF enterprise in which competition is keen and
success not overly frequent His natural gift of
energy was defiance of circumstance He was
worker, tirelessly active. The fruits of his toll
prove him. to have been industrious to an excep-
tional degree. He was thorough, too. His re-
searches went to the bottom There is nothing
superficial about his books
George Washington The Image and the
Man." published in 1925, was sensational
achievement, challenging the notice of authors as
a group. as well as readers of history as class.
The purpose of the work was to bring the Father
Of His Country down to earth to make him under
standable as human being Mr. Woodward
hacked at the veneer of legends created by the
romantic biographerS. If he did not demolish it
completely he certainly damaged it enough to
attract attention to his enterprise. The word
"debunk," which he had invented several years
earlier, described the performance. Resentment
quickly developed. Rupert Hughes expressed this
attitude of disapproval in life of Washington
In which many of the myths, including those OF
Jared Sparks were reasserted. The controversy
ragged for at least decade.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Woodward produced much
better book-"Meet General Grant" Here he
proved his claim to be regarded seriously as
scholar. The portrait of the great Union soldier
was recognizable, and the qualities of his char
acter were emphasized with conviction that
ordinary people could appreciate Perhaps the
best acknowledgment of the essential value of
this book was the fact that it was not answered"
by anybody. Mr.. Woodwards New American
History" on the other hand, was replied to by
many critics. 1t was sharply dogmatic affair,
expressing the radical ideology of what H. G..
Wells called "the age of confusion" Thousands
of people bought it, hundreds of them really
studied it, nobody would defend it unreservedly
today. It's author outgrew 1t as rapidly as the
public did
But Mr.. Woodward dying at Is, leaves .
substantial body of work that is not dated and
should live He came a long way from the
dirt farm in Lexington County, South Carolina,
and that is something in itself well worth
remembrance
Evening star., 1950-10-06
Elm in the Wheat Field

Bread and repoSe! the ,oheat field and
the tree.
The sun beats fercely do,Dn upon the
plain.
On ripping waues of heapy headed
grain.
Resonant, restless as an inland sea.
The vast abundance of a generous
Mile upon mile to the far prairie's
Its ever changing beauty does not dim.
Strong is the grain that prairie tDinds
withstand.
A graceful elm stands among the Dheat
Near phere stream had been long
gears ago,
Great branches moping Nth a rythnic
foU
Gipe shelter to the fugitive from heat.
Bread and repose health and seren-
ity,
The sun adds cheer, toind plays rhap-
Sody.
MARGARET McGORMAN BERRY.
Evening star., 1950-10-06
Liberation '-Koreu STYLE

Headlines from Korea: "GI war-pris-
oners found slain their hands tied behind
their backs" Hundreds of South
Korean civilians found in mass grave.
hands bound behind them" :. Pictures
:. hundreds of human bodies, stacked
like cordwood, in shallow trenches.
Mute evidence that "the 1iberators' of
the worlds oppressed peoples" have been
there
Every veteran, every real American.
should clip these stories and pictures
those already on record and the ones yet
to be recorded-and keep them in
scrapbook. These stories and pictures are
the trademarks of the "liberators."
AS we read these stories, and turn
away, sickened, from these revolving pic
lures. we should keep one thought upper
most in our minds: These North Korean
"liberators," the perpetrators of the hide
Gus crimes now being brought to our
attention In South Korea. are the beloved
comrades and apt pupils Of the original
"liberators." who propagate the faith of
liberty and teach the art of liberia
tion." from Moscow.
The North Korean "liberators" have
applied well the lessons taught them by
the engineers of the great "Kulak liberia
tion" of the late '20s and early '30s; the
more recent Polish liberation" which
found its highest expression in the mass
graves in Katyn Forest. and the present
operators Of the worlds greatest "liber-
ated labor" camps.
And what of our domestic 'liberators"?
Does the perverted language of Marxism-
Stalinism afford them means for ex-
planning their sympathetic support of the
North Korean determination to "liberate"
their countrymen from the yoke of i'm
perialism? Was it in order that the North
Koreans might apply their techniques Of
liberation" unmolested, that Dr. Latti-
more advocated permitting South Korea
to fall, without making it look as though
it had been pushed?"
Frederick L. Freeman.
Evening star., 1950-10-06
Letters to The Star

Her singing seemed more wonderful than
ever-all the old mastery with new
depth. and miraculous freshness after
five years of almost complete rest. She
was deeply moved by the warmth of her
reception-no stink-bombs, no pickets
or police patrols. no Ght in the daily
papers-just a wise and well-mannered
people who had endured musical starva-
ton for six years, sitting down to their
first unrationed meal and being very
thankful"
Are there no wise and we'll hammered
people in Washington?
Richard Traill Andrews.
R0derick Lee Simmons.
Evening star., 1950-10-06
Help Wanted, so Years Ago

It is with much interest that I scan
your columns each Sunday for the section
on the news of Fifty Years Ago" and
now would like to make reply to the
item Help Wanted Ads" which appeared
September "a and which recalls clearly
to my mind a personal experience.
When we moved here from the country
some years ago, the writer was few
months over 16, and had my choice of
going on to school or going to work. The
latter of course appealed to me, but jobs
were not then so easily picked up as today
for those fresh out of school. I saw an
advertisement for young lady in Office"
at an address on Eleventh street Sc,
near the Navy Yard. So. knowing very
little about directions or what was up
against, started out. and found the
place to be very dirty little shop with
grimy windows out over the street. ! got
cold feet and did not go in to inquire
about the job offered, but determined to
find job before went home.
So on my way stopped off at then
well-known Southeast department store
located at Eighth street and Pennsylvania
avenue. saw the lady who owned the
business. and she hired me for the
princely sum of 50 week-as a corset
saleslady. This Job included everything
but washing the windows.
AS this was in wintertime and the store
very drafty. was laid up over the week
end of the third week with a sore throat
and could not report on the following
Monday for work or to collect my weekly
pay. Paying off on Monday was her
practice to get you back to work. In
the meantime, my father spoke to a
friend of his who was looking for CASH
Ter at 81 week, so he told him of me, and
the last part of the week. reported to
him and was hired. When got home
from work at the new place on Saturday
afternoon, I proceeded to my former place
Of employment to collect for my third
weeks work and was sadly disappointed,
as the lady simply would not pay me for
the simple reason that "I left her, and
had nothing coming to me-"
So think this capped your items of
so years ago, as I actually worked three
weeks for the large sum of 81, and was
paid off when I did get the money in
nickels rolled up.
We heard afterward that this was a
common practice with this lady, to cheat
the boys and girls out of their pay in
this manner; but could you blame me,
when this new job meant 100 per cent
increase in pay? And by the way,
would like to say that I stayed at the
same kind of work with only three jobs
for more than 38 years, resigning Decem-
ber 81, 1945.
Do print other worthwhile items; it's
good to travel back once in awhile. It
makes you appreciate the present era
more.
Mabel Howell.
Evening star., 1950-10-06
BY THE HAsKIN SERVICE.

Q. In the event of an emergency can
the President of the United States de-
clare war with or without the consent
of Congress?-F. A. S.
A. According to the Constitution, Con-
gress alone has the power to declare
war. The resolution declaring war must
pass the Senate and the House. and be
sent to the President for his signature.
However. the President as Commander
in Chief may cause hostilities to be
started without prior congressional ap-
prevail
Evening star., 1950-10-06

man car windows. These are in a class
with Venetian blinds. It is impossible to
make q Venetian blind go up or down
evenly. You may be the most patient
man in the world; you may pull as gently
and carefully as if you were trying to ex-
tract dollar bill from sidewalk grating
one side of the Venetian blind will still
lag grotesquely behind. In one sense,
though, Venetian blinds are not as bad as
curtains: They, at least, do not present
the Draw-String Phenomenon This phe-
nomenon, you will remember, consists in
the fact that one draw-string is always
IL feet long, and the other so short that
you can barely reach it. So you want to
close the curtains, or open them. Which
draw-string will you pull? The short one?
Ha! You have just proved that you
don't know the first thing about things
This brings us to an interesting ques-
ton: Why shouldn't the short draw
string be the right one--han the time, at
least? We've already mentioned match
boxes. How about those match boxes
that have the striking surface only on
one side? You take the box out of your
pocket and try to strike a match with
out looking. Why shouldn't you try it on
the right side at least half the time?
Why should the hook on that coat
hanger in your closet always be pointed
the wrong way from the way you try
to take it off the bar. It's just one
Of those things.
Speaking of coat hangers-the wire
kind. that is-they do one thing which
most other things of this kind don't do.
They multiply. There is no stopping
them. Have you ever tried to take
coat hanger back to the cleaners? The
cleaners laugh at you. Coat hangers
are running out of their ears, too. Where
do these coat hangers come from? Where
are they going? This is dangerous
trend. Consider the implications if other
things learned to multiply like coat
hangers.
do not mean to sound alarmist about
things. do not consider that our sitda-
ton is hopeless. Man is an adaptable
creature-he has survived much, and he
may also survive things. We must believe
that he will.
We must look forward to that bright
day when a man-any man-can sing
light-neartedly as he puts on a stiff
shirt, can drive a nail with nonchalance,
can approach pencil sharpener with
some confidence that it will not be
packed to the bursting point with shaw
ings and soot-can live in peace with
things.
Evening star., 1950-10-06
The Trouble With the World Is Thinqs

and will not ruin mans whole day be-
fore breakfast. Working together, the
various things connected with window
can ruin his life. I am not just
talking about storm windows and
screens. The window itself sticks. If
the man tries to loosen 1t by hitting it.
it breaks Suppose it has a roller-type
Evening star., 1950-10-06

The author fires his typewriter
ribbon. Star Staff Photo.
shade, and he tries to put the Shade up
He gives it little pull. but it fails to
wind and he is left with an even longer
shade than he had to start with. He
pulls again-it is longer still. One more
pull and the shade is completely un-
wound The. man climbs on the radiator
RADIATORS are a story in themselves)
and pokes at the spool, trying to coax
it into action. Suddenly there is a sound
like tearing silk. and the shade rolls
all the way up. knocks itself off its
hooks and knocks the man off the
radiator.
OF course this is nothing compared to
the green shades they have on Pull