davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1950-11-25
A Mistake Would Be Expensive

joint study by Alexandria, Arlington
Fairfax and Falls Church of their sewage treat
ment and disposal problems should determine
these things
l. Whether plans already made for separate
facilities are the best and most economical.
2. Whether pipes run under the Potomac
carrying sewage for treatment at the District
plant would in the end provide better and
more economical solution,
g. Whether single plant on the Virginia side
OF the river, in which two more of the Virginia
communities would participate, offers better
solution than separate plants or better solu-
tlon than piping sewage into the District for
treatment.
The only really important objection to the
joint study idea is that other plans have gone
too far Arlington citizens have already voted
for bond issue to finance an enlargement of
Arlington'S plant Fairfax citizens have voted
to build plant of their own Alexandria citi-
zens may have an opportunity early in 1882
to vote on comparable bond issue, for a plant
serving Alexandria. To change these plans
now might invite complications and delay.
But the cost of such study would be
nominal And if it showed that separate plants
are more costly and less efficient than some
alternative plan, the complications and delays
OF changing present plans would be less i'm
portant than doing the right thing at the right
time In fact, the taxpayers are sure to hold
their representatives responsible if 1t is shown
that they have committed a serious error in
Judgment and this is the best time-before
money is spent in substantial amounts-to de-
termlne whether an error is being committed
Arlington began tapping the District water
system about 1880 (under law approved in 1926)
when it bought 1853 million gallons of water a
year. BY 1947 it was using billion, 1874 million
gallons year This consumption jumped to
5 billion, 525 million gallons in 1948 For fiscal
1850 it had reached billion $50 million gallons
II Arlington, in 1880, had sought to build its
own water supply system undoubtedly it would
nave been faced by now with an expensive
problem OF great expansion. The county has
saved much money by its arrangement with the
Army Department, which permits it to tap
the Districts supply of pure water, and the
arrangement has been mutually satisfactory
arlington is now supplying water for Falls
Church, and the consumption of District water
WILL grow as these and adjoining communities
grow alexandria is served by a privately
owned water system which is being expanded
and that system, for Alexandria, NAV be pre-
ferable to any other.
But it is mere common sense to find ont
now whether there is a more efficient and less
expensive method of sewage disposal for the
Virginia communities than the separate and
independent plans already adopted failure
TO md out by carefully conducted Joint study,
could become very expensive mistake. with
taxpayers footing the bill
Evening star., 1950-11-25

1T is good to comfort ones self by
thinking of the tulip and crocus and
hyacinth bulbs in the ground, getting
ready to bring forth their lovely blossoms
in the spring
THAT thought reminds me of a poem
about planting hyacinths. don't know
who the author is:
II remember grandmother used to say
Plant hyacinthS on ,Dindy day,
They are not afraid of the dark.
You may put each bulb In its earthly bed
And kno1D it tDill rise ,pllen the spring
is here,
For the blessing of God is on all, my
dear,
Who dream, in a narroD bed"
1t is not too late to plant the Dutch
bulbs, so called.
Somehow these gnomes of the brown
earth hold special place in the affec-
tions OF most garden makers.
About 4 inches deep is right, but be
sure and look it up in some good book
first.
Most gardeners like to be careful in
such matters.
Others just throw em inA and the
Evening star., 1950-11-25
Guests From Norwoy

Prince Olav and Princess Martha of NORWAY
are IN Washington again, and their visit warrants
comment because they are old friends No Off
clal business brings them. They have come
Informally. During World War II they owned
and occupied Merle Thorpes former residence,
Pook's Hill, on the Rockville road in Bethesda,
and often were seen in the city. It was here
that their children-Ragnhild, Astrid and Har-
ald-found refuge when the Nazis invaded their
country. They returned to Oslo in 1945, but thev
have kept in touch with their erstwhile neighbors
and thus have constituted a living tie between
Norway and the United States.
Such bond is of value to both nations. It
represents an association shared by all the Scan
dinavian, peoples and likewise by the British.
Olav was born at Sandringham in England. His
mother was daughter of King Edward VII, and
ne was called Alexander as child The name
he now bears was given him when his father a
son of King Frederick VIII of Denmark, was
elected to the Norwegian throne when Norway
separated from Sweden in 1905 His wife was q
Swedish princess, a member of the famous
Bernadotte family Their children, now growing
up, are cousins to long list of royal youngsters,
including Prince Charles, second in line for the
crown of Britain.
Olay and Martha are welcome visitors in
Washington They are pleasant, agreeable con-
genial personalities, and as such are good to
know without regard to protocol.
Zone language for all mankind is the only
road to peace"-but we wopder. That way, the
intolerable insult would be understood.
Evening star., 1950-11-25
Christmas at Home

IL is dlf11cult to imagine what prompted
General Macarthur to tell his field generals in
Korea-if he has been quoted correctly-that
"the boys" are coming home when they reach
the Yalu, that Il want to make good on my
statement that they are going to eat Christmas
dinner at home"
There is not the remotest prospect that the
troops in Korea will eat their Christmas dinners
at home this year. If the war should end today
only the few who might be flown back could
reach the States by Christmas. And it should
be noted that General MacArthur's Official COM
munique held forth no such rosy prospect What
he said there was that the new offensive, "if
successful" should for all practical purposes end
the war; restore peace and unity to Korea, and
enable the prompt withdrawal of the u N.
forces That is both big "if" and far cry
from the Christmas s-at-home theme of the state
ment to the generals. That statement evidently
was an of-the-cuff, not considered, remark.
Nevertheless, there are hopeful indications
that we may be nearing the end of the bitter
road in Korea The new and perhaps the last
U. N. offensive seems to be rolling forward with
out encountering the degree of resistance that
one would expect If the Chinese Communists were
making determined stand, or, indeed, any
kind OF stand The release by the Chinese of
two groups OF American prisoners is not sug
gestiye of last-ditch battle at the Manchurian
border. The Chinese Communist political dele
cation to the u. N. has arrived at Lake Success
bearing verbal olive branch. They spoke of
the profound friendship that always has ex-
listed between the Chinese people and the Ameri-
can people, and the spokesman for the delegation
said he wanted to convey his greetings to the
peace-loving people in the United States.
All of this may not add up to much of
anything. We have learned the hard way that
soft words cannot always be taken at face value.
Still, if the calamity of war with China is to
be avoided, anything which holds promise of an
honorable political settlement must be earnestly
and sympathetically explored. Certainly some
thing is in the wind 1t may be possible to reach
settlement at the diplomatic level. And if
such settlement would not compromise our
position or undercut the U. NJ, If we can secure
peace in Korea on some legitimate quid-pro-
quo basis. that is infinitely to be preferred to
fight to a final military decision.
We should not let our hopes get out of hand.
But the prospect of settlement may well have
been in the back of General MacArthur's mind
when he spoke to his generals, and if the boys
do not get home for Christmas, they may still
get out OF Korea much sooner than would
have seemed possible few days ago.
Evening star., 1950-11-25
Home Rule This Time?

congress Will De Win us again shortly.
Since the recent election has caused
some time consuming issues to lie over
until the newly-elected Congress comes
in, there should be an even better
chance meanwhile to clear up some
other measures which are already well
advanced on their legislative course and
which were not subjects on which Con-
gressmen won or lost the election.
One of these is the Home Rule bill for
the now disfranchised District Of Colum-
bia, which passed the Senate long ago
and could get to the floor of the House
with just few more signatures to the
pending discharge motion. AS an agenda
item for this short session 1t has not
been mentioned as often as statehood
for Alaska and Hawaii, and yet those
territories already have home rule COM
parable to what the District is still
seeking. If we can get our home-rule
touchdown before time is called, instead
of having to start everything again
from kickoff in the next Congress, we
can then concentrate on getting like
wise that special set-up for national
representation which a 'stateleSs" area
like the National Capital should have.
1t was charged in Jesse C. Suffers
column recently that those who regard
home rule as the first step toward
national representation show either
ignorance or deliberate disregard of local
history, because the Districts former
self-rule waxed and waned and then
was lost without stepping forward to
national representation. On the con-
trary, we are familiar enough with this
and other facts of local history to know
that conditions now are different from
those at the 1870s and earlier. and also
that intelligent people can learn from
history and avoid or even rectify past
mistakes.
In 1870 the Districts growing popula-
tion first reached the full congressional
ratio of one Representative, and was in
an improved position to push its self
rule one big step forward to national
representation if it had concentrated
on that. The city's leaders were. how
ever, more interested in strong gov
ernment for needed local improve
ments, which they got largely at the
hands of presidentially appointed Of
flcialS whose zeal outran the Districts
finances The resulting retreat from
self-rule had golden lining to its cloud.
since Congress awoke at last to its own
responsibilities for Capital develop
ment and gave it's disfranchised local
partners f1fty-fifty fiscal partnership.
But the attitude of Congress has
changed toward the populous Metro
politan Capital of today. Fifty-fifty has
long since gone by the board. and the
Evening star., 1950-11-25
Mr.. Stern's LincoIniono

The dynamic, historic part of Abraham
LincolnS career was spent in Washington, and
it is fitting and proper that he should be COM
memorated here His beautiful memorial on the
Potomac Symboizes his services to the Union in
terms of noble architecture and statuary. The
Lincoln Museum in the Ford Theater on Tenth
street and the supplementary relics of the house
in which he died make lastingly real the pathetic
tragedy of his death. But for the working ma
terals of life it was lived the public must turn
to the Library of Congress- and there by reason of
the generosity of Robert Todd Lincoln, the Hay
family and other donors rich deposit of books
and papers has been gathered The copies of the
Gettysburg Address mentioned in The Star on
several occasions last week are but two examples
OF the wealth of documentary material preserved
in the Library for the use of future generations
of students
Perhaps it was this fact that prompted
Alfred Whital Stern of Chicago to add his COL
lection of Lincolniana to the store already ac-
cumulated. The fruits of his quarter century
quest for souvenirs of the Emancipator could have
been entrusted to no better agency for safekeep-
Ing. Six thousand volumes of printed text re-
latlng to Lincoln, hundreds of manuscripts and
pamphlets, paintings photographs, medals, the
life mask made by Leonard w. Volk in 186O-all
these are included in the gift. Some of the prize
items are on exhibition. Others will be displayed
at later dates. The scope and span of Mr. Sterns
contribution thus gradually will be demonstrated.
Meanwhile, he has endowed his philanthropy ito
provide for its perpetual enlargement, and to per-
NIT, from time to time, the publication of cata-
logs, bibliographies and studies designed to in
crease the collections usefulness"
This emphasis on practical worth is what it
may be assumed Lincoln himself would want It
certainly expresses the sentiment of the great
army of his admirers who think of him as con-
tlnuing force for good in the Nations progress.
Mr.. Stern has received the thanks of the Lii
brarian of Congress as spokesman for the ma
tional community, but he also is entitled to
know that his benefaction is appreciated by the
local community in which Lincoln once was
neighbor-the people who have no other home
than Washington
Evening star., 1950-11-25
Charity Concert?

Recently an editorial appeared in your
paper which criticized the many cam
paigns conducted in this city to raise
funds for charitable and other organiza-
tions Articles on the same subject ap-
peared in the other papers at different
times, including letters from readers
addressed to the editor
had wanted to make my views
known, but have been absent from the
city much of the time since. My chief
objection to these fund-raising drives
Is that some of the organizations are,
in reality, not of charitable nature.
yet appeals for help are made in that
name
A case have in mind was an appeal
for outright donations of cash in addi-
tion to the purchase Of tickets for
concert given in one of the hotels lately
The organization which gave the con-
cert claimed they applied revenues 50
derived to payments for the musical
education of young singers who do not
have resources for the development OF
their talent
I could not refuse the solicitation of
an acquaintance who said if I bought
tickets I would be aiding q charity
After the concert heard expressions
from others who had attended, and,
becoming suspicious, I made some
inquiries. I was informed on good au-
thority that the singers who appeared
in the concert were pupils of one certain
singing school and had not been chosen
generally from the city's aspiring
and deserving young artists" as had
Evening star., 1950-11-25
A Strong Indictment

Attorney General McGraths strongly worded
Indictment of the American Communist PARTY
as foreign-controled conSpratorial movement
against the United States presages a long legal
pattle, with the effectiveness of the McCarran
Act al STAKE Mr. McGrath was right in choosing
the party Itself, rather than front" organiza-
tlon for the vital test of the Red registration
law The fronts will stand or fall as their parent
body stands or falls.
Inc lengthy bill of particulars against the
Communist Party is based, says the ATTORNEY
Generals petition to the Subversive Activities
control Board, on information and belief"
mat this assertion was not made lightly should
be evident to the Communist high command by
now The leaders of the party learned at their
conspiracy trial in New York that the Federal
bureau OF Investigation has a great deal of
information on the party. This was not hearsay
information, either. It was in the form of
documents and first-hand testimony by under
cover FBI agents who had worked their wav
Into positions of trust within the party. The
information was so devastating that Jury had
little trouble in reaching a verdict of guilty
against the Red leaders,
The stage is set, therefore, for re-enact-
ment in many respects, of the New York case.
At the trial in Federal Court the Government
had to prove a conspiracy to advocate the
the new board the Government must prove,
first, that the Communist Party is aen-con-
trolled and, second, that it failed to register as
required by the McCarran Act The second
point is not in dispute, for neither the Com
munist Party nor any of its satellite groups has
registered. The whole case will revolve around
the Governments efforts to prove that the
Communist Party is not the domestic political
organization it processes to be but is in reality
a puppet of Moscow.
Whatever the outcome of the boards pro-
ceedings and however protracted any appeals
TO the courts, Congress should take another look
at some provisions of the anti-subverSiveS law.
This legislation included sections other than the
registration requirement that were given scant
consideration. The subversive- alien control pro-
vision, for example, needs to be modified so as to
avoid injustices to persons who involuntarily
submitted to totalitarian doctrines. Revision of
the lHw is desirable, but no good reason has Yet
Evening star., 1950-11-25
Yet q Little Space

BloW gently through the autumn days.
o Wind, and let no cold breath smite
The late -fedged bird until its 1Dings
Be strong enough for southbound
flight.
Let not the apprehensiue coll
OF geese find you in frigid mood,
Nor let wild folk OF aUood and field
Be caught iUith insufficient food.
Breathe not a frozen syllable.
o Wind, for get q little space
For helpless creatures of the ,Dild
I ask a teiD more days OF grace.
1 INEZ CLARK THORSON,
Evening star., 1950-11-25

have overall supervision Of blood pro-
curement for the armed forces and civil
defense, and is stockpiling as much
plasma as possible.
District civil defense planners estimate
that $4,000 pints of plasma should be
available in the event of an atomic at
tack. Then about 250 900 pints of whole
blood would be needed for follow-up
treatment during the first three weeks
after one atomic bomb was dropped here.
Much of this would have to be brought
in from neighboring large cities, and
cooperative programs would have to be
worked out.
But DR.. Everett Evans, top civil
defense medical expert emphasizes the
urgency of the search for a. safe, ef-
fective. easily-stored plasma substitute"
Evening star., 1950-11-25
Precinct a Voters Heard From

In the November 8 issue of The Star
the unofficial election returns for Mont
gomery County tabulated the vote in
Precinct 4, District 4, on the Ober Law
as "l04 for; II against
But the voters in Precinct who
voted against the Ober Law wish to point
out that this figure was incorrect. The
official returns were SO for the Ober Law
81 against.
There was great deal of interest
shown in this election as evidenced by
the many discussions beforehand in our
Women's Club, Citizens Association, and
precinct meetings. We feel that the
returns from this precinct reflect an
Informed citizenry.
1lah E. Geiser,
Elsa Guernsey,
Janet Howard.
Evening star., 1950-11-25
Park Litter

Last Sunday, as is often my wont.
visited Fort Kemble Park in Wesley
Heights. I found there large areas
thickly strewn with beer cans, liquor
bottles and other refuse. I was par
ticularly disgusted because only a few
weeks ago on another week end found
this pleasant little park messed up in
this manner
One may speculate as to the type of
mentality that accompanies this form
Of vandalism. In his notable work,
Science and Sanity" DR.. Korzybski
discusses adult infantilism. He cites
numerous characteristics of the infantile
adult. DR.. Korzybski says: Children
and the feeble minded are usually ur-
tidy, and noisy. Visiting a public park,
or witnessing celebration will show
an observer clearly how infantile grown
ups behave"
The abundance of beer cans that were
strewn about would indicate, that the
participants in this party were adults.
at least in physical sense. The preva-
lence of the littering of our parks and
other public places with rubbish, by
adults. is a sad commentary on our
educational methods.
Harold G. Anderson.
Evening star., 1950-11-25

been stated, and that pupils from other
schools had been barred.
also found that the singers in the
concert were directed by the head of this
one school. The apparent purpose of
the concert, therefore. was to advertise
this one singing school and I do not
doubt that the funds raised were used
mostly for the expenses of the same
school.
Is this just another racket?
Fed-up.
Evening star., 1950-11-25

He writes in the Journal of the American
Medical Association that "any calcula-
ton, conservative or otherwise, of the
numbers of burn casualties to be ex-
pected in atomic attack results in re-
quirements for adequate reserves of
plasma and/or whole blood in such large
amounts as to make it almost out of the
question ever to expect such supply for
immediate delivery to a stricken city"
DR.. Evans also warns that unless large
numbers of physicians and technicians
are trained in burn treatment, "the
handling of large numbers of burn
casualties after bomb attack on any of
our cities must necessarily end in COM
plete chaos and panic, with the accom-
panying inexcusable loss of many lives
which otherwise might have been saved"
Evening star., 1950-11-25
Questions and Answers

The Stars readers can get the answer 70
any question Of fact by either writins The
NV. Washington 5, D. c.. and inclosing 3 cents
return postage. or by telephoniLE ST. 5000.
Extension 35S
Evening star., 1950-11-25
BY THE HASKIN SERVICE.

O. What became of the City of New
York. the ship used by Admiral Byrd on
his first expedition to the Antarctic?-
w. P. D.
A. The three -masted auxiliary schoon-
er is still in service. Its home port is
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
Evening star., 1950-11-25

been advanced for its repeal, as demanded in
some quarters.
Evening star., 1950-11-25

O. Sometimes. in building a flight Of
steps, the architect provides for slight
rise in height of each step in the middle.
What Is the term for this?-P. L. A.
A. Entasis. This almost invisible vari-
alton in the height Of the steps, making
them fraction of an inch higher in
the middle than at. the sides, is for the
purpose of correcting the optical illusion
that the steps are lower in the center.
Examples of entasis are found in the
Parthenon, and in st. Paul's Cathedral.
London.
@. Why are three volleys fired over the
grave of a Soldier?-I. B.
A. This custom is traced by some his
torians to the early days of warfare when
opposing armies declared truce to bury
their dead on the battlefield. A volley
fired three times was signal that the
ceremony was over and that combat
should be resumed. Other authorities
believe that the present custom is asso-
ciated with the ancient Roman practice
of saying vale" (farewelD three times
to the deceased.
Evening star., 1950-11-25

Pen-nanaes may be used if letters carry
a0riterS' correct names and addresses.
All letters subject to condensation.
Evening star., 1950-11-25

Ilah E. Geiser,
Elsa Guernsey,
Janet Howard.