davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
Fifty Years Ago in The Star ;.
Washingtonian.

A production Of Shakespeare's Henry
w" was staged at Gonzaga College Hall
by the College Dramatic
Henry w Association Just half a
at Gonzo9o century ago, and The
Star of February 20,
1901, reported the event. giving credit
especially to the skill of Father J. H.
Ham. who directed the players. Edward
B. Quinlan had the role of the king,
John P. Meagher was Henry Percy, "the
Hotspur of the North" and Charles M.
Mattingly the Prince of Wales. Other
characters listed in the program were:
Falstaff, played by Francis j. Diemer;
Pointz, Percy A. Tull; Earl of Worcester.
Edward A. Brosnan; Westmoreland. Will
liam c. Repetti; John of Lancaster, Ed
ward Hammer; Sir Walter Blunt, VIII
liam A. Crawford; Northumberland, Jo-
seph H. Huck; Douglas, Henry B. Hell
berger Father Ham left Gonzaga to
be vice rector of the Holy Cross College
at Worcester, Mass. The boy who played
Westmoreland grew up to be Father
Repetti. s. j., famous seismologist In
the Philippines who was informed by
the japanese between 1912 and 1945 and
now is assigned to the archives office
ut Georgetown University.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25

The Star of February IL, 1901, an
nounced the death Of Count Sergey de
Smolianinoff, for
Deoth of Count merly of st. Peters,
de smoI;nn;noH burg, Russia, aged
&c. He had had "a
brilliant and checkered career" the
paper explained. then went on to relate
that in his youth he had been polar
explorer and had made a considerable
fortune in washington as the inventor
Of an explosive called Americanite."
Later, he perfected an improved ex-
plosive, the earnings of which now
would go to his only daughter Olga.
THE counts brilliant attainments, his
capacity for making fortunes. losing
them and making new ones, as well as
his cratic character, made him we'll
known figure" A few days before his
death he was brought into court as
confirmed alcoholic.
A sketch of the first Executive Man.
sion occupied by President George Wash
ington was repro
Original duced IN The star
White House Of February Is, 1901.
""'e ''oa'~ The building stood
at the corner of Dover and Cherry
streets. New York, and occupied site
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
With Music, or Without

I am amazed to see that letters such as
E. Mclean Johnson's are" still being
printed about that controversial issue,
music on Capital Transit vehicles, which
should have been dropped long ago.
The diehards insist on presenting the
same old boring reasons-"in ones home
the sickening commercials can be turned
Off" etc. I would like to know how many
people bother to turn of "sickening"
commercial. Most people suffer through
such a commercial in their home. wait
ing for it to go away.
My observations on Capital Transit
vehicle without music" find the passen-
gers doing one of three things: Reading.
talking or staring off into space. Like
wise passengers on Capital Transit
vehicle with music" are either reading,
talking, or staring off into space.
This whole discussion about the public
being exploited is merely the sounding
off by cantankerous individuals who
probably are not any happier on buses
without music"
PASSENGER.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
Spires of the Spirit
A Spiritual Laboratory

The dictionary tells us that a labora-
tory is a workroom of chemist, q
place of experiment where formulas are
put to the test.
In college parlance ''the lab" Is
shorthand to designate the equipped
department where the propositions Of
the classroom are demonstrated in &C
ton. There, amid the smell of the COM
bining chemicals. equations expressed IN
characters written on paper become
active realities. The law Of that realm
is: If you do so-ar1d-so. the results will
be this-and-that. But, alas. when one
goes from the laboratory of the material
to the sanctuary Of the spiritual, 1t all
appears different. The first impression
seems to be that, instead Of certainty.
there is credulity; instead Of demon
stration, there is nothing that can be
proved.
The test-tube method is adventurous
and exciting, but the technique Of the
Ten Commandments and Of the Sermon
on the Mount is deadening. Yet nothing
could be further from the method OF
Jesus than that conception. Always the
Great Teacher of Galilee insisted on
what our day calls the scientific APP
proach The invitation Of the Good
News is to test and prove.
AS no other season Of the church
year, Lent can be the laboratory for
testing spiritual truths. where ventures
of faith will lead to increasing GER
tainties. A creed never saved anybody.
We are saved by what we do with our
faith. Action is faith in operation.
st. James gives piercing insight
when he says: Faith without works is
dead" OF course, salvation is from God
But while salvation is from that Other.
it is through oneself. In striking
phrase of the greatest book on religion,
we are told to work out" our salvation.
All that Jesus could do with the one
called the Rich Young Ruler was to
reveal to him the formula for eternal
life. He couldn't give him the thing
itself. That was at the end OF the road
he was told to take. To obtain the
priceless boon about which he had
INQUIRED he was given to understand
that he must work it out In his own
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
The Battle of the Files

AS an isolated proposition, there is no reason
under the sun why the President should not
examine letters written to the Reconstruction
Finance Corporation by members of Congress-
The White House explanation that Mr.
Truman wanted to study these letters in con-
nection with his plan for reorganiZing the RFC
is a bit thin. Not many people will believe that
is the whole story. But even if the President
sent for the letters only to check on the extent
to which the RFC has been presumed by Con-
gressmen, he was well within his rights. An
expose of attempts to influence" the RFC should
not be limited to any particular class OF fxerS.
There is no evidence, according to Mr.. Truman,
that members of Congress have brought any
illegal influence to bear. All pressure methods
are not necessarily Illegal however, and If any
Congressman have gone beyond the bounds of
propriety the President has right to know it,
and so have the people.
Quite a different situation arises however,
If this scanning of the RFC files is intended to
intimidate or embarrass the Fulbright committee
in it's RFC investigation. Most of the committee
members think this the real intent, and 1t
must be said that the apparent effort by some
RFC officials to evade questions as to the source
of the request for the letters lends support to
that belief.
If intimidation was the real motive behind
this maneuver, there is no reason why the COM
mittee should yield to it. It has simple and
effective remedy at its disposal. 1t should call
for copies of all the RFC letters sent to the White
House and examine them. If any attempts at
improper influence by Congressman are revealed
they should be made part of the committees
public record. After that, the other phases OF
the investigation should be pursued to the end
The committee can turn up the whole truth
If it wishes to do so, and the implications OF
the evidence already produced are too serious
for the public to be satisfied with anything less
than a full and complete disclosure.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
Issue for the Republicans
By Bruce Barton

Though Republican. admit frankly
and sorrowfully that as an opposition
party" the Republicans have Hoped.
In 1886 they nominated ALT Landon. who
began bravely waving his little tonla-
hawk and chanting his Kansas war cry,
but wound UP me tooing" Roosevelt.
They nominated Willkie in 1910. Had
the election been held in July or August
he would have won hands down, because
the people wanted to be kept out OF war
and believed then that he would keep
them out. BY November they we're pretty
we'll persuaded that he would get them
in, just as Roosevelt would; so why
change horses? They nominated Dewey
twice. No one can remember what he
stood for the first time. The second
time he stood for unity" The Gus
toners hocked to his meetings looking
for fighting speech. but heard only
sweet praise of unity. They went away
saying that even Truman was better
than nothing.
The best issue ever offered the Re-
publicans was sent to me in Washington
on post card: it came from Negro
cook employed in my district. She
wrote: Every time we gets Democrat
we gets war. We can't have no more
OeLlOCTdCS. / ne Olu ldQy was TlSIlG.
Franklin Roosevelt did not even try to
keep out of World War II. On this point
Henry L. Stimson let the cat out of the
bag in his diary. He records that on
November Is (two weeks before Pearl
Harbor) council was held, composed Of
Roosevelt, Hull, Knox, Marshall and
himself. The subject of the meeting:
"How we should maneuver them (the
Japanese) into firing the first shot with
out allowing too much danger to our
selves?"
Truman rushed the boys into Korea
after quickie conference at Blair House;
and so far the cost has been almost
$4,000 boys killed or wounded. Now he
.proclaims belligerently that he will send
American boys to fight and die where
ever and whenever he wants to, and that
Congress shall have nothing to say
about 1t.
II the Republicans would pipe down
on every other issue. and harp on the
theme furnished by the old Negro lady
that every time We gets Democrat
we gets war"-they would win in 1862.
But so far there has been no indication
that they have as much brains as she has.
tcopyright, 1851. King Features Syndicate. Ins)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
Rioht to Vote for What?

There has been great hullabaloo about
this Taft-Kefauver bill. There was q
distinguished list of men and women
testifying for home rule at the Nicely
hearings, One can't help wondering
how many of them had read the bill and
realized how little was to be the reward
for such effort.
The new Commissioner, Mr.. Donohue,
is in favor of it. "Our American heritage"
he says, depends upon the privilege
vote for nine councilmen and seven
member board of education?
Mr.. Donohue says he was in a bonn
bardment group in England during the
1914 election. It was his responsibility
to distribute absentee ballots to some
1000 men under his command. He
says he was impressed at that time that
he, "as soldier. was denied the right to
vote" Does Mr.. Donohue think that
this "home rule" bill would give him
the right to vote in the 1852 election as
q soldier or any other way? Pressed by
Senator Case, Mr.. Donohue conceded he
had not given detailed study to the bills"
That grand person, Mrs. j. Borden
Hartman, Democratic National Commit
teewoman for the District, says: "All
I have to say is that. of course, I'm for
home rule. It's horribly embarrassing
that the Capital City is so uncivilized
and it's citizens are not allowed to vote"
What connection does Mrs. Hartman
have in her mind between "home rule"
and the civilized American right to the
ballot? Can she put such high value
on the purely municipal right to vote
for a council and board of education?
After all, many of us vote" for presidents
of social and civil charitable organiza-
tons now.
OF course. it is humiliating that the
people of the District are disfranchised
and un-American. 1t Is cruel and un-
just that soldiers from the District
cannot vote like soldiers from neigh
boring States. But the Taft-Kefauver
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
On American Strength

In his first report to the Nation as Director
of the Office of Defense Mobilization Charles E.
Wilson has drawn a picture that should fill the
people of this country and of all free lands
abroad with confidence breeding awareness
of the great and unprecedented power of the
United States. That power, coupled with that
of our Allies, Is SO immense and so real that the
men of the Kremlin, if they are wise, will reckon
with it most carefully before embarking on new
adventures in aggression. Certainly 1t is a
thing that ought to sober them and make them
extremely hesitant about carrying through with
any plan of action that could start another
World War.
For the picture Mr. Wilson has drawn-an
accurate matter-of-fact pictures the picture
of an America whose phenomenal productive
capacity has been doubled since 1899 to serve
national population that has increased only Is
per cent in the same period. Further, 1t is the
picture of an America that is now engaged in
continuing and striking expansion of that
capacity in order to take care Of its civilian
needs while simultaneously gearing itself to- re-
arm on scale and at pace designed to preserve
peace with a posture of strength formidable
enough to deter the Russians from aggression
or to defeat them decisively if they choose war.
To that end, during the next two or three years,
our economy is going to undertake an extra
necessary-such features as the production Of
$4,000 jet engines month and $4,000 tanks
annually.
As Mr.. Wilson has explained this rearm
ament effort will necessitate some cutbacks in
civilian output. But they will be relatively nom
painful. In 1851. for example. the manufacture
of automobiles will be less than in the past
year but it still will be more than in 1948. As
fol-. the ver-all situation, barring the outbreak
of world war, the Nation by 1858 will be able
not only to take care of its continuing military
needs but also to turn out volume of consumer
goods equal to 1950's. These are figures that
speak for themselves What they mean Is that
our actual and potential American strength
makes ridiculous defeatist talk about the So
called weakness Of the West. 1t is strength
that must weigh very heavily on the dictatorship
of the Soviet Union, where the capacity for the
long pull is relatively Lilliputan.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25

the world we live in, but it does so IN
such an unintelligent, offensive manner
that conservative critics are justified in
protesting against the sloppy art filling
our shows and museums.
Most adult artists who paint like chill
dren, or attempt to do so, paint this way
for psychological reasons, usually be-
cause the world bewilders them and they
dare not paint what they See-creating.
they feel, a secure dream world devoid
of economic problems or wars. Matisse.
who was a master draughtsman, es-
capped by hiding his world behind Orien-
tai designs, but his color and treatment
of form saved him from being banal.
Paul Klee and Arthur Dove. on the other
hand, are, as Miss Bergman implied.
artistic phonies. Many artists VINO wish
to emulate children do so because they
cannot draw and hope to fool the pub
lie and gallery directors by abstract
doodlings Rembrandt was drawing 20
days before he died, in order to become
q better painter. John Sloan said:
There are many kinds of good paint
ing, but one thing is true of them all:
1t is the power of drawing which makes
a painting great. Carpaccio. Bellin:.
Veronese, Breughel, Rembrandt, Della
croix and all the others were great
painters because they were draughts-
men"
certainly favor good modern art.
but agree with Miss Bergman that tho
public has been hoodwinked long enough.
And if we continue to exhibit poorly ex-
ecuted daubs, there will come a time
when all modern art must suffer and be
condemned.
John C., Rogers.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
Honorinq Washington

It is a disgrace that the birthday an
niversary of George Washington is not
concentrated by city-wide patriotic
demonstration in Washington. D. c., the
city which George Washington himself
founded and to which he gave his name.
There are 116 pages in The Star OF
this date, three quarters of which >(my
own estimate) is advertising for so-called
George Washington Birthday Bargain
Sales" In what manner do we honor
this great American? The merchants
should have the decency to close stores
on February % and to sponsor an ap-
propriate ceremony to honor the Father
Of our Country, as well as the Father of
our City.
WaShingtonian.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
CIeor Up the Mississippi Charges

The charges of Federal job-selling and war
contract Irregularities made by Mississippl's two
Senators and six of the States Representatives
are too serious and, in at least two cases, too
specific to be dismissed as politically inspired
Afidavits read to the Senate by Senator Eastland
named persons and alleged selling prices. Senator
Eastland, Senator Stennis and the House men,
bers declare that they have had numerous re-
ports OF other alleged improprieties by the
patronage dispensing Truman Democratic faction
In the State Patronage was taken out of the
hands of the States Rights Senators and Repre-
sentatives after the 1913 election.
One afidavit by a resident of Pearl River
County asserted he had been offered a $4,000
Job as supervisor of "rationing' on the condition
that he contribute $500 to the Democratic Ma
tional Committee. He said the man who made
the offer exhibited several checks in like amounts
from persons in other counties. He refused the
proposition, he said, because he did not consider
the offer Legitimate" The second affidavit
alleged that rural letter carrier paid $3.50 to
a representative of the "Trumanite State Com
mittee" to guarantee" his continued employ
ment
Apparently these were not isolated incidents
The McComb (MississippD Enterprise-Journal
recently charged editorially that number OF
Mississippians have been offered jobs as county
donate from $500 to $4O0 to the administration
sponsored Democratic faction in the State. Pub
Usher J. Oliver Emmerich of the Enterprise
Journal specifically asserted that Pike County
businessman had been asked for $500 contri-
button in return for appointment as county
ESA director.
1t should not be difficult to determine the
truth or falsity of the charges made in the
particular cases described A Senate investi
CATION, as asked by the Mississippi Senator's, is
warranted. 1t should be broad enough to cover
not only the cases cited but all the rumors of
war-contract favoritism and political free
booting" of various kinds in Mississippi. Nothing
could be more damaging to public confidence
in the defense mobilization program than a
political scandal of the sort alleged by the
Mississippi legislators. It is in the national In
terest to clear up this matter quickly and
completely.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
Why No Burp Gun?

was greatly interested in an article
in The Star few nights ago which
stated that the armed forces were think
ing about revising many of the old
established weapons used by the infantry.
BY this time our ordnance experts
have had time to examine and test all
of the weapons used by every foreign
power during the last war. However.
could never understand why the Army
didn't copy one of the most deadly for
eign guns we ever ran up against. am
speaking of the German "Burp" gun.
AS most GIs know, this was light g.
NM submachine gun which the Germans
manufactured in large numbers. It was
also known as the 'meatchopper" and
its ugly "buuurrrppppp" was enough to
send q whole company of men dashing
for cover. A few well-hidden snipers
using this gun could hold off many times
their number.
We have several types of submachine
guns in use, but none have the f1repower
or the respect which the "Burp" gun had.
For my own information I wonder if
any of The Stars readers could answer
that question. An Army ordnance OFF,
cial would find many excuses for not
copying the gun from the thing
being too heavy to It's waste" Of am
munition but 1t worked only too
well against US.
A. M. McLachlen, jr.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
By Frederick Brown Harris
Minister, Foundry Methodist Church;
Chaplain, United States Senate.

Chaplain, United States senate.
you will be amazed at the increasing
certainty that will come
A dear old saint whose wrinkled face
was an illumined parchment Of love and
good will had initiated the letters
1T. p" opposite many of the great prom
iSes in her Bible, such as, "As thy day
so shall thy strength be-" Visiting her
one afternoon, friend picked up the
worn Book of Books. Curious as to the
meaning of these repeated letters. she
asked: What does IT. p mean, put
here 50 often on the margins?" Said
the dear old lady. whose faith had been
tried in the crucibie Of fiery tribulations:
why those letters mark the promises
that I have tried and proved. That
is what T. P. means"
The greatest matters Of faith are not
settled by ecclesiastical mandates. They
are settled by some spiritual adventure.
Certainties regarding God and inn
mortality come not from the declarations
of a creed, but from the revelations in
hours of need, when the promises OF
God are tried and proved.
The greatest apologize Of Christian
ity Is heart which is laboratory
where the mysteries Of religion have
been tested and turned into songs OF
shining and celebrating assurance.
Walt Whitman was listening one night
to an astronomer lecturing on the stars.
And the hall was stuffy and the lecture
dull, and the charts and diagrams UNI
Illuminating, until, says Whitman. Il
could bear it no longer. and I arose
and wandered out into the night and
looked up at the stars themselves" For
that to happen to the platitudes OF re-
ligion would be like the picture that
Robert Bridges, in 1.-The Testament OF
Beauty" has given US: A room in
museum, and the fossils on the shelves
suddenly coming to life: winter rose
bed in garden bursting into crowded
holiday of scent and bloom"
With that picture of winter changed
to scent and bloom, shall we listen once
more to that One of the steadfast face.
hurrying on to waiting cross: If you
will do the will you shall know"
20 make but trial OF His lone,
Experience i0iH decide
How blest are they. and only they,
Who In His truth confde."
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
etters to The Star

bill will do nothing to remedy this in
Justice. Only District representation in
Congress can do that.
The object of the home-rule bill would
seem to be to divert the minds OF the
500 900 potential voters Of the District
by offering them shutting OF the local
setup. All decisions. of course. would
remain subject to congressional APP
proval. Washington taxpayers-men and
women in Government and the military
services-should read the bill-all 119
pages Of 1t. They should not be satisfied
to be made one-half citizen.
Native WashingtOnian.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25
jacobs StuH
John C. Rogers.

In your edition Of Sunday, February
IS, on page of The Star Pictorial
Magazine, you show picture OF what
purports to be George Washingtons
surveying transit.
My dear sir, this is an old Jacobs
staff-with only compass box and two
alidades, with Sits to peep through to
run a straight line-the best they had
in Washington's day.
I have used both these instruments.
but the engineers transit Is definitely
preferable and much more accurate.
p. A. Latimer,
Surveyor.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-25

sound idea Of what the world can expect when
the atom is harnessed for flight.
Moreover, when that day comes-and its
coming seems certain-it will almost surely place
within mans reach not merely terrible new
type of piloted bomber but atomic intercontinen-
tai rockets and guided missiles capable of being
unleashed, with supersonic speed and amazing
accuracy, against targets anywhere on earth.
Quite clearly, with even the interpanetary space
ship" possibility, the realities opening up before
us have such fantastic shape and are so appall
ing in their military implications that the world,
unless 1t wishes to try committing suicide. must
sooner or later establish q literally permanent
peace