davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1952-01-03
By Charles E. TroceweN
New Englander.

the whitest he can find and dump IL
into bath tub.
Then turn the shower on it.
And then watch the dirt run QUIT
This dirt is literally combed from
the city air.
It Is good for the romantic mind to
believe that snow is "pue e, but actually
it Is far from 1t. It Is all Just another
instance Of how far our eyes can fool us.
Just as no human being can see with
his two eyes any Of the invisible par
ticleS of which the world Is made so
no one can grasp by his senses the COM
position Of simple things, such as snow
Actually, the snow crystals are not
simple, but are born in wonderful math-
ematical shapes and figures, and thaw
destroys more than water
Those odd men called psychiatrists
say that persons with varying insanities
often have dreams in which mathemat-
ical figures spin around in varying hues.
Surely it is a beautiful way to be insane.
One may wonder If the birds suffer
from the various neuroses that affiiet
mankind. Probably not, because they
do not think the way we do, fortunately
for them. They never have invented an
atom bomb In all their 30 million years
on earth. One may feel reasonably sure
that they never viii.
Evening star., 1952-01-03
This and That

They pick up snow crystals. since
ordinary fluid water is hard to find.
sometimes. on cold day.
Not only are small pools and baths
frozen over, but the winds tend to dry
such places as may not have frozen.
The birds are wise, with the expert
ence Of millions Of years behind them.
They know that snow is drink, just
as well as water.
Since their temperatures are high,
varying from 103 to Ill degrees, in
various species, the moment the bill
clamps over snow crystal there Is
water.
Snow serves not only to amuse chill
dren and stall traffic but to show of
the birds to great advantage.
Nowhere will a cardinal, for instance,
seem redder.
The jay, in his flashing blue, and
the sparrow in brown and gray
These and all the rest have a perfect
background.
Snow is never. Of course, exactly
white.
There is. blue in 1t. as artists claim.
and certainly there Is just plain black
In it, with dust and SCOT.
II any one believes snow Ia o city IL
pure white, let him take q shovelfui Of
Evening star., 1952-01-03
Letters to The Star
Pen-nan,es may be used If letters carry
Uriters' correct names and addresses.
All letters are subject to condensation.

man-said rightfully that all the Re-
publicans had to offer was ME, too, but
I can do it better"
Then we had the little man who just
wasn't there-fellow named Dewey
campaigning In rather urbane fashion,
with meticulously timed entrances and
exits. His theme was unity" The
Democrats, he charged. had turned
America into "funbling giant" The
Government, said the little man. showed
signs Of being tired, confused and COM
ing apart at the seams.
And, Of course, there was Henry Wal
lace-charging North, South, East and
West, invoking plague on both Demo-
Gratis and Republicans.
Right now, the man who couldn't pos
sibly win again no doubt is calling for
his 1948 speech file. A deletion here,
an insertion there-and some Of them
perhaps will serve him well again. Taft
and Stassen unquestionably are studying
Dewey's speeches, alert to profit by the
mistakes noted therein. Wallace, hope,
is studying the seed catalogues.
This will be television's first big po-
Htical show. The channels will overflow,
and what production it promises to
be! Let's get at it-Sid Caesars been
terrible lately.
Homer X, FriSbie.
Evening star., 1952-01-03
Maxim Litvinoff

The voice of Maxim Litvinof had long since
ceased to influence Soviet policy. So the an
nouncement Of his death will be received with
regret here not because of any tangible effect it
will have on our relations with Russia, but be-
cause his passing erases the last visible symbol
of that school of Soviet diplomacy which en-
braced the live-and-let-live philosophy.
Even at the peak of his career, during the
decade or more when he headed the Soviet
Foreign Office, Mr. Litvinof was on the fringe
rather than at the center of Russian policy
making Stain neither liked nor trusted him,
and after his removal as Foreign Minister in 1899
Mr. Litvinoff was ushered to the front of the
Soviet stage only when he could be used as
window dressing for some particular Kremin
purpose
Still, on the face of the matter at least, this
man came close to altering the course of history.
In the late thirtes when the shadow of Hitler
ism fell across Moscow as well as over the West,
Mr. Litvinoff was negotiating with the French
and the British for mutual security pact. Al
ways an advocate of international cooperation
against aggressor states, he saw the danger
clearly and recognized that only the prospect OF
war on two fronts might restrain the German
dictator. But the negotiations came to nothing.
First there was the Munich deal, in which the
French and British sold out Czechoslovakia
proposed treaty to limit their commitment to
come to Russia's aid in event of attack. Argu-
ments can be made in defense of both OF these
things perhaps, but their combined effect on
the Soviet Foreign Minister was disastrous. 1t
Stain had ever believed in the Litvinof policies
which is doubtful, Munich and the British treaty
stand produced a swift change of heart. Mr..
Molotov replaced Mr.. Litvinof at the helm OF the
Foreign Office, the aggression pact with the
Nazis was concluded, and within few days the
Second World War had begun
Nothing is more futile than speculation as
to what might have been. Still, the possibility
remains that an effective mutual security agree
ment with the West in the late thirties might
have tipped the balance in Moscow. Had the
internationaliSt Litvinof views prevailed instead
of the dark nationalsm of the Politburo 1t is
conceivable at least that the threat of another
and more terrible war would not today be hang
ing over the world.
Now that Mr.. Litvinoff is dead, there Is no
hint or sign that any of his work lives on. And
vet it seems futile to talk of peace unless at
least the substance Of his philosophy emerges
some dav as the basis Of Russian foreign policy.
30, even though the symbol is gone, the hope
must be that intelligence and sanity will assert
themselves in Russia, and that in the end 1t win
Evening star., 1952-01-03
The Best Interests of the Schools

Those who voted against Superintendent OF
Schools Hobart M. Corning did so, no doubt,
with the same sincerity of conviction that
prompted majority of the board members to
vote for his reappointment for another three
year term.
Aside from the impressions as to his merits
or lack Of them that DR.. Corning has made on
members of the Board of Education, however
there is good reason to believe the board has
acted in the best interests of the public school
system in reappointing him.
Had he not been reappointed the board
would have been faced with the practical diff
Guilty of perSuading competent man to take
the position. For the situation that has developed
in Washington between what is now shown to be
a minority of the board and the superintendent
is pretty well known to professional educators
around the country. A vote to fire DR.. Corning
would have constituted an Endorsement of the
board minority. And if the theories and policies
Of such a minority became those of the Board
Of Education, it is illogical to believe that any
able superintendent of schools anywhere else
would resign his job to come to Washington and
assume the risk of serving under that sort Of
board.
DR.. Corning undoubtedly has his faults,
along with all of us. AS the superintendent of
schools, he is the natural target of criticism
by great many people who are dissatisfied
with the school system for variety of reasons,
some of the critics violently disagreeing among
themselves That is one of the occupational
hazards of the superintendent, under the best
of conditions.
But DR.. Corning has been the chief admin
istrator of the school system during period of
unusual stress and strain, caused by conditions
which neither he nor anybody else could
control His greatest handicap has been the
weak leadership of the Board of Education.
Supported by strong board, he would have
measured up well. Under present board leader
ship, his faults have been magnihed. Had the
antagonistic minority of the board which sought
his removal been successful, the school system
would have come under the unchallenged domi-
nation of men who in The Stars opinion, are
not competent for the responsibility DR.. Corn
ing's successor inevitably would have been
man compliant enough to get along with this
minority and the school system would have
suffered in consequence.
The Star hopes that the majority Of the
Board of Education, having made wise decision
on Dr. Corning will now examine with a cold
and critical eye the nature of the difficulties
which have beset the board and will assert itself
In establishing an orderly and sensible super
vision of the schools.
Evening star., 1952-01-03
BETHESDA.


Dear Sir:
What are the birds finding to eat
on the snow?
II love to watch them hopping around,
stopping about every foot to dip their
bills down, but for the life of me I
can't see what they find to eat.
Certainly there can be no insects
at large in such weather. and in my
yard there are no crumbs or seeds on
the snow, but only at the feeding sta
tions.
Some seeds might be dropped, but I
do not think there are any at all be-
meath the big rose vine, where the birds
like to congregate."
II particularly admire the way the
sparrows face the cold, and the manner
in which they dip their bills down, as
if eating.
'They are brave, those fellows, and
deserve more admiration than some bird
lovers socalled, are willing to give them.
Il admire the way you, both ro-
manifest and a realist, manage to give
the common birds full credit, Just as If
they were as beautiful and wonderful
az cardinals, and maybe they are.
Sincerely yours, D. r. T. q"
4
The birds IN the Snow are not eating.
but drinking.
Evening star., 1952-01-03
Stain on Japan

GeneraliSsimo Stalin's New Years message
to Japan provides the world with yet another
excellent example of how the men of the Krenlin
seize upon every opportunity, no matter how
slight, to dish out unblushing propaganda from
their inexhaustible storehouse of matchless
hypocrisy and colossal lies.
The opportunity in this instance has come in
the form of request sent out to numerous world
leaders by Japan's biggest news agency The re-
quest, asking for holiday greetings, has been
answered thus far only by Stain, and he has
made the most of 1t by expressing his deep SYM
pathy" for the Japanese people because they are
trapped in a serious situation under foreign
occupation" And he has gone on from there to
send them his best wishes for complete victory
in their struggle" for democracy, freedom and
peace
In other words, Disgusting himself as man
of good will, the Soviet dictator has added his
own personal touch to the hate-America propa-
ganda campaign. He has done so with just a
few truth-upending sentences designed to be-
fuddle as many Japanese as possible with the
idea that the United States is depressing them
and denying them the right to live as a peaceful,
Independent and democratic nation. OF course,
the fact Is that our country and virtually every
other country in the free world are signatorieS
to the San Francisco treaty to end the occupa-
tlOn ana restore japan TO full sovereignty. The
further fact is. that the Kremlin is bitterly op-
posed to that treaty and has refused to sign IT..
But facts are just something to be turned upside
down by Stain and his co-conspirators The Red
totalitarians have long since learned to out Hitler
Hitler in practicing the theory that the bigger
and bolder the lie, the more chance there will be
that people can be dumfounded, by the sheer
audacity of the thing, into believing it,
Needless to say, the completely hypocritical
and mendacious nature of Stalin's New Years
message will be obvious to all informed Japanese
the people who are well aware of the San Fran
cisco treaty and the Kremlin's desire to have
Japan remain power vacuum vulnerable to
Communist subversion and aggression. These
people know what the Soviet Union has done to
the satellite lands They know that it is tyranny
without parallel in history. They know that what
II really wants is to win eventual mastery over
their country and the Red dictator's deep sym
pathy" must therefore strike them as kind of
bitter joke
Nevertheless as propaganda expert, Stain
probably would not have sent his message unless
he felt that it might help at least little in the
Communist effort to build up anti-American SEN
timent among unthinking elements in Japan. Now
that they are being restored to sovereignty, the
Japanese themselves will have to apply their own
antidotes for such poison.
Evening star., 1952-01-03
The Voters Cooled His Passion for SOUP

Pierce. who had commanded brigade
under Scott in Mexico.
On issues. there was little to choose
between the two. Pierce made no cam
paign and Scott Is charged by his
torians with lacking the. flnesse to dis
cuss serious topics. So the parties
slugged it out on personalities.
The Democrats dug up letters Scott
had written the Secretary Of War in
a long-range debate on how to conduct
the Mexican war. One Of the generals
letters started: "Your letter OF this
date. received as I sat down to take
haSty plate Of soup =
That was just spark, but the Demo-.
Gratis famed it into an inferno. They
charged that soup was un-American,
even obnoxious. Whoever heard OF a
red-blooded man being satisfied with
dish of favored water?
From then on, whenever Scott aroSs
to make a speech, there were jeers:
How about hasty plate of soup, gen.
eral?" That plate of soup followed
him all over the country. Once when
he thanked a crowd for coming out
in the rain to hear him, q, heckler
shouted: Eyes. general. it's very soupy
out tonight"
It was dirty campaign, too. and
Scott's whole record was raked over.
but it was the Democrats battle cry
Of soup that won for Pierce. 1t started
the voters laughing and they laughed
at Scott as they went to the polls.
The man once called ''The Greatest
Captain Of the Age" carried only four
States. It finished the Wings and led
to the birth Of the Republican Party.
It was enough to cool mans pas
sion for soup-even terrapin soup,
which the general once avowed was
"the best food vouchsafed to man by
Providence"
Evening star., 1952-01-03
New Work at Pompeii

After ten years suspension, the systematic
excavation of Pompeii has been resumed. More
than 1000 workmen are laboring under the direc-
tion of Prof Amedo Maiuri, their purpose being
to clear of rubble and ashes the two-ffths of the
ancient city as yet not uncovered. It has been
estimated that about fifty million cubic feet of
material must be removed before the whole
picture of the town destroyed by Mount vesuvius
in 70 A. D. will be revealed.
OF course, nobody knows what will be found.
The portions of Pompeii now to be excavated,
however, are believed to be those of the most
interesting residential character. Treasures dug
up in the public buildings have not been excep-
tional but those located in private homes
especially in the villas of relatively wealthy
families-are well worth the cost of retrieving
them Specimens gathered at the Museum in
Naples make that depository one of the finest
of its kind in the world. Still other "loot" has
been sold in Paris, London and New York and
may be seen in the galleries of those great
centers of culture.
But Prof Maiuri represents different policy.
He proposes to finance his enterprise largely by
selling tickets to tourists. In order to do that
successfully, he must leave the Pompeiian arti-
facts where they are discovered The ruins exca
waited between 1853 and 1851 are in many in
stances nothing but empty shells. Now it is to be
the custom to leave everything where it belongs
Hence the interest which many people are
bound to entertain for the new campaign Of
work at Pompeii. Americans who have visited
the spot will understand the potential develop
ments of the next several years. Prof. Maiuri
not only may find unprecedented treasures but
it is entirely possible that his method of proce-
dure will result in vast increase of the burned
out and smothered city's power of attraction for
travellers.
Faith moves mountains but being woman,
she begins to wonder II they don't look better
where they were.
Evening star., 1952-01-03
Trading With Hungary

While paying the so-called ransom"
to Hungary was probably the quickest
way In which we could get the release
of the four American flyers who were
captured, say it was not the only way
possible to get their release. However.
am vigorously opposed to this defeatist
action on the part Of the American
Government
BY submitting to this new scheme Of
the Soviets, the American Government
Is apt to set precedent that it will re-
gret. Furthermore. we are apt to innovate
new world trade.
There will be a new trend. Other
Soviets, because Hungary got away with
this crime, will try the same stunt to
replenish their supply of American dol
lars. Why not? It Is easy to do. There
will be a reactionary movement back to
the days of slavery, for once more
humans will become commodities.
The State Department should have
used "get-tough" policy in this case. It
should have closed the American and
Hungarian legations, thus breaking off
diplomatic relations, and abolished all
trading relations with Hungary.
Leonard Brown, Jr.
..-.
Hungary's demanding and our agree
ing to pay $4,000 for the release of
four Of our flyers is indicative of one
horrible fact: that another link in the
chain of world slavery has been forged
by the Kremlin. It is another indica-
tion that Russia has made us apathetic
to any insult or atrocity committed
against our citizens, soldiers or way of
life. And If Americans are apathetic, it
is because our leaders seem to lack the
capacity for indignation or the moral
fiber to really get mad at second-rate
puppet nations. They are unwittingly
helping put this country into a comatose
state that eventually will permit Russia
to walk in and demand the keys to our
freedom. ....@
Disguised.
Evening star., 1952-01-03
ElituuI

My sister kro1Ds there Is no III
So dire q cup OF coffee 1Diu
Not help to soothe its pain.
A cup of coffee, hot and black,
Is balm for any loss or lack,
Is ease for any strain. =
MY sister knoDS that life must be
Still liued NTH grace and g1tety
Whatever may befGH.
She sips her coffee. and she goes
Undaunted By Hfe's hGrstest blows,
and she has borne them all. u
So Elten to tighten my distress
And comfort me In loneliness
She brings her fGDorite breD,
Z, lift the steomtflg cup, and think =
OF strength and courage, and Grsnk
"To you. my dear. to yoH."
Jone H. Merchcnt
Evening star., 1952-01-03
By, Edword Boykin

IN POLITICAL campaigns where no
i holds are barred, the voting public
sometimes is treated to q parade of
skeletons dragged from the closet Of an
embarrassed candidate. The gaudier q
mans past. the more dazzling the pro-
cession. It has happened even IN presi-
Dental campaigns.
It was such a presidential campaign
that General Winfield Scott became in
volved in century ago, but whatever
skeletons his closet might have sheltered.
they were not entirely responsible for
his being ground down in ridicule.
Although the general had an unruly
tongue that kept him talking when he
should have listened, his worst political
sin seems to have been passion for-of
all things-a bowl of soup.
Maybe the idea of the six-foot-four,
gold-braided hero of the War with Mex
leo wrestling with a chowder just caught
the public's fancy. But it was the burn
ing issue that turned him away from the
White House. n
In 1851 the Wings were riding high.
Their man, Millard Fillmore, was then
President, but more important was the
fact that two former Whig Presidents,
William Henry Harrison and Zachary
Taylor, had been soldiers. Some of the
Wings figured another military man was
their best bet.
Senator William H. Seward was desig-
mated to mastermind the nomination Of
General Scott. When approached, Scott
was all for 1t. though he no doubt
bristled at the. Senator's orders to keep
his mouth shut during the nominating
preliminaries. This was new and diff
f1cult role for the general, but he tried
hard to become the strong silent type
overnight. . .
Evening star., 1952-01-03
Sound Off, Candidates!

Dust off the big tube! Tune up the
loudspeaker! Nail down the loose planks
in the platform! This is the year and
they're off and running! All but Ike,
that is, and they say he can run stand-
ing still.
-Four years ago, the man who couldn't
possibly win waged rather simple
campaign-the down-to-earth kind. His
manner with the people was friendly.
easygoing. Showmanship was soft
pedaled. His main target was the do
nothing" 80th Congress, a Republican
crowd, believe. The man who couldn't
possibly win-man by the name Of Tru-
Evening star., 1952-01-03
Mr.. Truman Cleans House

The Presidents proposal for cleaning up the
Bureau OF Internal Revenue justifes his descrip-
ton of it as sweeping reorganization" It is
too bad that he waited until he had been forced
into it, or appeared to have been forced into it,
by the disclosures in Congress and the attendant
adverse political reaction throughout the country
There is nothing of the "red herring" or
Jasmine" reaction in this presidential statement.
Mr.. Truman comedies that some persons in the
bureau have betrayed their trust; he says he is
determined to have the highest standards" of
integrity maintained in the Federal service and,
in the case of the bureau, he will set up a
watchdog agency to see that such standards are
maintained. In addition, he proposes struc-
tural reorganization of the bureau so that it may
more efficiently and intelligently cope with its
heavy and mounting responsibilities. To that
end-and this is important-all jobs in the bu-
Revenue will be taken out of the patronage class
and put under civil service.
Mr. Truman described this as zone of a
series of actions am taking to insure honesty,
integrity and fairness in the conduct of all
Government business" He did not say what the
other actions will be. But if they are on par
with the action taken with respect to the Bureau
of Internal Revenue the trend toward loss of
confidence in the Government under his admins
tration should be checked and perhaps ultimately
reversed.
It is gratifying to see Mr.. Truman assume
this responsibility gratifying, first, be-
cause it is his responsibility, and second, be-
cause this approach is much more sensible than
setting up some commission to investigate what
is wrong with the Government when the problem
has not been to find out what is wrong but to get
something done about it.