davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Operation BottIeneck

AS railroad enthusiast and an OBJ
server of the turmoil over the local
traffic problem, I believe that the en-
phasis on the solution is being placed
wrongly. This business of making more
and bigger roads is accomplishing only
one thing, and that is the encourage
ment of many more automobiles to
enter the city in an easier manner. And
then what? The local setup will not
only still remain the same, but will be-
come much worse, since the new tide of
cars will only congest the streets more,
tie up the parking situation worse than
ever, and more than overcroWd parking
areas.
The idea of not allowing any parking
in the downtown area, as in Philadel-
phia, will not work here, because that
town has remarkable high-speed rail
system. We're far behind the times
here in the way of mass transportation,
and unless radical move is made, the
suburbs will eventually dwarf the city,
and local business will dry up.
New York, Chicago. Philadelphia. all
have high-speed rail systems which
move the most people in one movement.
in the fastest time. with the least
amount of trouble. The idea of using
buses is a farce. since they. too. are
automobiles. subject to other cars in
front of them stopping. starting. weav-
ing in and out ct cetera. Railroad
transportation with its system of sched-
ules and right Of way never misses.
The only solution for Washington is
an efficient, high-speed mass transport
tation svstem-cOmbininp some of the
existing rail facilities with subway
network.
In the future. many more people, be-
cause of the population increase. will
move farther out of the city proper, and
these people. you can rest assured, will
not sit in bus for an hour and half
for a trip that should take 20 minutes
by rail to take them into highly con-
eested automobile field, just to make
purchases which enterprising merchants
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Fifty Years Ago in The Star

On December 26, 1902, The Star
society column contained an account
of the silver wedding
Heron celebration of Mr.. and
Anniversary Mrs. j. Whit Heron at
their home, 1886 Thir-
tenth street NV, the previous evening.
Among the guests was the Rev. Mr.. Bit
finger. the clergyman who had presided
at the nuptials of Christmas. 1877. Mr..
and Mrs Heron received in the first
parlor," the latter wearing gown OF
white crepe de chine with silver
trimmings. Leroy w. Heron, the only
son of the couple, was present with his
wife and their daughter Audrey, now
Mrs. Raymond Read of the Kennedy
Warren, herself the mother of four
children and the grandmother OF one
namely, Russell Lane Of New Jersey.
Both Whit Heron and Leroy served The
Star as advertising managers, the latter
being Star employe for So years prior
to his death in 1913. His sister. Mrs.
Leila Belle Butner Of Atlanta, was in
the receiving line with her parents on
the evening Of December Is, 1902.
11lG OIdI VI ACOClANC1 81, @0oSS AZ
ported "All eyes of the Anglo-Saxon
nations will be turned
Doisy Letter this week toward that
At Delhi most ancient of capitals.
Delhi, where an American
woman, surrounded by all the pomp
and ceremonials possible in this en-
lightened and luxurious age, will repre-
sent the Queen of the nation upon
which the sun never sets. The woman
Is Lady Curzon, nee Daisy Letter, now
vicereine of India. and the occasion
will be the grand durbar. or proclama-
ton of Edward VII as Emperor Of India.
It is said that the functions attendant
upon this event will far surpass the
durbar at which Queen Victoria was
proclaimed Kaiser-i-Hind. While all
the official duties viii fall to the task OF
Lord Curzon. the central figure Of the
social pageant viii be his wife. This
gracious representative Of the newest
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
The NATO and Indo-Chin

France won the trace of political and moral
victory in passage of the NATO Council resolu-
ton that the war in Indo- China has a common
security interest to the Atlantic powers and
warrants their continuing support. Whether
this expression, however, will be translated into
something more tangible in the way of military
aid is an even more important question. Some
French quarters already are wondering whether
the threat of interference may outweigh the
implied promise of assistance.
For years, almost since We day, France has
been pouring the best of her military manpoWer
particularly from the ranks of young officers
and non commissioned officers-into the Indo-
China fight. 1t has been drain costly in money
and in lives with one of its most damaging
collateral effects being to weaken seriously the
military contribution which the French are
able to make or even to pledge to the NATO
build-up in Europe. In the circumstance that
NATO planning from the beginning has assigned
to French ground forces a key position In this
build-up, the sphoning of this strength into
an inconclusive war in Southeast Asia has
had a direct bearing upon the West European
picture. Even the French reluctance toward
the rearming of Western Germany stems in part
from Frances apprehensions about the weak
ness Of her own military establishment at home.
The NATO resolution stated that resistance
to aggression in any part of the world lis an
essential contribution to the common security"
Commencing this resistance by France and the
associated Indo- Chinese states against the Com
munist Viet-Minh the resolution added that it
is Gin fullest harmony with the aims and ideals
of the Atlantic community" While the state
ment stopped short Of any concrete promises, it
was the first time that the council had so
defined any area outside its immediate sphere
of defensive responsibilities or had so linked
Asiatic and European strategic considerations
It is early yet to tell whether or how the
resolution might be followed with the "continu-
ing support" mentioned. For the most part the
NATO is marking time until the Eisenhower
administration takes over in Washington. A
modest amount of American materiel has been
flowing to the French in Indo-China and an
American military advisory group is on the
ground An effort probably will be made after
January 20 to gain increased commitments in
each category on the theory that better equipped
forces and intensified training OF the Wet
Namese could bring that war to an end, first
priority requirement to stabilizing Southeast
Asia and freeing greater French resources for
the NATO responsibilities In Europe.
The Importance Of these detectives warrants
serious consideration for such theory.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

were hung in the office of every British
official in India. They were startling
reminders of the urgency Of accomplish
ing gigantic task before the time ran
out An editorial writer raised the ques-
ton, do not we all need Mountbatten
calendar nowadays?" The answer is:
We do-to remind us that the night
cometh, when no man can work.
There is time limit on what we can
accomplish. God has eternity to realize
His purposes. We mortals have not. In
life'S early decades there is expected
time enough looming ahead to enable us
to reach our goals, to climb every peak
Of hope. But there comes a day when
for the first time we feel sense of
hurry, if we are to arrive on time; then,
almost of panic, that time is running
out! We think we still are in the cate
CORY Of youth when there comes the
startling realization that life is half
over. Then the passing years start to
gallop instead Of sauntering as the
earlier dozens Of months seemed leisure
ly to do.
When Sir Walter Scott was a happy
bridegroom. with not one of his i'm
mortal books yet written, he erected a
sundial on the lovely lawn Of his home
of which he was so proud. On the dial
he had engraved: THE night cometh!"
From the very first of those creative
years he wanted to be daily reminded
that sunlight does not last forever; time
is running out and the night cometh.
When Scott was go, and all his great
books published. he fastened back. after
spending the day with old friends, eX-
claiming: II must go home to work while
1t is called day! The night cometh!"
That was the divine compulsion which
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Lesson of the GIobemoster Crash

It is ironic that aviation's worst disaster.
the Globemaster crash at Moses Lake, Wash
ington, was caused by a safety device Air
Force investigators have found that the acct
dent which killed Sc servcemen last week re-
suited from locked controls. The contro-locking
mechanism was devised to prevent damage to
control surfaces by wind gusts or propeller
blasts when the aircraft is at rest Releasing
1t before take-off is function that is sup
posed to be checked and double checked. In
the case of the Globemaster the releasing de-
vice apparently had been checked. but not
double checked. The findings indicate that
further efforts should be made to reduce the
risk Of human error in unlocking the controls.
This was not the first time that failure of
the human element in releasing aircraft controls
has led to disaster. The Civil Aeronautics Board
has found evidence pointing to this cause in
three other accidents, involving civilian air
craft. The control-locking system on the
Globemaster was designed to lock-and unlock
all major controls, including the throttle si-
simultaneously. Examination of the wreckage
showed that the unlocking lever had been thrown
part way over, releasing the throttle but not the
elevators and other control surfaces. Air Force
regulations require visual double checking"
by the pilot to make sure that all controls are
working perfectly before take-of. Presumably,
this visual check was not made
The pilot, killed with his crew, was an eX-
perienced flyer with an exemplary" record Of
more than 1000 hours of flying time-400 of
which were in Globemasters. Under Civil
Aeronautics Administration rules, civilian pilots
are qualified to operate commercial arliners If
they have as much as 1900 hours flying time in
various types of aircraft. The chance of human
error is small when experienced flyers man an
airplane, but the chance does exist as CAA and
military investigators have found on numerous
occasions The problem is to narrow the margin
for human error as much as possible.
That there is need for more research on
this problem is plain from the GlobemaSter
inquiry findings. It seems obvious to a layman
that the sequence of releasing operations when
the unlocking lever is moved should be such that
the throttle is the last control freed, instead Of
the first. Had this order of unlocking prevailed
at Moses Lake the pilot could not have gunned
his engines until the unlocking lever had been
thrown all the way over 1t should not have
taken the Globemaster catastrophe to reveal the
need for such an improvement.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Case of the Rosenberas

It is interesting to note that all Of a
sudden we have demonstrations at Sing
Sing Prison sponsored of course by an
organization that has been labeled COM
muniStic and SubverSive), newspaper
advertisements pleading clemency, and
other attempts at pressure for two con-
victed treasonistS whose case, said
demonstrators and advertisers admit,
has been turned down for review by
the highest court in the land. At long
last we have apparently hit where it
hurts. I was pleased to read that police
and FBI agents were on hand at
Ossining to cope with the situation and
list and mark we'll those who were the
leaders in the demonstration, for future
reference.
Why have we not heard from these
vociferous perSons-Some of whom
choose to call themselves 1.-THE Civil
Rights Congress"-with respect to Will
liam Oats who is still rotting in a
Czechoslovak (communistic, that Isl
Jail for crimes that have never been
judicially proven? Whose civil rights
Is the congress for?
There are several more surprising
results OF this well-organized pressure Of
the treasonists' sympathizers. What has
happened. for instance, to Dorothy
Thompson who apparently has permitted
her name to be used in this move? Why
is it necessary to bring in Jerusalem and
New Zealand to protest local court
case? What if America attempted such
interference in the applications of law
in either of these two countries?
The GROWING irony of the appeal
contained in the advertisement under
discussion is its request for churches and
their organizations to pressure their
Senators. Representatives. the President.
ct al. when actually most OF those so
appealing believe in none of these insti-
tutions-neither Church, union, syna-
gogue. veterans group" nor, above all,
our democratic processes except as those
processes can be used to further their
own interests. C. X. T.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
They Get Awoy With Murder

A crash on Lee highway December 10.
In which an innocent motorist was
killed and his wife critically injured by
q driver who. according to Arlington
police. stated he had had six drinks of
whisky. brings to mind the apathetic
attitude of the public toward drunken
and reckless drivers who are in the
strictest sense of the word killers"
Discussing this case at the courthouse,
one official made this statement: If
a woman is raped, public indignation is
Immediately fully aroused, hence one
can expect Both the jury and the court
to throw the book at the defendant.
But deaths caused by drunken or hot
rod drivers are for the most part taken
in stride, with little or no public indig-
nation aroused. Too often such killers
get off with light sentence, get out
on probation or fine. and the victim
becomes another statistic"
Since safety campaigns fail to register
with too many drivers, the only answer
seems to be drastic legislation that will
put such drivers behind bars for long
periods. Moreover. instead Of trying to
fit drivers to such roads as Lee highway,
it is time to think about building roads
to fit drivers.
If something of this kind is not done
to check drunken drivers, as well as
other dangerous drivers, the time is not
too far distant when cities and outlying
communities that are highly congested
will require that governors be installed
on cars which can be set by the authori-
ties not to exceed five miles above the
authorized speed limit. It is we'll to
remember 100 horses under the foot Of
a fool makes all Of US potential sudden
death statistics.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Mr.. Trumon's VoIedictory

President Truman delivered an unusual
form OF valedictory on Friday in his series of
personal interviews with six correspondents who
have covered the White House during all or most
Of his tenure.
They were quiet interviews mellow and
philosophical as they ranged over the wide
variety of deeds and decisions which have been
his during nearly eight years in "the most
powerful Office in history" One theme was clear
In each of these six conversations, namely, that
Mr.. Truman feels he has fought the good fight"
to the utmost of his ability and with the highest
Of motives that his decision on each occasion
was the one he believed then to be right and
which he would not change today.
Mr. Truman has been President during a
period Of strife and controversy that has borne
heavily upon all the peoples of the world. The
United States has perforce become the leading
power In the free world-one of two giants whose
PHILOSOPHERS are in conflict over the globe. These
troubles are not yet over and a deflnitive evalu-
alton of American conduct and policies must
await the future. Mr.. Humans real place in
history will then become known.
Mr.. Truman has differed many times with
the American press it has likewise differed with
him. 1t was pleasantly appropriate, however,
that as his term in the White House draws to an
end he should have chosen to sit down in in
formal frendliness with six representatives of
this press to talk calmly about this colorful
period in history and his own important partici-
patton in It, 1t was family-like sort of farewell
fully in keeping with the character of the man
from independence.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

nation of power will stand where once
the. jewel-crusted peacock throne rep
resented the greatest splendors the
world has ever SEEN" In other, less
flowery words. a Washington girl-a
daughter of Levi z. Letter. whose resi-
dence stood on the site of the Dupont
Plaza Hotel on the north side Of Dupont
Circle-had reached the apex Of inter-
national society. Beauty, grace and
charm qualified her for her position.
She died in 1906. leaving tradition Of
distinction rarely if ever matched.
Meeting in old ST. Matthew's Church,
Fifteenth and H streets NV. the SD
annual convention Of the
AAAS American Association for
Convention the A Advance EN- emit Of
Science brought together
a small army of the most eminent
scientific workers of the age, December
%, 1902, and The Star of that date in
cluded detailed account of the pro-
ceedings. Prof. Asaph Hall, U. S. NJ,
retiring president, called the first ses-
sion to order. The new president, DR..
Ira Remsen. then was introduced. Dis
trict Commissioner Henry B. F. Macfar-
land delivered an address Of welcome.
David Jane Hill. First Assistant Secre-
tary of State. then spoke in behalf Of
the national Government. Prof. Charles
D. Walcott, director of the United
States Geological Survey. expressed the
good will Of the Washington Academy
of Sciences and affiliated organizations
Prof. Carroll D. Wright, Commissioner
of Labor, discussed 1.-THE Psychology of
the Labor Question" Among the dele
gates in attendance were: DR.. Gilbert H.
Grosvenor, still busy as editor Of the
National Geographic Magazine, and Or.
Carleton r. Ball. retired from the De-
partment of Agriculture. but still actively
occupied in the study Of the agronomy
and botany Of willows and grasses
needed for the preservation Of thousands
Of animals In the mountains Of the
United States and Canada and especially
in the Arctic.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28
Spires of the Spirit
Time Is Running Out

This is the season when waste bas-
kets wait for obsolete calendars which
have had their day and their days. The
time there revealed has run out; the
dates all are passed and the calendar,
no matter how elaborate, is passe. The
vacated place on the wall is claimed by
fresh list of impending 365 days. Both
the crumpled record discarded and the
brand-new one exalted are reminders
that the sands of time in the hour glass
Of the brief years are dropping with in
credible rapidity; time Is running out.
And time is the most precious stuff with
which human life has to do. No schem-
ing, acquisitive hands can possibly grasp
anything millionth as valuable. The
first Queen Elizabeth saw that when
death touched her and the glory even of
the crown jewels was dimmed, as she
whispered: Millions of money for an
inch of time"
A modern Croesus. painting up the
bank steps to deposit more to his hoard,
is pauper contrasted to that penniless
boy he passes unnoticed. But that youth,
tingling with the wild joy of living, with
pockets empty and head full of dreams.
has opulence beyond compare. He has
time. He has the long years to be. Only
time is true riches. That is why John R.
Mott. the prophet statesman of the
Kingdom. cries to those with years still
on deposit: Time is sacred. The great
rule of moral conduct is, Next to God
respect time"
Killing time is murder in the first de-
gree. One of the most profound prayers
that one can offer to the God who has
intruSted us with time is the moving
petition of the Goth Psalm: $50 teach us
to number our days that we may apply
our hearts unto wisdom"-which means,
OF course: So help us to use our days and
months and years that the highest and
best things may come to us and through
us.
In the discarded calendar of a few
years back is date which was a memo
rable one in the Colonial history Of
Britain. It was the agreed-on date for
her withdrawal from India. A popular
pictorial magazine featured a photo
graph Of Lord Mountbatten at the Vice.
roy's desk. Nearby was a large wall
calendar, with this statement plainly
discernible: Fourth of August, 1947-
IL days left to prepare for transfer of
power" AS each days sheet was torn
off, there was the same statement with
one day subtracted. The days remain
ing diminished until there was none left.
and the time had run out. These calen-
OARS designed by Lord Mountbatten
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-12-28

An unidentified "official Of the local
post Office" was represented in The Star
for December 20, 1902. as
Soreless having said for publication:
Writers 1T is perfectly Incompetent
sible to me why the people
who use the mails should not know how
to do so. The plain and simple principle
involved imposes no other duty on the
person desiring to make use of the system
than to address plainly letter or pack
age to the person 1t is desired to reach"
A "pile Of undelivered mail" was respon-
sible for the "official's" complaint. He
especially objected to people writing
town" or local" when they meant
Washington, D. c. Letters addressed to
pension agent" and patent attorney"
also irritated him. He sharply protested
against mail inadequately prepaid. Amer
leans, he suggested, might study the
practices of other lands to their advan-
tage. "The children who go to school in
the German empire" he declared, ARE
compelled to know how to use the mails.
They are required to pass examinations
before they can be graduated from the
schools and it is very uncommon thing
for a person to address q letter i'm
properly in that country"
In an editorial dated December 80.
1902, The Star commented: Every nearly
five years ago the battleship
The New Maine was destroyed in Ha-
Maine vana Harbor by an explosion
which caused Notwithstanding
change. Yesterday the old Names sue
cessor, Of the same name, went into COM
mission at the League Island Navy Yard
and thus closed the gap left in the Navy
by the disaster. The new Maine is q
finer vessel than the old one, swifter.
more powerful. more strongly defended
against attack. She represents indeed
In the difference between her and her old
namesake the advance which naval ship
building has achieved In the years since
the drst Maine was laid down In the
New York yard - IN experiment IN Gov