davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1952-08-26
Home Teaching Confusing

The opening of public schools in few
weeks gives added interest to such items
as the recent article by Angelo Patri
under the caption "Home Teaching Is
Confusing" This particular article is
one which feel sure most thinking
parents will question to the point where
they will find themselves in complete
disagreement with the ideas expressed.
Patri's line of approach is typical of
political planners or educators (?) who
try to discourage parental guidance and
control Of children. For instance, Patri
says that parents should not try to teach
children reading. writing, arithmetic or
any school subject. He conveniently
overlookS the fact that children are
the wards Of their parents and not of
the schools. and that the main function
Of the public school is to aid parents in
teaching children. Most parents sim
cerely interested in the educational well
fare Of their children in modern public
schools have been finding that they must
do the actual teaching at home or it
just isn't done. Although Patri has been
quite sound in some Of his observations.
his writings are not worthy of full faith
and credit at all times. For instance,
the item mentioned above and also his
sponsorship Of a gruesome tear-jerking
TV advertisement discrediting parents
who did not own a TV set are prime
examples of Patri's unreliable reasoning
and teachings.
Franklin T. Miles.
So Angelo Patri says Home Teaching
Is Confusing" "No Teaching" has lot
Of parents confused.
A little over Is years ago, I was a
conscientious and ambitious parent" I"
and made dutiful visit to the kinder
garten before I entered my child in
public school. Some Of my friends ad-
vised me to teach my child at home. and
they were parents who had older chill
dren in school. But I went straight to
the school for guidance, and was told.
in almost Patri's exact words, that it
was bad practice to teach children at
home, that my methods and those Of
the school would confuse my child, that
mothers were not trained to teach their
children"
Unfortunately, took the schools ad-
vice. Result: At the close Of the second
grade. the teacher informed me that
my child was not doing well in school.
She said she guessed she just couldn't
master sight reading. 1t was then mat
Evening star., 1952-08-26

criminal You do not believe anything he says
He may tell the truth, but only because it is
expedient not because it is the right thing to do
You can also expect that the Communists, If
they do not like an issues being discussed, viii
evade It,"
Harsh, blunt, unvarnished, and altogether
undiplomatic- nonetheless. In its own way,
as sound and succinct a definition as has been
put forward in this field for long time.
Evening star., 1952-08-26

training school within the past few
months.
A program to keep the girls occu-
pied. staff that knew how to cope
with them. superintendent with energy
and imagination were all proposed in
last years special report. The Welfare
Board considers it has made changes
along those lines. But it can't do any
thing about aged buildings thoroughly
unsuitable for wayward girls. It can't
do anything about the lack of sufficient
staff or guards. It can't keep the girls
inside from getting out or refuse to
admit new girls.
Congress did approve $4,000 to plan
Evening star., 1952-08-26

a new institution for these girls in the
Children'S Center near Laurel, Md. It
would house 200 girls in cottages that
would assure both maximum security
for those who needed it and separation
of the bad" girls from the mildly de-
linquent. The Commissioners have not
yet said whether they will request the
money to build the institution.
AS for the $4,000, Mr.. Brewer pointed
out that the Welfare Board had told the
Commissioners it could not operate the
training school safely under the current
appropriation. His comment today:
well, at least they didn't attack the
supervisor Or set fire to the place"
Evening star., 1952-08-26
letters to The Star

ters were taken into our own hands,
and we taught our child to read by home
methods-after she had been utterly
confused at school.
On the other hand, children who had
been taught at home to read, to do some
arithmetic and to outShine the slower"
children progressed. One of my friends
had the pleasure Of watching her "su-
perior" child lead classes and graduate
recently from college with honors. We
are convinced that she progressed so
rapidly because she knew how to read
before she went to school.
Oh, yes! Leave everything ito the
teachers and save friction, time and
achievement" Save achievement? You
are SO right, Mr.. Patri.
FEPc
In spite of his logical incongruities,
am ready to say hurrah for the man
from Mississippi who wrote the letter
"Southerner on FEPC." He is the author
Of sentiments that well befit the son Of
a Thanksgiving sire! I cannot quite
see, however, how he can believe, "every
one should have opportunity to work in
the field where his fitness lies" if he
also believes the employer has a sort
Of SacrOSanct right to base employment
practice on something other than fit
ness. The fact is, our friend does not
equate fitness and opportunity, but color,
race, religion, etc., and opportunity. Well,
no sort of logical legerdemain has yet
been perfected that can make an argu-
ment consistent which attempts to
harmonic Southern theology with demo-
cratic liberties.
John w. Haywood, DID,,
Field Secretary. Commission on
World Peace Of the Methodist
Church.
We also thought Mississippian Ed
Jones read our mind in his civil rights
FEPC) letter.
Finally, why not give us an insight
by practical explanation Of you know
Of just what is meant by the terms
''civil rights" and "FEPC."
It is my belief that very great num-
ber of our citizens have only a vague
idea of what this is all about. My con-
cept of "civil rights" and "FEPC" is
only an assumption based on hearsay
and probably much presumption be-
cause I can recall no explanation Of
these terms.
Francis KOppeis.
Evening star., 1952-08-26

@. How old was Mrs. Alben Barkley
when she married the Vice President?
M. j.
A. She was 80 at the time Of the mar
riage on November l8, 1949. 20
Evening star., 1952-08-26
Questions and Answers
By Gould Lincoln

The stars readers can Get the answer %
any question Of fact by either sIitins The
NV, Washington s. D. c., and inelosins cents
return postage OF BY telephoning ST. 1859.
Evening star., 1952-08-26
By THE RASKIN SERVICE

@. Are tests by q drunk-o-meter ac-
cepted as evidence in cases of drunken.
ness in most StateS?-G. R. E.
A. Chemical-test evidence for drunk
enness is admissible in the courts of a
States.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05
Red Bystonders

Lets you and him fight" Premier
Stain said in effect last week in his
second announcement since World
War II on fundamental Soviet
policies. And though his emphasis
had changed, it seemed that Stain
had not altered his basic views of
the epic struggle between COM
munism and capitalism.
In an earlier statement, made
February 9, 1916, Stain laid down
this line: All capitalistic nations
are, by definition, imperialistic. In
their struggle over domination of
world markets, the imperialists in
evitably will start wars. The wars
must continue until Imperialism
that Is, capitalism-is wiped out by
communism.
Stains opinion that capitalism
ultimately had to be destroyed led
many Westerners to believe that he
was expecting the next world war
to be between Communist and
Western nations. His statement
last week, however, appeared to put
the emphasis on the struggle be-
tween rival Western "imperialists.. 3
The immediate danger of world war
lies, according to Stain, in the
sharpening conflict in the world
over narrowing capitalistic mar
kets. All communism has to do.
Stain implied, is sit tight until
Westerners have each other hang
ing on the ropes, then move in and
take over.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05
War Horse

Many of Adlai Stevenson's SYM
pathizers have expressed fear that
the Democratic candidates high
brow approach to political cam
paigning might lead him to defeat
in November. If this fear was
justified, it must have eased last
week when Harry Truman-master
exponent of the lowbrow treatment
hit the campaign trail.
Lambasting his way through the
Northwest, Mr.. Truman showed
that his aim-with dead cats, rotten
eggs or tomatoeS-waS as sure as
ever.
Mr.. Truman, who said he won the
1948 election by his vigorous attack
on the Republican 80th Congress,
was going after Eisenhower this
time. At one Western whistle stop
after another he deliberately sought
to tear down the reputation of
Eisenhower as a political figure.
He would tell the crowds, II like
Ike-as a general" and then he
would tell what he didn't like about
Ike as a civilian leader.
At Fargo, N. Dak., Truman said
Eisenhower was a tool" of the
"special-interest fellows" At Havre,
Mont, he said that Eisenhower had
failed to see any Russian menace
after World War II. At the Hungry
Horse Dam in Montana, he said
Ike was the mouthpiece of "the
private-power monopolies." At
Seattle he said Eisenhower had
destroyed the economical joint
purchasing organization of the
Army.
The speeches sounded harsh when
read in the papers. But reporters
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05
Historical Question

TINE QUESTION can be phrased
Il this way: Since the Federal
Government established this city
as its National Capital; since it
asserts exclusive control over the
city-and since the building and
maintaining of proper Capital is
an expensive thing-how much re-
sponsibility does the Federal Gov
eminent have for paying the bills?
To reduce the problem to simpler
terms: Suppose rich man buys
a farm on which there is a tenant
farmer. Suppose the owner decides
that this farm, in view of his posi-
ton in the community, must be
something special. It must, for i'll
stance, have neatly-painted white
fences, a fine stable, beautiful
shrubbery-and a swimming pool.
Obviously, the tenant will benefit
from these Improvements. But who
is to pay for them? Does the owner
pay? Or does the bill 60 to the
tenant?
The analogy. Of course, Is not
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05
Persona Non Groto

When one country doesn't like
the envoy Of another country-be it
because Of the way he ties his tie
or the way he talkS-getting rid
of him is the easiest thing in the,
world. The offending diplomat Is
simply declared persona non
grata"-personally unacceptable
and he is required to get out. go
So far as is known, no one in the
Kremlin objected to George Ken
mans cravats. But the Soviet lead
ers certainly did not like the way
the U. s. Ambassador talked -
especially in Berlin recently when
he likened freedom Of movement
In Russia to that in effect under
the Nazi German regime. They de-
(see REVIEW, Page A-2s)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05
Campaign Tours

LEW AMERICANS within shouting
l. distance of a railroad station
will be overlooked by the campaign
ers in the next two weeks. Both
candidates started their most ambi-
tious tours of the election last week.
And the old pro, Harry Truman, was
off on a trip of his own.
Meanwhile, the matter of candi-
dates finances, which attracted so
much attention last week, cooled
off considerably. So much so, in
fact, that hardly a stir came from
Senator Sparkman's announcement
that he had made $89,497 in the
eight years, 1914 through 1851.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05
Historical Cycle

THE HISTORY of District fiscal
4 relations, therefore, falls into
three distinct chapters. The first
covers the period prior to 1873, when
the city was built up but little, and
then at the expense of its citizens,
who bankrupted themselves trying
to assume task beyond their
means. The second period, from
1878 to 1925, was one in which the
Federal Government assumed a full
share Of the financial responsibility
for its Capital. 1t was in this period
that the modern City of Washington
came into'being.
The third period, from 1925 to the
present, has seen the Federal Gov
eminent, making all the decisions
for the people of Washington, place
on them progressively greater pro-
portion of the city's financial bur-
den. Since there Is limit to the
taxes that can be imposed even on
a voteleSs WaShingtonian, the
growth and maintenance of the city
have failed to keep pace with obvi-
Gus needs in this last period.
Decisive Moment
The current situation of the Dis
trict is analogous to that which ex-
listed in the first period. Herbert
Hoover once said this city must be
"the symbol of America" Unless
that ideal is to be abandoned, a
good deal of extra money will
have to be spent on Washington
in the next few years. If the local
residents are to be called on to do
all this spending themselves, then
they are headed for another Shep-
herd era. They will be forced to run
themselves heavily into debt, as
the District takes on another job
which belongs by rights to the
Nation.
If, on the other hand, the Federal
Government sees fit to listen to
Citizens Advisory Committee, the
beginning of a new cycle may be
approaching in which the Nation
will again recognize its RESPONSE
bility toward Washington and act
in accordance with it. And there
is some reason to hope that the
Government this time will listen
in its own interest. For the Gov
eminent knows it cannot escape
ultimate responsibility for it's city.
It can add new taxes to District
residents and businesses. It can
continue to do so, if it wishes,
until the District economy is thrown
out, of the delicate balance now
maintained. But when that day
comes, the Government cannot
compel those residents and bust
neSses to stay in the DISTRICT. And
IL the Government should some day
find this city economically dead
on its hands, it will have scored a
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05

and its founders" Southland wrote,
twas to create a residence for the
Government where they should
have absolute and unlimited con-
troll which should be built up
and sustained by their authority
and resources, not dependent upon
the will or resources of any State
or local interest. :. It is not easy
to comprehend either the principle
which would prevent the Govern
ment from a liberal appropriation
of National resources to accom-
plish the object, or the policy which
would confine the city to the means
possessed by the Inhabitants for its
improvement"
Plan Comment
Speaking Of the Federal plan for
the development of the city, South
ard said this:
ut is a plan calculated for the
magnificent Capital of a great Ma
tion-but oppressive from its very
dimensions and arrangements to
the inhabitants, If its execution to
any considerable extent is to be
thrown on them. No people who
anticipated the execution and sub
sequent support of it out Of their
own funds would ever have dreamed
of forming such plan. It would
have been the most consummate
folly"
Senator Southland urged the Ma
ton to assume, for the future, a
fixed share of the burden for build
ing and maintaining its Capital.
The Southland report did some
good. From 1885 through the Civil
War years, the Government some
what increased its expenditures on
the District. It did not increase it
enough, however, to make possible
a real cooperative effort to build
up the city. Washington remained
a reproach to the Nation and a
laughing stock to the world.
In 1871, the fiscal lid blew of
again. That was the era of terri
torial government for the District,
when a man named Alexander
Shepherd served as chairman of the
Federally-appointed Commission of
Public Works. Shepherd was deter
mined that Washington should be-
come the kind of city that L'Enfant
had planned. Under his leadership,
in few short years, the District
took long strides toward that end.
It also ran itself into a staggering
debt Of $40 million.
Poland Report
The territorial setup came to an
inglorious end in 1874, and once
again the Federal Government was
compelled to examine its conscience.
The House Judiciary Committee, in
a report by Representative Poland,
came to precisely the same conclu-
sions as those reached by Senator
Southland almost 40 years before.
The District belonged to the Nation,
and the Nation must bear its fair
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05
Review Of The Week. An Old Question Is Asked Again

on the scene said Mr.. Truman's
lecture style was going over big
with the crowds.
The Weeks Issues
Eisenhower made his second in
vaSion of the South last week,
stopping in South Carolina. Then
he swung up to Michigan, and into
Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin. He
headed West to the coast and then
intended to zig-zag through the
Southwest, the Mountain States
and again into the South.
Stevenson started with the Mid
west, and then planned to cover
the Mountain States, Far West and
the South.
AS they harangued the crowds in
the railroad stations, the high
school auditoriums and the court
house steps, the two candidates
touched on many issues. Here were
some of their views:
Korea-Stevenson said it was a
testing point for freedom" We
would have had to face that test
sooner or later, he said. Eisenhower
said Korea is tragic chapter" in
the history Of the Democratic Party.
He recommended that the South
Koreans take over the job of hold
ing the battle line.
1.-THE MeSS"-Stevenson said the
Democrats themselves had exposed
misdeeds in Government and would
handle the situation efficiently un-
der his administration. Eisenhower
called the Democrats the scandal
a-day party"
ProSperity-Stevenson said the
Nation had never had it so good
as under the recent Democratic
administration. Ike said Democratic
prosperity was phony-based on
war and dissipated by imitation.
CivA rights-Eisenhow said in
Columbia, s. c., that equality of
opportunity" is a fundamental
American principle. Stevenson said
the Democratic Party understands"
the feelings Of persons who have
been denied jobs because of their
color. ..
Observation-Disclosures dubbed
himself "Vandenberg Republican"
and promised to revive the BIZ
partisan foreign policy. HeFsaid all
Republicans agreed on the need for
collective security, but differed some
on degree. Stevenson charged that
Eisenhower was willing captive of
the new isolationists" of the Re-
publican Old Guard.
"McCarthyiSm" Else nhow er
asked that Senator Mccarthy be
reelected. The general said he
and Mccarthy differed on Kidding
the Government of subversives
only as to methods and not as to
end results. Last night, Stevenson
broke silence on the subject to pro-
claim Mccarthy a champion of the
ordeal by trial and SANDER" and a
member of the Republican Party'i
"murderers' row" in Congress.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05

exact. For one thing, the Federal
Government did not buy this farm
in the first place.
Deciding Deal
The territory which now consti-
tutes the District, it will be recalled,
was coded to the Federal Govern
ment by the State of Maryland In
1891. The City of Washington was
to comprise some 5000 acres of this
tract. The then owners of the land
gave the Government, free, $500
acres for use as streets. They gave
the Government, free, half the re-
naming area to be sold in building
lots. The other half was to be sold
in building lots by the original pro-
prietors. The United States did buy
541 acres for Government building
sites, for which 1t paid exactly
$4,000. Not ope cent of this
money came out of the National
Treasury. It came-without being
missed-out of the proceeds of sale
of the Governments share of the
building lots.
Having established its National
Capital on these advantageous
terms, the United States was ex-
pected at least to assume leader
ship in starting to build Washing
ton from scratch, as it had to be
built, into the kind of city it had
to become. And the United States
expected to do so. AS matter of
fact, however, it did nothing of the
kind.
Southord Report
How utterly the Government
failed to live up to expectations in
those early years became graphi-
cally apparent during Andrew Jack
sons administration. Up to 1925,
it seems, the Federal Government
had spent, quite haphazardly, a
total of $1,429,079 on Washington.
Local residents, on the other hand,
had spent three times that amount
of their own money in trying to
make their wilderness town meas
ure up to its national responsible
ties. In doing so, they had run
themselves into $1,806, 442.59 worth
of debts-no mean sum in those
days for so small a community. The
plight in which they then found
themselves caused Congress to
make it's first serious examination
of the problem of United States
District relations, in a report by
Chairman Southland of the Senate
District Committee.
The Southland report described
the Nations obligations toward its
Capital as clearly as that obligation
ever has been described. It said
the interests of the District ana
those of the United States are one
and the same thing. It said the
District is ''the child of the Union
the creation of the Union for its
own purposes"
"The design of the Constitution
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05
Foreign Decisions

N1HILE European countries and
w Japan were taking steps
toward more cooperation and more
democracy, the oracle in the Krem-
lin was re-interpreting the sacred
Communist dogma.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-05
Historical Answer

hNf1E GOVERNMENT maze up 1CS
Il mind in 1878. It agreed to pay
a fixed and equitable proportion of
the cost of building and operating
its Federal City.
In the Organic Act of that year,
which also established the present
commission form of District Gov
eminent, the Nation undertook to
spend one dollar on Washington
for every dollar Washington spent
on itself. In so doing, it ipaugurated
the period of the city's greatest
and healthiest growth.
The principle established in the
Organic Act governed relations be-
tween the Federal Government and
the District for nearly half a CEN
fury. In truth, however, the ma
tional party to the agreement was
never very happy about it. In its
50th anniversary edition of 1902,
The Star noted that the Govern
ment already had tried many times
to welsh on the obligation it had
properly assumed. 1.-THE Govern
ment's share must be continued"
The Star warned, cor the progress
sion of Washington toward the
ideal Of an American Capital, and
its future maintenance as a great
Federal City, will be impossible"
The Bockdown
For all its reluctance, each time
it studied the problem the Gov
eminent found itself forced to re-
affirm the justice of the decision
it hadstaken in 1873. During World
War I, when pressure for abandon
pment of a fixed ratio of Federal
payment began to mount in ear
nest, the argument presented by
the would-be abandoners was an
interesting one. The argument was
not that the Federal Government
was paying too much for the Dis
trict. It was merely that the Gov
eminent should not bind itself to
a fixed proportion Of the Districts
expenses; that perhaps it should
pay more than SO per cent.
But the handwriting was on the
wall, and it spelled trouble for
Washington. In 1921, the Federal
Government cut its contribution to
40 per cent of the cost of building
and running the city. And in 1926
it finally ignored any responsibility
for contributing set percentage of
the Districts budget. It switched to
the lump sum" form Of payment,
which has continued to the present
day.
That first lump-sum payment was
50 million, about 80 per cent Of the
city's expenses that year. Ever
since, the percentage Of the Federal
Governments contribution has
steadily shrunk. This years pay
ment is less than 9 per cent. Man.
ifestly, what the Federal Govern
ment has spent on Washington
since 1925 has not been enough to
keep the National Capital in run
ming order.
It is interesting to note in this
connection, as the Advisory Com
mittee noted last week, that If the
Federal payment had remained at
40 per cent since 1925, the addi-
tional revenue available would have
amounted to $z08 million-enou1h