davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13
This and That

Science-fiction, as it is called, is sup
posed to be something new. But If the
interested reader goes back to H. G.
Wells, he finds plenty of "science-fic-
ton" and very good it is, still.
To listen to the youngster readers,
you might think this type Of story just
born into this teeming planet.
The truth is that young persons
tend to exaggerate their own impor-
lance, and no doubt in boastful world
this is good thing to do"
The trouble is it diStortS the truth.
The truth. at least in this matter,
seems to be that fiction embodying
science is no new thing. The people
of the gay COS had it, and in some
measure even before that.
Jules Verne did a pretty good job at
it.
And so did Bulwer-Lytton, whose
1.-THE Coming Race" struck note fol-
lowed endlessly since.
The over-praiSe, as many will think
it, given to science-fiction, hyphenated.
and the tale Of fantasy, seems to be
part of the modern idea of blowing
ones own horn.
Whatever one becomes interested in
suddenly assumed glorious aspects just
because one is interested in it.
Then it must be lauded, and the
old run down, as If nothing in the
past was very good, but only the new
with which one Is, Of course, associated
lis any good.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13
Preservation Of Presidential Papers
By Froncis P. DouqIos

II ard experience has shown that un-
i less a President himself provides
for the preservation of his papers, the
chances are they will be scattered, lost
or destroyed.
This is evidenced by the fact i'm
portant presidential papers are not to
be found in Government collections or
other repositories. Some were destroyed
on purpose Some were burned as the
result of fires in the buildings where
they were kept. For example, large
part of President Tyler's papers were
lost in the burning of Richmond in
1865.
For these reasons Government ar
chivists and librarians have welcomed
the plans of former President Truman
for the preservation of his papers. An
expert has been assigned to help ar
range them The Truman papers are
to be placed in the projected Truman
Library to be built at Grandview, Mo-,
and given to the United States.
Why does President take the papers
of his Office with him and not leave
them in the Governments files as other
officials do? This was answered by
President Taft after he left office:
''The Executive Office of the Presi-
dent is not recording Office. The
vast amount of correspondence that
goes through it, signed by the President
or his secretaries, does not become the
property or a record of the Govern
ment unless it goes on to the official
files of the department to which it
may be addressed.
1.-THE retiring President takes with
him all of the correspondence, original
and copies, which he carried on during
his administration. Thus there is lost
to public records some of the most in
teresting documents of Governmental
origin bearing on the history of an ad-
ministration"
This practice dates from the Gov
ernment's beginning. Washington, on
leaving the presidency, took his papers
to Mount Vernon. The Government
later bought them from his heirs for
$4,000 and they are in the Library OF
Congress.
In all, there exist substantial collec-
tions of % of the 81 predecessors OF
Mr.. Truman. But only a few are vir-
tually complete.
A paper prepared by Buford Roland
of the National Archives goes into the
subject of the preservation of presi-
Dental papers-and OF their loss.
Pierce, for instance, apparently de-
stroyed the papers from his four years
in office He saved only few odd pieces.
Books of copies Of outgoing CORE
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13

This is strikingly shown in the writ
ing going on concerning jazz music.
Even in the most severe Of classical
book review magazines there are ar
ticles devoted to hot jazz, bop, and the
like.
This would be very good, if the writ
ers would confine themselves to a
proper perspective, but they do not;
they run riot with words, SO that the
reader might think they were review
ing the inception of Beethoven SYM
phony.
Actually, what they rave about is
some queer distortion of notes all
right where played, but out of place
in a cultured persons living room
X
The cult of the science stricken
story is similarly overdone.
The reader here has probably read
as many of them as any one else,
and likes them, but does not regard
them as vying, in any sense, with more
serious fiction.
Though they have passed the stage
of scantily clad danes. as they say,
and jut-chinned heroes, they still seem
rather puerile.
An attempt has been made by a few
serious writer's to overcome this handi-
cap of the class. Now we are told
that "science-fiction has grown up"
Well, maybe, and 1t is about time.
What is good about them all is the
use of the Imagination.
When the human imagination tries
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13
Reinsurance for Coreerists

President Eisenhowers announced deter
mination to safeguard the job security of Fed
eral career" employees should put an end to the
uneasiness which has pervaded the civil service
system of late. For the announcement indicates
that the rough treatment which many perma-
nent employees of the Government experienced
during the reduction force movement was
without presidential knowledge and contrary to
his concept of what a career service means. It
is reassuring to learn that remedial steps to
correct past errors and prevent future injustices
will be taken at once.
After a conference with the President on
the disturbing civil service problem Represen-
tative Broyhill, in whose nearby Virginia dis
trict a considerable number of Federal en-
ployes live or work, expressed confidence that
more than 1000 careeriStS who lost local jobs,
while temporary workers escaped the economy
knife, soon will be back on the Government pay
roll. Under an order issued last week by the
Civil Service Commission, personnel directors
must replace temporary indefinite employees
with displaced permanent employees qualified
for the vacancies. This order, incidentally
was issued by personal instruction of President
Eisenhower.
OF special interest to those remaining on
the Federal pay roll was the Presidents ap-
prevail of the csc plan for effecting any fur
Cner perSOnneI reCrencnmenC through attrltlOn,
instead of dismissals. In other words, vacancies
occurring by reason of designations, retirements
or deaths simply will not be filled, unless the
job in question is considered essential to gov
ernmental operations And, in the filling of
vacant jobs in the essential category, displaced
career workers will be given preferential con-
Sideration.
Meanwhile, it is puzzling to find that two
sensitive" agencies, the Central Intelligence
Agency and the National Security Agency have
been recruiting outside of Washington for a
variety of workers, including clerks, typsts and
stenographers. It is hard to understand why it
should be necessary to advertise in other cities
for clerical and secretarial employees, when
these classifcations are to be found among
displaced civil service workers here. This is
facet of the Federal employment problem that
needs to be more fully explored by the Presi-
dent or his personnel experts.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13
656 Answers

Harris T. Richards a Republican candi-
date for the House of Delegates from Fairfax
County, objects to the fact that about so per
cent of Virginia State policemen on highway
patrol are operating in unmarked cars.
Mr.. Harris says that this is Outrageous"
He says it is making an army of shoppers" out
of the highway patrol. He says that Is IAN
entrapment pure and simple and smacks OF
Gestapo tactics" Etc, etc.
This absurd denunciation might be an
swered in many ways. But the best answer
lies in grim statistic-656. Up through Octo-
Der of this year, total of 656 men, women
and children had been recorded as victims of
the slaughter on virginia's highways. Before
the year is out the total will be almost 1000.
Many of these people have been killed.
needlesSly killed, by the drunken drivers and
the speeders. The use of unmarked cars by
the State police is intended to help abate the
menace of these highway killers by making 1t
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13
Churchill and the KremIin

AS he made clear in his address to the
Conservative Party'S convention at Margate,
Prime Minister Churchill still favors the idea
of an Anglo French American heads govern
ment conference with Soviet Premier MalenkoV.
But his latest remarks on the subject are no
more convincing than those he delivered May
IL, when he first proposed such meeting. In
effect, admitting that he has mo glittering or
exciting hopes about the possibility of Rus
sian change for the better, he seems to be
moved by a mere bunch that friendly, in
formal, personal talks" at the highest level
might do good and could not easily do much
harm, and that one good thing might lead to
another" He is entitled of course, to espouse
this view, and conceivably he may be right, but
the Kremlin's conduct lends precious little
support to him.
Thus even though one must agree with Sir
Winston when he says that the Big Four should
"try to see whether there is not something
better for all of us than tearing or blasting
each other to pieces" RuSSiaS leaders certainly
have been doing their best in recent weeks to
discourage and avoid any sort of peace-promot-
ing talks. Plain evidence of this can be found
in their flibuster against the Korean political
conference and in their persistent refusal to
reply affrmatively to the Vests proposal for a
foreign ministers meeting to deal with the
German and Austrian questions. It can be
found also in things like the ridicue that
PraVda has just heaped on the idea of ex-
changing non-aggression guarantees. Clearly,
in view of such negativism, it seems less than
realistic for Prime Minister Churchill to keep
on urging that he, President Eisenhower and
the French Premier get together with Malenkov
in chummy effort to break the ice of the
cold war.
President EiSenhower'S attitude is more
down to earth than this 1t is an attitude based
on the sound premise that Big Four meeting
at the highest level would be risky, or at best
frutleSS unless it were preceded by some con-
crete evidence of Soviet good faith in lower
level negotiations. Fortunately, Sir Winston
himself, although he has an abiding affection
for it, recognizes the limitations Of his proposal
and he is as firm and vigorous as ever in warm
ing that Britain must continue to work in
closest cooperation with America and western
Europe to build up the strength of the free
world Without such strength, it need hardly
be added, the free world would be naive to
expect productive results from any kind of
conference with Russia at any time or on any
level.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13
Judging Americans Abroad

On September 20, the United States
and Japan formally concluded an agree
ment revising criminal jurisdiction pro-
visions of the Japan United States Ad-
ministrative Agreement along the pat
tern of the North Atlantic Treaty Sta
tus of Forces Agreement. Under the new
arrangement. Japan will have the right
to exercise primary jurisdiction over Of
lenses against the laws of Japan by
members of United States garrison for
res, its civilian components and depend
antS.
The agreement provides for num-
Der of protective provisions" for Amer
leans who may be tried in japanese
courts.
In light of recent proposals to limit
the making of treaties and executive
agreements when they are found to be
in conflict with the Constitution of the
United States, this new agreement with
Japan serves to justify the purpose of
these proposals and the fears from
which they have grown. That unlimited
and abusive exercise of the treaty-mak-
ing power could result in the infringe
ment of the liberties of our citizens is
Patrick Henry stated: Sure I am if
treaties are made, infringing our liber-
ties it will be too late to say that con-
"titutional rights are violated"
In effect, this agreement with Japan
IS contract between two sovereignS
affecting the rights and duties of the
subjects of only one of the parties.
Clearly, this is not the objective of the
treaty power. What does this mean to
Americans stationed in the Far East?
To the American CT and his depend
entS, it means that he has involuntarily
waived all rights secured and protected
by the Bill of Rights the moment he
arrives on duty in Japan. Should an
American be so unfortunate as to VIC
late the Criminal Code of Japan, he will
be forced to forgo all the traditional
guarantees of our Constitution respect
ing trial and procedure and be sub
jected to foreign mixture of CONT
mental Oriental system of justice that
is not always in accord with our Anglo
Saxon system. The agreement speaks Of
protective provisions. What guarantee
has an American that these provisions
will not be violated? Although a treaty
has the force and effect of law, it's obi
cations are founded in the good faith
of the men who made them. Where the
fundamental constitutional rights of
American citizens are concerned, the
good faith of men, foreign or native,
should be considered wholly inadequate.
George Salina.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13
Let's Have No Doubt About 1t

Commissioner Camalier says he doubts that
the District budget will contain any provision
for District government-operated educational
televiSion station. There should not be any
doubt about this matter at all. To include such
an item in the local budget at a time when
every effort should be made to eliminate nom
essential expenditures of the taxpayers" money
would be wholly unwarranted.
The decision of the Board of Education to
Jump into the still experimental field of educa-
tional TV was incongruous and indefenSible in
the first place. Although beset with fund short
ages for essential activities and with major
controversies over shifting population, the
board supported School Superintendent Corn
ing's request for 100000 appropriation for
highly dubious project. The 100000 would be
used to build and operate With public funds
and under governmental direction a television
station which group of private schools and
colleges would prefer to build and operate with
out governmental control. 1t would be proper
for the Board of Education to participate in
such a community undertaking, but the board
is asking for endless trouble and expense in
proposing that it 60 into the televiSion business
on the scale of an owner-operator of a broad
casting station.
Let's have no doubt about the fate of the
educational TV item at the hands of the budget
makers. It should have been among the first
frillS Topped OF the estimates for the local
school system.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13
Critical Hours Over Trieste

Developments in the Trieste situation
during the past "a hours hardly can be looked
upon with calmness and unconcern.
Marshal Tito already on record as threat
ening to send Yugoslav troops into Zone A if
and when Italian forces attempt to occupy the
territory, has formalzed his threat in message
to the United Nations describing the anticipated
Italian troop movement as aggression" and
citing that portion of the U. N. Charter that
gives member nations the right to take action
in self-defense. In the same message however
the Yugoslav leader informed the U. NJ that
he is first seeking direct negotiations on the
problem with Britain, the United States and
Italy. Initial reaction to the four-pow con-
ference idea, although not yet officially ex-
pressed in any of the three capitals, has been
non-committal in Washington and even less
encouraging in London and Rome.
Meanwhile, violent demonstrations against
Britain and the United States for their spon-
sorship of the plan to turn Zone A of the Free
Territory over to Italy have continued Only
the most formal of regrets were expressed
yesterday in Belgrade at the action of Yugo-
Slav mob in invading the United States Infor-
nation Center and attacking the American
Official in charge.
AS expected, also, Soviet Russia Is at
tempting to capitalize on the situation, for
warding notes to London and Washington
containing the familiar unfounded charge that
Trieste has been built up as base for Western
aggression and that the proposed division of
the Free Territory would be violation of the
Italian peace treaty. Moscow charged also, in
direct contradiction of the facts, that the
original failure to place the Trieste area under
U. N. governorship was the fault of the British
and American Governments.
While the Soviet notes did not make any
direct bid for rapprochement between Com
munist Russia and Communist YugoSlavia
Moscow is undoubtedly happy at the rift that
is now developing between Tito and the West.
How far the Yugosav leader intends to follow
his currently tough course is the important
question Certainly, economic and military
aid from the West is being jeopardiZed by his
present conduct and he may be prepared, once
again as when he broke first with Moscow, to
have Yugoslavia "go it alone"-a decision which
might contain some dangers for Yugoslavia
but would also be damaging to the entire
Western defense position in the Balkans and
Southern Europe.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13
The Old Man

One could not totsh the prisoner had
stayed
To bear his traveSty of lite, endure
The gross tndionity of being this
Unwilling house OF self such long years
gone.
But tDhen it all toGs oper, Dh1t a strange
Trick memory had played - for all
those years
Had UaniShed. He had she'd them like
q cloak.
Noto. as 1De think of him. he goes to
tCork,
He plays his uiolin, he catches fSh,
He sends his wtte red roses on great
days,
He reads his papers. pats the dog. and
oreetS
His chtldren's friends NTH, "Glad to
see you! NoD,
You're going to stay for dihner Uith
US? Finer
And suddenly / sorroD not for him
But such as Wenve no gard 80 fair
To be remembered IN.
Virginia Scott Miner
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13
| etters to The Star.

For the individual rather than environ
mental circumstances determines his or
her destiny in this life-whether it be
happy, useful. citizen or a criminal.
That is to say that though conditions
at home and in society work against
boys and girls to deplorable state. yet
they have the power, freedom of will,
to make or unmake their lives though
it might take years to bring the former
to pass, not even excluding time in
penal institutions. OF course, this does
not mean that we should not make our
homes and society as fine as we can,
so that the right choices can be made
more easily by boys and girls.
To bring such condition, that of
right environment, to pass, however
we need to examine the three factors
mentioned realistically. We must real
ize the depths of human depravity as
we'll as it's heights to the end that the
individual must realize and bear the
weight of responsibility in the matter
of delinquency, since he or she, regard
less of the circumstances, has the power
of choice-to do right or wrong. And
the three factors must work together
in sincerity and truth to bring about
desirable goals.
What can the school do in the
matter of juvenile delinquency, in addi-
ton to that already mentioned? 1t
can have separate classes for children
who are maladjusted and chronic mis-
behavers-then the teachers can do
more teaching and less policing.
Those beyond the pale of even these
c10SSnS Sh0Il6 not he allowed tn con-
tinue public schooling, but should be
given individual attention entirely if
not old enough to work-otherwise they
should be sent to work for a living.
Then perhaps return to school at
later date when mature enough for
an education. The penal and semi
penal institutions are only the last an
swer to this problem when all else has
failed Then it is that such untamed
people-whoever they might be-for
the good of society and themselves
must be handled as such until they,
too, become mature enough to live in
society as free people.
E. Morris Robbins.
I think that if local laws were passed
cially responsible for any damage their
children may do to property, it might
make. the parents want to know where
their children are. AS it is a good
many parents pay no attention to
where their children go or what they
do. That has been proven by the va
rious crimes these children have been
committing. Subscriber.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13
Lower Than the Animals

AS the sordid truth unfolds, it becomes all
but impossible to find word which suitably
describes the kidnap-klling of six year old
Bobby Greenlease
Carl Austin Hall and Mrs Bonnie Brown
Heady, abandoning the myth of a second man,
have now confessed their own guilt. And the
details of their confession reveal the dreadful
probability that they planned to kill the boy
even before they kidnapped him.
1t would not do to speak of this as a beStial
crime, for that would be an unwarranted at
front to the lower animals. The worst among
them would be incapable of such a thing as
this. No, this appalling crime-thiS successful
plot to steal and kill little boy for money
was the work of those whom we are pleased to
call civilized people.
Since they have admitted their guilt one
may hope that their trial and execution will
be swift and certain. But this will give no final
answer to some of the questions which underlie
their terrible deed
We live in an age in which vicious crimes
of violence are commonplace. This particular
crime is SO monStrouS as to shock the dullest
SenSibilities. But the difference between the
murder of Bobby Greenlease and the hundreds
and thousands of other crimes is essentially
one of degree. The difference in degree in most
cases is great. But it is not such difference as
to entirely obscure certain questions What is
wrong with our so called civilization? How
long can it survive under the impact of the
mounting tide of atrociouS crimes committed
by,depraved people? Is it sheer coincidence that
the material advance of our civilization is
relentlessly accompanied by soaring crime sta
tistics? We might do we'll to search and search
prayerfully, for the answers.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-13

spondence from the White House dur
ing Johnson's administration were lost
by persons to whom the johnson family
loaned them. He wrote few letters him
shelf, and those in pencil, because he
had writer's cramp. Two collections of
his papers were acquired from his heirs
by the Library of Congress for $500.
It was only by chance, apparently.
that all of Fillmore's papers were not
burned He took with him every i'm
portant letter and document he re-
ceived at the White House. His only
son, who inherited the papers, directed
in his will that "all correspondence
to or from my father, mother, sister
or me" should be burned.
In 1908, however, 10 bound volumes
of President Fillmore's letters were
found in an attic in Buffalo. They are
now in the Buffalo Historical Society.
The Library of Congress has only a
small collection of Grants papers,
given by U. S. Grant III. The Presi-
dent was not a prolific letter writer.
After he left Office he returned to the
SenderS some of the letters he had
received. He destroyed some of his
papers.
William Henry Harrison was in the
White House only a month. But most
of the papers from that short period
as well as Old Tippecanoes earlier
papers were destroyed in the fire
which swept the Harrison homestead
at North Bend, Ohio.
When Arthur left the White House
he took his possessions with him "in
great cases." But only a few of his
letters still exist. The rest presumably
were destroyed.