davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1954-12-25

Of course but to the child. that Is no
trouble at al.
Imagination does It.
The dining room table, with its
glistening mahogany. was the ideal
place for Noah and his ark, his wife and
his children. and his animal kingdom.
What story it was. and is. and the
small Jones sensed It. and played with
the idea on the big table.
Children were different, In these
days. Mainly. because they were told
what 10 do and what not to do.
The old Jones, looking hack, cannot
believe In the least that he suffered
from instruction.
He was told to play On the table.
but not to scratch it.
SO he did not scratch 20.
The lead soldiers were = trtfie harder
ON the finish.
They tended to scuH Il, and finally
were banned, BY edict, TO the rug.
The big rug made . better play place.
after all, perfect field for the deploy-
ment of soldiers u their ranks.
Lead soldiers were very nicely c0lored,
although their muskets 1t times be-
came snubbed. It was amazing. the
amount Of life good lively nine-year-
old imagination could put into cold
lead.
They were marched over mountain
peaks dumped up places III the xug)
md down into the cool valleys between.
Always the motive power Was small,
Evening star., 1954-12-25
Letters to The Stor...
Pen-nanaes may be used II letters carry
1Oriters' correct names and addresses.
AL letters are subject to condensation.

where our front line is? How can we
know how much ground we've lost?
How can we know when we viii meet
our Waterloo?
Yes, a cold war is a peoples waf
and must be won by them. The only
sure weapons are faith, hope and char
ity. UnWavering faith in God and His
principles Of truth and righteousness
is more powerful than guns. Sustained
hope that creates will to do or die
is mightier than manpower Under
standing charity that executes justice
and brotherly love can overcome atomic
destruction.
Americans greatest and most effective
weapon is not hydrogen bombs but
brotherly love. That puts responsibility
on each Of us to contribute our share
to this dynamic force 80 this present
cold war can be terminated. Each OF
us must assume our duty to help estab-
lish justice and well-being In all the
contacts we make. We must root out
the evils and help rehabilitate. We
must take our place as people with q
mission to fulfill. for the King Of Kings,
whose birth we celebrate at this season.
Let us rededicate ourselves to His work
and make Him first In our lives. Then
we shall win the cold war. Then we
shall have peace on earth, good viii
toward men.
Frances Ray.
Evening star., 1954-12-25
his and I hat

Templeton Jones' memory Of child
hoods Christmas the best kind
somehow brings images Of Noahis ark,
Of table tennis. and lead soldiers.
All the rest. he has forgotten. The
kind smiles Of mother. the roars Of
laughter from father, the cries Of the
other children
These are all gone. with the years,
but the very appearance Of that little
Noah's ark set, with its gayly painted
animals. is as clear as red and yellow
and blue.
Jones has forgotten how old he was
when the Noal1's ark came into his life.
He couldn't have been very old. Prob
ably today's toy makers would sneer
ct the idea Of Noaia's ark. The very
idea!
TO Temp Jones, small boy. 1t was
what he wanted.
Probably his love for the animal
kingdom had something to do with It.
TO Jones then. as now, animals were
people, living in the same world. par
taking Of some Of the same sets Of
emotions.
And the wooden Noah's ark, with its
giraffes. and lions. and tigers, and
maybe mrs. Noah, though Jones has
forgotten about her. he cannot recall
that he ever heard her name.
There was the ark, Cf painted wood,
with the whole end opening up.
There was The ramp. down which the
animals came two and two.
Won had "a make them coEna down
Evening star., 1954-12-25

handling Of his subject material. The
index includes the theme OF the Ma
tivity, but it directs the reader: See
Jesus Christ" To Mr.. Ferguson the
Holy Child is the commencement Of
Christian symbolism. He traces Him
from the Incarnation to the Ascension,
showing how the Renaissance painters
dealt with the details, the incidents OF
His life upon earth-and the tragedy
Of His death as necessary prelude
to the glory Of His resurrection. Christ
mas thus is linked to Easter in this
engaging primer Of Christian theology.
"The life cycle of Jesus. as recOunted
In the gospels Of ST. Matthew, st. Mark,
st. Luke and st. John, was presented
In pictorial form by the great artists
Of the Renaissance. time and time again
Paintings which portray the birth
Of Jesus are almost without number.
The Nativity portrays the holy family
In the stable at Bethlehem. The Christ
Child is lying In q manger or upon
the straw. The Virgin kneels In ado
ration before Him. Joseph, In his Won
derment. stands at one side. The OK
and the ass. In the background, gaze
QuleCly at bIlS SCSue USIUIc bIlclu.
From such relatively simple material,
Mr.. Ferguson affirms, the artists pre-
ferred by the Kress brothers created
works which have brought home "the
central fact Of history" to millions Of
people. Naturally. other elements were
added -the angels, the shepherds. the
Wise Men who had followed the star,
Herod, Simeon and Anna the prophecies
among the number. "The Alteration
Of the Magi' by Fra Angelica and Fra
Evening star., 1954-12-25
THE Moon When the Bark
OF the Tree Cracks

lee frsn0ed the stnHous rtrers: trees
sigheG
IN the toothed rinds: the briet dusk Of
fDtzter euentpDs
Came early: the long nights closed IN:
cGnlp-fres eGsed
The dark and challenged the cold:
frosty Hight from
"Tse Moon When the Bark Of the Tree
Cracks" filtered doiCn
From the AboDe TO the beioiC:
And the mise men OF the tribe knew
nell. as their fathers
Had kn01Dn and told them. that before
another v0HlC Noon.
Il star brighter than 0ny. iCould appear
OUer the mesa,
ckciiso it, DIo,O on an fhs fribal land.
and so0n
Thseafter. Jrom hsgh-lft nosntasn to
nsiIe-deep canyon.
Thev iDonI6 hear tie Sing of RejoictnD
on the telltGle breeze
Which carried the lonD-rerere6 Sses-
sage:
a br1re Pdpoose fdfhersd bg the Greet
Spirit and nsotlsve6
~ q maiden fc1so iDdiked N beauty. fDGs
found br shep1terds
m d lOiOlv hogan. md lost sheep IN
shelter NTH Him.
And He mould GroaD straight as an
GTroiU. and be the Guide
10 peace for all the fribes;
Non, as their fathers before them. ttep
spoke TO the younC:
That these truths Be remembered and
cbeytshed.
Croes MsFsdlfh
Evening star., 1954-12-25
Blow to Zoninq

The safeguards which Congress, through
the zoning laws, has set up to protect resi-
dental property from business encroach-
ment have been weakened sby the two-to-
one decision of the United States Court OF
Appeals in the Capitol Hill parking lot con-
troversy. In letting the bars down for the
establishment Of a parking concession at
New Jersey avenue and street Southeast,
the court majority pointed out that the lot
was to be used only for temporary" parking
Of vehicles But there Is no such thing as
permanent parking Of cars, unless 1t be in
q so-called graveyard" for junked auto
mobiies-and nobody suggested that such
was to be the purpose of the parking lot In
question. The objection Of citizens in the
neighborhood was to the lifting Of zoning
rules to permit construction Of paved
parking lot for l34 cars In heretofore quiet
residential area.
The appellate majority, consisting Of
Judges Edgerton and Washington, COM
nented that the parking problem is more
critical in some neighborhoods that lack
off-street parking facilities than In many
downtown areas that already have them"
The opinion upheld the right Of the Board
OF Zoning Adjustment to decide between
such critical needs and residential property
safeguards. (The board had granted two
year temporary" exception to an invest
ment group seeking the permit, but the
District Court had blocked the move.)
However, Appellate Judge Prettyman, dis
senting from the majority view, countered:
There is a critical parking problem In every
spot In downtown Washington and in many
spots outside the downtown area. But that
Is no reason for violation of zoning maps
and regulations, It Is no justification for
permitting the Invasion Of every residential
district by paved and lighted parking lots"
The Star agrees with this minority
s opinion. And It believes that Judge Pretty
man well summed up the issues involved
when he. added: "zoning is not designed for
the benefit of intruders into neighborhoods:
It Is designed to protect the character OF
neighborhoods as such character exists or
develops" The appellate ruling, in effect,
Is q victory for spot zoning, recurring threat
to orderly development Of the city.
Evening star., 1954-12-25

esting sight he missed by not being able
to watch the bees dipping daintily into
each cup Of clover heads as they gather
the honey. And how fascinating 1t was
to open the door Of a hive such as we
had and view through q glass the final
steps in honey making. A real educa-
ton without even opening q book.
Z. But these things. nice as they were.
could not compare with the treat of sit
ting around the open fireplace in our
log home on winter evening, listening
to the wind bowling around the house
as the flames Of the great logs roared
UP the huge chimney. How one could
dream as the fire died down and pic
lures began to form on the charred logs
as the flame broke into renewed life
or died away entirely! Then on Christ
mas eve, what fun to gather around the
great fireplace and hang up our stock
ings. Those were treats steam radiator
with all its conveniences never can
offer.
It has been many years since this
happened. the old house is gone. our
parents have passed on, and the family
has grown to many families. needed
to remind myself Of the dear scenes,
and I thought some Of my friends
who had the good fortune to be reared
on farms should be reminded too. for
it could be they had forgotten. SO on
my Christmas card to them wrote:
It's Christmas epe, and like dream
Come Christmas cues OF long ago,
As Father rolls the YuIe Log tn
TO light the room tDith rudy Clo1D.
I see the nsnnteltree so prins,
"A ron OF stockings hanging there,
The brothers, sisters gathered round
Our Mother knitting IN her chair.
The Christmas Story,s told again.
OF Wise Men three, the Shepherds mild,
The Star OF Bethlehem that led
10 1Uhere they'd find the young Christ
Child.
There tDere no iDonder gifts to break
Our hearts Uhen ruined past repair,
But loDe and faith and make -belieUe
Made Christmas as tCe kneD 1t there.
1t all comes back so crystal clear.
Old customs quaint iDeH recall.
And so I'll say as iUe did then,
God bless you. Merry Christmas All.
Wayne Graham.
Evening star., 1954-12-25
Christmas Stoyls Told ArtisticoIly
By James Waldo fowcett

TINE story Of Christmas Ii the most
= beautiful story In the world. II
there be any doubt Of this. the proof IS
available II an exceptionally beautiful
book published BY the Oxford Uniyer-
sity Press for Christmas, 1854 Signs
and symbols III Christian Art. The
author Is the Rev. George Ferguson,
rector d the Episcopal parish of st.
Philips "a tie Efllls at Tucson. Ariz.
His text IS illustrated with $50 mar
ginal drawings By Mark Voris and Enid
Bell- and also magnifcently eznbel-
Hshed by reproductions Of paintings by
great Renaissance artists gathered by
the Kress Foundation.
Rush n. Kress obviously has been the
inspiration Of the work. IN 3 preface
headed saThe Reason Why he tells
how his 7-year-old daughter, seeing a
print Of Tiepolo's Madonna and the
Goldfnch cent to him BY Col. Harry
A. Mcbride. then Administrator Of the
National Gallery. asked: What does
the goldHnch In the child's hand
mean?" This question, Mr.. Kress ex-
plains, began q search for the sources
Of information from which one could
find simple and adequate meanings to
aid In the understanding Of the sym
bols ... so widely used In religious
paintings" The information desired
was widely scattered" Bringing it to-
gether and reducing 1t to readable form
was an enterprise requiring five years.
AT the end Of that time. MIR. KresS
says: I'VE asked girl Of 10 to read
the manuscript" and her verdict was:
symbolism and its meaning in Chris
tian art is q subject on which few
books have been written. This book is
is interested In art 1t will be great
asset"
But, Of course, Mr.. Ferguson's au-
dience is not limited to children. He
wrote for children of larger growth" !"
and fair sample Of his style may be
cited from the opening paragraph Of
the first section, devoted to animals.
birds and insects: I'm Christian art,
the figure of the ape has been used
to symbolic sin, malice. cunning and
lust. It may also symbolize the sloth-
full soul Of man: blind. greedy. sinful.
Satan is sometimes portrayed In the
form Of an ape, and when he is shown
as an ape In chains. the idea OF sin
conquered by faith and virtue Is con-
veyed The ape sometimes appears.
together with other animals. in the
scenes Of the Visitation of the Magi"
The final passage In the volume Is
presented on Page 326, at the close Of
Section IA. dealing with artifacts. It
reads: "The winepress Is the symbol
Of the wrath of God. It takes its mean
ing from the passage in Isaiah lxiii,3,
ST have trodden the winepress alone:
and of the people there was none with
me: for will tread them in mine an
ger and trample them in my fury !. ."
A clue to the mind Of the author
Of the Kress book is evident In his
Evening star., 1954-12-25
Country Life and christmos

Having been born on a farm, I always
have a feeling Of pity. perhaps mis-
placed. for the city child who gets his
milk from bottles left by the milkman
and buffers his toast from neat, quar-
ter-pound prints purchased at store.
It seems he has missed much by never
having had the care Of the gentle crea-
lures that supply these necessities, feed
ing them or watching as they lie In the
evening contentedly chewing second
time the cud that has been gathered
during the day.
And In the case Of the bread, what
beauty he has missed by never seeing
9 ripened wheat field. swept by summer
breezes into great waves like an ocean
Of gold and later seeing the grain pour
Ing from the threshipg machine In q
golden stream. And II there was honey
for that piece Of toast. what an inter-
Evening star., 1954-12-25
Christmas, 1854

FOR there are those that listen and
those that await to include thee
amongst themselves" Millions Of the
enslaved in Europe have their ears
pressed to secret radios trying desper-
ately to hear the Christmas carols,
reminiscent of other happier days when
they. too, were able TO raise their voices
in praise of the Infant Saviour. Other
millions in Asia. catching faint strains
of the angelic chorus. listen unmoved,
and turn their eyes away from the
manger toward the false prophets who
have come to them from the West.
Others listen in wonderment. and like
the wise men are spellbound by the
message Of hope which the angel choirs
proclaim, perplexed as to whether they
are truly invited to join the myriad
procession. now doing homage to the
Infant Christ.
The wonderful thing about Christmas
Is its all-inclusive appeal. Children,
adults, rich, poor, wise and foolish are
all invited under the banner Of the
Child. None are excluded. and all may
feel at home. None so rich, that He
was richer" None so poor, that He
was poorer" The spirit of Christmas
holds out its welcoming hand, and
those who worship at the manger cast
q beckoning glance toward those who
timidly approach, in awe aud despera-
ton. Our Christmas trees cast long
shadows, long enough to encircle this
world, and all the hopeless millions are
graciously invited to turn their faces
to the symbolic star which tops those
trees. John Warren Giles.
Evening star., 1954-12-25
TO Increase NATO,s Power

Now that the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization is fully agreed on defense
planning that envisions the use Of nuclear
armaments, the United States and its key
allies soon will conclude special pacts pro-
viding for a much-needed exchange Of
hitherto secret information about such
weapons.
Congress, in keeping with recommends
tions made by the President and the State
and Defense Departments has paved the
way for this exchange by amending the
atomic law to do away with outdated pro-
hibitions rigidly debarring the Nation from
revealing Restricted data" having anything
to do with A-weapons. With these prohibi-
tions removed prohibitions that had come
to operate against our own security by Inn
peding the effective development Of
NATO,s military preparedness against ag-
gresSion--we and our allies now can do
better training and planning Job for our
mutual safety.
The agreements being worked out to
that end will not mean, Of course, that our
Government win turn over to NATO all
secret American information regarding
nuclear ornaments. On the contrary, the
exchange OF data will be extremely limited,
but II win be enough to promote important
improvements IN the military efilciency Of
the western alliance. At the same time.
the inter-allied agreements VIII include
special safeguards designed to make sure
that the former classified material. after
1t Is revealed within the alliance, does not
leak out to the Soviet Union Or other
potential enemies.
Actually, IN view Of what II has learned
from its own nuclear program, the Kremlin
very probably Is already familiar with the
type Of information to be exchanged. In
any case, II there Is q risk IN that sense.
It seems relatively small and inconseQuentiaI
when measured against the advantages that
such an exchange promises % bring to-
NATo Ia terms increasing is power to
defend the nee western world.
Evening star., 1954-12-25

Filippo Lippi, reproduced In full color
from the original presented to the Ma
tional Gallery as, q Christmas gift,
shows this principle of supplement
'tation In practice, including as 1t does
minutiae of architecture. engineering,
animal husbandry, horticulture. orni-
thoIogy, costume design and even the
arts Of the barber and hairdresser. The
universal implications of the sacred
legend of the first Christmas thus are
demonstrated. But the richness of that
legend never could be compressed into
a single picture. It reaches. as Mr..
Ferguson declares. ITO all lands, to all
peoples, for all ages" the end is
not yet. This atomic year 1854 has
added to the story In many particulars.
What the Kress volume does is to
furnish dictionary to the ever-grow-
ing literature Of Christian faith and
hope. So far as its graphic character
Is concerned, 1t stops with the 18th
century. But 1t really continues down
into our own era Of conflict and con-
fuSion-arld constitutes an encouraging
answer to the problems and dangers Of
that era. In the words of John Walker,
Chief Curator Of the National Gallery:
'@The publication Of this book is an i'm
portant event. There Is no comparable
guide In English to the profoundly
beautiful symbolism Of Christian art. A
knowledge of this symbolism will en-,
hance the appreciation and enjoyment
of the great treasures of museums and
churches. but more important 1t win
also bring about q deeper and more in
tinate understanding of the meaning
Of Christianity itself"
Evening star., 1954-12-25
.Christmos, 1854

The ideal Of peace on earth, good will to
men" has been guiding principle for men
of good will ever since it first was heard in
the song over Bethlehem. Hundreds Of
attempts have been made to put it into prac-.
tice. One Of the most interesting chapters
in the history of the Christian religion Is
that relating to the Truce of God. This was
an endeavor on the part Of the church to
alleviate the evils of private warfare spe-
ciflcally, but its purpose went far beyond
mere internecine strife It was aimed at the
elimination Of violence between organized
societies as well as between individuals.
Starting In Southern France and aided
by the influential Congregation Of Cluny In
the tenth century, the truce was indorsed
by the Council Of Limoges and Poitiers and
even more strongly little later by the
Synods Of Elne and Therouanne. At first
all warfare was suspended only from sunset
of Saturday to prime or noon on Monday.
Gradually the ban spread until three
fourths Of the calendar was barred from
fighting in France, Burgundy Flanders and
Germany. The means employed for the
enforcement of the truce included spiritual
penalties, sworn leagues of peace and assist
ance from the temporal power. Under the
"aboye the age of IL" was sworn to obey
the prohibition against conflict. The truce
reached its apex in the 18th century but it's
impact upon nations and their citizens con-
tinued to be effective until the rise Of the
monarchial system in the 18th. Private war
ceased for while to be a major problem
in Europe, and only international carnage
Knocked the mission Of the Holy Child Of
Bethlehem.
President Eisenhower may have been
thinking Of the chronicle Of the Truce Of
God when he wrote his Christmas appeal
to his fellow men and women of all nations.
He spoke from strength and without CONF
promise Of any ethical consideration, yet
he urged the translationaof hope for lasting
peace into works for mutual understanding
and sympathy. The drums of war, he said
are stilled "after whole generation Of
ceaseless beating and "this bright Christ
mas must not be followed-ever-by a
Christmas Of universal tragedy" The mo-
mentary truce, he seemed to suggest, might
be expanded into permanent peace Chased
upon decency and human rights" Without
tolerance of obvious evil," he declared:
''TI1e world Is large enough to feed and
clothe and to house mankind in peace" and
"this universal knowledge can be the fruit
full beginning Of prosperous life together"
OF course, the President spoke for all
Americans. Certainly, he was inspired by
the hope and the faith implicit in accept
ance of the Christmas story. What answer
will there be from those who thus far have
rejected that hope and def1ed that faith?
Evening star., 1954-12-25
Not Begging

# words mean anything, Secretary
General Dag Hammarskjold Of the United
Nations viii not be maneuvered into non-
germane discussions at his projected meet
ing with Premier Chou En-lai IN Peiping.
There has been considerable talk about how
the Chinese Communists probably win at
tempt to make propaganda field day out
of his visit, dealing with him as q suppliant
and exploiting his mission, not to achieve
its ayowed purpose but to give . noisy airing
to such things as their demand for admis-
sion into U. N. membership However, Il
that Is their intention. they are not likely to
get very far with It.
At any rate. speaking at press con-
ference In New York. Mr.. Hammarskold has
been at pains to emphasize two points: (l1
That z am not going anywhere 70 beg any
Evening star., 1954-12-25
Brightly Lighted Figures

There are various yardsticks for meas
uring the American standard Of living and
the tremendous vitality of the national
economy. Few of them are more impressive,
however, than that dealing with the produc-
ton OF electricity-the degree Of electrical
living" that is found in the country today.
Latest figures Of the Edison Electric
Institute show that 90 billion kilowatt hours
Of electrical power were produced in the
single week ending December 10, a rate that
was II per cent above year earlier and 65
per cent above the corresponding level for
1949 Total production for 1854 is estimated
at All billion XVIII, more than double the
country's power output of 231 billion XVIII In
1916. It Is significant that while the power
supply was doubling, the population of the
country was increasing by only 1914 per cent.
And it is interesting that household use OF
electricity this year has reached new high
Of nearly rs per cent Of the total sales OF
the utilities.
The fact that electrical power plant
expansion is long-term proposition which
makes q major contribution to numerous
other industries makes story In itself. The
institute estimates, for example, that the
Nations generating capacity win double
again by 1965-at an annual rate of increase
between and II million kilowattS Beyond
1865, 1t Is further estimated, the increase
may reach "a million kilowatts annually.
It is statistical picture that Is almost lit
orally written In bright lights.