davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
Fifty Years Ago in The Star

Featured in the society column of
The Star for August II, 1904. was an
account of the we'd
biockistone-Dent ding of Patti Blacki-
Wedding stone and Wade Gill
bert Dent at the
home Of the brides mother the FORE
going evening. Both of the contracting
parties were descended from Nathaniel
Blackstone. a worthy of revolutionary
days in Maryland. "The bride was
escorted by her mother and was
dressed in white spoint d'esprit made
over white taffeta and veil of tulle
and orange blossoms She carried a
bride bouquet of bride roses. Her
only attendant was her sister. Frances
Blackstone. as maid of honor. The
two little ribbon bearers were the
daughters Of DIR. and Mrs. e. NJ Has
brouck Of this city, Dorothy and Laurel
Hasbrouck. Wright Dent attended his
brother as best man. Mrs Wade
Blackstone of st. Marys played the
bridal chorus from "Lohengrin" :. and
the .'Mendelssohn Wedding March"
Guests present at the ceremony in
cluded: Col. and Mrs. J. NJ. Dent,
parents OF the groom: the Misses Dent,
Mrs. w. B. Dent. DR.. and Mrs. F. o.
st. Clair. DR.. and Mrs. William S.
FARMLAND. Mrs. I. La Rue johnson. DR..
r. Malcolm Price. Mr.. and Mrs. A. @.
Belt. Rev. and Mrs. G. !. La Roche. Miss
La Roche. MRS. Deborah Mankin. Mr..
and Mrs. D. G. Shanks, Miss Shanks.
the Misses Wheeler. Walker. Davis.
Cougle and Brooke.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
Plot to Divide Democrats

The Democratic Executive Commit
tee of Arlington County is organized in
accordance with the Plan of Organiza-
ton of the Democratic Party of the
State of Virginia.
Article Of this plan states. '"The
Democratic voters of each county shall
elect a Democratic committee" The
Arlington committee is composed Of
IA members, two elected to this body
from each of the county's 81 voting
precincts by the participants in the
party's direct primary each biennium.
It Is believed that these "a citizens are
pretty well representative of Arlingtons
voting citizenry. On the committee are
lawyers, a bank director. labor repre-
sentatives, real estate men, economists,
numerous businessmen. insurance men,
a stock broker, social service worker,
a metropolitan newspaper reporter,
housewives, and some other substan-
tally sound representative citizens.
fail to see any justification to the
charges that my friend, Charles w.
Carter, makes; I fail to see that there
is any domination by labor, or by any
other special-interest group. It so hap
pens that the Democratic Party does
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
This Bill Should Be Vetoed

The curious, misnamed Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit" bill which Con-
greSs has approved is legislative absurd
tty which ought to be vetoed by President
Eisenhower. 1t is misnamed because it
applies to only portion of the Washington
Metropolitan Area-the important Virginia
sector being specifically exempted. It would
create lopsided regional agency of limited
jurisdiction that is sure to complicate the
already complex regulatory setup in Greater
Washington. Transit-control conflict and
confusion are bad enough now, without
adding to the mess.
The measure which has evolved from
long debate at the Capitol is hybrid prod
uct formed by grating part of the Johnson
transit control bill onto the Broyhill
transit-study proposal Both the original
Johnson and the Broyhill bill had sufficient
merit to stand on their own feet. The john
son bill, as originally drawn, provided for a
true Metropolitan Area regulatory agency,
exercising control over buses, streetcars and
taxicabs operating in Washington or be-
tween the city and its Virginia and Mary
land suburbs Such an agency long has
been advocated by civic and other groups.
The Star has Endorsed the principle from
time to time, but with the reservation that
adequate study be given to the plan in
advance of congressional action. The Broy-
hill bill provided for such study, to be
made by an NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. commission
and to include the feasibility of INTERRUPTS
dictional regulation of public transporta-
ton.
For Congress to. approve the Johnson
and Broyhill measures in one package does
not make sense, The Broyhill study should
have preceded any action to- set up new
regional control commission. But to COM
pound its mistake Congress has bowed to
objections from Virginia to regional control
and ordered the establishment of regula-
tory body that would have Jurisdiction only
in the District of Columbia and nearby
Maryland. It has done this, as Senator
Payne has pointed out not only without
providing for prior study of the problems
involved but without holding any hearings
on the jurisdiction plan.
The prospect that District and Mary
land transit regulation powers will be trans
ferred from the District Public Utilities
Commission and the Interstate Commerce
Commission to an untried, two-jurisdiction
commission is most disturbing one The
President would be justified in refusing to
become party to such an unwise sort Of
transit reform"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22

The Star of>August Is. 1904. told in
lengthy and detailed fashion the sad
story of the capsizing Of
River the launch Recreation in
Disaster the Potomac at the foot
of Thirty-third street.
Georgetown, on Saturday afternoon,
August 13-an unavoidable accident"
in which six men and four women lost
their lives by drowning. All of the bodies
were recovered within an hour and
half alter the disaster Thousands Of
people watched the dying victims vainly
struggling In the water. and volunteers
from the crowd aided the police in their
subsequent efforts to retrieve the
corpses. Those who persisted were: j.
Herbert Coates. William H. Smith, An
drew j BooSe. Charles II. Blumer. j.
George Smith, John Waldman. jr..
Hazel Hizer, Lulu Dreyfus, Bertha Sell
bach and Helen E. Moore.
X
Cabled from st. Petersburg at ais
pm, August IL, 1904. came official
news Of the birth of
Heir to Russion an heir to the impe-
Throne rial throne of Russia
the only son of
Gear Nicholas II and his consort. the
former Princess Alix of Hesse. The i'm
perial couple had been married Mo-
vember IA. 1894. and. four daughters
had been SO many disappointments to
the Russian populace. Arriving Of son
therefore was sensation. 1.-The an
'nouncement from Peterhof was imme-
diately followed by a salute Of 101 guns
from, the imperial yacht lying ct anchor
OF the palace. but It was 2:45 pm.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22

when the guns Of st. Peter and st.
Paul fortress, opposite the Winter Pal
ace. conveyed the glad tidings to the
people of the Russian capital. The eff
feet was electrical. With the boom Of
the first gun the people in the streets.
who had momentarily been expecting
the event for "a hours, stopped to listen
and count. Only 81 are fired for
girl When the 32d doomed and the
people were aware that at last an heir
to the throne was born, there were
scenes Of rejoicing everywhere and be-
fore the salute was finished the whole
city had blossomed out with flags and
bunting. and the shipping in the harbor
was dressed. Then the bells of the
churches began to ring wildly" A few
days less than II years later the entire
imperial family was murdered by Boil
shevik soldiers in cellar at Ekaterin-
burg.
A dispatch from Roanoke, Va, to
The Star for August 8. 1904. reported:
"A marriage un-
Sweetheorts der peculiar cir
Finely Are Wed cumstances was
solemnized today
at the home Of Mrs. Maria w. Black
at Helena on the south side Of Bedford
County. Mrs. Black was the bride and
II. Nance Of Indian Territory the
groom. The couple were schoolmates
and began o courtship In their child
hood days. but parental objection pre-
vented an early marriage, and the
young people drifted apart and in time
formed other ties. Each entered mat
rimonial alliarce twice before. Mr..
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
Letters to The Star

not exclude labor from It's membership.
Article 4 of the same party plan
reads: Said county committee shall
have full control of the party's interest"
The party's interest this fall is the
successful election of its nominees.
Lawyer John c. Webb for Congress, and
Reporter Brian Bell for membership on
the county board.
At this point I would like to alert all
Democrats to take notice and to ,ac-
cordingly take heed: Beware the modi-
flerl, Beware the noun modifier! For
this n1odifier in the hands Of a smooth
operator like my very good friend,
Charles w. Carter. is keen, incisive
instrument, welded for the purpose of
splitting Democrats into microcosmic
factions: then, when thus divided, they
fall easy prey to predatory Republicans.
The seemingly innocent modifier pre-
cedes the proper noun, Democrat and
betrays the guileless antecedent to de-
struction. This modif1er is easily
recognizable in the adjective precedent,
viz. Southern Democrats, left-wing
Democrats, right-wing Democrats, con-
sentative Democrats, liberal Democrats,
Jefersonian Democrats, Eisenhower
Democrats, New Deal Democrats,
middle f-the-road Democrats, Harry
Byrd Democrats, Truman Democrats,
thoroughbred Democrats, Stanton
Democrats, ad nauseum, ad infinitum.
Stan Stanton.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22

concern to her which one might desig-
nate the casket in which repoSed her
picture. The fact was that her love
had already been given to one of the
three contestants. 1t would be tragedy
indeed it, in keeping her bargain. she
was compelled to give herself to one
who could never have her heart. What
a terrible gamble it seemed!
However. with woman's intuition
and her knowledge of the inner affini-
ties. Of the three suitors. Portia was
confident that the hazard to her hap
piness was not as great as she feared.
Nevertheless. who could be sure of hui
man reactions? And so she watched
with more inner turmoil than her placid
face betrayed She saw the Prince of
Morocco finally choose what she felt
sure from the first he would select. the
golden casket. which was empty.
Then followed the Prince of Aragon.
But the face of the coveted one was
not in the silver casket. upon which he
had risked his chance. Then came
Bassinio, WHOM Portia loved. Some
mystic telepathy guided his hands. And
then, too. some inner meaning he had
read into the inscription led him to
the leaden casket where, with bounding
heart, he found the picture of the one
who was to be his bride.
It was the lure of one word that
drew the first prince to the golden
easket. That was the word gain"
That was the master impulse of the
one who chose it. He wanted more
than anything else what many men
desire. A Shakespeare interpreter has
well said: THE hand that would re-
spond to the glitter of that gold and
the promise of that gain would be
hand with nothing in it, an empty
hand all itching to be filed" The
selfish hand. the sordid hand, the grasp
ing hand, is not a hand to which the
gentle Portia can safely be entrusted.
The sentence on the silver casket was
calculated to feed the ego of proud
man, even as ne thought of one as
priceless as Portia. with all her virtues
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
Peaceful co-existenee or Else .

In reading the papers these days. all
citizens of the U. S. A. who are not too
neurotic to face realities must become
aware Of the following facts: :
/. There is no defense against A
bomb warfare, H-bomb warfare, bac-
THEOLOGICAL warfare and nerve-gas war;
fare.
2. No one can win third world war.
8. There is no such thing as preyen-
tive war.
4. There is likelihood that third
world war would mean the end Of the
human species.
It is the duty Of every patriotic citi-.
zen to speak UP and put stop to the
saber rafting of some of our armchair
strategists
We interviewed in Korea with dis
astrous results. We interviewed in
Indo- China with disastrous results.
1t is either peaceful co-existence or
no existence.
Morris Kominsky.
Los Angeles.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22

Nance losing two wives and Mrs. Black
two husbands. Mr.. Nance finally
drifted West and located in Indian
Territory. where he became well-to-do.
Two months ago, although having
reached three-score and II years, he
had desire to return to his native
hearth and ascertain If the sweetheart
OF his youth was still living. In Bed
ford County, near his birthplace and
that Of his old-time sweetheart, he
found Mrs. Black in her splendid home,
surrounded by all the comforts of life,
and settled to enjoy her declining years
after having reared large family and
seeing them all happily married. He
found the widows heart responsive.
The sequel was speedy marriage, to
the great surprise of the community
and OF relatives. The couple will
settle down in the brides home to
spend the remainder of their lives.
The bride is SO years old"
On August 10. 1904, The Star an
nounced the sudden death of Theophi-
lus E. Roessle. proprietor Of
koessle the Arlington Hotel and as
Decd such one of the worlds most
famous hosts. He had COL
lapsed without warning at the Grand
Hotel In Paris. Heart disease was be-
heved to have been the cause. But IL
was remembered that he had suffered
an illness six or seven weeks" previ-
ously. His vision had been impaired
and he had declared "he never could
get rested" The trip abroad was UNDER
taken in the hope that he would i'm
prove. His wife went with him. and
former Assistant Secretary of State
Thomas w. Cridler likewise was at his
side at the end. "Mr. Roessle was thor
oughly identified with the Arlington
Hotel. 1t was his management, that
made that hostelry famed. . He was
thoroughly alert to the business of the
hotel and always looked after every
detail. Under his management the
Arlington was for many years the
headquarters of men Of prominence
from all parts Of the country. i. MIR.
Roessle was a royal host Of the old
school," He looked the part. too--"a
man Of striking appearance. Large in
build. commanding in appearance. with
a fine head covered with white locks
that curled over his forehead and with
military whiskers. he was notable
figure wherever he went"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
On Guns and Ideas

Chief Justice Warren, in his Chicago
address to the American Bar Association,
has gone to the heart of things in declaring
that one of the most challenging tasks Of
these times, for Americans and all like
minded peoples, is to learn show we can
apply to ever-changing conditions the
never-changing principles of freedom"-a
task that requires an unremitting effort to
remedy the defects we have inherited as
well as those that continually creep into
human institutions"
This is not a new thought of course,
but it well deserves emphatic repetition.
For the truth is, as Mr.. Warren has said,
that I'VE are going through world war OF
ideas" in which there is universal struggle
for mems hearts and minds, and in which
every political concept is Under scrutiny.
AS a result-again to quote the Chief JUS
tice-"Our American system like all others
IS on trial both at home and abroad The
way it works; the manner in which it solves
the problems of our day; the extent to
which we maintain the spirit of our Con-
stitution with it's Bill of Rights, will in the
long run do more to make it both secure
and the object of adulation than the num-
Der of hydrogen bombs we stockpile.'
Needless to say, since he is well aware
of the nature of the Communist menace
and the physical force behind it, Mr.. Warren
would be the last to suggest that we should
slow down at this point In the weapons
race Nevertheless, while recognizing that
we must be as militarily strong as possible, 1t
is his view thatwe must act in keeping with
the principle that peaceful world will be
accomplished through ideas rather than
ornaments: through sense of justice and
mutual friendships rather than with guns,
bombs and guided missiles" And this ide-
ological aspect of the situation, as he sees
1t. demands-not least Of all-that we pre-
serve intact our basic concepts of freedom
and keep our institutions stable and at the
same time flexible to meet the changing
conditions of every age"
In other words, in standing prepared
for armed defense against the threat Of the
Red tyranny, we must not neglect the
world war of IDEAS and in fighttpg that
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
Spires Of the Spirit
The I hree Coskets

Under the spreading trees Of the
American University campus, in the
Nations Capital On glorious summer
Sunday afternoon, upon the stage OF
the outdoor theater there was graphi-
cally enacted the pound of flesh" scene
of THE Merchant of Venice" With bril-
lance of costume and high excellency
Of performance that dramatic episode.
which has made the name Shylock the
synonym for blood -curdling vengeance,
was unfolded before q distinguished
and deeply appreciative audience.
Surely. that one play in its depletion of
the mixed motives Of the human heart
would alone write the name of William
Shakespeare among the few. the inn
mortal names that were not born to
die! But as we think of the versatile
genius unveiled In the moving piano.
rama Of all his plays which vie for
equal recognition, we can but exclaim:
Surely the bard Of the Avon has
plumbed the depths Of human behavior.
has penetrated with uncanny insight
every nook Of the winding labyrinth Of
human emotion in THE Merchant of
Venice! There he is, indeed the
myriad-minded
Shall we fx our gaze upon the casket
scene of that superb play? A careful
student Of all that Shakespeare wrote
has put down as his deliberate judy
nent: THE more / see of The Mer-
chant of Venice the more the casket
scene impresSeS me as being most
profound piece of practical philosophy
that Shakespeare has given u.s." In
these paragraphs we are attempting to
reduce this vast canvas to cameo size.
Before us, on a table, are three
caSkets, one of lead, one of silver. one
of gold. In one of these treasure chests
is concealed portrait of the fair
Portia. The wooer who selects the
casket containing the picture wins the
lovely girl for his bride. First, the
noble Prince of Morocco with agonizing
uncertainty touches each ornate box.
But what is there to go by? To be
sure, there Is an inscription on each
of the caSkets. The gold one says:
Who chOoseth me shall gain what
many men desire" The silver one says:
who chooseth me shall get as much as
he deserves" The dull, leaden one
says: who chooseth me must give
and hazard all he hath" No wonder
the puzzled prince exclaims anxiously:
How shall know il I do choose the
right? Some god direct my judgment!'
Portia herself sits looking on. It
would seem as if a prize so golden as
she would have, as the symbol of the
riches so fair maid would bring to
husband, golden casket. Now, while
Portia had agreed to wed the man
choosing the casket which framed her
likeness. it was surely matter of great
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
Four Honorable Yochtsmen

The August II Star contained a let
ter by Daniel M. Greene in which he
gave the members of the Capital Yacht
Club a slap on the wrist for honoring
eur three oldest members. instead Of
DR.. Arthur c. Rauterberg, one of the
founders of the club.
It so happens that the three very
fine gentlemen we were honoring-t
namely, George H. Bright, Daniel H.
Fowler and Lyman f. Hewins--have
been active members for 81, 81 and
so consecutive years. They have held
every office, given their time, talents.
money, and moral support in helping
to steer the club on a true course for
total of 161 years. They are still
going strong, as each operates and
maintains his own boat in the club
right now. And the strange thing
about it is that no one around the
club thinks of them as old. They slip
their mooringS and get under way for
whatever port suits their fancy with
out any one giving it a second thought,
and 1t Is the unanimous opinion of
the club members that they richly
deserve the gold membership cards
with which they were presented at
Galesville, August IL, 1854. 1t seemed
to me that The Stars article of July
80, by Frank Sartwell, jr., was very
clear on the purpose of the event,
and I can't see how Mr.. Greene could
misinterpret it.
Mr.. Greene's letter was otherwise
very interesting. While q search of
the club records shows that DR.. Rauter-
berg resigned prior to 1904. his part
in forming the club is duly recognized
and a photograph Of his naphtha
launch, the Alert has an honored place
in the clubrooms.
We were also glad to know Of his
many years Of activity and his present
state Of good health. And for one
am sure that he is very fine gentle
man, and that he has contributed
much to those associated with him in
the most interesting and healthful of
all recreations.
Allan A. Carney,
Past Commodore, Capital Yacht
Club.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22
BY Frederick Brown Harris
cssSsn 1Ss.a SssssA

chspIsin 1nil.a sssss. ss SsSI'A
and graces. The fact that he was led
to the silver inscription indicated that
he thought he merited such one. His
choice revealed an inflated ego. He
grasped for what he thought he
deserved.
An abiding characteristic Of real love
Is that the lover sees the incarnation
OF his dreams on high pedestal OF
virtue which makes him conscious Of
his own dire unworthiness. Any thought
of her makes any suggestion Of pride
in him become contemplate. His one
thought is, how blessed among men
would he be If with all his faults he
could but win heri The house of elo-
quent egotism is never big enough or
rich enough for love which is sacra-
ment
Again, let one who worships at
Shakespeare's shrine appraise the scene:
4The proud hand, the SNUG hand. the
self-satisfied hand, the hand Of the
man who fancies that he is offering
as much as he asks. such hand is no
worthy hand to whom to commit the
lovely Portia."
4
But the climax of the three caskets
comes with Bassinio. Heaven. with two
hearts beating as one. waits on his de-
ciSion. Quickly he passes the gold. He
gives but a glance at the silver. He
pauSes with a strange certainty at the
leaden box. His eyes are riveted on the
motto: WHO chooSeth me must give
and hazard all he hath"
That means that song comes through
sacrifice. The words seem but an echo
Of his love for yPortia. which yearns
to give its all; for always loves
strength standeth in loves sacrifice"
The inscription on that casket which
contains the picture somehow suggests
the challenge of Mans Best Man, Loves
Best Love: IF any man come to me
and hate not his father, and mother,
and wife. and children, and brethren,
and sisters, yea, and his own life also,
he cannot be my disciple" And so with
a passion that knew no rivals BaSSinio,
willing for the sake of his beloved to
give and hazard all he had, chose the
casket which contained the prize which
neither gold nor silver could hold.
Nothing else is worth saying, really,
about anybody at the. last than this:
For the love of some fair one. for the
love of other children of the one Father,
for the final coronation of some great
cause, he gave and hazarded all he had.
That inscription is written beneath one
of the most inspiring verses ever writ
ten:
20 Cross, that Hftest up my head,
z, dare not ask to fly from Thee;
! lay in dust lite's glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms
red,
Life that shall endless be-"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-08-22

war, as Mr.. Warren has indicated, 1t is
kept as robust as ever-to serve as shining
example that will continue to win our coun-
try support from peoples everywhere. This
is sound view, a view rooted deep ip our
traditions, and we can only do great injury
to ourselves II we fail to adhere unwaver-
ingly to 1t.