davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1955-02-10
Story of q Library

There is a temptation to discuss the
annual report of the Librarian of Congress
in terms of statistics And it is important
that the Library now contains 80 million
pieces" and that it paid into the Treasury,
during 1854, more than SIG million from
index card sales and copyright registrations.
But this, is not by any means the whole
story
What the American people really want
to know about their national library is what
1t means to them. Each yearly certiflcation
of progress suggests the question: What
does all this signify? And the Librarian has
an answer-namely, the readable text of his
report reader may open the 178-page
book at random and find convincing evi-
dence of the Library's value. Here, for
example, Is testimony of its worth as
depository of precious papers. In the period
chronicled it received the files of Senator
Robert A. Taft, General Benjamin F. Butler,
Whitelaw Reid, Norman H. Davis, General
Peyton C. March, Admiral Harry E. Yarnel,
Robert P. Patterson, 10 Davidson and Frank
S. Lahm-the very stuff of the history OF
the age to which these notable men be-
longed. 1t is obvious that there should
be central library of such material here
in the Capital of the Nation
But the Library is not simply an
archive In fiscal 1854 it did reference work
for literally every member of Congress,
dealing with some $4,000 inquiries from
Senators and Representatives and thus
fully justifying the appropriations for its
support and enlargement. The number OF
questions received from other Government
officers and agencies ran to astronomical
heights and were matched by requests for
information from uncounted thousands OF
private citizens who naturally look to the
Library as "a university of the whole
American community"
OF course, many of the inquiries from
the public had nothing to do with public
affairs. They were concerned with the pri-
vate enterprises and activities of citizens
interested in industry and commerce, edu-
cation, the sciences and the arts, literature
in its inclusive sense of written records OF
every useful sort, philosophy and religion.
A casual glance through the Librarians
report shows how various, how complex and
how engaging these interests are. But the
Library brings them into practical focus.
No other institution on earth surpasses 1t
as mirror rejecting humanity in action.
Evening star., 1955-02-10
This and That

and will look for meaning that is
not there.
IT know that Archibald McLeish said
that a poem should not mean but be.
It must be poem to be, and il it is
to be, it should. have some excuse for
being.
THE easy way boys leave thought.
rhyme, rhythm. assonance, euphony.
logical and beautiful imagery. and
grammar to such old fogies as Milton,
Shakespeare and Poe.
Sincerely, E. c. p"
One has but to hear "The Song OF the
Open Road" read by man with a good
voice to know that our correspondent
is little of in his estimation Of Walt
Whitman.
II Whitman was not included in the
four great elder poets given here. it
was not because we did not like him,
but simply that four poets was enough
at the time, and there was room for no
more.
Nor do we feel that Whitman actually
resorted to any cheap trick" in order
to attract attention.
He was different, and so different,
that even today many persons, other
wise good readers, are repelled by him.
He is not, let us say. for them.
Their demand is for someone else.
He is-still-too new for them.
But Whitman needs no defense.
He is regarded the world around as
the spokesman for democracy.
Evening star., 1955-02-10
Blueprint for CIossrooms

President EiSenhoWer's program for
Federal aid to school construction follows
expected lines 1t reflects the administra-
tion philosophy that the Nations public
school system should continue to be basic
ally State and local responsibility, free
from Federal control or political dom1na-
ton. At the same time, the President
acknowledges that there is today most
serious deficit of more than 100000 class
rooms, and that Federal assistance to the
States and communities is essential to meet
this crisis.
Accordingly, he has proposed three
emergency steps: Q) That the Federal
Government be authorized to purchase
school bonds which local communities have
been unable to place at reasonable interest
rates; (2) that the Federal Government
should join with the States in establishing
reserve funds to cover bonds issued by
Statewide school building agencies, and
(3) that there be authorized million
three-year program of direct Federal
matching aid to States for school conStruc-
ton in districts unable to finance their own
building. To cope with the long-term local
financing problems, the President proposed
a Joint Federal-State study of debt lim1ta-
tions and other restrictions.
This four-way line of attack would I'M
plement, in effect, the comment by the
President in his state-of- -the-Union mes
sage that the Federal Government should
serve as the "catalyst" in squirting State
and local action on school construction
rather than resorting to "the simple rem
edy" of direct financial Intervention. At
the Presidents earlier suggestion, series
of State educational conferences began last
year and will be climaxed in a national
meeting here next November. The President
has implied that any further development
of administration policy toward the school
problem must await the findings of these
conferences.
The administration approach already
is under fire, of course, on Capitol Hill and
from quarters eager to see the Federal
Government undertake large program OF
direct spending for school construction.
Legislation has been proposed both in the
House and Senate to provide direct and
immediate construction aid. While this
latter method might bring quicker results,
1t would also increase the prospect Of Fed
eral control of education and the danger
of local abdication of appropriate financial
responsibility.
Evening star., 1955-02-10
In An Office

Keep your cues fired upon the sheets
That earn your daily bread
That has gone stale through the gray
years
Since feeling has been dead.
You dare not dream OF shining Days,
OF happiness long fed.
Those Wind-S1Oept hills you rodmed
lDith him
You must not face again,
Nor hear belo,p the Office sounds
The tap of autumn rain
Upon the dry ledues under foot
Along country lane.
The tetid air OF city streets
Is safer far to take
Than ,Uild-orape scent in May night;
Dear memories torSdke.
For il a haunting Vision comes
Your ledden heart might break.
Borboro Polmer
Evening star., 1955-02-10
Why Not Go All the Way?

Congress has picked good man to head
the Capitol Police Force. Inspector Robert
c. Pearce of the Metropolitan Police Force
is career officer who is familiar with con-
gressional guard duty, as result of tenn
porary assignments to the Capitol In years
past The choice of such an experienced
officer as chief of the independent police
agency which protects Congress is step
in the direction of putting the Capitol force
on a merit-SyStem basis.
But further steps are urgently needed
If Congress is going to give Inspector Pearce
the support he requires to do an efficient
lob. The fact is that all the men for whom
the new Capitol police chief will be respon-
sble were picked under the traditional pat
ronage system. That means that politics,
rather than fitness for police work, was the
dominating consideration in appointing
them. Fortunately, number OF the men
are we'll qualified for the special guard
duties to which they are assigned. Others
Evening star., 1955-02-10
BY Charles E. TroceweN

His poems meet the need of certain
Ralph Waldo Emerson, our greatest
sage. loved them.
The native vigor of the good gray
poet" spoke to him as it has to count
less thousands since.
There was, it is true, something fam
buoyant about Whitman, something
that did not exactly ring true. That
is why one must select. not only whole
poems, but even lines from poems.
in reading him.
Selective reading. of course, is no
new thing. Perhaps every author must
be read that way, to some extent.
We promise our correspondent that
il he reads and selects, and selects and
reads, in Leaves Of Grass" he will
come in time to see him. not as third
rate poet, but as flrst-class one after
his fashion. After all, we have no right
to ask poet to have any other fashion.
X
His pose as rough guy need not fool
anyone. He was at heart. and by train
ing, writer, man who saw bird in
a nest not as something to kill, but
something to wonder over. His hearth
ness, his enthusiasm, his love for Amer
ica-these are not poses, but the real
things. and they have made his poetry
ring true to his readers. Let us remem-
Der him. when lilacs next in the door
yard bloom, and remember him in the
way he would have liked best, as a
writer, by reading him.
Evening star., 1955-02-10
New Front Building Up in Cold War?

Propaganda has its own methods
its modus operandi. The first method
is the law Of simplification.
A propaganda program must always
have an Affirmative form. It must be
expressed in short. concise, easily re-
membered sentences. Doctrinaire rea-
sonipg. book reading and lengthy quo
tations must be avoided, as listeners
would consider them sign OF weak
ness. Bold exposures. ridiculing Of the
adversary, smearing of character. anec-
dotes - always in simplified form -
strengthen the effect Of propaganda.
One must not fear appealing directly
to the masses over the heads Of rulers.
Propaganda is psychological artillery
fire.
Even a simplified program sometimes
is too complicated. 1t must then be
reduced to signs or emblems. such as
the swastika, the hammer and sickle,
a clenched fist, the British "V," etc.
One variant of this Simplification is
the method of not directing the propa
ganda against huge masses or groups.
Communists say that they are not
against the American people. but only
against the wall Street capitalists" :"
Equally, this propaganda is related
to the law of fugue in orchestration,
consisting of a continual repetition
of the main themes or slogans. Cato,
after each sentence, repeated to the
Romans the same appeal-"Carthage
must be destroyed" Lenin's Land to
the peasants" theme and Hitler's rep
etitious Elm Volk" were modern ver-
sions of Catos method
Day after day the Kremlin's prop
uganda repeats: THE Americans
started the aggression in Korea and
China; they conduct meteorological
warfare and plot world conquest" Al
though monStrous fiction and contrary
to facts, such propaganda perplexes
people until they finally accept it as
truth. particularly behind the Iron
Curtain. Falsehoods presented in a
strong manner usually achieve the
desired effect, while rebuttal is always
weaker
Does the free world use such basic
methods in its propaganda? Unfortu-
nately. no. 1t avoids repetitious, fight
ing slogans, daring attacks and un-
masking of Communist lies. Not being
convincing, it does not influence the
psychology of it's listeners. 1t does not
sustain their will to fight for liberation
from the shackles of dictatorship In
short, it is fruitless.
Our propaganda apparatus must be
overhauled and modernized, not neces-
sarily its technical aspect but it's ideas
and methods. 1t must especially be
realized that our campaign of truths
should logically be immeasurably more
effective than Communist lies. The
more effort, ingenuity and vigor we put
into the attack in this psychological
warfare, the more shall We remove the
threat of the hot war"--a menace
which is threatening our civilization and
way of life.
Evening star., 1955-02-10
DARLINGTON, VA.

Dear Sir:
your articles encouraging poetry
reading are worthwhile if they divert
just one reader from mushy story mag
azine to the sonnets of Shakespeare or
the work of one of the lesser poets.
I'm your mention of the older poets,
I am glad that you left out Whitman
who is being unduly honored at the
Library of Congress. He resorted to
the cheap trick of bringing in the
vulgar aspects of sex in order to at
tract attention. He was third rate as
poet and should be given the silent
treatment and allowed to go on to the
oblivion which he asked.
II am glad that you pointed out that
all of the good poets are not dead.
"There are moderns worth reading;
it is to be hoped that the beginning
poetry reader willSnot start on one of
those writer's who are trying to become
poets the easy way.
+
IT refer to those who take some words
and make lines out of them and stack
these lines on top of each other to
make them look like stanzas.
Then they pay publisher to bring
these out in book form.
1.-TWO or three people will buy the
book. Then a professor will be in
duced to read into these lines mean
ing which is not there.
Then a certain number OF suckers
will believe this stuff to be highbrow
Evening star., 1955-02-10

are aimed at the most primitive human
instincts.
Today in China well-trained speak
ers Of all types, some in masks, others
on camel-back. carrying torches by
night, drum into the heads of the
Chinese masses inflammatory appeals
to a better life, promising bread to
the hungry, freedom to the oppressed.
work to the unemployed, land to the
peasants. good life to the discon-
tented.
Lenin's slogans which won him the
support of Russia's peasantry and SOL
diers were, "Land!" "Breadl" "Peace!"
Peace for the huts war for the
palaces!" Hitler promised that as soon
as he came to power every German
woman would get husband.
Lenin and Hitler cared little whether
their promises could be fulfilled. Both
played upon the basic emotional in
stincts of the mob. This had magical
effect on their listeners: hypnotiZing
into state of mental stupor even some
of high intellectual caliber.
I shall never forget conversation
I had with German doctor of philos-
ophy which took place after lecture
at Columbia University. I was en-
deavoring to convince him of the
>irrationality of the National Socialists
program. The German doctor fervently
and passionately tried to repudiate my
arguments and finally. with tears in
his eyes. he Historically shouted, "I
don't want to hear any more of your
arguments on pure reason! want to
believe. and if cease to believe in the
Fuehrer shall have nothing left to
live for!"
Evening star., 1955-02-10
Retarded Children

want to express my appreciation to
The Star and Representative Broyhill
Of Virginia for the splendid stand they
have taken to help retarded children.
Many years ago The Star was largely
instrumental in ridding our Nations
Capital of its disgraceful temporary
school shacks that housed our city's
wards.
have pleaded many, many times for
these helpless children. I hope your
paper will continue its struggle for our
future citizens who seem to have little
or no hopes for the future other than
penal institutions or training school.
It would be much better to prevent
delinquency cases by helping these re-
tarded children become self-supporting
Aw-abiding citizens than fill our penal
institutions and training schools when
they get in trouble.
To me to neglect our helpless re-
tarded children is base betrayal Of
sacred duty and responsibility. have
mothered 80 of these children in my
home and more than 80 responded to
good care over a period of years. 1
hope other readers who love children
WILL OdhC tlhLC W wv CESlyUAAA SAASS
can to get help for these forgotten
children. forgotten until they commit
some horrible crime. Let's help keep
them out of institutions by teaching
them the right way to live.
Foster Mother.
In connection with study group at
our church. q report from member
of the staff Of one of our junior high
schools brought out the fact that many
juvenile delinquents come from the
ranks of retarded children.
We were deeply concerned to learn
that the appropriation for the proper
training of this class of children had
been so seriously cut. 1t was with much
satisfaction therefore that we noted
the splendid editorial in The Star Of
January "a. and also Commissioner
Camalier's statements in the article,
Hope Is Voiced for Class of Retarded"
which appeared in the January Is Star.
We hope that it may be found pos
sible to stretch the budget in some way
or eliminate some less important items
in favor of this much-needed preventive
program. It might we'll be that the
appropriation of money for these classes
at this time would reduce the amount
Evening star., 1955-02-10

WiuCl WOulu De uee0e0 10 zeal Win
future juvenile delinquents.
Grace Meyer.
Virginio's Stund on Segregation
E. B. Henderson recently came out
with a letter which hardly deserves
comment, and ! would not do so except
for the fact that such poppycock,
which is implied to be based on some
pseudo-statistical information, could
very well mislead the unenlightened.
MIR. Henderson would have US believe,
after getting 1000 Negro names in
favor Of integration, that he knows how
most Of the over 100000 Negroes Of
Virginia feel about it. / say that he
knows nothing And when he says
"our solicitors assure U.s." I say that
his solicitors don't have to see or talk
to anyone to assure anyone of anything.
Furthermore, it would seem that Mr..
Henderson is in need of taking basic
course in statistics to learn first just
what majority is. 1t Is my feeling
that by its very nature, under our form
OF government any majority is over
whelming. To read Mr.. Henderson's let
te rome would be led to believe that, by
virtue of numbers alone, the Negroes of
Virginia carry as much weight as the
white population; yet the United States
census shows that in Virginia there is
only about one Negro to every three
whites.
1t is reaSsuring to know that Mr. Hem
derson is so modest in his preponder-
ance of evidence that he knows that
he. not the Governors commission,
speaks for the majority.
r. p Cnn "
Evening star., 1955-02-10
Rise of a Red General

Although nothing could be less prudent
than wishful thinking about the latest up
heaval in the Soviet government, Marshal
Georgi K Zhukov's elevation to the post
of Defense Minister seems reassuring in a
number of ways. Appearances, Of course,
can be deceiving, but there is much in this
development to suggest that the Kremlin-
which may well be facing an internal crisis
of major proportions-is not contemplating
adventures of sort that could light the
fuse of another great war.
True, together with other Soviet big
wigs, Foreign Minister Molotov has marked
Georgi Malenkov's resignation" from the
premiership with long harangue full Of
yelled threats against the United States and
the West in general. However, apart from
his dubious suggestion that his country leads
ours in the field Of hydrogen bombs, he has
said nothing essentially new-nor has he
said it any more toughly than in the past.
It is Just the old photograph record grind
ing out its creaky tune as usual.
To be sure, since Moscow's intentions
are always murky, it would be mistake
to assume that this characteristic Molotov
TRADE is made up solely of empty propa-
ganda. But by the same token, considering
its basic staleneSS,- there is no reason to
regard it-simply because 1t has come on
the heels of Malenkov's fall-as portentous
indication that the Kremlin is about to
strike out against us with new and much
tougher policy. Certainly one is entitled
to doubt that this is the case, not only
because of signs that Russia is preoccupied
with serious trouble within itself, but also
because of the Interpretation that can be
placed on Marshal Zhukov's rise to the
Office Of Defense Minister-the post formerly
held by Premier Bulganin, Malenkov's sue
cessor.
Unlike Bulganin, who is political
general" even though he apparently has
sometimes upheld the military viewpoint
against the party line, Zhukov is profess
sional soldier. Further, as a war hero and
likeable personality, he enjoys-more than
any other Soviet ommander-tremendous
prestige and popularity in Russia despite the
late Stalin's effort to consign him to OBJ
scurlty. Accordingly, since it seems prob
able that he will be a powerful spokesman
for the Red army in the Kremlin's new gov
erning lineup, and assuming that the Red
army is as moderate and as opposed to the
theological zealots as many experts believe,
he can be expected to exercise restraining
influence on the course of Moscow's foreign
policy.
Another good aspect of Zhukov's rise
is the fact that he and President Eisenhower
as has just been made clear by both of
them-remember the liking and friendship
they had for each other as comrades in
arms against the Nazis and as top allied
commanders in Berlin. This may not mean
much In the present atmosphere OF Soviet
American relations, but 1t is point worth
noting nevertheless-an especially impor-
tant point If we can safely believe that
Zhukov and the Red army take dim view
of hot-headed Communist biologists.
Evening star., 1955-02-10

lack experience and training. After the
shooting In the House last year by Puerto
Rican extremists plan for reorganizing the
Capitol force along merit lines was ap-
proved by the House but shelved by the
Senate. Unless the whole force-not just
its heads put on career basis, the
Capitol police system simply will fall short
of generally accepted police standards.
Evening star., 1955-02-10
Rejects D. c. Water

It was with interest that read the
recent letter on "Fluoridation" in your
wonderful newspaper If we had more
"Old Patriots" in the District, maybe we
would have less of the undesirable
things we have now. 1, for one. on
orders from our family doctor, wouldn't
drink this water that we are forced to
use or else buy our own water. I think
it's pretty pass when after paying an
increase in water rent, you have
to shell out more money in order to
have a pure drink of water. You can
boil the water to take out the chlorine.
but the doctors say nothing will take
out this horrible poison we are forced
to consume. Native Washingtonian.
Evening star., 1955-02-10

@. For how many successive years
recently has there been deficit in
the national budget?-A N. A.
A. The 1856 budget is the fifth in
succession with deficit Most recently
the budget was balanced in 1851, 1948.
and 1947.
Evening star., 1955-02-10
BY THE HASKIN SERVICE

Q, How much longer than the foot
should ones shoe bel. B.
A. Ideally, the shoe should be "a to
q inch longer than the foot The toes
should not touch the front of the shoe
even when walking downhill.
Evening star., 1955-02-10
Questions and Answers

reader can get the answer to sny
question OF fact BY writing The Evening
star Information Bureau. 200 Eye st.
3 cents for return postage
Evening star., 1955-02-10
Letters to The Star.

which would be needed to deal with
future juvenile delinquents.
Grace Meyer.
Evening star., 1955-02-10
By MichoeI N. KoIontor

(The author studied and later lee
tured at the Universities of Moscoto.
the Sorbonne and Heidelberg, i0here
he obtained a doctorGte OF la,Ds. He
Dds ouer-secretdry of the Russian
Senate during the czarist regime and
MAS written a nep book. with Three
TSars on the Path to Repolution.")
Evening star., 1955-05-22

our people. These incidents
made no impression on anyone.
it seems, except on Israelis. No
one except US seems to worry
about the fact that Israel is
surrounded by a sea of Arab
hatred or that the Arab leaders
are still promising their people
that, sooner or later, they will
drive us all into the sea.
"Well, there is a limit to what
any people can stand. We have
felt that honest and open re-
taliation is a better answer than
sending 'irregulars' in in civilian
clothes to do the job. We have
felt that it is better to attack
military positions rather than
kill civilians. We realize that
these incidents do us harm in
the eyes of world opinion. but
there are other things to think
about The fight at GAIA salts
fed a lot of old scores. 1t also
served warning on the Arabs
that we mean business. And
since then, the border has been
very quiet, indeed"
No DispassiOnate Approach
There is no question here of
getting an impartial or balanced
view of all these problems. Mat
tiers of life and death do not
lend themselves to a dispassion-
ate approach. The outsider is