davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
Viewing the Supreme Court
In the Liqht of Politics
NINE MEN. BY Fred Rodell

NINE MEN. BY Fred Rodell
(Random House; So
People who pass over the
preface Of this political history
of the Supreme Court must
blame only themselves If later
they cannot abide all Of Prof.
Rodell's opinions or frank
prejudices. He warns at the
outset that he felt compelled
to get this book Off his chest
or out of his constitution.
On the premise that
Supreme Court Justices are
and always have been pri-
marily political figures. this
law professor at Yale Univer-
sity builds a strong II often
slanted case. 1t will infuriate
some but it is bound to fasci-
nate and inform. Despite It's
barbs and breeziness and a
seemingly studied effort to
conceal its scholarly basis. 1t
is neither superficial nor a
peep-show behind the judicial
curtain. It earnestly tries to
demonstrate how and why the
court holds such a supreme
place in our scheme Of Gov
eminent.
Deserves Reading
From the standpoint Of
benefit to the general reader
and of adding to public respect
for the court. the treatment
leaves something to be desired.
This book deserves q reading
but. for the ordinary layman. 1t
ought to be matched by q
reading Of what others, lnclud-
ing various justices, from time
to time have written about the
Supreme Court.
Prof. Rodell writes in the
liberal" tradition which he
defines as 'lookers-after-the-
other-fellow." There are few
surprises. then, in his listing Of
past and present justices on
the side of the angels, And
he tries hard to give the con-
sentative devils their more
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
Collectors Corner

The summer exhibition of
the Collectors Corner. 3235 M
M street N. w., its first juried
show. will be continued until
about mid-September.
The works are by Washing
ton area artists and represent
something under half of the
approximately 80 submissions.
The judges were Gustav Trois,
Katherine Hobbs and Del Bur-
ford.
Helen Lambert's Annapolis
Docks" was selected as the top
oil, and Mary Eta Sharpe's
"Crows Roost" as the best in
water color.
Outdoor scenes are happily
recaptured also In several other
works. such as Jules Eboli's
fresh. vivid Landscape" and
Dorothy Leef's Woodland
Poetry"
Imaginatively treated In ex-
panses of blue are 1.-THE Gard
ener" by Elizabeth Piper and
Father and Child" by Con-
stance Lawson. who also has
a group of enamel pieces in the
show.
Pop Miller contributes
Snow Scene" and familiar
figures on the Georgetown
scene are fetchingly drawn by
v. H. Leguey Feilleux in
Charlie" at the newsstand
and THE Gable Changers"
At Smithsonian
A special exhibition of color
prints from the permanent coll
lection continues at the
Smithsonian Institutions Di-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
There Was Nothing Tome
About Ancient Mariners

smart. He tackled to the north
east until he could see that
the pole star was just as high
above the horizon as he re-
membered it in Hawaii. Then
he turned west and, keeping
the pole star at its proper
height, ran down the line Of
latitude to Hawaii. Whether
he judged the height Of the
pole star by a water-fllled
magic calabash." as has been
asserted, or by sighting with
his fingers against the horizon.
he managed 1t often enough to
make such voyages practical.
Details Of the techniQues,
maps and instruments en-
ployed by many Of the early
sailors on many seas are
things Of mystery now because
they were trade secrets at the
time. But enough Is known to
show that these adventurous
souls employed more than
courage and intuition in their
wanderipgs. 1t may even be
that Columbus knew the Sc
crets Of the trade winds that
he used so surely to carry him
TO and from America.--W. r.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
The Extraordinary Adventures
Of q Seogoine Dovy Crockett
JONATHAN EAGLE. BY Alex
ander Laing. little, Brown
& Co.: $4.o5.)

VIVA AhN1N Ah0AAEs oy fA4CA-
ander Laing. Little. Brown
& Co.: $4.95D
After the Revolution. Amer
lea rose rapidly from rags to
riches, and this is a story of
the early part of that economic
struggle, cleverly sugar-coated
with adventure and romance.
Colonial people. most of them
ungentle and unlearned, pulled
themselves up by their own
bootstraps. Any authoritative
account Of how they did it
makes a very readable story.
This one is overriding but never
dull to the serious reader.
The book concludes with
chapters dealing with Wash
ington and It's nearby commu-
mites during the upheaval
that threw out the Federalists,
rejecting Burr and electing
Jefferson on the thirty-sixth
ballot in the House. The quaint
habits Of the populace. the
strange topography. the inns
along the post road to Balti-
more, the half-flnished Capi-
tol---all are faithfully present.
ed. Gas for finding WASH
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28

than due" His analysis OF
Chief Justice Marshall smacks
a bit Of the Marc Antony meth
cd of commencing Brutus as
an honorable man.
A New Freedom
After disposing Of or dispens-
ing with most Of the justices he
believes worth mentioning
since 1890. he comes to a cli-
max by telling what he thinks
Of Chief Justice Warren. what
he predicts for the newest
member, Justice Harlan. and
what he conceives might be a
new birth Of freedom for court
and country.
ROBERT X. WALSH.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
HISTORY OF MARINE

A HISTORY OF MARINE
NAVIGATION. BY Per Col
Under. (St. Martins Press:
$4.25.)
In this age Of radar, sonar.
radio directional beams. gyro-
scopic compasses and
depthometers. you would think
the story of how the ancients
got around the ocean by rule
Of thumb would be pretty tame
STUFF. AS Per Collinder tells
1t. the modern age is the tame
one.
Picture q Polynesian. who
has been called the Viking Of
the Pacific. setting out from
Tahiti In a double canoe.
headed for Hawaii some 1000
miles away. A modern ship
master, or even o latter day
windjammer captain with
more or less modern instru-
ments, would find 1t compare
lively simple. Favorable winds
would carry him directly north
to his objective.
But the Polynesian, lacking
instruments. also played II
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
Jean Bloch Michel
Tells Us Why Man
Cannot Live Alone
THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT

THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT.
BY Jean Bloch Michel.
(Charles Scribner's Sons;
So
When their city is bombed
and destroyed, Pierre fees
from the invaders with his
wife Yvonne and their three
children. After a week of hor-
ror on the road out Of the city
trying to find food and rest
for the children, Pierre feels
the only way to stay free Is to
strike of toward the noun
tains and away from the
stream Of refugees who are
being herded unknoyingly to
their bondage.
In the mountains, the fam
lily finds a deserted village
whose inhabitants have been
carried off to slave labor
camps. Pierre and Yvonne
take over one of the empty
houses.
For two years they live in
complete isolation. The lone
illness of the life destroys the
structure Of the family-the
children retreat into dream
worlds and Pierre and Yvonne
find their love cannot stand
the strain of life without con-
tact with other people.
This is a timeless book writ
ten with the directness and
clarity so typical of the
French. Mr.. Bloch Michel
shows us why men cannot live
alone. SALLY GREENLAND.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28

ington. they say you can ride
right through 1t on q summers
afternoon and not even notice
that it's there.")
The central characters of
the book are the people Of
Stonington, Conn. Jonathan
Eagle Is a sea-going Davy
Crockett. He invents the last
name when he needs one to
sign on his first ship as a
galley boy. He starts as a
water-rat orphan and Indian
ward. and progresses through
colorful historical episodes
with experiences that would
bemuse Robinson Crusoe.
Mr. Laing writes with a
powerful touch bequeathed
from meticulous research.
Particularly good is his de-
scription Of how crafty Yank-
ees in the know made fortunes
from the collected pay certifl-
Gates of Revolutionary SOL
diers.
This is not the authors first
book-he wrote THE Sea
Witch"-and may 1t not be
his last. H. A. LYON.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
Dr.. Oppenheimer's Case
Is Given Legal Study

a critical weakness In the Sc
curity system of the United
States?
Mr.. Curtis painstakingly
analyses the testimony as re-
vealed in the transcript Of the
proceedings. He hacks away
at adverse conclusions drawn
by the unfavorable judges
two OF three members of the
Gray Board and four Of the
five members Of the Atomic
Energy Commission. He Is
eloquent and at times persua-
sive in DR.. Oppenheimer's
behalf. Quite probably, an
equally competent advocate.
taking the opposite side Of the
proposition. would be just as
eloquent and just as perSua-
SiYe.
Revealing WORDS
If one happens to believe
that the adverse judges in the
Oppenheimer case were con-
scientious. able and honor
able men. 1t may be that
the most revealing words
in this book are to Le
found In its last paragraph.
Mr.. Curtis wrote: do you re-
member what Joan's ghost said
to Charles the Seventh? In
Shaw's epilogue. Charles was
telling Joan that her case was
being tried over again, as in
the chronicles of time Open
heimer's case will be. Charles
was telling Joan that her
judges were to be charged with
malice and other things
besides. Joan would have none
of that. Joan said-and her
reply was charitable and pre-
cise-''Not they. They were as
honest a lot of poor fools as
ever burned their betters.'"
JOHN H. CLINE
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
THE OPPENHEIMER CASE.

THE OPPENHEIMER CASE.
BY Charles P. Curtis. ISL
mon & Schuster: 50
This book is not a dispas-
sionate study Of the strange
and fascinating case of DR.. J.
Robert Oppenheimer. who
headed up the vast undertake
ing which produced the atomic
bomb.
Mr.. Curtis, an able lawyer
and a talented writer. makes
no bones about this. At the
very outset, he says: ITO be-
gin with. you should know
what this book is based on
in other words, what lies be-
hind it. What usually lies be-
hind a book is mainly the
opinions, the prejudices and
the experiences Of the author.
! am not going to keep either
my opinions or my preiudices
out of this book. I don't want
to. I couldn't anyhow. I know
Oppenheimer. l don't know
him well. ! have met him half
a dozen times. But I know him
well enough to start with an
opinion-or. If you prefer. a
prejudice-in his favor. And
the transcript of the proceed
ingS and the decisions have
confirmed my opinion and my
prejudice"
Court of Public Opinion
With that introduction, MIR.
Curtis proceeds to argue the
case for DR.. Oppenheimer
in the court OF public opin-
ion. Was the decision to
bar the noted scientist from
access to classified information
right or wrong? Was the
hearing which resulted in this
decision fair or unfair? Has
the Oppenheimer case exposed
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28

him, but only as a passport to
easy street. And they had just
about arrived. Victor has mar
ried a rich, rather simple
minded widow. He had a
small but lucrative practice,
made up of perfectly healthy,
wealthy old ladies who liked a
young doctor around. Victor
likes older women anyway, be-
cause they remind him Of his
mother. When anyone asks
him what his real interest is
he says "geriatrics." and If he
has q minute-and he practi-
cally never does - he some
times runs over to the old
ladies' home for sweet char
ity's sake.
More Fatal Sting
But Victor's brother-in-lay
comes back from India hall
dead Of malaria, bringing So
cial consciousness and anguish
into the house. Victor does not
bestir himself much to help
his wife's brother from his Ill
ness. He expends all his ener-
gies in keeping his wife from
being bitten by the more fatal
mosquito Of charity. victor's
frantic efforts are the sub
ject Of this caustic novel by
Leonard Kaufman. author Of
Tender Mercy" and "Jubel's
Children" The action is well
paced. but some Of the char
acters, especially Victor seem
q little too transparent to fool
anyone for long.
It's q Daisy
We all know that daisies
don't tell, so it is not sur
prising that 1.-THE Secret in
the Daisy" (Random, S2.75)
doesn't tell very much. It's by
Carol Grace who. according
to the jacket. is as pretty as a
flower. and who has married
and divorced. twice each, VIII
liam Saroyan.
Anyway. it's the life story.
told in a kind Of precocious
baby-talk. about o little rich
Manhattan waif. who is
brought up by a succession Of
maids while her mother rushes
around from one thing to an
other. Then she meets a man,
and she has a brief affair with
him and he goes away. and
then she goes to visit her maid
at the hospital and sees a
young couple there and sees
what love really Is.
That's all there is to it.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28

1897 to 1921. and an 1882
pencil-watercolor.
The donor and her late huS-
band, a banker and broker Of
Philadelphia, were friends Of
the artist and his wife from
the time during World War I
that Pennell twas In demand
for almost every war under
taking In which art could be q
factor"
Widely Known
One Of the foremost Ameri-
can graphic artists. Pennell is
credited with having done
more than any other single
artist Of his time to improve
the quality Of illustration both
in this country and abroad,
and to raise its status as an
art.
He was almost as we'll known
as an author. his works in
GLIDING a biography with Mrs.
Pennell Of his friend Whistler.
Pennell left his estate to
the Library Of Congress, in
GLIDING his collection of his
own prints, his Whistleriana
collection, his library and an
endowment for the purchase
of modern prints and Whist
leriana.
Priced Collection
The etchings and litho-
graphs on view at George
Washington ARE fine exam
Piles Of the Pencil gift for
rhythmic form and impress
sion. executed with matchless
skill" the university library
says of its priced collection.
Railroad stations are q
prominent subject among the
studies Of city structures here
and abroad. There are three
1919 views Of Union Station,
including the facade and the
waiting room, which will be
of special interest locally.
Others of the same year are
Of Pennsylvania Station in
New York.
Public works, historic build
ings and homes in Philadel-
phia, Chicago, st. Louis and
Pittsburgh also come in for
the artists admirable treat
ment. There Is an excellent
view. too, Of the Lower Falls.
Yosemite" dated 1912, and
an 1882 pencil and white water
color on brown paper of an
old New Orleans house.
Building the Friedrich
StraSse Station" in Germany,
1921, is one Of the scenes from
abroad. which include Holland,
Italy and France, and among
the most appealing is the
lovely. shadowy "Wren's City,
London" 1909.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
.EADING AND WRITING
Part Of Our Time Author
ExpIuins the Whole Thing

Says Murray Kempton. au-
thor Of 'sPart Of Our Time:
"Show me q person who says
he really prefers fiction to
non1ction and I'll show you
a magnificent. gaudy fraud.
II that sounds like q sweep
ing statement. it's all right.
for Mr.. Kempton's usual job
is writing column for the
New York Post. He stayed
home In his Princeton. N.
j. house for five months
last year musing over the lives
of such people as Alger Hiss,
Whitaker Chambers and
]. B. Matthews. who make up
the dramatic personae Of his
book which is subtitled, Some
Movements and Ruins Of the
Thirties."
So. he wrote his history In
terms Of o very few people
who happen to have been
involved In the radical move
ment." He wrote Of them
first as human beings and
then as Communists.
I'VE, ought to see them as
real people. not as cardboard
symbols" he says.
Manhattan C0mmuter
Mr.. Kempton is a lean, red
headed young men who comes
down here occasionally to OBJ
serve local phenomena like
Army-McCarthy hearings or
censure debates, always wear
ing the livery Of the Man
haitian commuter: The gray
flannel suit, the pink shirt
with buttoned-down collar.
the black knit tie.
Writing the book was a
wonderful racket" he reports.
No commuters train to start
the day. Instead. just q
glance at the headlines every
morning, q look at the obitu-
airy page, q search for the
names Of any old friends who
might have been indicted, and
he was off to his typewriter
until six in the evening. Prac-
tically no telephone calls dis
turbed his progress. He was
touched. however. that, some
one missing his column from
the paper called up and
offered him a Job. thinking he
had been fired.
It was good In another way.
It gave him, he says, q certain
perspective on his own ex-
periences in the sos. dur
ing which he was briefly a
member Of the Young Commu-
mist League.
Not Very Important
This particular thing
seemed less important when !
finished than when I started
out to write the book. ! never
felt I was part of a conspiracy.
1t wasn't a very important ex-
perience for most people who
lived through 1t as a political
experience.
The sos were q part Of
my life like any other; / am
aware there are things in it
for which / must apologize:
! am also aware that in the
whole of my life there will be
many things for which I must
apologize. under what have to
be compulsions stronger than
a congressional subpoena"
No Pity
Another thing that came
clear to him, too. was the COM
plete absence OF pity and
mercy" In the radical scene.
And that absence he feels has
been carried over into our
treatment of them today. Back
in his capacity as columnist
last week observing the House
un-American Committee, at
work on Broadway. he thought.
This thing become q state
confessional. This is the first
state church that has been set
up in my memory. You con-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
ARTISTS AND EXHIBITIONS
CIV Pencil Collection
Gets Special Showing
BY HARRIET GRIFFITHs

The George Washington University Library Is showing It's
collection of echngs and autographs by Joseph Penneu
through September is.
Ga items gift to the university from Mrs Richard
Norton Of Philadelphia in December 1854 They include
etchngs IL thographs
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
DOWN FROM OLYMPUS INTO BED ),
Mr.. HuxIey's Version
Of an Ole, Old Story
By MARY NEcGRORY

About the last thing anybody would suspect Adous Huxley
of simplicity. Dazzling complexities multiple meanings have
been in his line he began chroncng the way
ward and wicked all around him in Brave New World
So the chances his readers win skndving below the
surface Of Genius Goddess" Harper; $1 tale
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28

Of a triangle, for deeper sig
nificances. The chances are
also that they may come UP
empty handed. For as some
times the simplest explanation
is the truest-this story could
be exactly what it seems-the
story OF the shocking spring.
time Of . mans life recounted
in age. It is equally possible
that Mr.. Huxley had no more
involved o mission than that
Of idol-smashing. The nara
tor says he wants to tell the
truth about the revered
genius" OF the title. and may
be Mr.. Huxley had a real-life
counterpart to go by.
The Least Pe0pled
Anyway, whatever is made
Of it the story is one of Mr..
Huxley's plainest and least
peopled. It concerns one small
family and one outsider-an
aging scientist, Henry Maar-
tens, a luminous. hypochon-
driacal genius: Katy, his wife,
a radiant. golden creature,
much younger; their daughter
Ruth, a baleful, poetry-writ-
ing adolescent: and John
Rivers, an eager young scien-
fist apprenticed to Martens.
O totally inexperienced young
man, son of q Lutheran min
lister and his widowed mothers
only consolation for 16 years.
For young Rivers life in that
pagan household was pure
bliss. He understood the
Epistles for the first time
the meaning Of grace ana
newness of the spirit" Not
only is there the incandescent
companionship Of Martens IN
the laboratory: home offers
the sight of Katy with her
bright head over the sewing.
Rivers loved her as Dante
loved Beatrice, rs Petrarch
worshiped Laura.
Explosive Revelations
But since life is ever not
what it seems, young Rivers
finds out that the great intel
lectual Martens is a monster
of sensualism, q person TO
whom only ideas and sensa-
tions have any meaning. He Is
empty of God. swept clean
of common manhood and gar
nished like a Christmas tree
with glittering notions" Al
most simultaneously the in
nocent discovers that the god
dess Katy is the kind who
will not only step down from
Olympus but into a mans bed
as well. Guilty and bedazzled,
Rivers sees this and its brutal
sequel as the outcome OF grace
and predestination." whatever
that means.
And If 1t Is hard to con-
clude or be enlightened by
this beautifully written &C
count of an old. old story, then
Mr.. Huxley has his excuse in
the first line. His narrator
says: THE trouble with fiction
is that 1t makes too much
sense. Reality never makes
sense" And maybe that's all
Mr.. Huxley really has to tell
us.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-28
It's Coming True

Ordinarily we don't expect
our novelists to be prophets.
It's enough If they can keep
us reading. But now and
again. they see ahead. We
found in John Horne Burns
"The Gallery" which was first
published in 1947, q few lines
which had the sound Of clair
voyance.
You will remember the novel.
a vivid. soaring picture Of
American troops in Naples in
1914, a series Of character
studies of Italians and Ameri-
cans as they met in the ia
nous arcade of the city. In
one Of the best of these,
Father Donovan and Chap
lain Bascom," the two men
are talking in the Galleria.
Father Donovan says: When
an American has seen Naples
and death and the wretched-
ness of the whole world, he
may try to forget it when
he goes back to the farm in
Illinois. But he won't forget
1t completely. Malaria and
sorrow temper the blood. And
do you think that such a man
viii be satisfied again with
o religion which says he may
not smoke or drink, which
offers strife for peace, which
bases its commandments on
little stupidities he has out
grown? After this war we're
going to see either an age Of
complete barbarism or a
gradual return to the SIM
plicities and felicities of our
Lords life. adapted. of course,
to the time in which we live"
Something very like that
seems to be going on.
En- Route
In fiction there will shortly
be 1.-THE Deer Park" thoughts
on Hollywood. by Norman
Mailer, author of 1.-THE Naked
and the Dead" From Nicholas
Monserrat Of 1.-THE Cruel Sea-"
a modern adventure novel set
in Southern France and titled
castle Garac."
In biography, "Thackeray:
The Uses Of Adversely" by
Gordon Ray, and Robert
Benchley." by his son Nathan
iel.
The first volume of Harry
Truman's memoirs, "Years of
Decision Is about ready, and
the Duchess of Windsor is
working on her memoirs for
1856 release.
You might have thought
that with the endless number
of war books that came out
during and Immediately after
the last war the last word had
been said. But no. The fall
lists are heavy with new &C
counts. Here are three ex-
pected in the near future:
Commando Extraordinary"
the story of Otto Skorzeny by
British journalist Charles
Foley; "The Spirit in the
Cage" being the story Of his
own imprisonment by the Nazis
and that of the famous under
ground courier Odette, who is
now his wife. by Peter Church.
i'll, and "a German Officer"
study Of a Prussian ex-colonel
by a French novelist called
Serge Groussard.
MARY McGRORY.