davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
Exit Fred Allen

The world on which he turned his
biting wit, for its own good, is poorer
today for the loss of Fred Allen.
His sudden death has left us with one
fewer, blessedly Scornful humans with
whom to laugh. But there is another way
OF looking at that small, widely felt group
of intelligent and witty commentators
which included Fred Allen and H. L.
Mencken We had them around to enjoy
for many years their endlessly fascinat-
ing act of debating the pompous, exposing
the phony, and demanding the civilized
of what we call civilization
The face Mr.. Allen presented to the
world was dour one and he never ceased
to mark himself as frustrated man. In
his glossary of complaints, ME latter was
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
Crisis in Schools

James Deane has given us
a series of jolting facts con-
corning the crisis in District
of Columbia education. which
is also picture of many large
cities.
The $4,000 question sug-
costing itself to Mr.. and Mrs.
Average Citizen, after pc
rusing Mr.. Deane's skillfully
collected material. is this:
Why all the wholesale creme
dial work" and re-education?
If there are means and methods
by which students can be
taught to read in clinics, spe-
cial schools and classes, why,
in the name of all that is
reasonable, cannot these same
means and methods" be used
in the classrooms of grade one,
where the trouble starts? Why
wait until a child. frustrated
and bewildered by failure, be-
gins to react with emotional
disturbances (negativism, OBJ
struction and aggression) to
apply apparently known and
needed reading instruction?
The group method, already
in use in all classes, fast,
medium and slow, would take
care of the introduction of
proper methods for so-called
"slow learners" in first through
third grades. rather than watt
ing disastrously late for failure
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
Fire FIGHTER

When will parents ever learn
that tots of 4 and 6 years of
age are too young to know the
great harm of playing with
matches?
When will courts begin to
mete out punishment to par
ents for crimes of their young
ones?
Probably not until after we
have lost more of our fine fire.
men, caused more families to
lose their comfortable. warm
homes in frigid weather and
real estate to be destroyed to
the extent of hundreds of
thousands of dollars.
In grocery stores. I have
seen clerks sell cigarettes to
tots so young they cannot pro-
nounce the name of the Gig
arettes Mama wants" But
they are not too young to carry
the cigarettes to Mama, usu-
ally waiting at the streetcar,
hand her the Smokes" but
pocket the matches to go on
their merry way causing death
and destruction.
Cecilia Brodefick.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
Police Discipline

In letter on this page today, Engi-
neer Commissioner Lane charges that The
Star "betrayS lack of understanding of
the basic problems of discipline in the
Police Department" in it's editorial of last
Thursday, BLOW to Discipline" The edi-
torial criticized Commissioners Lane and
Mclaughlin for voting to override trial
board verdict for dismissal of Private
Austin A. Meyer, convicted of drunken
ness while on duty. We think the facts
IN the case indicate that it is General
Lane who fails to understand the prob
lens of police discipline. Moreover, his
letter seems to have been based on an
erroneous belief that Private Meyers
sentence was out of line with trial board
recommendations in similar cases.
study of trial board records by The
Star fails to reveal substantial variations
in the sentences meted out" in other
drunk-while- cases involving cir
cumstances as reprehenSible as those in
the Meyer case 1t is true that fines,
rather than dismissal, have been imposed
In four other drunk ON duty cases tried
during the past year-but in none of
those instances did the misconduct occur
on public street or involve the abuse of
citizens. In three of the cases the off,
GERS were convicted of being drunk in
police stations, and in the third, at the
District General Hospital In five other
cases the officers, on being suspended,
resigned
It is interesting to note that although
Commissioner Lane opposed dismissal OF
Private Meyer, who had pleaded guilty to
being drunk and disorderly while on duty
on public street, he voted not long ago
for dismissal of Private Harold E. Jones,
who was convicted of being drunk while
of duty. Private Meyer, testimony at his
trial showed, manhandled several citizens
who wished him Happy New Year."
fought with policemen summoned to the
scene, ripped part of his uniform off at
the precinct station, tore up his notebook
and tossed it in the waStebasket, cursed,
and otherwise misbehaved. He told the
trial board he was too drunk to remember
much of what had happened.
Obviously. it seems to us, there is no
place on the Washington police force for
any officer guilty of such misconduct We
believe that in this instance the trial
board, Police Chief Murray and Commits
sioner Spencer were right in holding that
Private Meyer should be dismissed, and
that Commissioners Lane and McLaugh-
lin were wrong in overruling them.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
Art Critic

The basic greatness of a
nation is measured by its cur
rent cultural dynamics, and
not by its collection of relics
of dead cultural items, such
as the Kress collection and the
National Gallery of Art.
This is USA, 1856, and we
Americans should be concerned
with creating and maturing
our own current art, rather
than squander time, money
and space on third-rate paint
ings of great masters" of CEN
turtles ago. Especially when
these great masters" them
selves were rebelling against
this slaviSh attachment to the
outdated and anachronistic art
tastes of the past.
Christ said, Let the dead
bury the dead" This may be
too sweeping a doctrine in art,
but no one will quarrel with
the suggestion that you should
give the living at least equal
consideration with the dead.
Nothing is more mentally de-
vitalizing than yesterdays art.
1t atrophies and confounds
current tastes and develop
ments. Modern art should not
be subsidized; merely publi-
cized at least as much as past
art.
John d. Michael.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
THE POLITICAL MILL
Growing Split in Democratic Party
By GOULD LINCOLN

mary, where Carl Newman.
publisher of the Negro Spokes-
man in Minneapolis, was a
delegate candidate on the
Kefauver slate against the
Stevenson slate.
Mr.. StevenSon's attitude of
moderation commends itself
far more to the conservative
Democrats OF. the South than
does that of Senator Kefauver
-Southerner though he be. In
fact. Kefauver's greatest diff
Guilty may lie in the South as
he campaigns and finally in
the Democratic National Con-
vention when it meets next
August in Chicago. Senator
Ellender Of Louisiana, ex-
pressing the view of other
Southerners, has said that
the South will not go for
Kefauver's views on civil
rights"
But while this opposition to
Kefauver in the South may
continue and even grow, to
such an extent that if con-
fronted with a choice between
Stevenson and Kefauver.
Southern delegates in the
party's national convention
would support Stevenson. it
is clear that the Southerners
do not cotton to Stevenson.
They would prefer some other
presidential nominee. For ex-
ample. they would go strongly
for Senator Lyndon B. john
son of Texas, Democratic
leader Oh the Senate, if his cap
were cast in the presidential
ring. or for Senator Kerr of
Oklahoma. or Senator Stuart
Symington of Missouri.
ADA kAGkdChS
The liberal Democrats of the
North and West, however,
would resist to the nth degree
the nomination of Lyndon
Johnson-or of Gov. Frank j.
Lausche of Ohio, recognized as
a conservative Democrat. They
fear greatly that they may
lose the support of Negro
voters in New York, Phila-
delphia. Chicago and Detroit
which they have had in the
past. They are beginning to
look askance at Mr.. Stevenson
for this very reason.
Joseph L. Rauh, national
chairman of the Americans
for Democratic Action, which
claims to be a nonpartiSan
organization but has stood
solidly for Democratic candi-
dates for President, in a
speech delivered in Columbus,
Ohio, last night, mentioned
Stevenson as one of three
leading contenders who have
liberal records. He attacked
Lyndon johnson and his rec
ord of Democratic leadership
in the Senate, which he said
had brought the Democratic
Party to low ebb. How long
will he stick to Stevenson? The
split in the Democratic Party
grows and grows.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
Site for Old Fire House

Many old-timers agree that
Washington should keep the
old fire house" as a meeting
place Of the Oldest Inhabitants
and also as a sort of shrine of
a past mechanical era.
Dolly Madison would no
doubt be the first to object to
its destruction, since it was in
her neighborhood many years.
The City of Alexandria has
kept and maintained the old
engine house of which George
Washington was a member.
Congress will, no doubt, ap-
prove the bill to keep this
small pile of bricks" in the
general area of historical and
beautiful buildings. If. how
ever, it is finally decided to
move the building, I suggest a
suitable site would be in the
vicinity of the famous Octagon
House.
william Earl GonteS
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
FALLS CHURCH, Va.

FALLS CHURCH, va.
Dear Sir:
THANK you for the pleas
ure you give through your COL
umn.
"And don't turn your back
on the birds. You know in
your heart there is scarcely
a greater wonder in the world
than a wild bird.
Some days ago you Won
dered if real bookloverS grew
that way because they were
exposed to good books during
their early years and because
their parents loved books.
You asked to hear from
readers who are booklovers but
who were reared in relatively
booklesS homes. So here l am.
when I was a child we had
very few books in our home
and I was always book hungry.
I learned to read before
started to school, from my older
sisters reading books, and have
had my greatest pleasure ever
since reading.
"As you say, there is pleas
ure in Just holding a book in
the hand and in seeing the rows
on the shelves.
X Y \ *.
my husband, who grew up
in a bookiSh atmosphere,
likes to read, and our three
children love books. So what
does that prove?
Our youngest child, Az
years old, reads the pictures;
the older two learned to read
easily and have always en-
joyed it.
They go to the public Ii
brary with me during the sum-
mer. One day when we were
all lined up at the counter
checking out our books, the
librarian, mindful of the fact
that Johnny can't read ex-
claimed, How did you ever do
it? You must tell us your Sc
cret,' But there is no secret,
I didn't do anything. They like
books. that's all.
MY theory about the cur
rent reading problem is that
Johnny can't read because he
doesn't like reading.
If you took away his tele-
vision set and tried teaching
him by any of a dozen differ
ent methods, he still would
never be reader.
"One of my earliest mem
cries is Of reading the comics
to my older brother, who
couldn't learn to read long
years before television and
progressive education and the
other things we blame today.
Sincerely yours, M. K. A."
No greater wonder than a
bird, truly.
And no greater pleasure than
a good book, if you like read
ing.
We believe our kind CORE
spondent has put her daintily
manicured finger squarely on
the trouble.
1t has always been a favor
lite contention of ours-every-
body has favorite contentious
that there are two kinds of
people in the world. broadly
speaking:
/. The mathematical minded.
2. The literary minded.
Maybe someone else has his
own ideas. too. and would pre-
fer to divide them into thRe
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
DuffodiIs

The bright heralds of spring.
time come bringing,
A gay eSSdge, OF joy,
dancing free,
Like a clear rhythmic melody
singing,
From each chalice, for you,
and for me,
Kissed By sunshine, they come
all alluring,
To fill the heart full with
stDeet glee,
Each da6odPs esSdge,
assuring
Resurrection. Gods change
less decree.
Ethel Jone Rule
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24

@. Is it true that a bear
can catch a fish with its paw?
r. S. o.
A. Yes. Standing on a wave
washed rock. or partly SUBJ
merged in the water, a bear
will strike at a fish with its
paw and then transfer the
catch to shore. The Alaska
brown bear is particularly good
at catching salmon. Mother
bears teach the cubs to fish.
usually during their second
summer.
@. Do many States. require
by law that automobiles be
equipped with turn signals?-
E. NJ. E.
A. At the beginning Of 1855.
turn signals we're mandatory
on new cars in % States.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24

The split in the Democratic
Party-the liberal wing versus
the more conservative wing
has been pointed up in two
presidential primary elections,
in New Hampshire and Min
nesota, and. unless signs fail.
will be further emphasized in
primary elections still to come.
The more liberal candidate
Senator Estes Kefauver of
Tennessee-won in both New
Hampshire and Minnesota.
This happened in Minnesota
despite the fact that Adlai
Stevenson had the support of
the very liberal Senator HUI
bert Humphrey and equally
liberal Gov. Orville L. Freeman
and the Democratic Farmer
Labor State organization.
A Time for Moderation
Mr.. Stevenson has made it
clear he will stick to his
planned campaign of modera-
ton no matter what happens
to his presidential aspirations.
Senator Kefauver, on the other
hand, will 60 his own chosen
course of extreme liberalism.
1t will be recalled that Mr..
Stevenson. in his first major
address, delivered in Chicago
last November Immediately
after he announced his can
didacy for the Democratic
presidential nomination, as
serted this was a time which
called for moderation. Some
IL hours after Stevenson had
spoken, Gov. Averell Hartman
Of New York-who had at
tended the big, Democratic
fund raising dinner at which
Stevenson spoke harshly
criticized this attitude of mod
Grafton. He went so far as to
say that moderation had no
place in the Democratic die
tionary. And Gov. G. Mennen
Williams of Michigan, another
potential candidate for the
presidential n omin a ton, a
little later chimed in with the
same kind of criticism of Mr..
Stevenson's speech.
The impression that Ste
venson is the more moderate
even slightly conservative
candidate for the Democratic
presi d entia / nomination
gained further credibility
when Mr.. Stevenson in Cali
fornia expressed a belief that
the enforcement of desegrega-
ton of the public. schools in
the South should proceed
as the Supreme Court indi-
Gated in its decision outlawing
segregated public schools -
with some degree of gradual
ism. Senator Kefauver, also in
California at the time, took
an opposite view, and thereby
Immediately gained support
from Negro leaders in that
State and in other States.
This cleavage of the Negro
leaders and voters was evil
denced in the Minnesota pri-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
Aid for Fire Victims

Not enough can be said in
appreciation of the quick re-
Spouse to the appeal for emer-
gency aid for victims of the
recent apartment house fire
in Southeast Washington
which left 43 families home
less.
The Optimist Club of South
east Washington and the Ran
die Highlands Citizens Asso-
citation wish to thank the
thousands who contributed
cash, clothing, furniture and
shelter. Not all offers of cloth
ing could be accepted, the
response was so great.
We wish also to thank the
Yellow Cab drivers who, on
their own time, collected cloth
ing and cash; the individuals
who stood with collection jars
in hand at neighborhood
stores; the volunteers who
served long and arduous hours
day after day in a cold build
ing processing and handing
out clothing.
We thank, too, the young
lady who, employed on H street
NE, canvassed merchants
there as we'll as her South
east neighbors for contribu-
tons of all kinds: the Boy
Scouts and fraternal groups
and individuals who solicited
from members, friends and
neighbors; the Red Cross.
which is providing immediate
and long range assistance;
radio and television stations
that have made public-service
announcements, and all others
who have had any part, large
or small, in the relief project.
The fire victims have been
overwhelmed by the sympa-
thetic response to their plight.
We assure those who do
mated cash to the Optimist
Club Randle Highlands AS
ISOLATION fund that every
penny will be used to aid
those in need. Our efforts are
being amply rewarded; those
who knew not which way to
turn as they saw their homes
destroyed have begun to smile
again and to plan, and we who
have worked together to make
this possible have made many
new friends.
DIR. Harold Melman,
President, Optimist Club
of Southeast Washing
ton.
Mrs. Edward b. Morris,
President, Randle High
lands Citizens Associa-
ton.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
Blow to DISCIPLINE
(See editorial,
"Police DiScipLine."l

Your editorial of March %.
BLOW to Discipline" relating
to the Commissioners action
in the Meyer case, betrays a
lack of understanding of the
basic problems of discipline in
the Police Department. It
would be unfortunate if the
public were to share this mis-
apprehension.
The administration of the
more serious attractions of dis
cipline in the Police Depart
ment is handled by a system
of police trial boards in which
the officers are brought before
boards of senior officers con-
vened to hear the cases. The
findings made and the SEN
fences imposed by the trial
boards would show you sub
stantial variations in the sem
fences melted out for similar
offenses. This is necessarily so
because the officers are bound
to vote in conscience. and men
of good conscience will vary in
their judgments of the SEN
fences which should be i'm
posed for various offenSes.
The function Of the Com
missioners in reviewing the
cases is to insure that the
essential justice which is the
object of the system is realized
to the extent that human
judgment can achieve it. We
may not increase the severity
of the sentences, but we may
and do reduce those which
appear to be excessive. 1t is
apparent, therefore. that the
general tenor Of discipline in
the department is set by the
police trial boards; and the
Commissioners act only to in
sure an even-handed admin
istration of justice. If they
rubber-stamped every trial
board action they would in
deed be evading their RESPONSE
bilities and submitting a mans
prospect of justice to the
chance of police trial board
composition.
1t is my certain conviction
that the even-handed admin
istration of justice is in fact
essential to the maintenance
of the highest standards of
discipline. The even-handed
administration of justice sup
ports discipline, whereas the
uneven administration through
different boards can UNDER
mine it. This is clearly real
lied in the procedures which
have been established for our
Metropolitan Police Depart
ment.
Those who hold that failure
to approve a police trial board
sentence undermines discipline
fail to make the vital distinc-
ton between the exercise of
command authority and the
administration of justice. The
principle of supporting your
subordinates, right or wrong,
which has great virtue in a
system of command, has no
application and would of
course be intolerable in the
administration of a system of
justice.
I. A. Lane,
Brigadier General, U. S.
Army Engineer Commits
sioner.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
THIS AND THAT
By CHARLES E. TRACEWELL

who liked" geography, when
they went to school, and those
who liked grammar best.
In grade school, they called
writing composition"
There were always those
who could excel in this, right
from the beginning.
And then there were others
who positively couldn't write
three words so the other fellow
could understand what they
were trying to do.
The first 'loved" writing.
The second "hated" it.
Often, though not inyari-
ably, the second sort excelled
at arithmetic. geometry, alge-
bra, even calculus. later.
In most instances, we be-
heve, calculus BECAME the I'M
known quantity Ito the boys
and girls who naturally liked
to write.
After all, the provinces of
writing are two: To entertain,
and to make plain.
You have to entertain first
or you are sunk.
But second comes the power
to make others understand
what you write. These modern
writer's who have to have books
written to explain their books
are basically all wet. They are
writers of curiosa, not good
books.
Mechanically minded peo-
pie may become good readers,
even good writer's, but we
think it an axiom of some sort
to say that literary minded
people will never, never. never
become mathematicians. The
hands of the gods are against
it. Sooner will the desert grow
roses-and sometimes it does
than that the literary minded
people will ever know how to
count except on their fingers.
Writing and reading go to-
gether, and if you didn't like
composition" in school, the
chances are you won't like to
read, later. Maybe it isn't quite
that simple, but the slant is
there.
So check Johnny not only
for reading and writing, but
also for arithmetic, and if he
excels in the last, don't worry
too much about him reading.
He won't lave to!
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-24
liked by Indignation

Mrs. Margaret Butcher. has
used her position as member
of the school board to push
colored and white children into
each others company. To JUS
ify her action, she claims
that segregation has deprived
Negroes of an opportunity to
learn, that Indignation is
cheaper and more efficient,
and that it will bring about an
overall improvement in the
educational picture. All one
has to do. however, to see the
fallacy in these contentious.
is to look at the shocking con-
ditionS of District schools in
the new integrated system.
Time and practice have proven
that indignation is more ex-
pensive, less efficient, and I'M
fair to teachers, parents and
especially children. Where be-
fore some of the children were
behind, now the future educa-
ton of all children is in jeop-
ardy.
Good education does not de-
pend on crisp new books and
polished desks, nor even nee
essarily on small classes. 1t
depends on good teachers and
parents, good human material,
and a will to teach and to
learn, regardless of whether
textbooks may be limp and
dog-eared.
Mrs. Butcher seems con-
cerned only about furtherance
Of indignation, even though it
may bring the entire system
down in shambles.
Everette Severe.