davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
Man and Little Benjamin

The story Of little Benjamin Hooper,
jr., makes people look good. He Is only
a small boy, just another young bundle
OF life in world that teens with count
less such bundles. Yet how large he has
loomed in the consciousness Of all Of u.s.
What great numbers Of fellow human
beings have shared with his parents some
measure Of their long ordeal Of desperate,
prayerful waiting-and some measure,
too, Of their Joy and thanksgiving over
the news Of his rescue from the WELL
This is a story that embraces far more
than the Hooper family. It illustrates,
as few events have done in long time,
how the family Of mankind as a whole has
heart full of basic goodness, full of COM
passion for the stricken, full of tender
feelings toward the young, full of spirit
that holds life to be precious even among
the least and most obscure Of lives. Ger
tainly this kind of heart is not peculiar
to any one nation or people. It exists
everywhere in the world, both In the in
dividual and in the mass-among the
Russians, for example, as we'll as among
ourselves. It is what makes humanity
humanity.
So in world where mans inhuman-
ity to man has been notorious, a world
that sometimes seems incurably Injured
to violence and almost cavalier in its
attitude toward the threat Of nuclear war,
man himself still has good reason to look
to his future with hope and confidence.
For there is clearly something fundamen-
tally fine in his heart, something change
less and enduring, and as long as he has
this, as long as he responds as he does
to stories like that Of little Benjamin, he
will have what it takes to bring on that
age when all nations will live in peace as
brothers.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
Worth the Trouble

The success which the new Domestic
Relations Branch of Municipal Court has
had in bringing feuding husbands and
wives together proves the value Of special
judicial attention to such family litiga-
ton. Under the old system divorce and
other domestic cases were
thrown into the mill with the other civil
litigation and could be given only routine
consideration by the Judges But expert
ence in other cities had shown that some
of the disputes could be settled without
the issuance Of court DEGREES, provided
the courts we're willing and authorized
to make efforts toward reconciliation of
the disputants.
That finding was the basis for crea-
ton Of the special family court here, with
three judges assigned to specialize in the
difflcult considerations field. Judge
Godfrey L. Munter has reported that the
plan is working well, although 1t has been
tried only short time In pre-trial con-
ferences the judges have discussed with
the warning couples the issues involved
In their cases and have been rewarded
In number Of instances with agreements
that have prevented the breaking up Of
families Judge Munter said such agree
ments are reached In one out Of 10 or
IS cases. Certainly the saving of even a
few families from the tragedy Of wrecked
homes is we'll worth the time and effort
which the judges are devoting to this
acknowledgement
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
Missile Breokthrouoh?

Although offlcial information from
the Pentagon has been both guarded and
scarce, significant breakthrough in the
development of an operational ballistic
missile may have taken place in Florida
recently.
Returning from the Patrick Air Force
Base, Defense Secretary Wilson told cor
respondents that he had witnessed the
launching Of a missile few days earlier.
While he declined further direct ex-
PLANTATION at that time, his answers to
additional questions implied that the
launching was successful one and that
the missile probably was a big one"
Later, the Associated Press quoted Eau
thoritative offlcials" at the Pentagon as
saying the experiment involved a COM
pleted weapon-the Army-developed Ju-
piter, an MISUNDERSTANDING ballistic
missile designed to travel up to $500
miles In this case, it was indicated, the
Jupiter had travelled approximately 600
miles, that its launching and flight were
without mishap and, perhaps most signi-
ficant Of all, that the weapon achieved a
satisfactory degree Of accuracy" II this
40 NOA1CNte ~ AAoA NO t4LC tlIIlS JIl6b al
American ballistic weapon, equipped with
a dummy warhead, has registered this
level Of successful performance. A week
earlier, an experimental launching Of
the Air Force Thor, a missile Of range
and characteristics comparable to the
Jupiter, had ended unsuccessfully when
the missile veered of course and was
deliberately destroyed by control officers.
In the background Of these rival
Army-Air Force developments In the
IRBM field is juriSdictional order by the
Defense Department giving to the Air
Force operational control of intermediate
and long range missiles and restricting
Army responsibility to missiles with a
range up to 200 miles. When the order
was issued late last year, however, Secre-
tary Wilson authorized the Army to con-
tinue its research and tests with the Ju-
piter. Current results on the Jupiter
Thor tests are not, of course, final an
swer on which may prove the better
weapon. 1t is gratifying, however, II one
Of them has reached the effective opera
tional stage reported in this instance.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
President Wages Honest Budget Fiqht

1t Is easy to understand that,
following the Presidents strong,
clear and convincing speech in
support Of his budget there
should be q full-scale attack
upon him all along the line. This
will be continued after his Sec
ond speech on the same subject
next Tuesday night.
OF course. those who expected
anything else will be disap-
pointed but they should not be
discouraged. They should realize
that there was nothing else for
him to do. He could not make q
political appeal to Congress be-
cause. politically. Congress, in
both branches. has a majority
against him. Nor has he COM
plete support from his own
party. A number Of Republicans
in House and Senate want to do
things to the budget Of which
Mr.. Eisenhower does not approve
and which he considers imperil
the national security. This he
made plain In his recent speech
and will lay more stress on next
week.
Barrage Won't Let IN
However. nothing will lessen
the ferocity Of the present bar
rage. In this he is accused Of
having delayed his appeal un-
til it Is too late; Of having
made contradictory statements
about the budget; Of having
failed to utilize his political
power and patronage by put
ting pressure on q reluctant
Congress: Of having permitted
misrepres entations Of his
Judiciary position and his
purpose to becloud the public
mind; Of having done Q num-
Der Of other things which he
should not have done and
neglected to do q number, Of
others which he should have
done.
Despite the wave Of criti-
cism that has followed the
Eisenhower speech 1t Is inter-
esting to note that practically
all Of it has come from Jour-
nalistic and political figures all
Of whom were opposed to him
both in the 1852 and the 1856
campaigns. Mostly it has come
from the New Deal press
agents and political profess
SIGNALS whose bitterness is
largely based on the utter
falsity which has accompanied
wishful demonstrations con-
corning the Eisenhower health.
In both the strength Of his
voice and the vitality Of his
general appearance, the Presi-
dent made the gloomy fore
casts Of his alleged inability to
bear the heavy physical bur-
den Of the presidency ridicu-
lous.
The most interesting feature
Of the Eisenhower address was
its complete sincerity. His
words and his manner Of de-
livery both carried, as they
always have. complete convic-
ton. Here was q man who
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19

scorns to demagogue; who
made no retort to the smart
aleck attacks made on him
and his program; who refused
to reply In kind to the petty
and personal smears made BY
his adversaries. particularly
those Of the type Of Chairman
Paul Butler Of the Democratic
National Committee. What
else, say his friends, could one
expect from men Of this
caliber? Yet, the President
made no personal reply in his
first speech. Nor will he in his
next. On the contrary, he
recognizes that while politics
and partisanship saturate q
good many Of these assaults,
some Of them come from men
Of character and courage such
as Senator Harry Byrd Of Vir.
GINA and Senator Lyndon
johnson Of Texas, the Demo-
cratic leader Of the Senate.
No Partisan Motive /.
For these he has a feeling of
personal friendship. For these he
recognizes honest differences Of
opinion on the whole character
Of the budget. Also. he recog-
nizes that however they may
have personally voted he could
not have carried either Virginia
or Texas but for their sympa.
thetic support. No one questions
the integrity or courage Of either
Of these two Eisenhower OPP
ponents. And, Of course. no one
questions the qualifications Of
Senator Byrd to speak as an au-
thority. For nearly 20 years Of
his fight for reduction in govern
mental expenses, Senator Byrd
has found hostility from the
Democratic Presidents in the
White House. It seems too bad
that now with q President whom
he personally likes and who likes
him, they should not be In more
complete accord on the great
problems Of Federal finances.
However, there Is one thing
to be said about this budget
battle between the President
and Congress: Not his Bit
terest and most reckless OPP
ponent. inside Congress or out.
is able to accuse him Of any
selfish. personal or partisan
motive In what he proposes.
He is not q candidate for re-
nomination, debaWed by law
from running again. Nor has
he any candidate to whose
interests he Is committed. In
brief, there Is no conceivable
selfish reason behind any Of
his proposals. No one among
his critics, in or out of his
party, has been able to un-
cover one. He has been de-
tected in no unworthy act or
underground activity to adj
vance either his own finances
or those Of any member Of
his family. Undoubtedly he is
the most sincere and wholly
truthful man we have had in
the White House in a long
time.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
LETTERS TO THE STAR

the customer has to chase from
place to place to find what he
wants. It's almost like shop
ping in New York City-there
are plenty Of places to shop,
but 1t takes all day to make a
satisfactory purchase.
Is this growing business
helping the community? I
should like to know how. Does
the community want It? What
can the taxpayer do to con-
troll It?
A few parks would be a
relief, but most Of all, know
ing that our neighborhood is
not threatening to become
slums would give us all great
peace Of mind.
Mrs. Marie Sarchin.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19

essay on "The Goat" he says.
Their moral karakters are
not polished-they had rather
steal a rotten turnip out of
a garbage box than to cum
honestly by a PEEK ov oats"
Many Of today'S pathetic at
tempts to get a laugh are but
symptoms Of the moral sag of
the l950s as men and alas
often women assume that 1t is
a greater accomplishment to
be clever than to be clean.
Joe E. Brown Is both clever
and clean. In his Laughter
Is a Wonderful Thing" we
see him during World War II,
his own heart aching because
Of the loss Of a son. actually
sharing in planes the dangers
Of the Pacific area that he
might bring that wonderful
thing" to our American boys,
crusaders in a great cause.
Often he stood on a makeshift
platform Of boxes. waiting for
his audience to return from q
bombing mission - brushes
with death itself. Often he
found himself asking, What
comedy can you offer men at
such a moment" He kept
thinking prayer would be bet
ter than comedy, then some
thing inside would whisper
the reply. They can and do
take care Of the prayer-that's
their business - comedy is
yours" He knew as he gazed
at their young. dirty, strained
faces how much they needed
to laugh. More than once as
many as 1000 Of them sat in
the rain an hour or two watt
ing for the show to begin.
After Joe had poured out his
very life for them. they yelled
his name until "the very stars
in the sky must have heard
it." The one who brought
such refreshing merriment to
the men Of the armed services
says. "Humor to Americans is
daily bread. They've got to
have 1t. II they haven't got
1t. they make 1t up-not very
good humor always. Under
such circumstances humor may
seek q low level, like every
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19

thing else. used too much,
Jokes get dirty. and when Jokes
get dirty. everything else gets
dirty"
One day. in New Guinea, he
faced $500 kids" as he calls
them. They were handy to
their planes in case of trouble.
but they were starved for fun.
Under alien skies he gave
them that day all he had, but
they would not let him stop.
They screamed for more, then
someone on the edge Of the
crowd shouted. Hey, Joe, tell
us some dirty stories" AS he
stood there in a strange 81
lence he records you could feel
that crowd so far from home,
wondering what he would do.
But let him tell it: Then !
forgot I was a comedian, and
I talked to them Just the way
I'd have said it to my own
sons" In its effect he then
made one Of the greatest
speeches Of the war. Here it
is. Listen kids. I've been on
the stage since / was 10 years
old. I've told all kinds of jokes
to all kinds Of people. I've been
in little theaters and big thea
tiers. I've made SIS motion pic
lures. One thing I've been
proud about. in all that time
I've never had to tell a dirty
story to get a laugh" Then
came the thunder of applause.
the noisiest gale Of handicap
ping he'd ever heard anywhere.
and even the fellow who'd
asked for the dirty story
Joined heartily in the APP
plause.
That was a shot for decency
and cleanness heard round
the world. 1t proved to be an
inspiring example that good
ness is even more contagious
than evil. Cardinal Spellman
testifles that within two weeks
he heard Of it thousands of
miles away in North Africa.
Ten chaplains in widely sepa-
rated areas wrote Of the effect
Of Joe E. Browns wholesome
stand. Letters began to pour
in to the clean comedian who
would not lower the white nag
Of his ideals. The letters were
from boys and from parents
and they were winged with
appreciation and admiration
for "a little guy with a big
mouth"-who was really a big
person with a clean mouth
and a pure heart who knew
that a dirty story is but the
screen on which the debauch-
cries Of the inner life are pro-
jected.
There is nothing else to say
in the cleansing presence Of
that New Guinea speech, but
to be grateful for the purify
ing salt Of life full Of laughter
undefiled. Such a ministry Of
pure fun. clean as a hounds
tooth, belongs in the category
Of distinguished service as rec
ognized by Interfaith repre-
sentativeS. For here for youth
and for all is a worthy exem-
plar whose strength is as the
strength Of 10 because his
heart is pure and his words
are clean.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
SPIRES OF THE SPIRIT
Funny and Clean

By DIR. FREDERICK BROWN HARRIS
Chaplain Of the United States Senate

At that level, many a per-
son. adult in years only. has
giggled life away to extinction.
The lowered standards of
many Of today's so-called
laugh-artists. including the
ordinary stag-party variety
are suggested by a sentence
from Josh Billings" In his
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19

"A merry heart doeth good
: like medicine" Is q Biblical
assertion packed with the
laughter Of many centuries. A
greatly beloved doctor of mer-
riment medicine Is Joe E.
Brown. who. during the bitter
years Of this century has
brought more smiles to more
faces than perhaps any other
man now living. No wonder he
takes as the title Of his auto
biography. Laughter Is a
Wonderful Thing" Recently,
as an honored guest at a sig
nificant occasion in the Cap
ital. attended by a galaxy Of
notables. he had been sum-
moned from 5000 miles away
to receive an award from an.
organization representing a
cause dear to his heart-the
Interfaith Movement. The
spacious banquet hall rang
with approval as Jewish. Cath
Ole and Protestant leaders
warmly applauded as this IA
miliar figure With the trade
mark Of a cavernous mouth
and q big heart to match was
presented with the following
citation, ITO Joe E. Brown in
appreciation Of his outstand-
ing contribution to the welfare
and happiness Of all people
through wholesome profess
sional performance on stage
and screen, thereby contrib
uting to better human rela-
tons and advancing the prin-
ciples Of interfaith." One word
in that deserved tribute blazes
like q bouquet Of diamonds
WHOLESOME.
In q fabulous show career
covering 81 Of his 81 years. by
passing school, Joe grew up
through vaudeville. burlesque
and Broadway shows to be-
come a Hollywood star with
an income of 100000 a
year. Through it all he
has ever been an apostle Of
the clean. With an inherent
decency he early resolved
never to tell any joke or story
he would hesitate to tell his
mother. He has Stunned any
association with the prevalent
purveyors Of smut whose
motto is anything for a
laugh" Many moderns who
deal In shady quips and sala-
cious anecdotes in which they
attempt to wrap merriment
feel that they must be funny
at all costs--even II the price
Of laugh is to trail the sacred
things Of life in the filth Of
irreverence. Joe E. Brown has
avoided and detested the gut
tiers Of the mind and the cess
pools Of imagination. He
would say Amen" to the re-
mark of a well-known news
paper columnist as. cycling
with disgust those who in our
day substitute humor for
honor. he declares that what
is pompously brought forth as
a new psychology Of sex is
simply parading things which
are common obscenities dis
cussed back Of barns and
fences by schoolboys in every
generation.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19

own business, Mr.. Hughes! OF course the
Loeb Ness monster exists, and nobody
should be permitted to disturb him with
literal minded debunking expeditions.
Certainly, mysterious and elusive as he
may sometimes seem to be, he is a good
fellow whose presence in our world makes
everything a bit brighter than it would
otherwise be.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19

Would you publish the loca-
tons Of the hills which Dick
Mansfield listed in his cartoon
recently2 Being native WASH
ingtonians. my husband and !
would like to be sure. We re-
member some Of them but not
all. We've been around since
Seventh street and Florida
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
FIFTY YEARS AGO IN THE STAR

lying ct anchor in the harbor
of the foot Of 9th street. Un-
announced, the little craft and
her navigator slipped into port
Monday evening and dropped
anchor among the pleasure
craft that dot the upper end
Of the harbor. The cabin of
the little craft is filled with
marine curiosities Of all kinds.
gathered on a voyage to and
from the West Indies, which
has Just ended in this port.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19


century ago. who couldn't
seem to feel that the automo-
bile was here to stay. An adj
vertiser in The Star-H. H.
Babcock Co., of Fayette and
Hanover streets. Baltimore -.
pictured on May 10, 1907. a
handsome surrey, complete
with fringe on top. and ad-
vised: "All goods delivered to
the stables in Washington, no
trouble or cost in transporta-
ton. Five hundred finished
vehicles in our repository to
select from. Three hours will
bring you to Baltimore,
through our show rooms and
back to Washington" The
Michigan Buggy Company, on
the same page. was advertising
Pony Rigs for Boys and Girls"
guaranteed comfortable.
Massacre
A hint Of the reasons for I'M
rest in Russia so years ago
was given in a small front
page item in The Star on May
II, 1907. On that day, in a
dispatch from LODI IN Russian
Poland. The Star reported:
"Forty-five officials and work.
men of Kuttner's spinning
mills were shot down this
morning by a patrol of Co.'S
sacks because a band Of ter
rorists attacked Q mail wagon
in the neighborhood. killing q
Cossack guard and wounding
another Cossack and two post
office officials. A moment
later. a patrol Of CoSsacks ar
rived on the scene and. in
furiated by the fate Of their
comrades. rushed into the
Kuttner factory, which was
near the spot where the rob-
berry occurred. and began firing
Unfortunately. killing fifteen
and wounding over thirty per-
sons. The greatest indignation
prevails here, as 1t Is claimed
that the employees Of the fac
tory had nothing to do with
the attack on the mail wagon"
Memorials
The number Of monuments
and memorials in Washington
was growing rapidly q half q
century ago. On May Is, 1907.
The Star reported: Several
monuments are to be erected
in Washington during the next
few years. A committee ap-
pointed for that purpose Is
trying to agree upon q design
for an equestrian statue Of
Sheridan; the money has been
raised for statues to John
Witherspoon and Henry w.
Longfellow; a monument to
Baron Steuben is to occupy the
northeastern corner Of La
fayette square, and on the
closing night Of the late ses-
sion Of Congress an appropria-
ton Of 100000 was made for
a memorial to Christopher CO.
lumbuS. )"
individual
A sea captain who believed
In going-it-alone arrived at
Washington's piers so years
ago. Recording the event on
May l6, 1907. The Star said:
Capt. Joshua Slocum, the
navigator. and his little yawl,
the Spray Of Boston, aboard
which alone he navigated the
globe. going around Cape
Horn in heavy squalls. are
both In port here. the ves1l
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
Boxes

Citizens OF so years ago In
Washington recognized the
value of beautiful streets. On
May l6. 1907, The Star re-
ported: "At the May meeting
Of the Committee on Street
Decorations and Civic I'm
provement, held recently in
its rooms, l704 @ street north
west, the subject Of aiding in
the floral Identification of the
side streets Of the city was
discussed and developed the
fact that window boxes. when
properly constructed, make
the most effective improve
ment and decoration. A GER
tain section was cited as an
example. showing that with
proper guidance along such
lines the people are willing to
help in identifying their part
of the city. If all citizens in
the different sections Of the
city will continue the work.
even If they do nothing more
than dress UP their lawns with
plants and flowers. or fresh
sod where worn places show
a lack Of care, the committee
believes a great deal will be
accomplished. :"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
Stroke

StUVNC
The Nation had bad news
out Of Canton, Ohio, q half a
century ago. On May %, 1907.
The Star reported in a story
from that city: Mrs. Nc
Kinley has suffered q stroke Of
paralysis, and the attending
physician. DR.. o. E. Portman.
said this afternoon that she is
unconscious and there Is no
hope Of recovery. A message
was sent to Surgeon General
Rixey in Washington this
afternoon asking that he come
here If possible. Admiral Rixey
was the physician Of the late
President Mckinley and at
tended Mrs. Mckinley during
her last serious illness after
the trip Of President and Mrs.
Mckinley to California, and is
thought to understand well the
treatment necessary for her.
A consultation Of local ply
sicians is called for this after
noon at the Mckinley home to
determine what treatment is
to be resorted to in O hope Of
saving her life. :"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-05-19
Wild West

Washington was looking for
ward to q treat so years ago.
On May Is. 1907, The Star
reported: THE FIRST delega-
ton of Buffalo Bills Wild
West Advertising forces
reached Washington Saturday
and have billed the city for
Col. Cody's exhibition dates,
May 81, June /. The Wild
West win exhibit twice daily
on the usual show grounds at
18th and H streets northeast.
The show comes here from
Baltimore. +. :" ,