davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-17
CHEVY CHASE, Md.
11Da C;

Lear OH
do you think there is any
use trying to get away from
lightning in a storm?
In my family every one
runs for a darkened place
and remains seated until the
lightning display is over.
Il have heard of people who
wore overShoeS and hid be-
meath the bed. In the coun-
try, in my young days. the
middle of a featherbed was
supposed to be the safest
place in the house.
LAS for me, 1 do not ex-
actly defy the lightning, but
I can say I am not in the
least afraid of it. Do you
think this foolish, should I
be afraid?
Where may one 60 for
shelter, if out in the open? I
have heard that beneath a
tree is a good place.
Sincerely, ]. j. r."
x y
The storm of some days
ago that broke the heat wave
had as vivid a display of
lightning as many have ever
witnessed.
There were constant small
flashes, cut by greater ones
every now and then, though
the thunder was not as loud
as in other storms.
Perhaps it is a good thing
to be afraid of thunder,
which in itself is harmless,
for this takes ones mind off
the real danger, the chance
of a stroke of lightning hit
ting one.
The highest point will be
struck, in most cases.
This means that a man
walking along a road with
fields on both sides will run
a greater chance of being
struck than someone close
to a barn which is higher.
Beneath a tree is a poor
choice, as trees are often
struck, being the highest
things in their immediate
vicinity.
Locust trees are perhaps
more often struck than other
trees; this is another good
reason for getting rid of
them.
1t is a good thing to stay
away from the immediate vi
cinity of electrical devices
and especially when they are
turned on.
The. moral is: Turn them
all off in a storm, even if this
means being in the dark.
1t is helpful to some people
to pull all the blinds down,
so that they will not see the
flashes.
AS for open windows, they
are not to be recommended.
The open door, in a storm
is a passageway for a light
ming bolt.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-17
Arthritis may be, to some

Arthritis may be, 10 some
extent, q brains" disease.
There is a small but def
mite relationship between a
tendency to this Gripping
malady Of middle years. APP
parently now on the increase
in the United States, and IN
telligence. This has been de-
termined by National 1nsti-
tutes Of Health doctors who
have just reported their find
ings to the American Associ-
alton for the Advancement Of
Science. These findings sup
port, to some extent, an old
popular belief. 1t has long
been observed that "gout",
the old name for arthritis.
seemed especially prevalent
among men and women OF
genius in all lines.
Drs. Dewitt Stetten, jr.
and John 2. Hearon Of the
NH Arthritic Institute meas
ured the uric acid in the
blood serum of more than 800
recent Army inductees at
Fort Dix. N. j. The basic in
telligence Of each man pre-
viously had been determined
by standard Army tests given
each recruit. The uric acid in
blood serum is a major symp-
tom accompanying arthritis.
Brainy Ones Acid
1t was found that, in gen.
eral. the acid content in
creased with the intelligence
scores. The investigators
emphasize the "in general. "
1t does not mean that every
body with high uric acid has
a high intelligence but just a
tendency in that direction.
The correlation obtained
with complicated statistical
methods, they report, was low
but significant. 1t doesn't
mean that persons with no
arthritic tendencies may not
be very intelligent or some
arthriticS very dumb. Nobody
need get mad over the report,
they stress.
None of the recruits, all
young men, had any present
signs of actual arthritis. The
disease seldom appears in
younger years.
There are, the expert
mentors point out, two posi-
BILE explanations. One is that
persons who have achieved
success are more apt to eat
richer food, especially pro-
TENS, which in itself would
lead to a piling up of uric
acid. The other is that in
some way this acid in the
blood stimulates the cerebral
cortex of the brain.
The findings would tend to
support. if anything, the
second hypothesis.
They do not indicate, it is
stressed, that all the young
soldiers with high uric acid
will end up as arthritics OF
national leaders, but they
may be a little further or
the way to both ends.
%*
There are attention Gen.
tiers" in the brain.
Finding of small groups Of
grey cells in the hearing
areas Of the cerebral cortex
the top of the brain which il
the organ of consciousness il
all higher animals, which art
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-17
Had Enough

I am sure that I am not
the only reader who is getting
tired of reading letters about
the Capitol architect, the
cornerstone, NIasons. Roman
Catholics and all the pompouS
declarations of the self
appointed authorities and eX-
perts on who can do what.
Arthur H. Hamilton.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-17
Answers to Questions
By THE HASKINS SERVICE

@. At what age should a
child begin to walk?-D. A.
A. Some babies walk long
before Is months of age, and
others not until Is months.
Each child develops at his
own pace. and a child who is
slow to walk or talk is not
necessarily backward"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-17
Americas Miqht

Gov. Hartman is quoted
as stating that Premier
Khrushchev of Russia has
no adequate knowledge or
idea of the power and re-
sources possessed by this
country for war. Germany
might well have refrained
from entering World Wars
I and II if its governing CT
william and military forces had
possessed adequate knowl-
edge of our military poten-
tial. The same was true Of
Japan in World War II.
Russian spies have stolen
our military secrets, but al
though the Russians have in
formation in their possession
it is also true that dictators
tend to listen only to those
things they want to hear.
And military leaders of any
nation contemplating war
present to their leaders fool
proof plans for victory.
This may be happening to
the Russian dictator as 1t
happened to the German
Kaiser'S military leaders. to
Hitler. to MuSSolini and to
the Japanese war lords.
So, reluctantly, I submit
that it might be well to allow
KhruShchev to come over
here and tour our country
and inform himself at first
hand as to our resources and
abilities for waging war or
peace.
1t is possible that We may
avoid war by giving the Rus
sian dictator f1rst-hand in
formation which his people
now withhold from him.
James NJ. Thomson.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-17
LETTERS TO THE STAR

Pen names may be used "
letters carry priterS' correct
names and addresses. All
letters are subject to conden-
Sdtion.
Evening star., 1959-11-21
PenoIizing the Insured

The Virginia Corporation Commits
sion has moved in the right direction in
reducing from Sc to 81 year the fee
assessed against insured motorists to
guarantee them protection against un-
insured drivers. The original assessment
was regarded as necessary to build up
a revolving fund to reimburse insurance
companies for providing the protection.
Now that the fund is we'll established,
however, the entire cost of continuing
the program should be borne by unin-
sured drivers-through extra license tag
fees.
Under the States recently adopted
driver protection law, car owner who
does not take out liability insurance
must pay SIS fee before he can obtain
license tags at the regular price. The
commission let this extra assessment
stand at the current level. But sponsors
of the law have said that it was their
intent-and that of the LegiSlature-to
eliminate the fee altogether as far as
insured drivers were concerned, once
the nucleus of revolving fund was
obtained. Several legislators have prom
iSed to seek an amendment of the
law to shift the whole burden of
the program onto uninsured motorists.
The proposal is logical and fair to all
concerned.
Evening star., 1959-11-21
Mikoyon in Mexico

In connection with the big Soviet
trade exhibition that has Just opened
there, First Deputy Premier AnaStas
Mikoyan is in Mexico now on Today
tour obviously designed to win friends
and influence people. AS he demon
Strated when he visited our country last
January, he is perSonable and highly
competent salesman Of the Kremlin's
line, which at present is largely an echo
of Premier KhruShchev's ideas on relax
ing tensions and promoting peaceful
coexistence through international COM
merce and general disarmament.
From the Soviet point of view, Mr..
Mikoyan can be counted upon to do
good propaganda job, and he may also
manage to work out some kind of trade
agreement with the government of Pres
ident Lopez MateoS 1t may be assumed,
in any case, that his major objective is
to make a favorable impression on the
Mexican people and thus carry out
useful public-relationS mission for the
Kremlin. This is in accord with policy
Moscow has been following for some
years past throughout Latin America.
In and of itself, of course, there Is
nothing illegitimate about it, but we
nevertheless hope that all our friends
to the south will react to it with proper
caution and reserve.
Evening star., 1959-11-21
A Compliment

I would like to compliment
The Star on the high !caliber
of reporting and writing
which I have observed.
I have noted particularly
the features of Roberta
Hornig in the Women'S Sec
ton. Her recent article on
Sister Ann Elizabeth Of Dun
barton College and the report
Of teen-agers' opinions at the
recent YWCA gathering in
Washington seemed to me to
present information of def
mite educational value. Arti-
cles of this kind help to Offset
the negative effects of such
incidents as the current TV
scandals and the recent COM
plications in the world of
labor relations.
Sister Teresa AlOySe, S.P.,
Dean. Immaculate Junior
College.
Evening star., 1959-11-21
Man of Faith

The Rev. Andrew Reid Bird, who
died on Thursday, was a man whose
great energy, faith and dedication to
purpose enabled him to make others
snare vision and bring it into being.
When he came to Washington in 1910
as the young pastor of the Church of
the Pilgrims, at the northwest corner of
Twenty second and P streets Northwest.
the building which housed it provided
little more than temporary shelter for
a small congregation. So it remained
for number of years. But DR.. Bird used
those years, beginning in 1919, to visit
and address PreSbyterians all over the
country, telling them Of the need for a
church in Washington-"a city set on a
hill among nations"-that would stand
In the Capital of the Nation as symbol
of their faith. He accomplished almost
alone, what had seemed an impossible
mission. Some eight years later there
were ground breaking ceremonies and
the construction of the Singularly beau
tiful church we know today was begun.
Many people who knew him will think of
DR.. Bird when they look at the church
he built. There are among them those
who will remember, not the church he
left, but the little church he found when
he came to Washington nearly so years
ago.
Evening star., 1959-11-21
loaded Complaint

=. 1t is difficult from the SidelineS to
find Justification for the charge by
David Mcdonald, president of the steel
workers union, that the industry is ''in-
SiSting upon one-Sided and unfair
arbitration" designed to give it unilat-
eral power to eliminate jobs and employe
benefits. ,
In its latest offer, promptly rejected
by the union, the industry has made this
proposal for resolving the controversial
issue over work rules: That labor and
management join In setting up a two
man committee to study and recommend
on what, if any" changes should be
made in the work rules. The committee
likewise would consider the matter of
retraining and transferring to other Jobs
any employees affected. If, by next
June 80, the committee should fail to
agree, or If either management or union
should reject committee recommended
tioRS, the question would be placed
before three-man arbitration panel.
Ahe panel would be made up of a repre-
sentative of each side, plus a third
member chosen by the other two. This
group would have the power to hand
down binding decisions by next Sep
tember 80
! There is nothing in this formula
that implies loaded arbitration" as Mr..
Mcdonald has claimed. 1t is, at the
most, a proposal to review, and only
possibly to up-date, working rules that
were last studied in somewhat similar
fashion more than seven years ago. It is
induStryS basic contention that the up-
pating Is desirable for improvement of
efflciency and elimination of waste in
steel making operations that have
changed with the years. If an impar-
fial panel should find to the contrary,
tts decision would be binding upon the
tnduStry-aS we'll as upon labor.
In any case, If some resolution to
fhiS impaSse is not found before the
present SO-day period of grace expires
tnflate January, and If the, strike is
then resumed, the Congress win be under
heavy pressure to enact legislation de-
signed to prevent long, industry-wide
s4fatdowns of potential damage to the
Nation. Such a result is unlikely to
benefit labor, in steel or elsewhere.
Evening star., 1959-11-21
Meony and the President

On November IL Star editorial,
commenting on the outrageous abuse of
the President of the United States
which had marked the meeting of the
AFL-C1O Industrial Union Department,
included President George Meany among
those who had contributed their full
share of vituperation" in connection
with the steel strike injunction.
We grant that there was the impli-
cation in the editorial that Mr.. Meany
had Joined in the attack on the President.
Mr.. Meany did not take part in any
criticism of the President, although he
Criticized by name others whom he held
responsible for the slave labor law"
"the architects of our ruin" and the
"intolerable situation"
Mr.. Meany tells us he has "a high
personal regard for the President of the
United States as an individual. Over and
Evening star., 1959-11-21
Mr.. McCone's Wornino

As a result of his recent visit to
Soviet nuclear installations, Chairman
McCone of the Atomic Energy Commits
sion Is convinced that the United States
If 1t is not to become technologically
and economically inferior to the USSR
must work out methods of marShaling
its scientific and technical talents for
concentrated, top priority work on
projects of overriding significance.
The Russians, according to Mr.
-McCone, are exceptionally adept at such
work. Thus, as he recently declared
here at the annual meeting of the
Atomic Industrial Forum, they are able
to organize themselves in a way that
permits them to focus "all necessary
effort q. on a particular objective to
produce an end result in a minimum
time period" BY way of example,
they have built in 10 months a giant
controlled thermonuclear experimental
machine that would have taken us at
least two years to bring into being under
our present modes of operation.
Why is this so? Well, as Mr.. McCone
explained to a news conference not long
ago, There is something inherent in our
democratic processes :. that naturally
slows things. =. AS you know, there is a
tedious process of developing program,
receiving approval at the various levels
of the executive departments of the
Government, the budgetary process, and
finally the legislative process; and then
the administration of the work after 1t
has been authorized" All this, in Mr..
McCone'S words, is time consuming, and
so the challenge we face is to learn how
to speed up our work in vital areas with
out undermining our free way Of life.
This challenge must be met. At any
rate, as Mr.. McCone has warned the
Atomic Industrial Forum, eff we are to
continue our leadership in the atomic
field and, indeed, If we are to match the
SovietS in other scientific areas, we must
find ways to match their facility to con-
tant undertakings even at the expense
Of projects of lesser Importance. This
we did with great success in the last war.
Let no one mistake that decisive strug-
gle of quite different nature is going on
right now. We must adopt some of the
same PHILOSOPHERS of our wartime prac-
ticeS If we are to win the contest for
chronological and economic superiority.
E. =. If we do less, our position Of leader
ship soon will fade away"
These are Sobering words, and they
need to be taken to heart by all Amer
leans. True, what Mr.. McCone proposes
cannot be put into effect very easily in
democracy like ours, but our experience
with top-priority production in the
Second World War indicates that the
necessary changes can be made without
endangering freedom. Certainly, If they
are not made, we are likely in due course
to find ourselves in real trouble as
Nation.
Evening star., 1959-11-21
City Freewoys

I heartily agree with the
recent statement of policy
on the part of Commissioner
Alvin yelling on the propo-
sition of building faster
highways and freeways into
the city.
Yes, the multitude make
their living in the District
but pull out for the suburbs
leaving the welfare of the
city to go to pot as far as
they are concerned.
I pay income taxes in the
District and also the many
other penny taxes but I don't
think my money should be
spent to get a couple of hun
dred thousand commuters in
and out of the city where
they do not elect to live but
work here. My hat is off to
Gen. yelling for his firm
stand and / hope he wins out.
Let's do something for the
District-for instance, two or
three underground routes to
get downtown a little quicker
and back the same way.
T. F. Mccarthy.
Evening star., 1959-11-21
Immunity

I was interested in the
editorial in which you explain
and apparently indorse. along
with the State Department,
the custom of diplomatic i'm
munity. Under this so-called
doctrine of extraterritoriality,
you say, an accredited repre-
sentative of a foreign power.
or, If he so elects, any relative
Of his or any employe. is i'm
mune from prosecution for
the violation of local laws.
Does this mean that Soviet
Russia could assign an as
Sassin to its embassy here, or
hire one for that matter. and
free from prosecution take a
pot shot at our President or
Vice President, or. If you pre-
fer the editor of The Star? Or
perhaps kill some refugee
with good enough sense to
have left Stalin's version of
Mother Russia for the good
old United States of America?
That's practically what
happened a while ago in
Mexico where an agent of the
Soviet Union, as explained in
Isaac Don Levine's faScinat-
ing book, "The Mind of an
Assassin" plunged an ice axe
into the skull of Leon Trot-
sky. The assassin went to
Jail in Mexico Che wouldn't
admit he was working for
Stain, though it's all clear
now, but here in the United
StateS-under diplomatic i'm
munity, as you explain it
he could do the same thing.
come clean about his job, go
scot free, and fly home to
Khrushchev a hero in jet
plane, yes?
Peter Vischer.
Port Tobacco, Md.
Editors note: Trotsky's
assassin was not entitled to
nor did he claim diplomatic
immunity, nor would he have
been any more immune in
the United States to arrest
and punishment than he was
in MexicoO
Evening star., 1959-11-21
Tribute to Schools

I believe that DR.. Hansen
is justified in his statement
recently that the District
school system is becoming a
Showcase" In his call to
teachers to stress facts and
thinking, I would say that
the teachers my boys have
had have done and are doing
this as well as the hundred
and one other things they are
daily called upon to do thor
oughly and efi1ciently.
! think that when a 6-year-
old can read and understand
a newspaper TV program;
when q 9-year-old has a
reading and speaking vo-
cabulary sufficient to read
and understand rather tech
nical books about, for in
stance, the FBI, the missiles,
the armed services, and news
paper items he is interested
in: when there is a special
speech teacher available once
q week who really does cor
rect speech defects; when
there is a fine music program,
though limited; when chill
dren, especially boys, really
do like school and their
teachers take time to confer
with parents and definitely
help them help their chill
dren; such a system and its
teachers are doing an out
standing professional educat-
ing job.
I do not say that there
is no room for improvement.
In our other schools, for in
stance, there was one which
had a very fine hot lunch
available to everyone at a
moderate cost, with a varied
and excellent menu every day.
The other school had a won-
derful system for teaching a
foreign language starting in
the first grade. But these
instances. in those schools.
were emphasized at the cost
of the more basic learning,
] thought. l think, too, that
in q city like Washington,
practically surrounded by
water. the school system
should teach its children to
swim as part of the school
program, as some similarly
situated cities do.
But, comparatively, I sin
cerely believe that the Dis
trict is giving its children a
very fine foundation in the
basicS of reading, writing and
arithmetic. as well as in the
further elements so neceS-
sary nowadays, that were
not considered part of school
when we parents we're chill
dren.
Mrs. George J. GinOvSky.
Evening star., 1959-11-21
Israel and the Arabs

Re William Harrison's ar
ticle Israel Reckons With
the Illogical" in the Evening
Star of November Is, I see
nothing illogical in the seeth-
ing hatred with which the
Arabs are imbued, insofar
as Israel is concerned. BY
this time, most intelligent
people should be familiar
with the gross injustices
pelpetrated by the Jews
against the Arabs during and
since the creation of Israel.
The Arabs would be less than
human if they did not bit
terly resent being robbed of
their country (Palestine) and
driven across its borders.
Yet Mr.. Harrison presents a
picture of meek reasonable
ness, insofar as the ISraelis
are concerned. All they ask
is that the Arabs accept
a fait accomplished that
the nearly one million Arab
refugees still cluttering up
Israel's borders find them
selves a new country and a
new life. Meantime, with the
help of hundreds of mil
lions of dollars annually
(some from the United States
Foreign Aid Program, most
from American Jewry) Israel
is forging ahead. The fact
that basically the Jews are
moving ahead on stolen
property is nowhere men,
toned in Mr.. HarriSon's arti-
Gle.
Having lived in the Mid
die East a number of years,
I take further issue with an
other aspect of Mr.. Harrisonrs
article. In spite of their in
ability to unite, or work out
a permanent policy of mutual
assistance, the Arabs are
united in their fear and
hatred of the Israelis, whom
they suspect of ever-increas-
ing expanisonism at the ex-
Evening star., 1959-11-21
Wary of Summit

The first four summit
conferences - Teheran, De-
cember le43; Yalta, January
1915; Potsdam, July 1945;
Geneva, July 1855 (the first
three Of which I attended as
chief adviser to Admiral
King)-providing. as they
did, green lights for Com
munist aggressive expansion,
played an important part in
extending Communist en-
slavement over one-third
of the world. Hundreds
of millions of mute and
hopeless victims are now
being forced to watch the
immurement of new victims
by new submits" With each
new retreat from freedom,
they are forced to bow lower
to a future of unending
servitude-in the Battles. in
Poland and the other Mid
Europe satellites, in Main
land China, North Korea,
North 1ndo- China.
The summit conference de-
manded under threat by
KhruShchev should not be
accepted until there is set
up concrete action. protected
by irrevocable sanctions, for
the conduct of free elections
throughout East and West
Germany.
Deferment of a summit
meeting by De Gaulle ap-
pears now to be reinforced
by President Esenhowers
visit, in the interests Of the
United States, to nine ma
tions, nations either on our
side or technically neutral.
There are other visits open
to the President of the
United States that could
prove Of benefit, rather than
a probable defeat by an un-
sanctioned repeat of the four
summit meetings that took
place from l943 to 1855.
Charles M. Cooke.
Admiral US. Navy (Retired)