davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1960-07-01
Traffic Hazards

IN N% NB ~ -
What price life today?
Life is cheap-cheaper than
at any time in our history.
Kill somebody with your car
or kill two or three-maim
somebody-what will happen
to you? Almost nothing-a
little inconvenience.
We are back in the jungle,
where life depended on es-
Gaping the death dealers
ready to pounce on you.
Why don't we punish the
killers and manners? Be-
cause we all drive cars-we
might do it to somebody, and
we as highly respectable citi-
zens certainly would not want
to be sentenced to Jail for
killing or manning somebody
purely by accident, of
course. We were just in a
hurry, or we had a little
drink, or we-didn't see him!
We wouldn't have killed him
for anything. We feel ter
ribly about it. We're COM
pletely innocent of inten-
tional wrongdoing. 1t is a
shame if his parents hearts
are broken, or if his children
are left fatherless.
But don't punish us! Es-
pecially if we are young, with
our lives ahead of us. The
people we killed are dead
nothing can be done about
that-and they don't have
lives ahead of them, like us.
A Driver and Pedestrian.
* X Il
Recently I was nearly
struck by a speeding car
while crossing an intersec-
ton. A friend told me the
same thing happened to her
not too long ago. And final
ly another friend, one of the
grandest persons in existence,
had a similar experience.
Only she was not so lucky
as we were, she lost her life.
We had never seen her with
out a smile. 1t was wiped
from her face forever by the
usual speeding car. Unable
to sleep, as were the dozens
who mourn her, I got up and
wrote these lines to the un-
thinking drivers who like to
speed, in the hope that they
might make a few stops and
remember before pressing
their foot down on the pedal!
Driver, when you start to
speed, just give a moments
thought
To what the cost may be, the
tragedy that speed has
brought
Into the lives of people
loved ones snatched away
or doomed
To lives of helpleSSneSs and
pain because a car has
loomed
Before them going much too
fast.
You wouldn't hurt a f1y-but
once behind a steering wheel
Become a different guy:
politeness, courtesy are out,
You want to zoom ahead!
Remember, h ou g h, that
speed can leave
Yourself or others dead!
F. B.
y + X y
Automobiles and other We
hicles are required in New
York to stop at the first in
tersection when a red traffic
signal flashes, regardless of
the distance from which it
is being approached. Wash
ington could well observe this
regulation but drivers care
less for rubber, brakes and
general wear and tear, etc.
In New York pedestrians
and cross-traffic are given a
break, at every cross street,
without fear for life, limb or
health. Speedway traffic has
been encouraged to Sixteenth
street NV. Now with the
unhindered movement of
trucks, vans and "commuter"
ambulances and fire trucks
added. it will soon be a
freight line!
L. J. Irwin.
Evening star., 1960-07-01
VlSTAS IN SCIENCE
Astronomy Genius of 1882 Deaf Mute
BY THOMAS R. HENF

only about a quarter the
density of the sun. What got
John Goodricke interested in
astronomy and what instru-
mentS he could have obtained
for precise observations on
the Yorkshire moors are not
mentioned.
Algol is a very remarkable
star which has interested as
tronomers ever since. Good
ricke wrote up his obServa-
vations and sent his account
to the Royal Society. He pro-
posed that the variations in
the stars light must be due
to some invisible companion
star which periodically
passed between it and the
sun, causing a partial eclipse
with each passage. The pro-
fessor of astronomy at Cam
bridge at the time was Rev.
Anthony Shepherd. Good
ricke's report was submitted
to him. He said that it was
nonsense. But somebody must
have thought otherwise. The
deaf-mute had been quite
modest.
IF it were not too early
to hazard even a conjecture
as to the cause of the varia-
tion," he wrote, Il should
imagine that it could hardly
be accounted for otherwise
than by the inter-poSition of
some large body revolving
around Algol. But the pur-
pose of this paper is to COM
municate facts and I flatter
myself these are remarkable
enough to deserve the atten-
ton and further inveStiga-
ton by astronomers"
At any rate the Royal So
ciety shortly afterwards
elected him to membership.
He was accepted into the
company of the great intel
lects of his time. Communi-
cations were slow in those
days. Goodricke was dead
before notice came Of the
election.
Star Still Mystery
The discovery of the Algol
system was big enough in it
self to merit any honor. The
boys explanation, reached
independently and without
any word of mouth commu-
nication possible with any
body, generally is accepted
today. There have been re-
f1nements naturally in al
most two centuries. The
demon star still is an OBJ
ject of considerable mystery.
But Goodricke had be-
come interested in stellar
variableS. He continued
nightly observations of the
heavens and located several
others, including one in the
Milky Way constellation of
Cepheus. This was the first
of the Russian astronomers
lighthouses of the universe. ="
Many more have been found
since then. Most are located
in the Milky Way galaxy.
Finding of one in the
Andromeda nebula about SO
years ago furnished the first
clue to the nature of this
patch of light-a system of
stars about the size of the
Milky Way galaxy itself but
lying about a million light
years beyond its outermost
boundaries. Thus man came
to his first realization of the
immensities of Creation be-
yond his own little neighbor-
hood of a few billion stars.
All this. apparently, is to
be traced back to the almost
unknown deaf-and-dumb boy
Of the late 18th century.
Somebody should find out
more about him. I suggest
the job for a doctrinal dis
sertation in astronomy.
Evening star., 1960-07-01
LETTERS TO THE STAR

Pen names may be used II
letters carry tDriterS' correct
names and addresses. All
letters are subject to con-
denSdtion.
Evening star., 1960-07-01
Startled by President

Howard Morrison.
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
Gent Cigaret
Tx Dents Sales,
~urvey Claims

Virginia tobacco distributors
report a decline in average
monthly cigaret sales Of 81 per
cent since the adoption, on Au-
gust l., of the three cents per
package state cigaret tax.
This information was released
today in Richmond by F. M.
Parkinson. executive director of
the Tobacco Tax Council. The
Council has just completed a
month survey of the matter.
More than three-fourths of the
distributors reporting showed a
definite decline in cigaret sales
in the three months following the
adoption of the tax" Parkinson
said. Average monthly sales of
clgarets for the pre-tax period,
January through July, we're COM
pared with average monthly sales
for the post-tax period. August
through October, as the basis for
the comparisons made in the
study" he continued.
In terms Of retail trade volume
the drop in cigaret sales during
the first three months Of the new
cigaret tax would project itself
into a loss Of somewhat more
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
Use The Gray Matter

MAURY A. Hubbard, executive secre-
- tary Of the Virginia Farm Bureau,
recently closed talk with this import
ant thought:
when God made man, He made him
little lower than the Angels. The only
difference between man and other
animals is the miraculous material be-
tween his ears. If this is to remain a
great county, it will be because most of
us will insist on using that material. In
using this material we should remem-
Der three points:
Cd If this Nation is to continue to
be a great country of free men, it will
do SO only because of our insistence
upon adhering firmly to the fundament-
al principles that made it a great coun-
try in the first place;
(2) In 5000 years Of recorded human
history there has never been one single
successful experience with national
socialism;
81 The glowing political promises
Of today always become the onerous and
burdensome taxes of tomorrow"
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
Double Check

We have definitely failed to
put satellite around the Moon
Looks now like we NAV have to
pack the thing in a carrying case
and let the Mr. Republican, Who
ever that may be, carry it
around the Moon if it gets there
Having Just lost Illinoise to the
Denis looks like they will have
time on their hands. Our future
for the coming year will be one
Of hope and re-vamping. even
Halle Selassie is coming back to
power and the threat of
civil war is upsetting the new
regime.
President elect John Ken
nedy is making cabinets appoint
nents like we take our vitamins
one a day. Virginians are
sorter set back that Governor
Almond so far has not been
called.
News is SO mixed with adver-
tlSementS sponsor stuff =
that you lose interests in detail.
A hot tip on a loose crook may
be topped with some new cold
remedy and merchants giving
away merchandise to draw a
crowd to get business that
WOW. Only few nrofit bv this
exploitation. A woman will tote
bundles a mile to get stalaps t.
Get premiums that she paid for
p the first place well we got
to take the good with the bad.
And now we come to CHRIST
'TAS lets make it good for
everybody.
Thanks for reading.
yours.
j. Marvin Brown
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20

scraps OF paper perhaps on
birch bark - they were held very
sacred and history still records
their contents.
Cost of Making will
To enable your LIES savings to
go as you would like. you should
have your local lawyer make up
your will. If it is simple. namely
leaving all to your wife, he may
not charge you more than twenty
dollars. If it is more compli-
Gated. leaving property perhaps
to your wife, in trust ~ allowing
her the use of it and the income
during her lifetime with provision
for equal division among your
children or their heirs M then
your lawyer will charge more. He
will charge according to the
amount of his time you take.
Laws concerning the distribu-
ton Of estates where there is no
will are subject to change r he
cases cited above are based upon
the laws in effect in Massachu-
sets as of January 1. 1857. When
the time comes for settling your
estate, these laws may be quite
different.
The best way to assure distli.
button Of your property exactly
as you wish is to have your will
drawn now by Your lawyer. This
also enables you to make some
donations to your local church
and hospital. which everyone
should do. To provide for the
carrying out Of your wishes. your
will should name an Executor in
whose efficiency. stability, and
responsibility you have CONT
decce.
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20

basis of what we can get in re-
turn. You wonder about the pro-
posed dolrg-over of the Pentagon.
Is that a retreat or perhaps
only squads right front
into line
Certainly the millions who are
coming to church now in search
Of they-knoW- not-what know it
has nothing to do with Bishop
Pike preference on politics, eco
Monies, biology. and other "dia-
lectical materialisms.
BISHOP PIKE SHARES with
the Presbyterian Church's DR..
Eugene Blake a wish to merge
Episcopal. Presbyterian. Metho-
dist and Christian churches now.
Both men," notes Editor Tom
Waring in The Charleston News
and Courier, want to use the
church as an instrument of POI
litical and social change. Both
men are intolerant of dissenters.
But Protestants are dissenters.
They are believers in the right
Of separation and of individual
freedom in worship The merger
proposed would only destroy the
essence of Professionalism and
lead to Capitalization of religious
power that would inhibit free
DOM
Not orly religious power but
church and state power would be
centralized if they and the Ma
tional Council of Churches are
INDUCED in their notion of the
relevancy" of the church and
the proper AREA" belonging to
il.
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
John Temple Groves
John Temple Graves
And Who Does The Squeezing?

Or what man is there of you,
whom if his son ask bread, will
he give him a stone?" - Mat
thew VII. 8
THERE ARE BROKEN heart
and men die of them. There are
souls in torment, and men wish
to die. There is sin. with hell to
pay There is pain, and it hurts.
There is beauty unalloyed. There
is love mdying. There is the
glory of God.
But let no one approach the
Episcopal Bishop of California
with these trifles. The Ri Rev.
James A. Pike formerly dean Of
the Cathedral of st. John in New
York City, has the whole world
on his hands. He is not to be
squeezed into such areas Of insig-
nlflcance. To approach him with
them might provoke a fit Of the
famous impatience which my
Bishop Carpenter described once
as Pixies pique.'
rs CHRISTIANITY IN RE.
TREAT: Bishop Pike entities
a leading article in the current
Look. Citing great increases in
membership and buildings he
points to even greater losses
in Christian effectiveness. THE
final measure of Christianity's re-
treat, he says, amazingly, sis
its increasing irrelevancy to life
Each year the church is squeezed
into an ever smaller area of sig.
nlflcance.'
Can he really believe this
Surely he is aware of the many
who are starved in their religi-
GUS life by a church SO deter.
mined on the relevancy OF
everything in sight and on "sig.
nificance" in all manner of alier
areas that the individual is lost
in its crowd.
The bishops first example 81
"Christianity's retreat" is "wher
our government tells elaborate
lies, as it did after the W
flight What stone for those
asking bread! A better example
of "Christianity's retreat" is the
emergence of bishops who cite q
position they prefer on a contro
versial military. political and dip
lomatic question as a test o.
Christianity.
He finds Christianity retreat
ing, too, when air bases, alliances
and concessions are given on 6
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
Babs0n Discusses Making A Will

BABSON PARK, MASS, Dec.
Is While Mrs. Babson and 1
were in Europe this fall, three
of our intimate friends passed
away. Two of these knew had
made no will, despite my urg-
ings. One had promised he would
do so when he had time" He
begrudged the expense and felt
it really was not necessary. Let
me discuss these three cases.
Case Number One
In this case. the man left a
wife and three children, and sew
eral brothers and sisters who
have children. The wife assumed
she would get all Of her husband S
estate and then will it to their
children. But she did not. Since
her husband left no will. she was
given only one third; the remain
ing two thirds was divided equal
" among the children. Nothing
was available for the deceased's
brothers or sisters or cousins.
This is as it should be.
Cases Number Two and Three
The second man left no wife
bat two children as well as
brothers. sisters. and cousins. All
Of his estate went to his children
outright. in equal proportions. or
to their heirs. None went 10 the
brothers or sisters or other rela-
tives. One child %. years of age
received the money outright:
since the other was minor, his
share was entrusted TO the guard.
ian appointed by the court.
The third man left wife but
no children: he did have brothers
and sisters and COUSINS. HIS eS
tate exceeded $l00, 900. The wife
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
Pageant At Arvonia
Tuesday Night

ARVONIA, Dec. ia Christ
mas pageant, "a Christmas
Trip to Mars will be presented
at the vonia Elementary
School Tuesday December 20
at 7::30 pm.
About 100 students will par
ticipate in the program.
The school bands will furnish
music. The public is cordially
invited to attend.
The pagent starts off with
a rocket ship loaded with all
Virginians. The space ship is
rocketed off and actually lands
on the planet Mars on. Christ
mas eve. There, they meet the
people of Mars.
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20


pondent why she hadn't men
toned it. "Why?" the correspon-
dent asked. There wasn't any
news in that. Goodness, every
body came to the fire. You could
see it for miles,
The wise newspaper editor
knows enough to let his cores
pondents alone, to encourage
their personal style, even though
their occasional habit of writing
in their dispatches on brown
paper bags can drive typesetters
to distraction and their spelling
can be a highly individualistic af-
fair. But this is where their
charm lies, in this and m the &C.
casional tart observations they
will slip in on the side when
they see something they think re-
quires comment.
AS a matter of fact. the editor
foolish enough to tinker with his
correspondents copy is in for
trouble. for they know what they
are doing. have a proper respect
tor their work, and don't like it's
being changed any more than a
professional. One young reporter
found this out some years ago
when the editor Of the paper he
was working on handed him the
job Of getting the correspondents
copy ready for the lnotypes.
After he had cleaned up and doc
tored one correspondents copy
for few weeks, the irate old
lady showed up at the office one
morning brandishing an umbrel-
la. mad as wet hen Il want
you to leave my copy along from
now on. she told the culprit. II
may not have gone to any hoity
toity college, but I know what
I'm doing and if the people out
my way didn't like the way 1
write they'd say So She froze
the reporter with a look that
turned the marrow in his bones
to mush. II was writing for this
paper long before you came
here" she concluded. And 1
wouldn't be surprised if l wasn't
still writing for it long after
you've left"
She was right. bless her heart.
Chester G0Olrick
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20

will be given the $4,000 which
she would automatically receive
rom an estate valued at $25 900
or over. In this case she also
will get second SIS, 900. The re-
mainder will 90 to the man S
brothers and sisters or their
heirs who are now springing up
in all directions.
Wills Oldest Legal Documents
Originally when a man died all
his property went to the oldest
son. He was supposed to take
care of his mother and to secure
work for any other children. Then
land owners sometimes died with
out leaving any children: antici-
pating this. the father left a
written document outlining his
wishes or will" at his death.
These wills we're considered sa-
cred by the Roman Courts. and
their policy and purpose were
adopted by the English courts
and carried TO America.
l have recently been seeking
copies of early records Of the
forty families who settled Cape
Ann (Which now comprises Glou-
cester and Rockport, Mass.> The
very earliest documents arc the
wills of these inhabitants around
l62O30. The first Babson arrived
in Salem from London after sixty
days In a small sailing vessel.
She was widow named Isabel
and she came to Cape Ann in
1887. She was very enterprising
and - as there were no doctors
served as a. midwife. Also, since
there were no lawyers. she help
ed the fathers make wills. Al
though these were written On
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
PROMPT LAD

skive ! hear that young
Pozozzle is bringing suit against
the government for $4,000 dam
ages.
Pycraf On what grounds?
Skive Flatfoot. He was on
a government job and was
carrying a heavy piece of iron
when the whsle blew and he
dropped the iron on his feet.
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
than $ll million annually

tIIdII ffI IIIIIIIUIf dIIIIlldIIy.
Distributors situated in the Dor
der areas showed a more pro-
nolmced decline in sales than
those in the interior of the state
The percentage decline for tn
border areas averaged 1916 per
cent as against rs per cent for
the rest Of the state.
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
Insurance Dinner

LYNcHBURG, Dec. 10 N The
Quaker Life Insurance Com
pany will give a dinner here
Thursday for members Of the
Farmville and Lynchburg staff,
including members Of their fam
lilies.
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
About the Author

Chester Goolrlck, a we'll
known writer, is professor of
English at Virginia Military
Institute. This gem was taken
from Rural Virginia Maya
zine. Possibly Mr.. Goolrick
had some connection with a
good country weekly news
paper along the line to his
present PROFESSIONAL position.
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
Comrades Disagree On War

have nuclear weapons in the very near
future. The British believe a nuclear-
ban arrangement might be worked out
with Russia now, in view of Chin's dis
senting attitude and reliably reported
concern in Moscow over the Chinese
position.
The world may have only months in
which to reach nuclear agreement. AL
ready four powers have these weapons
and it is the opinion Of diplomats the
world over that agreement banning
their use will become more and more
difficult to obtain as addition powers
develop them.
This poses pressing problem for the
new Democratic Administration The
task of reaching world agreement on
the outlaWing of nuclear weapons may
indeed be the most vital facing the Presi-
dent-elect. The success of this effort
could have farreaching consequences
for all the people of the world. r
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20

airlines may eventually curtail sea
travel considerably, unless faster speeds
on the ocean are attained But the ships
are not at the end of the trail-even
though few years back some thought
the fifties would be their last decade
Nome new ones have joined the pas
senger fleet in recent years than have
been decommissioned.
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20
Old Ship Retired

TEN years ago there were some who
said that the advance of air travel
doomed the traditional passenger traf-
fic on the North Atlantic. But the ships
sail on and new ones are put into ser
vice.
Some people still prefer to travel by
sea - on large ship - even if the
crossing Of the Atlantic requires five
days or week, rather than six or eight
hours. And perhaps some always will
prefer the leisurely ocean crossing.
To those, and to the ones who un-
derstand the sea and its history and
romance, the passing of maj or liner
is sad occasion. The other day the
Britannia sailed from New York to
Europe for the last time She is head
ed for the scrap heap after this voy-
age.
Memories of the Britannia involve
hundreds of thousands of Americans.
She piled the Atlantic from 1880, and
carried many a sailor and soldier in
World War H. She was a White Star
Line, Ltd, ship-the last of that line,
in fact.
Though she became ship of the
merged Cunard-White Star lines, she
had formerly been White Star liner
and had the right to carry these col
ors, which she did. Perhaps the most
famous of the White Star ships was the
Titanic - which struck an iceberg on
her maiden voyage and sank with re-
cord loss Of life, in 1912.
The future of sea travel seems as
sured, even though larger and safer
The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-12-20

THOUGH it appeared that China had
= bowed to Russia, in the theological
struggle within the communist world,
the latest word from Moscow is that
the rift between the two greatest COM
munist powers is still very much alive.
For the free world this is encour-
aging news in one sense though China's
course at present may lead to very dan
gerous years. The democracies have long
hoped that the two big communist pow
ers would fall out On dogma the seeds
of split certainly appear to be pre-
sent.
Yet the refusal Of the Chinese to ac-
cept Nikiti Khruchchev's short-of-war
policies is an ominous sign. Khrushchev
says communism can win its world
struggle without new war, which would
wreck civilization, and produce no win
ner.
But the Chinese believe that COM
munism can win only with war and re
volution, and they boast that they will