davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1961-07-17

If you want to impale a
writer on his own words. ask
him to write about himself.
It's one of the things he can
not do honestly, no matter
how pure his motives. He
slants the material. His
memory hugs his imagina-
ton and the two execute a
wild rigadoon which makes
his whole life appear to be
good clean adventure.
THE SUBJECT came to
mind when I restudied an old
letter from Joseph Will
combe, jr. He is an execu-
tive at King Features Syn
dicate, although he signs
himself First Broom" He
asks for a bio" of me. It
sounds like a cinch. It can
be done in one sentence: I'm
James A. Bishop, So, peren-
nail student of writing.
who's Who" stretches it out
to three paragraphs, but tells
you little more:
BISHOP, Jim. author; b.
Jersey City Nov. 81, 1907; S.
John Michael and Jenny Jo-
sephine (Tier) B; student
brakes Secretarial Coll.
1923; m. Elinor Margaret
Dunning June IA, 1890; chill
dren - Virginia Lee, Gayle
Peggy.
Copy boy N. Y. News, 1929;
Reporter N. Y. Daily Mirror
1930-32; Asst. to Mark Hell
linger, columnist 1932-34;
rewrite man, feature writer
Daily Mirror 1934-43; asso.
editor Golfers mag. 1943-
a: war editor Golfers 1914
IS; executive editor Liberty
mag. 1945-47.
Evening star., 1961-07-17
Annapolis Mayor
To Be Honored

Annapolis Mayor Joseph
Griscom can call the day his
own on July 80.
Anne Arundel County Re.
publicans are planning to hon.
or him at a reception and
buffet dinner beginning at 5
pm. at the Annapolis National
Guard Armory, Parole, Md.
They're titling the event May
or Joseph Griscom Day."
Guest speaker will be SEN
ator Tower, Republican Of
Texas, who was elected this
spring to the Senate seat for
merly occupied by Vice Presi-
dent johnson.
Evening star., 1961-08-14
Fearful Crisis in Berlin

The dramatic and ugly events that
nave been going on during the past week
END in Berlin pose an obviously danger
Gus threat to peace. They do this not so
much because the counter-measures
taken by the Communists, whether by
East Germans or by Russians, are in
contravention of the four-power agree
ment OF 1949 guaranteeing free move
ment of civilians within Greater Berlin,
Or even OF other legaliStic commitments.
They do 1t, more deeply, because the
whole spectacle of mass flight of peo-
pie from communism literally tears away
:he curtain of sham and hypocrisy be-
mind which KhruShchev and Ulbricht
q and the like have roared about the free
dom and liberty contained within their
Infamous paradise"
The desperation which has driven
East Berliners and East Germans
young, the middle-aged and the old-to
abandon homes and property, to risk
arrest, retaliation or possibly death to
escape Is bitter indictment of Com
munist rule. If Berlin represents to
AhruShchev "a bone in the throat" as
ne has admitted, it is because he knows,
indeed because he has been gagging on
the evidence, that here is place where
men, women and children have been
giving the lie to his towering untruths
about the prosperity, progress and
promise OF life under the distorted doc
orines of Marx Only in corners of the
world where there are virtually no COM
munications at all can the story of Ber-
lin today be unknown, and the story is
one that must be enraging to the
Kremlin.
But 1t Is the more dangerous be-
cause it is enraging. The Khrushchevs
and the UlbrichtS cannot long afford
humiliation and defiance. Their troops,
5heir border guards and their barbed
wire may halt the flight of unarmed
people but their own fury and frustra-
lion are only compounded by the knowl-
edge that there is human spirit which
they have been unable to suppress.
If this is danger to communism,
it is, at this moment at least, a danger
to everyone. For while the government
Of West Germany and the city admin
istration of West Berlin are appealing to
their own people to do nothing to ignite
this explosive situation, the emotions of
people are volatile The hearts of Ger
mans living in freedom are deeply
aroused by the plight Of Germans who
have been living under tyranny. A blood
bath in East Germany, approaching that
which the Communists turned upon
Hungary, could have terrifying conse-
quences. 1t is no exaggeration to say
that this is indeed a time of fearful
crisis.
Evening star., 1961-08-14
Postscripts On Costroism

Ihe postscript to F1del CaStro'S
shell game in Cuba, the sterilization"
of the country'S currency by the en-
forced exchange of old pesos for new
ones, comes as no surprise. Contrary
to initial assurances that the frozen
accounts of all sums in excess of 200
new pesos would be freed in a weeks
time, the government has now decreed
that the maximum to be released will
be 10000 peSos-and that on a monthly
instalment basis which will stretch
over 71a years. The aged and crippled
may withdraw up to 10000 pesos-if
they had that much to start with.
Perhaps it is not surprising either,
in this island paradise of fear, that by
government count only 5000 persons
in country of 6.5 million population
dared offer more than 10000 old pesos
in the weekend exercise in confiScation.
If any Cubans had more, it is worthless
today-out-dated scraps of paper, un-
exchangeable and unusable as money.
For those who did produce more for the
command deposit" the government
has Justified" its confiscatory reStric-
ton by the explanation that it had been
illegally boarded in the first place.
In the thirty months or so of
Fidelista authority, it may be that most
of those who owned more pesos already
have gone elsewhere. The city of Miami
alone, for example, estimates its pop
ulation of Cuban refugees at more than
100000 and tens of thousands more are
scattered throughout Florida and even
as far north as New York City. Some,
but by no means all, of these were able
to bring at least a part of their wealth
and belongings with them.
But among all these there are
many whose motivation for flight had
nothing whatever to do with confisca-
ton of wealth or pesos, of which they
had little or none. These are the truly
common folk-the fishermen, the small
farmers, the laborers-for whom honest
social revolution or reform would have
held great promise in their homeland.
The story of their steady arrival today
in Florida, reported in recent issue
of the New York Times, affirms dramat-
ically mankind'S deepest "yearning to
breathe free" For these have come in
most cases by small boat, some with no
other power than oars, to land along
the scattered Florida keys. Short of
food, water and space, they have dared
to cross 80 miles of salt water in search
of one thing they had lost in their own
country-liberty. Among them have
been aged relatives, children and even
petS-protected by the few who were
strong enough to make the voyages
possible, and by the knowledge that
here they might find hardship but that
they would find also welcome and
freedom. This, too, is a postscript on
CastroiSm-a bravely written one.
Evening star., 1961-08-14
Baltimore Metro

governor raves OF Maryland has
just appointed study commission of
seasoned political leaders whose goal is
to work toward metropolitan govern
ment in the Baltimore area" This
ambitious and far-Sighted effort moves
Baltimore considerably ahead of Wash
1ngton, for while we in our own area
have talked much of metro, precious
little progress toward a meaningful
regional political mechanism actually
has been made here.
In all fairness, Baltimores problem
Is vastly more simple than our own. In
Baltimore, the four counties and central
city which make up its metro are within
the confines of single State. 1t would
be pleasant indeed If metro minded
WashingtonianS were able to contem-
plate the political complexities of local
jurisdictions without regard for the
overwhelming additional complications
posed by the Federal Government and
two States.
Yet, this important distinction aside,
there is not much else between us
which differs. The various problems of
Sprawling urbaniSm which Governor
Tawes describes in Baltimore apply no
less in Washington, and there is much
that we can learn from his admirable
and straightforward analysis.
First off, Mr.. TaweS recognizes as a
practical politician that local autonomy
must be preserved, and that the duly
elected leaders Of local areas themselves
must be prominent in the metropolitan
government he visualizes. But he is
realist. enough as well to know that to
be truly effective in coping with regional
problems, the new government must
also be powerful itself. He proposes, for
example, that ut must be able to levy
taxes on broad scale; it must be able
to charge for its services, and it must
be able to issue both revenue and gen.
eral purpose bonds" AS the initial chore
of his commission, the Governor has
proposed three very practical steps: To
select specific services to be the reSpon-
sibility of the metro authority, to pre-
scribe the makeup Of the authority, and
to recommend taxing powers.
Most of all, Washingtonians might
benefit from the stern warning which
Governor Tawes has given Baltimoreans
to the effect that unless new devices of
governmental machinery are created,
urban areas will be overwhelmed by
their own size and unwieldiness. eve
should not shrink from this conclusion"
he said "1t is destined to come about
in the long run because of inevitable
continued growth"
1t is good to hear such words as
these from the chief executive of one
of the States which comprise such an
important part of our own fast-growing
metro region.
Evening star., 1961-08-14
Art Gallery Policies

Because OF a public out
cry, Corcoran Art Gallery has
reversed its original deci-
sion to decline the collection
offered it by Mrs. Halpert,
the New York dealer.
To the museums historic
tasks, preservation and dis
play, our times have added
instruction and patronage.
The purpose of the latter is
partly the support of living
artists, and largely, a hedge.
on the future, that is, to buy
now, cheap, what will be
costly later.
Many museums, the Met
ropolitan in particular, have
been chided for neglecting
opportunities to buy, or even
accept. when they cost little,
pictures now worth fortunes.
But at any given time SO
per cent Of paintings are Of
fered at prices they will
never again command. What
the museums are being asked
to do is bet on all the horses
In the race, or pick only WIN
nerS.
What should give WASH
ingtonians pause is the
thought of what we would
now have on our hands if
the gallery, 80 years ago,
. or even as recently as 20, had
been compelled to put on
view, permanently, and in 10
rooms. 200 of the pictures
then highest in critical es-
TEEN. This is exactly what
they are being prodded to do
today.
And as to the pictures now
in question, the gallery,
which chose to turn them
down, presumably was shown
them; the public, or at least
the tiny portion of it upset
at the thought of the pic
ture not coming here, was
not.
Pierce Rice,
Evening star., 1961-08-14

I join with v. j. Laurie in
support of the CT education
bill which was favorably re-
ported recently by the Senate
Committee on Labor. This
legislation is at least 40 years
overdue.
I wonder If the boys now
being inducted know-and if
their parents know - that
Congress has. by legislative
enactment, subscribed to the
brutal proposition that these
boys are inferior citizens. It
is so! Under existing COM
pensation law, in the event
they become disabled in line
OF duty in the service, with
but vague exceptions, they
will be eligible for only 80
per cent of hot war compen-
sation rates. Even though an
inductee may have both legs
amputated, he will be, ac-
cording to the ridiculous
theory of this congressional
enactment. less disabled than
other veterans who were for
tunate enough to serve before
some phony cutoff date
cooked up by the Veterans
Administration and acquies-
ced in by Congress.
For some 80 years a few
dedicated men-veterans of
peace-time service - have
been at work trying to have
this untenable law amended
so as to wipe out the unjust
discrimination. While some
minor gains have been made
the fact remains that we
have never had the support
of a single President. In fact
every President beginning
with Mr.. Hoover has sub
scribed to the vicious prin-
ciple of this law.
When an inductee is
snatched out of school to
stand guard for his country,
why shouldn't "GI bill edu-
cation" be available to him?
Jack Kyle,
Past National Commander,
Regular Veterans Association
Evening star., 1961-08-14
No Fairy Tale

Mr.. Khrushchev's free wheeling
speech at friendship rally" in the
Kremlin Is hardly susceptible of rational
interpretation. Nevertheless, in view of
some of the things he said, it becomes
even more important that the Western
position be stated with complete clarity
The Soviet Premier, after threaten
ing to destroy the AcropoliS in Athens,
said that the signing of peace treaty
with East Germany involves the prestige
of his country. Then, reiterating his
readiness to negotiate with respect to
the Berlin question, he said that the
notion that the West will fight to main
tain its rights in West Berlin is "fairy
tale" Finally, he stated again that no
city will be safe in event a thermo-
nuclear war.
Mr.. Khrushchev, it seems to us,
should not be left in doubt with respect
to at least three things. One is that the
West would not consider the mere sign
ing of separate peace treaty between
Russia and East Germany as provoca-
ton which would lead to war. Another
is that the West, and particularly the
United States, does not think that its
cities would be immune to attack. FL
nally, and most important, every effort
should be made to convince Mr.. Khru-
shchev that there is no fairy tale in
volved in our commitment to fight If
necessary to maintain our rights in West
Berlin. Our prestige, as well as his, is
at stake in this matter. 1t may seem
like nonsense" to Mr.. Khrushchev, but
the Western position in Berlin will be
defended-even If the COST as he sug-
gests, will be hundreds of millions of
lives.
If the recourse is to war, then the
responsibility will fall upon Mr.. Khru-
Shchev and his East German StoogeS
We do not believe it will come to this
Evening star., 1961-08-14
PIiqht of Sociology

In a letter, Elizabeth Hart
expressed doubt about the
statement by Prof. Henry E.
Garrett of the University of
Virginia that racial differ
ences in mental ability are
innate and genetic. She
states that scientific proof
Of this statement will surely
be forthcoming. 1t should be
pointed out that the scienti-
fic evidence which is readily
available, though it is not
conclusive, does support Prof.
CARROTS position.
If Miss Hart will follow
the development of sociology
in its periodicals I think she
will find that the present
theory that all races are
equal is based more on emo
ton than fact. The theory
appears to have originated
in the 1930s and the reaction
against German claims of
racial superiority during
World War II helped make
the theory popular. The war
also halted almost all serious
scientific investigation of
racial differences and the in
vestigation has never been
resumed to any great extent.
To further complicate the
picture there was and is
a movement among sociolo-
gists that dates from prior to
World War II which holds
that it is not the sociologist's
place merely to study society
but that he should mould it
into a more perfect form. It
is not clear how the knowl-
edge of the perfect form was
arrived at.
AS a result sociology in it's
present state is not interest
ing so much for any facts it
can offer but rather as an
illustration of how a sup
posedly scientific field can
become a victim of its time
and circumstances.
william Massey
Evening star., 1961-08-14
Pilots Riqhts

There's a twist Of O'Henry
irony in the Federal Aviation
Agency's plea to Congress for
measures to protect defense
less pilots from the fools,
drunks and anarchists that
emerge from the public that
flight crews serve.
Only a year or so ago FAA
was busily engaged in "dras-
tic" measures to protect the
public from the unknown"
potential of bogiemen that
it thought would lurk in a
group Of thoroughly qualified
and experienced pilots. With
out bothering to consult Con-
gress (aS far as I've been
able to determine) FAA
graced the Nation with it's
first Federal early maximum
age compulsory retirement
law in American industry.
This came about mainly
because of FAA's own de-
pressive theory-that despite
elaborate medical and flight
proficiency screening which
experienced pilots regularly
undergo, as well as other nom
medical failsafe procedures to
protect the public from in
capacitated pilots-that oc-
caSionally there would be that
bogieman among the older
competent pilots. The trouble
with this theory is that bog
iemen have shown up among
the younger pilots, too.
Anyway, great judges
were apparently impressed by
FAA's bogieman approach
and the bureaucrats' ruling
became law. However, this
was not without suitable COM
ment from the judges allow
ing that this matter was not
their untutored business, af-
ter their perusal of the FAA
Act.
While Congress is in the
course Of protecting the de-
fenseless pilots from the pub
lie, it should also do some
thing about protecting their
rights" as citizens from the
FAA,
If Congress wants any
maximum age laws" for
this country, it should first
investigate all sides of this
matter very thoroughly. Then
If it is found that such laws
are in the true public inter-
est I would think it appropri-
ate for Congress to perform
the legislative chore, if need
ed.
Robert E. Trimble.
Evening star., 1961-08-14
VISTAS IN SCIENCE
Earth Once Believed Riot of Color
By THOMAS r. HENRY

organisms would have sur
vived. During evolution the
lumineScent system has been
adapted for secondary pur-
poses which have selective
advantage.
THE identification of the
female FREELY by the male is
an excellent example. The
blue lights of bacteria, the
yellow green of the FREELY
and the red lights of the
South American railroad
worm may represent the YES
tigial systems Of an organic
past in which growing and
moving organisms made the
surface of the earth look like
a rainbow"
-
Few ever have seen and
most folks never have even
heard about the most abun-
dant animals on earth.
Yet they do at least 81
billion damage a year in this
country alone and one is
about 80 feet long. This is
pointed out by Rutgers Uni
versity scientists who have
just started a systematic
study of these ubiquitous
creatures.
The animals are the nem-
atodes - wormlike creatures
which are primitive even
among earth's most primitive
life forms. They cause a wide
variety of human and ami
NAL diseases. They check
plant growth by feeding on
roots. They are everywhere
on earth.
Solid rock only" says the
report Of the Rutgers scien-
lists, will not support a
nematode. But If a single
lichen grows in a crack of
rock wall there probably will
be nematodes in the growth
or in the meager grains of
soil that support it.
Hardy Types
"Nematodes have been
thawed alive out of Antarctic
Ice after centuries of deep
freeze. They have been found
in the Sahara's sands, at the
bottom of extremely deep Al
pine lakes, and universally in
the soil. A teaspoon of New
Jerseys soil may contain
more than 1000 Of these
worms. The population of an
acre numbers into billions.
Evening star., 1961-08-14

because Mr.. Khrushchev knows that,
while he may bomb the Acropolis and
kill millions of people in the West, his
own Russia will surely be destroyed in
the process. The important thing is to
leave nothing undone that will persuade
him that we mean it when we say we
will fight If necessary.
Evening star., 1961-08-14
LETTERS TO THE STAR

Pen names may be used II
letters carry tDrtters' correct
names and addresses. All let
terS are subject to condensd-
tton. Those not used tDiH be
returned only i1hen accom-
panied by self = addressed,
stamped envelopes.
Evening star., 1961-08-14

Earth'S surface may have
been a flashing rainbow of
living light when life began
on the planet.
This hypothesis has been
presented before the World
Congress of Biochemistry
meeting in Moscow by two
Johns Hopkins University
scientists, Drs. w. D. McElroy
and E. H. Seliger.
There is good reason to
believe, they said. that when
life began the lower atmos-
phere was devoid of the pres
ent gas of life, oxygen. The
earliest living forms tn u S
must have been So-called
anaeroves, which could live
not only in the absence of
oxygen but actually could not
tolerate it.
When small amounts of
oxygen did appear in the at
mosphere, DR.. McElroy said
in his presentation, the Or
ganismS which survived were
the ones capable of remov-
ing oxygen quickly by reduc-
ton with hydrogen or elec-
irons from primitive food
stuff. This process, the two
chemists pointed out, would
have led to the formation of
an excited state which could
emit light.
Survival of Fittest
The organisms which were
capable of carrying out these
reactions had thus a better
chance to survive than those
which could not. 1t was a
clear case of evolutionary
survival of the fittest.
Thus, said the report, "all
organisms that successfully
survived the exposure to low
oxygen tensions we're poten-
TALLY luminescent. Such oxy-
gen utilizing systems should
be considered as the primi-
tive beginning of the oxygen
forms Of metabolism we see
in most organisms today.
when the oxygen-requir-
ing systems became well es-
tablished, the direct reduc-
ton of oxygen and the ac-
companying luminescence
were no longer of selective
advantages. However, since
light emission was originally
intimately connected with
the essential energy liberat-
ing processes it is likely that
a number of light-emitting
Evening star., 1961-08-14

as Undersecretary of State.
We could, in my opinion, dis
pense with both Stevenson
and Bowles without loss to
the country.
George E. Stringfellow
East Orange, N. j.
Evening star., 1961-08-14
Matter of Opinion

A Washington dispatch
states that Adlai E. Steven
son, Ambassador to the Unit
ed, Nations. wired President
Kennedy protesting the re-
port that the President was
about to fire Chester Bowles
Evening star., 1961-08-14
. Danger of Failure

Beyond this, Mr.. Rusk him.
self has pointed out other
dangers. Any negotiation
which failed to resolve funda-
mental questions would leave
the allies in a far worse po-
sition> than they are in to-
day. If the West goes into a
conference h holding to its
classic position of reunifica-
ton of Germany by free elec-
tions, breakdown can be ex-
pected to follow quickly. In
this case the allies would
have wasted their card of ne
gotiation, and the alterna-
tiveS after that would be
narrowed to grim dimensions.
The problem for the West
today is to agree on a sub
Stantive solution for Berlin
which has some chance Of
being accepted as a basis of
negotiation by the Soviet
Union. No such solution has
been devised so far. 1t could
be worked out only after long
consultation followed by the
most careful sounding of So
Wet response.
1t is impossible to say
whether conditions for sue
cesSful negotiation will come
about at any given moment.
1t depends entirely on devel-
opmentS in Russia or in East
Germany or in the West be-
tween now and the end Of the
year which might bring about
important changes in the
present picture.
Though these developments
cannot be foreseen, they can
be affected by hasty action
by the West in seeking ne
gotiations. So far as the
French are concerned, the
chances of creating favor
able conditions for solution
of the Berlin problem are not
improved in any way by pub
lie commitment to negotiate
at this time.