davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01

history of a 27-day crossing
in 1881 of a German boat
from Vera Cruz to Bremen
haven, it seems more like a
feat of Renaissance than of
creative imagination. In a
foreword Miss Porter says she
made her own first Atlantic
crossing about that time.
1t is easy to believe that
such a voyage was made by
such a ship with such an ap-
palling collection of paSSen-
gers. The difficulty is in try
ing to fathom what it all
means. For it Is written, like
Miss Porter's great short
stories. in a kind of petit
point. with every sharp word,
nervous tremor, furtive tear,
curse, scream and slammed
door faithfully recorded. But
500 pages of such unrelieved
emotional intensity is too
much. One shattering scene
follows another; but the
storms never seem to clear
the air Half way through
the reader begins to yearn for
action, for a forward leap
of the narrative, for some
drawing together, for a
change of pace, change of
scene, change of heart,
change of mind.
What Does 1t Mean?
The characters in Ship
of Fools" could all stand al
teration. They are, except
for the ships doctor, a sorry
lot. Numerically, the Ger
mans predominant. Miss
Porter has drawn a savage,
soaring group portrait of
them, which is as much an
indictment as a history of
Hitler. They are overbear-
ing, self-righteous. pedantic,
unfeeling. criminally obtuse,
slobberingly sentime ntal
about themselves and their
animals. They are going home
to Naziism. but not as lambs
to the slaughter. They are
bringing its worst features
home with them. There are
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01

priests and political dema-
gogues.
During his convaleScence
he learns everything about
Pala. His education is the
substance of Huxley's book.
Will discovers at last Truth,
Self, Love. Death, Happiness,
Purpose. Huxley is magnifi-
Gently prodigal OF his capital
letters The youthful new
ruler of Pala, a pampered
homosexual, and his religious
cultiSt mother tthey are the
only two miSfit Palanese in
their entire domain form
an unholy alliance with a
nearby militarist country
which puts its faith in
demagogy. oil, bombs, and
progress. Pala, her isolation
destroyed from within, sue
cumbs to the world.
Island" may be one of
Huxley'S important books,
and it may leave it's imprint
on the literary coin of the
next decade or SO, but it can
only be called a very weak
novel. The story is nothing
1T is not dramatic nor is it
peopled with characters pos
seSSing an ounce of individu-
atty. The natives of Pala who
tell Will the story of their cul-
ture are a bland and COM
placent aggregation, touched,
perhaps, now and then with
rue and misgiving. But hav-
ing won through to the life
OF reason, the full life. the
Godlike existence, they are
all angels-happy and color
less.
Furthermore. Huxley is by
trade a satirist, and although
his attempt to paint a pic
ture of a world modelled on
his own hearts desire may
be a noble effort, he has
involved himself in a literary
discipline that is almost al
ways doomed to failure. To
draw Paradise is hard; much
better is the ironic approach
in which the recognizable
hell of here and now is
dressed out in the finery of
the heaven to which we all
of us aspire.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01
AIdous Huxley
Draws Utopia
BY DAY THORPE
Star Book Critic

ISLAND, novel by Aldous Huxley (Harpers; S.
The island of Pala Aldous Huxleys contribution to
the geography Of Utopan states 1t small country in
the Pacific created in the early 10th century by Buddhist
philosopher and Scotch Calvnist atheist doctor
constitutional monarchy Pala the of reason and
reasonabeness applied to government Huxeys thesis is
that twothrds of the evil that besetS mankind is not
generic to the scheme of things but is by mankind
and that people empering deasm that what good
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01

too many of them. both
humanity and artistically
speaking. Miss Porter has
given us two German Wild
ows, and the difference be-
tween them is indistinguish-
able. They share a cabin,
which adds to the confusion.
Persecution
If there is a theme to this
story, it is of a descending
spiral Of persecution and OPP
preston. The horrid Ger
mans hound from the cap
tain's table Herr Freytag,
who has a Jewish wife. The
captain Expresses the poor
Spaniards in the steerage.
The odious Germans are
prosecuted by a predatory
band of Spanish dancers,
who are enemies of all So
ciety. A moribund religious
fanatic torments the nephew
who hatefully tends him.
The chain Of cruelty and
pressure reaches the end in
the American lovers. David
and Jenny. who torture each
other between kisses. David
is mean; Jenny is flighty.
They do not arouse SYM
pathy.
In Ship of Fools, there
is not a badly written line,
a false note or an implaus-
ible situation. But it is like
Coleridge'S in The Ancient
Mariner"-"as idle as a
painted ship upon a painted
ocean" For Miss Porter'S
characters. brilliantly drawn,
are voyaging across the
ocean; they are not going
anywhere emotionally. They
seem locked forever in some
awful death-dance. This is
the way it is in life often;
but it cannot be the same in
fiction. Miss Porter's sur
passing gifts seem somehow
to have worked against her
in this overlong and rather
oppressive chronicle.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01
THE CONSCIENCE


LOVE, a novel by Marcel
Ayme. Translated from the
French by Norman Denny
tAtheneum; $4.50O
The English name of this
surrealistic novel is almost
meaningless; it is certainly
of little value as a descrip-
ton of the book. A literal
translation of the French
would be The Drawers of
the Unknown" but this is
obviously impossible in Eng
fish. THE Desk of the Anon
ymouS Man" would designate
the story nicely.
A young Frenchman just
out Of prison where he has
served a term for killing a
man in a fit of anger, gets,
through the influence Of his
mistress. a job in a large
corporation. He is put in an
empty office and given moth
ing to do. In his ennui he dis
covers a long autobiography
cal narrative written on the
undersides of the drawers of
his desk. The last occupant
of the bare office has left a
lurid tale of crime, sex and
Sadism. He says that if he
quits the office of his own
accord he will conclude his
chronicle with an x. Other
wise, death may be presumed
to be the probable finis to his
tale. There is no x.
Though this little mystery
is the central situation of the
novel, there is something off
hand about it, as though M.
Ayme would not presume to
be too serious, when it is so
much better to entertain.
Thus, he contrives to con-
clude virtually every en-
counter, however casual, of a
male and a female character
with a sex scene. 1t is never
lurid lovemaking. but all
quite matter of fact, as
though the novelist were say
ing, tongue in cheek: You
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01
Mr.. Nixon Describes
His Tightest Moments

was never offset in the other
three meetings.
Other things hurt too. One
was Mr.. Eisenhower's offhand
remark, when asked what de-
clsions Mr.. Nixon had par
ticipated in. If you give me
a week, l might think of one"
Mr.. Nixon says this plagued
him throughout the cam
paign because it undercut his
theme Of eXper: ice against
Mr.. Kennedy's lack of expe-
rience.
Religion
Other problems included
the religious issue. On this
score. Mr.. Nixon is blunt.
While he sought to avoid it
entirely in the campaign, he
charges that Mr.. Kennedy's
hackers exploited it. in re-
verse. and won ali ADVANTAGE
which could not be offset.
He refused suggestions. Mr..
Nixon writes, to attack the
Democratic nominee on this
score in the closing days OF
the campaign.
Mr.. Nixon has some gen.
eral conclusions about the
campaign. One is that cam
paigns are too long and the
candidates wear themselves
out with too many speeches.
A candidate. Mr.. Nixon says,
should save himself for ma
jor events.
A Public Man"
Out of office a little more
than a year. Mr.. Nixon has
returned to politics as a can
didate for Governor of Cali
fornia despite a tremendous
financial sacrifice this would
involve. In Just one year after
leaving the vice presidency,
Mr.. Nixon said his income
from law and other pursuits
would be greater than his
Government salary for the IA
years in Washington. Why he
is willing to give this up Mr..
Nixon explains. too.
Il became primarily a pub
lie man and must. therefore,
remain in that channel-so
long, of course. as the public
wants to keep me there!"
CECIL HOLLAND.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01
BOOKS IN REVIEW
Style and Irony:
A Porter Blend
BY MARY McGRORY
Star Staff Writer

SHIP OF FOOLS. By Katherine Porter atlantic Little
Brown $6.50O
The publication of Katherine Anne Porers first novel,
~ years In the making is regarded the literary Of
the season. Ship Of Fools indeed has all the qualities
have made Miss Porter Americas distinguished short
story writer FlaWeSs writing angushed observation elegant
irony.
But Ship of Fools" is not really good novel.
Tor that matter novel at all densely written
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01
Gen. Leslie Groves
Decides to Open Up

NOW 1T CAN BE TOLD BY Leslie R. Groves CHarper $685.
This is worthwhile personal memoir by the who
budozed the Manhattan Project to successful completion
in World War H.
Gen. Groves, now executive Of the Sperry-Rsnd
Corp builds his account chronoogicaly which-whe log
calls Of his weaknesses In the Manhattan Project
very little happened at the outset except talk first
few chapters are larded with accounts Of what Il said
Styer and how "Somervel dictated the following
The casual reader setting this literary muskeg
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01

United States foreign policy:
Appeasement, a hands-off
policy, containment, block
ade. and direct military in
tervention. He himself hopes
for military intervention.
The remaining question. he
says, is whether the United
States goes it alone or makes
the intervention collective.
He implies there may not
be time to organize the latter.
GEORGE SHERMAN.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01
SIX CRISES. By Richard NJ

SIX CRISES. BY Richard NJ.
Nixon. Doubleday & Co.;
$685.
Most people seldom have
an occasion to face a crisis
of any moment. In IA con-
troversial political years
Richard NJ. Nixon faced not
one but many in which he
went through the exquisite
agony which a man might
not want 10 experience again
- yet would not for the world
have missed"
Six Crises" is a rare dis
tlllation Of the Vice Presi-
dents thoughts in the major
experiences which have be-
fallen him in his political
life. These are his part in
the Hiss case. the 1852 fund
incident, former President
Eisenhower's heart attack,
his visits to Russia and
South America, and the 1860
presidential campaign.
In Defeat
Each account is faScinat-
ing. But the 1860 campaign.
because of its immediacy and
closeness, undoubtedly will
attract the most amount Of
attention and controversy, As
it already has. 1t is not often
that a presidential candidate
unburdenS his feelings and
weighs the factors in his de-
feat so soon after the event.
To his credit, Mr.. Nixon
discusses the campaign with
cool detachment. While he
looks back with pride on the
type of campaign he waged,
he would revise some de-
cisions and would do some
things I did not do" In
another appraisal he said he
concentrated too much on
substance. not enough on APP
pearances.
The Debates
This undoubtedly was true
of the television debates. Mr..
Nixon. often criticized for
entering the debates. believes
he had no other choice. But
he acknowledges that Mr..
Kennedy gained an advan-
tage in the first debate which
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01

several psychiatrists later.
Carr returns, this time to help
build the floSsy resort hotel
that will put the lovely island
right in the middle of a
Cooks Tour. Carr's great
love from wartime days is
gone, but he finds plenty of
her relatives to make life on
the island as homelike as be-
fore. He also finds his own
son. the sort of discovery that
can come as a nasty shock to
a tired, middle-aged man.
Fla Fla" is one of those
convenient catch-all words in
South Pacific parlance. In
general it means Happy
Times or Contentment. In
particular 1t means love al
fresco and is the favorite out
door sport of one and all.
u So
NO SONG TO SING. BY
Donald Honig. (Sloane;
$500
Chester Fune. in Jail for
a maximum of 80 days,
reminiSces in his unfettered
l9-year-old way about the
circumstances that put him
there. Chester, although not
likely to replace Holden Caul-
field in the affections Of
American youth, has a GER
tain irresponsible charm.
Neither beat" nor genuinely
delinquent, he even offers
some slight evidence that he
might-eventually-grow up.
Author HONG has a feeling
for fast-moving narrative and
amusing minor characters.
RUTH HUME.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01

is Sorely tempted to go to
higher and drier ground
somewhere else.
But the background is nee
eSSary. and once Gen. Groves
establishes the organization
and sets the mission, his &C.
count moves along nicely. He
is a man of strong enough
opinionS-and a willingness
to express them that the
reader is seldom left in doubt
about where he stood on any
given issue at any given
time.
Behind the Project
Few of the enemies Gen.
Groves picked up during the
Manhattan Project days will
change their view of him
after reading the book. BY
the same token, few of his
admirers will waver.
This book is probably most
interesting as a document
about a man, rather than
about a project. The book
reveals. in the unfolding of
the Manhattan project, the
character of Gen. Groves
himself: Strong-willed died.
icated, Single-minded, quick
to judge and slow to re-
evaluate, loyal to friends and
remorSelesS to enemies, a
man of bountiful spirit in
many ways but distreSsingly
mean-Spirited in others. His
apparent Willingness pub
licly to question the motives
of those who disagree with
him energies as the most
glaring character defect in
this generally superior per-
sonality.
A Superb Manager
This book is not about
space. and for that matter
Gen. Groves is not much of
a space buff. In essence, the
book is about management,
and Gen. Groves is a superb
manager from start to finish.
His theme throughout is that
responsibility and authority
go hand in hand and can
not be diluted or divided
without aborting the whole
mission. There are lessons
for today's Washington in his
message, as the recent Stay
ton affair at NASA clearly
illustrates.
Gen. Groves asserts and
the record backs him-that
his cardinal principal as a
manager was to pick the best
possible man for the job,
give him the broadest pos
sible charter for action, and
then leave him alone.
Security
Though the Aces present
obseSsion with security is
commonly said to have had
its origin in Gen. Groves
Manhattan Project, the au-
thor makes clear that to him
security was always just
another one of his manage
ment tools. not ali end in
itself as it seems to be at
Germantown, Md.
This is not to say that
Gen. Groves was cavalier
about legitimate security for
which read Interests Of the
United StateSD. He was
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01
TO BE REVIEWED

The following books will be re-
viewed on the editorial poee Of
The Stor this week:
MoNDAY-"The Churches ond
the Soviet Union" by Constontin
&c Grunwold. Macmillan
WeDNESDAY-"6reot West
erner: The Story Of Kit corson" BY
Berniee Blockwelder. tCoxton Pub
lishers.J
FRIDAY - "PIoesti: The Grcot
Ground-Air Bottle Of August !,
1913" BY Jones Dueon ond corroII
Stewart. (Rondom House.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01

deeply interested in this sub
ject and perhaps over-com-
partmentalized the Manhat-
tan District to avoid security
breaches.
Gen. Groves probab bly,
reaches a nadir of gratui-
tous pettiness in reprinting as
Appendix VII a letter from
DR.. Edward Condor to DR..
J. Robert Oppenheimer ex-
paining his reasons for quit
ting Los Alamos. For some
reason unclear to me. Gen.
Groves notes parenthetically
that the text as given comes
from testimony before
the Committee on Un-Ameri-
can Activities =" Since he
does not trouble specifically
to source the other nine ap-
pendices in just the same
way, one wonders whether he
is attempting to remind the
reader that an old enemy
once ran afoul of the red
hunters. This seems hardly
worthy of a man of Gen.
Groves stature, but no other
plausible explanation comes
to mind.
Still Angry
Where real security damage
was done - in the case of
Klaus Fuchs-Gen. Groves re-
mains UNDERSTANDABLE livid
i8 years after the fact. He
bluntly charges the British
intelligence authorities with a
breach of faith and outright
Justification.
He also remains angry at
the French for the way
Joliot-Curie played with the
Soviet Communists Gen.
Groves being one of the ear
list authorities to become
aware of the Russian spy
danger In general he would
have preferred to have gone it
alone on the atomic project
not for reasons of Keno
phobia. but because as it
turned out the United States
did practically all the work
and spent practically all the
money anyway.
Why "NOw"
AS to the books title, ore
is impelled to wonder why
Now" it can be told. Gen.
Groves has been out Of uni
form for years. no interested
parties have recently died.
and it is inconceivable that
security wraps are only now
being taken off some of the
things he is writing about
although Acc security being
what it is, anything is pos
sible.
Regardless Of this the book
is timely -but for a different
reason than atomic energy.
The United States is en-
barking on a huge program
to go to the moon. In private
conversation with this re-
viewer Gen. Groves has
unused at length on whether
this trip is really necessary.
But like a good soldier he
agrees that once the decision
to go is taken, the best pos
sible management techniques
should be applied.
WILLIAM HINES.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01
Henry James in 70 Volumes

THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY. by Henry James Two vol
CChares Scribner's Sons: Sl2J
The handsome New York Edition Of Henry James con-
nues with this novel considered many greatest
of the American There 26 volumes altogether
and will be Of the few really permanent contributions to
collected-works publishing recent years. T
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-04-01
Other Books in Brief
NATO: THE ENTANGLING

NATO: The ENTANGLING
ALLIANCE. BY Robert En-
dicott. university Of Chi,
cago; $780, The author
concerns himself primarily
with the military strategic
sources of NATO's trouble.
BIRD. BY Lois Darling.
tHoughton Mifflin: So,
Scientific facts for all who
enjoy wildlife. but espe-
cially bird watchers who
wish to go beyond the
Identification stage.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-06-18

which will be faced with most demand
ing nonmilitary problems-diplomati
political and economic. They will need
to know and understand not only our
Cwn foreign policy, but the foreign
policy Of "all countries scattered around
the world" They will be involved in
economic judgments that many eco
nomists would hesitate to make" They
wiz need to know the limits of military
power, as well as It's Importance. And
they will, In many cases, be the "face"
Of our country as 1t seeks to cope with
the varied challenges in the world
around us.
1t was appropriate for the Com
mander-in-C Chief TO speak In these terms
to the graduating class Of one of our
service academies. The young men who
are leaving these schools this month
are beginning careers that have a proud
tradition and great history. The Pres
ident has sketched In added dimensions
to the obligations that lie ahead
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-06-18

making the satiric poems of
John Trumbull again avail
able to the reading public,
but one of the greatest is
their continued ability to
amuse." 1t is pleasant to dis
cover that he is right. Trum-
bull has not lost his edge.
"The Progress Of Dulness,
is concerned with the inter-
locking careers of three re-
pulsive youths. Tom Brain
less, Dick Hairbrain and Har-
riet Shipper.
Tom is a parson who has
savored the advantages of
a college education: "a
scholar see him now COM
mence Without the aid of
books or sense:/ For passing
college cures the brain,
Like mills to grind men young
again./T'he scholar dress,
that once array'd him, The
charm, Ad mitto te ad
gradum,/ With touch of
parchment can refine And
make the veriest coxcon1b
shine, Confer the gift of
tongues at once,/ And fill
with sense the vacant Ounce
Dick Hairbrain is a fop
who comes to a bad end: !,
I'm lonely age he sinks for
lorn, /Of all, and Ev'n him
self, the scorn."
Harriet Shipper is a CO.
quette who plays the game
too long. Her punishment is
dreadful: she marries Tom
Brainless.
THE OUTWARD CHAR
ACTERISTICS of these three
people and their environ
ment have long since ceased
to exist, but the fundamental
types are still with us.
The chief character in
"M'Fingal" is a Boston Tory,
and substantial parts of the
poem are devoted to his
orations on behalf of the
British in 4, the period Just
after Lexington and Con-
cord.
Most of Trumbull's wit is
social and political if we ex-
cept his love of outrageous
rhymes. Occasionally, how
ever, he launches a fine di-
rect sally at the epic style
which of course he parodles
throughout: His bent knee
failed, and void of strength
Stretched on the ground his
manly length; Like ancient
oak o'erturn'd he lay,/Or
tow'rs to tempeSts fall'n a
prey, And more things else
but all men know 'em/If
slightly vers'd in Epic Poem"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-06-18

There are over 600 substi-
tute teachers in the District
without any type Of annuity
coverage. In 1855, the retire
ment fund was taken from
the substitute teachers.
For over two years, the
substitute teachers have been
trying TO secure annuity COW
erase but nothing construc-
tive has been accomplished.
Many substitute teachers
receive their major income
from working As substitutes
and are very anxious to be
able to receive retirement
benefits. Recently, we asked
DR.. Carl =. Hansen, Superin-
tendent Of Public Schools, to
initiate the necessary action
to obtain some legislation for
retirement coevrage for sub
stitute teachers. The result
OF a recent QUESTIONABLE,
that was sent to the suhsti-
tute teachers, indicated that
GA per cent desired social
security and 80 per cent de-
sired some type of annuity
coverage.
ID. C. Substitute Teachers Or
ganization, Mrs. Lena s.
Mandel, President, Miss
Pearl e. Gray, Correspond
ing Secretary.