Evening star. [volume], July 20, 1948, Page A-10, Image 10

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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A—10 «« TUESDAY, July 20, 1940
Flirting With Disaster
A point of view filled with Implications
of disaster for this country has been put
forward by Walter Lippmann in a recent
column.
Briefly, his thesis is this: The President,
abusing his constitutional powers, has
called a special session of Congress to
promote his own personal political for
tunes. This action, together with the
Democratic platform plank on foreign
policy, knocks the moral foundations from
under the bipartisan foreign policy and
threatens to put our national security in
jeopardy for the sake of partisan political
advantage. Then Mr. Lippmann raises the
question of what else Mr. Truman may do
if he thinks he can pick up some votes,
and asks what assurance there is that the
President will resist the temptation to
exploit the International crisis in the hope
of improving his November election
prospects.
The effect of this is to plant the seed of
doubt, to create an atmosphere in which
the people might suspect and distrust the
President's motives if he should decide
upon any firm and positive course of action
in the Berlin crisis.
This is dangerous stuff. In The Star’s
opinion, it lacks basis in fact and is grossly
unfair to the President. For while Mr.
Truman has often sought to make partisan
capital put of domestic issues, and may
very well be doing precisely that in the
special session call, he has not been gov
erned by considerations of political expe
diency in his foreign policies. The record
will bear this out. It will show that the
President in this area has consistently
put the national Interest first, even at the
expense of political injury to himself, and
proof of this is to be found In the defec
tion of Mr. Wallace.
Nevertheless, this latest incident reveals
how difficult it is to isolate domestic policy
from foreign policy. Mr. Lippmann is an
experienced observer of the political scene.
If an act of partisanship on the domestic
front can induce him to question the
extent to which the President can be
trusted in the grave foreign crisis, then it
seems evident that Mr. Truman is playing
a dangerous domestic game. For unless
the Russians relax their blockade of the
former German capital, it is quite probable
that we will have to force the issue to a
showdown before the election in November.
And nothing but disaster would await us
if it should become necessary to do that
in the face of a popular belief that the
President was exploiting the Berlin crisis
in order to improve his chances of winning
the election.
Foreign Capital for Bizonia
Announcement in Frankfort on the
Main by Undersecretary of the Army Wil
liam H. Draper that the Anglo-American
“Combined Area” or "Bizonia” will soon be
thrown open to investment by foreign in
terests is a noteworthy event. As Mr.
Draper well remarks, it represents a major
change in American and British economic
policy for their zones of occupation in
Germany. Hitherto, investments of for
eign capital have been forbidden, while
such capital already invested before the
war has been blocked.
The chief reason for this rigorous mora
torium has been to prevent what our
occupational authorities pithily describe
as "carpet-bagging”—unscrupulous prof
iteering of foreign private interests prey
ing upon a disrupted economy. The tragic
lesson of the inflation period in Germany
after World War I, when foreign capital
took advantage of the worthless mark to
buy up German equities for a song had
been taken to heart. And a moratorium on
foreign investment was the best means of
protecting the industrial and commercial
structure of Bizonia from similar spolia
tion.
The situation has changed with the re
form of the currency whereby the vir
tually valueless reichsmark was replaced
by the new Deutsche mark. With a stable
currency, legitimate foreign investment
becomes desirable as a factor in rehabili
tating Germany’s economic life. Aside
from new investments, it will enable for
eign owners of existing interests in Ger
many to improve their properties, now
that these are unblocked. And the injec
tion of fresh foreign capital into the Ger
man economic blood-stream should en
courage native German initiative and pri
vate enterprise.
This change of policy originated with
the Americans. The British agreed rather
reluctantly, fearing that American in
vestors would have the edge of being able
to offer dollars, whereas British investors
wopld have to use sterling. However, the
mutual advantages were so obvious as to
. offiet this factor. And of course other
"strong" currencies will be eligible, such
as ihe Swiss franc and the Swedish crown.
Although the new policy will apply at
firjt only to Bizonia, it is hoped and ex
pected that the French will adhere, as
th4y have in currency reform and other
economic matters for the whole of West
ern Germany. There should be scant diffi
culty, because the French have already
adopted a similar( policy in a restricted
way through integration of German and
Frtnch holding companies.
Soviet Russia will, of course, intensify its
*
i \
charge that the Western Powers are ex
ploiting their rones and turning them
into a “colonial” area for exploitation by
“monopoly capitalism.” Such a charge
will, in fact, be typically hypocritical,
because the Soviet authorities have merci
lessly exploited German commerce and
Industry in their zone by setting up
gigantic Soviet stock companies, expropri
ating German private interests and run
ning them purely for Russian profit. This
is certainly "monopoly capitalism” at its
worst, even though the capitalism \be one
of the state and not of private Interests.
Palestine's New Truce
Despite charges and countercharges of
violations, the new truce agreement In
Palestine, besides giving a sorely needed
lift to the prestige of the United Nations,
promises to remain in effect long enough
to make possible a lasting peace settlement.
The most significant aspect of the truce
is that it is supposed to be observed by
both sides not for a limited period but
“until a peaceful adjustment” is finally
worked out. The Security Council has not
merely recommended this; it has ordered
it, doing so with a warning that refusal to
obey would invite political, economic and
perhaps even military sanctions.
It is a measure of the U. N.’s great po
tential power to preserve peace that the'
provisional government of Israel promptly
agreed to this order and that the Arab
League countries followed suit, though
reluctantly. Moreover, although both sides
have attached reservations to their accept
ance, there is good reason to hope that
the fighting between them, except for
sporadic violations by extremists, will
really be suspended indefinitely—a fact
that makes the prospect seem brighter
than at any time since the outbreak of
war in the Holy Land.
This prospect is enhanced by the temper
displayed by King Abdullah of Trans
Jordan, one of the key figures in the
Palestine dispute. He has made a point of
declaring that the Arab League’s accept
ance of the Council’s order represents a
“wise assent” and that the way to solve
the problem "is to negotiate—a negotiation
which need not be unduly hurried but
which should be carried out carefully and
thoughtfully.” If this attitude comes to
dominate the thinking of the other lead
ers of the Arabs, then an eventual settle
ment, satisfactory to both sides, ought to
be not only possible but probable as well.
It would be wishful in the extreme, how
ever, to expect the completion of such a
settlement at an early date. As empha
sized a few days ago by Count Folke
Bernadotte, the U. N. mediator, the new
truce—though of great importance—must
be regarded as no more than a “first step”
toward a permanent solution. The hardest
part of the peace-making task still lies
ahead. What must be reconciled are two
diametrically opposed positions—(1) the
Zionists’ burning desire for a separate
state in a partitioned Palestine, and (2)
the Arabs’ not less passionate or sincere
insistence on a single state dominated by
themselves.
To achieve a compromise here, to work
out a settlement setting up a separate
Jewish state and at the same time ending
what the British have called the “in
sufficiently appreciated” Arab fear of par
tition, will be anything but easy. In all
probability, the U. N. mediation effort will
be a protracted one, and it will get no
where unless the Jews, as well as the
Arabs, are willing to make important quid
pro-quo concessions—concessions leading
to the kind of peace under which both
peoples will be able to live and prosper to
gether and feel mutually secure.
Self-evidently such a peace cannot be
achieved overnight. But the new truce—
if it continues unbroken in keeping with
the Security Council’s order—will create
an atmosphere in which the voices of
reason and good will will have a chance to
be heard. Primarily, although the United
Nations has a vital role to play, the
problem’s solution is up to the Arabs and
Jews themselves. The issues that divide
them can be settled without violence if
they sincerely will it that way.
Atom for Little Boys
A Hagei-stown,'"Maryland, toy manufac
turer may be starting something bigger
than he realises. He is going to make a
lot of children’s atomic energy kits in time
for delivery by Santa Claus next Christmas.
Among other things, the kits will contain
samples of uranium ore. with instructions
on how to play with it—including, pre
sumably, how to explode it in the parlor
without lethal effect.
As toys go these days, this one probably
will be quite safe in itself. But what about
the minds of the little tots who tinker with
it? Will they become old before their
time? Will their Imaginations be fired by
it? Will it fill them with a yearning to
probe deeper and deeper into the secret
heart of nature? Will it start them on
careers dedicated to eating as much as
possible of the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil? Will some of
them, who might otherwise grow up to be
movie stars or bankers, thus be directed
into a line of thinking that will develop
them into new and more advanced editions
of the Lise Meitners, the Harold Ureys and
the Robert Oppenheimers of our own day?
And what will all this mean for the
happiness and safety of the world at large?
There are two ways of greeting this new
toy. One is to be cheerful about it, in the
hope that it will inspire a great number
of little boys and girls to study the atom
so well that by the time they finish college
they will be equipped to make discoveries
bringing joy to all mankind. The other
way of looking at it is the glum way. That
is to say, it is possible to imagine that the
Hagerstown kits may be Instrumental In
setting certain young minds on a path of
investigation that may eventually reveal
the secret of how to start nuclear fission
and a chain reaction in the common forms
of matter, like wood or iron. And should
that happen, of course, then the human
race would be well-on its way to vanishing
in a cloud of radioactivated dust.
Toys are toys, however, and nothing can
stop them from keeping pace with progress
in our adult world. For better or worse,
the children's atomic kits are almost cer
tainly here to stay, and the best thing to
do is to hope for the best from them.
Nevertheless it must be observed that they
constitute a kind of creepy commentary on
tjge character of our age. How tlras have
r i
changed! How long ago it seems when
little boys took infinite delight at Christmas
in things as mild as rocking horses and
wooden soldiers! -
Czech Disaffection
The imminence of a ruthless Moscow
crackdown in Czechoslovakia is arousing to
the full the national spirit of a notably
stubborn, liberty-loving and resourceful
people.
Zver since the subversion of Czech
democracy five months ago, the moral
solidarity of the nation against this theft
of their liberties has been hardening. That
theft was perpetrated by the local Com
munist minority with the poorly disguised
backing of threatful Moscow. Tor the
moment, the anti-Communist majority
bowed before the storm, since open resist
ance appeared impossible. But there
immediately followed the rise of an
underground resistance movement, similar
to those which functioned so successfully
alike against the Hapsburg regime in
World War I and the Nazi occupation
during World War II. Once again, many
leaders of the resistance escaped abroad
and formed the nucleus of a “government
in exile” capable of lending effective aid
to the underground movement at home.
Meanwhile, even the local Communist
organization showed itself increasingly un
reliable in Moscow’s eyes. The leaders of
the Red coup, from Gottwald down, hesi
tated to impose the full-fledged terrorism
which the masters of the Kremlin deemed
necessary to crush the national spirit and
transform Czechoslovakia into a depend
able satellite of the Soviet Union. Accord
ingly, a full-scale purge within the Czech
Communist Party seems to be in the cards.
Such a purge would logically eliminate
Gottwald and his colleagues, replacing
them with the few fanatics or time servers
ready to do Moscow’s bidding under any
circumstances.
But this means that the dependable tools
of Moscow are a numerically insignificant
minority functioning in overwhelmingly
hostile eurroundings. Under these adverse
circumstances, there should logically come
a moment when Moscow must openly step
in to redress the balance and support it*
puppet regime by forceful methods. The
Kremlin may thereby maintain its domi
nation over Czechoslovakia. But the last
pretense of voluntary co-operation with
the Soviet Union will have to be abandoned
and Czechoslovak; will become an occu
pied country, seething with latent rebellion
and held down only by Soviet force.
Thenceforth Czechoslovakia will be a
liability rather than an asset for Moscow
in the gigantic trial of strength between it
and the democratic world.
Top dough in Hollywood for the year
past went to Miss Betty Grable. But in
her case, the question of means of visible
support never had been seriously raised.
A Southern barber posts ads on the
ceiling, which just about exhausts the
unutilized advertising space except for
the eye-catching bare midriff.
A word of warning is due Texas zoo
monkeys that chew bubble gum. Let this
go on and they may descend to people.
This and That
By Charles M. Tracewell
Sparrow means flutterer, an action not con
fined to these birds.
Nineteen species of sparrow* come to this
vicinity.
Among them is the common sparrow, whose
detractors are legion, but whose friends are
persistent.
There is many an honest friend of birds who,
if you get inside his guard, will admit that
not even his cardinals and mockingbirds please
him more.
He may not proclaim this from the housetops.
After all, there is a snobbery in bird watching,
as in everything else.
Get to know him well, however, and he will
confess to a real liking for English sparrows.
• • • •
And, as the song says, he will be far from
wrong.
This is a weaver bird, to some; sparrow,
to others; rogue, to others; and always inter
esting friend to many.
One writer of a good book on birds admit
ted that the best bird she ever had was a
female English sparrow. And in her situation,
she had many score species, most of which she
banded.
She knew birds, as it is given to few persons
to know them.
Therefore, when she spoke In favor of this
sparrow, which by beauty and deeds had quite
won her heart, she gave an honest directive
which others might follow with profit.
• • • •
There was a dying sparrow In the grass.
Picked up, and held for a time, it lay over on
its side, breathing slowly.
What a beautiful thing it was, honestly re
garded!
Similarly had been held, from time to time,
a blue-gray warbler, a downy woodpecker a
cardinal, a jay.
The sparrow equaled those more colorful
ones.
Truly a beautiful bird.
Those who grow red in the face over spar
rows ought to spend a little time trying to like
them.
Among birds, as among human beings, it Is
amazing what a little time will do; if one per
sists in watching, more often than not ad
miration overcomes dislike.
* * * *
This is because into all of these forms of life
.the Creator has put something good. We do
not stop to speak of it every time we see a
bird, but when we try to find out what makes
their charm, we find just one thing, in addi
tion to their beauty, grace and ability to fly—
Their essential goodness.
It is not fashionable any more to talk about
goodness, except in the pulpit: no doubt the
world would be better oft if we did speak of
plain, old-fashioned goodness more.
The birds are good, in a fine way. They live
their lives, in the main, letting other things
live. Their hawks and owls are rather by way
of emphasis of their over-all, general goodness,
than anything else. Bird habits are fixed, It
may be said, and the fixing comes down
through the centuries unchanged. This means
that the Fixer was good, to begin with, and
the results are good, to end with.
This is the essential Goodness of the uni
verse. At times, all of us tend to forget about
this great goodness. We read and hear about
evil men doing evil things; we are bombarded
day and night by the clamor of disaster; we
cry havoc around the world, and tend to
believe there is nothing good left.
The essential Goodness Is still there, behind
the smoke and flame. It will be there after
slyness has done Its work.
This is the goodness the birds stand for, in a
peculiar way. And when we think of it, we
see, very easily, that the common sparrow
stand for it. exemplifies it. folds it in his
wings as well as far brighter birds.
This Is the main reason why the true bird
lover will not speak harshly of the English
sparrow, but will realize that It is a bird, as
well as any. and will treat it as one of God's
messengers in an evil day. The flood is close
at hand. This time It will not be a dove, but a
common sparrow, and It will not come to us on
a mountain top, but right in our own back
yard.
' Letters to The Star
The District’s Delegates
Ts tbs Mitor sf Tbs Star:
Plssst print a detailed account of how the
District of Columbia delegation to the Na
tional Democratic Convention in Philadelphia
was chosen and the names and occupations
of the members composing it.
It seems very strange that a city whose
citisens overwhelmingly indorse segregation
should go on record in favor of the President’s
Civil Rights proposals.
MARGARET JONES.
Editor's Note: The District had the follow
ing 13 delegates at the Democratic National
Convention, each with one-half vote: Brig.
Gen. Albert L. Cox, attorney and head of the
District National Guard; Tilford E. Dudley,
CIO official; William L. Houston, attorney;
Mrs. Ernest K. Lindley, housewife and wife
of the columnist; Mrs. Kathleen Loucheim,
housewife; Mrs. Estelle Pearce, real-estate
broker; Joseph L. Rauh, Jr., attorney; James
Frances Reilly, attorney; Arthur Clarendon
Smith, transfer and storage; John Wattawa,
attorney; A. L. Wheeler, attorney; Edward
Williams, taxicab concern owner. All were
chosen at a party election June 38, as fully
reported in The Star. Any Democrat was
entitled to file as a candidate on payment
of a $200 fee, as reported by The Star.
Education in Montgomery County
Ts tbs Mitor ot Tbs Stsr:
Newspapers in the area of the District of
Columbia have been highlighting a developing
controversy over the educational methods in
use in the Montgomery County School System.
The controversy centers on the values of what
a dissident group calls "experimental educa
tion" as contrasted with the values to be
obtained through emphasis on the three ‘‘R’s.”
Why the term "experimental education’’ is
used, I, for cne, do not understand. Ten years
age, I was associated with a research program
which evaluated the two systems named above,
using over 70 classes in 38 different schools.
The results, which have been published some
years ago in various educational journals,
showed that the children who were educated
under the progressive methodology reacted
more favorably, showed greater interest in thsir
schooling, obtained higher grades on term and
achievement tests, were more easily handled by
the teachers and needed specialised remedial
aid to a much lesser degree than those classes
schooled under standard methods of the time.
The scientific experiments, which extended
some four years of evaluation almost ten years
ago, may be presumed to have proven a meth
odology which did something to pull practical
education out of the doldrums, the rut in
which it had lain for many years.
Scientific studies under supervision of able
educators at many universities have achieved
remarkable strides in educational methods and
in determining where and how our school
systems have failed and why they (the school
systems) have lagged 20 to 30 years behind
educational research and philosophy.
I am a little surprised to pear a group or
parents in Montgomery County ask for the
School Board to take a backward step and
turn the clock back to 1920 and 1930 in educa
tion. Perhaps it would be better if they were
more critical about the school system's faults
and asked for an evaluation of the present
system, in terms of the achievements of the
children, the content of the various programs,
and compare these results with known stand
ards and with other counties or comparable
areas using the old methods of teaching.
Different Variety of Complaints.
I would agree that the Montgomery County
System is not perfect, but in other directions.
I would complain about overcrowding. Classes
of 50 are not conducive to proper teaching or
learning—under any educational method. I
would ask for psychologists to help the schools
do a better placement job for and with the
children. I would ask for special classes, in
sight-saving and for the hard of hearing; for
the subnormal and exceptional child; for the
child who will not go to the higher schools but
needs to know his capacities and abilities and
to have some basic vocational interests beyond
the basic knowledge of reading and writing.
Let us complain that the teachers are not
all adequately trained, that there are too few
specialists and specialized services available,
and that the children who need additional
training, either for physical or mental reasons,
are not receiving this assistance in sufficient
quantity or quality.
Dr. Broome has announced an orientation
program for the parents whose children attend
the county schools. This is an excellent
approach. Let the parents know that school
ing has changed since they were elementary
school students—and what these changes mean
to the child today.
Let us also remember one basic difference.
The average child of my day hated school,
hated the teachers and hated to be forced to
do his homework. I'm sure my generation did
not differ much from its contemporaries. The
children in the Parkslde School community—
my own son, his friends and others in the
neighborhood—do not have this attitude. All of
my friends, during my J'4 years in the county,
have commented on the interest of their chil
dren in the school and its activities.
I would certainly not envy those parents
who threaten to remove their children from
the Montgomery schools and send them to Vir
ginia schools. Any release of the United States
Office of Education on the comparative status
of school systems would show Virginia to be
far below Maryland on a State basis. Since
the Montgomery County system rates above
the Maryland State average, the reader may
draw his own conclusions.
a year ago me magazine uie evaluated me
rural school systems throughout the country.
The Montgomery County system was rated
among the first ten In rank in the country.
Did the Bethesda group forget this story—or
did they not wish to remember It?
Questions for Parents.
Do these parents want a well-rounded whole
some education or do they want children who
cannot adjust to school, who become person
ality problems and truants because of a lim
ited and narrow educational foundation? Do
they wish their children to be recipients of
meaningless multiplication, spelling and other
useless drills crammed Into them causing them
to lose interest in schooling altogether? Why
do the parents of the Bethesda group feel
that the present school system Is the source
of difficulty? Do they know the I.Q-s and
other mental abilities of their children? Are
these children supposed to do better—or will
they do better by learning to become auto
matons and recite the multiplication tables
by rote? Or—one may venture to assume that
they want their children to develop a dislike
of school the way they (the parents) disliked
school during their childhood. One may al
most believe, from the attitudes of the parents,
that they are subconsciously wengeful towards
the schools and, through their children, seek
the kind of reaction they once had—hating
school, teachers and multiplication tables.
When I suffer from an abdominal disorder,
I like to consult a specialist to find out
whether I have appendicitis, for example, or
a good old stomach ache. Similarly, I would
consult some educators of prominence rather
than my neighbors or friends as to the ade
quacy of the method or content of an educa
tional program.
I should like to agree with one of the pro
posals of the Bethesda group. The School
Board letter distributed to the school children
to tak^home from school was a grave error.
On this account, a public apology la in order.
However, this faux paa ahould not be used
aa an excuse to attack the school system as
a whole.
No educational system la perfect, but we
should strive to attain the best for our chil
dren. Certain “frills” may be unnecessary, but
other "frills" have progressed beyond the frill
stage. Today, kindergartens, music, drawing,
social behavior and the like are not frills any
more; they belong as necessities of a complete
educational program.
It Is my hope and belief that the Bethesda
group is not generalising from the specific. It
would be sorry indeed if, from individual diffi
culties, they are blowing up a straw man. This
would certainly indicate a lack of understand
ing and a strong need to acquire knowledge
and awareness of the objectives to be achieved
through the methods now in vogue in Mont
gomery County. AARON B. NADEL.
District Challenge to Mr. Truman
To th« Editor of The Star:
Commenting editorially on “Results of the
X-ray Survey,” The Star makes an observa
tion to which voteless natives will shout a
fervent “Amen!": "The mass survey will be
of little value if it produces only statistics.” .
This trenchant remark conceals a world of
political realism. It is half prayer and half
lament. It is a prayer that for once our ever
defaulting political masters will do their
humane duty. It is lament at our utter help
lessness if they contemptuously decide other
wise. !
The Star discloses that the situation was
bad enough before our masters reluctantly
undertook the mass chest survey. Our inade
quate public health facilities already were
swamped and stalled. The detection of hun
dreds of unsuspected new cases of active tuber
culosis has created a veritable public health
crisis. To make matters worse, more than a
hundred of our inadequate supply of hospital
beds supposedly available for White Plague
victims must remain empty. We lack the
trained personnel to service them. Even the
leas desirable alternative of supervised home
treatment is not available. Our Health De
partment is short of qualified nurses capable
of servicing the mandatory two-year program
of tax-subsidised aid for nonhospitallsed
tuberculosis victims.
If this were a bivouac in a Jungle whose in
habitants were primitive peoples ignorant of
and unaccustomed to civilized standards of
justice and security, there might be some ex
cuse for an unbelievable default in elementary
hygiene. But this is the capital of an all
powerful nation dedicated to justice and se
curity for all. For 16 years our public health
security program has been under the para
mount authority of the present Democratic
administration. That Democratic leadership
had primary and undisputed control of every
5[seal, executive and administrative phase of
his unfranchised community’s public health
security program. That political leadership
is entitled to full credit for any perfection
achieved. By the same token it must accept
full responsibility and accountability for dere
lictions and default of constitutional duty.
In accepting the presidential nomination
Candidate Truman blasted the 80th Congress
for its inhuman shortcomings in respect to
providing equitable health security and its
tyrannical antilabor policies, He announced
that he would reconvene thsrderellct and 'Cynl
cal Congress and cajole them to repentance.
The terrible plight of hundreds of White
Plague victims here in thlr Nation's votelegs
Capital gives Candidate Truman an Inescapable
test of honest intention divorced from political
machination. He has a chance to lead the In
human sinners to the mourners’ bench. And
in leading them our local public health crisis
will give him opportunity to remedy past ne
glect and meet the challenge of the future. It
is neglect for which he as titular leader must
accept full responsibility.
Remedying past neglect and default need
not mean grandiose plans for bureaucratic
paternalism in health security. It will merely
mean giving White Plague victims the stand
ard tax-subsidized hospitalization provided
for many decades by even the leas civilized
communities.
The local public health crisis also will give
Candidate Truman opportunity to assume
leadership in providing fair and honest treat
ment of labor. We have a shortage of hospital
beds and personnel to service them because
our District government under executive lead
ership of a Democratic administration habitu
ally has been guilty of unfair labor policies
and practices toward its own employes. As
a candidate for President, Mr. Truman bitterly
indicts sweatshop hours and pay. Yet in this
voteless community where the Federal Gov
ernment is paramount, Mr. Truman has ex
pressed no bitter indignation at the uncon
scionable exploitation of Federal employes
servicing our tax-subsidized hospitals. Their
hours of compulsory labor are so man-killing,
their job-security so precarious and their
wage so far below humane living standards
that our District government finds it impossi
ble to maintain minimal public health
standards. We voteless natives are not from
Missouri but we would be most grateful for
some “show-me" from someone who is from
the Show-Me-State. _ ,
THOMAS E. MATTINGLY, M.D.
Wages to Blame for Inflation
To the Editor of The 8t«r:
Your editorial in the issue of July 15 on the
cause of the high price of living, should be
copied by every newspaper in the land.
Despite our President’s evident determination
to make the cost of living his chief issue in
the coming campaign, the truth is not seen
by *11 the people as it should be seen.
If electric light, car and bus transportation,
and even railway travel are to be boosted along
with meat, clothing—in fact everything which
Involves labor unions—then can any one fail
to see that this boosting of wages must boost
prices? The act is running sround in a “vicious
circle" after its tall! The wage-earner suffers
with the consumers who take no part In the
wage-craze.
This writer lived luxuriously on $800 a year
and a Methodist parsonage, In a beautiful
suburb of Baltimore, as a young preacher. But
porterhouse steak, which was gotten at his
yard gate, cost only 12 cents. If It had cost
75 cents and his salary was raised accordingly,
would he have had any more to “take home”?
The President may think his bid for the labor
vote is good politics, but his reasoning is poor
logic. We need logic just now.
JOHN O. KNOTT.
Spirit of Peace at Hand
To the Editor of The SUr:
It surely Is high time that we, the people
of the United States, recognise the fact that
the Spirit of Peace is ready to manifest Itself,
not only to our own beloved country but to
all the world besides.
Let us take notice of the words of the
oldest prophet. Job: “There is a spirit in man
and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth
them understanding"; also “Acquaint now
thyself with God and be at peace, thereby
God shall come to the^’ M. E. L.
Tho Political Mill
V..
Third Party Convention
May Stiffen Red Stand
Kramlin Rejoices et Idee People
of United States Are Divided
By Gould Lincoln
The Wallace convention In Philadelphia this
week may add stiffening to the Russian back
bone in the Berlin crisis. If there is one thing
that rejoices the hearts in the Kremlin, it is
the idea that the people of the United States
are divided. That division is just what Henry
Wallace has been attempting to prove. Me will
continue, with his New Party platform and his
addresses to the delegates nsembled to nom
inate him for President.
Mr. Wallace made a good beginning—a bad
beginning really—when he urged that the
coming special session of Congress repeal the
Selective Service Act. He struck at the vitals
of the program for national security. Congress
will not repeal this law. But here again Mr.
Wallace creates an impression of disunity in
this country. It is an impreasion which the
Soviet propagandists will seek to spread not
only in Russia but throughout Europe, both
eastern and western.
Another Avenue of Attack.
Prior to the opening of th$ Wallace third
party convention, the Wallace leaders have
planned a conference for “independent busi
ness in New York. One of the principal sub
jects set for discussion is that “war prepara
tions threaten independent business." The
burden of this song is that bipartisan policies
are leading to war and destruction: that mo
nopolies are using a war scare to stamp out
competition. This is only another avenue of
attack upon the efforts of this country to
build up its armed forces to a point which will
give Communist Russia pause.
Mr. Wallace has gotten himself mixed up
with a group of hard-boiled Communists and
fellow travelers. They will agree to no devia
tion from the party line—not even if Mr.
Wallace seeks a detour. The extent to which
Mr. Wallace may be driven may become evident
during the coming New Party convention. One
thing seems pretty clear. If Mr. Wallace tries
to back away—the Communists and fellow
travelers may turn out to be tough customers
with whom Mr. Wallace will have to deal.
An alternative, of oourse, is the loss to Mr.
Wallace and his New Party of these adroit and
heavy-handed organizers.
Mr. Wallace and his New Party face another
danger. With a growing tehsion between this
country and Soviet Russia, there is always a
possibility that a very considerable number of
men and women who have been going along
with Mr. Wallace on his “peace and prosperity"
program will desert Mr. Wallace because of his
more friendly—or appeasing—attitude toward
Russia. The Wallace attitude and the increas
ing bitterness toward Russia in this country is
one of the reasons that the Wallace following
has not taken on the added proportions that
were expected last winter when Henry threw
his hat in the ring and declared himself a
candidate for President.
Berlin Stand Is Symbol.
What the Kremlin needs to know Is that
the United States—in consort with its Allies
in Western Europe—does not intend to back
down or to move out of Berlin. The Berlin
situation has become a symbol. A retreat
there would shake the confidence of the
nations of Western Europe in the firmness of
this country to go forward with the Marshall
recovery plan. It would open up, also, a vista
of further steps by Russia, in Vienna, in Trieste,
in the Near East—all tending to build the idea
that Russia’s influence was to be supreme
throughout Europe, and the influence of the
Western democracies was on the decline.
It is that knowledge which should be brought
home to Russia. The antics of Mr. Wallace and
his followers are delaying and beclouding. It
is peculiarly unfortunate that this should be so,
and that Mr. Wallace's third-party convention,
soon to open, may prove a sounding board for
Russian appeasement. There is still a chance
that war may be avoided; that the channels
of diplomacy may be used successfully to
bring about an end of the impasse in Berlin,
without compelling Russia to lose too much
face. But Russian resistance to any settlement
may be strengthened by the’kind of diversion
which the Wallace convention may set up.
President Truman, in his call for a special
session of Congress, is treading on delicate
ground, too. The bipartisan policy of firmness
and no appeasement toward Russia had been
established. Obviously the State Department
had no desire for a political recall of Congress,
with all the partisan bitterness entailed.
Answers to Questions
A reader can get the answer to enr euoetlon •*
fact hr writing The evening Star Information Bu
reau. SIS fee It. n.e.. Waihlngten *. b. C. Pleas*
lneloeo three (S) cente for return poatag*.
By THE HASKINS SERVICE.
Q. How many of the delegates to the Re.
publican National Convention were women?—
G B 2
A. Of the 1,094 delegates to the convention,
110 were women.
Q. Is there an estimate of the number of
people in the United States who have adopted
photography as a hobby?—L. A. T.
A. TTie only estimates available are based
upon the number of cameras owned. There
are about 22,000.000 amateur still cameras and
about 750,000 amateur motion picture cameras
in use.
Q. Is the platypus a warm or cold blooded
animal?—N. McK.
A. This curious creature is partially warm
blooded. Its blood is warm but changes its
temperature with the weather.
Q. What is the area of the Hollywood Bowl?
When was it opened?—T. T.
A. The area is 65 acres. The Hollywood Bowl
was opened in 1922 with a symphony concert
directed by the late Alfred Hertz.
q. How is Aldous Huxley, the novelist, related
to the greet Thomas Huxley?—S. T. E.
A. On his father’s side Aldous Huxley fs the
grandson of Thomas Huxley (1835-96), biologist.
On his mother’s side he Is the great-nephew
of Matthew Arnold, literary critic, poet and
essayist.
Q. May the Pere David's deer be seen any
where in the United States?—I. M.
A. The first of these animals to be exhibited
In the United States are in the Bronx Zoo, New
York. Once the only herd was in the palacei;
park at Peiping, China. <r'
Session With Ouija
Out of the secret limbo of the past
Drawn through the blue impersonal tides
of space,
Spirits flow backward through the ageless
vast
Eternities unlocking to embrace
Their brief sojum. Watchers from side
lines wait
Intent on news from some celestial clime.
Pear too is guest, recalling the far fate
Of Saul who stepped one pace outside of
time.
Summons them as you will. No one
appears
As ordered. Page your mother’s mother,
You’ll get a redskin—or a nun who wears
Sad penance for the world. Seek a brother
You’ll learn to leave the troubled stream
unstirred
Or be content with Rameses the third.
-RUBY ALTIZER ROBERTS,