Evening star. [volume], December 25, 1956, Page A-19, Image 21

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

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
The
Rambler
Popular Version
Os an Old Story
By JACK JONAS
How does a piece of writing
with wide appeal lose its iden
tity with an author?
That question has plagued
authors and anthologists for
centuries, and has risen again
to bother Carl Claudy, editor
of “The Transmitter,” publi
cation of the Chesapeake &
Potomac Telephone Co. i
The piece that is troublin
him is - titled “One Solitar;
Life,” and goes like this:
“Here is a young man whc
was born in an obscure village,
the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in another village.
He worked in a carpenter shop
until He was thirty, and then
for three years He was an
itinerant preacher. He never
wrote a book. He never held
an office. He never owned a
home. He never had a family.
. He never went to a college.
“He never put His foot inside
a big city. He never traveled
200 miles from the place where
He was born. He never did one
of the things that usually ac
company greatness. He had no
|credentials but himself.
“While He was still a young
man, the tide of public opinion
turned against Him. His
friends ran away.
“He was turned over to His
enemies. He went through the
mockery of a trial. He was
nailed to a cross between two
thieves. While he was dying.
His executioners gambled for
the only piece of property He
had on earth, and that was
His coat.
“When He was dead, He was
laid in a borrowed grave
through the pity of a friend.
o
“NINETEEN CENTURIE.
wide have come and gone, am
today He is the central figur
of the human race and th
leader of the column of prop
ress. I am far within the mar
when I say that all the armii
that ever marched, and a
the navies that ever sailti
and all the parliaments th:
ever sat. and all the kings th;
ever reigned, put togethe
have not affected the life <
a man upon this earth as 1
that one solitary life!”
That message came to ate
phone company official on
Christmas card he recei\
last year.
It impressed him, and he
laid it aside. This year he dug
it out again and turned it
over to Mr. Claudy, who re
printed it in the December
issue of “The Transmitter,”
spread over the two center
pages with a picture drawn by
a Washington artist.
Mr. Claudy says wiser men
than he have tried to find the
source of the bit of writing,
so he didn’t even try. The ref
erence to the nineteen cen
turies seems to pinpoint it as
the work of a 20th Century
writer, who may still be alive
to claim it as his own.
THE COMPANY reprints
Mr. Claudy s two-page spread
in fancier form, and sent it out
as a Christmas card. Along
with it went this note:
"Editors, writers and minis
ters have credited this anony
mous tribute to many sources
—Phillips Brooks, O. Henry.
Mark Twain, Emerson Fosdick
—to name a few. It has ap
peared in many anthologies
and has been the subject of
many sermons. . . .
"The editors consulted li
braries and prominent minis
ters to determine its origin
to no avail. One Solitary Life'
is a piece of great distinction.”
Mr. Claudy may not have
searched, but he's as curious
as the ministers and other
editors who did. and still would
like to know the source of
“One Solitary Life.”
Street Scenes...
Boy clutching a dime-store
paint set and staring wist
fully at a display of fancy
brushes and paints in an art
store on O street. . . .
One bike rider towing an
other, whose bike was dis
abled by a broken pedal, on
Georgetown road. . . .
An auto of about 1938
vintage, headed south on
Fourteenth street N.W., and
bearing on its side the letter
ing "Arlington or Bust.” . . .
A man telling the woman
with him, as they inspected a
window display in a fancy
Connecticut avenue dress
shop: "I may not have shaved
this morning, but I'm not
Santa Claus.'' . . .
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Radio-TV —Comics
Feature Page
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SANTA ON ERIE STREET—The home of Mr., and
Mrs. N. B. Lyon, 3382 Erie street S.E., has taken on
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BIBLICAL MESSAGE—The letters on the house of <
Benjamin Kerby, 4357 Southern avenue S.E., spell '
Bold Cowboy Forswears •
Roping President Again
The cowboy rope expert who
lassoed President Eisenhower at
the 1953 Inaugural Parade wants
to be in the one next month, but
he promised not to repeat his
performance.
To the donsternation of the
Secret Service. Monty Montana,
at the last parade roped the
President, who was reviewing the
parade.
Inaugural officials said they
have the cowboy's request under
advisement.
Edward R. Carr, parade chair
man. said: “He promised not to
lasso the President if we let him
ride again this year.”
Mr. Montana, who is from
Northridge, Calif., said if per
mitted to parade, he will enter
tain patients in hospitals here,
during his stay.
Drug Addict Charged
In Assault, Larceny
A 24-year-old. ex-convict and
narcotic addict who disarmed a
special policeman and then
wounded a Christmas shopper
with the gun. has been charged
with assault and petty larceny.
Lt. Nunzio Bonaccorsy, sth
precinct detective, said the
shooting occurred when Special
Officer Stacy Prince, 51, of 752
Princeton place N.W., attempted
to arrest Eldridge Brown of the
700 block of Oirard street N.W.
for shoplifting.
Tlie special policeman said
Brown wrestled with him in
from of the Kopy Kat women's
store, 713 H street N.E., took
his gun and fired one shot which
struck Percy C. Holmes, 78. of
1110 Sixty-ninth place. High
land Park. Md.
The bullet grazed Mr. Holmes'
11
SPEED SPOTTING BY PLANE
FACING TEST NEXT WEEK
BEDFORD. Va. new air-to-ground dou
ble play being employed by State police to catch speeders
will come in for a court test next week.
Two truckers who were convicted of speeding last month
in Bedford County Court have appealed. The case is sched
uled for January 3.
Edgar M. Loltin, Jr.. 36. of Elleison, and Henry Ashby
Mason. 38. of Glen Allen, were arrested by State police after
being spotted by the light plane the division uses in enforc
ing traffic regulations.
The attorney for the men said the appeal would be based
on the possibility of human error on the part of the police
‘men in the airplane. After clocking vehicles through a
measured half mile, the air patrol radios a State trooper
on the ground who tickets the suspected speeders.
Then there's another problem
the inauguration officials are
wrestling with. It’s whether the
elephant, emblemati< of the
Grand Old Party, would slow
down the line of march. The
President wants to keep the
parade within two hours.
Dr. Theodore Reed, acting
director of the National Zoo
logical Park, said the normal
marching speed of elephants is
about four miles an hour. This
compares with the usual march
ing rate of men of three miles
i an hour, officials said.
Previously, Miss Burma, an
elephant from the Mills Brothers
i Circus, has participated in the
parade. But *lr. Carr re
called she “showed considerable
, temperament” and repeatedly
dropped out of the line of march.
forehead. He was treated at
Casualty Hospital and released.
Police said the street was
crowded with Christmas shop
pers and passersby quickly called
police when they saw the special
officer struggling with the sus
pect. Meanwhile, Prince's son.
Curtis, 16, went to his father's
aid.
Lt. Bonaccorsy said the special
officer, who works at the Kopy
Kat store, saw Brown leave with
two women's suits over his arm
Lt. Bonaccorsy said Brown
was charged with assault with
a dangerous weapon, assault
upon an officer and petty lar
ceny. He said the suspect has
served prison terms for shoplift
ing. grand larceny and petty lar
ceny. Police said Brown also is
a known narcotics addict.
pfflcbOTng jiiaf
WASHINGTON, D. C., TUESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1956
. a new brilliance during the holidays with this gaily
elaborate Yuletide display.
out the Biblical message of St. John in varicolored
lights, topped by the Star of Bethlehem.
3 Girls Linked ,
To Robbery
An Alexandria youth being
held on a rape charge has ad
mitted participating in a Fairfax
County delicatessen robbery with
several other juveniles, including
three girls, police said.
Fairfax police said Enoch.
Roach. 19, of John Roberts
Homes, told them about the Oc
tober 30 break-in at a Huntington
delicatessen which netted about
SIOO in cash and checks. Roach
is one of four youths held in
Fairfax County Jail on charges
of beating and raping a 17-year
old Alexandria girl November 29. ;
Police said a 17-year-old girl
from Huntington, a linear-old
from Alexandria and a 17-year
old from Virginia Hills in Fairfax
County were involved in the
robbery.
The Huntington girl has been
released on $250 bond pending a’
hearing December 28 in Juvenile
-Court. No date has been set for
| hearings on the other girls who
are in the custody of their
- parents.
Poles Boost Exports
Os Canned Ham to U.S.
CHICAGO—During the first
eight months of 1956, Commu
nist Poland increased its exports
of canned pork—mostly ham—
by more than 3,000,000 pounds
over the like period of last year
Sales to the United States to
taled 18.210.000 pounds, com
pared with 15.037.000 in the like
period of 1955.
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HIS VISIT "DEPLORF-D"—
William Worthy, special
correspondent for the Bal
timore Afro-American, has
been castigated by a State
Department spokesman for
crossing the borders of
Red China for a month's
| visit. The department was
described as deploring ’
Mr Worthy's action be
| cause “it is against the
expressed policy of the
United States Govern
, ment.'—AP Photo.
Mysterious Death of Pet
Saddens Nuns' Christmas
*
There’s something missing this
Christmas Day for the 15 nuns
at Our Lady of Lourdes Convent
in Bethesda—a neighborhood
dog, which used to pay them
frequent visits.
Jenny, a 7-year-old black
cocker, was a familiar sight
around the convent off the 7500
block of Pearl street until she
suddenly died from what was
believed to be & case of dog
poisoning.
That was about 10 days ago,
when a number of other Be
thesda area pets also were re
ported poisoned. The poisonings,
received considerable publicity
but so far there has been no
; final solution by Montgomery
County police.
Jenny was one of about 14
. dogs and two cats which died
mysteriously during a two-month
period. It is believed the animals
may have accidentally come
across some poison put out at
certain establishments in the
Bethesda business district to
.kill rats.
Case Still Open
Detective Lt. John P. Leahy
said the investigation Is still
open. He noted, however, that
there have been no new animal
poisonings since Jenny’s death.
A chemical analysis of Jenny’s
body failed to disclose any signs
of strychnine or other metallic
poisons.
| For the Franciscan nuns at
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish,
it is the first time in three years
'that Jenny has not been around
to help them celebrate Christ
mas.
“We miss her.” one sister said
’yesterday between answering the
door to receive Christmas pres
ents for herself and the other
nuns from members of the parish
and school children. "We used
to put a bow around her neck,
the biggest one we could find.”
* Jenny actually was the pet of
Mr. and Mrs. DeWitt L. Slay. Jr.,
whose apartment at 4518 Avon
dale street is Just a few doors
from the convent. She wasn’t
quite the stay-at-home type.
* '"■■■ 9 ' "■■■■— ■ in
Early Federal Pay Boosts
Sales in Washington Stores
Many Washington merchants
were spending a merry Christ
mas today, fortified with the
knowledge that early Federal
Government pay checks aided
materially m boosting sales yes
terday.
It was estimated that from sl6
million to $lB million was dis
tributed by Government agen
cies. which gave some 100 000
employes their pay early on Fri
day. Normally, they would have
been paid on Monday, Tuesday
and Wednesday.
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SEASON’S GREETINGS—The decorations on the home of Herbert Sharper
at 4407 Southern avenue S.E., conveys the season’s greetings to passersby.
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A PRIZE WINNER—The home of Charles H. Deery, 4 East Hamilton avenue,
Silver Spring, won first prize in a contest sponsored by the Sligo-Branview Com
munity Association.—Star Staff Photos Routt.
however, and was well known
around the community.
Meal-time Visitor
At the convent, the sisters
sometimes called her Blackie.
So did a lot of other people.
Jenny—short for Jennifer—made
many visits to the convent
around meal time.
“She always got a bone.” the ,
sister said. “We used to let her
come in. We heard about herj
death the next morning. Some
one came and told us she was
poisoned. Now the only thing
missing from Christmas Is
’Jenny.”
Meanwhile Mr. and Mrs. Slay;
and their young son Mike were;
due to get a replacement for
Jenny today. An uncle was to
give a new puppy to Mike as a
Christmas present.
Citizens Tax Selves
For Town's Promotion
PLYMOUTH, Wls. (APi.
Residents of this small east- j
central Wisconsin community
have agreed to an additional 50
cents a month charge on their
electric meters to pay for indus
trial promotion.
Mayor Howard Fischer said
“We had a lot of inquiries from
firms about locating in Plym
outh but had nothing to nail
down the deals with.”
! The extra 50 cents, $1 for
commercial users, will be col
lected by the local electric utll
i ity. The plan was approved in
a referendum, 1,309 to 597.
Automation Plant Set
For Sewing Machines
ADELAIDE. Australia.—A sew
ing machine firm plans to build
a factory on a 10-acre site at
Elizabeth. near Adlaide, costing
; *2.250.000, which will be the
first in the world to produce
sewing machines by automation
The factory expects to be In
production soon and to employ
more than 300 people and pro
duce 2,000 machine* a month
by the end of 1957.
; The large shopping crowds de
lighted the businessmen, and
many reported bumper sales
But no dollar value of Wash
ington's Christmas shopping
spree Is officially available The
only clue will be the Federal
Reserve Board's figures, which
will be made public later
The unseasonably warm
weather had held down sales
earlier. But the buying public
loosened Its purse string* as the
, Yule tide lights grew bngnter.
Local News
Suburban
' SANTA ' TUMBLES
OFF SILVER SPRING
BUILDING LEDGE
Five Sliver Spring young
sters missed out on their an- !
nual visit from a neighbor- 1
hood Santa Claus last night j
when the toy-ladened car
rier slipped from a ledge and
fell one story to a concrete
alleyway.
J. Willard Plum. 41, is in
undetermined condition in i
Suburban Hospital with seri
oue head injuries suffered
in the fall from a ledge out
side his apartment at 8207
Georgia avenue.
Mr. Plum, a' carpenter
foreman, for several years
has dressed as Santa and
i passed out gifts to children
of his friends, who gather
in his apartment.
Photo Holds
Ex-Convict in
Holdup Fizzle
A former Alcatraz convict yes
terday was charged with an at
tempted holdup of the wife of
Washington gambler Roger W.
iWhitetop) Simkins.
Police said they were told the
attempt was reported by Mrs.
Yvonne Simkins, 35. last Thurs
day.
They arrested Elmer John
< Bulldog) Sweeney, 50. at his
home in the 3300 block of C
street S E . Sunday night, after
his photograph had been identi
fied by Mrs. Simkins as one of
two men she said attempted to
rob her.
! Sweeney not only denied the
charge, but offered an alibi.
"I don't see how she could
identify me when I wasn't even
there," he said.
Mrs. Simkins, whose husband
is serving a 16-to-54-month sen
tence for bribing policemen, said
Sweeney was the man who came
to the door of her home and
gave her a box of chocolates he
*ald was “from your husband "
As a maid opened the door of
her $50,000 home In the 1700
block of Sheppherd street N W,
|he forced his way In and de
manded money, she said.
When she ran from the house,
the men fled, she said.
Sweden Has World's
Tallest Home for Aged
STOCKHOLM - A new home
for the aged, said to be the
worlds tallest, has been com
pleted by the City of Stockholm
It la 15 stories high and has
110 rooms for 208 pensioners
Each unit has its own bath and
radio, and the social rooms have
television set* It sUo contains
quarters for doctors and nurses
and a clinic, barbershop, and
restaurant.
★
Alien Students
Learning U. S.
Yule Customs
A group of foreign students is
getting an exciting insight into
how America celebrates the
Christmas season.
Arriving in Washington yes
terday from the University of
Michigan, the contingent of 26
from 14 foreign countries first
was driven to the home of Mr.
and Mrs. William S. Kilborne,
3549 Springland lane N.W.
Here they sampled a pancake
and sausage breakfast before
touring Mount Vernon. Supper
was served them at the Inter
national Student House, 1825 R
street N.W.. followed by a
Christmas party with, of course,
caroling and gift-exchange.
The students will be dinner
guests of various area families
today. Tomorrow there will be
tours of the White House, Capitol
Hill and the National Gallery of
Art. The group will lunch at
the Supreme Court.
The visit is sponsored by the
newly organized Foreign Student
Service Council of Greater
Washington, 2124 Florida ave
nue N.W. Helping with the hos
pitality, are members of the
Experiment in International Liv
ing, Women’s Group of the For
eign Service, International Fed
eration of Catholic Alumnae,
National Council of Catholic
Women. Northern Virginia Dean
ery and United Church Women,
Arlington Council.
Abandoned Infant
Given Operation
The baby abandoned on a doc
tor's doorstep was reported in
satisfactory condition at District
General Hospital today after a
hernia operation
The 2-month-old male infant,
warmly clad and well-dressed,
was found lying in a dogfood
box outside 925 Rhode Island
avenue NW: Sunday night
He was taken to the city hos
pital where he was operated on
yesterday for a hernia. If his
mother is not located he will be
turned over to the Welfare De
partment.
Night Climbers Refuse
To Repeat Job by Day
ALLEGAN Mich Big
seniors from Allegan high school
who admitted climbing the city
water tower at night to paint
Class of '57 on it decided
against doing it again in day
light.
Given the choice of paying
for a repaint Job or doing the
work themselves they said
they d pay ' Climbing up la too
danger ous.' they agreed
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