Evening Star Newspaper, April 21, 1940, Page 79

NEWS AND FEATURES FOR BOYS AND GIRLS WASHINGTON, D. @he Junior Stap C, APRIL 21, 1940. ACTIVITIES OF YOUTH IN WASHINGTON AREA F—9 Scout Finds Adventure and Education in Exploring and Mapping Caves " News Story Inspiration For Hobby Junior. Chapter of Speleology Group Is Advance Unit Prize Contribution. By MARY WEBSTER, 17, Roosevelt High School. A feature story published in The Star last fall was the incentive that started Fred Boss, 15, Roosevelt High School sophomore, on his un- . usual and excit- i ‘ing hobby of speleology, the study, explora- tion and map- ping of caves. The article, written by Wil- liam Stevenson, president of the " District Speleol- ogy .Society, dealt with the work of the or- ganization and 4 described a trip through an un- Fred Boss. explored cave in Virginia. Fred, an explorer Scout, saw in the society a chance to become bet- ter acquainted with the subjects in which he was especially interested, such as geology, and to enjoy pho- tography and hiking. Most of the society’s 35 members are older men, but there is a junior chapter to which Fred now belongs. Affiliated with the Y. M. C. A, the group makes several field trips a month, exploring and mapping nearby caves, The junior chapter has a special Job all its own. “When a new cave is discovered,” Fred explained, “we are sent down to investigate it. We question the natives of the region, find out if the cave is large enough to be considered, classify it accord- ing to type, whether it’s mud, salt, limestone or gypsum, and bring other miscellaneous information back to the senior members, who investigate further with their in- struments if the cave is of sufficient merit.” John Brown’s Cave. A few weeks ago Fred and three other youths visited John Brown's Cave at Harpers Ferry. Equipped with candles, flashlights, string and maps, they en- tered one of the known openings. “Wehad heard that there was another outlet from the cave, hidden under a spring,” Fred said. “Although there is a ru- mor that John Brown's treas- ; ure is buried in the cave, we ?/,J really didn't go g down just to ™ search for it. Mary Webster. Inside, the cave is very muddy and everything is covered with dust. We enjoyed exploring it, but failed to find the spring outlet.” According to Fred, unexplored ecaves are by far the prettiest, be- cause tourists haven’t broken off the formations. He believes caves are less dangerous than city streets. “We often find bats and owls, out we haven’t eome across a single snake yet,” he said. “We have to be careful of pack rats that eat| the string we leave behind to follow our trail back. The string has to be anchored down to protect it from the rats.” The society’s next trip will be to Bchool House Cave in Virginia on Memorial Day. Members recently visited Luray Caverns and explored the dark, mysterious interior. Besides Fred, who lives at 619 Gist avenue N.W. several other youths at Roosevelt and Central are members of the junior chapter. Fhose at Roosevelt include Joseph Niswonger, Guy Cogswell and Ray- mond Muller. One o;Dad Boy (calling father on the tele- phone at office)—Hello, who is this? Father (recognizing son’s voice) — The smartest man n the world. Boy—Pardon me, I got the wrong number. 4 Prizes Totaling $5 Offered for Best Contributions Boys and girls of all ages up to and including high school age are invited to write for The Junior Star. | Prizes of $1 each are awarded for | the best five contributions published |each week. The following rules must be observed: 1. All contributions original. 2. Name, age, address, telephone number (if any) and school of the | auther must appear at the top of | the first page of every contribution. 3. Contributions must be written | on one side of paper; if typewritten they must be double-spaced. 4. The editor’s decision as to the winners will be final, and The Star reserves the right to publish any contributions received in whatever form he may deem advisable re- gardless of whether it is awarded a prize. Checks will be mailed to the winners during the week following publication of their contributions. 5. Contributions will not be re- " turned. | Boys and girls who wish to act as | news correspondents of The Junior | Star may qualify by submitting at least one feature story (the principal | stories on this page today are good examples of what is wanted), to- gether with the information called | for above. Those qualifying will be given cards identifying them as re- | porters for The Junior Star. The | editor reserves the right, however, to decline to issue reporters cards or to revoke those already issued when- ever such action appears advisable. Address Junior Star Editor, The Sunday Star, Washington, D. C. must be |Map Collector By RUTH SEIBEL, 11, Sherwood High School, 8andy 8pring, Md. My hobby is collecting maps. My | father gave me most of them and |others came from storekeepers There are 17 in the col- lection now, including one with pictures of “The Historic Vir- ginia Peninsula.” The pictures show the restored Governor's pal- |ace in Colonial Willlamsburg, the old Capitol there and other spots. I find maps both an interesting and an educational hobby, Dedication Editor—This line is devoted to Philip. Reader—To Philip who? Editor—To Philip Space. ll Junior High Broadcasts Editor’s Note—The following article is one of a series on subjects dramatized by the Crossroads Theater players in programs arranged by The Star and broadcast over WMAL in co-operation with the National Broadcasting Co. and the District junior high schools. Watch The Evening Star for exact times of these broad- casts. BOOKER T. WASHINGTON. ‘From the bonds of slavery Booker T. Washington rose to lead his emancipated Negro race toward the promised land of useful citizenship in the United States. Born just plain “Booker,” he was about 6 years old when the Civil War ended and the slaves were ele- vated to citizenship. His mother considered freedom the answer to her prayers, not for herself but for little Booker. When freedom came, he left a Bouthern plantation and went with his mother to West Virginia. Pov- erty and illiteracy were Booker's lot for many years. At the age of 15 he was working in the coal mines with his brother. Their foreman recog- nized Booker's possibilities, if he had the advantages of an education, and finally prevailed upon him to enter Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia. Booker had no money, nothing but determination. He walked the 300 miles to Hampton Institute. Gen. Armstrong, the president, was so impressed that he found work for Booker even though no work seemed available. The youth later made his name Booker Taliaferro Wash- ington. ) Graduated four years later at the head of his class, he acknowledged Gen. Armstrong’s tribute with the pledge to “use all my strength in preparing my people for a better and broader use of their new found lib- erty.” Asked to select teachers for a new Negro Industrial School at Tuske- gee, Ala, Gen. Armstrong desig- nated Booker and Olivia Davidson, who later became Mrs. Washington. The career of Booker, with Olivia at his side, is now history. They started out at Tuskegee with a tumble-down church, a shanty and a chicken coop for dormitories and classrooms. In 20 years kegee Institute rose to a predominant po- sition among Negro educational in- stitutions of the wold, with Booker T. Washington recognized as leader of his race. In his old age he advised his stu- dents to “strive toward our goal of an educated and enlightened Negro race. And if we keep our trust in God,” he told them, “the world shall some day see the black man and the white men working side by side for h.wi::n” b } Sally-Lee Young, student artist, working on onme of her pastels in the art room at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. Prize Contributios, By BEVERLY KNAPP, 17, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. Sally-Lee Young, 17, of 4704 Highland avenue, Bethesds, uses her talent for drawing and painting in many different ways. not specialize in any one fleld, but uses all kinds of subjects and mate- rials. She has studied art in school for five years, Even when she was younger, Sally-Lee liked to draw so much that she would use whatever paper was handy. “When I was about 14,” she $said, “my mother suggested that | life. Young Artist Uses Talent In Many Different Ways —Star Staff Photo. 8he does I try to draw her. After that my sister posed for me several times and then I began to sketch some of my classmates.” 5 Later Sally- Lee tinted all the old photo- graphs she could find, even doing } some for neigh- bors and rel tives. By this time she became interested in pastel portraits. One of her first was & flower pic- ture drawn from ; She espe- '( cially likes to use . pastels on pic- Beverly Knapp. tures of persons belonging to differ- ent races. One can usually see a sample of | her work in the front hall of Be-| thesda-Chevy Chase High School, where Sally-Lee is a senior. She has exhibited landscapes, portraits, costume plates, ink studies and flower prints. She has also won} many poster contests at school. She will again help {llustrate Chips, a literary magazine, and ‘is on the art staff for the school yearbook. People often remark that the por- traits Sally-Lee paints resemble herself to an amazing degree. “Red- heads with greenish eyes are my specialty,” she said. Skin coloring interests her greatly and she sup- poses that is one of the reasons she loves to paint portraits. Of course, Sally-Lee plans to make art her career. Surprise Gift of Old Coins Starts Girl As Collector By RUTH DAVIS, 11, . Brightwood School. One of the nicest surprises I ever had was when I was spending my Easter vacation at the home o? my grandparents in Northwestern Pennsylvania . My grandfather gave me a purse containing old coins thgt he had kept since he was a boy. I feel now as if I had the start of a new hobby, even though I believe such a collection will not grow 1’v;'ery fast. Perhaps The Junior Star ~ Buth Davis. readers would like to hear about some of these rare coins, The date on the oldest one is 1826, It is the larger of two 50-cent pieces. The smaller one is dated 1839. I have several pennies, almost as large as our present 50-cent plece. The oldest date on these is 1835. The 2-cent pieces are about the size of the quarters now in circulation. The 3-cent pleces look like our dimes, ex- cept they have the Roman numeral III on one side. Another 3-cent plece is less than half the size of the others, and it has a six-pointed star on one side. The earliest date on these is 1852. There is one piece, slightly smaller than our dime, with the inscription “Half dime,” dated 1854. Maybe that was before the nickel came into use. The most interesting piece to me is a tiny coin called “the widow’s mite.” It is about the size of a $1 gold piece. On one side is inscribed the Lord's prayer and the words “The smallest version ever coined.” To All Juniors By CLINTON DALTON, 16, Oxon Hill (Md.) High School. Should we as Juniors e'er forget True sportsmanship in fine, And toward our classmates ever let Our thoughts get out of line; We'll always think of others first, And always do our best To let our other classmates know ‘We’re full of pep and zest! ‘When we are working for a goal And ever feel depressed , ‘We'll rally ‘neath our standards then, Just Between Ourselves By PHILIP H. LOVE, Junior Star Editor. “s ¢ ¢ Even at its best, I realize, hitch-hiking is dangerous.” Those are the words of Mack' Gorman, who is interviewed in this issue of The Junior Star by Mildred Sears, editor of the Roosevelt High School Reporter. And he speaks as an expert, having just completed s thumb-trip from his home in Houston, Tex. . “I know you're not in favor Mildred said when she turned.in her story. ‘You've said so—at least once that I know of—in ‘Just Be- tween Ourselves.’ o But Mack isn't an ordinary hitch-hiker; he isn’t hitch-hik- ing just for the sake of hitch- hiking. He's— well, different.” And Mildred is right; this par- ticular thumb- tourist is “dif- ferent.” Thedif- & ference lies prin- cipally in the § fact that he is not traveling Mildred Sears. merely to satisfy & spirit of wander- lust. His trip has a worthwhile pur- pose—to visit high schools in the various communities through which he passes, and to report what he learns of their methods to his Stu- dent Council when he returns home. It was for this reason that the principal of his school, as well as his parents, approved his tour. “My folks wouldn’t have let me come if all I'd had in mind was to hitch-hike,” Mack explained. “They figured I'd help my education by visiting schools in other parts of the country, and my principal felt the same way about it. His idea is that when I get back home, maybe I'll have some information that will be helpful to the schools there. I don't know—but I'm sure picking up all the new ideas I can!” ‘The moral of which is simply this: Hitch-hiking, as a general proposi- tion, is a risky mode of travel. .» | However, if you must go thumbing your way around the country, first make sure you have a purpose that is at least as worthwhile as Mack’s, and then obtain the permission of your parents. And if that permis- sion is not freely given—if, in grant- ing it, your parents act as if they are going to worry during your abe- sence—don’t go. * kX % Shooting Is Dangerous. : | Shooting is an unusual hobby for | a girl—and a dangerous one for anybody, unless carried on under; proper conditions. To Betty McMahon, however, it is a more or less routine pastime— and, as she practices it, a safe one, too. You see, Betty, who is 14, does her shooting. under the strict super- vision of the National Rifle Asso- ciation, of which she is a member. “My father is an shooter,” Betty writes. “He shot & dime in half at 50 feet when he was 12 years old. Many medals have excellent | of hitch-hiking by boys and girls,” < been awarded to him, and so far he has been the only man to hold both the rifle and pistol championships in the District.” Membership in the association en- titles Betty to shoot in junior matches, she says, adding: “Last summer at Camp Perry, I won a medal for shooting at 50 feet.” Congratulations, Betty! And if any other girls and boys are inter- ested in shooting as a hobby, they should ask Betty for further in- formation regarding membership in the association. She lives at 2213 First street N.W. and attends Lang- ley Junior High School. Under no circumstances should young people take up any form of shooting with- out adult supervision. * ok % X Junior Jottings. From Anne Fahy, 9. Blessed Sac- rament School, author of a recent prize-winning contribution: “When the mail came this morning, my check was in it. I showed it to every member of the family, from daddy to baby. I even took it to school and showed it to the teacher and class. It was my first check. In- deed, it was a thrill that comes once in a lifetime!” May it come more than once—many times, in fact—in your lifetime, Anne! . . . Penny Script, 12, Powell Junior High School, writes in to say that base- ball is both his favorite sport and his “hobby.” . . . Says Donald Ab- bott, 12, Barnard School: “I saw in the paper that the President’s secretary wanted him to run for a third term because she didn't want to lose her job. I have a better rea- son than hers, I think. My father might lose his job, and lots of other folks might lose theirs, too. Every- thing seems flourishing, and people are happy. That's why I want the President to run again.” . . . High- est scorer on the girls’ varsity basket ball team at Oxon Hill (Md.) High School, according to Junior Star Correspofident Evangeline Eaton, 16, is “Tommie” Voliva. “During the 14 games played,” Evangeline reports, “Tommie scored 238 points.” * % X % More Jottings. Impressed by the Army Day pa- rade, Catherine Broderick, 17, St. Patrick's Academy, comments: “It was wonderful to see all that parade for peace instead of for war.” You've got something there, Catherine! . . . “If you can write more than one adventure, will you let me know by answering in The Junior Star?” asks Louise Peters, 14 Gaithersburg (Md.) High School. Write as many as you like, Louise. Heavy Storm at Sea Brings Fright to Fishing Party Prise Contribution. By JACQUELINE RUTH HIGGINS, 11, Whittier School. During my summer vacation at Ocean City, Md., I went deep sea fishing with my father and mother. ‘We engaged passage on the largest of the fishing boats, 40 persons making the trip in all. It took g us an hour to get to the fishing grounds. We fished for two hours — and, luckily, I caught the most fish. Suddenly we saw a storm coming up, and the captain or- dered all women ;:': cl't::l%::m'{ Jacaueline Higsins. In a short time it began to rain and blow very hard. The waves be- came so large that some of them washed over the top of the boat. The members of the crew seemed frightened. Some of the women were asking the captain questions, but he told them to be quiet, as he had to give all his attention to the handling of the boat. When we came in sight of land we all felt relieved. On shore the lifeguards had or- dered all people off the beach on account of the storm. This is the most exciting trip I ever made, How to Make Iraq Fair Building Is Interesting to Young Visitor By ROSE MARIE LESHER, 13. Bt. Charies School. Arlington, Va. ©One of the most interesting build- ings that I visited at the New York World's Fair in 1939 was that built by the Arab nation of Iraq. As I walked in T was im- pressed with the : structure itself. There was a . small electric bulb that shed a beamoflight across the door- way. Every time the beam was broken, it clicked. This was the way they learned the number of peo- ple entering the Rose Marie Lesher. building. In the rear an Arab was sitting behind a counter. Spread out before him were such articles as bracelets, necklaces, rings and many other things he had made. Some of the jewelry was inset with gold or sil- ver. As we continued our walk we came to a counter where a woman was selling perfume from Iraq. In the center of the building was a beautiful pool of water lighted in green by electricity. In the back- ground was & tea garden with sev- eral Arabs sitting there. BY Faces FRANK WEBB. START WITH THE LETTER’A’=AND ADD EA& LINE STEP STEP, AS SHOWN = %Z%NAyo_éfVE FiN- ” 0 HAND ATR'%.y . Variety Program Features |Tech Student Central ‘Spring Swing’ Dorothy Fisher (left) and Madelyne Sutton, two of the candy girls in Central High School's “Spring Swing.” —Star Staff Photo. Prise Costribution. By RUTH BUCHANAN, 17, Central High 8chool. The atmosphere of the fair, the theater, the arena and the athletic fleld were blended Friday night in the “Spring Swing,” held at Central High School. “Step right up, folks,” exclaimed a barker, “We take your picture while you wait!” Another front man called out, “See the thrilling variety show, that PO e e Sl et stupendous, magnificent, indescrib- able, inexpressible, overwhelming | collection of starlets!” ‘There were also cries of “the heart- rending tragedy in the melodra- ma,” proclaimed for a stage act; “Have your visit- ing cards print- ed and see the press in action,” and other verbal a d v ertisements in the Central corridors. Vaudeville, with a thrilling roll- er-skating act, the “Television 3 : Review,” with costumes rang- Rath Buchanan. ing from the peppermint stick pa- raders to Apollo and his sun chariot; swimming events, diving and a swan float ranked high among the favorite acts of the evening. Fortune-telling, boxing, fencing, ing down wooden cats, a dart-throw- ing game, coin pitching and nail driving. Jitterbugs danced to the music of the orchestras of Jack Smith and Bob White, with six half- hour dances sandwiched between 10-minute intermissions. One or- Makes Good As Orator First Speech Was Before Father-Son Church Banquet Prise Contribution. By CONNIE CAMPBELL, 16, McKinley High School. Several years ago Billy Owens, 15, of 1740 North Capitol street made a speech at a father-son dinner given by his church. That was the beginning, and since then he has become quite an orator. Billy has won a series of med- als in W. C. T. U. speech con- tests. The first was & silver # medal. This made him eligi- ble to compete for a gold one which he also captured. The next was a rearl medal. Billy Owens. He is only 5 feet 2 inches tall and was born in Roanoke, Va. He has lived in Washington for about 10 years. Recently Billy entered the Amer- ican Legion Oratorical Contest and won the McKinley High School competition. The first goal passed, he competed in the north- east zone elimi- nation in Tech auditorium and triumphed again. The topic was “The Privi- leges and Re- ¥ sponsibilities of . an American Citizen.” In the zone finals five min- utes were al lowed to pre- pare an extem- poraneous speech. “We couldn't write anything down,” Billy explained. He admitted he had a slight case of stage fright at first, “Once I get started I forget about being scared and the words just keep coming,” he confided. He won a trophy for each contest. Fortune failed Billy in the city finals. He took fourth place and lost his chance to go to Boston to enter the national finals. The worst part to him was that girls took the first three places. Billy intends to use his oratorical ability as a ‘lawyer. However, he doesn't spend all his time preparing speeches. He loves to play tennis and golf. He draws well and likes art very much. Connie Campbell. chestra was in each of the gym- | nasiums and one started when the | other one stopped. 1 At 11:15 p.m. the rival bands met | in the auditorium and had a swing | battle, to the great delight of all| swing music fans. | ‘The International Cafe, presented | by the language classes, was another | Cuddles and Tuckie Trade-Mark Reg U. 8 Pat. Of By FRANCES ROYSTER WILLIAMS. wrestling and archery were included. There was a baseball game of knock- interesting show. The Latin, Ger- man, French and Spanish groups were represented. Girls and boys dressed in appropriate costumes | sang songs in the language of the | nations they depicted. The photog- raphy booth and the print shop, the latter printing visiting cards, were busy places. The Spring Swing was Central's first show since the fair held in the fall of 1938. Texas Eagle Scout Visits Washington on Travels By MILDRED SEARS, 17, Rooseve!t High 8chool. With permission from his high school principal and his parents for a three-week absence, a pack of the barest necessities on his back and 86 cents in his pocket, Mack Gorman, 16- year-old Eagle Scout, arrived in Washington last week after hitch- hiking from Houston, Tex., in four and a half days. With an itin- - erary that in- cluded New Or- leans, Tallahas- see, Fla; Co- lumbia, 8. C, i i Raleigh, N. C., Mack Gorman. and Richmond, Va., Mack made his trip in 62 hours of traveling. “I spent the first night in New Or- leans sleeping in a filling station attendant’s car,” he drawled in a genuine Texas accent. “The second night I slept in a Florida tourist cabin and the next night in the home of a fellow Eagle Scout in Augusta. I was on the road my last night with a trailerman, who brought me from Raleigh all the way up to Washington.” Mack’s luck was “pretty good,” although he did have a little trou- ble through Louisiana and Geor- gla where he had to tramp 75 miles. Securing about 20 rides in all, he was picked up by all types of motor- ists from tourists to two motor bus drivers on a busman’s holiday. After resting here four or five days at his aunt’s home in Southeast ‘Washington, Mack moved on to Chi- cago, which he expected to “make in two days easy” and visit a friend before turning Texasward. “Although I do have three weeks’ leave to see some of the country, it won't all be play,” said Mack. “When | I return a redeption committee of exams on everything I've missed will be waiting for me. “I am to report on my travels, too.” ‘During the early part of his visit $ here he spent several hours on a “sight-seeing” tour of Roosevelt High School, quite by accident. “I left my aunt’s home to walk over to Eastern,” Mack explained, “but I couldn’t find that, and I couldn’t find Central. Finally som; one directed me to ‘the neareft school,’ Roosevelt.” A member of the Student Council and student leader of the band at Milby High School, Houston, Mack was interested in all phases of Roosevelt life, and took notes on everything he saw and heard. “Washington is a grand city,” he said, “but it certainly is cold. When I left home it was 98!” Looking at the unexpected spring snow falling during his visit here, he said, “This is only the third snow I have ever seen. The first was in 1929 in Houston and the second there in January of this year.” Mack is a large, husky youth, well able to take care of himself, but he feels “boys should be very careful how and where they go hitch-hiking. There should be a real purpose be- hind such a trip” he said, “and even at its best I realise hitch- hiking is dangerous.” The Dim Mist By HELEN DUBOIS, 9, Barnard School. Through the dim, dim mist of the morning rain My nose was pressed on the window e. I thought the day would never end Until I found a book friend. There I sat with book in hand And soon I was off to fairyland. Our Flag By JUNE NORWOOD, 11, Germaniown (Md.) School. Our flag is the fiag of the red, white and blue, And to us it always has been true. It is the flag we love with all our And with it we will never part. | 5The humming birds can fly so fast | We hardly see them coming; | Like fairy birds, they’re very small And make a gentle humming. | JThelr nest is just a teeny cup | Of down upon a limb; It's wrapped around with spider web To keep it neat and trim. Their tongues are little hollow tubes And when it's time to sup They dip them down like tiny straws *In every flower cup. MATTER HOW LAROE They know tge cutest fiying tricks, No other bird can do; They shift their gears, the little dears, And travel backward, too. Our House By MORLEY E. McCABE, 10, Henry Clay 8chool, Arlington, Va. Our house is small; Our lawn and all Can scarcely hoid the flowers. Yet every bit, The whole of it, Is precious, for it's ours. Love Taps Father (pausing between strokes) —*Son, I'm spanking you because I love you.” Son (pausing between sobs)— “Pather, I'd like to be big enough to return your love.” Heavy Precipitation