Sing Sing's prisoner strike was motivated by a reasonable purpose, a fair break from parole boards.
But once the strike trend hits hoosegows, there is no telling how far it may go.
Inmates might even demand the 34-hour week, all holidays off and fringe benefits including state contributions toward lawyers' fees.
Some day we might see a Federation of Prison and Jail Inmates, with a leader busily trying to organize reformatory occupants, defendants out on bail, convicts opposed to probation officers, etc.

A three-day confinement week, with a month's vacation and shorter hours all around could be an ultimate demand from cell occupants of the nation, with fringe benefits including: 1.

Wider space between iron bars and agreement by prison boards to substitute rubber in 20 per cent of metal.
2.

An agreement allowing convicts to pass on type of locks used on prison doors.
In case of a deadlock between prison boards and inmates, a federal arbitration board to include a "lifer" and two escapees should decide the issue.
3.

Specific broadening of travel rights.
4.

The right to leave the hoosegow any time to see a lawyer instead of waiting for a lawyer to make a trip to the prison.
5.

Recognition of Prisoners Union rule that no member of an iron or steel workers union be permitted to repair a sawed-off bar without approval and participation of representative of the cell occupant.
6.

No warden or guard to touch lock, key or doorknob except when accompanied by a prisoners' committee with powers of veto.
7.

State and federal approval of right to walk out at any time when so voted by 51 per cent of the prisoners.

The death of Harold A. Stevens, oldest of the Stevens brothers, famed operators of baseball, football and race track concessions, revived again the story of one of the greatest business successes in history.
Harold, with brothers Frank, Joe and William, took over at the death of their father, Harry M. Stevens, who put a few dollars into a baseball program, introduced the "hot dog" and paved the way for creation of a catering empire.
Family loyalties and cooperative work have been unbroken for generations.

IBM has a machine that can understand spoken words and talk back.
Nevertheless, it will seem funny to have to send for a mechanic to improve conversation.

Rembrandt's "Aristotle Contemplating Bust of Homer" brought $2,300,000 at auction the other night.
Both Aristotle and Homer may in spirit be contemplating "bust" of the old-fashioned American dollar.

The owner of the painting got it for $750,000, sold it for $500,000 in a market crash, and bought it back for $590,000.
Apologies are in order from anybody who said, "Are you sure you're not making a mistake"?

"Wagon Train" is reported the No. 1 TV show.
After all, where else can the public see a wagon these days?

Lucius Beebe's book, "Mr. Pullman's Elegant Palace Car", fills us with nostalgia, recalling days when private cars and Pullmans were extra wonderful, with fine woodwork, craftsmanship in construction, deep carpets and durable upholstery.
Beebe tells of one private car that has gold plumbing.
Jay Gould kept a cow on one deluxer.
Washington

-- Rep. Frelinghuysen, R-5th Dist., had a special reason for attending the reception at the Korean Embassy for Gen. Chung Hee Park, the new leader of South Korea.

Not only is Mr. Frelinghuysen a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, but he is the grandson of the man who was instrumental in opening relations between the United States and Korea, Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, Secretary of State in the administration of Chester A. Arthur.
In addition Rep. Frelinghuysen's brother Harry was on the Korean desk of the State Department in World War 2.

Next year is the 80th anniversary of the signing of the treaty between Korea and the United States and experts in Seoul are trying to find the correspondence between Frederick Frelinghuysen, who was Secretary of State in 1883 and 1884, and Gen. Lucius Foote, who was the first minister to Korea.

They enlisted the help of the New Jersey congressman, who has been able to trace the letters to the national archives, where they are available on microfilm.

On the job

A top official of the New Frontier who kept a record of his first weeks on the job here gives this report of his experiences:

In his first six weeks in office he presided over 96 conferences, attended 35 official breakfasts and dinners, studied and signed 285 official papers and personally took 312 telephone calls.

In addition, he said, he has answered more than 400 messages of congratulations which led him to the comment that he himself had decided he wouldn't send another congratulatory message for the rest of his life.

Sen. Case Aj, has received a nice "thank you" note from a youngster he appointed to the Air Force Academy in Colorado.

Air Force life is great, the cadet wrote, "though the fourth-class system is no fun".
He invited Mr. Case to stop by to say hello if he ever visited the academy and then added that he was on the managerial staff of the freshman football team

"We have just returned from Roswell, N.M., where we were defeated, 34 to 9", the young man noted.
"We have a tremendous amount of talent -- but we lack cohesion".

Kind Mr. Sam

Among the many stories about the late Speaker Rayburn is one from Rep. Dwyer, R-6th Dist.
Mrs. Dwyer's husband, M. Joseph Dwyer, was taking a 10-year-old boy from Union County on the tour of the Capitol during the final weeks of the last session.
They ran across Mr. Rayburn and the youngster expressed a desire to get the Speaker's autograph.

Mr. Dwyer said that although it was obvious that Mr. Rayburn was not well he stopped, gave the youngster his autograph, asked where he was from and expressed the hope that he would enjoy his visit to Congress.

Two days later Mr. Rayburn left Washington for the last time.

The 350th anniversary of the King James Bible is being celebrated simultaneously with the publishing today of the New Testament, the first part of the New English Bible, undertaken as a new translation of the Scriptures into contemporary English.

Since it was issued in the spring of 1611, the King James Version has been most generally considered the most poetic and beautiful of all translations of the Bible.
However, Biblical scholars frequently attested to its numerous inaccuracies, as old manuscripts were uncovered and scholarship advanced.

This resulted in revisions of the King James Bible in 1881-85 as the English Revised Version and in 1901 as the American Standard Version.
Then in 1937 America's International Council of Religious Education authorized a new revision, in the light of expanded knowledge of ancient manuscripts and languages.
Undertaken by 32 American scholars, under the chairmanship of Rev. Dr. Luther A. Weigle, former dean of Yale University Divinity School, their studies resulted in the publishing of the Revised Standard Version, 1946-52.

Not rival

The New English Bible (the Old Testament and Apocrypha will be published at a future date) has not been planned to rival or replace the King James Version, but, as its cover states, it is offered "simply as the Bible to all those who will use it in reading, teaching, or worship".

Time, of course will testify whether the new version will have achieved its purpose.
Bible reading, even more so than good classical music, grows in depth and meaning upon repetition.

If this new Bible does not increase in significance by repeated readings throughout the years, it will not survive the ages as has the King James Version.

However, an initial perusal and comparison of some of the famous passages with the same parts of other versions seems to speak well of the efforts of the British Biblical scholars.
One is impressed with the dignity, clarity and beauty of this new translation into contemporary English, and there is no doubt that the meaning of the Bible is more easily understandable to the general reader in contemporary language in the frequently archaic words and phrases of the King James.

For example, in the third chapter of Matthew, verses 13-16, describing the baptism of Jesus, the 1611 version reads:

"Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

"But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

"And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.
Then he suffered him.

"And Jesus, when he was baptized went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him".

Clearer meaning

Certainly, the meaning is clearer to one who is not familiar with Biblical teachings, in the New English Bible which reads: "Then Jesus arrived at Jordan from Galilee, and he came to John to be baptized by him.
John tried to dissuade him.
'Do you come to me'?
He said;
'I need rather to be baptized by you'.
Jesus replied, 'let it be so for the present;
we do well to conform this way with all that God requires'.
John then allowed him to come.
After baptism Jesus came up out of the water at once, and at that moment heaven opened;
he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove to alight upon him";

(the paragraphing, spelling and punctuation are reproduced as printed in each version.)

Among the most frequently quoted Biblical sentences are the Beatitudes and yet so few persons, other than scholars, really understand the true meaning of these eight blessings uttered by Jesus at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount.

To illustrate, the first blessing in the King James Bible reads: "Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for their's is the kingdom of heaven".
The new version states: "How blest are those who know that they are poor;
the kingdom of Heaven is theirs".

Some of the poetic cadence of the older version certainly is lost in the newer one, but almost anyone, with a fair knowledge of the English language, can understand the meaning, without the necessity of interpretation by a Biblical scholar.
To a novice that is significant.

In the second and third chapters of Revelation the new version retains, however, the old phrase "angel of the church" which Biblical scholars have previously interpreted as meaning bishop.
This is not contemporary English.

Mostly contemporary

For the most part, however, the new version is contemporary and, as such, should be the means for many to attain a clearer comprehension of the meaning of those words recorded so many hundreds of years ago by the first followers of Christ.

Originally recorded by hand, these words have been copied and recopied, translated and retranslated through the ages.
Discoveries recently made of old Biblical manuscripts in Hebrew and Greek and other ancient writings, some by the early church fathers, in themselves called for a restudy of the Bible.
To have the results recorded in everyday usable English should be of benefit to all who seek the truth.

There is one danger, however.
With contemporary English changing with the rapidity that marks this jet age, some of the words and phrases of the new version may themselves soon become archaic.
The only answer will be continuous study.

The New Testament offered to the public today is the first result of the work of a joint committee made up of representatives of the Church of England, Church of Scotland, Methodist Church, Congregational Union, Baptist Union, Presbyterian Church of England, Churches in Wales, Churches in Ireland, Society of Friends, British and Foreign Bible Society and National Society of Scotland.

Prof. C. H. Dodd, 76, a Congregational minister and a leading authority on the New Testament, is general director of the project and chairman of the New Testament panel.