Evening Star Newspaper, July 31, 1921, Page 34

2 THE EVENING With Sunday Morning Ecltion. WASHINGTON, D. C. SUNDAY .‘July 31, 1821 STAR, TBEODOBE w NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, 11th St. and Penndylvania Ave. Daily and & Daily only Sunday only Chicago Offie First National Bank Building. Europesn Office: 3 Regent St., London, England. edition, is delivered by earriers within the elty At 60 cents per month: daily only, 45 cents per ks ents per month. O v 5000, " Collection fa made by carriers at tl end of each menth, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily only’ 50c Sunday only 1 $2.40; 1 mo., 20¢ All Other Slltu. - $10.00; 1mo. - 85 The New Utilities Rates. revised the street car fare schedule public. The flat rate of cash fares remains at § cents, but the rate for The commission follows the principle the same rate of fare on the two sys- rant a departure from that basis of relative earning powers of the two would still be prejudicial to the pub- This change in the token fare will les- sen what may be termed the c).ceusl profits of the Capital Traction. Thel w York Office: Tribupe Building. The Evening Star. with the Sunday morning ¥ ‘mail, or telephone Ma Daily and Sunday The Public Utilities Commission has somewhat, granting slight relief to the tokens will be 7, instead of 7% cents. heretofore laid down of maintaining tems. Nothing has occurred to war- fare regulation. Whatever may be the companies under the new rates it lic interest to establish a differential. commission believes that the Wash- ington Railway and Electric Company can profitably carry passengers at T cents on a token basis as against 7% This is not a large measure of re- lief, but it is to be welcomed as the first move back toward cheaper trans- portation. Plainly the cash fare had to be kept at 8 cents if there was to be a difference between cash and tokens. The next move in cash fares downward must be to 6 cents at least. which would probably be accompanied by a rate of six tokens for 30 cents. These new car rates are accom- panied by a reduction in the price o( zas to $1.10 per thousand cubic feet and of 5 per cent in the electric cur- rent rates, the latter, however, to be approved by the court before becom- ing effective. Those who are now pay- ing 10 cents will continue at that rate, the court determining the percentage to be impounded as a fund in trust for possible repayment to the con- sumers. Efforts to secure a just legislative basis for the merger of the two rail- road companies should continue. Lit- tle progress has been made in this di- rection owing to the wide differences of view regarding the local traction situation held by the House District committee. The problem, however, is not incapable of solution. Apparently there i# no likelihood of action look- ing to municipal ownership, the least desirable of all proposed cures for the present unfortunate condition. More likely of approval is the plan to change the basis of street railway taxation from gross to net revenues. This suggestion is gaining in favor. ‘The action of the commission yes- terday in reducing the rates should be an encouragement to the House com- mittee to press to passage a bill effect- ing the proposed tax change, which will tend to equalize the financial status of the two companies and by lightening the load upon the Wash- ington Railway and Electric Company to permit a further reduction of fares. ‘The utilities commission has consid- ered this question carefully and has rendered a decision that should be sus- tained by public opinion. Inspired by desire to relieve the people of exces- sive rates of fare, the commisston has at the same time been just to the companies that serve the public. —_——— Big Bill Haywood is doubtless draw- ing on his imagination liberally in seeking to impress sovietists with the importance of the I. W. W. flights of fancy, as the recognized privilege of the advance agent. ———rtem———— Russian affairs are still hindered by Lenin’s uncompromising determina- tion to play politics. —_——e—— The Restricted Metropolis. ‘When the sagacious pioneers settled on Manhattan Island and established a trading post there and later laid the | foundations for a city, they beueverl| that they had the best possible site on son and admit the vast stocks of food- stuffs and other materials that must the American coast. As the years went be had for daily sustenance. Light- ering and ferrying cost heavily and by and New York grew in commercial importance and in population the Man- hattanites blessed the memories of those early settlers for their shrewd- ness and acumen in picking the point of land that jutted down toward the sea between two great rivers. But of recent years the situation has ap- peared to be less propitious. The rivers have become disadvantages, as well as valuable arteries. The city has long since outgrown the island and ‘#pread on all sides. On the Jersey side it has lost its identity, but in other directions it has remained New York. A mere question of official title, however, does not matter so much as that of accessibility. For New York 18 now serlously troubled on the score of getting its supplies. Most of the goods upon which it relies come from the north and the west and the south, and the mighty Hudson bars the way. For years New York has asked for bridges and tunnels to cross the Hud- add to the final prices. But bridges and tunnels also cost heavily, and their cost will eventually enter into the prices as well. The problem is a most difficult one. The Hudson is broad. It is traversed by many ships. On the eastern side the problem is less troublesome, for the span is narrower, and several- bridges have been built. Two tunnels have been driven under the bed of the great river, one for the transport of local traffic and tie other for the passenger trains of the Penn- \ . sylvania railroad. A third tunnel is in the first stage of construction, to ac- commodate vehicular traffic. This, when finished, will serve somewhat for the inbringing of goods, but by motor transshipment. 8o a plan is being perfected now for a Hudson river bridge at New York, a veritable giant of a structure, the greatest bridge in the world. It will cost an enormous sum. It will be one of the great' wonders. It will prob- ably take a dozen years to build. If constructed on lines now laid down it will bring into New York directly a vast amount of freight, without re- shipment, and will thus solve, in part at least, the problem of haulgge which now so sorely vexes the city. Meanwhile a project has been ad- vanced for a pontoon bridge across the Hudson at Yonkers to carry freights over to the east side of the river and thence into New York By the rail connections already established and not difficult of multiplication. This will have to be capable of opening for the passage of ships, for the Hudson at Yonkers is a busy stream. At pres- ent the only bridge over the Hudson between New York and Albany is at Poughkeepsie, seventy miles north of the big city. And these are the reasons why, in these days of congestion and wide- spread and enormous requirements for daily needs, New York doubts the wis- dom of those who picked the island of Manhattan for the site of the metrop- olis of America. ———— The Russian Tragedy. Reports from Russia tell a tale of appalling destitution. Hundreds of thousands of people are deprived of food and are subsisting on grass, roots, moss, the bark of trees and the ground bones of animals. Disease has fol- lowed as a natural sequence and is carrying off the sufferers by great numbers. Hunger marches have been made by long columns of the people, clad in rags, gaunt and scarcely sane, armed with sticks and rude pikes, storming the cities where food is stored. In Petrograd the soviet gov- ernment, according to one dispatch, assembled troops and fired into one of these swarms of hunger marchers, killing many score. Famine and pestilence are terrible in any land where government is or- gamzed and functioning. But in Rus- sia there is no government in the proper sense. A rule of tyranny by a small group has been established, with incompetence and graft prevalent. Only one principle is observed, that of repression. Instituted on the theory of equality for all classes of the people, it has proved the most unequal of autocracies. And in this emergency it has failed utterly to provide for the simplest needs of the population. ‘The worst effects of the famine are felt in southeastern Russia, in the great Volga valley. But the conditions that are taking toll in lives prevail almost universally throughout the range of soviet rule. Transportation has almost completely broken down. Relief supplies, if they were available, could be distributed with the greatest difficulty. In these circumstances the fall of the bolshevists is predicted. But they have weathered so many storms in the past four years that hope of their col- lapse is faint, even though the shock- ing sufferings of the people seem to compel a change. There is talk of a coalition to replace the soviet admin- istration. A report circulates that Lenin will surrender office. The names of several men well known for their moderation of revolutionary views have been mentioned as likely to form the new ministry. Yet confidence in the prospect does not brighten as long as the shrewd schemer who has held Russia in his ruthless hand since the overthrow of the Kerensky regime re- mains in power at Moscow. The terms laid down by Mr. Hoover as the basis for American relief have been ridiculed by the soviet leaders, but a late dispatch state that they have been accepted. Meanwhile the disaster grows in magnitude and precious time is being lost. The soviet, it is hinted, believes that the crop will suffice to relieve the situa- tion. But there are reports that in some sections the unripe roots and grains have been already eaten by the famishing people. In a few weeks navigation will be- come difficult and by the end of No- vember relief ships, save by the south- ern waters, cannot reach the Russian shores. To administer the relief work will call for a great number of skilled men, transport specialists, experienced distributors. The breakdown of the railroads will make the task of send- ing the supplies into the interior one of the greatest magnitude. The para- mount question now, therefore, is whether, if the conditions are accept- ed, what passes for government in Russia will be able to assure such co- operation to the relief workers as to enable them to reach the sufferers be- fore they have perished by the million. ‘The world has suffered few tragedies as great as that which is being now enacted in the land of misrule. ————————— Silesia is patiently waiting for the dove of peace to assert itself as a practically influential bird. l Occasionally a city’s so-called crime ‘wave threatens to take on the aspect of perpetual high water. i Mountain Climbing. In all the annals of Alpine tragedies there is no more terrible experience than that of Mrs. Btone, rescued froma norrow ledge in the Canadian Rockies after her husband had fallen to his death down the mountainside into a deep chasm. These two people, experj- enced climbers, were trying to scale a peak without ropes or guides. The hus- band slipped and fell. The wife tried to rescue him, a hopeless undertak- ing and nearly fatal to herself. She, too, fell, but lodged upon & narrow shelf, where she lay for eight days, bruised end without means of sus- tenance save a little trickle of water from a crevice. The story of her one. He was lowered to her side and later carried her on his back to a place of security. The lure of the mountains is a strong one, not to be resisted by those 3 rescue by an Alpine guide is a thrfllln‘l THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JULY 31 POLITICS AT HOME|Wisdom and Prudence Applaud IFIFTY YEARS AGO IN THE who have ever yleld‘d to it. It.is not merely the desire to gain the high places for the view, though that in it- self is a compensation. It'is a sense of conquest over obdurate nature that draws men and women into the hilla and up the crags and along the side of crevices and across the glaciers, crawling, climbing, creeping, clinging* to tiny projections, trusting their lives to the scantiest of footholds and finger grips. The least misstep means death. The slightest vertigo, induced by the vast spaces beneath, fg fatal. The fraying of a rope on the edge of the rock may cost a life. The fall of one person may mean that all will go to- gether. Despite all (hue dangers, possibly because of them, mountain climbers continue to attack the peaks and cliffs, to hazard their lives against the stub- bornness of the hills and the vagaries of the weather. . No matter how many are lost, others will ga on climbing. Variety and the Mob. ‘The mob spirit possesses, and obeys, variety. It is not a humdrum, one- idea spirit. Originally, lynchers, seeking blood, employed the rope, and were content with that. The victim was simply strung up, and left to be cut down hours later by orderly citizens. Then it became the fashion to fill the body of the victim with lead. A's the mob dispersed, each member in passing the swaying figure discharged his pistol into it as a parting com- pliment. Then came the suggestion of the torch. A simple hanging garnished with a little pistol practice lost its savor. Why not put a bit of ‘“pep" into the business? And “‘pep” was put in. The victim was tied to a stake and burned to death, the crowd ap- plauding. On the Williams “murder farm” in Georgia drowning was adopted. Vic- |t|m5 were tied together, weighted with stones, and cast into running streams. “‘De boys begged mighty hard, but dey had ter go,” said one of the execution- ers, a negro, in describing the scene in court, The latest mob wrinkle is an old wrinkle revived. Tar and feathers now having a run. Foregolng death, ‘the mob seizes its victim, man or | woman, strips him or her, applies the punishment, and abandons the victim thus befouled on city street or country road. Whiit next? The mob, unchecked and unafraid, is resourceful. We may all be certain it has not exhausted its ingenuity. Some new form of torture und outrage may be expected any day. l Washington enables a man to keep Cox and McAdoo. Both Gov. Cox and former Becre- tary McAdoo have been taking the air in New England this summer. Sim- 1921_PART 2. HE STAR The Call for Disarmament| ru .o v wesmon oe BY THOMAS R, MARSHALL. ply the air. There could have been no|Former Viee !n‘.:‘flt of the United political attraction. That section last year almost fell over itself in its rush to the polls to vote for Harding and Coolidge. Massachusetts gave over four hundred thousand plurality. Con- necticut gave over a hundred thou- sand, with Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont extending themselves. Even “Little Rhody” gave a plurality of sixty thousand. The two men have not met, though there is no reason why they should avoid each other. Their fight for party leadership last year was brisk, but open and fair. They were really the only figures of consequence at San Francisco; and the more popular, with the better management, won. Mr. McAdoo yielded with good grace, and took the stump for the winner. Success at the polls was impossible. The country was ‘“set” decidedly the other way. But Mr. McAdoo did his bit whole-heartedly, and called on his friends to support the nominee. A Cox boom and a McAdoo boom survived the November cyclone, and are being carefully nourished. There are three trying yegrs before both. Much may, and much probably will, happen before the next democratic national convention convenes. New issues may produce new leaders. But both Gov. Cox and Mr. McAdoo are interesting hangovers and live wires. Both are young men. Both are “well heeled,” and able to indulge a profound taste for politics and a pro- nounced skill for the game. Hence all they do and is done in their behalf in the coming three years will easily se- cure a share of public attention. The Storm and the Ship. Many remedies for our plight as a nation are being urged. Some of the diagnosticians are learned to the point of obscyrity. It is dificult to grasp their meaning, or follow their direc- tions. As much as may be gathered from them is that conditions are ex- tremely bad, and that the country will be lucky if it emerges from the mess in any sort of decent and workable shape. In such depressing circum- stances who not keep in view and hold fast to some simple truths? (1) Today we are the strongest na- tion doing business in the world. Our form of government is, as never be- fore, being recommended to the world. Bemocmcy has become a world cry. Despotisms and even limited mon- drchies are passing. The future wear !m close touch with the impressions of | everywhere promises to be popular the country at large. The District of Columbia thermometer occasionally registers the same extreme heat that prevails elsewhere. | The success with which Henry Ford conducts his business cannot fail to arouse a certain amount of . lively curiosity. He has adopted simple home remedies instead “of camnx on the business doctors. ! Northcliffe’s experience with Lloyd George enables the eminent publisher to appreciate the feelings of the cub reporter who finds no welcome on the Downing street door mat. l It may take a number of years to make sentiments of peace mutual per- manencies between numerous citizens in France and Germany. f Base ball fans are compelled to won- der whether one or two of the games they followed with tense interest were only optical illusions. 5 l It appears that President Harding is content to view the glories of'the New England scenery in speechless admira- tion. i A few summer resort landlords frankly declare that the hoysing scare- ities are not as acute as they used to be. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Seientific Authority. Columbus had to use an egg To show this earth is spherical, In vain attention he would beg For thoughts In terms more clerical. He might hawe started for the beach With cheers for his activity, By sayingy, “Your poor minds can't reach My views on relatlvity.” A Stratagem. “I thought you were out for a pleas- ure trip with plenty of golf and fish- ing?” “I made that announcement,” said Benator Borghum, “so as to get a little time. for real work. People:don’t hesitate to break in on a man when he is busy, but no one has the heart to disturb him when he's fishing or playing golf.” Irresistible Charm. “Do children enjoy the comic supple- ments?”’ “Undoubtedly,” replied Miss Cay- enne. “Even those who don't quite ap- preciate the humor enjoy séeing dear little tots like themselves portrayed as blowing up their parents and guard- jans.” Chariots of Ease. When earth is like a frying pan, As sultry summer rules the scene, I'd rather be the iceman than A tourist in a limousine. Jud Tunkins says the only way for his women folks to be in style is to look as if they were out of clothes. l Musical Psychology. “Do you think jazz is going out of fashion?” “Not permanent,” replied Farmer, Corntossel. “It always gets less popu- lar this time o' year. It gets too hot timental,” government. The people are coming into their own, The great need is order in making the change where change is necessary. Avoid hurry, and thus avoid shipwreck. (2) We have encountered rough weather before, As a nation we are the fruit of a storm. We had great trovble in getting a start; and the trouble continued for years after the start had been effected. We passed through four years of as bitter inter- necine strife as history records, and came out of it strengthened both at home and abroad. The greatest strength of America as a nation dates from April, 1865, when the internecine strife ended. In the light of these indisputable facts, why should any American de. spair today? Granted that the storm is severe, and threatens to be pro- tracted. Why should we not ride it out, when our ship is the stoutest afloat, has been tested in all weathers, and is now commanded by a capable, an experienced, and a trusted skipper? Lansing and House. In last Sunday’s Star reference was made to Col. House and the informa- tion he possesses bearing on the ques- tions that will come before the inter- nationsl conference scheduled for this town next fall. Robert Lansing may be mentioned in the same connection. He, too, has gone._ Into ‘those questions, and par- ticularly such-as relate to the far east. As Secretary of State, as well as one of the delegates to the Paris peace conference, he had eccasion to examine important matters of Japanese and Chinese compléxion, and their mean- ing, current and potential, of interest to Amerjca. It so happens, too, that Mr. Lansing, like Col. House, differed with Presi- dent Wilson at the peace conference as to the course that should be pur- sued respecting world provisions for the future. "He has set forth his views interestingly and at length in a volume 1 J he -has published. Presumably, he is| still of the same mind. As a _resident of Washington Mr. Lansing will be on the scene when the fall conference opens and while it sits. He will probably be acquainted with the delegates, or the majority of them, American and.other. Bquipped thus, Mr. Lansing and Col. House will be good men for the Amer- ican delegates -to consider. Their in- formation and the opinions founded on it will, of course, be at the service of those handling: the Apmerican case be- foge the _confergnce, which case all will want to see handled as success- fully as possible. The coming meeting is so very im- portant to us that all agencies for solving for American advantage the problems presented should be taken into account and drawn upon accord- ing to their value. I ‘The books written about the war do not succeed in conveying the informa- tion that is most in demand. Deeply as people are interested in what has been they are still more interested in ‘what is going to be. { A Japanese diplomat has so many| points of possible advantage to con- sider that there can be no reasonable expectation that he will attempt a speed record.’ f The ex-kaiser managed to choose a conspicuous place among the prom- for dancin’-and-the boarder wants to|inent war survivors. Many have writ- dzqufitmmntomfilntm» ten books.” oublb'hlvcmwu 'wood. ! HE article in the covenant of the league of nations which provided for a com- mission to bring about the limitation of armament was, to my mind, a strong and very potent argument for the adoption of the covenant. In the cam- paign of 1920, however, I met men Wwho qualified their approval of this article with an “if" or a “but,” even though they earne ly desired not only disarmament, but peace and arbitration. The sad history of mankind with ref- eremnce to the tricks of diplomacy had been such that cautious men had learned to fear the Greeks even when bearing gifts. The covenant of the league was rele- gated to the lumber room of good intentions. Whether it ever will be brougth out for the use of mankind is veiled from human sight. But one thing is sure— unless the administration of Pres fdent Harding lessems the chances of war and enhances the hopes of peace, a long-suffering people will demand a reconsideration of the subject. As spokesman of ou- govern- _ment in foreign affairs. the Presi- dent has called for a conference of the leading powers on the question of armaments. All men are with him on this. The whole world applauds. He will have the support of all parties in America and the prayers of women and men everywhere. * k x x Public consideration of the arma- ment question, including the prob- lems of the Pacific as presented by the covenant of the league of na- tions, was largely aitruistic. We had not then passed far enough from the war to be moved by its financial phases. We were still un- der the delusion that America was a limitess treasure field, that all we had to do was to sell bonds and burn the proceeds in the form of powder. It is now the morning after. We have recovered from our orgie of patriotism with a swollen head and a flattened pocketbook. ‘We are face to face with danger to our institutions. While I may consent to the statement of courts that the power to tax is the power to destroy as a correct interpreta- tion of the rules of government, 1 deny that the power to tax in- volves the right to destroy. And 1 afirm that whether in autocratic Germany or in free America the exercise of the power of taxation carried too far will result in the overthrow of government. * ok ok Waging a war is like buying an automobile or taking a wife in marriage. The original cost is easily and gladly provided. It is the upkeep that gets on one's nerves. Take, for instance, civil war pensions. The first pension. bill T signed for the survivors and the widows and children of the veterans of that conflict carried $160,000,000. That was in 1913. The last bill T signed was in 1921— eight years later and eight years farther from the close of the war. It carried more than twice $160.- 000,000. And with this bill came one placing upon the pension rolls thereafter survivors of the Span- ish-American war who had reached the age of sixty years. ‘The more than 4.000,000 men who served in the world war now have claims against the government. Furope is practically bankrupt, unable or unwilling to pay even the interest on her indebtedness to us. Vast sums have been taken from the taxable wealth of our country and invested in tax-ex- empt securities. Figures mean but little to me, yet reasons exist to convince all of us that the gov- ernment is facing embarrassment in the matter of meeting its legal and moral obligations. Deferment of gome obligations is necessary. * % % % It is surprising how many men there are in this world who think that the fate of the republic de: pends on the sutcome of a motion to strike out “nevertheless” and to insert “notwithstanding. The creative and critical faculties wage war eternally. The omniscient eye has to keep close watch upon the egotistic I. The common run of us have sympathy for the store proprietor whose sense of owner- ship was being jarred constantly by his clerk saying: “Yes, madam, we have it” or “No, sir, we do not keep it.” Remonstrance about his use of the word “we" did no good. Objections finally became an ob- mession with the owner. One even- ing, standing at the door and watching a gathering storm, the clerk observed, “I think we shall have rain.” Smiting his fists an- @rily, the owner turned on the clerk, exclaiming, “Have I not told you time and again not to say ‘we’? We shall not have rain. I shall have rain.” No one can define, much less analyze, either motives or emo- tions. Whether the proposed con- ference touching disarmament arises from altruistic motives or financial concern it is not mine to presume even to guess. The cove- nant. which contained a provision for this very purpose was rejected. Now comes this new proposal. Whatever any one else may say, 1 declage that it is a source of &ratification, it not of consolation, to men of like mind as my own now to receive the hope that “I shall have rain.” * % % % As 1 did not vote for President Harding, modesty and experience have bade me not threaten him with a repetition, in 1924, of the 1920 campaign unless his adminis- tration enacts into law the demo- cratic platform of last year. I never goad anew the man who has licked me, at least not until T see his power waning and my strength returning. As a good party man, T shall keep my am- munition until the battle begins. 1 shall not join that fllustrious company which is always talking about rather being right than be- ing President. 1 have known its members all my life, and have ob- served that they stand as slim a chance of being one as of being the other. The man who con- stantly talks about being right is just explaining to his wife for fear she, too, will lose confidence. 1 am, myself, a believer in party loyalty and party government, but that 18 no reason why I should not welcome anything that promises - Rood, though it may not come bearing my party label. * ¥ * % Along with the comforts and luxuries of civilization have come frightful evils. A man has in- vented a gun that will fire a shell 300 miles. If he shall be permit- ted to fire it the recoil of his gun each time will destroy the tax- ables of some road district in America. I find myself wondering if the world would not be just as well off traveling by coach if there- by warfare would have to be waged with a stone ax or a thorn stick. If war ever comes again, the dec- laration of the German general military staff that in war there are no non-combatants will prove to be true. With the aeroplane and submarine and death-dealing gases, no one will be immune, neither the old man in dotage nor the babe in its mother's arms. This of itself ought to convince us that no wrong, however griev- ous, inflicted upon @ people by the most ignorant and prejudiced court, would be at all comparable with the horrors of future war- fare. No difference in what way it comes, whether from lofty purpose or from financial necessity, I can see with unclouded vision that it is the patriotic and humanitarian duty of every man who thinks he loves his fellow men to give his whole-hearted support to the ef- fort of the President to solve the problem of disarmament. De- scending to the low but neces- sary plane of cash, no one’ who has had anything to do with gov- ernmental affairs can find a place where savings may be so largely made as in the appropriations for the Army and Navy. Govern- ment is the most expensive busi: ness on earth and expenditure: break all bounds for war—pre- paring for war, waging war and paying for the results of was * Ok k¥ Ofttimes what is impossible of accomplishment through a high and lofty purpose becomes com- paratively easy when approached from a more ignoble standpoint. The statesmen of the world may not all be good, but they all are wise in their day and genera- tion, They “know a hawk from a handsaw when the winds i’ the south”” They have observed the onward rush of democracy and the fast-gathering storm against the dissipation in war of more than nine-tenths of the taxes that peoples pay. Wisdom and pru- dence alike call for disarmament as the ome sure cure for uni- versal revolution against con- stituted government. More power to the arm of President Harding each time he strikes a blow in this most just cause. (Copyright by Thomas R. Marshall.) i THE GATE AT THE CITY'S HEAR These are the days when there is the strongest call away from the city with its heat and the noise of its traffic. There {s no fun playing in the street when the asphalt gets soft in the sun and unless there is & playground within easy reach it 1s hard for the children to find a place which is pleasant. They want to be off where the open road stretches out before them, where the breeze over the hills is fresh, and the’ ralt smell of it promises the sea just be- ";or most of them there is only one way out, and it is easy and cheap if they can find the key to the gate opening on to the Winding Way, which leads into the Valley of ination, Where facts are the guide posts to fancy. The children of Wasl found the beginning of the trail, lots nt and it commences at the heart of All day long they go in and the the city, and thro s})lf“: m‘me; step on to the Winding Way. . * * There the clouds pile up into ram parts of castles where banners float and knights ride in and out across the draw- bri Imagi: hington have taking away and ugh the covers the and shiel {.dflull man; and children fairly catch their breath with & thrill as the rowing song rings in their ears and they see the long oars rise and fall, sending the boat skimming over the blue water. There, too, all al the way, are little covered paths which they can follow with quiet moccasined feet into the heart of the deep wood to the very house-doors of the wee creatures and little folk. And if one listens carefully he may hear the story of how the folk live and grow acquainted with their ways. Once the child sets foot on the way, he will find sport and adventure and the best of companions, who will join him in the play or work he likes best, * * Library records and figures tell things to people who know and watch them year by year. A circulation rec- ord of 409,631 in the children's de- partment for 1920-21 means that 61,498 more passports to the land of delight were used this year than ever before. But it means even more than that, for there is no record of the big brothers and ers who read the books they have not learned to come to the library to lor_themselv: rerhlpl some tale of knights a adies or of hardy folk of whose story much more thrilling than a movie. Nor does a record tell how many mothers and fathers find in Joe's or Minnie’s book a bit of rec- reation after the work of the day: It is all so easy for the children who know the secret and there is no end to the pleasure of the Windl Way that starts at the library soes on and ln over the hills. How many more might enjoy it, too, ly there 'o e more than one such off our city’s streets! still waiting for its second railroad connectioh with the north, which Progress on the Sk £ ad been project- New Bailroad. g under the name of the Baltimore & Potomac, and was being constructed. The Star of July 24, 1871, contains an article more than a column in length relating to the state of the work, which had pro- gressed to a point at which The Star sald, “we may expect to hear the whistling of the locomotives in a com- paratively short time.” Piles for the Eastern branch bridge were nearly all driven and the stringers were being set in place. The embankment ap- proaches had been finished and it was Iexnecud that the bridge would be ready for trains by October. Work ‘was in progress on the deep cut at the city end of the bridge and on the tunnel beyond. The tunnel work was especlally slow inasmuch as it was being built on a “cut and cover” plan instead of by boring. The ground was very hard and many obstructions in the way of water and gas pipes were encountered. The tunnel work began early in July, 1870, and it was esti- mated that another year would be re- quired to complete it, at a total cost of about a million and a half dollars. Operations were continuing at the Long bridge in building a causeway from the Virginia shore to the abut- ment and in driving piles and setting the piers. Work on the north end of the bridge had not been started. * * % Opposition to the District improve- ment bond issues was lessened by the explanation of Injunction the favorable terms obtained by Gov. Against Loan. c,oke in floating the loan in New York. The Star of July 24, 1871, states that the proposed injunction had not yet been filed. but Walter §. Cox (later judge of the Dis- trict Bupreme Court) had drawn a bill which was to be filed the next day. It was, in fact, so filed, before Justice Wylie. This petition for an injunction is in the name of a num- ber of citizens headed by A. Grant, who complained that the Governor of the District was about to issue bonds under a pretended act of the legis- lature and that the proceeds of the sale of them were to be disbursed on warrants at the judgment und d cretion of the‘board of public work: The petitioners averred that those acts would, they believed, be highly injurious to them. They set forth that the District debt already amounted to $3,349,124, and the assessed value of the property of the District was! $77.191,941.37. They urged that by law the aggregate debt could not be in- creased beyond 5 per cent of the as- sessed value of the property unless authority was given by a majority of the voters at a regular election, and that the proposed new loan would bring the District's debt to beyond that point of restriction. They claimed {further that the legislative act had| not been_ officially published. While this writ was being prepared and flled. u number of the leading roponents of the improvement loan Betd d ‘secret mecting and, according to information which reached The Star, agreed to ceuse their opposition and 'to take no further steps if the $4,000,000 improvement bill was re- pealed and_another one passed ap- propriating $1,600.000.” * * % A picture of the condition of Wash- ington’s streets in the center of the city is afforded Bad Conditions at by the follow- e e ing paragraph Judiciary Square. July 25, 1871: in The Star of “The portion of E street through Judiciary Square ought to be the most attractive section of that street, and it could be made so at trifling expense. Instead of this, however, jt has been allowed to become and to remain so offensive as in a great measure to be avoided, except by pedestrians whose business leads them through it. For a long time the south half of it has been used as a dumping ground for gravel. sand, etc., to the great ann, ance of the neighborhood—so great, indeed. a8 to render it a nuisance. It is now proposed to open F street in a similar manner through the square, to which we demur, us one dumping ground there is enough In all con: science. Make E street even tolerablé and we care not how soon that F street be opened to correspond with it * * % One of the most conspicuous ex- amples of street closing nuisances, however, was that of North Capitol street. In The Street Blocked. g, or juiy 25 1871, is an item which tells of the consideration by the board of public works of the condition of that street. a contract for the improvement of which had been awarded to Peter Mc- Namara. The work had been inter- rupted by the failure of the Baltimore and Ohio road to raise the track at the intersection of D) street to con- form to the grade, in accordance with a joint resolution of Congress. The board adopted a resolution re- questing the acting governor to in- !Ionn the president of the Baltimor. and Ohio railroad of the proposed im- provement and the interruption of the work and inviting the road's en- gineer to a conference with the board Nothing came of that conference. if it was held, for the tracks of the Balti- more and Ohio blocked D and North {Capitol streets for many sears. It was not until the Union station was constructed and the Baltimore and Ohio tracks were removed that North Capitol street was open throughout North Capitol * * ¥ The new District government under the territorial act was housed finally in the Morrison buildings. District ©n 47 street near Pennsyi- vania avenue, which was Offices. (o, yome vears the munici- pal headquarters, even after the change to the commissionership or- ganization. In The Star of July 27 1871, is an item telling of the remodel- ing of these buildings: “These houses are five stories high. with front of fifty-six feet on 4% street apd running back sixty-eight feet. In the rear of these has been built a fireproof building, forty by sixteen feet, and the same helght ux | the main building. Thix is for the District records and archives of the old corporation. The whole interior Dlan of thexe buildings has been changed to suit the needs of the vari- ous offices of the new government. all of which will be centered here. There are. four entrances on the streel. {two for upstairs and one for each {of the large main rooms on the first { floor, which are to be occupied by the register and collector. respectively These rooms are each Seventy-two by {twenty-two feet, with a counting room 'in the rear end. The ceilings lare all high, the halls wide, the main stairways easy of ascent and the apartments are to be finished and fur- hished with every improvement and convenience. The furniture is of black walnut.” * * % After the civil war the names of Gen. Grant's chief military lieutenants were very popular throughout the north Not the Right [[Eeiae eagernces General.” .s anifested to see them and meet them personally Both Sherman and Sheridan, however. were shy men, little given to public appearances. In The Star of July 25, 1871, is the following anecdote bear- ing upon this keen interest in the former of these military heroe: “There i& something in a name after all, as the guests at one of the moun- tain houses in New Hampshire can testify—if so disposed. A dispatch having been received by the proprietor 1o ‘reserve quarters for Gen. Sherman and party. there was much ado to put the establishment in proper order: an old field piece was brought out and loaded for the occasion. and when the train arrived everybody in the neigh- borhood was drawn up in line to receive the illustrious guest. Tmagine the sickly expression of the crowd when the central figure of the newly- arrived group stepped up to the desk and registered his name. ‘F. T. Sher- man, Chicago’ He was one of the old-fashioned, ante-war ‘generals’ such as we used to have about Wash- ington in great profusion, and of which we ha happily a few fine specimens lef DIGEST OF FOREIGN PRESS Praise for Ambassador Wallace. Ambassador Hugh C. Wallace, who was President Wilson's last appointee to the Paris embassy, leaves many friends behind him in France, as he makes way for the return of Myron T. Herrick. Stephane Lauzanne writes in the Matin: “Of course, the United States ambas- sador, whatever administration he is sent by, has always an easy task in Paris. He not only represents one of the greatest nations of the earth, but a nation with whom we have never had any disputes, quarrels or frictions, a nation which is always a friend. 1 think it was M. Briand who said one day: ‘In this house of the Quay d'Or- say, where the representatives of all nations of the world have access, there is one person whom we are always glad to see; it is the American am- bassador. There'is no example of us ever having had difficulties or dis- utes with him. As soon as he appears ;: sees nothing but smiles and out- stretched hands ® ¢ ¢ “And yet Mr. Wallace, in spite of the outstretched hands and the smiles, has known some delicate moments. He was not only the representative of a friendly nation, but also of a states- man who after havipg inspired the enthusiasm of the cro¥ds experienced —perhaps wrongly—the decline of popularity. And then according to the chnnceu of the political battle he had he ambassador's conference, then hc had to remain silent, then leave it altogether, and finally return. Many would have failed. Mr. Hugh ‘Wallace always put & good face on it. He has been thc ‘worthy successor of the great ambassadors which pre- ceded him, and the worthy predeces- sor of the great ambassador who is following him. He has triumphed over all the lllt]a obstacles by his gracious- ness and common sense. He has known how to understand and to love us. He also knew how to show it. And he will continue to show it. “He said recently that when he got back to America he would spend all his time in speaking of France and keeping up the sacred affection which ought to exist forever between the two republics. “A country which inspires such sentiments in one of its guests can be proud of it, but it must also be grateful. In Mr. Hugh Wallace we lhlll have one more friend in the United States. But we sHould have liked him to know that he has thirty- six million friends who have seen him at work in this old country of France.” Star and Crescent. The occultation .of Venus with the crescent moon, which was seen at ong &Ko |fu)l noon recently at Constantinople, |ting room. There is no tidy litt has very naturally been regarded by the Turks as a good omen, says the London Morning Post. For the cresoent moon, with a star between the horns, has been used by the Ottoman Turks as their military and religious emblem since the thirteenth , 'The arescent Iitself has| m;:?- conspicuous part in the fl:w of that part of the globe for well over two thousami years. It was made the badge of Byzantium in 339 B.C., when the sudden appearance of a crescent moon revealed the approach of the Macedonian army. Real Frenchwomen. The homekeeping Frenchwoman ix much more common than the average foreigner is inclined to think after a casual visit to Paris, writes & Paris correspondent of the Lemdon Daily Mail. The impression of out- of-door life is given by the much- frequented cafes and the strollers on the boulevards. One imagines thal all Paris leaves ite homes and spends its life sitting on the pavement before little tables drinking coffee or lemon- ade or beer. In reality very few wom- en go regularly to the cafes, and they are nol of the better classes when the. 'l‘i’l'e Frenchwoman loves her home. She is jenlous of her privacy and opens her doors but rarely to any but her own ily. The stranger within her gates is always a stranger, how- ever courteously treated. It is al- most as difficult to get into a French home as it is for a camel to pas< through the eye of a needle. One may dine there, lunch there, have tea there frequently, but that does not mean that one has seen the Frenchwoman at_home. The only people who know French- women in their own homes, apart from their immediate relations or old family friends, are their servants and their governesses. There is no hos- pitality as Englishwomen know it The home life literally means the home life. Families foregather in large num- bers and they do not like to mix friends and family in daily life. The strong conservative element in French- ‘women inclines them to exclusiveness, no matter what their social rank. The claim of relationship is strong and they recognize it even when they grumble about it. When a woman marries she accepts. and is accepted by, her husband's family. Her husband does the same thing with her family. The power of family tles is evident in so meny ways that any one who knows France even a little must realize how difficult it is for the foreigner to get beyond a bowing acquaintance unless he or she can claim some sort of relation- ship, Even a distant cousin is treat- ed with respect and addressed by the title: and there is something awe- inspiring in an aunt or an uncle. Such customs necessarily make the home a very intimate place, and as a further barrier to intimacy from the passing visitor the very arrangement of the house is such as to emphas! the dividing line between. ‘The salon i8 never a common sit- of work and books in it. It is a place where one receives, makes music, drinks coffee after luncheon, and talks volitely. The bedroom is the place where one sews, reads, writes one's letters, and does one's housekeeping books. and upon which is stamped the individual- ity of the inhabitani. The rich woman may have her boudoir, but the middie- class woman {s generally limited for space in & Paris flat. ] ‘.