Evening Star Newspaper, July 9, 1923, Page 6

l'sfl THE EVENING STAR, With Sunday Morning Edition, Pl el b e WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY. ...July 9, 1923 SHEODORE W. NOYES. The Eyening Star, with the Sunday morning aition, in deilvered by carriers within the eity at 60 cents per month; daily ouly, 45 cents month; SBunday only, 20 cents per month. rs may be sent by mall, or telephone Mal: 000, ' Collection 1 made by carriers at the e8d of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. All Other States. Daily and Sunda: Daily only Bunday only. ! Member of the Assoclated Press, Tie Assaciated Press is exclusively entitled o the ‘use for republication of all news dis- atches credited to it or uot otherwise credited n this paper and also the local news pub- 3ished ‘hereln. ~All rights of publication of ®pecinl dispatches hierein are also reserved. ——————roe—— meshen=y Report of the Coal Commission. Recommendations of the United [States Coal Commission in regard to enthracite, with the public facing &nother coal strike or still further in- creases in prices for fuel, will appeal to the ultimate consumer asa draught ©f cool water to a wanderer in the desert. The commission, in unmistakable terms, has declared there should be an end to coal famines that freeze the people in the winter and to unlimited profiteering. While its report is in a gneasure preliminary, with more spe- «ific recommendations to follow later, 4t makes two suggestions of great in- terest. One is that the President be Eempowered by Congress to declare an emergency, in case of a shutdown of the mines, and to proceed to operate the mines and distribute and sell coal 10 the consumers. The other is that the fullest publicity be given to costs of operation and profits. In a measure, the commission has taken middle ground between ‘who advocate public ownership and ‘operation of the mines through the igovernment and those who desire to continue unrestricted private owner- iship and operatiorn. It has opposed .public ownership on the ground that! -1t would be costly and uneconomical. | VBut at the same time it has asserted “the public interest which attaches to the hard coal indu ‘of peopie depending upon the anthra- . cite mines for fuel. The ultimate con- sumer, the “innocent bystander” when 1t comes to controversies between the 1 operator and the miner, is in the opin- ‘don of the commis ,protection of the government, against both coal famine and gouging. The operators and the miners of ‘hard coal, now in conference in regard ‘10 wage scales, with the possibility of .a shutdown of the mines in the event .an agreement is not reached, would do /well to take warning from the report ){‘f the commission. It is true that Congress does not meet again in spe- cial session until December. But there 48 nothing to prevent the President calling a special session of the Con- ‘gress at any time. The temper of Con- “gress would scarcely be uncertain when it comes to dealing with the ,coal situation. New England was mroused as rarely before in its history by the coal strike of last year. Other sections of the country are little less dnterested. Legislat perhaps far more drastic than that suggested by | the Coal Commission, could be expect- ed promptly in the event of & special measion of Congress. The proposal that the fullest gicity. along standard lines. be given of the costs and returns of the coal in- dustry not less interesting than the emergency recommendation. Tt is de- signed to put an end to the profiteer- ing which has gone on during indus- trial peace. mission points out that the operators @ve free to inflate costs as they see fit, and that an extortionate retailer, by | veferring to the purchase of a few carloads of coal at high figures, may hide behind a smoke screen. Profiteer- ing does not flourish well in the light of publicity. Also, if it should continue despite pub . there looms always the threat of public ownership. With the anthracite @nd operated by a small group, and the workers unionized to the last de- | gree. the owners and the miner well combine to *eonsumers. might take toll from the ,been followed. publicity and heavy penalties for dis- torting the facts, such happening swould be difficult. The @eport of the commission re- Neals the fact that the profits of the Morkers and the operators have in creased enormously within the last decade. For example, the labor costs have risen from $1.56 @ gross ton in 1913 to $4.12 in the first quarter of #923. On the other hand, the operators . ®re receiving nearly three times as Jarge profits today as they did before the world war. ———— Col. Bryan has taken no direct steps #s yet toward forcing an anti-evolution plank into next summer's democratic platform. Balloon and Plane, Tast Wednesday fourteen balloons of the non-dirigible gas-bag type start- ed from Indianapolis in a “race.” Honors were to go to the one that yeached the greatest distance. In the course of time all of them came to earth safely but one. That one has been found adrift in Lake Erie and the body of one of the pilots has just Peen recovered. Just what is to be gained by these Apo-called races by powerless gas bags 48 not clear. They are just “stunts,” mnd are attended with grave dangers. “f'hey make a spectacular beginning *@nd contribute to the “news picture” yecord, but they cannot be regarded ®s of scientific value. Far more importants than any bal- foon race is the effort of Lieut. Maughan to fly from New York to San A'rancisco from dawn to dusk. He tarted early this morning, after hav- ‘!l postponed his sttempt 2o’ ablaln those | . with millions | pub- | The report of the com-| mines owned ; In fact, it has been hinted | more than once that such course has | But with the fullest | the most favorable weather conditions. He plans to make five stops for fuel on the way, and thus his flight diffes from that of Kelly and MacReady, who some weeks ago flew without & stop from coast to coast. The Kelly- MacReady flight was in a larger plane than the one Maughan is using. If the latter ie successful he will have made a really more remarkable flight, be- cause he will have had to maintain higher speed, and his achievement will demonstrate the possibllity of fast long-distance flying with small fuel supply. Recently & successful demonstration was given of the possibility of refuel- ing an airplane in flight. A machine was fed with gasoline while traveling at the rate of sixty miles an hour. Whether this will become a practica- ble method of maintaining continuous flight remains to be seen. If Maughan succeeds in crossing the continent in one span of daylight, with a series of fuel stops, he will greatly advance practical aviation. The balloon races cannot be com- pared in usefulness to these remark- able long-distance flights of the planes, and it Is to be hoped that they will be discontinued, just as the ‘“dare-devil” stunt flying of the plane pilots for cir- cus purposes has been discouraged as too dangerous and as without value. Needless Noises. Washington is cursed with an epi- demic of nofse. In many parts of the city the traffic roars without stint un- til the ears of the people are deadened and nerves are frayed. This is not only in the business quarter, but in the residential section, Bad car tracks, with sunken joints, cause constant banging as the cars pass, a single car often making four and six crashes that can be heard within the houses with all doors and windows closed. Motor trucks are speeded through the streets with the mufflers cut out, pop- ping and detonating like machine guns. Little heed is paid to regula- tions on this score, and it would seem that the rule for the suppression of needless noise in the driving of ma- chines has been wholly forgotten by Dboth the drivers and the police. There is no valid excuse for these noises. Bad car tracks can and should be fixed. No plea of poverty on the part of the railway companies should be accepted to justify neglect. A track | s0 out of repair as to cause the pas- sage of a car to sound like a battle is | not a safe track, and an unsafe track { should receive the attention of the | Utilities Commission promptly. But | seemingly this is a matter that re- ceives little consideration. The ques- { tion arises whether there is any sort of inspection by the commission’s | | agents over such matters. Or is the | {initiation of track repair left to the| { companies? Or possibly is the public, | i [diuons relied upon to make complaint {and call for changes? It would seem {that the people, whether from lack of | {law or lack of official or company in itiative, have to stand the burden of the nuisance. As for the motor traffic noise there is no occasion for continued suffering. | be required to set the drivers of the city straight. Employers should be warned against the hiring of habitual | i rule-breakers. 1 Washington was once a delightfully | { quiet city. It has become a bedlam. And the reason for the change lies in slackness of the enforcement of rules. The people who are compelled to live {within the urban section would be | gratified to know whether there is any reason why these rules are not car- | ried Into effect. ——————— A student of military matters ven i Only a few enforcements of the rulc§ against needless motor banging would | family the regular ranks, Furthermore, the farmer-labor program, while not go- ing quite so far in Minnesota as it went in the Dakotas, particularly in North Dakota, where it brought about serious eccaomic {lls from which those states are now suffering, involves cer- tain features of a sociallstic nature that have caused the shrewd Scandi- navian-Americans of that state to hes tate. One factor of the situation is fa- vorable to the regulars. Johnson will be elected, if that is the result, by farmer votes, and this is the busiest time for the farmers. It is geing to be very difficult to get the rural voters to the polls next Mon‘gy. Moreover, Gov. Preus has just announced a re- pudiation of the clalm that the tariff law is one of the controlling factors in the prosperity revival in this coun- try. He tells the voters that the high rates have hurt the farmers of the northwest. While this obvious bid for farm support is not agreeable to the stand-pat regulars, it may win votes for Preus and possibly win him the senatorship. ———— John D. Cuts Dividends. John D. Rockefeller is eighty-four years old. Yesterday he celebrated his birthday anniversary by going to church and by greeting a number of youngsters there, to whom he gave fifteen brand-new, shiny nickels. Last year he carried a stock of new dime; which he gave to the children who of- fered their birthday greetings. Yester- day he offered no explanation of the lowering of the rate. John D.—he will probably be known by the abbreviated title long after he has passed away—is not parsimonious. He has given away an enormous amount of cash, in various forms, mainly through his ‘‘foundation, which conducts organized benefac- tions. But in personal bounty he is somewhat shy of performance. He does not like to appear publicly as a bestower of gifts. It may be that John D, thinks that little children should not be encour- aged to extend their hands to the very rich on their birthdays in the hope of receiving largess. Possibly he realizes that he erred when he gave away the dimes a year ago. and has concluded to taper off. Perhaps he will give bright new pennies another year, and then quit. ———— An effort is to be made to salvage six million dollars in gold that went down with the Lusitania. The item is worth saving, even though it repre- sents but an infinitesimal portion of the loss to the world caused by the tragedy. ————— Efforts on the part of Mr. Baruch to organize the farmers will have to be sion entitled to the | after weary endurance of painful con- [ conducted with discretion in order to avold rural suspicion that he is paving the way to run for office of some kind. —_——— Oid John L. Sullivan was noted as having more friends than money. The pugilist of today is not dismayed by the possibility of having more money than friends B — Whatever lack of foresight may have distinguished the Hohenzollern /it is safe to assume that they in payment of dividends or pensions. days if the railroad grade crossings could be as efficiently policed as the | city traffic crossings. Without being as sick as Lenin, Trotsky is coming to be largely re | garded as politically incapacitated. tures the assertion that a “next war” | will last only a few days. It would be | as easy to derive consolation from this | theory as from the assertion that death-dealing will be so swift and cer- tain that multitudes of innocent peo- i ple will be enabled to depart this life blissfully unconscious that there has | been any war at all. ; ————————— 1t is doubtful whether even Mr. Bok’s $100,000 prize will develop any higher intellectual energy than has al- iready been applied in efforts to tncm, tate the entry of the United States into the league of nations. ————————— Advocates of government operation | of railroads are no doubt hopeful that the Railroad Labor Board will succeed iin asserting itself in a manner that will render it available as a nucleus { of administrative authoris The Minnesota Campaign. A week from today the voters of { Minnesota will cast their ballots for I United States senator to succeed the {late Knute Nelson. The race lies be- tween Gov. Preus, republican, end Magnus Johnson, farmer-laborite. The {democratic candidate, it is believed, has no chance, as the state is over- whelmingly republican, and the farm- {er-labor ranks are recruited from those Inr the republican party. Not even a 1 division of the republican votes be- tween the regular and farm-labor tickets can conceivably cause the elec- tion of a democrat. This contest is really between the conservative and radical elements of Minnesota. That state has never gone 8o far toward radicalism as has Wis- consin, which neighbors it on the east, or as have the Dakotas, which adjoin it on the west. But it has felt the in- fluence of forces which affect those other sfates. Just at present an inter- esting phenomenon is presented, with radical speakers from both sides cross- ing the line to address the Minnesota voters, the chief of whom is Senator La Follette. He is working tooth and nail for Magnus Johnson, even as he cast his influence in the Minnesota election last year for Shipstead for senator and in Towa for Brookhart. The replacement of Knute Nelson by Magnus Johnson would add materially to the ‘strength of the farm bloc in the Senate, and would lower the regular republican margin.. For this reason the fight is being vigorously conducted on both sides. Hope for a regular republican vic- tory is based upon the belief that the farmers of the state, now.more pros- perous than they were, will not care to be led by La Follette to put a sec- ond senater in ofice who is outside of + e l SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON Procrastination. “There’'s plenty of time," morning sun, As he laughed in the rosy sk 0 1 smiled at the task that was still undone And the hours went drifting by. And the day grew short and shadows long— And the moon with the silvery beam Taught the breeze to whisper the same old song, “There is plenty of time to dream.’ said the Sy the The clock is in contradiction set, As it rings with a careless chime— The hours are too short for the task— and yet There is always “plenty of time.” lieves everything he sees in print is terrible likely to take counterfeit Heart Still in the Same Place. ‘“When we were first married you sent me flowers and matinee tickets.” “Henrietta,” replied Mr. Meekton, “customs change with time. I'm groceries and tickets for tures.” your lec- The Easier Lot. The humbler task is often The easier by half— The golfer does the fretting And the caddy has the laugh. A Disappointed Moralist. “Do you consider prize fighting wicked?” “I do. The last one I saw wasn't the money’s worth, The Window Display. “I understand that pawnb.okers in Pittsburgh are liable to arrest if they display blackjacks and brass knuckles. “That is as it should be. It removes the suggestion of summary vengeance on the people who are going to buy all those musical instruments.” 4 Leadership. “A man can't be a leader in all ‘walks of life." “No,” answered Senator Sorghum; “I am opposed to this idea of trying to convince every captain of industry that he has the making of a political boss.” “When you says ‘Safety first,’ " said Uncle Eben, “you wants to make it somepin’ better dan jes’ a new version | of de old remark, “Look out foh No, 1" A B A are too shrewd to accept paper marks | There would be more safe and sane | Jud Tunkins says the man who be. | spending just as much now buying | BY PAUL V. COLLINS The Post Ofce Department Is undertaking to make a oount of every plece of mail handled between Bep- tember 21 and October 29, in order to study the cost of handling each class. Postmaster General New—a news- paper man of long experience—is interested in getting at the facts. L Some years ago an assistant post- master general appeared before = congressional committes with figures roving” that it cost 7 cents & pound to carry newspapers, although the government required the delivery of the papers at the post office at the publishers’ expens: It wi shown by publishers that the average haul of recond-class mail (publications) was less than 300 miles—much less— and that the express companies were comveting with the government for tha haul. The exnress comnanies would call at the office of publication and accept packages of paners (not less than ten pounds), which they would haul 500 miles or less for half a cent a pound—one-fourteenth of what the rovtornmenl was claiming to be its cost. While the postal rate on second- class (newspaper or’ magazi was & cent & pound. and the “experts” were alleging that the movernment was “subsidizing” newsnapers to the extent of 6 cents a nound. the express companies wers bezaing the oppor- tunity of giving added wervice for half a cent a pound. Express com- panies have never besn rated as seeking howiness ot a_loss or doine husiness blindly. “Mr. Expert Auditor! Front and cenfer!” * ok ok ok The medical profession is making discoveries which are guaranteed to prevent lying! There was an anti- prevarication drug ennounced last month by a doctor. which was al- leged to be harmless. When a liar got drunk on that drug, he would confess his innermost peccadilloes. Then some rival doctor called the inventor a liar, and threatened to prove it with his own medicine. Next comes a retinoscope. It looks like & rubber disk with « hole in it. Nobody can look through that hole and “keep a straight face,” while telling a whopper. It detects the fact that a Har becomes nearsighted while prevaricating. All liars may be near-sighted while prevaricating. but does it follow that all near- sighted folks are lars? i When the famous French Gen. Gou- raud stood for & full minute at sa- lute before the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington cemetery, tears chased each other down the rugged cheeks of the hero. He had led the American Rainbow Division in the battle which turned back the Ger- mans threatening Paris, and tears were his genuine tribute to the un- known American soldier. In simple words of pure eloguence, filled with sincerity and denth of feeling, the general paid further tribute to the dead, closing with this: “Who am T to boy who lies in his grave? I consid it an honor to give him my wreath Then the general added to the wreath he had himself provided for the tomb another. which his com rades under his command in the Rain bow Division had given him as a mark of their affection for their old commander. Seldom: do strong men show such| denth of feeling. such genuine senti- ment. Is it not an answer to the vaporings of pacifists who imagine Scopolamin May Be Good—But Its Use Cannot Be Sanctioned. | “Here's the end, the absolute end {of all human deception!” broadcasts ithe Brooklyn Eagle, commenting on the recent news out of San Quentin penitentiary that scopolamin, a drug. will render a person incapable of lving. But the press is not disposed {to welcome the discovery, or to re- gard it as a good thing either for | criminology or for society in general. i Especially is it to be feared as a soclal practice, particularly in domes- tio circles, for it opens up many grewsome possibilities which editors lare quick to point out “If it's « truthful report we have of it"—and the Savannah News is sure that “if the correspondent. who sent the story out had been treated of course the tale is true"—an injec- tion of scopolamin administered to | three conviets in the California pris- on caused them to tell the absolute truth in answer to questions, because. {as scientifically explained by the doc- {tor in charge of the experiment, the action of the drug is such as “to { render the person taking it incapable {ot mental inhibition, deprive him of veasoning power and render it im- | possible for him to tell a lie while {under its influence.” And. the Balti- more News points out, “the curious | thing about it is that there is at least nothing inherently impossible” in the theory. Treating the matter seriously. as a Advance concludes that the experi- ment injects new problem into eriminology.” Not so serlously, the Wheeling Intelligencer conjectures that “if the new drug is everything that is claimed for it, the whole proc- css of criminal prosecution could be very easily revolutionized. There | would be no need of lawyers; juries | would be useless: witnesses would not be needed; and criminal trials would be discarded. Whenever a man was ted of crime he would be given seopotamin and he would tell whether or not he was guilty. If he said ‘no’ he would be freed; if he said ‘ves’ he would be sentenced, and that would be all there was to ft—all over, done and finished in a quar- ter of an hour.” But “eliciting truth by use of the hypodermic needle,” as the New York Post puts it, is not likely to prove popular in criminal trials. “It falls into the class of hypnotic, mesmeric and other suggestive practices which, whatever they may have to recoms- mend them,” have not, the St. Paul Pioneer, Press hoids, “proved them: ow practice 1a not Wholly unliks “ths ‘medioval ordeals by fire and water. The Boston Traveler raises “two lm-i rtant doubts” about the use of drugs rnocrlmlnll rocedure. “The whether the bill of hts woul mit the secrets of the mind to be unlocked in_such manner. The sec- ond is, whether it is possible to make and test completely reliable, and. if it is not completely reliable, whether anything revealed by it can be ac- cepted as conclusive proof of guilt or innocence.” From a medical stand- point the Hartford Times concedes that “evidence secured .under such conditions would be regarded as con- clusiv {eflor&l acceptance “when & human life hangs in the bal- ance” is quite another matter, the “Of course there hold a wreath in the presence of the, number of writers do. the Lynchburg | he | st is | that there exists amongst the highe ranks of soldiers a professional pride in war? How little can such paci- fists comprehend the heart of & sol- dier like Gan. Gouraud! % % ‘Wheat prices are persisting in go- ing down and watermelon prices going up. Must be that the message from the Minneapolis flour mills— “Eat an extra slice”—got its wires crossed, and instead of “br 801 body substituted “melon” Who would eat bread when he can fatten on watermelon? * % % % The latest ruling of the Treasury upon the Volstead law is reported to allow foreign. ships in American waters as much liquor as permitted by the laws of the country from which the ships are operating. If a vessel's passenger list and cargo come from several countries, each of which has laws requiring liquor stores, the en 1 medical supply will be grant. and in addition spe- cific provisions for the several laws will be met. * x ¥ % At least, that is the news report, and it recalls the tragic fate of the adjustable chameleon. The curious agility of the chameleon in adjust- ing its own color to its environment has never ceased to interest students of natural history. Put a chameleon on red velvet and its skin quickly matches_the red; change it to green grass and instantly the chameleon becomes verdant. On vellow sand, it is yellow; on brown mud it is muddy. But when a fine specimen was put on a Scotch plaid, it so strained its color box that after many frantic rainbow efforts it “busted.” TIs the ,Volstead law a chameleon? Many have thought it & cameleopard. Who makes American laws? Congress, when con- firmed by the Supreme Court? Or foreign governments? Maybe the news report is twisted. * ok ok X the same day that a black- smith presented a horseshoe to Wil- helm, the former kaiser. a society of blacksmiths gave a horseshoe to President Harding. The good luck to follow may be that neither will is it mot, to work off horse- on an ex-king and & Presi- when everybody knows that there are no more horses to wear them? What's the matter with lov- ing cups? Tt has been discovered by an astute statiatiolan that the average length of time of @ senators journey to Europe, to study conditions, is six weeks. At least two weeks are sp-nt on the ocean, the other four weeks are mostly occupied in scquiring fa- miliarity with Russian. Greek, Turk- ish, French, German, Spanish, Ttalian and that most diffcult of all lan- guages—English as she ix spiked— %0 that he has but a few minutes left in which to make a profound study of the league of nations, the world court. European finance, Tha affect of the Monroe doctrine 2~ _the Declaration of Independence on European exchange. However, when the erudition thus ! 4cquired is checked up with his state Papers on the wide horizon of their senator, he is ready to walk into the Senate chamber with the veins of his head fairly bursting with modesty. Several protesting candidates for the presidency are re o hav rpent even seven weeks “over there. but that was due to the numerous banquets and other international courtesies, for a senator is not with- out honor abroad. (Copyright. 1023, by P. V. Collins.) cheap, shoes dent. EDITORIAL DIGEST cence was proved while he was under the influence of the drug, but we fear that the tide of sentiment would run against the execution of the death penalty when the accused was first rendered semi-conscious and |convicted on hix own testimon: Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch agrees that “some rather fundamental ideas in criminal jurisprudence will have to be reversed before it (scopolamin) plays a part in convicting defendants against whom there is no other con- vineing proof except that which they may thus be led into giving against | themselve: “But.” the New York World cries | out almost in terror. “this thing must be restricted to criminals and other | discredited classes, or civilization simply can't go on. Nothing could be more dangerous in a society that lives by illusions than a drug that makes men tell the truth.” “The psalmist said in his haste that all men are liars,” the Anaconda Stand- rd recalls, “and while that was in- | deed too broad and sweeping a gen- eralization, the perturbing fact re- mains that llars conmstitute a very large element of the population.” But with this newly discovered “whoop- percide” hovering in the offing “fairy tales will go glimmering,” the Wil- liamsport Sun (Pa.) predicts, and while it may be “great stuff” in some cases, “it ig likely to break up many |2 happy home whem it once comes linto general use” The Milwaukee Journal, begging “some kind gentle- ,man” to “lend us a handkerchief with which to mop our brow.” draws a picture of the effects of a few drops of scopolamin in the breakfast coffee jeup, “with a gentle voice asking | sweetly after the fourth or fifth gulp, ‘And were you really detained at the | office by business last night, dear?- inhibitions gone, no reasoning pow: |no diplomacy, all the little amenities { that prevent rocking the boat vanish |as_the drug takes hold.” |, The thing is merciless, the Schenec- tady Gazette feels, “for a lie after all ‘is only a base sort of kindness nature lends to lost souls which they are free to use to cover up their moral nakedness and failure and it would be “pitiless to make this cov- ering_impossibl, Foriunately, the New York World reassures us, “scopo- lamin is not cheap and easy to dis- pense. You can’t buy it at the corner drug store,” but the Lowell Leader takes away that crumb of comfort by prophesying that “doubtless in time a feasible way to apply the remedy will be discovered. Slight Errors Noted. Recent Story of Lincoln’s Assas- sination Is Corrected. To the Editor of The Star: In a recent issue of The Star— about June 1-—you published a letter from Mrs. Struthers containing an in- accufacy regarding Lincoln's assassi- nation. I sent this Star to Capt. Ira Harris, whose sister, Clara, was a guest in the presidential box the night Lincoln was ghot. Miss Harr: flance was the President's aide, Maj. 1Henry Rathbone. The following is quoted from the reply of Capt. Harris to me: “Just & line to thank you for The letter about the Lincoln relics. Her statement of facts is correct in the main, but wrong in saying that Booth slashed Mr. Withers instead of Hen: Rathbone, and that Laura Keene tool Mr. Lincoln’s head in her lap. That was dome by my sister. Miss Keene came to the front of the box and 2 sald: ‘Get him a glass of water.” s Keene did that, but it was of no use.” 1.thought you might wish to make the above corrections and prevent these errors creeping into some po: sible version of future Imoa. puncture his tires, but it Is rather | labor and | EAST IS EAST By Frank H. Hedges Disuppointment wells over the average American as the liner on which he has crossed the Pacific ties up at dock in Yokohama. The ex- citement that comes with landing on foreign soil does not conquer this disappointment as he steps into a jin- rikisha and trotted through the dingy streets of the port city to hotel or railway station. If he catch the electrio train to Tokio he is further depressed during the ride of fifty minutes and the drab appearance of the capital of the empire certainly does not serve to cheer him up. He does not see the Japan which he has visioned. Instead of a riot of brilliant colors, the whole land seems to have taken on a monotone of gray. Dinky little trolley cars that bounce through the streets over uneven rails carry more passengers than fall to the lot of the bare-limbed 'rikisha coolle. Unless he be so for- tunate as to land during a brief ten- day period in the month of April, not only are the cherry blossoms absent, but he catches only one or two brief glimpses of flowers of any description. In all likelihood falling rain or drifting mists have blotted out the glory of Fujlyama as the sacred mountain towers over the har- bor, for rain, rather than sunshine, seems the normal condition of the atmosphere of Japan. He has probably read a bit of Laf- cadlo Hearn and has fallen under the lotus “spell of that master of de- scriptive English and lover of the soul of Japan. Or perhaps his friends have recommended the book written a few years ago by Julian Street Certain it is that whether he has read a word about the sunrise isles he has absorbed the belief that they lie wrapped in sunshine, girdled with flowers and filled with a happy, laughing people to whom art and the beautiful come before all the other things of life. None of this does the average American see on his first day in Japan. if he be honest with him- se The cities of Japan are far from beautiful; the countryside is another matter. Tt is the cities which the newly arrived American sees first, Because he admires the graining of wood more than the colors of paint, the Jupanese refuses to bury the naked timber under a blanket of white or yellow or green. Here and there stands a building that has been coated with plaster or stucco, but most of the streets are lined with rows of small weatherbeaten houses. The newness of the wood soon turns to a drab gray. as the rains beat down upon it. The roofs are of black or gray tiles. The wonderful gar- dens of the nation lie hidden behind tall ‘board fences. Even the surface of the streets takes on this gray tone, for they are unpaved, muddy and without sidewalks, Japan has been peculiarly unfor- tunate in the choice of foreign archi- tecture. In that section of Yoko- hama. which was originally a foreign concession and where Europeans and Americans erected a city, there scarcely a building that is not ugly. either actively or passively. In the capital city the government long ago {adopted a set style for public build- ings that is an offense to the eye. {Heavy, squalid structures with gro- tesque ornamentation have been built of red brick and white stone Not only are the buildings out of keeping with Japan. but they would be passed by with a shudder in any city of the western world. It was due, T suppose, to lack of experience, to lack of background, and therefore lack of discrimination. Fifty years ago the whole western civjlization was an unread book to the Japanese— a book that fascinated and attracted them. 1In their eager desire to ab- sorb its contents they did not pass over the bad and take only the good, but adopted the whole bodily. The architectural monstrosities of the earlier foreign-style buildings of Tokio and other cities are but one ! manifestation of this. Fortunately {there has come a reaction, and Japan {today is erecting some modern build- jings that would grace Washington or any world capital with their beauty In the costumes of the people, too, the tourist meets with keen disap- pointment. True, he sees many wear- ing the kimono and straw sandals, but the kimonos are for the most part dark blue, black, a heavy brown or dull gr The desire of the true Japanese woman is to look old. not young, and she dresses in accord- ance. Children and schoolgirls wear brilliant reds and blues, but no mar- ried woman would consider any but the most sober costume. Her formal dress is a kimono of black silk with a delicate tracery in white of bam- boo, pine needles or some other de- sign and perhaps just a wee touch | of color. The geisha, seldom encoun- jtered in public, revel in gorgeous colors and elaborately embroidered kimonos. Although most of the men [wear the native costume also, there are hundreds who go about in the coat and trousers of the west, and the incongruous combinations some- times achieved may bring a smile of amusement to the American spec- tator. but they coyld scarcely be considered as adding a note of beauty to_the scene. The Japanese encountered on the streets or in the rallway trains stare at the newcomer as a Fiji Islander {in native dress would be stared at in an American citv. The tourist has_expected to look at evervthing in Japan with curious eyes, but he finds the Japanese even more curious about him than he about them. Be- cause it is a simple and childlike curiosity and therefore not impolite. no effort is made by men, women or children to conceal their inter when the American pauses to tie his shoe or perform some other simple act, and a crowd {mmediately closes lin around him. 1t is natural that the American should not understand this attitude, innocent enough in fitself, and the tales told by the returned tourist of how he was watched and irsulted because he was an Ameri- can usually arise from this lack of understanding. | On the surface the great clties of Japan hold but scant attraction for| the eye. and the newcomer to them | is almost certain to be disappointed If he be so fortunate as to leave the cities behind him and boldly strike out fnto the open country, there is another tale to tell, for no Latcadio! Hearn with words and no Japanese artist with paint brush or wood block ichisel has sketched a picture as love- 1y s has nature herself with moun- tatn and mist. pine and bamboo and terraced rice field, moss-grown rocks that border a waterfall or swirling stream. And if the tourist remain in Japan long enough to cease being a tourist the drab cities, too, reveal their beauties to his widening vision, Tokio offers him the simplicity of the gray stone wall, crowned with watch towers of white, that rises from the quiet waters of the moat surrounding the Imperial Palace, or the glorious mingling of sound and color and life that throbs through the narrow etreets and paths of Park. Other cities I their half-hidden spots of beaut: treasure trove for the man who will search them out. But beneath this pattern of strangely mixed beauty and depress- ing monotony, underlying and pul- '""5 through it, is the true joy that Japan may offer to the stranger —the charm of Japanese life and thought. At times it s repellent, and the American draws back to blas- i Asaku per- | Washington Star with Mrs. Struthers’ | pheme the islanders of the east, and 2gain he sees in the hearts of the people that which attrasts and wins his appreciation. It is difficult to grasp both phases, to evaluate them properly and to come to a conclusion that takes both sides into considera. tion. More often only the oright and joyous side is seen; and Jullan Street writes a book. Or only the ugly and repulsive is discern: and John Jaish produces “Kimono.” Duth are right; both lra)wr?lnz. 1; tru; mirror of Japan wouid show reflecte bits of both, but the reflected picture would have to be judged as a whole and not by any of its * ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic J. Haskin Q. How many people can the tidal basin bathing beach acommodate?— A C } A. For the swimming season the | average number of bathers handled | dally 1s 1,800. The most accommo- | dated in any one day was 8,000. pllatur i3 | Q. How many street cars are op- erated daily in Washington?—K. M. C. | A. The Capitai Traction Company | operates about 317 cas and the Wash- ington Rallway Electric Company about 347, making a total of approxi- mately 660 daily. - Q. Did Andrew Carnegle furnish | the money to build the Pan-American bullding?—H. O. L. A. The Pan-American bullding cost $1.000,000. _Andrew Carnegie gave $750,000. ' The remainder was con- tributed by the countries represented in the Pan-American Union. Q. Upon what was the 0ri[lna!‘ draft of the Declaration of Independ- | ence written?—M. E. C. | A. The orjginal draft was written upon several shects of legal-cap pa- | per. It was given by Jefferson to | his colleague, Richard Henry Lee. Until 1825 the document remained in the Lee family. The grandson and | namesake of the dean of the Virginia delegation then presented it to the | American Philosophical Soclety of | Philadelphia, with a certificate !rom’ Jefferson that it was genuine. Q. What does leviathan mean?— C.H P A. Tt is a term found in the Scrip- tures, which is variously interpreted | as crocodile, whale and dragon. Tt | is_applied to something huge and formidable of its kind, as in the case of ships wlLich bear the name, Q. What will remove chewing gum from satin slippers?—B. H. A. Gasoline, benzine, or ether will remove it. Q. Ts laughter antiseptic>—P. L. H A. Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, nerve spe clalist, said it could be used more ef fectively than medicine to flil pre- scriptions. Good humor aids diges- | tion and was appreciated by the an- cients, who employed jesters to make jokes and puns at meal time. chloroform | | | Q. What makes a bird stay in the| air?—M. W. A. The manipulation of birds’ wings has been analyzed to a certain de- gree by an ultra-rapid camera in- vented by C. Francis Jenkins of Washington. Mr. Jenkins has shown the exact motion of a pigeon’s wings. His pictures demonstrated that the back strok when the wings touch over the head, propels the bird, while the forward stroke, when the wings meet under the body, sustains the | pigeon in the air. | custom’ of putting a piece of | a notion v | director, Q. What is the origin of the ex pression “drinking a toast”?—I. M. C A. The English expression “toast. which is equivalent to the continenta had its origin in the old toast in the winecup before drinking, fro that it gave the wi better fluvor. Q. What rock is popularly know: as “The World's Greatest Autogra) Album”?—C. C. H. A. Inscription rock. or El Morro ew Mexico, has the only extant men oranda of certain early Spanish plorations, the _earllest inscriptic dating back to 1526. The 6pring tha furnished water for the troops st gushes from the side of the roc It is eroded in the shape of a casti. which rises 200 feet out of the plalns It is large enough to conceal an arr in its recesses. Q. Ts it true that the Czar of Ruc sia was the head of the church? A. The Czar of Russla was tie titular head of the branch of tis Eastern Orthodox Church known the Russian Church. Q. What is the present population of France?—D. E. P. A. The latest estimate is 39,209,766 exclusive of military and naval forces and seamen abroad. The French c lonial possessions have a combinci population of 53,572,855. men who a Q. How many of ti their priv entitled to vote exercise lege?—H. J. D. A. The estimated potential m vote of 1920 was 26,700,000. Actua however. only about one-third of th number voted, es are Q. How many automob L. T. use in China and Japan?—G. A. According to the latest static tics available, in January. 19 the were 12,260 automobiles in Japan one to every 4.584 of the populatio In February, 1922, there were 8,15 automobiles in China, or one to eac 37,068 population. In the Unite States there is an automobile to eac ten inhabitants. (Let The Star answer your ques tions. Be sure to write vour fu name and address so that the T mation may be sent direct. all questions to The Evening & formation bureau. Frederic J. Haski 220 North Capitol street.; pigeasinitie s LRI alrecto 1Y e iCaie et el Scotland to Have Great National Library Established at Edinburgh BY THE MARQUISE DE FONTENOY. All Scotchmen in the new world, and those who pride themselves on their Scottish ancestry, will be inter- ested to learn that the Earls of Rose- bery and of Balfour, former premiers of the empire; the Earl of Crawford, twenty-seventh super-chieftain of the historic clan of Lindsay as well as premier earl of the northern kingdom; the Duke and Duchess of Athol. the former of whom is the super-chieftain of all the Murrays; Ex-Premier Bonar Law, former lord high chancellor, Vis- count Finlay; Sir Herbert Maxwell, the lords provost of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and the principals of the four great Scottish universities have completed the necessary arrange- ments for the establishment of a national library of Scotland in Edin- burgh, and have succeeded in inducing the Faculty of Advocates at Edinburgh to transfer to the nation, that is ta say, to the new national library, its celebrated collection of historical books, manuscripts, official docu- ments, patents and charters. which has been in process of formation ever since the reign of King Charles II, nearly 300 years ago. The Faculty Advocates' collection includes 725,000 printed books and pamphlets. There are also many beautiful illuminated books of the middle ages and a wonderful namber of old manuscripts, which are among the original authorities for the his- tory of the nation. such as the char- ters of the Scottish kings from King William the Lion downward, and the bull of Pope John XXII authorizing the anointing and coronation of Rob- ert Bruce and his successors as kings of Scotland. The library also com- prises all the papers and correspond- ence of Sir James Balfour of Den- milne, lyon king at arms to Charles 1. which were purchased by the Facul- ty of Advocates in 1698 and contain a number of original documents bear- ing the signatures of King James I and of Charles I. while, in 1712, the| third Earl of Balcarros. the ancestor of the present Earl of Crawford, pre- sented to the faculty collection four- teen autograph letters of Mary, Queen of Scots. * * x % The Faculty of Advocates Library has enjoyed, since the reign of Queen Anne, the privileges of the copyright act and has received without pay- ment a copy of every book published either in Scotland or in the remain- der of the United Kingdom. This prerogative. with consent of the crown. has now been transferred by the Faculty of Advocates to the new national library of Scotland. It is a prerogative which is enjoyed by five other great libraries of Great Brit- ain and Ireland, namely, the National Library of England at the British Museum in London, the Ancient Bod- e Tbrary at Oxford. where the present Pope Pius XI spent many months of study and research as the Rev. Dr. Ratti of Cambridge, the National Library of Wales and the National Library of Treland, which still remains quartered in its original premises at Trinity lege, Dublin. Corng government, while giving its consent to all the arrangements which have been made, as well as its hearty approval, and while undertak- ing to furnish an annual grant of $10,000 toward the upkeep of the new national library. has professed its in- ability to do mnjore in view of the present financial problems with which the national treasury has to deal. So a committee has been formed, of Shich the names I have given above are the leaders and most generous subscribers, for the creation of an endowment of the new National Li- brary of Scotland. The endowment will provide for its proper housing at Edinburgh in premises that are now in process of acquisition through gift and purchase, and aiso for the purchase of forelgn works, for cata- foguing and for all those general purposes which a modern library re- quires. The committee, of which John Buchan of Elsfield Manor, Oxford, and head of the old Scotch publishing house of Thomas Nelson & Sons, of Edinburgh, London, Paris and New York, is the honorary secretary and most _enthusiastic executive, "looks forward to the support and of all gofg! and patriotic Scotchmen in the ovdsea dominions of the Brit- ish_empire and in foreign countries. and also to those foreign citizens who recall with pride their Scottish ancesjry. It is believed that there ars many of such who will be willing an to contribute to this most useful i he University Library |, Scotland by gi literary treasur * * ¥ Michael Willoughby Gordon ming of the royal navy. who served as a midshipman and sub-lieutenant at sea throughout the great war, an whose marriage to Miss Anstruther Thomson has just taken place at Pit tenweem County Fife, hait in is i American and well off, being in pos session of a share of the very large fortune left by his mother, who was Florence, one of the daughters and heiresses of William Garner of New York, commodore 0f the New York Yacht Club. - The young officer has therefore, a number of American rela tives. His mother. who died only last year contracted in the summer of 1891 most romantic marriage: in the fa of the opposition of all her relatives and friends. For, moved to indigna !tion by the relentless persecution and pitiless social ostracism to which Sir William Gordon Cumming had bee: subjected in connection with the memorable baccarat scandal of Tran by Croft, and firmly convinced of Sir Willlam's innocence, she offered hin both her hand and her fortune, and gave him her heart at the time whe: nearly all other hearts were turned against him. It may be recalled tha: Sir William. who had seen a consid erable amount of active and distin guished service as a lleutenant colon of the Scots Gyards, was charged his hostess, a Mrs. Wilson, with u fair play at baccarat at a house party at Tranby Croft. which the then Prince of Wales, greatly to his subse quent regret. had at the very last moment been_reluctantly induced to attend. Sir William hotly resented the imputation of Mrs. Wiison, which was indorsed by her children. Bu! owing to the uncertainty of the gui and to the presence of the Prince of Wales, it was determined to hush the entire affair, every one being bound 4 in the most solemn manner to secrecs * ok o* The secrecy was not preserved Feminine tongues, as usual. wagged The story became a subject of London club gossip and Sir William had no alternative but to bring suit for libel against Mrs. Wilson. A jury of petty London tradesmen, who knew nothing about baccarat and who regarded al card playing as a horrible vice of the aristocra de ned to accord the colonel any damages against Wilson, and as a natural result the colonel, having thus failed to obta any satisfaction or redress through court of law. was compelled to re sign_his commission in the army 3 the membership of all his club was then wlen he was comp deserted and abandoned, save b devoted sister and brother-in the late Lord and Lady Middletor who both died last vear, that Florence Garner of New York hastened to Lis side, and offering her hand—he hac no need of her large fortune, for h was very well off—became his wif. and the mother of his children, th: eldest son having been badly wo and awarded several distinction his gallantry as a captain of Cameron Highlanders in the grea war. Sir William had a brother of the name of Alastair Gordon Cummin cho, after marrying a daughter Charles Eemes, formerly Unitec States minister in Venezuela, set tled in Virginia on a place whic he had acquired there and was won' to spend the winters with his wite and daughter in Washington, wherc he was known as one of the pillars and most popular members of th Metropolitan Club, which owed to his taste and experienced palate the po session of the wonderful brand of Scotch whisky for which in happie days the club was 8o celebrated, and who was one of the closest friend: and chums of the late President Theodore Roosevelt. Defeat in Battle. Never Admitted To the Editor of The Star: Gen. Gonnaud seys the Germans must be made to confess that they were defeated. If that time ever omes—and I doubt jt—it will be the fir!l time in history any people ever made such abject admission. I have )ived through nearly all our wars and met the survivors—as many of them, perhaps, as any man living has met_in close personal relations and confidence—vyet I have never met an an old English soldier who would ad mit England was ever defeated by us nor a single Confederate soldier yet who admitted that the south was d féated. The losing party never makes the humlluvmconle';‘llon. This is basic, elemental truth. 2 . . PRIVATE DALZLLls ’ i