Evening Star Newspaper, July 14, 1923, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR, ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY.......July 14, 1923 THEODORE W. NOYES.. The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. York Offi 10 East 42nd Bt. Chicago Office: Tower Bnlldlnfi ‘European Office: 16 Regent St., London, England. Editor The Evening Star, with the Sunday morning editlon, is delivered by carriers within the city 2160 cents per month; dally only, 45 cents per y only, 20 cents per month. Or- ders may be gent by mall, or telephone Mala 6000, lection is wade by carriers at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday..1y; Daily only. Sunday oniy All Other States. Daily and Sunday..1y Daily 1 mo., 85¢ 1 mo., 60¢ 1mo.. 26c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitied h for republication of all news di credited to it or not otherwise credite aper and also the local niews pub- iished herein. ~All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. —_——— ————o Soviet Confession of Failure. “Unfortunately,” Gen. Sergius Ka- meneff, one of the leaders of the Rus- sian soviet government, is reported to have declared at a recent meeting of the executive council of the commis- sars at Moscow, ‘“experience has taught us that we were not sufficiently prepared, and that we do not possess the power to annihilate capital and cannot get along without it.” This was startlingly frank talk. One can well imagine the sensation which it produced in the meeting. Kameneff has not heretofore been inclined to- ward conservatism in the soviet coun- cils. But apparently he is gifted with vision and with courage to give ex- pression to what he sees. He sum- marized the situation in Russia vividly in justification of his declaration in favor of a return to capitalism: The steady growth of unemployment, lack of metals and raw materials for textile industries, scarcity of coal, disastrous condition of waterways and railroads, the enormous expenditure for the maintenance of the red army, the de- plorable condition of the finances, which cannot be maintained without sufficient gold. These are facts which confront the managers of soviet Rus- sia, facts which cannot be denied, and which are steadily bringing the experi- ment in bolshevistic administration to an end. Western visitors to Russia, officials and private individuals seeking light on the situation, have returned with versions of the conditions there that differ from Kameneff's picture. They have been “shown everything,” ac- cording to their reports, taken into the factories, allowed to roam at will about the country, witnessed military drills, seen the people “happily” work- ing out their new destiny. They have brought back 'vivid accounts of the rise in Russian prosperity. Bolshe- vism, according to them, has been @ great success. But Lenin, shrewd and sagacious, many months ago saw things different- Iy, and started to lighten the founder- ing soviet ship by unloading some of the cargo., He moved definitely back toward capitalism. Some of his apolo- gists declared then that the change in policy was only temporary, and that eventually Russia would be brought back into the bolshevik lines. But when Lenin broke down in health and relinquished active leadership there was no change. The new policies he established were pursued. Now comes Kameneff and states the case frankly. Yhe experiment in anti-capitalism has failed. The trial of sovietism, of con- centrated state ownership, of govern- | ment by a non-representative group on the basis of complete public control of every activity and all resources and all labor, has brought Russia to the point of bankruptcy and collapse. Well may certain Americans who are professed bellevers in the soviet system of government read, mark, learn and inwardly digest this confes- sion of failure. Perhaps some of those statesmen who have made the Russian Journey will try to find an effective | means of retraction of the praises they have heaped upon the soviet sys 1am. ———— In the course of time, when he sct. | tles local dissensions permanently Mussolini may be persuaded to ex- pand his field of endeavor and take charge of the general European situa- tion. It is a large order, but Mussolini has come to be rated as a very big ! man. ! { Any kind of sovietism that asserts | ftself appears to be more or less in line with the adjustable policies of Lenin and Trotsky. Closing a few bucket shops will not serve to stop the financial leakage which amateur speculators insist on promoting. Pennsylvania Avenue. Five full squares and half portions of two squares have been bought by the government between B, street and New York avenue and 18th and 21st | streets, in that old section of the city which for about half a century bor- dered the Washington canal and for a century lovked out on the Potomac flats. The change that has come oveF Washington between Pennsylvania avenue and Potomac Park west of 17th street within a few years is one of the marvels of the time and town. The land lately bought by the govern. ment was quite nearly built over by war structures, and they are still is far worse than it has ever been. It is very well to provide sites for gov- ernment buildings in that part of the city between the Avenue and Potomac Park, 17th street and the grounds of the Naval iospital, and the land late- ly acquired will not furnish a place for all the buildings which the govern- ment needs and will come to need as the years pass. There is one feature of Washington and the government building program ‘which must not be lost sight of. It is the proper development of Pennsyl- vania avenue between the Capitol and Treasury. The founders of the Na- tional Capital designed that the cen- tral way of the city should be the greatest avenue in the world. In the original plan of the city the Mall or central park extended to the south side of the central avenue. ‘When the capital-building spirit was at a low ebb in Congress, and the in- hablitants of the village of Washington were nearly bankrupt through efforts to bulld and maintain the Capital city of all the states, certain lands along the south side of the Avenue were laid off into squares and subdivided into building lots. Many of these lots were sold to help pay for local im- provements. One of those local im- provements was the Washington canal between the Potomac near Easbys point and the Eastern branch. It was an “improvement” that proved to be a money-losing venture and a nuisance against the public health, and the canal was filled in during the terri- torial government. For fifty years efforts have been making to have the government take over the south side of the Avenue, de- velop it as park and as sites for monu- mental government structures and carry out the original design of the capital. The project has had the ap- proval of commissions and congres- sional committees without number. The plan of the Commission of Fine Arts calls for the reclamation of the south side of the Avenue and its dedi- cation as sites for monumental public buildings set in lawns, shrubbery and foliage. It is a plan that should be kept before Congress and the public. Flying to Work. A coke worker of Uniontown, Pa., has just set a new pace in the luxury of labor by the purchase of an air- plane to carry him to and from his work, which is located several miles from his home. He has heretofore been using high-powered motor cars, but has had so much trouble with tires and engines that, belng a war-time aviator, he concluded that emancipation from the anxiety on the score of tardiness lay in the air. Hence the plane. Nobody will be greatly surprised at this move. For some years the tend- ency on the part of the working forces of the United States has been toward greater ease and comfort in the discharge of their duties. Every- body has taken to the motor car for daily affairs, and so why not the man who lays brick or even the man who carries mortar? Henry Ford made the way possible. It may be that this is why Henry is just at present so prom- ising a presidential possibility in the straw votes. If the airplane is to become the fa- vorite means of transport for day workers the managers of big establish- ments will have to provide flying flelds or landing spaces for their men. Just now the provision of ordinary parking spaces is a sufficient problem. Planes take more room than motors, and it is easy to see that this Uniontown coke worker has started something that may give great concern to the adminis. trators of big business establishments. But perhaps the helicopter will soon come into practical use to reduce the difficulties. —_—————— Play Space for Children. Commissioner Oyster shows his deep interest in the playground situation by issuing an appeal for funds, and for the services of volunteer play lead- ers in order that more school play- grounds may be opened for the chil- dren of Washington. An appeal for funds for this purpose was inade and generously answered two years ago, and a sufficient sum to open sixteen school yards was received. This sea- son, in addition to the regular play-| grounds, the opening of about thirty | I'Ve later read about the way school yards has been made possible by a special appropriation of $15,000 | And all the critics had to say contained in the appropriation act for the current year. A larger number |, . w we're not ashamed to say ! | of school yards may be opened to play : in vacation time it a small fund can | r'onC thae'crows us on our way be raised, @nd if @ number of play leaders volunteer their services. Though there is a marked improve- ment in the playground situation the |\ (no kin say, in language smart. need for more play spaces for chil- dren is still urgent. Commissioner Oyster and the supervisor of play- grounds remind the public that there are thousands of children in Wash- ington who do not live near the play spaces now in operation. The authori- ties interested in this matter urge that all children should‘have the op- portunity for active and healthful play. and it is most likely that all Washing- tonians agree that children should have this chance. Every public play- { sround draws children from the streets and enables them to carry on their play in peace and security. —————— Europe wants advice and assistance, but does not appreciate any sugges- tions for the protection of her sailor- men from the dangers of overcon- viviality. Aluska has asserted herself not only as a land of great commercial possi- biliti>s, but as a famous news center. —————— Home for Feeble-Minded. The establishment of a District there, but they are kept in a reason- | home for persons of feeble mind has able state of repair only at considera- ble cost. It is said that these squares will finally be utilized as sites for per- manent government buildings, and that soon Congress will be asked to provide for the erection of a building for the internal revenue bureau hav- ing to do with the enforcement of the vrohibition law. «¥ne need of the government for suitable buildings in which to carry on its business is well known. There are reams of official reports on this mat- 1er, The government at Washington has never been adequately housed, and long been striven for by various be- nevolent, social and other civic bodies. of Washington. The idea has had the support of physicians and thousands of other citizens famillar with the facts in the case and interested in bringing the District in ‘line with those states which have mede humane and intelligent provision for the care and treatment of the feeble-minded. Tt has been the aim to secure a large tract of land near the city on which an institution could be established which would give patients the en- vironment needed. There have been 'many delays and disappointments, | 1 l | THE EVENING length made by Congress there was a | proviso that the home should be built on the Blue Plains tract, already owned by the District. The site was not considered suitable by those who had at heart the creation of a modern home for feeble-minded. ‘Much of the | Blue Plains land is already occupied by the Home for the Aged and Infirm and the part of the tract that could be set apart for a home for feeble- minded was considered too small. Those who have labored in the in- terest of a home for feeble-minded wanted a tract of about a thousand acres, which could be developed into a great farm to give out-door employ- ment to those patients & pable of do- ing certain kinds of work. The idea was not so much the making of @ farm as the remaking of men and women by giving them open-air work. The plan of setting up the home at Blue Plains was abandoned and the Commissioners were authorized to buy a site in Maryland, Virginia or the District. The purchase within the District of as large a u“e‘\s needed was out of the question. It is now reported that a site has been chosen twenty-four miles from the center of the city on the Little Patuxent river, in Anne Arundel coun- ty, Md., and that the municipal archi- tect will immediately prepare plans for the first building. A home for the feeble-minded will soon become a fact and it will be the culmination of years of endeavor. The tract chosen is spoken well of. It lles near An- napolis Junction and steam railroads, an electric railway and the Baltimore boulevard are near. There are over 800 acres of field and woodland reached and penetrated by good coun- try roads and the soil and water are said to be good. Washington believes that a splendid institution rendering fine service to humanity will grow up on the site selected. ———— The gentlemen who think a prize should be awarded for the best essay on the league of nations and the U. 8. A. evidently overlooked some of the excellent essays on the subject de- livered as graduation addresses. ———————— In bygone days the farmer thought prosperity would be assured when wheat became worth a dollar a bushel. Now, in estimating purchasing power, complaint arises that a dollar is only worth a bushel of wheat. —————— The Prince of Wales will visit Can- ada during the coming autumn. It is only a step across the border line, and the U. 8. A. is always glad to welcome a distinguished visitor. ———— Strategic progress made by the Turks indicates that the old suitan was little help to his country and is | not being particularly missed. e —————— ! The Leviathan, having crossed the | ocean successfully, may reasonably be permitted to retire to some extent from the “publicity life.” ———— The fuel consumer is expected to continue amusing himself by specu- lating as to who gets all tie money he has to pay for coal. —_——— 1t will be a relief to Europe when history can refer to the entire Ruhr | situation as ‘“‘a transitory friction. JEE—— i 1t is a compliment to tell a rich man he ought to be Presldent, but no favor to induce him to run. | | SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON A Genuine Picture. i When me and Mandy long ago Got both our pictures tooken, She thought me quite a handsome beau, And she was real good-lovkin'. We often get the album out For silent contemplation. Them works of art, without a doubt, Finds true appreciation. i i | In marble halls sometimes I've strayed *Mid splendid paints and plasters, And paused before the works displayed | As wondertul old masters— Their valuation dwindled, ‘Was, “Some one has been swindled The picture that we treasure Amid the hours of pleasure. Although it may not rank as art, One fact there's no mistaking: ! That we were fooled by faking Jud Tunkins says the feller that puts in his life “killing time” general- 1y turns up as the chief mourner at the funeral. Tariff as a Personal Issue. “What are your views on the tariff?” “Before I express myself freely, said Senator Sorghum, “let me have your confidence first. You being an influential voter, have ideas which might give me some new light on the subject. Just what line of business are you chiefly interested in at present?” | Grandpa and Grandma. “When I was a young girl,” said grandma, “we used to be reproved for reading dime novels.” “Yes,” rejoined grandpa. “and now you pay a dollar and a half for worse.” The Hidden Future. Our vanity will oft reveal An estimate mistaken; No pig with self-approving squeal Believes he’s merely bacon. Intelligent Minority. ““What is your idea of an intelligent but powerless minority?” “M replied Mr. Meekton. “My wife and the hired girl have agreed that my opinions are not worth no- tice. A Difference. “What is the .difference between classical gnd popular music?” “Popular music we listen to. Classi- cal music we argue about. “What spoils yoh sympathy,” said TUncle Eben, “foh a man dat done bought a gol’ brick, is his to {has been necessary for them to travel ta private check,.when used as a re- 1200000 vouchers monthly. {with the outgolng checks {than here in the nation's capital, for I nere lof food production country STAR, WASHINGTO. D. C, SATURDAY, JULY 14, 19 CAPITAL KEYNOTES BY PAUL V. COLLINS Clocks run faster at night than in the day, says Dr. Tucker of Lick Ob- servatory. The statement is confirmed by Dr. Campbell of the Washington Observatory, who says > “In the observations by fundamental methods, where dependence is placed upon the constancy of clock rate through the twenty-four hours of the day, more or less, these errors would reach their maximum values of be- tween 0.02 and 0.08 of a second, at about six hours from the mean epoch of the observations.” It has required a lot of trouble for these learned men to confirm what the unlearned youth has known for lo! these many years. Who that has ever worked on ‘salary and watched the clock toward quitting time drag its moping hands around the dial, has not observed its lagging pace? Who that Las been enjoying an evening with his sweetheart has not jumped with pain- ed amazement, when the racing clock chimed hour after hour, like & fire de- partment running to a fourth-alarm conflagration? It may be that the learned and ab- struse astronomers know what their figures mean. WIll they explain to the layman whother the night pace hits it up at the merry dance of 0.03 seconds on every hour, or whether it comes closer to reasonableness, and means that every second jumps 0.03 faster than it ought? Will they answer a waiting public plainly and ‘with greater accuracy? These barren gen- eralities might get on somebody’s nerves. * ok x x Howard Unlversity is one of the very few colleges in America which maintains a school of theology for colored students. It announces that; there s need at present for 1,500 | more colored preachers with theolog- | ical training. There are 50,000 col- ored churches In the United States, and last year less than 100 colored preachers were graduated. ok ok ok In recent years there has been a great revival of interest in teaching illiterate adults to read and write. At the end of the second year of such training in a school in one of the southern states, the enthusiastic teacher seemed somewhat discouraged when she modestly said that she had had only four pupils, one of them be- ing a preacher, whom she had taught to read and write. “But that is something, it? she asked timidly. isn't * k% % Common business sense in the pay- ment of pensions to war veterans and their widows has been applied to the voucher red tape, hitherto required of the pensioners. Hereafter the monthly checks will be their own vouchers, and will be mailed without formality, each month. Only when pensions are to be paid to others than the pensioners will vouchers in advance be required. The voucher system has been a seri- ous hardship, especlally upon aged widows living in the country. It long distances, {n all kinds of weath- er, carrying two witnesses with them, in order to appear before a motary or other official, to swear to the month- ly voucher. Now the government check, which, of course. has to be properly endorsed yhen it is cashed, is 1o be taken as sufficient evidence | that the money reaches the proper party. Business practice had long since recognized the efficacy of even ceipt. The government saves™money by the abolishment of the requirement of They had to be made out at the pension bureau, y for signature, mailed to the benefictary, matled back after being ned. checked with the records and All this for an immense amount of al work, not only in the pension bureau, but also in the mails. * At the call of Secretary of Agri- culfure Wallace there is now in con- ference in Washington a council of economic experts seeking to visualize the farm situation and the high cost of living. Nowhere in America is this question of more direct importance it theory. coming down. is a condition and not a The cost of living is not Nor are the profits throughout the going up, according to all the reports. The conference finds little comfort, for producers in the outlook for in- creased demand for food product: There is no prospect that Americans will “eat an extra slice of bread each d: to please the Minneapolis mil lers and the wheat raisers. All Amer- idn wage earners are already in profitable employment, consequently eating three full meals a day; no more can Jbe forced upon them. * ok ok % Nor is there a prospect for as great & foreign demand as there has been ever since the war, says the council, for Europe is raising a good crop and may have grain for export. It is to that situation that the eco- nomists attribute the prevailing low price of our wheat. The conditions which depress prices of grain also make for lower prices |on all other food. including hogs and cattle, but the high prices of hogs have '‘stimulated hog production in the last three yvears, and that, in turn, has eaten’ up the surplus of carn, 8o that, unless there is a great cOFn acreage next year, there will be a corn shortage. So the balance of hogs and hominy” is delicately adjusted in the councils of the ex- perts, * X x % The world does not all feed alike. Foods that are ignored in America are extremely popular in some other countries and may have a direct ef- fect upon American exports of what we count as standard foods. Our beef market In China is in- terfered with by the Chinese fond- ness for “ligaments”—such as Ameri- cans consider too tough for food. The cattle sinews are dried and kept in that state until needed. Scandinavians and Japanese are using great quantities of flour made from dried herring. The Scandina- vians eat the products of this her- ring flour and consider it a “health food,’ of fat.and protein. The Japanese use it Inly as a fertilizer for rais- ing flowers. Herring are caught during the sum- mer off the pasts of Iceland and after a normal quantity has been salted for export as fish, the surplus is treate by having the oil-pressed out, the cake dried and ground into a fine fish-flour, which is tasteless, and odorless, but xtremely nutri- tious. It is used in bread, and in making oleomargarine. The use in the butter substitute would be im- possible if it retained any odor or taste of fish. There is no limit to the supply of herring, hence its fur- ther use ‘in food competition is- be- yond prophecy. * ok k x Canada has enacted laws pro- hibiting the making or importation of oleomargarine after this fall. Oleomargarine has played havoc with the butter market of the United States, as well as Canada. The chief objection to oleomargarine, however, is “not one of commercial interest alone, but of health. Oleomargarine contains no vitamins, which are the essential element jn food, for the up- building of strength; one might starve even with a full supply of oleomargarine; that is not true of butter. * k¥ % is coming when we shall wheat or milk or fish or beef: say the scientists, we shall measure out, instead, proteids, fat, carbo-hydrates and salts. Then we shall be famillar with the fact that wheat bread consists of 9 per cent proteids, 2 per cent fat, 54 per cent carbo-hydrates (sugar and starch) 1 per cent mineral salt, and the rest water. We may contrast that with bread of herring flour which con- tains in one pound as much of the proteids as wheat bread has in eleven pounds, Maybe Dr. Cumming’s bread pills will be made of herring, instead of wheat. Let our ‘mers beware! The War Finance Corporation an- nounces, with considerable satista. tion. that farmers are paying o their loans and calling for fewer ad- vances than in the preceding year. It infers therefore that the farmers are growing in prosperity. Not so do bankers measure the prosperit thanufacturers and merchants. When business activity is at its height, there is the greatest activity in bor- rowing. The day not buy * ok ow o An economist, familiar with agri- cultural conditions, says that a more rational view of the paying oft of farm loans might be that the farmers are ceasing to “branch ou and are confining their operations more closely. Prosperity is never measur- able by the borrowed capital in- volved, but by the net profits. It will take several “expert account- ants,” he asserts, compute the current net profits of {service and has been “shell farming. Whence gome the profit: From wheat, nettin§ on the farm 70 cents a bushel, at a cost of produc- tion exceeding $1.02? Or from what other field crops? ~ Or live stock? The agricultural crisis he declares, is far more serious than most city folks understand, according to those ‘most familiar of the farmers. (Copyright, 1923, by P. V. Collins.) EDITORIAL DIGEST Outlook for China Is Far From Hopele: What the fate of present-day China shall be still seems to be the “un- known quantity,” as American editors study the outlook there. There is, as | the Dayton News sees it, “no China situation; because there is no such| thing.” Bandits, bargains, overthrow of responsible government, the main factors of the present moment, all are | Just what “may be expected,” but the News Is convinced that “as long as foreign assistance is mot forthcom- ing” things must get worse. The News is convinced that “anarchy in China, if allowed to drag along, might blow the whole country to pleces in a fortnight. In that nation the tall “wi dog, to so (the militarists) wags the : i a degree to all stability in as the country declined.” :Tu}én must have its chance, as the Brooklyn Eagle sees it, int #hat paper urges “It is not for, us, o all nations, to stind in China's way or to take for a national collapse What is a mere :pll?d:oinb!i!‘i: devel- a national repul - D T R o - ot continue indefin} Igfi'l‘:n."pou- News holds, “if the Chi- nese choose to interpret it only as evidence of weakness. It has noth- fng of that element in it but is prompted by a sincere desire that China have every opportunity to show itself capable of ordering its own affairs in a manner that will merit _the respi country’s own people and the Do e world. ¢ there s sufficient patriotism and sen: of national re- sponsibility to form a stable govern- ment in a land toward which the United States, especially,-always has had a most kindly feeling, it is high time it was making itself felt. Otherwise tolerance finally must end, regrettabl such a change in policy vould be ‘ ‘?‘ng fact that, generally speaking, forelgners have been protected and the recent bandit outbreak hardly could be avoided brings from the Chi- cago Journal the declaration that “China is trying hard to place her new government on firm footing, & always slow and vexatious, ds ‘well knows. She longs to be et alone to work out her own des- tiny, which might do more rap- idly were restrictions removed.” That view receives the indorsement of the Rochester Times-Union, which feels “intervention in China means a stim- ulus to the imperialistic appetites of all the powers. If the game of grab begins it is likely to go far. Here is pre-eminently a case like that of Mexico a few years ago—a case for watchful -waiting—waiting _that may be very prolonged, but which is none less the best licy.” Tt also et be_remembered, as the St. Paul opposite governm: Yet the | powers. ect and confidence of present unfortunate condition in China is financial. The blame for this rests not on China but on the foreign If the State Department in- tends to do anything for China it must do something substantial toward correction of China's fiscal predica- ment. Anything less than that will be a satire on America’s traditional friendship for China.” And unless something of this sort is done, the Danville Register belleves, “the lia- bility to a great conflict in which many nations may be involved is growing.” The remedy must be carefully thought out, as the Cleveland Plain Dealer sees it inasmuch as “it is diffi- cult even to keép a few miles behind the march of Chinese events; it is impossible for any occidental to keep up with it. It is not such a very rapid march, but it is so indirect and | involved and complicated that it baf- fles western understanding.” And we of all people “should not get impa- tient,” “&s the New Orleans Times- Picayune reviews the entire situation, inasmuch as “our dwn people required nine or ten vears to adapt themselves to a republican form of government, and they had been living under a monarchy only a small matter of years, and that a monarchy with large meas- ure of self-government for the people and long training in lawmaking. The Chinese have been under monarchy, with little practice in lawmaking, little initiative allowed in govern- ment, all order enforced from above, for 5,000 years of known history. The mere downfall of a president, the Baltimore Sun in turn emphasizes, means little and if intervention is no forced by violence against foreigners “there is likely to be no real change in China, and life in that vast and strange section will go on as before in its regular irregularity, in its ab- " Because they are and inert,” the Chinese peo- ple need outside aid more than any other people, but, the Wilkes-Barre Record is convinced, “it may be ex- ceedingly difficult to render help from the outside in view of the selfishness of nations, but if the world court is once suc fully established it may be possible to use that tribunal as an instrument in the appointment of dis- interested representatives of the n tions to undertake the task of reor- ganization with China's co is pitiful to see a nation of tential richness so neglecte Setting up of independent states in China is one of the possibilities the Qakland Tribune sees, and, “as every influence and condition would necessi- tate_an understanding between the smaller units, the day of a United States of China may not be far off.” 2. condition now exists is a the New York Herald holds, to ‘decentralization which has given play to local governors, to local fac- tions and to bandits. The flight of Li Yuan-Hung was consequently a mere admission of an:actual fact” It also_emphasized. according to the Springfield Republican, that “the revolution which began in 1911 has not even yet worked itself out.” Alm peonomio since it contalns 70 per cent| ] them b to discover and!Dallas Brewer, who has seen overseas l ith the costs and receipts |altogether normal again; but his sis- 3 The Library Table BY THE BOOKLOVER Summer holidays, at a hotel or in a family cottage, at the seashore or in the mountains, will be much more restful and agreeable for mothgr if she puts into one of her trunks a few books to entertaln the children on rainy days, and when they are tired and cross from long-continued physi- cal actlvity. There are a number of recently published books of interest for boys and girls of all ages, and the girls usually like the books in- tended for boys better than the ones intended for themselves. * koK % For older children, from fourteen to sixteen, several new books of adven- ture and history might well be put into the trunk. John Buchan's “Al Book of Escapes and Hurried Jour- neys” is full of romance and perils. Some of the chapters are: “The Flight to Varennes,” “The Escape of King Charles After Worcester,” “The Escape of Prince Charles Edward, “The Flight of Lieuts. Parer and Mc Intosh Across the World” and “On the Roof of the World” (the Himalayas). Ralph D. Paine's “Comrades of the Rolling Ocean” is a story of the ad- ventures of three American boys in the merchant marine. A. Hyatt Ver- rill's “The Boy Adventurers in the Land of El Dorado,” illustrated by drawings and photographs by the au- thor, is a story located in Central America. It is full of interesting facts and vivid descriptions, in addi- tion to accounts of discoveries and In- dian adventures. = % x For younger boys and girls H. Trolle-Steenstrup's “When 1 Was a Boy in Denmark” is a delightful ry of Danish schoolboy life, and | ‘larence Hawkes' *“Dapples of the cus” is one of those books which | are ever fascinating, because chil- | dren never sce enough of the real circus, * % % = For the small members of the fam- ily, who cannot yet read for them- selves, but must be read to, a few books should also be put into the trunk. Thornton W. Burgess' “Flow- er Book for Children,” handsomely il- lustrated, will help the children to re- member the flowers they know to find new ones. Hilaire Belloc's “The Bad Child’s Book of Beasts” is a book of funny verse to charm away bad humor and restore good nature. A beautifully fllustrated and decorated book is “The Fairies Up to Date’ with verses by Edward and Joseph Anthony, and pictures by Jean de Bosschere. The old, familiar fairy tales are humorously modernized. Cinderella’s prince, for example, looks “like a millionaire.” and she goes with him for their honeymoon “on an ocean liner.” * ¥ Xx X Phere are many lovers of diary literature who go back again and again to St. Simon and Cardinal de Retz, Pepys and elyn. Though they usually prefer their old favorites, they are not averse to new personal records of this type, provided either the personality recording the events be Interesting or the events themselves and the various persons participating in | ve some value. “The Farrington Diary,” by Joseph arrington, R. A edited by James Grieg, Is to be co mended for the latter reason. When it unearthed at a sale, about two rrington as painter was forgotten, and the diary does not raise him to fame because of his own personality or achievements. It shows him to have been a gentle- ard worker, a good friend, something of an authori in the academy, even tempered and lacking in humor. His accounts of the per: sons and events of his period (1747 1821) are extremely matter of fact, but the persons and events happen to have value in history A few of these persons are King George 1IT, Burke, Fox, Lord Nelson, Warren Has Napoleon, Marat, Mirabeau, Bo: Turner, Gainsborough, Benjamin and Mr Siddons. Some of the i portant events are the trial of W ren Hastings, of which Farrington s a spectator; Marat's sojourn in England and a sight of Napoleon. As et only the first volume of the diary has been published * ok ox % Post-war neurosis is the subject of Ernest Poole's latest novel, “Danger " ocked,” and his sister Maud, who worked in French hospitals during the entire war, are equally war nerve casualties. Dallas has partly come back to his old self, has gone into business and is in love. horrors of war behind him and become | ter Maud, hysterical, still obsessed | with war mania and clinging des- perately to u handful of disabled ex- | soldiers for whom she runs a club in New York, stands in_ais path, with the continual reproach “Lest we for- get” Entangled with these two neu- rotics, is the healthy, sane, charming girl, Natalie Darrow, who does her | best to save Dallas from his sister Maud—but fails. As level-headed and helpful as Natalie. is her eighty-year- | old aunt, Miss Eliza Tillinghast. The story ends, as it must, tragically, we are glad that the tragedy does not | completely engulf Natallie, and that her wholesome, bluff, western friend, T. Donohue, returns from siberia to help her make a fresh start. We are | glad, also, that, In spite of her eighty vears, Miss Tiilinghast is not killed | by the strain which she is forced to undergo on account of the two Brewers. g e i It is the simplest and least expen- sive thing in the world for the poor | city dweller to acquire a comfortable country house, according to Mrs. Amelia Leavitt Hill. In her book, “Redeeming _Old Homes; Country Homes for Modest Purses,” she in- sists that a country home can be ac- quired and maintained at no greater cost than that involved in the usual summer expenses at hotels. She gives | advice about finding old houses at low prices which can easily be made over into attractive summer homes. A great value of the book is its prac-| ticality, for the author gives many | specific instances, and more than thirty full-page illustrations of ex- teriors and interiors of made-over houses. 4 * K Xk K Persons who read Walter Lipp- mann’s brilliant analytical study of soclal psychology entitled “Publio} Opinion,” published a year ago. will also wish to read the less brilliant, but very readable and stimulating book of A. Lawrence Lowell, “Pub. lic Ovinion in Peace and War” President Lowell's chosen fleld is the nature and operation of _political parties, which, he says, “are ob- viously included within the scope of recent soclal psychology.” His book deals first with personal and collective opinion, resulting in public opinion, and, second, with the influence of opinion on party politics and with the modification of opinion during and since the war. * ok ok ok From the writing of close-to-the- soil novels of Sussex, such as “Green “Sussex h” and SThe Four . Sheila Kaye-Smith has turn- f:;,"d;frohmly only temporarily, to poetry. ~ Her volume, “Saints of Sussex,” contains ten poems on ten different Bible saints. The subject- matter and meters are both uncon- ventional. The foflowing lines ai from the ballad on Mary Magdalen “Mary Magdalene has looked out of her window, ' High In_ her cottage at Horehfi.m. road; From her high window 100k down And scen all the doipgs and s'ghts ‘of the town; 5 The boys look up as they pass her .abode— boys look 'H, the girls look 3 o B has Mary |calling in these letters jany voice {The bite of a stallion is { medical e ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS By Frederic J. Haskin Q. Please put in some informa- tion about the tourist camp down on the Speedway.—E. A. S. A. Tae camp is administered un- der the office of public buildings and grounds of the federal government by a concessionary. A fee of 25 cents a day is charged for each automobile, and registration is required upon en- trance into the camp. Each machine is allowed to stay fifteen da and the guests are required to check out when leaving in much the same man- ner as from a hotel. Through the manager, arrangements may be made for laundry, pressing. ghoe-shining. ete. Even tents are furnished upon request. This camp is considered one of the best in the country and is equipped with such modern con- venionces as city water, sewerage, electric lights and gasoline station. Q. Does St. John's weed poison all cows that eat {t’—A. R. A. The Department of Agriculture says that it is a pecullarity of this weed that it affects only white-haired animals. A red cow would. be im- mune to the polson unless it hap- pvened to have a white nose. Q. How long are the longest days at the equator —H. C. N. A. The Naval Observatory says the length of the day at the equator varies less than one minute through- out the year, being slightly longer at the solstices than at the equinoxes. The interval from rising to setting of the sun’'s upper limb at the equator is about 12 hours 7 minutes. Q. What would be the height of a 5 of 1,000,000 dollar bills? . A. The Treasury Department s that a million bill# of paper curre stacked one upon another would a height of 313.5 fe They weigh 3,000 pounds. Q. How many base balls are used ir the average ni the major league 3 A. Tim Jordan at the Washington base ball park says that about three dozen balls are used in each game. would ‘Q. What is majolica ware?—W. Mec A. The name “majolica” was first applied to a Hispano-Moorish falence, which originated in the town of Ma. jolica. The faience was more highly developed In Italy and was there adapted to articles of decoration. The clay vessel was first fired, then coated with tin, upon which the decorations were painted, then fired again. The result was a very high luster, which was enhanced by a final coating of alkaline glaze. Original specimens of majolica, or gooll copies, bring an exceedingly high price. One thousand to ten thousand dollars is not unusual ne-inning game in | ?—B. H for a single plece. J. Pierpont M &an has the finest collection of . Jolica in America. This Is at preseu In the tropolitan Museum, Neuw York city Q. Is there any composition th will cause gas to light if held clos. to the gas’—A. K A. Spongy platinum will do so a is used in gas lighters Q. Did Henr: his “peace ship I A. The <hip on which the peace mission sailed was the navian liner Oscar I. The mi left New York December 4, 191 returned the latter part of J 1916. Mr. Ford, however, r January 1 in advance of the pa account of {llness. Q. Where is the house near Wa {ngton which was used by Lincolr a summer home?—L. O'D. i The Anderson cottage is in t administration group of buildings = the Soldiers’ Home. Presidents L coln, Buchanan, Hayes and Ar spent some time there, while Jar A. Garfield accepted thoe invitat but did not actually stay in the hou Q. What happens that makes a 1g water-logged?—A. F. M. A. The minute cavities of wo00d have been burst in by the gre pressure and have filled With water Q. What do codfish eat?>—R. A « A. The codfish is an omnivorc and extremely voraclous feeder. co: suming all marine animals of suit size. Favorite articles are bival mollusks, crabs, lobsters, starfish and fish. Q. When was im as a symbol of bapti: £ H:C A. The records of the earlies Christian writers seem to agree that immersion was the mode of bapti practiced not only by the entire b of Christians, but was used previc to t tim the Jews, who mersed prosely to ‘their religio faith. Q. ord come back « fon first usec negroes were | the civil war? How man lavery at the time of P._H. A The number of were slaves previous Lincoln’s proclamation of 1883 w estimated at 3.760. The numher of free negroes in the country at t same time was 488070. The n ulation has more than doubled negroes w to President above are just a few specimens selected from the mass of queries which are an swered direct to readers of The St. If there is anything you want to state your question briefly and inclose 2 cents in stamps for return posta Address your letter to The Star Infor- mation Bureaw, Frederic J. Haskin, di rector, 1220 North Capitol strect Role Which Animals Have Played On the Fortunes of Royal Families BY THE MARQUISE DE FONTENOY, ‘When in the fall of 1920 the world was apprised of the fact that young King Alexander of Greece had been bitten by a pet monkey at Athens, there was an inclination to treat the matter as a joke, and I remember re- role that simians had played at royal and imperial courts ever since the days of lomon, who, accord- ing to Holy Writ, had cargoes of them brought to him every three years by hips of Tarsls, and which were dered worthy of scriptural enu- meration on the same list as the freight of gold, silver and ivory. Thev rved to dispel the ennui monarchs, notably of the great em- peror, Charles of Frederick the Great, of old King Peter of Serbi and above all of Cardinal Mazarin. the powerful statesman who for a number of years controlled the des- tinies of the kingdom of Fran But a few weeks later there was no longer any disposition to treat the bite inflicted by the King of Greece's pet monkey upon his royal master as a joke. For the promising young monarch had succumbed to sceptic poisoning, resulting from the injury. and his death was responsible for al the misfortunes by which his country has since been overtaken, for the massacre of the Christian populations in Asla Minor, for the revolution and deposition of his father, King Con- stantine, and for the muddled situa- tion in the southeast of Europe which has been a source of so much inter rational disturbance, still engaging He would be able to put the|ine wearied attention of the POWers|ports assembled in congress at Lausanne. * ok % * There is no inclination, therefore, to treat as a joke the news that Abdul Medjid, who, after the detronement and flight of his elder brother, Sultan Mohammed VI, last yvear, was elected not sultan, but caliph in his stead, his functions being restricted to the spiritual side of the dignity without in the administration of the government—has been badly bi ten in the hand while petting a horse. capable of developing into a very ugly injury and should Abdul Medjid suffer the same fate as King Alexand Greece, and succumb to blood poison- ing, a contingency which is by no means precluded, the member of the imperial dynasty of Osman, who is next in the line of succession, is Prince Mehmed Zia-Eddine, now just fifty vears of age, and who is the first of his house to have received a education. Indeed, he has made an intensive study in_ the vari- ous principal hospitals of Europe, of dermatology, and has achieved in hational note as an authority on skin diseases. These are maladies that are Very common in the orient by reason of the lack of sanitation, and there is no doubt that the popular prestige of the new caliphate, set up last year by the Angora.government, in de- fiance of canonical and ' Koranic secular law, would find its prestige considerably enhanched if it were to become known among the people that the occupant of its throne were gifted With the powers of healing maladies of the skin. * ok K X It may be well in this conmection to recall the extent to which political events have been influenced by ani- mals. Adrian IV, the only English- man who, during the course of near 2,000 years has occupied the chair of St. Peter at Rome as supreme pontiff, Was choked by a fly. The role played by the spider in the career of King Robert the Bruce—a monarch now known to have been afflicted with lep- rosy—is famillar to every child .who knows anything about Scottish his- fory, while at Potsdam a curiously decorated ceiling in the palace of San . Souci, representing a - golden spider's web, serves to recall how a spider saved Frederick the Great from assassination by means of poison Quring the seven years' war, and thus assured the defeat of the coalition against him. In England, King Wil- liam II's death, so momentuous in its consequences, was brought about by a fall with his horse resulting from the latter's putting its foot into a mole hill out in Richmond Park. »|From thdt time forth until well on| Gorse,” | {o%he end of the century there Was they do the small remnant of the 1y a dinner that took place among The adherents of the old Stuart dy- nasty, either in the United Kingdom 'at which bumpers were QF Aot Siie. ittle gentleman in n velvet who did such good ser Proin 1705, the “little gentleman’ being, of course, the mole. * ¥ X ¥ Lord® Birkenhead 1s, perhaps, the most brilliant figure of the British bar, at ‘which he has made his way from the lowest rung of the ladder, without the advantages of birth or of affluence, to its very summit, namely the historic woolsack and to an earldom, while still on the sunny But while the ex-lord as & stories of the | of | great judge and a {advocate, he lacks the jud | discre and the tact man, as those who re T ing public utteranc iting America as attorney t Britain and member of orge cabinet in 1917, may re- some of his remarks giving great | offense to the then administration at | Washington True, he is no longer lon woolsack or in the cabinet | Bu of the principal lord justices of the sup urt of up- { Peal. both of the Un n and |of the entire his | remarks and since he mself with w 1 of warmth in England on | the subject of prohibition in the United States, it would be too much | to hope that he would refrain frov | giving utt ne to his views on th ubject which is uppermost in the minds of €0 many men during his to America at the end of this mon | Some of his arguments are of nature to embarr: the United States | authoriti as, fi instance, when t |other day 'in the house of lords a ¢ cussion on the breaking of the British government seal and the | seizing of sealed ligquor Brit liners in American ports, he cited w ‘fle— aration made by the United ates government a quarter of a centurs %o in one of its controversies with Spain. | ba, v of ¢ | Lloyd ¢ |call As good de on * k% ok | The American pronouncement was {as follows: “We do not question thc ight of every nation to prescribe the conditions under which the vessels of other nations are admitted to Nevertheless, we point [that these conditions ought not | conflict with r ages, wh | regulate mercantile intercou tween civilized nations. The are well known and long e {and no mnation can disre without giving just cause for cu plaint to nations whose interests wil be affected by their violation.” The bearing of this contention the United States government in | ontroversy n in days go by seems s ularly appl to the embroglio which has resul from the enforcement of the Uni es prohibition law hipping in_American por {would put the authoritie somewhat awkwar. were to reiterate it durir proaching visit to America The Last Plasterer. There is reason to apprehend that bricklayers will become as unconim as veterans of the war of 151 one reflects on the princely bricklayers, it is a lamentable th that they have to die, but as w all the world's great, no way has ber found to save them from this u fate. An occasional veteran war of 1812 is recruited by f an occasional apprentic to membership in the Brickl Union, but in neither case does numbér of recruits equal the tality list The National Assoclation of I facturers says that the number apprentices admitted to the layers' Union last year was less half the number of members take: death. At this rate bricklaying wi soon become a lost art. and our grandchildren will marvel at our sk in laying brick as we wonder at the 105t processes of our remote ancestors who understood and practiced the tempering of copper. The passing of the plasterers gi even greater reason for apprehensio: and_disquietude, because they ars passing even faster than the bric layers. We replenish our stream with trout, and we protect our sons birds from extermination, but w take no thought of our plasterers By reason of the limitation of ap | prentices, most of our plasterers | aged men and will not be with us | for long. The years are not man ; when we shall regard with awe th. !last survivor of the Plasterers’ Union | very much as we regarded the last sur- | ¥ivor of the charge of Balaklava, With the growing sclentific interest | in these matters, it is not unlikely | that the professors at our institutions | of learning will soon undertake the: study of this disappearing type as aborlginal tribes. While there is yet time, we suggest that there be pre- served on the phonograph for future generations the voice of a plasterer discussing long hours and slave wages, for the era is not remote when all we shall know of this species must come from a study of the fossil remains. What antiquarian interest will there soon be in a fragment of freshly spread plaster? We can see the last plasterer, a centenarian on his death bed, painfully but skilfully spreadin this fragment, at the rate permittec under union rules, for preservation in the Metropolitan Museum of Art alongside the fragment of King Tut's . e e waLL