Evening Star Newspaper, August 13, 1923, Page 6

I'HE EVENING STAR,; With Sunday Morning Edition. -_— WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY.......August 13, 1923 THEODORE W. NOYES.. The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd Bt. Chicago Oftice: Tower Rullding, Suropean Offico: 16 Regent 8t., London, England. The Evening Star, with the Sunday morning wditlon, s delivered by carriers within the city t 60 cents per mouth; daily only, 48 cents per month; Sunday only, 20 cents per month. Or- ders pay be sent by mal, or telephone Main 8000, " Collection Is made by carriers at the end of each month Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia, Daily and Sunday..1yr., $8.40; 1 mo., T0c Daily only.. 1yr., $6.00; 1 mo., 50c EBunday only. 1yr., $2.4 All Other States. Daily and Sunday..1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ Daily only. 1 $7.00: 1 mo., 60c Bunday Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to th: use for republicaton of all news dis- patches credited 1o 1t or not otherwise credited in this paper and alvo the local news pub- Iished herein. All rights of publication of special dispatchies herein ure alvo reserved. e Sharp Stress in Europe. Two events of great moment affect- ing the peace of the world are today reported. One is the publication of the British government's views regarding the French-Belgian course in the mat. ter of German reparations, and the other is the fall of the Cuno govern- ment at Berlin and its replacement by the beginnings of a coalition ministry ‘which must inevitably contain social- ist factors. While there is no direct relationship between the two, undoubt- edly they are connected in thelr pos- sible results. The Cuno government collapses be- cause it failed to maintain eco- nomic stability. The British govern- ment issues its note because it cannot agree with the French-Belgian policy in the occupation of the Ruhr. To the Ruhr occupation may bhe ascribed the difficulties of the government at Ber- lin. Thus the factors of the present situation in Europe combine upon the point of the present course of two of the allied governments toward the de- feated power. ‘The British note is a diplomatically softened repudiation of the French- Belgian polic It is an accusation of selfishness on the part of those two governments and an indictment on “the score of the futility as well as the danger of continued application of physical pressure. It describes the French-Belgian attitude as in viola- tion of the treaty of Versailles. It de- clares that Britain cannot accept the decision of the reparations commis- sion regarding Germany's capacity to pay on the ground that that commis- sion has become the mere instrument of Franco-Belgian policy. Finally the British note declares that the London government adheres to the Bonar Law plan, under which Great Britain would he satisfied to obtain from German reparations and allied debts itself a sum sufficient to meet the British obligations to the United States. only.. THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 1923. — e e e e e ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN ing an approaching train, and that if because of the lay of the land he can- not see an approaching train within danger distance he must stop and make sure that the crossing is safe. Recently the heirs or executors of a motorist killed al. a railroad crossing sued the railroad company, and the appellate division of the supreme court of New York lately rendered a decision that the dead man was guilty of contributory negligence in not obey- ing the disc-sign law, and the court found in favor of the defendant com- pany. The grade crossing was a big public question in Washington for many years, and it was settled right. There are no grade crossings in the city. As population of the suburbs grew and as the automobile came into use grade crogsings in the environs became places of many dangers. Agitation re- sulted in the abolition of several notably bad grade crossings, as at Takoma, Brookland and Benning. With the growth of traffic on the Baltimore boulevard and on the 7th street pike the grade cross- ings at Hyattsville and Silver Spring have become deadly dangerous. They should be abolished. The railroad com- pany takes pains by means of sign: bells, gates and watchmen to guard against accident at these crossings, but it cannot be far in the future when these automobile roads and the steam tracks will cross at a different level. —_———— Carrying On. “Close up the ranks and carry on,” is understood to be the sentiment e pressed by President Coolidge to mem- bers of his cabinet with whom he con- ferred informally Saturday, in ad- vance of the first regular meeting of the cabinet scheduled for tomorrow at 11 o'clock. It was a declaration typi- cal of the man and worthy of the oc- casion. In the new President’s first official statement upon taking office he an- nounced that he would continue the policies of government of his predeces- sor. Afterward, in private conversa- tion, he confirmed this, and elaborated it by the remark that while there might be necessary changes they will be fewer than probably might have been made by President Harding him- self had he lived. In point of fact, while there is a new President, this is not a new ad- ministration in the practical and ac- cepted sense of the term. President Coclidge was part and parcel of the Harding administration; he sat with the cabinet in its councils, knew everything that was going on and that was contemplated. As Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate he was conversant with the administration’s legislative pro- gram. Indeed, it might be said that in a way he was liaison officer between the executive and legislative branches of the government So in every way it can be said that this is the Harding administration as elected by the people and appointed by the late President, with a new. director at its head. It may be added that the There is nothing in the known con- ditions to warrant the expectation that the British note will be effective to the point of changing the Franco-Bel- glan policy. Indeed, on the contrary, despite its temperate tone and careful phrasing, it is likely to strengthen the determination of the governments at Paris and Brussels to remain in the Ruhr. If that is the fact the breach between Great Britain and its con- tinental allies would seem to have come. ‘The British note indicates prefer- #nce for a plan similar to that sug- gested by Secretary Hughes for an in- ternational economic commission em- powered to ascertain the extent of Germany's abllity to pay. Coming now, coupled with the barely veiled aspersions of the note, this proposal is not likely to receive affirmative con- sideration at Paris. Meanwhile Germany is in political ‘turmoil, with outbreaks of disaffec- tion, rioting over food supplies and ‘prices, fatal encounters between po- Hce and mobs, efigy hangings to de- mote condemnation of the retiring chancellor and a continued fall of the rate of exchange, bringing the mone- tary unit down to abysmally low val- jué. Nobody can with confidence fore- 'ell the result. It would seem that ‘Germany has delayed too long the domestic reforms and the adoption of an honest policy of reparations pay- ments. She stands now between the Scylla of monarchy and the Charybdis ©of bolshevism. —_——— "There should be no misunderstand- ing about what ships are to be used in international postal service. There is sufficient room for discussion about the carrying of other things without introducing argument as to the letter carrying. ———— Statement by ,prohibition authori- tles that “bootlicker” Is going out of style does not go far enough to en- courage old John Barleycorn to hope he will figure prominently in the fash- ion columns instead of the police news. —_———— The European theater continues to exercise a dominant influence on plays, but our news of divorce in art circles remains the more interesting. Caution at Grade Crossings. The rise in the number of fatalities at grade crossings is being widely commented on, and there is a strong demand that there shall be no railroad and highway crossings at the same grade. Work of rectifying the evil has been going on for years, and no doubt in time the grade crossing will become a thing of the past, but that time is still far in the future. While the railroad grade crossing is with us automobile drivers should use prudence in approaching it. The state of New York has a law, popularly called “the disc-sign act,” which pro- vides that 300 feet from every grade crossing there must be a disc sign to warn motorists, and the law says: “It shall be the duty of the driver of any vehicle using such street or highway and crossing to reduce speed to a safe limit upon passing such sign and to proceed cautiously and carefully with the vehicle under complete control.” The courts have construed “cautious- 1y and carefully” as meaning that the motorist shall be able to stop on see- country can congratulate itself over the custom inaugurated by President Harding in taking the Vice President into the executive councils, thus equipping him through the knowledge he there obtained, which will be in- valuable to him in the policy of carry- ing on. —_—————— Lady Astor is so anxious for Eng- land to imitate America and adopt prohibition that there are probably moments when she is positively home- sick. ——————— In preparing for the worst, the pub- lic may as well look to see the price of soap go up in case it becomes neces- sary to use only soft coal. ———— Complaints of a “lack of liberty” in the U. . A. are usually made by peo- ple who have not studled conditions in other countries. —_——— The only kind of Ruhr settlement France is inclined to consider is one that will call for a receipt in full. One of the things a Vice President learns is the art of being a good listener. Virginia Roads. A mileanda-half stretch of con- crete road is to be built from Halls Hill to East Falls Church. This will connect two sections of improved road on the Lee highway and open to com- fortable travel rather a large part of Virginia adjacent to Washington. It will form a good road from the Key bridge to Falls Church and it is said that the eight-mile stretch of ancient pike between Falls Church and Fair- fax Court House will be transformed into an automobile road next fall and winter. West from Fairfax a section of the Little River turnpike has been made over and finally one of the good roads of our neighborhood will lexd west across the Blue Ridge tb the Shenan- doah valley by way of the battle ground of Ox Hill and the settlement of Pender, through the fields of Chan- { tilly and the historic pass and village of Aldie. road built as a turnpike in the early years of the nineteenth century branches from the Little River pike and passes through Centerville and the fields of the first and second bat- tles of Bull Run and on to Warrenton. This is a section of the Lee highway. At the beginning of the present era of roadmaking; it was one of the ‘worst of the main roads of Virginia, but it has been so changed that in seasons of fair weather many autos travel over it between Washington and Manessas, When it is trans- formed into a true automobile road it will bring close to Washington a section of country giving fine views of the Bull Run mountains and a sec- ! tion that is of remarkable historic significance. It is interesting to watch good road development in the Washington ter- ritory end to make announcement of improvements and contemplated im- provements. A great deal has been done in the past ten years, but the amount of work yet to be done is vast. Not only are old roads to be rebuilt, but comparatively. modern roads must be rebuilt. Good roads as they were generally bullt a few years A mile west of Fairfax a| ago need to be practically made over. Increasing traffic, together with heat and frést, break them up. A road that was considered smooth five years ago does not satisfy the autoist of today. Roads that were thought of sufficient width five or three years ago are now, because of increased traflic, thought too narrow. At this time sections of the Rockville pike and the “Seventh Street pike" leading from the District line to Nor- beck and on to Olney and Sardy Spring are being widened, and there is complaint that many of the auto- mobile “drives” or ‘“good roads” are too narrow. Leave Bergdoll Alone! Extremely foolish are the efforts that have been made by misguided American zealots to kidnap Grover Cleveland Bergdoll, the draft slacker, and bring him here to serve out his term under sentence of military court. There have been two of these at- tempts, and both have failed, the first resulting in the arrest of the would-be Kidnapers and the second in the death of one and the wounding of another and the arrest of other members of the party. The net consequence of these unofficial efforts to bring Berg- doll hack to the United States is that strong feeling has been aroused in Germany in behalf of Bepgdoll and in condemnation of our own people. Bergdoll richly deserves punish- ment. The German government should in equity have sent him back to this country. But it has chosen to protect him, and there is no recourse. The United ates cannot well make an issuc of his case, and is disposed to ignore it. In these circumstances for volunteers to undertake on their own responsibility to pture Bergdoll and bring him back is certain to embarrass this government. If Bergdoll were kidnaped by an American party and spirited back to the United States Germany would have cause of com- plaint for a crime committed on her territory. Far better is it to let this man re- main unmo ted in the land of his preference. He is certainly not want ed here as a citizen. He is an unde- sirable in the last degree. back he would have to be imprisoned, and would probably seek to make him- self still more notorious by attempts to escape. Bergdoll matter is nauseous, and has injured already reputations. Far better let ith Bergdoll safely out of this than to risk an awkward is- sue with th repeated attempt: ness knows, he i The whole German government to steal him. Good- not worth stealing. —_——— In view of historic precedent, Mag- nus Johnson is justified in undertaking to appear neither as profound nor as i picturesque as he has recently been represented. His desire apparently is to be regarded as a plain human citi- zen; defined, but not always one that the public can sym- pathetically appreciate. ———— a role easily It may be assumed that Hiram John- son will never deem it necessary to offer a prize for the best means of keeping this country out of the league of nations. If any further essays on the subject are needed he can compose them himself. —_————— In case Ambassador Harvey should relinquish his diplomatic duties the public may hope for some enlivening demonstrations by Editor Harvey in the line of campaign journalism. —_———— A flivver manufacturer has to be warned against reckless driving when friends insist on trying to put him in charge of a political band wagon. ———— In an era of high prices German paper marks are the only things that seem too much for the money. A demand for a lottery is in the na- ture of evidence of Cuba's present in- clination to press her luck. SHOOTING STARS. DY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Millionaire. In the days of the dear long ago, If a man had ten thousand in cash, We would say, “To a fortune ‘twill Brow, Unless he does something rash"— But now when we find an estate With a hundred times that, saved with care, On sympathy great we sigh, “What U a fate! He was only a poor millionaire, . “He couldn’t own railroadsand towns, Nor galleries laden with art. | He couldn’t buy oil fields and crowns; His cash wouldn't give him a start. He passed all unnoted by fame, For never enough could he spare A white chip to claim in a gentle- man’'s game. He was only a poor millionaire.” Second Thought. “You say you were not fully quoted in that embarrassing interview?" “Emphatically,” answered Senator Sorghum. “The reporter got only my first thought. After the general com- |ment on the article my second thought was entirely different.” Jud Tunkins says he's in favor of prison reform, only he doesn't want it s0 thorough that a man’ll feel disap- { pointed if he gets a short sentence. Candidacy. There is one endless task we see. When one elections o'er The lucky man prepares to be A candidate some more. Economies, “Why were you separated from your husband in Paris?" “I thought it would be a saving,” i replied the artiste, “to get my gowns and my divorce on the same trip.” Fate's Irony. By his loud voice the man you'll spot ‘With information small, ‘While one who really knows the facts ‘Will scarcely talk at all! “Don’t imitate dat busy bee too close,” said Uncle Eben. “He's all right when he’s workin’, but he has a mean way of takin’ his relaxation.” from his place of refuge in Germany ; I brought | CAPITAL KEYNOTES Farmer Coolidge, now President of the United Staes, announces that he will institute “farm hours” at the White House. Just what does he mean—*“farm hours"? There was a time when farmers went to bed as soon as the “chores” were done and supper eaten—usually about 9 o'clock. Then they were up with the lark—if they had any larks, aside from “skylarks,” on their farms. They milked the cows, cur- jried the horses and cleaned the stables before breakfast. Recent years have brought a re- volt against the Intolerably early “daylight-saving” hours on the farm. The schedule did not prove practi- cable, for the farmer could not ignore the morning dew, nor he could he afford to work on ‘an eight-hour plan and stop toil at 4 o'clock, especially at_the time of haying and harvest. Many of the White House employes jare shivering in horror lest they must work all the hours that a farmer does, including his chores, morning and night. They must rise, then, at 4:30 in summer and about 5 o'clock in the winter and do what work may be practicable before breakfast. Their “field” work might end at sunset, but after supper there ould be a couple of hours of hores.” By that time they would be quite ready for sleep and thera would be mno time nor energy left for skylarking along the Great White Way or auto riding from the country “outdoors” to “Main street” in the nearby town. R “They rise with the morning lark And labor till almost dark, Then, folding thelr sheep, they to sleep. While every pleasant park Next morning is ringmg with birds that are singing On_each green tender bough. \With that content and merriment Their days are spent whose minds are bent To follow the useful plow!" et lead to Rome, furrows do not lead to the House. Nor do all White roads resemble Boston thoroughfares, which are notable for having been cowpaths before paved as city streets, arm hours may do in New England, but there might be a strike in Wash- ington, if tried here. However, there once a “doctor” in Philadelphia custom was to throw all his patients into “fits” bec he cguld cure “fits” President Coolidge fs a specialist on “strikes” Is there method in his madn * % The ity of President Harding was amply demonstrated on the day of his burial by the many different reasons set forth by many industries. The lumber industry interests were especially of the President. He had just re. turned from Alaska, where he had sustained the claims of the Depart- ment of Agriculture for a policy of conservation against a desire of the Department of the Interior that the Alaska forests be turned over to its control. “The lumber industry mourns Pres- ident Harding," savs a statement of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, “not only as the devoted common leader of the nation, but also as a statesman who was deeply in- terested in the future of all the for- est industries. He had taken special interest In the pending national plans for the encouragement of forestry and had loyally supported the admin- istration of the national forests, on the principle of their perpetuatio So 2,600 sawmills were shut down on Friday in token of respect to the former President and 300,000 lumber employes showed thelr appreclation of the President and statesman who had shown interest in their interests. ek come down—not neces- the price thereof—but the food hasten All roads But an White univer: felt that its in the heart Food must sarily itself., It is a new liquid food. “good for man or beast.” It is so rich in pro- teins, vitamines and calories that one ton of the raw product will make 2,500 gallons of sirup; ome teaspoonful of That the “revolutionary bogey” is House | losing caste as a threat to keep the| people in line for the “established order” is being more and more em- phasized nowadays. Probably the most Impressive object lesson has been the solemn, dignified, but ex- ceedingly quiet manner in which the | government has functioned since its new President assumed the duties thrown on his shoulders by timely death of President Harding. It has seemed to answer the ques- tion what will be the outcome if the forces of unrest are not sternly dealt with. “The bogeyman of the revolution has been invoked to often it is be- ginning to lose fts effectiveness,” points out the Duluth News Tribune “There was a time when Americans saw a ‘revolution’ concealed In every strike for a 10 per cent wage in lcrease, or every time a soap-boxer |stood on the street corner and de- nounced the ‘capitalist system.’ The trouble about starting a revolution In America is that the safety valve lets off steam so fast it can’t accu- mulate sufficiently to blow up the boller. The ballot box is the safety valve. If a majority of the citizens want 5 per cent beer they can get it through the ballot. And if a ma- jority of the citizens want to guaran- tee the profits of farmers they can do it through the ballot. But if a majority of the citizens don't want beer or guaranteed wheat prices, any minority that starts a revolution is going to meet rough sledding.” To which the Milwaukee Sentinel adds: “The same Americans who have abandoned democracy and substituted minority rule fought a war to make {democracy safe for other countries,” while the Aberdeen World sharply points out that the people are going to get everything they want, “but to get it civil war is not necessary. There are evils that ought to be remedied |but they will be remedied without irevolution or violence.” H * ok ok ok The parallel between the conditions which prevailed in 1892 and those complained of today sharply is de- fined by the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which likewise recalls that the “Pop- ulist high-water mark was five sen- ators in Congress and twenty-two votes for the party’s candidate for Presi- dent. Greenbackers, Grangers, Farm- ers’ Alllance, Society of Equity, Non- Partisan League, Farmer-Labor Party are products of the same trend of thought. All but the last proved ephemeral, though not without per- manent fruits of achievement. The outcome of the farmer-labor move- ment depends on the willingness of | the majority to listen to honest pro- test and to make an effort to satisfy its authors. 80, inclined to bel red flag stuff, authorities take a hand, insisting :“We are told by milk and water editors that there must be no interference with the right of radicals and. revo- lutionaries in this country to pro. mulgate whatever doctrines 1 Agreeing that this is the un- | |advice on an occasion when the po-| BY PAUL V. COLLINS which, diluted, will make a gallon of drink 'simllar to vanilla-flavored choc- olate. The raw material is a vegetable plant which grows abundantly in Texas and New Mexico. The name is not mentioned here out of deference to the sensibilities of the advertising manager. The high cost of living must and shall descend. * * k x A news item tells us that tomatoes were selling. iast week at 50 cents for a two-peck basket. The same were retalling for $1.00 a basket—just the Dutchman's “‘one per cent profit.” The farmer who raised them did not make & turnover of “one per cent” as rapidly as did the middleman. The 50-cent profit of a basket of tomatoes tallles with the 50-cent profit recommended as the maximum to be permitted on a ton of coal. Why does not somebody organize a league of 1,000 tomato caters and fight? * % * * There appears to be ‘‘unrest” in the American Legion of the District. The Leglonalres say that The American Leglon is not a mercenary institution, but that its spirit is purely fraternal and patriotic. As such, it does not approve of any enterprise involving, directly or indirectly, the aggrandize- ment of individuals nor permit the use of its prestige in appeals for aid to the outside public. Legionaires say they need no contributions from the public in connections with any enterprise, for they are self-supporting. * ok ok ok 1t is the pride of Washington that the American Leglon, now numbering its membership in excess of a million, began its organization in this city. The first meeting in Kurope, by A. E. F. officers and enlisted men (for there is no distinction of rank), was held in Paris, March 15 to 17, 1919 but, more than a weel®before that, March 7, 1919 —the General Pershing Post—whose name was changed later to the George Washington Post No. 1—was organized {n Washington. The name was changed in accordance with a rule of the na- tional organization, formed in St. Louls, May 10, that no post should bear the of a living person. Gen., Per- is an active and enthusiastic rember of the George Washington Post, No. 1. * X ¥ X It was with laudable pride that the post had received the promise of President Harding that he would participate in the dedication of the orge Washington Post's “clubhouse’ headquarters, at 1819 T street northwest, this fall, when the extensive alterations of the historic old home will have been completed. Not one cent of the cost of that building has been given by or asked of anybody outside of the post membership. It s expected that, eventually, eversy post will have a women's " auxilfary, comprising all the mothers, wives and daughters of the man members of the original posts. * ook % “A pretty kettle of fish! When Washington asked me if 1 thought prohibition could be enforced in this state, T told them that it absolutely could not be; that the people were against it, and that no man on earth could enforce it Those are the words of John Kjel- lander, the director of prohibition ¢n- forcement in Illinois. He says fur- ther, “I never tried to enforce pro- hibition.” His opinions as to_ the possibility of law enforcement in lllinois or Kamst- chatka are of far less interest than the query as to how a man of such convictions ever came to be appointed prohibition enforcement director. And how many other prohibition of- ficers have taken an oath to enforce the law and are ready to boast that t‘!(-y “never tried to enforce the law.” Who appoints them? And why? There seems to he “something rotten in Denmark,” Mr. Kjellander. * ok ok X A chiropodist, speaking to the Na- tional Association of Chiropodists, asked the startling question: .“Did you ever see a poet with flat feet? Come to’ think it over, it was not his feet, but his purse. Often seen them with too many feet (Copyright, 1823, by Paul V. Coilins.) The Revolutionary Bogey Seems to Be Losing Caste please. Perhaps if there was less editorial counsel of that sort bolshe- vists. communists and I. W. W.s would not be encouraged to zo to extremes.” The Pittshurgh Press facetiously recalls Senator Swanson's litical seas were extremely troubled and he suggested as a remedy, “first, work one day and then take six days off to talk about it; second. never take anything you can't carry; third, when in doubt do right.” * ¥ x ¥ The Lynchburg News makes it very plain that nobody has been decelved by the operations of those who sym- pathize with the “Reds.” and says: “We don't take much stock in the dire prophecies of the Jeremiahs and Cassandras who predict what will happen when bolshevism becomes firmly planted on our shores. They need have little fear. Despite all our hortcomings America is still a land of faith and law and common sense; the temper of our soil and atmos- phere is not such as to permit the establishment of bolshevism here. Heretofore we have kept fairly sane | through epidemics of madness. When anybody explains just how the world can pull itself up by its boot straps we are dispogsed to remember a few facts about strains and the law of gravitation. Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to sit idly by while the trouble makers are boring both from without and within. But the best weapons with which fo fight are education, Americanization and the unerring operation of laws that give everybody an cqual chance. Where Ajax defled the lightning Franklin went after it with a kite and a key. Agreeing with this, but specifically replying to some of the positive state- ments of the causes of discontent, the Appleton Post Crescent insists “there is no legislative panacea” for the farmer or any one else. It also holds that government *marketing of wheat would establish a paternalistic prece- dent that would do almost as much to deaden private initiative ang in- dividual effort as sociallsm itself.” * ok ok ok To the suggestion that “the Amer- ican farmer is bankrupt,” which it has been claimed is the real reason for most of the existing unrest, the Little Rock Arkansas Democrat recalls the statement of former Secretary of Agriculture E. T. Meredith that “the grain farmer will receive $500,000,000 more for his wheat crop this year than last,” and Insists that “every man who wants to work can have a job for the asking. Business conditlons are becoming more stable every day. The building boom has been far be- vond the dreams of the most opti- mistic. Goods are moving and the raflroads are busy. The only slug- gishness is in the brains of those who are talking soviets and ‘exploited peoples’ and other such tommyrot:” And, summing.it all up, the Burling- nevertheless, the Lincoln Star is|ton Free Press feels that the require- ve there “is too much|ments of the hour which now f and would have the|pecars are being worked but are * ap- aith in America, faith in the American people, faith in their ability to solve the economic problems facing us, faith in American industry, in Amer- ican institutions, in American democ- they 'racy and law and juseice.” EAST IS EAST By Frank_H—. Hedges “Where arc you golng?" asks the street car conductor of Tokio, walk- Ing the full length of the aisle to the spot where the American Is seated. He grins from ear to ear and perhaps ducks his head in a little bow as he thus airs his knowledge of the English language. If the American answers him in Japanese, a wave of chagrin spreads over his face, for his sole object has been to show that he speaks the tongue of the forelgner. Napoleon is credited with having made French the language of diplo- macy and the chief medium of inter- national Intercourse. That this su- premacy is tottering, both in the old world and the new, is evidenced by recent international _conferences. What Napoleon did for Europe more than a century ago, the business men of the United States and Great Britain have been doing in the far east for many years. North of the French colonies and protectorates in southern Asla, French is rarely heard along the opposite shore of the Pacific. English is the International language of the far east. * ok ok * This is but natural. It is not an artificial or stimulated growth, but has come from the fact that the major International interests of China and Japan have been with the Eng- lish-speaking nations. Trade and commerce have loomed largest in the far cast's forelgn relations, and Eng- land and America have been the greatest factors in that trade and commerce. The Japanese or the Chinese who studies English does it not because of a belief in the su- periority of that language, but be- cause it is the language which will prove of most practical benefit to him throughout his lite. Evidence of this is to be found in the foreign language press of Japan and China. Toklo possesses three foreign language dafly newspapers, all of them published in English. Yokohama has one, Osaka one, Kobe two and Nagasaki one. There is no French, German or Italian dafly in Japan.' Of the seven newspapers printed in a foreign language In Peking, six are in English and one in French. The same ratio holds good throughout the republic. * ok kK The world knows that America is Japan's largest customer, and the maritime customs returns of. China glve Great Britain a larger trade there than is shown by any other nation. Modern business institutions in both countries are modeled along British and . American lines. The young Chinese or Japanese intending to engage in business which will necessitate contact with foreigners realizes that the chances are all In vor of his dealing with English- speaking peoples, In the ports and cities of Japan frequented by foreigners, there is scarcely a Japanese who does not know a few words of English. It Is possible to shop anywhere in Tokio with less than a half-dozen words of the Japanese language. If the shop- keeper or one of his clerks does not speak English. his neighbor or his neighbor's neighbor does, and the shopkeeper hastily dispatches a mes senger to bring the interpreter. The ‘rikisha men know at least enough to ask for their fares. Bilingual £igns are seen on many street cor- ners and %treet cars. while many of the theaters print an English synop- sis of the Japanese drama being presented. * % x x In the schools of Japan the study of English is compulsory from the sixth grade upward. The student may choose a second foreign lan- guage in addition, but there is no option as regards English. In cer- tain untversities many of the classes are conducted in English. Tt would be somewhat ridiculous to teach Eng- lish literature in Japanese transla tlon. it is true. but the English- sneaking classes are not confined to literature but may deal with eco- nomics. science or ‘any other subject In China manv of the mission schools are conducted entirely in English This, too. Is natural, for Americans have been and are the leaders in educational matters in both countries. Tn the early days of Japan's open ing to the west. memhers of the nobility sometimes took domestic service with a foreign family merely for the sake of learning Enslish, This i no lonzer the case. but somewhat similar incident occurred fn _my own home in Tokio. The front " room of our house was a Buddhist temple. and a younz Jan- anese student rented one corner of this temple for his living anarters. He told us frankly at the first o rortunity that he had done so be- canes, When we were at meals, he jcould overhear what wa said, as a vaper screen formed the sole par- tition between our dining room and the temple. . R The difficulty of learning Chinese or Japanese has also played an im- portant part in bringing about the supremacy of English. It requires such a great effort on the part of the American to learn to speak. read or write any of the languazes of the far east that he often gives up In Alseust. s A consequence. the native is forced to learn the lanzuage of the ;‘r"rnlgnor in order to communicate with m. There is scarcelv a book stora in Tokio that does not have a few Eng- lish books or magazines on the ghelves besides thoss nublished in Tapanese. The assortment fs some- times ridiculous. for mafl order cat logues may rest peacefullv in com- nany with the poems of Edgar Allan {Poe’or a treatise on mining encinear- ine. lish are high in Japan. and next In order come those in German. due. the book dealers sav, to the tremendous respact entertained bv the Japanesa for German sclence. There are fewer books in Russian than might be ex- pected. when it is remembered that. except for China, Russia is Japan's nearest nefghbor. Manv of the statesmen of both countries spenk English, although they often refuse to trust them- selves to any but their native tongue when heing interviewed for publica- tlon. Those who do not know Eng- lish themselves invariably have an English-sneaking secrefary. same is true of the heads of the larger business firms. * ¥k ok Difterences of dialect are so great fn China that the Pekingese. speak- ing the language of north China, is often unintelligible to the Cantonese from the south. The dialect of the north, or mandarin, is the official language of the republic as it was of the empire, but milllons of southern | Chinese have no knowledge of it. A i Peking servant and a Canton serv- ant, coming face to face, usually: find the simplest means of communi-’ cation to be the pidgin English which each has picked up from his foreign employer. Pldgin English consists: merely of English words strung to- gether according to the rules, or lack: of rules, of Chinese grammar. The word pidgin itself is the south China pronounciation of the English word business, for nine times out of ten it is business matters that bring Chinese and forelgner together, English is probably more widely spread in Japan than in China, cer- tainly so If the interior provinces of China are taken into consideration. On the other hand. the Japanese is an exceedingly poor linguist, and the manner in which he butchers the pronunciation of English words is often tragic. The Chinese is an ex- cellent linguist, fully as good as the Russian, and with but short training speaks English fluently and intelli- Q. . Who managed the campalgn in 1920?—N. E. R. A. James B. Reynolds, for many years secretary of the republican na- tional committee, was at the head of the organization that urged Mr. Cool- idge as a presidential candidate in 1920. Mr. Reynolds is at present en- gaged In the banking business in ‘Washington. Coolidge Q. What religlous denomination has had the most representatives in the presidential chair?—K. L. S. A." Eight Presidents have been Episcopalians and. eight Presbyteri- ans, these denominations leading. Other_Presidents have been Unitari- ans, Reformed Dutch, Methodists or Disciples. Not until the late Presi- dent Harding entered the White House had a Baptist been President, and President Coolldge is the first Congregationalist to hold the office. While the President is not a com- municant, he is actively identified with the church activities of the de- nomination. Q. ming begin L When did the articles on swim- in The Evening Star?— A. The first article appeared Sun- day, July 1. They are published Sunday and Wednesday. There was one exception to this rule when the article which should have been published on Wednesday, July 11, was printed on Thursday, July 12. Q. Why do some bites of mosqui- toes itch more than others’—C. D. C. A. A well known authority on mos- quitoes rays that the lateral lobes of the mosquito secrete poison and that when the pest bites a person this saliva is injected into the blood. If the insect is allowed to take its fill. it w draw back the injected saliva and as a rule no il effects will be noticed save a small red spot. Q. Has Germany any possessions in Africa?—J. T. G. A. She no longer has any African colonics. Her former. were divided between Great Britain, France and Belgium Q. What is it called when people sec better by night than by day?— M. W. A. This condition of the eyes is known as nyctalopia and hemeralo- pia. Nyctalopia means night blind- ness and hemeralopia day blindness. The terms have become confused and are used interchangeably. Q. How old is Professor Einstein? —A@ A. He is forty-four years old, having been born in Germany in 1879. At the later becoming & professor at Zurich University. He returned to Germany shortly before the war to take a pro- fessorship at the Academy of Science. He lectured also at the University of Berlin, He is of Hebrew extraction and is deeply interested in Zionism. Q. What will remove black aphides from pond lilies?>—R. G. ng with tobacco water is efficacious. BY THE MARQUISE DE FONTENOY. At the instance of Prince Henry of Sales of books publizhed in Eng- ( The | The Netherlands, the German consort of Queen Wilhelmine, his nephew, the former Sovereign Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, has been un- dertaking an extended tour of the Duytch East Indies, nominally for pleasure, but in reality for the pur-| pose of profitable investment in a neutral country of a portion of his very large private fortune, which. as long as it is left in Germany. is amenable to any laws of tax even partial confiscation, wh be enacted by the Germen or Meck- lenburg governments of the day. For, while the present Berlin resime is largely dominated by industrial mag- nates by great captains of commerce and of finance, whom it shields at the expense of ithe remainder of the populagion, we may witness, at an time, the advent to power K a really socialist or even communist {government, which, not content with placing the burdens of taxation upon the rich instead of upon the poor. may consider it necessary to decree a levy upon or even confiscation of jall_capital and large fortunes The ex-grand duke has always been enormously rich, perhaps one of the Tchest of all the sovereigns of the {monarchical states embraced in the confederation known as the German Empire. Unlike many of his brother rulers, he was on excellent terms with especially with the masses. For they were aware that he was bent upon_endowing them with all kinds of popular rights and with a most liberal constitution, and that if he was unable to put his cherished policies into execu- tion, it was because of the vigorous opposition of. the intensely reactionary old territorial aristoc of his_two grand duchies, who would not hear of any curtailment of their prerogatives and immunities, which they had en- joyed for many hundreds of years. %y ok I When the monarchies were over- thrown in.Germany, as the result of her defeat by the great powers of the entente in November, 1918, he expressed is readiness to abdicate and to give JH alleglance to the republic, and the result was that the republican govern- ment and legislature of the new free tate of Mecklenburg-Schwerin pro ceeded to make an agreement with the ex-grand duke whereby he was con- firmed in the possession of all his private property and fortune, and was granted, by way of indemnity for the loss of his prerogatives and rank as sovereign, $3.000,000 in ready money, generous provisions for relatives and dependents, his ancestral palace of Schwerin, also the ancient country resi- dence of his predecessors on the throne, where they had held court and made the seat of the government during the Jate summer and autumn months, and a large portion of the so-called 'stat lands and forests, making him, in thi: fashion, the largest and richest landed proprietor in the new free state. More- over, his fellow countrymen continued to show to him and to his wife (who, though reared in Austria as the sister of the ex-Duke of Brunswick, was mar- ried to him as a princess of Great ritain and Ireland, receiving a huge Towes iom hor father, the Royal Duke of Cumberland) every sign of respect, good will and friendship, also satis- faction that they should have continued to make their home among them in- stead of following the example of so many other ecx-rulers in transferring their residence abroad. Indeed, the people of Mecklenburg- Schwerin, the former Wends or Van- dals, could not conceive of the idea of their former grand duke, who still Temains their friend, making his real home anywhere else than in the fairylike palace of Schwerin. For the fortunes of his family are, by old- time national superstition, bound up with those of the palace. Certain portions of it date back tweive hun- dred years, and well nigh every cen- tury since that time is represented in its architecture. Standing on an etween two picturesque lakes, e Prepeatealy been. attacked by fire. But on each occasion only a por- tion has been destroyed and the re- maindgr, instead of - being pulled down, was retained to-form part of the reconstruction. Indeed, there is a''very anclent Mecklenburg legend to the effect that if ever the palace is entirely destroyed the grand duke's family, which traces its ancestry back to Niciot, Prince of the Vandals, more than & thousand years ago, would disappear. The fortunes of the grand duke's family and of this fairylike palace are specially confided to the care and protection of a familiar spirit or banshee, who appears spectrally on the eve of the death of any member possessions | age of sixteen he moved to Switzerland, | there of | Q. What artists have been admit- ted to the Campfire Girls of America’— A. Paviowa, Frieda Hempel, Galli | Curci and Princess Tsianina are hon- {orary members. Princess Tsianina— { pronounced Chi-nee-na—is a Chero- kee-Creek Indian maid. Q. When was the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City begun?—A. B, inAgpaihls Breat project was started n 1872, Q. Was the explosion at Morgan, N. J., as disastrous as the one at Black Tom Island?—M. P. C. A. In so far as loss of life is_con- cerned, the explosion at Morgan, N. J., was a greater disaster than that of Black Tom Ieland, Jersey City. In both explosions, the damage was esti- mated at,about twenty million dolla: At Morgan the loss of life was six four; at Black Tom Island, it is believed that only six lives were lost. Q. Why do Japanese mice waltz? —L. A.'W. $ A. “The ‘peculiarities of the Japa- nese waltzing mice were at one time supposed to be due to a disease in the labyrinth of the ear. Dr. Kishi, however, concludes their dancing to be the result of confinement for un- told centuries within small cages. Q. What great inventor was never granted a patent?—L. H. A. Benjamin Franklin, ranked as the greatest inventive genius of his age, never asked for nor recelved a patent for any of his inventions or discoveries. Q. How long have Angora goats been bred in this country?—F. C. S, A. Angoras were introduced Into the United States from Asla Minor in 1349 by Dr. James B. Davis of Colum- bia, 8. C. Dr. Davls also brought o Cashmere doe with his Angora floc buck of the breed dying on the voyage. Q. What was Gov. Al Smith’s majority at the last election’—C. W. L. A, Gov. Smith was elected 1922 by a plurality, not a maj 385,945, Q. Are capital letters ever used in Hebrew?—F. G, B A. The Hebrew and Yiddish languages use no caplitals. They have, however, five duplicate letters ts be used at_ ends of words only. Hebrew and Yiddish are two entirely different languages, having nothing in common except the alphabet. This is composed of twentv-cight letters. Only twenty-three of them have distinct sounds, five being duplicates, used at | the ends of words, Q. Is the banjo clock older than the tall grandfather’s clock?—C. D. H A. The tall clocks first made their appearance durinz the latter part of |the seventeenth century. while the | banjo clock was patented by Willard {in 1802, (Let the Star Information Burea, | Frederic J. Haskin, Director, 1220 North | Capitol_street. answer your questions. | The only charge for this service is 2 " cents in stamps for return postage.) German Grand Duke Has Sequestered Huge Fortune in Dutch East Indies of the dynasty, by way of warning the individual in question that his or her last hour is at hand. The ban- shee goes among the people of Meck lenburg by the name of “Petermann and a much battered statue ropre- senting him as a dwarf with an ab- normally long body and ridiculously abbreviated legs in the dress of the fifteenth century has, from time fm- memorial, occupied a niche in the wall of one of the courtyards of the palace. None of the ‘many fires to which the palace has been subjected has ever touched him. and he bids fair to continue for many vears to come to adorn his niche and to watch over the destinfes 6f the former grand duke. of his British Brunswick consort and of his three children, the eldest now a boy of thirteen. k% The former grand duke, who still | retains his ancient title of Prince of the Vandals, is still a comparatively young man, heing only forty-one years age. Yet already he is com- Pletely bald. He was born at Pa- lermo of a Russian mother, the late Grand Duchess Anastasla, who was {such a familiar figure to all trans- atlantic residents and visitors to Cannes and the French Riviera, where she may be said to have made her permanent home, more especially after the tragic death of her husband. the late grand duke, who was one of the bitterest adversaries of Emperor William. He was found dead of a {broken neck under a viaduct which | passed over a public roadway running {through the park of his property at | Cannes. According to some, he fell {over the parapet during an attack of vertigo. According to others, he com- mitted suicide, while there were plenty of people who did not hesitate |to impute his violent death to Ber- Irllfl machinations, since he was a sworn opponent of Berlin_policies, and during the long minority of his son and successor the regency was administered by one of his uncle devoted to the cause of the Hohen- zollerns. * k x ¥ Incidentally, it may be mentioned that the “Almanach de Gotha” for the present year places. for the first time, on officlal record, the brief matrimonial alliance of the scape- grace and much married former Duke Henry Borwin of Mecklenburg with the former Natalie Oelrichs of New York, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charies Oelrichs of that city and | widow of Peter Martin of San Fran- | cisco, Calif. It may be remembered | that the young duke, after having been ousted by former Emperor Wil- liam from the German army for gross financlal {rregularities involving his expatriation, contracted at Dover in England, in defiance of the laws then in existence in Germany and Meck- lenburg, a morganatic marriage with | the former Elizabeth Tibbitts of Al- |bany, N. Y., widow of Amede G | quet-James of New Orleans and New York. The unfon was promptly an- nulled by the fmperial courts of Ger- many and by the grand ducal tri- |bunals of Mecklenburg as invalid, and when Mrs. Gasquet-James ap- pealed to the English courts for its recognition on the ground that the union had been contracted Dove according to English law, they d clded against her. Finally it was an- nulled by the Church of Rome, both yParties being Roman Catholics. The young duke, who was earning his living in America as salesman for a French automobile concern at the time of the outbreak of the war, made his way back to Germany under rather adventurous circumstances as stoker on board a Swedish freighter, narrowly escaping recognition and capture” when the boat was taken Into Kirkwall for examination and investigation by the British authori- ties. 1t was frequently reported, but never confirmed until now, that the duke had thereupon contracted another matrimonial alllance with young Mrs. Peter Martin. It was Im- Possible to obtain_anything definite on the subject. Dut the Almanach Je Gotha for 1923, the pages of which relating to the formerly sovereign house of Mecklenburg have been per- sonally revised and approved by the ex-grand duke, admits, for the first time, that the marriage existed be- tween Duke Henry Borwin and Mrs. Martin, and that it was sundered by a divorce at Berlin dated June 4, 1921, the Gotha making a point of adding that it was not annulled by the Church of Rome. Three months after the promulgation of the decree of divorce at Berlin, the duke con- tracted a third marriage, according to Lutheran rites, with a certain Carola von Alers of Wiesbaden, whose previous marriage to a man of the name of Schmidts had beem sundered by divorce.