Evening Star Newspaper, March 25, 1924, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR. With Sunday Morning Edition. WASBHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY.......March 25, 1924 THEODORE W. NOYES. . .Editor The Evening Ster Newspaper Company Busivess O or, 11th 5. & New York Office: 11 t 42 Chicago Oice: Tower Butiding. Furepesn Office: 16 Regeut St., London, England. The Evenig Star, with the Sunday morning edition, is deliversd by carriers within the city ai 60 cents per month: daily only, 45 centa per mouth: Sunday ooy, 20 cents’ per month. " Orlers may be sent by mail or tele- DPhome Main 5000, Collection s made by car- Tiers at the end Gf ea th. Bate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday..1yr., §8.40; 1 mo., T0c Thaily only. 0 oc E 20c | i Daily and Daily only Eunday $3.00; 1 mo, 25¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively eatitled fo the use for republication of all ‘news dis- | patehe dited to it or not otherwise credited | {n this paper and also the local news pub. bed herein. Al rights of publication of pecial dispatches herein are also reserved. i The Water Front Project. We cateh u glimpse in the news of the water-(re ¢t which the Commissioners, and per citizens of the Distr 1o have achieved. It was said on the day the Fine Arts Commission w over the proposed fort-link route that | “the members of the Fine Arts Com- ng Water street tion of the Wa river front, which the oners are auxious to im prove water-front projeet, or perhaps it might better be called the Water street project, is desirable in many ways. It would supplement the work done in creating Potomac Park out of shoals and marsh. It would bring South Washington closer to Potomac Park. South Washington and the park are not far apart as a crow flies. but separated by Washing- ton channel they are far apart as men walk and ride. It would create an automobile highway along part of Washington's water front, and that highway would connect the street sys- tem of South Washington with the rark. It would probably result in the creation of an automobile highway th South Washington from the st end of the city to the Potomae, and that might become a parkway betw he upper Anacostia Park and P c Park. Watcr street is le traveled now, and by giving it & smooth pavement it would be another high between South Washington and the central and northern parts of the ¢ . The plan contemplates the building | of sightly and substantial wharves or | & quay between Water street and the river, and the construction of whart | Buildings the architecture of which would not be out of line Wwith the! proper development of the city. Dis- | trict-owned wharves and warehouses, | substantial and convenient and leased | on fair terms to private interests;| ought to promote river trada. The plan would make Washington a better | looking city from Potomae Park, whi hes become one of America’s pla; grounds, and to which practically every v r to Washington goes. | The water parks of the Potomac and the Bastern branch have cost millions of dollars, and are to cost millions | more, and it is reasomable to think | that the parts of the dering on the river, and separated from the parks by a few yards of water, should | be touched up that they may not be | t00 much out of harmony with the beauty of those par] ——— The Revenue Bill. The Senate committee on finance at | to hing- Commis: ou ea | its session last night voted, § to 7, to! the Mellon income tax | revenue bill instead of | by the House. Tt is en- ! couraging to know that the committee | took this action, even though it is not | final until sustained by the vote of the | ¥ senate. It indicates, however, the existence in the Senatc of material | /support for the Meilon tax plan, which | “1s an economically sound measure, | framed by actuaries. | The country is gTowing weary o the | wrangling over the revenue bill, and would like to see action upon it. The average citizen cannot comprehend | why there should be suod dilly-dallying | over what appears to him a proposi- tion comparatively easy of adjustment. Where there are many men of many minds there naturally will be found differences of opinion and disagree- -'ment over ways and means, but the progress on the bill in the Senate committee seems unaccountably slow. “fhe prospect when the bill gets onto the floor of the Senate does not seem promising for speedy action, There are acute divisions of o rarty and factional, with no limit « discussion. The only hope of getting the Dbill on the statute books before fall arrives is for every senator to \lirealize that the country demands this *legislation, that it is possible to get it and that individual responsibility for (delay is easily fixed, and will be lo- cated by the public. Taxpayers are hopeful that a refund on the 1923 payments will be regarded as something to be pointed to with ;pride in next summer's campaign. ‘Washington's Steady Income. One of the advantages of Washing- ton is that it does not have the ups ‘and ‘downs of those cities which are i called manufacturing and industrial centers. It goes its even way, and is nefther %ich nor poor. While it does not often revel in a boom, it does not slump into those depressions which come more or less often to other big cities. Though Washington is an in- dustrial city to a considerable extent, and now aims to expand its industries, the chief business hers is government, and the principal employer is the gov- emnment of the United States. Uncle Sam is not & lavish pay- mmster, but he is steady and reliable. Certainty of being paid at the end of the month, or in the middle of the month, is & consolation to the man ‘who warks, even though his pay en- + velope is not so fat as it might be or even as it ought to be. The secretary of the Chamber of Com- | trial than we are. {at the Capitol. figures concerning the sum of money paid out by the government to its em- ployes in Washington each month. There are 65,000 federal government employes in the District and 9,700 em- ployes of the District government. Treasury officials have estimated that about $106,000,000 is earned in the District annually by federal ané Dis- trict eraployes. Two and a half per cent of that earned by federal em- ploves goes into the retirement fund, and a part of this is paid to retired employes, most of whom remain in the District. Thus a large and steady flow of money is disbursed by the government at Washington, and the business of meeting all the needs of the govern- ment and District employes and their families is a great industry in itself. Of course, all the money paid out does not remain here. A large part of it may be spent here by the government employes, but those industries which supply their needs draw their supplies from other sections of the country and help to spread prosperity throughout the land. Many the industrial cities are more nearly ‘“‘self-sustaining” than Washington, and this is one rcason we should be more industrious or indus We ought to pro- duce a larger proportion of our sup- plles, and we should have a larger share of the trade of supplying the needs of the population that is natu- rally or geographically tributary to us. In this there issno thought that we should wall ourselves up and seek to produce all the goods we need, but it is the practice of cities to engage In numerous industries for supplying the market at their doors. Food Gift to Germany. Sincere doubt cxists in many minds as to the wisdom of the gift of $10,000,- 000 which the House voted yesterday for the purchase of foodstuffs for G many, but apparently it was the view of the lawmakers that it were better to err on the side of generosity rather than to permit that women and chil- dren should actually starve because assistance was withheld. Hunger al ways has made an irresistible appeal to American sentiment, and a hungry rman child is just as hungry as a child of any other nationality. What- ever may have been the sins of the German rulers, the German children were responsible neither for the war nor for its frightfulness, and the time has not yet come when the American people are ready to sentence the inno- cent to share the punishment of the guilty. It was @ telling argument against the appropriation that u of German wealth is scquestered out- side of Germany and should have been used for the purchase of foodstuffs before an al to charity. g, because beyond a doubt it is true. 1t also undoubtedly is true that therc is in Germany suf- ficient food to prevent starvation were it equitably distributed. These f: make it scem rather inconsistent money taxed from American taxpa; should be voted for German but they do not alter the paramount fact that neither sequestercd wealth nor hoarded foodstuffs will lessen hunger pengs unless they are made available for that purpo If the Senate concurs bill, and the money Is appropriated, the American people will not begrudge the gift, but the effect is likely to be a considerable stiffening of sentimen in favor of making the German gov- ernment and the German industrialists toe the scratch. If American bounty i in the House | must be called upon to save German | women and children from starvation it is too much to expect there will be continued patience with German eva. {sion and doubledealing. Kor it un-|The pugi doubtedly is a fact that had the rulers of Germany, official and non-official, played the game fairly there would not exist in German: today conditions which make necessary an appeal to American charity. —————— It has become customary to refer to the dramatie character of proceedings There are too many cast for heavy villain roles, and there is abeolutely no comedy relief, e —————— Strikes now embarrassing London do not indicate as much consideration as might have been hoped for on the part of the laboring man toward a labor government. ——————— Those were happier days when the most that Mr. Sinclair and his friends had to worry about was the sclection of a horse to beat Papyru: Proposed Fort Boulevard. We shall hear more of the fort drive or boulevard which would link the ruins of civil war defenses of Washington and some of the sites from which the earthworks have dis- appeared. We used to hear a good deal of this proposal many years ago, and when the idea was new it could ! have been carried out much more ef- fectiVely than now, but the present plan would preserve the ruins of some of the forts and might save to the city the sites from which most traces of the forts have passed. The fort drive ‘would make it easy for persons to visit the ruins and sites of many of the forts. It would also add a drive to the city and its environs. That drive would serve to keep in memory a period of national and Capital history which will otherwise be forgot. New citizens 0\; ‘Washington know little of the cordon of forts and the system of rifle trenches and minor earthworks called “batteries” which were built around Washington between the spring of 1861 and the spring of 1865. En- gineers and laborers were busy at this work for four years. At first the Potomac bridgeheads on the Virginia side were fortified. Then the main roads leading through Mary- land to Washington were ‘“covered” by guns. Forts were soon built farther from the city at commanding points. Then it was planned to bufld and arm a fort, or build an earthwork into which guns could be moved at short notice, by which every foot of land or water by which Washington could be approached wouid be brought under fire. All these were connected by trenches into which troops could be quickly marched, and behind the de- millions | This | relief, | imcrcu not long ago brought together fenses were built roads over which | troops could be moved safe from obgervation from an enemy beyond the lines. Timber was cut away for two miles in front of the guns, that the enemy should find no cover of that kind. Houses were burned or marked for demolition on asproach of an enemy. Virginia roads were guarded and signal towérs built many miles beyond the forts. The work of strength- ening the defense system was still in progress when news of the surrender at Appomattox came to Washington, The fort drive would lead pilgrims to many hilltops and ridge crests where forts stood and where in some cases their ruins lie. The idea of im- proving existing roads and bnilding some short roads to connect fort ruins and fort sites was worked out by Capt. John E. Wood, assistant engineer Commissioner of the District, and a few days ago the Commission of Fine Arts went over the route. The opinion of the Finp Arts Commission has not ‘been published, but citizens feel easy in their minds that it will approve, and that means ‘will be cbtained for making the plan a fact. —_—— Antagonism and bitterness in the Missouri democracy disappoint Sena- tor Reed. Efforts by Magnus Johnson to popularize the Golden Rule are not yet effective in the Senate, and cannot be expected to exert much influence on the outside campaigners. ———————— —— Should Bainbridge Colby desiro to change his mind about working for the Doheny interests he would pos- sibly be welcomed. There is still a great deal of occupation for discreet and resourceful legal talent. ————— All the Senate investigating commit- tee needs to complete the impression of underworld romance is a series of exhibits including brass knuckles and kits of burglar's tools. —_——— As an‘evangelist Al Jennings might feel inspired to siy a few words of earnest admonition to a group of his fellow witnesses, Mr. Sinelair was entirely wiil pay large salaries. Earning however, Was not always an « 5 to them, ¥ mat- So far from being tried, the iser of Germany has not ev called to Berlin to be investigated. former been —_———— | Every strange now suspected of | being . bootlegger or an amateur de- tective. e The old-fashioned scandal afternoon tea chatter was prefe “Think = motto of the congressional witness, before yon { { i SHOOTING STARS. Substitutes., The Capitol, in sotting forth it sits of news. 1 ¢ dally { ngs we {To get illumin kettle boil, | We find a red-hot argument and don't | need any oil. he fluids that were once to bring inebriate glee No longer are required to bid our sober senses flee dispensed the fierceness of despair, Because there is a wild intoxication in the air, “ is now peaceful way. A bigger fight than started any day. The motion picture makers can with casge arrange a show, Each witness gives the outline of a grand scenar-i-o. content to go a his'n may be Interesting Contact, “I want a nice position,” said the old friend, “where I can meet a lot of interesting people.” Well," answered Senator Sorghum, thoughtfully, “maybe I could manage to get you placed as a member of the grand jury.” Jud Tunkins says he wishes there was some way of calling on Dr. Cous for a few words in the Senate investi- gations. Where Information Halts. Men grow weary of the chatter ‘Which so long they must endure, As it tells what is the matter, But does not suggest a cure. Decision of Character, “He married a woman who didn't know her own mind.” “I wouldn't say that,” rejoined Miss Cayenne. “She was rather doubtful concerning the engagement, but she was perfectly positive about wanting a divoree.” Subordinated. *I took a little licker for a cold,” ad- mitted Uncle Bill Bottletop. “Did it cure you?” “No. But it gave me such a hm-’l ache that the cold didn’t seem worth noticin’.” “Some members of de congregation,” said Uncle Eben, “is so skeered foh fear dey won’ git deir money’s worth dat de minister feels jes' natchelly obliged to preach a long sermon.” How the Times Change. From the New York Tribune. Gold used to cause most of the trouble in the world. Now it is oilL Party Power Defined. Prom the Baitimore Sun. Being the party in power means lttle unless there is power in the party. Knows the Time. From the Daily Califoraian. A musical person is one who recog- nizes “The Star Spangled Banner” be- fore every one stands up. —————————— A Queer World. From the Birmingham News. It's a funny civilization that Kills off all the birds and then wonders bitterly why Providence afflicts it with ing new substitutes for several | There's a general demonstration with { WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE Senator George Wharton Pepper of Pennsylvania has enlisted in the worthy cause of turning Washington into the Capital magnificent. He made confession of his purpose and en- thusiasm at a recent meeting of the Arts Club, which takes a special in- terest in affairs associated with the esthetic development of Washing- ton. Recently Senator Pepper as- sembled at dinner all congressional committee members concerned in District of Columbia development. Pepper himself halls from a city— Philadelphia—with unexploited pos- sibilities for civio improvement, so he has a special sympathy with Wash- ington's aspirations in that direction. The senator recently gave Philadel- phians an object lesson. With a group of friends, he bought & block of tumble-down alley bufldings, which they proceeded to convert into a charming old-world residence street. Pepper’s own Philadelphia home is now thers. Magnus Johnson was re- cently the senator's guest. When they drove 1into Panama street Johnson exclaimed: "By golly, semator, I thought you lived in a palace, but your house is in an alley!” * 5 % Charles R. Crane of Chicago, for- mer American minister to China, has gone in for President-making. He has a democratic white hope in training in the person of David F. Houston, who was both Secretary of Agrioul- ture and Secretary of the Treasury in the Wilson administration. Hous- ton is southern by birth, western by experience and New Yorker by resi- dence. Once in a while he fs de- ribed as Woodrow Wilson's candi- | pijjer. date for 1024. has been president of the Bell Tele- phone Securities Company, and the I Wall stry " connection might not | populurize his candidacy among the democratic proletariut. He was born {in North Carolina, is fifty-cight years |old and has been a college teacher and president most of his life, Nw Representative William Newell Vaile, republican, of Colorado has come to the Sixty-cighth Congress after beating three times in succes- sion the me demoeratic antagonist, | Benjamin €. Hilliard of De The ifirst time Vaile won thr fight. his oppone in addition to Hilliard being another democra John L cently was | witne vestigation. Hil liard probably hasn't abandoned hope of trimmink Representative Vaile some day. In 1920 he jost to Vaile by 000, but in 1922 il najority s cut to 7,41 rd once wus member of the * v Hi Hou * i « Senator Underwood's clicf boosters { for the democratic presidential nomi- nation are his fellow umni of the ¥, Ark, a Virginia “0ld grad,” in reply to an invitation join the Underwood for President | Club, wrote: “Out in Arkansas, whera {the natives shave only around th | right cye, in order sen i ot, we are all for Und alumni _campaign commit | Hartje a safety razor. { * % ¥ | President and Mrs. Coolidge f‘hfl\'«‘ been getting a first-hand on how their two boys, John and C vin, jr, are making out Wt school. he headmaster of Mercersburz (Pa.) demy and Mre, William Mann Ir- vine have just concluded a week « of Virginia way, “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul™ —HENLEY. 1 Weeks Gave Up His Voeation. John W. Weeks was a farmer boy. He wanted to €0 to sca, and studied hard to prepare himself, but he had to give up the desire after he had proved that he was ready and capa- ble. He was born on his father's farm near Lancaster, N. H, and when a boy had to rise early to heip with the chores before he trudged than a mile to the country school. At thirtcen his duties included sap- carrying in the maple sugar camp, and at sixteen he taught at the dis- trict school. His dream of being a sailor grew more urgent, and when seventeen he grasped “the opportunity of an un- expected vacancy at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, and entered ' the institution. After four years of intensive study he re- ceived a diploma as midshipman from President Garfleld. For two years he served on the United States ship Richmond, then was mustered out because the Navy had toe few ships te provide com- {missions for all academy graduates. Next he was a surveyor in Fiorida and became assistant land commis- sioner for the Florida Southern rail- road. After eight years in the southern tate he went to Boston to become junior partner in the banking and brokerage firm of Hornblower & Weeks. He was sucessful, the firm srew and he became interested in many large industries and railroad enterprises, When forty he was elected alder- man of Newton, Mass., his home town. Three years later he was mayor and after serying two years was elected to Congress, where he remained eight years. His career led to his being chosen United States senator. In 1916 he received 105 votes for the presidential nomination at the re- Z\:hllu'l.n nll:!lmxlh convention, and ree years later he w. Fereledtion to the Senate. o orred for Now he is Secretary of War in President’s Coolidge's cabinet, is rated as a millionaire and has a beautiful home on the farm where he, as a boy, dreamed of going to sea. (Oopyright, 1924.) H Declares Bonus Will Be No Insult To the Bditor of The Star: It is impossible for every ex-serv- ice man to have the same views in regard to the compensation meas- ure, but I do not see how‘any man can feel it an insult if our llm:lklrl decide we have been underpaid for our service during the great world war. Thousands of us left good positions ahd when we returned had no money or position. I served with the Wild Cat Division through the mud and hell of France. I do not think it an insult if our grateful government decides on giving us & bonus. The trouble is that men hav- ing large incomes sometimes only think of themselves and their own interest. 1 have paid no income tax owing to the fact with a small sal- ary I am not entitled to pay. I wonder what our modern soldiers think about Washington and Lincoln accepting a bonus from the govern- ment since it is such an insult. Where does all the money come from that is used to defeat this bill and what class of, men 8o strongly oppose, it? These are questions we can all answer. We do not ask to be put on an equal footing with the fellow who was so unfortunate to be .k.cnt hfl;‘ubnt e Would like to have a ng_chance. . W. L. GREEN. 1516 Minnesota avenue southens'. al more | i visit to the White House. Before he'd been President a fortnight Mr. Coolidge requested the newspapers and newspaper men of the country to ignore the school career of his sons. He intimated that publicity wasn't conducive to the education of “just a couple of average boys.” The presi- dential injunction has been generally respected. The young Coolidges are plusging away at their school work liko the rest of the five or six hun- dred cubs at Mercersburg, with no molestation of any kind from the out- side world. John, the elder, finishes there 'in June and goes to Amherst. “Cal,” jr., has another term * ok ok ¥ Oil and concomitant scandals caus- ed hardly any notice to be taken of the recent anniversary of the birth of Gen. Neal Dow, to which the atten- tion of the Senate was called. At the request of the Neal Dow Association for World Peace and Prohibition of Portland, Me., Senator Jones of Washington briefly addressed the Senate on March 20, recalling that on that date in the year 1504 the father of the original state prohibition law was born. Maine for almost two- thirds of & century has remained dry, thanks to Neal Dow's restless ad- vocacy of temperance. His son, Frederick Neal Dow, a sturdy veteran of eighty-four years, is still active in business as editor and publisher of the Evening Express at Portland. * ¥ * ¥ Pennsylvania in the days of Pen- rose and Knox was accustomed to pull down the lion's share of our diplomatic plums. It does not seem to have lost its cunning in the present era. Irwin B. Laughlin of Pittsburgh, who has just beén appointed minister to Greeee, is th latest son of Penn |state to bag a major foreign eervice Sinco 1921 Houston | ymbassador to Italy. Moors of Penn- ' | Navy, and the othe Fletcher of Pennsylvania is sylvania is ambassador to Spain. Woods of Pennsylvania is ambassa- dor to Japan. Riddle, ambassador to Argentina, is a native of Philadelphia. Thackara, consul general at Pari hails from the Quaker state. Mr. Laughlin, who goes to Athens, is a diplomatic “career man having spent practically his entire lifc in the service. He is one of the prin- cipal owners of the great “independ- ent” steel concern of Jomes & Me- Laughlin, Ltd * o ox % Bill Johnson, superintendent of the House folding room, who during his more than twenty rs’ services Tnered e, members of Congress has sent out 1 millions of copies of speeches and hundreds of thousands of free boo to help get other men re-elected, is now seeking an election to Congress himself as successor of Representa- | tive John C. teenth distri Rill Johnso is one « mean about the Capitol century—physically. 1} the most popular employe that House folding room has ever had. €% % ¥ Two heroes of Chateau Thierry and Betleau Wood afe members of Calvin Coolidge's intimate circle. One is the White House physician, Lieut, Com- mander Joel T. Boone, United States is the Rev. Dr. Jason Noble Picrec, the President’s Congregational pastor. Both Boone and Pierce were with the United States marines in_the most famous Gghting on the American front in France. They were in action under fire at opposite en of the line—the surgeon with advancing troops, the clergyman with the stretcher bearers, who waded into the thick of the fray. Dr. Boone is a graduate of Merce y. the Coolldge McKenzle, from the thir- of 1llinois. the biggest in the last the fu24.) Your Good Luck and Mine BY JOHN CARLYLE How would you like to walk thirty miles to market over bad roads, prod- ding an overburdened donkey? And all for a profit of 15 cents? If you were a woman it might seem |even more dificult. Probably it would not, for women can hardship than men. endure more They can carry {heavier burdens with less complalnt. I have lately spent some sadly in- teresting days in the island of Haiti, the black repubiic of the West Indies. They were interesting days because they contained new and strange ex- periences. They were sad because the wretchedness and the poverty of so many of the pepole of that isiand re- public are bevond adequate descrip- tion. It is true that both women and men walk even more than thirty miles to bring a litte Lundle of vegetables to | be laid in the dust of the market place in front of the gaudy cathedral. A thin, black woman laboriously |picked up beans out of the dirt where she had spilled them. _When they were all picked up sh® had about a cupful. Having so little to sell, the poor woman could not afford to lose even a bean. 1 threw a dime into the air in this same market place. Instantly more than a dozen men, boys and girls were fighting desperately before my eyes. Their bodies struck the earth with hard thumps. A dime is a dime, 3ml can be lived on for more than a ay. Few of the peoples of the earth are capable of self-government. We prove that over and over again in America. Democracy functions feebly at best. Democracy functions far more feebly in Haiti, though it is on the up-grade. It is an experiment in self- government where the people are not ready fer it. The land is rich and fertile. But rich and fertile land can- not make a comfortable people when less than 10 per cent can read and write. Here In America we have schools and we have the free opportunity to attend them. America may not be a 1and of equal opportunity for all. The street corner preachers may be right about that But it is a land of amaz- ing opportunity even for the humblest in comparison, not only with the black republic of Haiti, but in com- parison with other nations that strug- gle feebly in the darkness of poverty and illiteracy. Be glad you happen to have been born in America. And if you are an American and don't get ahead, you have no right to the pursuit of sym- thy. 4 (Cepyright, 1924.) In a Few Words The present peace is one of cx- haustion, and is due not to good will, but to lack of strength and disinclina- tion to make the tremendous effort necessary. —DR. ARTHUR SHADWELL. ‘Multimillionaires are supposed to be a flinty-hearted lot, holding on to what they have and grasping for more. 1 know a great many exs tremely wealthy men and nearly all of them are moved more by their emotions than by their reason. —SAMUEL CROWTHER. We want no international bank formed to control our financial life. We have plenty of good bankers of our own here in Germany, —HERR URGIB (Director General Disconto Gesellschaft). Our callous_young eriminals are defectives, sufferers from glandular disturbances.s Hanging annd electro- cution do not prevent sick men from being sick. One cannot forbid pneu- enia. —DR. MAX SCHLAPP. Equality is one of the delu- tons of the modern worl —DUKE OF NOR! 1 is probably | NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM —_— BIRDS IN LEGEND, FABLE AND FOLKLORE. Ernest Ingersoll.| Longmans, Green & Co. Right now spring Is turning over for the lasi forty winks before step- ping out of her winter bed. The hu- man, without knowing why, has for some time been restless under the padding covers, And one morning| next week—or tomorrow, maybe—out in the park or along the roadway, you will see spring poised in the early sunlight, a straight young goddess, birds circling ‘round her head and lighting upon her shoulders In a rapturous clamor of welcome. Now, it is just possible that you may not catch clearly this lovely bodily presence of spring, but you ‘will surely sec and hear these her attendants and harbingers. And your expectant restlessness will pass into a satisfying joy at the return of springtime and the birds, * ok ok % So it is time, you see, to take stocks of dried bird #kins out of the moth balls for a contemplation of the wondrous works of God in the fair domain of nature. Time, too, to prod and pry among these rags of feather, beak and claw—once light| and flight and song—to examine them, to measure them and to set down in £00d &olld words that cannot soar away such general facts about them and such special features as have survived earlier maulings at the hands of other bird enthusiasts. This is the familiar Bertillon gesture bent upon future identifications. An at- tempt, as well, to set off the Smith/ family of 'birds from that of the Browns, the Joneses and the John- sons. A ecrafty circumvention, be- sides, of the natural flightiness of birds that precludes, in the open, any such dead reckoning with them. The | whole fusty to-do is merely one of the accepted ways of getting ready lo meet epringtime .and the birds. There are other ways besides this pseudoscientific one. Nimrod will meet them with a gun. The man of Assisi and his kind as if they were blood brothers coming back home again. Some this way, some that Many a common bird-lover will meet them by just sitting around, quiet like, days'on end, watching the be- haviors of these busy, happy, thrifty folks, doing them a good turn row and then as the chance offers. * ¥ ¥ ¥ Out of all creation birds must have { been the prime marvel to man n his | beginnings. With no store of re- {ecorded knowledge, such as we pos- %. 10 point out and explain things; before the ornithologist or any er som of science had been thought these creatures, so astoundingly different from all the other life forme around him. must have stirred that new man 1o both ‘wonder and f the first of his emotiods. Bits of the rainbow, these, shreds of dawn-cloud, brilliant flower growths loosened from the soil, cleaving the air in easy or daring flight, uttering sounds 80 melodious, 8o haunting as to pierce the newly begotten soul of this pri- | mordial man. No wonder that around the birds there grew a thousand fan- ciful inventions for the explanation of « wholly inexplicable world. EE Ernest Ingersoll, man of experience and achievement in the field of na- ture, assumes, fairly, that the markedly quickened general interest of recent years in bird life will be increased and enriched Ly some knowledge of how earlier peoples looked upon these flyin, forms of creation. Out of such assumption he offers this book of legend, fable. folk- lore—a compact, well ordered, ac- ceseible source of information on the subject. Its substance is drawn from a wide range of place and circum- Stanice from tribal | superstitions, from theories and practices of an: cient civilizations, from persistent fragments of half-belief influential to this day with many of us, denials to the coatrary notwithstanding. * % x % Once upon a time, it turns out here, the power of speech was a common thing among birds. In sacred writ no Jess an authority than the good proph- et Elijah stands for this: “A bird of the air shall tell thee the matter.” As for Solomon, who must have been a most lovable wise man, he was for- | ever colloquin’ with this feathered | friend or that one. Indeed—to step out of the Eible and away from this special matter of bira speech—the | birds loved Solomon so well that when | he traveled across the desert clouds of them went along, making a per- fect canopy of themselves to shield him from the sun. That must have been a pretty thing to see. And birds were no end useful, jt appears, in bringing Solomon and the Queen of Sheba together. Outside of sacred writ—which, of cours matter somewhat less dependable— there is a world of evidence that all the birds, once upon a time, could talk. From the deserts of the far east to the plains and forests of North America, wandering 'peoples unite to | declare it in rich detail and pictur-{ esque circumstance. To this day the Breton peasant knows that when oc- | {casion is great enough to reguire it the birds will come forward with yords of guidance or warning. “A 1lttle bird told me,” which you your- self say often, is but the crystal heart of an old and far-reaching body of belief. | ! { | aj | of, | | makes the % % % In the thousand and one ects of bird lore set down here, it is pleasant to come upon some of our own familiar. friends. There is the dove—to us the pigeon of our parks and streets. A most honorable bird without which—or whom—Noah would have been in sore straits for himself and his family and all the animals shut up in the ark out of the wet. You recall how Noah sent the dove out to wing the waste waters in quest of land, and how, after many days, the bird returned with the good word of hope. And Noah blessed the dove and lald around its neck the circlet of green and shining feathers that it has worn forever since—as you may see on any sunny day. It was in that deluge also that the pigeon got his pink feet and legs. Standing knee-deep—so to speak— for a long time in the salt water, the pigeon found its legs a deep pink, scalded bare so that thereafter no feathers would grow upon them. So when you see a bare-legged pigeon in coral pink boots you may know that this is a lineal descendant of Noah's first aid in a land rescue from the deluge. Interesting? I think so, True? I don’t know. Interesting any- way. The dove has many virtues be- side that of loyal friendship to man. It is revered all over the world, among all religions and _beliefs. Shrines are set up to it. Temples give it sanctuary and® care. In our own matter-of-fact western way we, too, delight in its friendly overtures. We love the white flash of its wings when, in combination, our park ! pigeons form into bright fying squadrons, maneuvering ceaselessly | through the long hours of sunlight. And we put up fountains for them— or should. We have our schoolboys build houses for them—or should do this. We feed them—some of us do— in partial recognition of the many things they do for us. * %k * A book of rich and varied informa- |stice to prevent disaster, admittedly ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]J. HASKIN Q. When the Europeans came to this country they found a race here that they called the Indians. What did the people call themselves?—M. I, A. The name that the Indians call- ed themselves at the time the white people first came to this country has never been known. Each tribe had its own name, but no general title has been discovered Q. How long a u a body to be crem A. It takes from o to two hours to cr body. Q. How can watch?—J. A. A. Let your watch lie flat in your hand, with the hour hand pointing toward the sun. The poigt on the circle half way between the hour hand and XII will be directly south in the northern hemisphere and di-| reotly north in the southern hemi- sphere. does it _take for d7—L C. and one-half ate @ human u teil directions by a Q. What will bring the luster back to a tortoise shell comb?—A. M. I A. To revive tortoise shell combs, which often get dull and dingy look- ing, dip the finger in linseed oil and rub over the whole surface of the comb. If there is a pattern on the comb, it may be necessary to use a ®oft brush to get it into the crevices. Then rub with the palm of the hand until all oil has disappeared, when the shell feels hot and looks bright and shiny. | Q. What peopl selves?—T. A. The South Sea Islanders were the first people to tattoo their bodies. There is a superstition among sailors and men of the sea that animals tat tooed on tneir hodies ward off the evil spirits of the sea. A pig, for in stance, on the left instep, was sup- posed to keep th wearer from drownineg. Q. When was_the first homestead taken up in the United States?>—H. P. A. The first homestead entry was made by Daniel A. Freeman on Jan- uary 1, 1863, near Beatrice, Nebr. Q. Give some —K. McC. A. Vesuvius is a volcano near the eastern shore of the Buy of Naples, about ten miles from the city. It is a solitary mountain rising from the valley of Campania, with a base of | about thirty miles in circumference. st recorded eruption wi Since that year there more than eighty erup- tecent cruptions occurred in , 1895, 1906 and 192 t tattooed them- ata about Vesuvio Q. 1Is the Mellon Institute of In- dustrial search a commercial or- ganization or is it endowed’—J. A. S. A. The Mellon Tnstitute of Indus- trial ses an endow- ment of its o otaling more than half a million dollars. The system of -operation between science and in- ustry, founded by obert Kennedy Duncan, forms the basis of the work the institut According to this Systern, an individual or a company having a problem requiring solutions establishes fellowship by contributing to the institute a definite sum of money for a period of not less than one year. This money is used to p the salary of the man or me cted out the investigation desire the insti nishes all th sary facilities. a building especia How many miles is fifty light yea?s, one light year rep- zesenting about £,000,000.000.000 miles. It is therefore 280,000,000,000,000 miles o the north star, Q. How Is “vadet” W.E. A. The word has been Anglicized, ind the final is sounded. Th French do not sount the “t"” the * having the sound «f the English pronounced?— . _Are cravfish akin to lobsters? G. 8. . Shrimpe, prawns and crayfish are allled to the lobster, the cravfish often being called fresh-water lob- ster. Q. the P A. Of what mater! buildings in 1 are most of London made?— All parts of London are alike in the fact that most of the bulldings are made of brick. There are no quarries nearby, =0 the stons for the finer buildings must be hrought from a distance. The smoke-laden London fog blackens the entire city, although the West End suffers least in this re- speet. ould be eaten by to lose weight?— What foods wants A. Government _authorities say that the following foods are best for o who wishes to reduce: Fresh ish of any kind, saimon or mackerel; lean beef, mutton or lamb: chicken or turkey. without st or gravy; stale bread, dry toa T crusts in small quantities: - spinach lettuce, celery, radishes, asparagus cauliflower, bhage, tomatoes. on fons, turnips and squash by way of vegetables, and ripe fruits by way of dessert vou tell wire in me what proportion to the its Q. Can stron welght?—N. D. A. Piano wire is considered the strongest in propertion to its weight. gov- the t Q. Does the state or federal ernment keep up the roads in national forests?—T. R A. As the states have no jurisdi on over these roads Uncle Sam must that they are kept in good con- dition. Q. Is specifying M E R A. The birds of prey include the carrion-feeding vultures, the rapa- cious hawks and eagies, and the fish- loving -osprey, and owls of various habits. Q. Wwill ti ther? the an: general way of birds of prey”?— iy materials withstand & temperature of ) degrees or 130 degrees F.2—W. . H. A. There are a nfimber of materials that will withstand this temperature Among these may be mentioned mag- nesite, alundum, graphite. any brand of good molding sand. For the first three substances mentioned it would be necessary to use a pressure of some kind to form a compact mold. Q. emy A the Who founded the French Acad- — N The ‘French Academy, which is highest of the five academies which constitute the French Ins Cardinal Ric recognized 1816, lther academies are * Academy of Inscriptions and Bel Letters, Academy of S nces, Acad of Fine te and the Academy ral and Political Science. lien b of Mo Have wou a question you wont an- cwered? Send it to The Star Informa- , tion Bureaw. Frederic J. Haskin, direc- | 1220 North Capitol street. Imeclose ‘enis in stamps for return postage.) Editors Analyze Bernstorff’s Belated Defense. of Wilson When Count von Bernstorff remind- ed his people that they laid down arms in the world war, ‘not because of any “fourteen points,” but because army dquarters urged an armi- he is only relating historieal facts. The fact that Bernstorfl, who has become a powerful factor in the hew Germany, is asking his countrymen to accept the bitter truth and ‘be guided by it Is_typical of the whole trend in the Teutonic republic, in the opinion of the American press: Ger- many §s making a spectacular and | genuine economic comeback due to finally facing the facts, editors say.| These editors agree further that many never had a better friend than Woodrow Wilson. | Had it not been for Woodrpw Wil- | son, “the allies, intoxicated with vie- | tory, would have hacked Germany to bits,” in the opinion of the Milwau- kee Journal, which goes on to say, “In time, when the passions aroused by defeat have cleared away, nost of von Bernstorff's countrymen will | come to see these things, and when they do they will also realize that| the only nation that might have kept | a cool head in forcing the terms of the 4reaty wa removed from the council table when a little clique of politicians deceived the friends of Germany and others in this country into supporting their rejection of the treaty.” As the New York I World sees it, * important contribution to the truth of history is his reminder, but for Mr. Wilson Germany would have jost the Rhine and the valley of the Saar, which is one of the reasons that a monument to Wilson will one day be raised in the city of Berlin.' * X Xx * The wholesome truth is the medi- cine the Germans need, according to the Spokane Spokesman-Review, which declares “their supreme need is leaders of frankness and courage, who will strike the scales from their eyes and bring them to a true under- standing.” Until recently, tho Salt Lake Tribune suggests, “onlyone Ger- man of prominence, Maximilian Har- den, has combated the German view- point against Wilson.” Although, the | Tribune recalls, “there was a time when an element among the French | resented Wilson's attitude as entire- ly too pro-German, it required some time to permit these Frenchmen to discern_the basis of Wilson's policy, but “whether the Germans will come to read the history of the peace con- ference aright remains to be seen.” | Bernstorff's article is merely one! more fact for Germany to face, the Grand Rapids Herald points out, and | “the farther Germany follows this| habit of facing facts and the quicker | all Europe emulates it the happier | acd speedier will be normalcy's re- | turn” Since von Bernstorff knows | the facts, the Duluth Herald feels, “he does well to rebuke the truculent clamor raised by the press of his! country; the fourteen points were an- athema in most German circles unti all else had Leen tried and had failed The pivotal point in the case, the Wichita Bagle maintains, “is that| Germany just before the end of the ! war asked Wilson's intervention and was mighty glad to get it” and “to state the fact now Is rather belated tion. All of it _particularly worth while—if you are interested in the curious patterns that the human mind weaves out of the materials of nature. There is a chapter on “Birds as National Emblems. story of how the eagle came to be our national emblem and of the vicis- situdes that it had to undergo before reaching this honorable office. You read it—page 28—there is no room for it here. Read the whole book. Well worth reading and study, too. Lo M justice, but Bernstorfl has done itand it is better late than never.' The Lynchburg News, however, attaches no significance to the matter, because “Bernstorfl’s pretended service in his behalf at this late day represents| In it is the | nothing of the slightest interest to|ryral those who know that Wilson has al- ready passed into history as the great- ‘ost Agure of his day and genoration.” The Butte Miner agrees that “Presi- dent Wilson's place in history never will depend on the German version of. him,” and “as far as Count von Bern- storff coming e his defense, the | the council | divide |h nt is no pleasant recollection in s country, but as a matter of keen- £ the record straight, it can well bo id that President Wilso: Ger ny a very fair and square deal’ * k% The Springfield News insists German people never had a bette friend than Woodrow Wilson, though it has taken some years following his actual participation inpunlic matters to visualize his worth to them and to* their country.” Had it not beem for him, the Wheeling Register a “sorry would be the position of G many today.” For, as the Canton News points out, “the temper of the majority of nations which met about tables at Paris up Ger but Mr. fused to adhere to any such proce- dure, and in_holding out for justica even to a defeated enémy country he brought about him a storm of abuse on the part of old tic circles” Although von Bernstorfr's latter days in Wash- ington were characterized by an abuse of American hospitality, the Mobile Register thinks, “it is credit- able to him that he should recognize the services of Mr. Wilson to Ger- many and to humanity, and should courngeously defend Mr. Wilson's reputation against German misrep- resentation. hile the Akron Times concludes on Bernstorfi's defense of Wilson may not immediately prove effective either with his fellow citizens or 'with those persons in America who have suffered the delusion that Wil son was the ‘betrayer’ of Germany, but “the fact will become more and more obvious as events develop that if Wilson's peace plans had been ratified by the Senate, if the United States had remained a ponsible member of the reparation commis-# sion, if this nation had fulfilled its moral obligation as one of the vic- tors in the war, Germany would have fared better thin she has fared with America completely out of the pics tur Horse Likely to Live Despite Automobiles Prof. E. L. Furlong of the Univer- sity of California is the latest fore caster of the end of the horse.® Not- withstanding the statistical proof that the number of horses is in- creasing, the professor says the horse will be extinct in 100 years, or survive only as a curiosity maintain- ed for zoological displa ‘The motor any. ( | car and the tractor have relieved the or are” rolieving him, in the rural section, and have removed his cause for existence, i¢ the burden of the thesis. s However, the man of science overs, looks a factor. The horse would bep worth maintaining as a means of giving pleasure to mep and women. | The survival of the dog in modernm times ha# hardly been based on man's actual need for what the dog hae been able to do in the way of com- mercial service. The city man who cherishes his Russian wolf hound is hardly expecting to hunt wolves, The owner of the English bulldog is not keeping the dog to fight bulls. The value of the average “lap-dog™ !as a watchdog is probably overrated. Until the hillside farm has been ebandoned: until racing has ceased to exist; until hunting has lost its charm; until mankind ceases to en- joy the motion of the good saddle orse, there will be horses. Meanwhile, if Prof. Furlong be- lieves that the horse has ceased to be in demand for commercial pur- poses, he might visit some of the sections of America. The tractor and the automobile are work- ing in, but the horse and the muler* still have their uses on the farm. This. Is epecially. trus of-distriets that offer difficuities far motur tranéporta. tion, and - the extent of these districts is immense. not only in America but over the globe.—Loulsville Times a ‘ /) )