Evening Star Newspaper, August 14, 1924, Page 6

effect that 1THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C THURSDAY. ...August 14, 1924 " THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company Musiess Office® 17th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Offce: 110 20 8t. cago O owe ng. Ruropean Oice: 18 Kegent St..London, Eagland. The Evening Star. with the Sunday morning edition, ix delivered by carriers within the eity at 60 nts per month: daily only, 48 cents per month: Sunday only. cents per month. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- phone Main 5000. Collection is made by car- tiers at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday..1 yr,, $8.40; 1 mo., 70¢ Daily only . 17¥r., $6.60 ; 1 mo., 50¢ Sunday only ....0 1 5r., $2.40: 1 mo,, 20¢ | All Other States. Daily and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00 ; 1 mo,, 85¢ Daily only $7.06 ; 1 mo., 60c Sunday only c Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusivels entitled to the use for republication of all news dis- patelies credi K credited 0 this paper and also the local news pub. Tished h hts of publication of ecinl dixpa a Budget Bureau Generosity. the Budget Bureau gave al to a District fund allotment 5 as the maximum which ssioners may ask of Con- 'his is about $5,000,000 less than the amount sought by the Com- missioner but is nearly $6,000,000 the amount that the bu- approved last r. Thus the Budget Burcau does a little better than split W between allowance and this year' The mann in handied District fin: o S8 leaves the Capital taxpayers in some- what fog vegarding their pros- pects, causing them to look with some. doubt upon the generosity of the Budget Bureau. ow that the fixed principle been abandoned Con no assurance whatever of the amount or percent- B of the funds that will be tributed by the Government for Cap- ital and development. There can be no assurance of stabil- itv. No one can figure, even approx- imately, the tax rate or the tax levy. Unquestionably the District cah with effect expend all of the $31,531.305 which the Budget Bureau It could spend, indeed, all of 000,000 which the Commis- mated and for which they ask Budget Bureau approval. There are accumulated municipal needs. The Capital has not yet ap- preciably g upon the arrears caused by war-timb economies. The Ly the Budget Bureau would not, if granted in full by Con- do mc than ke a start the reduction of this accumu- more than reau h of a ratio Ty there s con- maintenance upon good many ined figures “sct mi Under the old vatio there was an ind disappointin omy in appropriations by There was that however sreat the needs the amounts appro- priated would not he too heavily bur- densome upon the District taxpayer. For Congress was certain to safe- zuard the Federal Treasury by keep- ing down the total amount, and there- fore the Fede proportion. Now there is no such obligation. The nine million dollars of Federal money this year may be only five million dollars another year, while the Dis- trict’s budget is increased to the point of doubling the tax rate in order that District funds may be forthcom- ing to meet requ So there is a mixture of gratitude and doubt in the public mind on the score of the Budget Bureau's greater Hope prevails that the fair words spoken by advocates of the, lump-sum method of appropria- tion of Federal moncy to aid in Dis- will be translated into terms of real liberality when this Jarger budget reaches the Capitol. The District has found in the past, that fair words are not an assured Zuide to performance. It has leained to its sorrow that even stat- utes which are apparently binding as pledges and obligations are not so regarded by the legislature in which he Dist 1s no voice, the legis- lature which is the taxing body as well as the appropriating body, the legislature that in this relationship and character so definitely repudiates the doetrine laid down by the Declara- tion of Independence that taxation without representation is tyranny: of a fixed t once gratifying guarantee of econ- Congress. system a assurance ions. nerosit trict maintenance however, ———— The ease with which airships cir- culate in far northern regions gives promise that North Pole itself will soon be a regular landing station. the r—————— i Screen and Drama. Tt is announced that a new com- bination of motion picture interests has been formed which will represent a great capital and will be devoted *to the work of putting upon the screen of the best plays of recent authors and production in this count A list of the produc- tions is given. and affords the patrons of the movies who are desirous of better entertainment ground for hope for improvement. For some time there has been eriti- cism of the screen product, to the it appealed to the lower emotions rather than to the intel- lectual r ions’ of the people. The sex-drama. with suggestive titles and with scenes of “wild life,”” has palled upon the public taste. Chosen in many cases as vehicles for noted stars, these “plays” have not meas- yred up to the standards which a some few years ago were announced by eminent movie managers. Now it is proposed to put on the screen translations in silent form of spoken dramas that have succeeded. This is good. But how will the work be done? That question s important. Will the. plays be “filmed” out of their original proportions and mean- ings? Will they be mutilated out of ~esemblance to the delightful crea- tions of the stage? Certain’ set rules appear to prevail in tie studios where the movies are wade that are based upon the theory screen demands something @rem the boards of the thea~ ter. For one thing, the scenario writer relies upon ‘repetition, whereas the dramatist knows that repetition is inartistic and fatal to the real value of a play. For the sake of what is called continuity intense ‘“drama’ is soughbt by the screen writer and producer by interruptions and altera- tions. What should be a straight, continuous scene is broken into bits and mixed up with bits from another situatlon, jumbled to and fro. Some- body once discovered, or thought he discovered, that the people out in front require 4o be stimulated by this back-and-forth Jnethod. Melodramatic tension was thuas sought. What was obtained was dacidedly undramatic messiness of effect. But the tradition held, and holds today, that the theme must be jumped hene and there, and the screen devotee becomes weary, sometimes resigned. So if standard plays of recent suc- cess on the stage are to be filmed hy all means let them be put on straight, as they were played, with no ex- trancous materials, no antecedent pre- liminaries, no biographical prologues, no attempt to create “atmosphere.” Let them go on as their autbors wrote them and the actors who nmde them famous played them. Then will the screen be serving the pyblic well. For these who like their movies jazzed there will remain the so-called come- dies, with their custard pie and mud- bath features, the bathing beauties and the pursuits. In the main. and materially, the film show will be improved, The War Against Lawlessness. At the last se on of Congress ap- propriation was made for the Quet of a campaign of offense against the rum smugglers Wwho infest the coasts of this country. Coast guard and naval vessels were made avail- able for this service, and funds were provided for manning and operating them. Little has been heard subse- quently about this werk, but now it appears that it has been diligently in preparation, and there is expecta- tion that in a short time the campaign will be started vigorously. Naturally, the course of wisdom in this matter is to keep the plan of campaign secret, to keep the “enemy” guessing. It would be the height of folly for those in command to dis- close the date of beginning the fight or the methods to be employed. The rum runners are numerous, have speedy equipment and know the coast. They have a certain advantage in the co-operation of a large fleet of small, swift craft plying between the “row” and the shore. These smaller boats can get into little bays and es- tuaries and find hiding places. But they cannot go out from the shore without proclaiming their purpose. No small power boat is likely to go 12 miles out to sca on a mere pleas- ure jaunt. With a large patrol of swift ships it should be possible to ply between the “row"” and the shore in such a way as to cut off communication. The smuggling ships do not move at ran- dom. They have their points of ren- dezvous, where they are met by light- ers. It they move up and down, or make different anchorages than those assigned, they lose contact with the shore and the market. The patrol fleet. however, can keep on the move. It can capture a considerable per- centage of the small vessels of the ship-to-shore service. Every capture with a load on board means confisca- tion. A wholesale haul of these power boats would put a decided crimp in the business. This is war against an organied assault upon the law of this coun- try. It is something more than the mere enforcement of the prohibition act. It is a campaign for law observ- ance. 1Its success is to be hoped for by every citizen who believes in er. derly government. Its failure will probably be prayed for by all who hold the law in disregard, not merely this particular law, but law in general. con- The present expectation is that the campaign will not attempt to rival a senatorial investigation in the mat- ter of sensational developments. The public knows its grievances and is ready to consider principles and poli- cies. The young men on trial before Judge Caverly in Chicago have so far restrained any impulse of super- smartness that might tempt them to express opinions of the mental proc- esses of the psychiatrist. Big figures are handled with so much ease that a million miles means no more in astronomy than a million dollars means in modern finance. Admirers of La Follette count some- what on the fact that his party is not yet old enough to be rated as very wicked. ‘What Germany insists on is a one- way sign for French traffic in the Ruhr. Mars Draws Near. In the southeastern sky every clear evening may be observed a bright “star,” the brightest, indeed, in all the heavens. Those with any astronomi- cal learning at all know that it is Mars. Others may have suspected its identity by reason of its peculiar orange hue, quite different from the usual stellar light. It is indeed Mars, and it is particularly notable at pres- ent because it is now on- its way.to the nearest approach to the earth in 120 years. On the 23d of August, a week from Saturday, it will be at the closest point, and some of the astron- omers are hoping that with that ap- proach Martian secrets may be learned. Some even hope that signals may be exchanged. Up on the Jung- frau, in Switzerland, are now gathered @ number of Swiss astronomers pre- paring for the 23d. Some French as- tronomers believe that Jungfrau is the wrong mountain for this purpose, and that the best observatory for Martian observation should be located on one of the mountains*of Africa. However that may be, the Swiss skypeepers are going right ahead, and are even an- nouncing preliminary discoveries. For instance, they have found signs that 1t is snowing in Mars. Condensations, they say, are visible on the red planet similar to earthly snow. Photographs are being taken which, it is expected, ‘will confirtn this observation. Inasmuch as at /its closest approach Mars will about 35,000,000 miles from the earth, according to 'the best calcalations, the ‘“nearness” of Au- gust 23 is to be accepted as a relative term. A difference of seven mil- lion miles or so may, of course, work out in terms of greater telescopic clarity and detail. Some wonderful things have been done with the new instruments. Out on Mount Wilson, in California, within a few years dis- coveries have been made by means of a giant reflector that have virtually revolutionized human knowledge of cosmic conditions. With Mars only 35,000,000 miles away these high- power tubes and lenses may bring revelations of a startling character. But the pussibility of communication is still to be viewed with skepticism. ———— Another “No” From Ford. Henry Ford's declination of can- didacy in the Michigan enatorial rac as to have been expected. He had given no sign of a desire to enter the race. He had, on the contrar: given plain indication of a wish to remain out of politics. He has had his fling at public office. He missed the senatorship some years ago, in circumstances calculated to cure any disposition ever again to enter the peolitical gam His name was used a few months ago in an abortive ef- fort to get him into the presidential race, Some illadvised fricnds and admirers persisted in putting up an organization to promote his candi- dacy, which had never been given 'the least degree of authenticity by him. He repudiated this movement and indorsed President Coolidge for nomi- nation and for election. Then came the sematorial “boom,” which he ig- nored until it reached the point of writing hi name into the primary ticket. Within the time limit allowed by the law he served definite notice that he would not permit his name to be so entered. That ends the inc dent. Mr. Ford goes back to his manufactaring and financial opera- tions, at which he has been so re- markably successful. He turns his back upon public office. He is well advised. He should be given public expressions of approval for his course in keeping aloof from partisan poli- tics. He has a very big job on hi hands administering an immense busi ness and a vast fortune. His talents lie in that direction. In public office he would not be assured of any measure of. success. He would prob- | ably be most unhappy. maker sticks to his lathe. The motor- ——————— Mud-throwing finds little encour- agement among seasoned statesmen. There is no possibility of such a thing as a muck monopoly. —————— The interest with which a speech from President Coolidge is awaited shows the benefit & man may derive from a reputation of being no word waster. ————t——— 0 doubt is suggested as to the ability of the U. S. A, to apply its resources to financing the European situation on peaceful and practical terms. In addition to the distributed wealth the Government -itself has large sums due it from abroad which in time will no doubt be rated as available assets. —_——— e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Discussion. Said Timothy Tupper, “When through with my supper, I like to go down to the Hall And hear 'em oratin’ or loudly debatin® On topics important or small. The folks pugilistic with fashions so fistic, T don’t care at all for their fuss. I take nodelight in theactual fightin’. I jes’ like to hear 'em discuss. “They're often demandin’ understandin’ ‘Which I cannot claim to possess. My heart it rejoices to hark to their voices. They sound like a tune, more or less. The men and the nations who meet irritations, 1 wish they could settle 'em thus. I don't want the rattle of actual battle. I jes’ like to hear 'em discuss.” a strong Innuendo. “That speaker seemed disposed to speak kindly of you. He said you had been faithful to every trust.” “I scorn his insidious innuendo!” exclaimed Senator Sorghum. o haven't worked for & trust for years!” Jud Tunkins says if bootleggers keep on getting rich and audacious they'll be requesting special legisla- tion to protect ’em from hi-jackers. Mudless Era. A future day will claim applause— Unto the hope let’s cling— When no one can fling mud because There is no mud. to fling. Mars. Up there among the stars Is neighbor Mars, Lifting on high a name Of warlike fame. Now he is erudite. A snowy white Supplants the battle dread Of angry red. A planet must outgrow Its murderous woe. The warrior god we see As he should be. Tmportances. “Are you not shocked by some of the costumes?” “Not-as much as by some of our literature,” answered Miss Cayenne. “What people wear is after all not as important as what they have on their minds.” “A man dat goes fishin',” said Uncle Eben, “is boun’ to be lucky. Even if he don’t ketch a fish, he's lucky to have de loafin'.time.™ D. C, THURSDAY, AUGUST BOOTLEGGING IMMIGRANTS Bermuda, the Bahamas, the other West Indian islands, but more espe- clally Cuba, are the headquarters of the bootleggers who dea) in human wares—immigrants, The Department of Labor agents have traced an un- derground “seaway” from France to this country, but have not yet been able to get conclusive evidence on which to take criminal actions. The fact Is, however, that there is a large and powerful syndicate, which, in connivance with the rum rumners, does a large and flourishing business smuggling aliens into Florida, Texas and the Louisiana coast. 1t is well understood that certain steamship agencics abroad contract for large sums—as high as $1,000 a person—to land aliens in the - United States, irrespective of quota laws or immigration restrictions. The method is simple. The passengeg books for the West Indies or Cuba, and is de- livered at his or her destination. Up to these points the food is good and the accommodations as contracted fr. The trouble starts when trans- shipment is made for sailing vessels bound for the United States. Treated Worse Than Cattle. The food on these runners is rot- ten; the sanitation worse. Immi- grants are treated far worse than cattle. They are herded into the hold. They are forced to work, though they ‘have paid for their passage. And when the American coast is reached, they are dumped ashore with their belongings and left to sjift for them- selves—often a hundred miles from the nearest settlement. A few weeks ago a typical instance was reported by the Associated Press, matter of fact, newspaper ew Orleans, July 9.—Fourteen Chinese and twelve Hungarians, pas- sengers on the schooner Abeona, cap- tured yesterday by a Coast Guard cutter after a six-hour chase from Barataria Bay to Lafitte, on the lower Louisiana coast, were today held at the immigration station in Algiers for deportation. Capt. Henry Ohl- muts, the commander of the schooner, was under arrest while Federal au- thorities were trying to determine if operations of the Abeona were con- nected with an alleged smuggling or- ganization with headquarters in New Orleans and Havana.” . Still another instance is reported personally by Sccretary Davis. Ac- cording to his files, last fall a party of four Washingtonians were return- ing by automobile from a vacation spent in Florida. As they left Charleston, S. C., they noticed ahead of them a truck with tightly drawn curtains. They also noticed that a touring car followed closely in the wake of the truck. They gave little | thought to the outfit and passed | ahead. Loaded With Chinese. The next day, after stopping off at several points and getting a late tart in the morning, the tourists again found the truck ahead of them. ! And still the touring car was trailing | behind. This time, they looked the The truth about that country as it BY ARTICLE XL Bolshevism, having alienated the peasantry by blundering ignorance of the peasant problem, and dis- couraged wage earners with a com- { munism whose dividends are low ! wages and unemployment, is trying [to save its bacon through the chil- dren and youth of today. “Catch ‘em young and train ‘em right” is the recipe on which they are working, ! with more success, it must be ad- {mitted, than has attended their ef- forts to win over the ETown-ups. They are laboring unremittingly on the youngsters of all ages, from the Tommy Tuckers of 3 and 4 in the orphanges and institutions, who sing Ifor their suppers in bolshevist Mother Goose rhymes, to’ the youths of 16 to 19, for whom lively good times with “the gang” and member- ship in the League of Communist Youth are made synonymous, and who {are flattered and educated ‘alike by soction at bolshevist gatherings. Even the army is regarded very {largely as a boarding school in which | the young peasant recruits are given a two-year course in communism lin hope that some of it will stick. They are having the ETeatest suc- | cess in the institutions where Iive the children whose parents are dead, missing or believers in the bolshevist doctrine that & home and family life are bad for children, and in the Boy and Girl Scout movement, where enthusiastic youngsters collect com- munist catchwords as those in Amer- ica_collect postage stamps. Children in the former aro par- ! ticularly susceptible because they are completely - under the influence of their bolshevist matrons and teach- ers and have no standards of criti- cism or comparison. The children attending the day schools are more | aifficult material to work on, as they bring from their homes, often when those homes are communist, a ques- tioning disposition of the kind that makes a child a problem to the wise man everywhere. I have frequently read in the newspapers letters from communist teachers complaining of !the difficulty of overcoming such home prejudices and suggesting best answers to particularly puzzling questions. Bolshevist Seout Movement. In the scout or “pioneer” move- ment, embracing children of from $ or 9 to 13 and 14, bolshevist dog- mas are absorbed like scout law in the American institutions, the scout masters and mistresses being all com- munists and working on carefully de- signed lines. One of the most strik- ing impressions of my stay in Russia was felt by a congress of the com~ munist Boy Scouts, at which a 13- year-old orator, “knee high to a grasshopper.” delivered a glib speech, as full of grown-up bolshevist phrase- ology and Leninisms as the adjura- tion of the veteran politbureau lead- er to whom he was reply™g. The latter had addressed his words to “the hope of bolshevism, the youth of the coming generation.” The boy orator wound up with a pledge that the young guard stood ready to seize the torch of bolshevism whenever it dropped from the faltering hands of the old guard and carry the light on to future generations. He and his chums took themselves very serious- 1y and evidently believed themselves capable of stepping into the breach and grabbing the torch that minute if necessary. Groups of the scouts or of children from the bolshevist institutions are everyday sights on the streets of Moscow, the latter, indeed, rather piti- ful sights as their teachers shepherd them about, all dressed exactly alike in the drab uniformity which child- hood dletests, and singing the doggerel dirge, “Thou Hast Left Us, O Lenin,” anti-religious hymes and songs about the wickedness and coming extermi- nation of the hateful “Buryhul” (bourgeoise), whom their infantile lmlnn- probably equip with horns, tails and other appurtenances of the bogie man. v B Children and’ scsuts werw.given | are . RUSSIA SINCE LENIN articles by an observer who spent months in Russia studying conditions. SEYMOUR B. CONGER. being allowed to form the checring | BY EDGAR MELS. ARTICLE IV. outfit over more carefully and think- ing them whisky smugglers, they decided to keep a weather eye on the outfit, merely to satisfy their curios- ity. 'Just after dark that cvening the truck had a break down and the touring car threw its searchlight ahead so that its. rays fell on the truck wheel which was being re- paired. The actions of the crew fur- ther aroused the suspicions of the tourists and 4hey reported their doubts to the police. A raid follow- ed, netting 20 Chinese on their way to New York, via France, Cuba and the Florida coast. Secretary Davis Is authority for the statement that there are 25,000 Chin- ese awaiting entry, illegal, of course, into the United States, with Cuba as their point of departure. Agents of the Department of Labor who have investigated the Cuban situation re- port that’ Havana waterfront makes no secret of the fact that for a stated sum any onc can be smuggled into the United States sooner or later. The American Government has in- sufficient personnel. It furnishes no motor boats for the border patrol. It does not even supply weapons with which the members of the patrol can defend their lives. The consequence is that every day and every might smug- gled aliens percolating into Amer- ica. That a systematic business fs in- volved leaves no doubt. Evidence gath- ered at New Orleans, at Havana, in the West Indies arid abroad indicates clear- ly that the syndicate headquarters are at Havre, with active branches at Mar- seille, Messina, Athens, Hamburg, Tri- este and elsewhere. Oficials Badly Handicapped. American _immigration officials are doing their best to break up the traf- fic, but they are badly and sadly ‘mpered by lack of funds and men The eastern coast line of the United s is so splendidly adapted to smuggling that a huge force would be necessary to stop bootlegging aliens. The Florida glades, the barren coast of Texas, the bayous of Louis- iana—all of these places offer diffi- culty for the officials of the law and vast advantages for the smugglers. The Government is seriously consid- ering an annual registration and fin- ger printing of all aliens in the hope that in this way, those smuggled i or those who smuggled themselve in. can be found and eventually de- s is chary of ap- for such purposes. Secretary Davis placed the matter be- fore both houses at the last session | and received little encouragement. But the Florida coast is not the only spot where such smuggling | lourishes. From rfolk north, on the Atlantic coast. to Maine, aliens brought in dal The central point of the industry is along the | south New Jersey coast line, at Bar negat Bay and at Bivalve. The o; ter fishers at Baltimore are also sus- pected of being - alien smugglers. This phase will be detailed in the next article, to appear tomorrow. (Copyright, 1924, by Current News Features, Incorporated.) . propriating money is today, in a series of uncensored very prominent place in the May day exerciges this year, although the in- tention to make May 2 & “Children’s | May day.” celebrated with all-day outings in the parks, with prizes for | the best singing of “Thou Hast Left Us, O Lenin” and thé “Interna- tionale with games and free ic cream, was abandoned for fear of in- clement weather. The movies, how- | | ever. opened their doors free to child | audiences May 1 and 2, with a mi program of Jackie Coogan and bol- shevist propaganda film. The “Comsomol” (League of Com- munist Youth) has its clubhouses for | Youths on the verge of man's estate, | with games and periodicals, debating socleties, evening entertainments and dances, and is run with ¢onsiderable skill. The world-wide desire to make a noise is catered to by borrowins | the American practice of callege vells | of -which the “Comsomoltsi” have large variety which they let off communist gatherings, and other ap- propriate and inappropriate occasions, to their own satisfaction. Youths Cheer Trotsky. . Of late, the Comsomolsti have been embarrassing the party machine by their onthusiasm for Trotsky, whose popularity with them has w. rather than waned in conseque of his being disciplined by the ma chine. They have been turning out to cheer him regularly In his daily speech-making campaign, with which he is trying to organize his opposi- tion following against the machine, and have a special yell in which the Trotsky services are extolled. This bolshevizing among the chil- dren and youth, however, has its lim« itations. In the first place, it reaches only a comparatively limited number of the young Russians. An attempt has been made to spread the “Com- somol” generally throughout the vil- lages, but the peasant elders in many cases are sitting down hard on the movement because of its irreverent spirit toward religion and parental authority. The chief limitation on its influence on the coming generations, how- ever, the. fact that innoculation with bolshevist doctrine docs not take permanently in most cases. Of mem- bers of the Comsomol, only 4 per cent enter the Communist party. The others drift away and discard their communism as they get regular jobs, marry and rear families. These are the official .commurfist figures, which are a source of deep distress and con- cern to the official bolshevist papers and the bolshevist leaders. I have not seen any figures on the efficacy of ‘the bolshevist vaccination in the scout movement, but doubt whether the craze, which I intentionally com- pared to postage stamp collecting and other enthusiasms of vouth, is or will be any more lasting than such en- thusiasm. customarily are with. the majority of boys. Regarding the army, T know defi- nitely from the complaints of officers and political commissars that the peasant conscripts customarily slough off the effect. of the communist teach- ings within a few months after their return to their villages. Every ef- fort is made to hold- them perma- nently. This year the soldiers were furnished on discliarge with a care- fully selected stock of books, litera- ture and letter paper, and were ex- horted for weeks before their re- lease to spread the light among their fellows of the land and to keep in touch regularly by letter with their old officers. Few letters were re: celved and most of these were filted with unpleasant truths on the sit- uation in the villages. Of the soldiers. discharged last year, it is said ‘in| army circles that virtually all of them have been lost to communism, despite the attention devoted to their poli- tical education in the ranks. (Copyright, 1924, by Public Ledger Co.) : —_———— The grand manner is seldom sean in this country except when you ask the saleslady to show you something cheaper.—Baltimore Sun. The women, in their equal rights fight, do not say anything about glv- ing the groom a little more publicity. guhvluo Banner, % No animal in the Zoo is more in a cage than the clerk behind the lobby desk in a great modern hotel. Iron bars confine the one, his salary holds the other. If it wcre mot for the thought of his bread and butter, and the wife and children at home, yonder desk clerk, Immaculate and cool, with his neat bow tle, would hie himselt away fishing. He would choose to be any place but herej;waiting on persons he never saw before, and the great majority of whom he will never see again. Yet thit Washington hotel, lately taken to advertising in the national magazines, is an interesting place to the desk clerk, no doubt, as it is to the chance gpectator who takes a seat in a soft cretonne-covered chair in the lobby. The clerk smiles, yet with the right amount of “touch-me-not” atmos- phere, as the haughty young fellow ‘in white suit flings a key upon the desk. The clerk knows just how to treat such birds. It is part of his job as greeter, as he paces back and forth like a caged lion. ElEiLir Here in the hotel lobby are not just guests. Success walks here, in the shoes of every one of thesc men and women. Only the well-to-do come here, and being well-to-do is success, from one standpoint, at least. It is interesting, therefore, to take a comfortable seat in the lobby, and get a grandstand view, as it were, of Men and Women Who Have Arrived. From the everyday, material 'stand- point, a man has arrived:in America when he can go to a big hotel and stay as long as he wants to. One has to have money to do it. All these people, constantly coming and going, as the tall clock chimes out the quarter hours and booms out the hours are examples of American manhood and womanhood. . Let us see what we shall see. A big-nosed man, whose probosis ts becomingly upon his large head, sinks into a chair in keeping with his huge frame. He is waiting for some one. This is the chief function of a lob- by, it seems—a place in which to wait for some one. All this coming and going, all this hurrying to and fro, culminates when the expected one arrives. Then there is a rising to the feet, a clasp of hands, a sinking back again, perhaps, in a more secluded spot, or a going away together. Everybody seems to be waiting for somebody. * ok ok * In bustles a dark-haired, spry man in his early 30s, before the gray has | ad time to creep around his temples. He is looking for some one—sure enough, he rusiies up to the big-nosed man. The big-nosed man jumps up, and his face is wreathed in a big smile. He and his friend scek a sofa, | backed against a table hoMimg two huge lamps, which send their golden glow over the lobby. Daylight is not enough for this high-ceilinged room. A bellhop walks by, his head thrust forward, a card in his hand. If a bellboy would hold his head up and look the world in the eve he im- mediately would cease to be a bell- hop. Undoubtedly this transformation would be noted by the manager, and he would be assistant to the manager within a vear, perhaps he might be made night desk clerk. 1 know of no profession in which the mere miechanical detail of cor- rect posture would bring such results. -ry bellboy with an ambition to rise in the world ought to study posture. * x % Is that couple just married, or are they father and daughter? They saunter out the front door: one thinks them newlyweds. They back in; the interested observer opinlon, declares them ughter. They go out again—well, now, they may be just married. Bless my soul, | Yes. | here' they come back again! they must be a father and his daugh- ter. Come to take a good look she does wear her skirts much too short. e bellboy slithers along agai enator Standfield!” he calls. “Sen- ator Standfield.” Somebody wants to see the Senator from Oregon. Perhaps no man in the world, not even a Senator, but feels important when he is paged. It thrillsthe soul of man to feel that his name is be- ing shouted through the halls of time. 1 * k. ok ¥ Wonder who that * distinguished gray-haired man is waiting for, he who sits there so stiff and straight, with a vellow cane in his right hand, his left clasped over a newspaper? The chimes ding out the quarter of 10 o'clock. Here comes another man, who greets the distinguished looking gentleman. The latter springs to his feet, with the automatic move- ment always witnessed when lobby waiter sees him for whom he waits. Women walk along, with that nice air of theirs of not paying any at- tention to anybody. Two girls seat themselves on a davenport, with the yellow lamps shining over their shoulders. A tow-headed boy leaves the desk, swinging a key given him by the caged clerk. A cripple guest follows slowly a bellhop who lives up to his name, hopping across the lobby with a cricket-like stride, as if the two heavy valises he bears are nothing at all. His head is down, though. Pity that man studying a time table. Whether a man tries to fathom a time table in a hotel lobby or at home, it is one and the same job. Surely the men who get up the in- come tax blanks must have served their apprenticeships at railroad time tables. Sons of the rich consume countless cups of water out of paper cups. This is one of the mysteries of nature. A child at home will refuse to drink water. But let him get aboard a train, or in a hotel, and immediately he Is overcome with a burning thirst. Who has not railed at the ceaseless plodding of little feet to and fro in the aisles, as the children attempt to drink up all the water in the cooler? In hotel lobbies it is the same. It must keep the hotel management hard up to furnish paper cups for the little drinkers. By George, here comes a third man to greet Big-Nose and his compan- ion! They seek a more retired spot. What is this, an international con- spiracy? A cocky small boy in tweed knick- ors strides across the lobby as if he owned ‘the Whole shebang. He seems conceited—but, after all, that is the way to walk in this world. Tell ’em you are pretty good, and nine out of ten will believe you. _, Now the chimes ring out, followed by the striking of the hour—ten slow tolls. The Jobby life beats faster and faster. This intricate little city un- der a roof gets into its stride, as another day in midsummer in Wash- ington beging In earnest. ———— “It is a hard world, and no man can hope to be as important as a secre- tary's volce sounds on the telephone. —Jersey City Journal, A lawyer's idea of “brief” is to use a sheet of baps elsy than anybody Traveler. ‘When a small town has a deficit in the city treasury, ft hires a speed cop, and puts the strates on day and night shi erald. writes on.—Boston the | two Inches longer | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]J. HASKIN Q. What is the altitude record for an airplane®—K. H. D. A._ The altitude record was made or. October 30, 1924, in France by a Frenchman named Sadl Lacointe, hen he ateained a height of 36550 eet. « Q. Whut was the enrollment in 1923 of the universities in this country? Which had the largest attendance’— E. G. . A. The University of Pennsylvania led with an enrollment of 13,716; the University of California was a close second with 13,276; then came the University of Chicago with 12,743; Columbia University, 11.539; Univer- sity of Ilinois, 9.363; University of Minnesota, 9,079; University of Michi- kan, 8,882; University of Wisconsin, 7.632; Harvard, 6357; Yale, 4,131; Princeton, 2,418. Q. Where are diamonds found?— J. W A. Diamonds occur in Brazil, India, Borneo, South Africa, and also in small gquantities in the United States, British Guiana, Russia, China, and Australia. The deposits occupy the vents or spikes of ancient vol- canoés, and it is therefore probable that the presence of the diamond is connected with voleanic activity, the stones either having been brought up from the interior of the earth. or having_been formed in place under the influence of the molten rock in contdct with the carbonaceous shale. The" conditions necessary for the chrystallization of carbon in the form of diamond would seem to be in- tense heat and great pressure, such as exist during the formation of igneous rocks, Q. Which is worth the most to the chicken raiser, the eggs or the chick- ens?—A. . A.. Chicken eggs have a higher value in the aggregate than the chickens produced or raised. In 1923 the value of the eggs was $599,000,000 for the farms of the United States and the valuc of the chickens pro- duced was $420,000,000. Q. What is the death rate of moth- ers due to childbirth?—J. M. T. A. The ratio of deaths from child- birth to the number of women bear- ing children was 1 to 150 in 1922. Q. Are there any Communists in the British Parliament?—D. A. A. There is at least one Commun- ist in the English Parliament, J. T. Walton Newbold. Q. Has there ever been any bubonic plague in the United States?—K. D. V. A. The first case of bubonic plague of record in this country was in San Fran where a reported death from this disease occurred on March 6, 1900, Q. Is the depreciation of the lira a serious detriment to American trade in Italy?—F. P. A. Prices have been adjusted to new levels, =0 that at present there is no greater difference between Italian and American scales than would exist if the lira were on a gold basis. Conditions in Italy are now as favorable to the sale of American goods as they will probably be for some time to come. Q. Are there any figures available to ehow the proportion of school children retarded in their studies by poor eyesight?—M. S. A. Approximately 25 per cent of all school children in the United IN TODAY’S Verily. the unrest ofeLatin Amer- fca threatens trouble for the “great power'—the United States of America. | Under the Monraé doctrine we | ! brook no intereference from Europe or Asia. How far has the United States assumed guardianship over the other nations of this hemisphere? There is nothing in international law more elastic than the interpretation of the Monroe doctrine. What bur- dens are we really facing? Brazil is in the throes of revolution, though late press dispatches report that the government forces have tri- umphed over the rebels. Mexico has long been in disfavor with Great Britain, which refuses recognitjon to her present government, and Brit- ish affairs are in the hands of the American Ambassador. Now comes a new revolt in Honduras. Under its constitution, adopted in 1894 as the fruit of a successful rev- olution, no Honduran President can succeed himself. The constitution also requires that in case no can- didate gains a majority at the polls the election shall go to the National Assembly. In the election of a suc- cessor g to President Gutteriez last vear there were three candidates, including President Gutteriez, al- though he was constitutionally inel- igible. As no one received a ma- jority, the election went to the Na- tional Assembly, and President Gut- teriez undertook to continue in office until his successor was chosen. The National Assembly also failed to give a majority to any candidate. There was the usual danger that the unsettled state of affairs would lead to disturbances and probably to hostilities. President Coolidge, there- fore, sent a special envoy, Sum- ner Welles, to help seck a settle- ment of the situation. Mr. Welles called the leaders of the factions to a conference aboard the American warship, the Milwaukee, and there an agreement, known as the “Amer- ican pact,” was signed by all. Under this compromise all the candidates withdrew from the presidential race and agreed to support Gen. Tosta as provisional President until a popular election could be held to settle the matter, in line with the constitution. President Gutteriez died about three months ago. His death aroused the other two candidates, Gen. Caries and Gen. Ferrera, and out of that situa- tion has come tho open revolt of Gen. Ferrera, minister of war, who has taken the field with 500 soldiers, each carrying three rifles with which to arm recruits. No movement has been taken by the United States against this situation in Honduras, although two Americans have been killed, and other foreign lives and interests are reported to be in danger. Only In case foreigners are attacked or their property jeopar- dized would the responsibility under the Monroe doctrine become apparent, but without that complication, there are sald to be other obligatlons which this country will not overlook. * ¥ ¥ ¥ 1t has always been the settled pol- lcy of the United States to refuse recognition to any power gained by violence against orderly, constitu- tional government. That policy has nothing to do with the Monroe doc- trine, although it i# the tendency of many to attribute to that doctrine practically all relations between the United States and the other nations of this hemisphere. Last November the Secretary of State, Mr. Hughes, in a speech before the American Academy bf Political and Soclal Sclence, in Philadelphia, discussed the Monroe doctrine in con- ‘nection: with ita centennial. In that speech he said: “Attempts to stretch the doctrine have made :it, in some quarters, a myster$, and in others a cause of of- | are constantly Council finds, are retaryled in their studies, and fully one-third of thi- retardation is conservatively estimated as due to defective vision. Q. Is there any grain that the Hes- slan fly does not bother’—Q T. The Department of Agriculture says that the Hesslan fly does not attack oats at all. It is chiefly injuri- ous to wheat, but sometimes injurcs barley and rye. Q. What actor played in Romeo and Juliet at Covent Garden at the same time David Garrick was playing Fomeo at thio Drury Lane Theater— A. I 1750, Romeo and Juliet was played at these rival playhouses, David Garrick and Mrs. Bellamy aj pearing in_the title roles at Dru Lane and Spranger Barry and Mrs. Cibber at Covent Garden. Q. What is quicksand and in what States is it found?—E. J. M. A. Quicksand is a loose sand into which solid bodies readily sink Quicksands are composed of very small rounded particies which under ordinary pressure do not pack to- gether and when moistened behave like a fluid. They are especially com- mon in glacial deposits and may b encountered almost anywhere withit the region invaded by the continental ice sheet. Any heavy object place: upon quicksand is rapldly swallowe: up, leaving no trace behind. In con ducting mining and engineering ope- rations, it is sometimes necessary to freeze the quicksand by sinking pipes at intervals, which are then used for circulating brines or other liqui a low temperature. Quick- sand can be found in practically all States at some time during the year Q. Ar lass caskets a modern in- vention?—s. P. A. There is extant a reference to a glass casket made in the twelfth century. It was the work of a Byzan- tine artist. Q. Why did the Methodists take this name?—L. J. A. The term “Methodism™ is derived trom a Greek word meaning rule. The name “Methodists” was applied in de- rision to those Oxford students ho followed the teachings and practices ot John and Charles Wesley. The name was later adopted by John Wesley himself. Q. Was Thomas Jefferson's daugh- ter Patsy a nun?—C. P. G. A. Patsy accompanied her father to France when he went to Paris as our envoy. She was placed in a co; vent where her father frequently Vis- ited her. Soon Patsy “became alarmed by her obligations to a sinful world.” She requested permission to take the veil. Her father sent for her to join him at the legation and immediately introduced her to the brilliant s life of Paris in the day of Louis XV “She soon forgot her pious plans.” She later married John Randolph. (Did you ever write a letter to Frederic J. Haskin? You can ask our Informa- tion Bureaw any question of fact and get the answer in a personal letter. This is a part of that best purpose of this newspaper—SERVICE. There is no charge except two cents in stamps for retwn postage. Get the habit of ask- ing questions of The Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Twenty-first and C streets northwest. States, the Eye Sight Conservation|mot address mail to The Evening SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL V. COLLINS been harmful to our just influence, by arousing fear of latent possibilitles cf mischief, and affording opportuunitics to those few, but busy, persons Who seeking. to foster a sentiment hostile to this country. * * * It should be recogmized th the doctrine is only a phase of Amer- ican policy in this hemisphere and the other phases of that policy should be made clear. * * * But fully rec nizing the value of the doctrine still remains true that it simply states a principle of opposition o action by non-American powers. Tt aims to leave the American continents free from the described interposition, but it does not attempt to define in other respects our policies within this hemisphere.” * * £ x It is clear from the above that it s not the Monroe doctrine which would justify any action whatever an the part of the United States in intervening in a domestic disturban in Honduras. But Secretary Hugh in another specch on the doctrinc, delivered before the American Bar Association, at Minneapolis, said: ‘What has taken place of late years in the region of the Caribbean has given rise to much confusion of thought and misapprehension of pur- pose. As I have said, the Monroo doctrine is a particular declaration, in no way exhausts American rights or policy; the United States has rights and obligations which that doctrins does not define. And in the unsettled condition of certain countries in the region of the Caribbean, it has becn necessary to assert those rights and obligations, _as well as the limited principles of the Monroe doctrinc.” Particularizing as to the above, Mr. Hughes referred to our intervention in Cuba, “in the cause of humanity and because of a condition of affairs at our very door so injurious to our interests as to become intolerable— “analogous,” he added “to what is known in private law as the abate- ment of a nuisance. Also in the cases of Sante Domingo and Haiti we landed troops to prevent civil war and to protect the lives of foreigners. A military government was established in 1916 and until recent months has: continued in the interest of public order. * k% ¥ In 1917, and again in December, 1922, the United States took the in- itiative in calling a conference of all Central American countries, in which conference we participated. As a re- sult a treaty was signed by all, which provided: “That the governments of the Cen- tral American repubiics will not rec- ognize any other government which may come Into power, in any of the vepublics, through a coup d'etat or a revolution against a recognized gov- ernment, so long as the freely elected representatives of the people have not constitutionally reorganized the country.” “This treaty and the conventions.” adds Secretary Hughes, “endeavor not only to assure amity but build up of the republics an improved <civic struc- ture.” s According to the treaty, all Central American countries and the United States will refuse to recognize any government that might now be achieved hy, Gen. Ferrera through his revolt against Provisional Presi- dent Todta and the.rival candidate for election to® th® presidency, Gem Caries. The American authorities hope that it will not be necessary to ofter armed intervention, under these circumstances, The population of Honduras, num- bering some 600,000, is dependent al- most entirely upon the United States as Its market for bananas and coffec, Elghty per: cent of the bananas con- rumed in America cofe from Hon- duras, where they grow wild, and in fense. Treating the doctrine as a catch-all has not only given rise to ), much, unnecessary . debate, but has Tecdut Yeara :.ve been ‘extensively and also for the development of | cultivated. = (Copyright, 1924, by Paul V, Collins.)