Evening Star Newspaper, September 4, 1924, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR YWith Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY. ..September 4, 1924 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Chicago Office: Tower Building. Earopean Ofice: 16 Regent St.,London, England, ‘The Evening Star, with the Sunday morniog edition, is delivered by carriers within the €ily af 60 cents per month: daily only. 45 cents per month: Sunday only. 20 cents’ per month. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- phone Main 5000. Collection is made by ear- riers at the cud of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday..1 yr., $8.40; 1 mo,, T0¢ Daily only 1yr.,$6.00; 1 mo., 50¢ sunday only yr., $2.40; 1 mo., 20c All Other States Paily and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00 ; 1 mo,, Dail; nly 1yr, $7.00 Sund 1yr, $3.00;1m Member of the Associated Press. The Assoriated Press is exclusively entitled e use for republication of all news dis- credited fo it or not otlierwise credited 7 this paper and siso the local news pub- shed herei All rights of publication of ches herein also reserved. , 85¢ mo., 60c 25¢ Action by Congress Needed. the matter of making fireproof the orphan asylums and buildings the District used, as homes for old and sick p.»..;,L; Corporation Counsel tephens has advised the Commi that legi tion by Congress will be required. The ques- brought to public and official ice by the chief of the Fire De- ent cannot be scttled by the ipal authorities until authority given them by Con- corpogation counsel ob- serves on the side that the situation emphasizes the need for broadening the powers of the Commi bandling purely lo matter under last Winter and will probably be brought Congress at its next sess s suid that a committee of Dis. b in hand the draft- a bill to enlarge the authority of the Commissioners, but that sucl a hill has shape It ioners ioners for ions. That us to be submitted to the Beard of Commissioners. A bill ex- iding authority of the Commission- ! matters will be presented . with the support of the wernment. has been shown that public and semi-public institutions in Washington caring for orphans and the . poor and sick carry on their work of mercy in buildings that fall Lelow requirements of the Fire Department. No criticism of the in- stitutions be made. They do noble d have been doing <t in some ases for a longer time than any lived, They have made given them. They cannot dern fireproof building just be- cause the fire chief proves that their ancient bu. s 1 firetrap. The itable of the public can work a man among us the be ¢ use pa up the money. Washington It must do not yet been put in such| of funds| set up af which | borne sports’ these institutions must put | twenties and thirties. They did the s 4 work that | work assigned to’them in the great nd there is | national emergency with energy and plenty of money with which to do it. | Most persons find it hard to save an thing for charity, rainy days, or anything els but waste a great deal of money. ably there nev history of the world when the av €rage man made so much money and spent so large a part of his earnings i what he cails pleasure as he does now ————— Unsafe Scaffolding. ¥f one shouid compile statistics of aeccidents due to the ecollapse of s folding on building: 15 erecte rired or taken down the total would Te impressive. 1t would surely stir public authoriti builders and work- men to greater care in the construc- tion of such equipment. By the break- bei ing of a scaffold get up to facilitate | demolition of a building on F street one man was killed and two of the three men injured were sent to a hos- erday with wounds of a se- Consideri the height from which these men fell and the debris in which they were caught. it is remarkable that all of them were not killed. It is believed at this time that the cause of the collapse of the scaffold has not been determined, but an in- vestigation made soon after the ac- cident by the District building inspec- tor ‘suggests that the fall was caused by it being overloaded with brick taken from the building that was be- ing razed. This would indicaté care- lessn The matter should be gone into thoroughly, and there might be u tightening up of regulations cover- ing the construction of temporary scaffolding. Public officers and build- ers might take increased care that the regulations be observed. The man in immediate charge of construction or demolition of a building should be watchful that the temporary struc- ture shall not be loaded to the danger nt. Material chould not be piled on 1ese structures except in small lots for immediate removal. Workmen who put up buildings or take them down face hazards enough in the reg- ular course of their work, and the scaffolding should be bui.: strong and kept safe. —— e The caricaturists are, as usual, busily engaged in reminding the various candidates that this race is serious business and not to be mig taken for a beauty contest. ——————————_ “Pop” Geers. For more than half 4 century fre- quenters of county and State fairs in this country have been seeing a little bowed man sitting in a sulky driving horses on the tracks. Many of them have gone to see him drive, because he was famous as a handler of harness horses. He was known all over the great circuit, especially in the Middle West, as “Pop” Geers. His real name was Edward F. Geers, but few would have recognized him by that designation. He was “Pop” years ago, even when a comparatively young man. Yesterday “Pop” Geers was killed on the track. His horse stumbled and fell, throwing him ahead, and then, in recovery and plunge, stepping on M 8 died without regaining con- el r was a time in the | | I ; | mense | perhaps some | statesmen { him sciousness. Probably such an end, though shocking and tragic, was most fitting for this veteran of the turf. He died “in harness.” Geers was a high credit to the American turf. He was a clean, square sportsman, a devoted lover of horses. It was said that he could get ore out of a horse than any other river, though he never used a whip. He trained his own horses and man- aged them with understanding and affection. He was never suspected of any trickery on the turf. He never bet but once on a race, and then as a youth he won, it is related, 83 cents. Yet he died a very wealthy man. He had earned more than $1,500,000 in purses. Geers was a silent man, who, it is said, only waxed loquacious in the evening under the influence of his chief indulgence, ice cream, of which he ate groat quantities. He was an inveterate smoker. It has been es- timated that he consumed during the training season no less than two dozen cigars a day. But he never drank. And he was never known to utter a livelier epithet than “‘doggonit.” Truly a strange combination, especlally in a turfman. Here was a2 man who made a career of horse racing. made it honestly and successfully, and who won and held the esteem of multitudes of the peo- ple by his squareness and his devo- tion to an honorable sport. He will live long in the memories of Ameri can admirers of horse racing. and his { example should stimulate young men of a later generation to concentrate upon their tasks and to hold the high- est standards of conduct if they would bring success in whatever lines the: may choose for their lifework. ————————— A Young American. The highest of honors has been paid to an American in the appoint- ment of Seymour Parker Gilbert, jr. former undersecretary of the Trea: ury, as permanent agent general of | reparations payments. Mr. Gilbert is only 32 years of age and is probably the youngest man ever to be ap- pointed to a position of such respon- sibility. He will be, in effect, receiver for Germany. His choice for this duty is a high compliment to the American young men. Mr. Gilbert may be styled a by- product of the great war. In 1918 he was chosen to act as counsel in connection with the Liberty loan flo- tations. and two years later became Messistant Secretary of the Treasury by appuintment of President Wilson. President Harding not only retained in office, but promoted him to the newly created position of under- secretary. He resigned last year to enter a New York law firm. The war developed much executive and administrative talent among the younger men of this country. The new responsibilities were met and successfully by men in the s skill. It was their opportunity, as well as their duty, thus ‘to aid the . old age | Lountry. most persons | Prob- | In this present assignment as agent general of reparations payments Mr. Gilbert will be the custodian of im- funds and the supervisor of German finances. He will be, in ef- fect, the exchange ruler of Europe. Doubtless there will be astonishment, misgiving, when this young man arrives to take charge t Berlin on the part of German and financiers of much greater years. —_—ate——— Confidence in his ability as a mu- nicipal reformer has mnot forsaken Gen. Smedley Butler, but he must by this time be inclined to agree with New York that Philadelphia is in some respects a slow town. —_————————— Now and then the White House is mentioned in Gov. Al Smith's pres- ence in a way that tempts him to switch from “‘Sidewalks of New York” to “There's a Long, Long Trail.” —————— Every time the K. K. is men- tioned its advertising department con- gratulates itself on getting a maxi- mum of result with a minimum of ex- pense. ———te © There is only one sifght consolation in the prediction that the gasoline supply will give out. Such a state of affairs would solve the parking prob- lem. Recent remarks indicate that Presi- dent Coolidge is not to be permitted to keep cool if Burton Wheeler can prevent it. New Jersey Grade Crossings: A report has been dhbmitted to the Public Utilities Commission of New Jersey by an investigator who has examined into the accident of August 21, in which four persons were Kkilled at a railroad crossing at Cranford, J. He recommended that the com- pany be directed to station a flagman at the crossing daily between 7 a.m. and 7 pm. and also to arrange a visible danger signal. This empha- sizes the fact that an obviously dan- gerous crossing had been tolerated without any protection whatever for the public. It has required a shocking fatality to bring about even so slight a protection as & watchman for half of the day and a visible danger signal. There are hundreds of suah cross- ings, perhaps thousands of them, in this country, many of them near the centers of population and in the crowded area of heavy road use. In his report to the Public Utilities Commission the investigator said: “Elimination is the only positive pro- tection for grade crossings.”” That is incontrovertible. All other safe- guards, flagmen, gates, signals, whether lights or bells or signs, are only makeshifts. Elimination must come if the roads are to be safe, and if the railroads themselves are to be protected. In this particular case at Cranford the train itself was de- railed and serious damage was done to the company’'s property and many of the passengers were injured. A typical case of delay in this most important work is disclosed in the report of the New Jersey investi- THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1924 1 gator, who notes that the most dan- gerous crossing in the country is another in the same County of Cran- ford, the cure of which was under- taken several years ago by the rail- road under an order of the utllities commission. A property owner in the vicinity appealed to the court, a de- cision resulted in holding up the im- provement and to date the crossing remains a deadly menace to the com- munity. The work of elimination should have been completed long ago and the question of damages and property rights determined subse- quently. It is estimated tbat the grade- crossing elimination work now pending and under way on the Jer- sey Central line in New Jersey will cost more than $12,000,000. Therein lies the reason for the loss of time and loss of life. Grade-crossing elim- ination on a wholesle scale would cost a tremendous sum of money, more than the railroads can afford to spend and probably more than the States can spend in assuming their share of the improvements. But the work must be done eventually. It is not conceivable that these death traps should be permanently main- tained while traffic is increasing on the highways of this country. —————— The desire for a thrill was strong in Loeb and Leopold. The clement of perience, and it will be remarkable in- deed if the long-sought thrill is not theirs when they next appear in court to hear the final word of the trial. | —_———ee———— | A big railrcad merger always in | spires the hope that a compact or- ganization will permit a rate redue- tion. It should do so in theory, but practice and theory do mnot always move with simultaneous precision. ———————— The report that the Chinese in- vented cannon and gunpowder is still being circulated as a reminder of how easy it is for a nation to start something which it is eventually un- able to manage. N By the time he masters all the psychoanalytic details of the record Judge Caverly should be able to qualify as a man of accomplishments in metaphysics as well as in the law. et The theory that the Ku Klux Klan if unmentioned would curl up and fade away for lick of advertising has been abandoned. ———r———————— A true campaigner never thinks of a six-hour working da¥ for himself, nor even a guaranteed wage scale. e There is to be no mud throwing in this campaign,. though an occasional brickbat may have to be dodged. e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Truthfulness. To tell the truth we're carefully ad- monished; come acros nothing but” Yet, if you stop to think, you'll be astonished To note the sorry caper truth may cut, When a friend to help along a radio revel Has made a little talk, refined and glib, i And says, “How did you like it, on the level Then fib. To with “all and When a lady to her dress"has called attention; When an author asks you how you liked the play; ‘When a golfer pauses modestly mention How well he thinks he's gettng under way; When the darling of the home has just recited— When any criticism state, Yeu'll never keep 'em friendly and delighted Unless you now and then prevari- cate. to you must Triangularity. “Every play I see has something about the eternal triangle in it!” “I wish they'd kept that triangle idea in the drama,” commented Sen- ator Sorghum, “and not let it break into politics.” Jud Tunkins says the only worker he saw last week who seemed to ap- preciate the value of time wds a bootlegger burnin’ the pike at 70 miles an hour. Conversational Limits. Some day Mars will say “Howdydo,” And Earth will say “Hello.” And each his course will then pursue As in the long ago. For if they had a ball game thefe, Displaying mighty pow’rs, About their score we wouldn’t care, Nor would they ask for ours. Though candidates with pride they note As issues they discuss, ‘We could not tell them how to vote. Nor could they heckle us. The conversation will be slow And need a change or two; So, maybe Earth will say, ‘“Hello,” While Mars says “Howdydo.” The Social Menu. “How do you know he is not a so- ciety man?” “I watched, him at luncheon,” answered Miss Cayenne. “He eats chicken salad and ice cream in a way that shows he isn't fed up on them.” For a Change of Fashion. It pains me to think of the fuel That Winter will cause me to burn. I know that the cost will be cruel— And yet for November I yearn. The show—I am ready to drop it— Of elbows and enkles and knees. Since only the climate can stop it, T'll heartily welcome a freeze. “'Tain’ much use goin’ to church,” mid Uncle Eben, “it you's gineter let yoh conscience labor on de sev- enth @ay an’ rest de mn!q‘ 3 o % i suspense has been added to their ex-| it's perfectly permissible to TEN: YEARS AGO BY FRANK A. SIMONDS. Ten vears ago tomorrow the first shots were fired in the battle of the Marne, which raged for the next four days and reached a decision on September 9, when the westcrn Ger- man armies began to retreat, al- though not all the Kaiser's various armies actually retired until Sep- tember 12 Including the opera- tions both east and west of Metz, and they constitute a complete whole, this first battle of the Marne was the greatest struggle in human his- tory, alike in numbers engaged and In extent of territory covered by the battle fronts. It was also the de- cisive battle of the war so far as German victory was concerned, for it brought about the frustration of all German ante-war strategic concep- tions and abolished the hope of a swift decision over France and then a transfer of German troops from west to east and the conquest of Russia. The German plan of operations was at once simplc and grandiose. It was planned to mobilize 79 infantry and 11 cavalry divisions for the first shock, supported by six infantry di- visions as army reserve. Of this vast host nine infantry and one cav- alry division were to be used in the east to hold back the Russian at- tack, while 70 infantry and 10 cav- alry divisions were to be employed in the west, together with the six | divisions of infantry to constitute Ittw general army reserve. * % x % | These 70 divisions were to be divid- ied into six great armies, five to be used west.and one cast of Metz, hav- ing respectively o4 infantry and seven cavalry divisions «nd 16 infantry and | three cavalry divisions. The army east {of Metx was to mect and b the | great French offcusive which was to { break out south of Metz and scek to | penetrate Alsace-Lorraine between Metz and Strasbourg. Three armies were to conetitute the right and oper- ating force and to advance through Belgium and, turning south, enveiop the allied flank, and they were to con- tain no less than 34 infantry divisions and practically all of the cavalry available in the west, Two armies, containing 20 divisions, werc to main- tain conection between Mctz and the three armies constituting the striking { right flan To meet this gigantic force the French mobilized 47 infantry and 10 cavalry divisions, the Hritish six in- | tantry” and one cavalry division and the Belgians six infantry divisions plus a small cavalry detachment. Thus for the first shock the allies would oppose 39 infantry and 11 cavalry | divisions to 70 infantry and 10 cav | ry divisions. In addition the French | Wad 27 reserve divisions which would {arrive ultimately at the firing line and would then give ‘the allies §6 in- fantry divisions agajnst 76 German, but the French reserve divisions were t regarded as ready for immediate the Germans had thus the dvantage in numibers. PEEIE French strategy envisaged a thrust into Lorraine with 19 infantry divi- sions, which would encounter 16 German, a thrust northwest of Mets with 18 infantry divisions, which would encounter 20 German, while 10 French divisions and 6 British, together wity 6 Belgian would un- dertake to hold back and dispose of the German troops coming through Belgium, between Givet and Brus- sels. Theoretically, 22 allied divisions would encounter 34 German, but the disparity was increased by the fact that only 4 British divisions arrived in time, while the 6 Belgian were driven into Antwerp and contained by 2 German divisions. Thus at the first shock 32 German divisions fell upon 4 British and 10 French—32 against 14. In the opening battles the French attack in' Lorraine was broken and transformed into a rapid retreat in the battle of Morhange-Sarrebourg | The French advance, nofthwest of Metz, met with similar disaster in the battle of the Ardennes, and the Anglo-French armies in the west were beaten at Charleroi and Mons, and forced into a headlong flight to escape envelopment and destruction. By August 23, the situation had ar- rived which the Germans had fore- =een and the French defeat seemed inescapable. opening * ¥ % % At this critical juncture the Ger- mans made two capital mistakes which cost them the battle of the Being immortalized in*a biography is one of the perquisites of running for President of the United States. Such greatness is about to be thrust upon Mr. Davis, whose Boswell is Theodore A, Huntley, a Washington newspaper correspondent. “The Life of John W. Davis” from Huntley’s pen, will be published early in Octo- ber. It will be supplemented by a compilation of Mr. Davis' public speeches, selected by Horace Green, another Washington scribe. Huntley is the newspaper man who extorted from Davis the latter's celebrated letter which set forth that the West Virginian refused to consider the ad- vancement of his nomination pros- pects at the price of renouncing his Wall street clients. The Democratic candidate has placed at his biog- rapher's disposal a mass of original data, including the striking corre- spondence with President Wilson when Davis was induced to become Ambassador to Great Britain in 1918. * K kK Lieut. Gen. Samuel B. M. Young, the United States Army veteran who has just passed away in Montana, once attended the imperial maneuvers of the German army as the guest of Emperor Willlam IL. “Ever been in Germany_ before?” the Kaiser asked . “Not in this part of Young replied. ell, what parts do you know?" persisted the supreme war lord. ‘Cincinnati, St. Louis and Milwaukee,” Young said. * ok kK Henry P. Fletcher, American Am- basador to Italy, who is on his way home from Rome, hag left in com- mand of our embassy on the Tiber an old professional crony of his when he was Ambassador to Mexico—George T. Summerlin. Mr. Summerlin_went directly from Mexico City to Rome. Previous to their association in Mex- ico, Fletcher and Summerlin were together in Chile, when the former was American Ambassador at Santi- ago. So Rome Is the third successive diplomatic mission in which the two men have been colleagues. They have another tie in common—both are old soldiers. Summerlin 1s a West Pointer, and Fletcher was one of Roosevelt's Rough Riders in Cuba. * k k X One of Mussolini's right-hand men in the Italian foreign office is a young diplomat, well known in Washington, Signor Andrea Celesia, formerly sec- retary of the Italian embassy. He is now in charge of the diplomatic per- sonnel division, and, as Mussolini is foreign, secretary as well as prime minister, Celesia works directly under the Fascist leader’s command. Signor Celesia has_an American wife, for- merly Miss Erhardt of New York. * K % % Secretary Mellon, just back from an unofficial Summer in Europe, is tell- ing a characteristic anecdote of the Prince of Wales. At the Pilgrims’ dinner, in honor of Secretary Hughes, at London in July, the prince, who sat between Messrs. Hughes and Mel- lon, delivered a neat little speech. As his auditors were mostly American, Marne a fortnight later. Conciud- ing that the defeat of the allies had already been decisive, they withdrew four divisions from the t to stem the Russian advance in East Prussia. In addition they put in thelr six divi- slons of the army reserve east instead of west of Metz, to exploit the vic- tory of Morhunge. In addition a B glan sortie from Antwerp recalled two more German divisions from the Anglo-French front. Joftre, in the meantime, while or- dering the retreat of all French troops west of Metz, directed the armies to the east to stand firm before Nancy and began drawing reg- ular divisions from the east to the west and replacing them with re- serve divisions. His troops before Nancy met and held the German at- tack, while he created upon the west- ern flank two new armies and thus reversed the balance. On September 6, wHen the allied counter offensive of the Marne be- gan, the distiibution of foroes was approximately this: On the western flank, near Paris, four allled armics. with 3L Infantry divisions in line or coming up, faced three G:rman armies which had dwindled to 24 divi- sions; in the center, 20 French divi- slons faced 20 German, while east wof Metz something like 16 French divisions resting upon the forts of Toul and Epinal held 22 German divi- sions firmly. The Germans had then completely lost their advantage on the striking flank, they were outnum- bered and were now menaced envolepment. * On September a EFrench army, coming out of Pa struck the westernmost German army, Kluck's, threatening its flank and rear and * {compelling Kluck to withdraw elght divisions which he had adventured south of the Marne. His withdrawal of these divisions opened a gap be- tween his army and Bulow's into which the British thrust, together with the 5th French army of Fran- chet d'Esperey. By September 9, in the morning, this gap had become so dangerous that a general retirement of all three of the western armies of the Germans had to be ordered, and their retirement compelled a similar retirement of the armies of the cen- ter, while to close the gap between Kluck and Bulow divisions had to be brought from Lorraine, and thus the German offensive before Nancy had Le abandoned. The gap was not sed until September 14, when the Germans were back behind the Aisne and the battle front stabilized itself. But by September 14, the Germans were outnumbered all along the western front, and they never again had equal numbers until their great offensive of March, 1918. At the Marne they were outnumbered at the decisive point, a fact not generally apprecigted at the time. Had the French reserve divisions been ready for war at the first shock, the Ger- mans would have been decisively out- numbered even at the start, and their single chance of victory lay in de- stroying the first-line troops before the reserve divisions could be brought up. This chance was lost when the opening struggles, the battles of the frontiers, brought no decision and Joffre's great retreat gave him time to reconstitute his forces and trans- fer divisions from east to west. xx x ¥ The Battle of the Marme was no- where a tactical decision, that is to say, neither of the contending forces, none of the many armies engaged, won an absolute victory on the field, but the Germans, to avoid far-reach- ing disaster, were compelled to retreat along the whole front, leaving prisoners, flags and guns, together with much war material, and all their plans were brought to nothing. In- stead of a swift decision in the west they were involved in a long war and were henceforth outnumbered both on the east and the west up to the moment of the Russian collapse. Moreover, Moltke, who commanded the German armies, was retired on September 14, the final evidence of the German recognition of the defeat. Such, in narrow compass, is the military story of the Marne, which, | in reality deprived the Germans of their single chance to win the World War, a battle which in magnitude of numbers and in importance of re- sults surpassed everything in human history and still remains the supreme struggle of all time. (Copyright, 1924, by the McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE the future King of England decided to talk the Yankee language. In the course of his brief address he re- ferred quite conspicuously to his forthcoming visit to the United States this “Fall.” The British never speak of “Fall.” They always say “Autumn.” The choice of our idiom was a typical exhibition of the prince’s talent for saying the right thing at the right time. * kK Kk Judge Ben B. Lindsey of Colorado is the latest politician ubon whom the Ku Klux Klan has turned its guns. The famous presiding officer -of the Denver “juvenile and family court” is up for re-election and finds himself faced by determined Klan opposition. He has incurred the Klan's ire by public pronouncgments against the sheeted knights, who seem to have vowed vengeance. Lindsey also was active in a recent fight against. the Kluxers at a special election which resulted in the te-election of a Klan mayor. * k x x America’s trade with the myriads of people who inhabit the other side of the globe reached record propor- tions during the recently ended fiscal year 1924. It totaled nearly $1,000.- 000,000, compared to $515,000,000 in 1913, so that the volume has virtually trebled. As it's reckoned that there are just about a billion inhabitants of China, Japan, Siam, India, Australia, New Zealand and the other lands in question, Uncle Sam sold them about a dollar per capita of his wares. Manufactured articles comprised the overwhelming bulk of the trade. Our exports of automobiles to the Kast are steadily on the increase. In 1913 only 401 American cars were sent to Japan and China. Last year 5,300 were shipped. (Copyright, 1924.) Service Should Govern In Retirement Law To the Editor of The Star: The civil service retirement bill is to come up in the next Congress, with a tax of 3% per cent to Gov- ernment employes. The most impor- tant thing in the bill is placing age before service. If there is to be an Honest bill, which I think is the in- tent of Congress, in all common hon- esty and common justice no other bill than one that is based on the term of service can be horfestly pro- posed. Age does not make one man better than another. Why, in com- mon justicde, should one employe work any longer in service merely to make an age limit, contributing 3% per cent for his retirement? Thirty years’ optional service retirement would place every employe on an equal plane, and optional would mean only that if so desired by the employe he could retire. If a man feels in per- fect health and strength to continue you can always count on him staying in the service. There have been some cases of a lay-off cimyla s haying % <L i by | THIS AND THAT Busier than beavers ever dreamed of being, laboring away with a perse- verance to shame a colony of ants, the street paving gang was working on Our Street. Twenty-five men, toiling with a single thought, almost with a single motion, were showing the animal and insect kingdoms that Homo Saplens, even though he be black, takes his hat off to no creature when it comes to_work. They were demonstrating it, too, to scores of residents of Our Street, their children, dogs and cats, and to strangers who had come from near and far to watch the process of putting down a concreta street. Beneath the pretty trees that line the curbing, trees that cast their gracious shade upon the green lawns and picturesque houses, the paving Kang went about their work, in or- der to finish the block before quitting time. And over all rumbled the roar of the concrete mixer, a huge machine that kept its hopper steadily grind- ing out concrete to pour at the feet of the advancing men, while great trucks with shuttercd bodies doled out in front nice mistures of sand, gravel and cement. A No more interesting spectacle is to be witnessed in Washington these Summer days, with the possible ex- ception of a bootleg chase or run of fire engines. The street paving job has about it something of permanence, something of construction, which happenings of mere prevention, however exciting, lo not possess. It is much better| | for a man, a woman, or especially | child, to get an homest thrill| watching = men doing constructive wnr.k than to thrill with the excit { ment of the “smoke screen. A modern strect paving gang, with their ceaseless activity, and move- ments 1f timed. furnishes really thrilling, intensely interesting sight, one to inspire the lazy and hearten the pessimist. For here there }is something worthwhile being done in a worthwhile way, by just plain, common men, men laboring for “wages,” and earning every cent of it, it seems to me. ‘The cement mixer roars, the trucks drive up and drive away, the engineer sends out the great arm-load of mix- ture and dumps it, another man toots the whistle, one man folds up the empty sacks from which the cement has been dumped, other men shovel the roadbed smooth, others spread out the concrefe, still others smo: it oft, standing on a bridge that spans the street from curb to curb, otl smooth it off with boards on short and long handles, more workers roli it, still more drag it with a great sweep of hose. Our Street is growing, before ourl very eves, into a thoroughfare, as if | the Little Boy Street of yesterdav | suddenly had come to life and was &tepping out into the world, a Man Street grown, to join hands witn the | paved streets at either end. Over all, and above all, is the con- stant noise made by the mixer, domi- nating the whole scene, its hopper revolving without stop as the mix- ture is fed into it from the far end. Smoke pours out of the chimney, while the din is broken intermmit- tently by the sound of the whistle, signaling the great trucks as they back up with their loads of provender for this insatiable monster whose maw is never full. Like Molech, the mixer is not satisfied. Not until the block is finished will the machine become satiated. Lumbering trucks, divided off into compartments by means of iron shut- terlike arrangements, are backed up by busy young men in khaki, who allow the sand and gravel to run down into the mixer's scoop, accord- ing to prearranged schedule. To the average person that is the great charm, and point of commenda- tion of this whole business. Prepa- ration is evident everywhere. Every man knows what he is to do, and just how to do it, and he does it. There is a “boss,” but he does not seem to be particularly busy. There is an | “inspector,” but T never saw him in- spect anything or anybody. Undoubt- edly he functions, but not during the hour 1 played inspector. The in- spector looked very important, how ever, and that, after all, is an in- spector’s chief duty. * x % % The men worked on a section of street about 12 feet long, marked off with boards laid down on edge across the already spadedout roadway. Careful digging and surveying made the mixture take a curve across the street, as all Washington roadbeds do. Wearing high boots, the workers with shovels spread out the gray substance, which appeared somewhat dry as it came from the machine. There was plenty of water in it, how- ever, as watchers soon saw. Carefully the men, with scarcely a word to each other, smoothed the pile across the section, now and then meticulously throwing a bit more concrete back onto a portion that seemed all right. They knew their business. However good the work seemed at that point, a bit more was needed there. Two men operated the leveler, a board with handles, worked backward and forward. One man stood on the narrow bridge across the portion of street just laid, the other out where the mixer was lacated. Together they see-sawed the board to and fro. It was marvellous to watch the transformation of the mixture. Under their ministrations it changed from a rough. seemingly dry and somewhat rough dough to a smooth, glistening, wet and olive-colored substance. - “Bad grade, boy, bad grade,” said one worker to another. Those were the only words I heard uttered. The | bad grade soon was made a good grade, it is needless to say. o Smoothing the street was an elab- orate process. Men with small boards on small handles worked by the curb, ang then took boards on the ends of tremendously long poles to finish this part of the job. But they had just begun. A roller, with long ropes, was pulled by two men from curb to curb, first across one way by one man, then back to the other side by the other. As it rolled 1into the curbing water welled out. Now for the finishing touch! A rubber hose, with short poles stuck into either end as handles, was drag- ged carefully over the portion just completed. It srhoothed out small imperfections. Down at the far end of the street came men with great bundles of straw, which they placed in layers 2 to 3 feet decp over the roadway. By tonight Our Street will be com- pletely ‘covered in order to keep the concrete from drying out too quickly. | * % x * Tonight a watchman will sit on the curb. At the far end of the street, where the straw is deepest, 25 small boys will play unmolested. They will lieap the straw in drifts, and, climbing the trees, dive off as if into deep water. Irate citizens will call the precinct station, and the desk <ergeant. re- calling the days when hix own heart was young, will protest: i | | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASK| Q. If a vehicle traveling on the side of 6th street, which is a one-way street going north, crosses the intersection at H street and turns west on H, is this a traffic violation? —L. McN. A. The Trafic Bureau says that one should get as near to the center of the street as possible, in order to| make a right-angled turn at the intersection. One would be violating the traflic regulations only if he cut the corner, not making the required right-angled turn. Q. What per cent of the auto- mobiles in the world are in the United Seates?—D. H. A. There are about 15,500,000 auto- mobiles in the United States and 3,000,000 in the rest of the world. The United States, therefore, has about 88 per cent of the world output. There is one car for every 7.2 Americans. Q. What are considered as the six | leading_countries of the Far East? —J. F. M. A. The ones usually placed In this category are: Japan, China, Philip- pines, Dutch East Indies, British Malaya and British India. Q. Can nurses and doctors who at- tend lepers mingle with other people? —D. C. E. A. There is but one institution maintained by the United States Government for persons afflicted with leprosy. This is the leprosarium at Carville, La., and is under the super- vision of the United States Public Health Service. The Government, however, does conduct a research division at the leper colony, under the territorial board of health, at Molokai. Hawaii. There are employed at Carville seven physicians. Physi- cians, nurses and other uninfected personnel are allowed to leave the colony after their clothing, etc., have been freed of germs. Q. How many pickles are eaten in the United States each year?—M. G. A. A manufacturer of pickles has estimated that more than 550,000,000 pickles are consumed in this country annually, Q. Where did the apostles die?— R. V. E. A. According to tradition, verified where possible, the deaths of the apostles occurred at the following places: St. Matthew—Ethiopia; St. Mark—Egypt; St. Luke—Greece; St. John—Ephesus, in Asia; St James the Great—Jerusalem; St. :Phillip— *hrygia; St. Bartholomew—unknown; Andrew—Jerusalem; St. Thomas— East Indies; St. Jude—unknown; St. Simon the Zealot-—Persia; St. Ma- thias—Jerusalem; St. Barnabas—Sa- lania; Saints Peter and Paul—Rome. * Q. When were envelopes first used? —G. W. R. A. Envelopes came into use in England and the United States in the decade 1840-1850. In America the first envelope-making machinery was patented in 1849 Q. Which is the correct form of the proverb “All is not goid that glitters” or “All that glitters is not gold?"—M. T. A. A The correct wording of the quotation is “All is not gold that glisters.” This appears in Middle- ton's “A Fair Quarrel,” Act V, Scene 1. Q. What is now the average length of life?—G. H. A. Latest statistics show that the average duration of life is 48.7 years. That the average length of human life has been nearly doubled within a fkw centuries is due to improved conditions of living, to the progress of civilization, and especially to the improved conditions. Thus, the mean duration of human life in France at the close of the eighteenth century was 29 years; in the period from 1817 to 1831 the average rose to 39 years, and between 1540 and 1859 to 40 years. For England it has been from 39 to 43. For Massachusetts, the aver- age is about 40 and in New York city 33.3. The mean normal longev- ity may not be the same in all races. The negroes of Senegal develop earlier than the white man, but they are shorter-lived; yet when reared in the United States they live to a great age. This is another proof of the profound influence of the mode and general conditions of life on longevity. Q. Do tomatoes contain vitamins? —J. McC. A. They contain not only one, but all three vitamins, A, B and C, in liberal amounts. Q. What distance is meant by a hair's breadth?—S. L A. A hair's breadth is 1-48 of an inch. Q. How much did theShoshone Dam cost?—J. J. R. built over the Shoshone River, near Cody, Wyo, by the United States Reclamation Service between 1905 and 1310, cost the vernment about $1,360.000. This includes outlets, etc., but does not include the power plant which was later added. The dam is 3284 fogt from the lowest point in its foundation. It forms a 145,500,000-galion reservoir for the purpose of storing water for frri- gation. It is curved upstream in plan, with a radius of 150 feet from the center line of the crest. The dam is only 10 feet thick at the crest and 108 feet thick at the river bed and and the same thickness from there to the base of the foundation. Q. If an aviator could stand the cold and lack of air, could an air- plane be flown above the belt of air which surrounds the earth?—S. 8. A. An aeroplane engine demands alr in the same manner that a person does. 1t is impossible for an engine to operate without ai. Therefore, it would be out of the question for an aeroplane, as aeroplanes are made at the present time, to attempt to g0 beyond the atmosphere surrounding the ecarth. When an aviator tries to make an altitude record he carries oxygen in bags in order that he may breathe this oxygen as the atmosphere be- comes rarer. He also places a super- charger on his engine in order that the engine may be able to operate in this rarefied atmosphere. Q. What is arghan?—R. T. A Arghan is a new textile fiber discovered by Sir Henry Mekham. It is half as strong again as the best hemp and flax, resists the action of =ea water and weaves into a fino cloth that bleaches and dyes easily. It is obtained from a plant of the maguey or pineapple type, which has sedgelike leaves. The fibers resemble silk, Q. Does income tax have to be paid on money that has been left to a person?—J. T. H. A. Income tax does not have to be paid on money inherited until it is invested and brings an interest. Income tax must be paid upon the income derived from such capital. g ;{u' tall is President Coolidge? A President Coolidge's height is 5 feet 1034 inches and his weight is 146 pounds. Q. When a person walks along the road in the country should he face the traffic or walk with it?—H. P. A. The American Automobile A sociation and other such organiza tions are interested In standardizinz such regulations. It says that when a person is walking on a highway it is always best to walk facing the on- coming traffic. Q. Do planets pass thfough phases as the moon does?—T. P. A. The planets Mercury and Venus, which are between us and the sun, do pass through all the phases. Those beyond us cannot pass through all the phases, since they can never come between us and the sun. Q. What city in the United States has the lowest relative humidity? R. C. A. The Weather Bureau main- tains only about 200 stations in the United States where observations of the relative humidity are made, and hence it is nbt practicable to state positively which city in the entire country has the lowest humidity. Among the reporting stations, how ever, it is probable that Yuma, Ari- zona, has the lowest as a whole. In some of the desert valleys of south- eastern Calfornia it is probable that the relative humidity is lower than at Yuma. Q. Who discovered electrons? M. E. A. The discoverer of what is now called the “electron” was Sir J. J. Thompson, of Cambridge, England. He called it a “corpuscle.” The name “electron” is credited to Sir G. Johnstone Storey. Q. Is there an el which gives off an electric current?—I. N. D. A. The Bureau of Fisheries sass that the electric eel does give off an electric current. The electric organs, eight in number, lie lengthwise along the backbone of the eel. (4re you cver hampered for want of information? Do you wonder and blun- der through misinformation? This column was instituted to serve a very apparent meed of our readers. and is popularity is Gttested by the thousands who seek information daily. Use this service and learn its possibilities. Ad- dress inquiries to The Star Information Burcau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Twenty-first and C streets northaest. A. The Shoshone Dam, which was Inclose a two-cent stamp for a direct reply.) Air Mail Service Receives General Criticism of the air mail service on the ground that it is an unwanted luxury, uncalled for at this time and not self-sustaining, is viewed by most editors as an unwarranted indictment based on hastily drawn conclusions. “One really important fact has been established. This is that it is both possible and practicable to maintain the air mail service under varying climatic conditions without serious interruption. With this assured, the generous patronage necessary to make it a financial possibility should be given as a matter of course,” the Christian Science Monitor maintains. The saving in time the service makes possible is tremendous, according to the Scranton Republican, which cites “the average westbound time from New York to San #rancisco was 39 hours 49 minutes, and eastbound time 36 hours 21 minutes, as compared with the best railroad mail schedule of 86 hours westbound and 90 hours eastbound.” It has been calculated, the Deseret News points out, that “this saving in time would mean an annual reduction of $809,689 in in- terest charges on transactions be- tween the New York Federal Reserve banks and other Federal Reserve banks or branches.” But beyond all that, as the Youngstown Vindicator suggests, “its value to science cannot be measured very well by dollars and cents” and “the Government is having an experienco from which much will be learned regarding the construction and operation of aero- planes. The actual accomplishments of the air mail fliers are startling_when viewed in themselves. As the Wheel- ing Daily News reminds us, “the around-the-world flyers, when they reach Seattle, will have flown 25,000 miles since March 17,” but “the air mail fiyers covering their routes from New York to San Francisco flew in the month of July almost seven times as far—173,910 miles.” And “furious snowstorms over the Rockies and Sierras, duststorms over the Nevada desert, electrical and windstorms over the mid-Western plains and dense “But the boys have got to have some place to play!" served thirty vears, but below the | age limit, and so unable to receive any benefit from the retirement iitil. There should be a 30-year oplioaal retirement for the protection of em- Pployes of from 50 to 70 years of age who have served thirty vears. | So long as a person is able to work lh- should be allowed the privilege. | encountered by the postal pilots, fogs over the Alleghenics must be the South Bend Tribune explains, “but the schedule performance has been almost an unqualified success.” * % * % Itis true, the Lansing Capital News camits, that “the income for the service for the first month did mot eet the cost. maintenance,” but this deficit should not prove dis- couragjng.” It simply means, the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune de- Commendation clares, that “if these figures are to be plaged on the black side of the ledger, the air mail service must re- ceive the wholehearted support of the Ppeople. Further, “the mail service never has been self-sustaining no matter how the mail was carried,” the Indianapolis News suggests, and “during recemt, years. the postal officials have been directing their attention to increas- ing the volume of mail without in- creasing postage rates, to the end that the service may eventually pay for itself.” But, the Hartford Daily Times believes, “the people do not demand that the Post Office Depart- ment shall show a profit or even that it shall pay expenses.” for “it exists primarily as a public convenience,” and “the public prefers to pay f{ts deficits out of the proceeds of tax-+ ation.” . * % * x There is no doubt that “the service can be made to pay,” the Albany Evening News insists, since “this is Just like any other new thing—it is nec- essary to get business for it, just as it will be necessary to get more busi- ness at first for the capital district port when the deeper Hudson is dredged.” But, bevond all that, “it seem fatuous to complain that the transcontinental mail service does not meet expenses when it is so obviously related to the national de- fense,” in the opinion of the New York Times, which goes on to say: “The United States gave the aero- plane to the world, and it would be stupid as well as unpatriotic to re- tard the use of it for the benefit of the American people” It has already Deen determined, the Long Beach, Press asserts, that “from 3,000 00 letters and packages reae San Francisco daily by this means. and the fact that “business is in-| creasing bodes well for the futurs fate of the service.” Confronted witi the theory that as long #s the servicq is not self-sustaining it should abandoned until such future date a it is in sufficient demand to enable to care for itself, Postmaster Ney “feels that the arial mail is pract cable and should have a 6-month te: of Its popularity conducted as a bas| upon which to estimate its worth| the Springfield Daily News reveal And as tbe Pittsburgh azette-Tim s it. this should be granted, sin may require a considerable perl to educate the public to the adva tage of the saving in time it effects and it is the average over a consider able perio@ which will determine| whether the seryioe is justified.”