Evening Star Newspaper, September 8, 1924, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR VWith Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. . MONDAY.....September 8, 1924 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, 11th St. and Pennaylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42ud St. Chicago Office: Tower Building. European Ofice: 16 Regent St.,London, England. The Evening Star. with the Sunday morning edition, Is dclivered by carriers within the ity af 60 cents per month: daily only, 4§ per month: Sunday oniy. 20 cents per . Orders may be sent by mall or tele- Phone Main 5000. Collection is made by car- Tiers at the cnd of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday..1 yr., $8.40; 1 mo., 70¢c Daily only . 1yr., $6.00 ; 1 mo., 50¢ Sunday only ......1yr, $2.40; 1 mo, 20c All Other States. Dally and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00 ; 1 mo., 85¢ Daily only . : Sunday only . $3.00: 1 mo., 25¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively cntitled o the ‘use for republication of all naws dis- patches credited to it or not otherwise eredited in this paper and also the local news pub- lished herein. ~All rights of publication of Apecial dispatches herein are also reserved. Maine Today. Maine votes today for State officers. A bitter Republican fight for nomina- tion for governor was waged, with the Ku Klux Klan issue dividing factions. The Democrats have named an anti- Klan candidate to oppose the Klan's candidate of the Republican who won in the final primary count. Democratic hopes are high for suc- cess on this score. They look to the two prior Democratic victories since the Civil War, that of Plaisted in 1900 and that of Curtis in 1914, as ground for their present expectations. In both of those years the Republican ranks were seriously split. Plaisted ‘won by 7,500 and Curtis by 3,500. Two years ago Gov. Baxter, Republican, won against Pattangall by about 27,000, which is approximately 2,000 over the normal Republican majority. Pattangall is again the Democratic nominee against State Senator Ralph ©O. Brewster. The importance of the Maine elec- tion has been perhaps somewhat ex- aggerated in the past by reason of a saying that was evolved during the Years following the Civil War, years marked by unbroken Republican vic- tories, that “‘as goes Maine so goes the Union.” At present Democratic lead- ers are stressing the adage in antici- pation of a victory for Pattangall to- day, while the Republican leaders are minimizing it on the ground that even if Maine should go . Democratic it ‘would be by reason of a local issue. Maine, voting in September, has not always been an index to the country’s political verdict in November. It did not presage Cleveland's election in 1884, nor his second election in 1892. It did not in 1912, despite the deep Republican split over the presidency, mor in 1916, when Mr. Wilson was re-elected. It did not in 1900, while despite Plaisted’s election as Demo- cratic governor in Maine the State and the Nation voted the re-election of President McKinley. Yet a Democratic victory in Maine today would greatly hearten that party throughout the country, even though it were due to a local factional division. It would afford ‘“talking ground” for Democratic speakers. It would perhaps serve to make the Ku Klux Klan question more tangibly a factor in the national campaign. ‘Whatever the result, however, today's fight in Maine remains & local contest on local issues, in which the presiden- tial contest is not directly involved end may not be in anywise affected. Water Front Improvement. The proposal to improve the water front of Washington channel comes into prominence once more through the annual report of the wharf com- mittee to the District Commissioners. The plan for improving that part of the city has adequate indorsement. Water street, in Southwest Washing- ton, could be made one of the fine streets of Washington and would give quick and easy connection between South Washington and Potomac Park. The wharf line should be made regu- lar and substantial, and sightly whart buildings for the accommodation and encouragement of river traffic should be erected. There was a time when the water front, much busier than now, was a part of the city that was only seen by persons having business there. Now it is on view to everybody who lives in Washington or visits the | city. It is one of the principal pic- tures of Washington to everybody who tours Potomac Park. The whart com- mittee in its report to the Commis- sioners says: “It is hoped that funds may be secured in the next District appropriation act for the preparation of a plan for the improvement of this water front.” It ought to be easy to get money for the preparation of a plan, and then with a satisfactory plan it ought to be easy to get the money for putting it into effect. ————— ‘The fact that President’ Coolidge is not naturally loquacious may tempt some campaigner to go too far in as- suming that no matter what is said there will be no reply. Had Herriot been an American he might have been a strong contestant for Mr. Bok’'s peace-plan prize. Base Ball Vagaries. It is one of those tragedies that are part: of the game that the largest crowd that has ever attended a base ball contest in this city should yes- terday have crowded the Griffith Stadium only to see the Washington club lose. If such things could be or- dered, the home team would only lose before small gatherings and would win before big ones. But the slements that make for victory or de- feat are not governed by the turn- stile count. Yesterday was naturally & big attendance day. It was a fair and beantiful day, ideal base ball wreather, and local sentiment had been roused to the keenest point in the history of the game in Washington by the cimb of the club to a leading position, with a bright pennant pros- pect. It had won five games in a row. There was every reason to hope, and smeeh ground for expecting, that @ wuld win the sixth, closing n} regular playing season here triumph- antly. It everything worked out according to expectation base ball would be a dull entertainment and a poor sport. ! There was a team here in Washington quite & number of years ago that, shifting from big league company to a smaller circuit, so outclassed its competitors that it won nearly a score of games in a row. The attendance dropped off to practically nothing. People got tired of seeing the home team win, especially when the circuit was a minor one. Even so in Balti- more, where for several seasons the local team has won pennants regu- larly and easily, the attendance has become sparse and barely profitable on the home grounds, so habitual are its victories. It is the uncertainty that keeps base ball alive; the possibility of a miscue that will cost a game that maintains the interest. Of course, if yesterday's gigantic gathering had been regaled with a victory, all those who attended would have been tremendously en- thused instead of being disappointed. But the fact remains that the team is still on top, even though it did not gain in the race while the Yankees were losing. There was some balm in Gilead. The Yankees did. not win while Washington was losing. Somewhat the same thing happened in Brooklyn yesterday, only worse. The Brooklyn team has been climb- ing steadily for several weeks, and Saturday stood in second place, with only a narrow margin between it and the New York Giants. Sunday’'s game with the Giants was played in Brook- Iyn, and the field was stormed by one of the largest crowds in the local his- tory of this sport. An overflow crowd of several thousand fringed the field. Spectators fought for chances to en- ter the park, and police reserves had to be summoned, Then the home team lost the game, 8 to 7. It was a bitter defeat. If Brooklyn had won the game it would have led the Giants by the narrowest possible of margins, one point. So those 35,000 Brooklyn- ites had a worse jar for their Sunday experience than the 30,000 Washing- tonians. For Washington is still in the lead, while Brooklyn failed. Gov. Smith Under Pressure. Is Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York coy, or are the Tammany braves simply overpersistent? That question is prompted by the repeated announce- ments that the governor will positive- Iy not allow his name to go to the State convention for renomination, on the one hand, and the statements that continued efforts are being made to cause him to change his mind and run again. It is indicated that on Thurs- day the governor will definitely make known his decision, on which day he will attend the State fair at Syracuse in recognition of “Governor’s’ da: He will there confer with leaders who may be present. It is assumed that they will bring the strongest possible pressure to bear upon him to per- suade him that his duty to his party transcends his personal wishes, and that he must accept.the call to run a third time for governor. There is something most flattering to any politician to be besought thus for “the good of his party.” Undoubt- edly in Gov. Smith’s case there is rea- son for the urgency. He is easily the most popular man in his party today in the State. He has the prestige of having been the favorite son of New York at the national convention for over a hundred ballots. He has scored high as governor during two terms. He would assuredly be a valuable as- set on the Democratic side this year. He would greatly strengthen the Davis-Bryan ticket in the State. All these considerations add to the de- sirability from the Democratic point of view that he should go again to the polls es candidate, notwithstand- ing his urgent desire to return to pri- vate business and rehabilitate his for- tunes, which have been affected by his political services. Gov. Smith could vield to this de- mand without inviting criticism on the score of inconsistency. Perhaps he recognizes, good politician that he is, that the persistence of his Tam- many friends has its unfortunate as- pect in the suggestion which it offers that the occasion is urgent in the ex- treme, and that he is required as a sacrifice for the sake of the party. ‘The Chicago post office inspector, Fahy, charged with complicity in a two-million-dollar mail robbery, com- plains that his release on a fifty- thousand-dollar bond has been pur- posely delayed. If he can produce an exoneration the time and inconven- ience may be regarded as of compara- tively little consequence. Any plans by G. C. Bergdoll for a return to this country will probably be postponed until the Defense day demonstrations are concluded. The Fascisti are being gently re- minded by a group of Italian poli- ticlans that there are two sides to every question. Sewer Program. The sanitary engineer, in his an- nual report to the District Commis- sioners, submits a tentative five-year program for sewer construction in the District, and to carry out that plan would call for a yearly appropriation of $1,800,000. The report is a fair and comprehensive presentation of the case. Washington has grown faster than its sewer system. It is the plan of most American municipal- ities to keep sewer facilities ahead of city growth, on the theory that build- ing sewers in advance of the city gives encouragement to the city's growth and is economical, because it is cheaper to put sewers through sec- tions not buflt up. Washington grew ahead of sewer and street facilities. The sewer builders are making a stern chase, which is a lorig one. Appro- priation of $1,800,000 a year for a period of five years would keep the sewer system in line with running needs and would catch up with the needs that were not met during the difficult years of the recent past. ‘The sanitary engineer says: “The time cannot be far distant when some preliminary treatment must be given the sewage of Washington rather than discharge it, as gt present, in its raw state into the Potomac River. Based on the latest estimated popu- lation for the District, the dilution obtained in the Potomac is getting dangerously low.” That the untreated sewage of Washington is allowed to flow into the Potomac is one point where the American Capital 1s be- hind many cities, and especially be- hind many European cities. All pro- gressive citizens inveigh against the pollution of streams. Washington talks with horror when upstream towns pollute the Potomac, yet we pour into the river the sewage of half a million people and propose to connect the District's sewer system with that of a large part of Maryland. If we would not have other cities pollute streams, we should not do it ourselves. Watch the Skies Tomorrow! Some time tomorrow, according to present expectations, two planes will come humming through the air from the northeast over the city of Wash- ington and will alight at Bolling Field. They will have hopped from Mitchel Field, N. Y., on the way to somewhere on the Pacific coast, where they will complete the circuit of the globe. There will be other planes with them, escorting them, but these two machines will center all attention, for in those two planes four men have ridden over mountains and over seas, across deserts and above cities shelter- ing millions of inhabitants, .in a cir- cuit of many thousands of miles. The most grievous trials of this great circuit flight are now passed. No serious difficulties interpose be- tween them and their objective, & point on the American continent traversed by them in their starting flight in May, whether it be San Diego or Seattle. They will have to cross a great mountain range, but flyers have crossed it hundreds of times without mishap. Compared with some of the difficulties that they have met that line of giant hills will be a trifle to them. ‘Washington regrets that it was not the real starting point of the round-the- world flight, so that it would be now the point of finish. The flight would have been most appropriately begun here rather than on the Pacific coast. But it is most suitable that the flyers should come here on their way West to ge greeted officially, probably by the President of the United States, and, though their arrival ,will be marked by no ceremonies, they will be hailed by the Capital as victors in one of the most astounding feats of man. —_——————— A Broadway comedian is generously doing his best to help along any as- pirations the Prince of Wales may cherish in the line of American pub- licity. ‘When Republican and Democratic speakers assail each other’s parties the La Follette supporters merely say, “I told you so.” ‘The farmer is being assured that if he will vote judiciously he can say, like Monte Cristo, “the world is mine.” Few campaigns have developed so much industrious prominence on the part of vice presidential candidates. —_————————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Next Holiday. “Thanksgivin’ always comes along, Said Hezekiah Bings. “Although we're tellin’ what is wrong About a lot o' things. ‘We say the situation’s grave, ‘With morals very queer; This old world simply won't behave— We say it every year. “We hear a speaker, wise indeed. In thoughts we are immersed. We turn another one to heed Who contredicts the first. But discord’s bound to leave the song A mation boldly sings. Thanksgivin’ always comes along,” Said Hezekiah Bings. Deskology. “A man isn't always useful and im- portant because he has a roll-top desk.” ‘No,” agreed Senator Sorghum; “much depends on whether he keeps his mind on it, or his feet.” Different Aims. Some people love their fellow men And seek good gifts to bring ‘em; And there are others now and then ‘Who simply try to sting ’em. Jud Tunkins says the plain tiller of the soil has got to face the sad fact that the pigs an’ pumpkins at a coun- ty fair never get as much serious at- tention as the harness races. Deadly Imitation. “Any gunmen left in Crimson Gulch?” “No,” answered Cactus Joe. “The effete East has put guns out of fash- jon with us rough an’ ready west- erners, same as it did wrist watches.” Hypertrophy. Perhaps it is a new disease That leaves so many ill at ease As many a moron bravely tries To handle words of mammoth size, Disdaining toil for house and food As too materially crude. In diagnosis, why neglect Enlargement of the intellect? Intelligence, of course, must grow; But disproportion causes woe. The symmetries should be complete In minds as well as hands and feet. ‘We grope among the words immense That mystify our common sense. Let’s call the doctor to correct Enlargement of the intellect! ‘Wonderfal Invention. “Radio is @ wonderful invention.” “It is, indeed,” answered Mr. Meek- ton. “I can't get over being surprised at the way Henrietta will sit quietly and let it monopolize the conversa- ton.” “It's kind o' discouragin’ to plain usefulness,” said Uncle Eben, ‘“when you notice dat a good work hoss never gits near as much applause as.a trick (] THE 'EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1924. —_— e e e THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM BY ERNEST GREENWOOD Secretary of the Conference on Street and Highway Safety ARTICLE L Twenty-five yvears ago the motor vehicle was little more than an ex- periment conducted by persons, who, according to the public, might find better ways of wasting time. Today there are over 15,000,000 motor vehicles in use, and the automobile industry is adding to this total at a rate of over 4,000,000 a year. No wonder Secretary of Commerce Hoover asks the question: “Are we consuming new living conveniences faster than we can digest them?” Yesterday traffic officers were a class of community officlals unknown. Today the budget of practically every police department in the United States con- tains a plea for more of them. New York city alone has 2,200 and needs an additional 1,000. Yesterday those who admitted the possibility of a practical motor car predicted that in any event the motorist would always be in a small, comparatively unimpor- tant class which would have to submit to the most drastic restrictions. Today the control and restriction of the pedes- trian {8 receiving almost as much at- tention as legislation for the control of the motor vehicle. * % ¥ X Twenty-five years ago a driver could hitch the old gray mare to any post and let her slumber peacefully and in- definitely. Today the streets are dotted with signs containing such legends as: “No parking here,” “Park parallel,” “Park at an angle of 45 degrees,” “Park six inches from the curb,” or “Parking limit 30 minutes,” while fat policemen armed with tape measures, calipers and stop watches, instead of the good old- fashioned gun and billy, perspire as they measure, calculate and make an endless record of the passing of Father Time. One came and went as he pleased in those good old days, while now we are discouraged with abrupt commands such as “One-way street” “No left- hand turn,” “Detour” and a variety of other instructions in the law of the road. In those days an accident in the street made the front page of the daily papers. Today, unless it results in a fatality or happens to an im- portant personage, it is fortunate if it gets a paragraph somewhere near the classified advertising section. More frequently it is thrown out en- tirely by the news editor. Yet 18,000 persons were killed in trafic acci- dents last year. It has been predicted that there will be 30,000,000 cars in use In 1935. Calculating with a sort of rough geometrical progression, and assuming the present situation will continue, traffic fatalitles will then run to approximately 50,000 a year. *x % % The traffic won't stand it. The toll at the present time is appalling. Our city streets are congested to a point where it is no longer a pleasure to drive on the main thoroughfares, and the business man would rather use a street car, a motor bus or a taxi- cab than go through the agony of finding a place to park. There are corners in more than one city that require the services of five policemen to keep the immediate vicinity from looking like the results of a success- ful air raid. It is no uncommon thing to hear of a pedestrian being seriously injured while walking on the side- walk several feet from the curb. Special courts organized to handle cases involving traffic violations are clogged. Hundreds of millions of dol- lars are being spent on the construc- tion of roads which will accommo- date the motor vehicles and at the same time remain intact for a rea- sonable length of time under the pounding of the traffic. The gypsy has once more taken his place in the social life of the nation. Today he Is represented by countless thousands of American citizens and their families touring through the country. Every community has large areas set aside and labeled “tourist camp” for the use of these temporary nomads. Fortunes are being made in special equipment for the traveling vacationists, such as tents, folding cook stoves, chairs and other para- fhernalia designed to give the family all comforts of home at any time of night or day. There are more gaso- line filling stations to the square mile than there were saloons in pre- Volstead days. On many highways one can find a telephone at intervals of a mile cr so, with which the mo- torist in difficulties can summon help quickly from some nearby garage. * k% State after State is giving more and more attention to the traffic problem, adopting the latest fashion in street and highway practice, add- ing to thelr motor cycle patrols, passing drastic legislation, infiicting penalties of increasing severity, and yet the fatalities mount higher ana higher. Cities add each year to their traffic forces and try a ~varlety of expedients, such as special markings, rotary systems, isles of safety, safety zones, segregation of trafic—yet more and more space is required of the poilce blotter to record the daily list of accidents. A large portion of the inventive genius of the country seems to be engaged in drives on legislatures to make this or that device compulsory on automobile manufacturers, deal- ers and on the car owners them- selves. There are devices for traffic control, speed control of the car itself, patent bumpers, rear signal lights, brakes, grade crossing warn- ings and a host of other special equipment, all designed for accident prevention. Our cities are faced with the prob- lem of making street facilities de- signed for the little creek accom- modate the flow of the mighty river. In very few cities are the main thor- oughfares, particularly in the busi- ness diatricts, susceptible of very great change Here and there wiil be found cases of wide sidewaiks which can be narrowed to give the roadway greater width, but they are rare in comparison with the number of streets where this possibility does not exist. Rural highways present no such problem. It is simply a question of widening the surface and constructing it to stand the strain of traffic. It Is in the city, where block after block is faced with narrow sidewalks and valuable build- ings, that any change for securing greater width seems almost impos- sible. Is it conceivable that the time is coming when great business blocks, in spite of their value, will be cut back? Or will the situation be met with simpler expedients. such as arterial or boulevard streets, no parking in congested districts. rout- ing of special classes of traffic, de- centralization, distribution of such buildings as theaters, which add heavily to the congestion at the peak hour, and the like? x % % % With it all the automobile is here to stay and in constantly increasing numbers. It has completely altered the social life of the Nation. It is no longer a luxury; it Is a necessity. It has made us a Nation of outdoor people. It brings the recreations of the country to the city dweller and the recreations of the city to the farmer and his family. It has simpli- fied transportation and makes pos- sible the decentralization of great industrial centers Into smaller com- munities where life is certainly healthier and more pleasant for the workers. The benefits which It has conferred on the American people can hardly be measured in terms of wealth, comfort, convenience, health or_relaxation. But its rapid development has been | followed by the crisis in the traffic situation with which we are faced today. In this series of articles it is hoped that some practical sugges- tions may be made for the solution of the problems involved. At least they will be suggestions which will serve as a basis for discussion. They are based on the personal opinions and conclusions of the writer after talking to scores of men who have been devoting much of their time and thought to the subject. They are not offered as specifics or cure-ails. They are merely ideas based on the ex- perience and observation of author- itles. (Gopyright, 1924, byl (‘u;‘nnl News Features, ne. Press Pays Tribute to Lucy Page Gaston Lucy Page Gaston is gone, and the war she waged upon the cigarette for more than 25 years is over. It is felt that no reformer, no worker for the welfare of mankind was ever more sincerely whole-hearted. “The sheer futility of the life of Lucy Page Gaston only adds, if any- thing, to the pathos of her death, the Minneapolis Morning Tribune de- clares. “Emaciated, poorly clothed, a 64-year-old spinster, who for 20 years had subsisted only on crackers and milk, she died in poverty, recognizing that her ‘work,’ as she called it, was as far from completion as it was when she began. The founder' and superintendent of the Anti-Cigarette League, her whole life had been s'lmed at the abolition of the cigarette.” ‘When she began her crusading agalnst the “cigarette evil” the Chi- cago Daily Tribune recalls, “the cig- arette was just coming into use. her patience in her work is indicated by the fact that “year by year the sales grew, but Miss Gaston did not falter.” The question of whether or not “the agitation against its use by Miss Gaston and the :rsln'llxldu:z’n ’:r;e e " might not have had “Some- fhirnfxec‘t:d do gwlth the establishment of the cigarette fashion” is raised by the Waterloo Tribune, which com- ments that “it seems the ‘thou shalt not' command these days has a con- trary effect.” Or the cause of the growth in popularity of the cigarette may be just that “mfodern smokers are lazier than their predecessors, and so want their smoke with as lit- tle trouble as possible. Hence the cigarette,” the Peoria Transcript sug- gests. * kX% It is probable, the Grand Rapids Press admits, that “a certain amount of good would accrue If soclety would be persuaded to drop all use of to- bacco,” and certainly “homes would be neater. Those who object to the strench of tobacco smoke would be treated more decently and probably health would benefit.” The cigarette 1s, the Davenport Democrat and Leader allows, “a bad and costly habit, maybe, and yet they are gold because people want them and be- cause they object to other people dic- tating what they shall do in little mattters like cigarettes” Moreover, it is true, in the opinion of the Sloux City Leader, “those who do not like to use tobacco on their own account are at liberty to abstain, but the fact of their abstinence does not give them the moral right to protest against the indulgence for the rest of man- kind.” The work of Lucy Page Gaston “counted. no doubt, ucord(llnzs' topties , as worl lways do S was e Carrle Nation of nico- tine,” according to the Alpena News. Certainly “she was a persevering hater, unremitting in her efforts to break the spell of micotine,” the New York Herald-Tribune concedes. And “legisiation against the cigarette in certain Western States is said to be due, at least in part, to her efforts, while even in the world war, when the cigarette reached a new popu- larity, she refused to relax her ef- forts,” the Manchester Union points out. “Admiration for the superb spirit of the woman who could starve that she might better carry on, to whom death, nothing less, could bring sub- mission, is not the only sentiment kindled by her demise,” the St. Paul Dispatch believes. “Lucy Page Gas- ton represents a spirit in all of us, dormant in some, tempered by judg- ment in others, but for her the rul- ing motive, which impels us to re- mold the world in accordance with our own i{deas. She was rampant, unashamed and militant idealism.” Tracing the course of her career, the Ann Arbor Times-News maintains “she must be respected for her con- victions and for having the courage to fight for them against heavy odds,” for “in a way it was patriotism,” and “at least there was no personally selfish motive back of her crusade.” But, beyond all that, and in spite of her failure to secure the passage of laws against the use of tobacco, and particularly cigarettes, “Miss Gaston was an outstanding influence for good, and by example and action contributed to the establishment of a higher plane of thinking and living,’ says the Lafayette Journal and Courler. Further, the Rockford Morning Star objects to hearing Miss Gaston called the “Carrie Nation of nicotine,” char- acterizing that as “an estimate wholly unfair to the memory of the kindest, sweetest of woman crusaders, who almost never failed to win the respect of those she met.” To prove its point the paper states that “when she came to the editorial workshop of this pa- per the men put away pipes and cigarettes out of respect for the woman who felt that tobacco was a curse to humanity,” and insists she won similar regard wherever she went. “No one who knew her fine spirit and devotion will ever speak her name in scorn.” Corn on the Cob. ‘What is the typical American dish? This question is uppermost now, and now is the silly season; yet it is not a silly question. Let us array a few answers. American civilization, says an English novelist, is founded on wheat cakes. A variant of this opin- fon appears on occasional London menus, where buckwheat cakes and poached eggs are featured as our na- tional dish. Enrique Blanco made a tour of this country and, he reports, “reached the firm, unshakable conclu- sion that America’s typical dish is mashed potatoes and gravy.” The Elmira Star-Gazette thinks it is hot dogs. There is merit in all these answers, and they carry evidence of acute ob- servation and straight thinking. What they lack, one and all, is an adequate and indigenous historical background. The typical American dish of today is just what it was a hundred, a thousand, perhaps ten thousand years ago. It is sweet corn on the cob. The aborigines served it with antelope fat, bear grease, buffalo trimmings and llama tallow, where we use cow butter. Otherwise the present day American continues the dietary tradition of a remote past unchanged. Just now, you must have noticed, the so-called roasting ear, which, however, people boil in the gor.:.'r. is about righ tl Times THIS AND THAT BY C. E. TRACEWELL. Lovers of poetry in Washington should by no means miss the treat to be afforded them in “The Janitors Boy,” by NatMalla Crane, and pub- lished by Thomas Seltzer, New York. Here is some astonishingly fine verse, all the better for having been written by an 11-year-old child. Iam one who has no patience with the idea that children cannot think as deeply as their elders. While knowledge is a growth, brain power is an inheritance. You either have it or you have not. The ability to write is in one, or it is not. Much may be done by cuitivation, but the “divine spark” cannot be coaxed. Children often have a depth of feellng and insight into the nature of things that men and women often are unwii.ag to credit them with, in the pride of maturity and intellec- tuality. Little ones often see more, and know more, than their bright elders, especially when it is_taken into consideration that many fathers and mothers have never developed mentally a day since the age of 15. William Cullen Bryant wrote his “Thanatopsis” when he was 16. Alexander Pope turned out a fine philosophical poem on the blessings of poverty when he was but of a tender age—10, I think. The Brooklyn girl, whose book of verse is delighting poetry lovers here and throughout the land, 18 the latest of the bright ones, if not “the youngest of the seers” Uniike the English child who wrote—or 15 sup- sed to have written—the famous ittle Visitors,” Nathalla Crane gives promise of even greater things. The liking for poetry, too, is some- thing that is either in you or not in you. The schools do the best they can to cultivate this taste. Teachers heroicly cram “Hiawatha” and “The Iiliad" down the throats of incipient bricklayers, in the sacred name of education, and beat out the ryhthms of Walter Soctt's “Lady of the Lake"” and “Marmion” before boys and girls who later will take to the fox-trot in preference. A better method, one which would get better results because it would not disgust so many children with poetry, would be to tell school chil- dren “about the poets, make their poetry available, and then let the children take to them or not, just as they chose. When one thinks of the children who were satiated with Pope’s brilliant _but flourishing translation of the Illaid, or forced to read Dickens’ “Tale of Two Cities” when they were not cqual to it, he feels like exclaiming, “Oh, English Literature, what crimes are commit- ted in thy name!” The instinctive poetry lover, then, will be attracted by the slender vol- ume under the rather dubious title, “The Janitors Boy.” Such a one will not open to the first genuine poem in the book, “The Vestal,” read with a frown until he comes to the line, “barricaded vision,” then ex- claim, “What does that mean?’ Such is the invariable exclamation of one who does not care for poetry. “What does it mean?’ True poets have been messed over so by scores of well-meaning persons, who have got the idea, somehow or other, that to like poetry is a sign of culture, and so form “Browning Clubs” and what- not to delve into the “meaning” of a poet. If you instinctively ask yourself, “What does this mean? when you read verse, know that you are by na- ture not a poetry lover. You might as well close the volume and go back to golf, or the sporting page, or Con- rad, or your automobile, or gardening, or anything else in the world that men and women do. Poetry is not for you. This_introduction considering “The Janitor's Boy,” for some of its verse, quite frankly, would be hard put to it to offer any answer at all to that terrible ques- tion, “What does it mean?” One of the charms of true poetry is that the meaning is often nothing, the intent everything. If a poem puts in beautiful words a thought, a feel- ing, and does it in a way to delight, its mission is fulfilled. Poetry, ever since the days of Homer, has had one mission—to entertain _If, at the same time, it states something in an unforgettable way, with true music of—in our language—English phras- ing, it is real poetry. That is what Miss Crane has done in the poem, “Tomorrow.” is necessary fn The sun shall shine in ages yet to be. The musing moon illumine pastures dim, And afterward a new pativity For all who slept the dreamiess interim. The starry brocade of the summer night 1s linked to us as part of our estate: And every bee that wings its sidelong flight Assurance of a sweeter, fairer fate. The blasoned bumming:bird hath made it T 1t seeks ravines where wildings wreathe each wall; And there succeeding broods are marked again By rainbows o'er a rambling waterf: When you return, the youngest of the seers, Releaned from fetiers of ancestral pose, There will be beauty waiting down the years— Revisions of the ruby and the rose. There are unforgettable phrases there. Need we be astonished that a mere baby in literature could turn out such a line as that third from the last, “Released from fetters of an- cestr: . pose”? Certainly she refers to the old, old instincts, customs, habits that tie the hands and brains of men! In the new day, which is the hope and faith of Ckristian peoples, “There will be beauty waiting down the years,” new changes rung by the Creator on the eternal things visioned to us in the ruby and the rose. Addison, in his “Cato.” said the same thing, but not as well: The stars shall fade away, the sun himselt Grow dim with age, and nature sink in years, Rut thou shalt fourish in immortal youth, Unhurt amidst the wars of elements, The wrecks of matter and the crash of worlds. * * kX It takes a true poet to handle so tastefully and musically the theme of her “The Vestal,” telling of a young lady who was afraid of colors barri- cading her eyes against the glorious hues of this ‘world, until at last she was led to see the truth. Then the gates were opemed; Miracles were seen; That instructed damsel Donned a gown of green, ‘Wore it in a_churchyard, All arrayed with care; And a painted rainbow Shone above her there. The young poet's first book really begins on page 32 with this poem. Those previous are amusing examples of a clever child’s verse. The real poetry is in the remainder of the book. Even poetry publishers, evi- dently, are falling for the creed of “make it snappy.” “The Reading Boy,” “Prescience,” “The History of Honey,” and ‘“My Husbands” are among the best in the slender volume. The poet dis- plays an astonishing knack with words, an appreclation of liquid phrasing that is amasing. ccord! arin, the oriental bees T et ™0 "hourd their boney in 'the mountain cavities. of antiquity, etch summer after- They flew in golden convoys to the mountains of the moon. Something of Poe is there, and in the lines: The angels grow quite wistful over worldly things below: They hear the hurdy-gurdies in the Candle Maker's Row. Angels at last may get orders to lower the great drawbridge. And then— 4 A wingless one may ‘be the first to stumble on e And vision earth and heaven, with a rustic bridge betwees. How could any one put better the Mea that when God at last reveals ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. Is it against the law to kill reed birds?—G. B. A. By order of the Secretary of Agriculture, {ssued January 17, 1919, bobolinks, commonly known as reed birds, or rice birds, may be shot from September 1 to October 30, ‘nclusive, in the States of New Jersey, Penn- sylvania, Delaware and Maryland and in the District of Columbia, and from August 16 to November 15, inclusive, in the states of Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Q. When is Golden Rule Sunday?— W. W. A. Golden Rule Sunday will be ob- served December 7 this year. Last year it was December 2. Q. Has the Washington Monument ever been struck by lightning?—T. H. 8. A. It has been struck by light- ning on several occasions, but no damage has resulted except the first time, in 1885, before lightning pro- tection had been installed. Q. Isn't Morocco a French colony? —M. G. C. A. Morocco is a French protecto- rate with the exception of Tangier and the Spanish zone along the north coast. Q. How long has the Boston Sym- phony Orchestra been in existence?— J. M. A. The Boston Symphony Orches- tra completed its forty-second year last spring. Q. How many desertions are there from the Navy in the course of a year?—E. R. A. During the year 1923 the gross desertions from the Navy totaled 5,- 280, of whom 2,337 surrendered or were apprehended—leaving a total of 3483 men, a marked increase over the preceding year. Q. What were the Methodists?"—L. V. R. A. Ministers and laymen who with- drew from the Methodist Episcopal Church in a protest against what was considered the autocratic powers of the bishops in the church were first known as Republican Methodists, but in 1794 they chose the name Christian as their organizational designation. “Republican Q. Are there Indians in every state in the United States? What states have the most and what the fewest? —T. 8. M. A. Census reports show that there are Indlans in every State and in the District of Columbia. Oklahoma, Ari- zona, and New Mexico have the largest Indlan populations, ranking in the order named. Delaware has the fewest with but 2, West Virginia coming next with 7 and Vermont next with 24, Q. What is the College of Indus- trial Arts?—R. S. A. The College of Industrial Arts is an institution of higher learning for women, awarding the degrees of B. A. and B. 8., founded in 1902 and located at Denton, Tex. It is supported by legislative appropriations, and in 1923 had 1,515 students enrolled. Q. When did Turkey become a republic?—O. E. A. On October 27, 1923, the Na- tional Assembly declared that “the form of the Turkish State is Repub- lican, its religion Moslem and its official language Turkish. Q. Just what is meant by the ex- pression “the hair of the dog that bit me”?—S. T. E. A. In old receipt books it is in- IN TODAY’S variably advised that an inebriate should drink sparingly in the morn- ing some of the same liquor which he had drunk to excess the night be- fore, and Heywood in his ‘“Prov- erbs” has the lines, “I pray thee let me and my fellow have a halre of the dog that bit us last night.” Q. P. 8 A. The quantity of snuff used In this country is three times the bulk sold 30 years ago, but the demand has not increased so rapidly as for other forms of tobacco, the per capita consumption of which has increased from 4 pounds prior to the Civil War to 85 pounds at the present time. Is the use of snuff dying out?— Q. How do they measurs the hard« ness of the metal in testing tools?— E M A. By one method the tool is struck by a small diamond-pointed hammer falling freely from a height of about 10 inches. By measuring the rebound of the hammer, engineers de- termine the hardness of the steel. Q. How many earthquakes are there in the course of a year?—E. S. K. A. Scientists say there are at least 10,000 earthquakes a year, or one every hour. Practically all of them are, of course, minor disturbances. Q. Is there any way of telling how much energy or power there is in a bolt of lightning?—M. M. A. It has been estimated by ex- perts that the energy released in one- two-hundred-thousandths of a second by the average flash of lightning is 250,000,000 horse power—more than three times as much as could be de- veloped by harnessing every stream in the United States. Q How many physicians’ prescrip- tions for liquor are issued annually? —C. S. N. A. During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1923, retail druggists of 27 states, the District of Columbia, Por- to Rico and Hawaii, where the law permits the prescription of liquor for medical use, filled 11,268,469 such pre- scriptions. Q. How many quarantine stations does the government maintain?—B. R. A. There are 73 quarantine sta- tions in the continental United States and 29 in our insular possessions. Q. Isn't there a saying about a shoe- maker or his wife always going barefoot?—O. T. C. A. Burton, in his “Anatomy of Melancho says, “Him that makes shoes go barefoot himself,” and one ot Heywood's Proverbs reads, “Who is worse shod than the shoemakers wife?” Q. Why was the aerial mail route between Washington and New York discontinued?—L. D. F. A. The Post Office Department says that there was no further ne- cessity for continuing the New York- ‘Washington route as an experimental one because there were better op- portunities for conducting the neces- sary experimental work on the New York-San Fancisco route. (The Star maintains for the pleasure and profit of its readers an information service under the directorshio of Fred- eric J. Haskin. The scope of the bureau is mational and international, and no subject is too clementary or too broad to enlist the nersonal attention of a specialist. Address The Star Informa- tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Direc- tor, Twenty-first and C streets north- west.) SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL V. COLLINS. “The rights of fish do not lend themselves to emotional declamation like the rights of man,” announced Secretary Herbert Hoover at the sixth annual convention of the United States Fisheries Association, as he grew eloquent over the woes of the crab fisheries of the Chesapeake and Delaware waters. Those fisheries yielded 50,000,000 pounds as late as 1915. and less than 25,000,000 pounds in 1924 ‘The serious-minded Secretary fur- ther pictured the situation: “Other littoral fishes—river herring, striped bass, sea-run trout—are decreasing rapidly, and oysters and clams are on the same road to destruction at a rate that promises the end in a gen- eration. And all this is rank folly.” x X X ¥ Secretary Hoover well says there is as much reason for conservation of our fish as there is for conserva- tion of our timber. Scientists tell us that more food is produced in the waters than upon the land. It has been demonstrated that the fish sup- ply can be squandered and destroyed; also, that by proper care it can be protected and increased. Conserva- tion is the key to the policies of the Department of Commerce, under which is the Bureau of Fisheries. Not only is it important to protect our food supplies in the fisheries, but also to conserve the game fish, that the increasing millions of outdoor recreationists may not lose the greatest of all lures to the wilds of nature. There are now 2,000,000 licensed anglers upon our streams and coasts. In one State alone, 200,000 fishing licenses have been is- sued this year. So enthusiastic a ‘Waltonite is the Secretary of Com- tmorce that he is charged with having begun regulating the fishing by rules and rulings before Consress had adopted the laws, but the laws have since caught up with him and legal- 1zed his “czarism.” Much is to be done yet, through State governments co-operating, not only with the Federal government but, rather, with each other. The protection of fish cannot be effected by one State acting independently of adjoining States. Co-operation must be secured between all States border- ing upon the coast or rivers in which the particualr species of fish breed and swim, if that species is to sur- vive, says Secretary Hoover. He explains that there are no State lines for fish, or “if there are, they do not know it.” * ¥ ¥ X i Atlantic salmon! Where are they? No “doughboy” of the A. E. F. can be held responsible for their destruc- tion, for never did he turn away from his favorite “goldfish” to feed upon mere salmon. Besides, all Atlantic salmon had been consumed before the war. The salmon fisheries of Alaska have come most directly under the federal government, since Alaska is a ter- ritory. Salmon are both river and ocean fish. The young are hatched — himself fully to man, a ‘“wingless one”—a man—may be the first to dis- cover the miracle? * X * ¥ There is a finality of phrasing to the work of this child that has a great appeal. Speaking of “Her Hus- bands,” she says. 1 devotion. R PTG But_there was one old wizard Who 1aid his spell on me. He showed me like a master That one rose makes a gown: That looking up to Heaven looking down. As for me, I think that this child knows more about marriage than most married women, for she has the true writer's ability to take her- self out of herself and be, for the time being, what she is not. Where- fore she speaks, not with the tongue of a child, put with the words of a master SN e S0 in the rivers, far up stream. There v until about one year old. v swim out into the ocean, where they remain from three to four vears, after which they swim back to the identical river where they were hatched, and to the very hatching grounds; there they spawn and die. Salmon fishers have been catching the salmon as they were entering the rivers ready to spawn; but Secretary Hoover forbade such a ruinous prac- tice, which, for the sake of catching one pair, would destroy thousands of unspawned eggs. Merely establishing an open season for salmon fishing would amount to nothing, for the salmon come near the river mouths only in June and July, and so can be caught at no other season. Regula- tion has been secured by licensing the right to catch to certain responsible companies only, and for- bidding all poaching. This has aroused bitter protests from those who are barred, but it has seemed to be the only method for restricting the destruction of the salmon. * X Xx. X The Widow Bedott, of old-time fame, used to write poetry to her beloved. She assured him: “T'll never forsake thee, Oh Shadrack, my Shad.” Today, the whole shad family is in a fair way to be forgotten—a decrease of 70 per cent. Bass, too, are disappearing. They can not be caught for market, though a few may be caught with hook and line for the consumption of the fisherman—he cannot sell them. The reason for the limitation is owing to the habits of the bass. As the weather grows cold the bass gather together, as live stock does, to keep warm. While they are thus hibernat- ing a conscienceless fisherman with a seine can sweep in a whole school of fish in one fell swoop. For example, Mr. Leach, superintendent of the Bureau of Fisheries, tells as a true fish story about seeing one fisher take in one haul 2,200 pounds of bass. Just one haul! A long tom! In the fiscal year of 1923 the Bureau of Fisheries propagated and dis- tributed in the inland waters east of the Rocky Mountains 39,000.000 bass, and 27,000,000 sunfish—second cousins of bass. * % % % In all the Great Lakes the fisheries are important industries. Great num- bers of whitefish and trout are caught in the months of November and Decem- ber—just in their spawning season. The Bureau of Fisheries sends agents to these lake fisheries, who accompany the fishers in their boats. As the fish are taken they are cleaned upon the boats, and the agents, who are there for that purpose, conserve the eggs, which would otherwise be wasted. The eggs are sent to hatcheries After they are hatched and become “fingerlings” they are distributed to the waters of the lakes and streams. * ¥ % X On the Mississippi River, between Rock Island, Iil, and Hastings, Minn, there are thousands of acres of low land which in high water is over- flowed. Congress has authorized the purchase of vast tracts of this land as fish and game preserves—requiring an investment of $3,050,000. Although the land has not yet been taken over, the Bureau of Fisheries annually eaves the lives of millions of fish which have been trapped in its hollows as the water rises and falls. Before these rescued fish are put back into the river they are inoculated with spores of mussel. The mussel—a parasite—clings to the fish without harming it. When it reaches proper age it drops off and takes up its independ- ent life as a self-supporting mussel. The mussel, besides being a food, is & producer of rare pearls, some of which have sold as high as $2,500. Thus, conservation of fish interests milady as well as it does the hunger- stricken male and the brain-weary novelist of either sex hungering fer brain food and inspiration.