Evening Star Newspaper, September 24, 1924, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. P WASHINGTON, D. C. %\, " WEDNESDAY .September 24, 1924 "Wi~FHEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor ‘ ok s bt = ™% Evening Star Newspaper Company Office, 11th St. and Penns York Office: 110 Bast “bicago Office: Tower Bui Surepean Office: 16 Regent St., Londor arian Tbe Evening Star, with the Sunday morning ‘dition, is delivered by carriers within the Wity 3% GO cents per month: daily only. 45 ecits per_menth: Sundar ouly, 20 cenly per month. Or’gs may be sent by mail or tele phone Main 2000, Collection is made by car Ficrs at the end of each month Maryla-sd and Virginia. and Sundi..1yr., $8.40; 1 mo,, 70¢ yr., $6.00 ; 1 mo,, b0¢ $2.40: 1 mo., 20¢ All Other States. Daily and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo,, 85¢ 1rsily only . 1yr, $7.00;1mo., 60c $3.00; 1 mo., 25¢ Member of the Associated Press. ‘The Associsted Press is exclusively entitled 1o the use for republication of all news dis hes credited to it or pot otherwise credited his paper and also the local news pub- bed herein. A1l rights of publication of pecial dispatehes herein are also reserved. == Psychology Tests in Schools. ‘The Board of Education has fully approved by unanimous vote the sys- em of paychological tests and educa- ticnal measurements which here- tofore been introductd experimental 1 tne oeul public school system. This approval followed a protracted hearing it which citizens expressed them- selves both against and in favor of the innovation. In a series of resolu- ons the board affirmed its belief in the value of the program of educa- {tional research and the establishment of opportunity classcs for both rapid slow pupils where possible, and saccelerated promotions when cvidence indicates the probable success of the * pupil in the higher grade. It the psychology tests are applied sclely to determine the fitness of chil- dren to advance more rapidly or the need to hold them back for further ning in their present grades they will undoubtedly be of value. The purpose of the schools is not to foree the children to march in step by routine, but to train and develop them Some children advance more quickly than others. Some are more teachable and comprehend more (uickly. It docs not seem fair to them to hold them back for the slower ones. is it fair to the slower ones to edvance them too rapidly. before they bave learned their carlier lessons thoroughly Some years ago the half-year pro-| motion system was adopted to enable | ehildren who were more facile to progress in accordance with their «ualifications, and also to spare from reedless loss of time those who were | wempelled to remain behind in a par- cular grade or high school vear to r 'w certain studi Then the Juntor high school system was estab- lished for much the mame reason, though partic to relieve the con- ion in the major high schools, es- pecially in the first-vear classes. These methods, it would seem, have worked out satisfactorily to maintain | a steadier current of promotion, with- c~ut unduly forcing the students. The _paychological tests are designed to the same end of more properly placing * the children in accordance with their capabilities. They are, however, still in the experimental stage, although the Board of Education has ratified them. There remains the danger that | they may be conducted on laboratory basis a mere without proper re- gard for the true welfare of the chil- | dren. The public schools should not be forcing beds for the premature de- velopment of human plants. They * should not be conducted to create prodigies, but to give all children the hest possible training in studies which are of value to them for mental de- velopment and for practical service in adult careers. Teaching is a psychological process in any event, and each teacher should bé a character analyst to determine the capacity of the child. The present rew system of tests should be @ sup- plement to the class teachers’' ob- servation, and should not be permit- téd to govern in all respects and to weaken the authority and judgment of those intrusted with the child's in- |* struction. o I - —_— Iintertainment for a visiting mem- ber of Toyalty might properly note on invitations not only “R. S. V. P.,” but "also “advt.” ————— Forecasters are gravely asserting that anything can happen in a politi- »ey an cal campaign as well as in a base ball | . season. The Druggists. The National Association of Retail #7"Druggists is holding its twenty-sixth «»annual convention in Washington. The evolytion of the drug store from a , Place of powders, pills, tinctures, sticks of licorice and stacks of almanacs toa 3 shop where many things not Mrictly" agents are sold | The old-fashioned | "'dfug store of fiftyyears ago was | assed as remedial las been rapid. 0 zenerally o» horrars, vlace of rorrows and d the pharmacy chemist'’s shop” of an earlier time was a place which people patronized only through fear or necessity. No doubt there are today some ‘“‘drug- 4o, SiSts” Who are not pharmacists, but ++ the drug store is still a pharmacy, . even though the drug odors have seen aired out, the gilt mortar and pestle have been removed from the sidewalk and the globes of red and green fluid taken from the window. Pharmacy has been described as the “=art of preparing and dispensing ___ remedial agents, and the modern drug +® -store, handsore in the arrangement ¥ and @isplay of goods and crowded by __“seople nek all of whom are wretched, {1 svomains the place where some reme- slss cial agents are prepared and a great " variety of them arec dispensed. Phar- macy is an ancient and honorable calling. Tts “reek word which may be translated o o) ot L ‘the practice of witchcraft.” Old 9 pssyrian, Babylonian and Bgyptian inscriptions show that there were paysicians in those times and the phyeieian was also the pharmacist. Bible are references to a fig or | name comes from a cither as “the use of medicine” or | plants. Tn pagan creeds the clergy assumed to practice body-healing, and the pagan priest was something of a physiclan and pharmacist, but not much. People lost faith in the sacerdotal doctor and put their faith in the specialist in bodily ills and plant virtues. There was a long period in Europe when the “herbalists” held a good deal of public confidence, and these were physicians who srew plants and made medicine from them. The separation of the arts of prescrib- ing and compounding did not come suddenly, and perhaps Dr. Morgan at Philadelphia in 1 did as much as uny other man to establish pharm: as a separate art science. The first American pharmacopoeia was published by William Brown in 1778, and this was used in the hospitals of the Continental Army. The first edi- tion of the Pharmacopoeia of the United States was published in 1820, following the issue of the Pharma- copoeia of the Massachusetts Medical Society in 1808. Pharmacy has been a progressive art. Many “remedies” have become obsolete and many new. remwedies dis- covered. Old remedies of proved worth bave been made more effi The p swung trom cous or ent. rmacists have away horrible and “reme- dies” to remedies efficient and pala- table. Ways have been found to make unpalatable vemedies takable by the e of sugar and gelatin coating and capsules. The age of powdered drugs has been passed, the essential prin- ciple in plants has been discovered and fluld extracts produced. Chemistry and pharmacy have been allies in the work of relicving suffering and mak- ing cures. The education of the phar- macist has become more comprehen- sive and exacting as the years have passed. e rate. Gov. Smith’s Conversion. Gov. Smith's means of publicly an- nouncing his willingness to run again in New York is in keeping with the role he has adopted of being drafted for duty instead of secking office. Questioned about the prospect of the Syracuse convention, when he reached that city yesterday for a conference, he said to reporters: “It looks as if the whole ticket will be renominated.” Perhaps the governor will make some sort of explanation of why he changed his mind, after having so strongly indicated his unwillingness to sacrifice more of his time in public of- fice at the expense of his personal fortune. He so declared himself after the close of the Madison Square Gar- den convention, and made it plain that his purpose was to retire to private lite in order to re-enter business and make money. For two months he has been the object of incessant importuni- ties and pleadings. Party leaders have begged, implored, cajoled, and, it is tntimated, even bulldozed him in an | effort to secure his consent to anothes nomination. The other day they glee- fully announced that he had con- sented. Will the argument that finally ef- fected this conversion ever be made known? The governor's position was perfectly logical in the beginning. He had spent so much time in politics | that he had impoverished himself. baving nothing but his salary, and not a large onc at that. Devotion to his office left him no time for private business. His duty was to himself rather than to his party, which he had already served faithfully. But somebody, somehow, changed this point of view. Was the large and loyal vote cast for him at Madison Saquare Garden for so many ballots | for President used in persuasion, as a promising indication of what may | happen in 19287 Or was the senator- | ship which will be fought for in 1926 a factor of inducement? “’It looks as if the whole ticket will be renominated.” A simple sentence, but with a background of most in- teresting significance. ——————— The task of reading the campaign specehes down to date is before Mr. W. G. McAdoo. He will find nothing 8o interesting as the proceedings of the New York convention. —— As an artist in his line, Gaston B. Means feels under apparent. obliga- tion to provide himself with new material every time he comes before | an audience. ————————— At present Congressman J. P. Hill is concentrating on a special phase of the unemployment problem, the ques- tion being whether cider shall be per- mitted to go on working. ————— War is evidently regarded by the Chinese as one of those ancestral cus- toms which must not under any cir- cumstances be forsaken. —————— Farmers and laborers may find it easier to get together on political matters than on the question of wages for harvest hands. Kew Jersey Primaries. Results of yesterday’s primaries in | New Jersey serve to indicate that this State remains “as wet as the Atlantic Ocean,” as former Gov. Edwards once s he would have it be. Senator Walter E. Edge was renominated in one of the most bitter contests the State has cver witnessed. Early-morn- ing dispatches gave his lead over Hamilton F. Kean, his contestant, as more than 50,000 Senator Edge was recognized a5 an avowed *‘wet.” A brief line in the Associated Press report is further illuminative. It says that the only Democratic Representa- tive in Congress to fail of renomina- tion was John Eagan of the eleventh | district, who was defeated by Oscar L. Auf der Heaide, “who ran on a light-wine-and-beer platform.”” A contributing cause to Senator | Edge’'s victory appears to have been that he was in possession of the party machinery, whiler his contestant was “on the outside, looking in."” Mr. Kean had complained that Senator Edge had used his power of patronage to his own advantage, the latter retort- ing that it was only to maintain an efficient party organization and to in- culcate a healthy party spirit. The outcome showed that the ap- prehended opposition of the women's @l to remedial virtwes of{vote failed to register, The woman voters had opposed Edge on his al- leged record of failing to support their policies on civic and welfare legisla- tion. Senator Edge's troubles are not over, however, with the renomination. He is to be opposed at the polls in November by George L. Record as an independent Republican and Rev. James K. Shields, former superintend- ent of the Anti-Saloon League, is to run as an avowed dry. This three- cornered contest in the Republican party will lend interest to the cam- paign for the election, and is held to strengthen the prospects of Mayor Frederick W. Donnelly of Trenton. who had no opposition in his party for the Democratic nomination for Senator. —_——— Fire Prevention Week. Observance of Fire-prevention week will begin October 5, or the day after the beginning of the world series at Washingten, if all goes well, or just well enough, with our valiant wielders of the hickory club and hurlers and catchers of the horschide sphere. Splendid things, as well as troubles, seem to come not singly, but in bat talions. The Commissioners have ap- { pointed a committee to arrange for the annual cbservance of Fire-preven- U in conformity with the! i resident’s proclamation that the weck fror October 3 to 11 shall be a period for intensive educational work throughout the Nation to reduce the loas in human lives and prop rty dam- age each year from fire The committee will arrange “some sort of public demonstration that will call forceful attention to the cnormous destructive power of a blaze.” and “will | procecd as in the past on the theory that nearly all fires are preventable.” Let all join in the observance and learn lessons that may profit us throughout the year, and other years. —_———t——— Much trouble would have been averted had Germany before the war shown the same cautious deliberation she now manifests in approaching foreign relationships. weelk e —————————— The question of “war guilt” is not of such serious world importance just now as the management of finance in | such a manner as to prevent accumu- lations of war gold. —_—————————— Looking for a comet at least re- licves the astronomers from any necessity of theorizing whether the object of their investigation was or ever will be habitable. ———————————— | In a very few years the round-the-| world flight will be respected as a| memorable achievement and at the| same time be regarded as a compara- | tively slow journey. ——t——— One way for a candidate to call| ttention to the fact that his hat was | hrown into the ring is to take it up and pass‘it for campaign contribu- { tions. e Farmers and laborers are supposed | to get togther more agreeably in poli- | tics than they do in arranging wages | for planting and harvesting. —_——— | Circumstances have caused W. J.| Bryan to refrain from favoring “He | | Ain’t No Relation of Mine” as a cam- | paign gong. SHOOTING STARS. | BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. | Recurrence. { | Where are the friends of childhood days? I do not know: ! For they have gone their different | ways Long years ago. | { Where are the storied elves and fays That charmed me so, Then vanished from my wistful gaze?— 1 do not know. | How to retracé the Memory Maze | | 1 do not know. | Time like the Hamlin Piper plays | { So sweet and low. {O01d semblances and ancient lays | Flit to and fro. Are they the friends of other days? " I do not know. Looking for Something Easi “What are you going to talk about “Politics, of 'course,” answered | Senator Sorghum. | aturally. your favorite theme.” Not by a long shot. It's what| the crowd positively demands. Per- somally T'd like to switch off for a while to evolution or the Emstein Different Methods. While one detective wears gum shoes | And stealthily draws nigher, | Another loves to spread the news And wants an amplifier. Jud Tunkins says he guesses he'll {stop abusing the big corporations, | because there’s no telling what they | might do if somebody succeeded in | really making them mad. Daylight Saving. With clocks we've been making so free . They've been running 'most every ‘which way, And you must an astronomer be To know the exact time of day. On His Own Responsibility, “How did you come to elect Mesa Bill sheriff?” “He simply couldn't keep out o' | | trouble,” answered Cactus Joe. “So| | we declded to give him a position | { where he'd come by it natural an’ be | | under obligations to look out for | | hisselt.” | | ‘Taking Turns. | | Three Parties write on hist'ry's page | | With a peculiar wiggle. { When any two in conflict rage, | The third: proceds to giggle. “De man ain® moch good to his fam'ly,” said Uncle Eden, Swho never thinks "boyt de baby needin' new shoes ‘ceppin’ when - he’s puttin’ | foods | sumes grotesque shape | hailston {is in corn t | words | statement {the statue was taken down, and the | shipped to New | @ survey on this question, and found in your next speech?” 9 ! says | 1sland bent, | nadian bluegrass do best D ¢, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 192 ‘Answers to Questions BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. When did the teams of the Na- tional League first adopt distinctive colors in their uniforms?—C. D. W. A. Until 1882 the teams were permit- ted to wear uniforms of any color, but in that season a rule was adopted to prevent any two from wearing the same color. It was decreed that the colors of the various teams should be: Chicago, white: Boston, red; Providence, light blue; Cleveland, navy blue; Troy, green ; Ruffalo, gray; Worcester. brown; De- ! troit, od gold. Q. Was the late President Harding's life insured, and if so for how much?— H. K. M, A. The late President Harding car- ried life insurance amounting to $52,000. Q. How many Ford cars are in exist- ence?—M, L. A. The Ford Motor Co, estimatos that 7,000.000 of the 10,000,000 cars produced by the company are still running. The first car, which was made by Ford alone, is sald to be still in good running order. Q. Why is salt such a good preserva- tive of vegetables, meat, fish and other . W. A. When sprinkled on meat, fish or vegetablos salt extracts water from them, forming solution so strong that bacteria cannot grow therein. Q. How do hens obtain the lime that forms the shell of the egg?—J. M. A. Ordinarily a hen does not consume | iin envugh to form the shells of egg: if s=he is laying abundantly. Oyster shells are very gnod {or this purpose; i box of crushed shelis may be kept be- fore the fow's, allowing them to eat at will. Old mortar and fine gravel are | also useful in supplying lime. Q. Why is Keokuk, lowa, City?—G. C. K. Gate City is a popular name for Keokuk, Towa, from its situation at the head of navigation on the Mississippi. This term is aleo applied to Atianta, Ga, which was o named by Jefferson Davis on account of the importance of its position. lled Gate Q. Where is the Garden of the Gods?—W. G. T. A. This is the name fiven to a region in Colorado near olorado Springs covering about 500 acres, and | remarkable for the strange forms of the rocks with which it is covered. | The red and white sandstone here as- to which va. rious names have been Q. What maximum size of A. The maximum lstoncs cannot positively ated, but stones larger than a ma fist and weighing more than a pound have several times been reported. During a hailstorm in Natal, on April o stones fell that weighed one and onc-half pounds. Hailstenes 14 inches in circumference fell in New South Wales in February, 13 | Q. What States are included corn belt”—W. S. W i A. The Department of Agriculture says Ohio, Indiana, Tlinois, Towa, Missouri, eastern K. . eastern Ne- | braska, southeast Dakota and south- east Missouri are included in the corn| belt. In Delaware, Maryland, Vir-| ginia. Kentucky and higher percentage of the possible size of h: in the| corn belt proper, and these State sometimes referred to as the Central Comm f3elt Q. What wer Rhodes' dying | - done. o much to do!| God bl ou.” A So li Good-bye. Q. How long did Helen Keller study the raised ibet before learning the letters?—K. B. A. Her teacher is authority for the that Miss Kellar learned all the letters, both capital and small, in one day. Q. Why did the White House fiy a flag with a red star and a bear on it a short time ago?—E. C. P. A. This was the State flag of Cali-| fornia and it was flown by the White | House with the American flas tol celebrate the & ot Califor- | nia's admission to the Union. € nia was admitted September 9, 1850. Q. From what animal are dogs sup- posed to be descended?—Y. F. A. According to Darwin, all mestic dogs are descended from a few wild animals, such as wolves, dingos and jackals. Q Who was the founder of the| Democratic party?—C. R. A. Thomas Jefferson is usually| recognized the first exponent of the principles on which this party was founded, although the party w the outgrowth of the ideals of many leaders prior to actual organization. Q. Was “Liberty Enlightening the World,” the statue in New York har- bor, brought to this country as a finished statue?—D. L A. After being exhibited in Paris pleces were packed in 210 cases and York on the vessel Isere. Q. What seems to be the favorite pastime of successful men?—N. AL L. A. The New York Times conducted that out of 240 men, 85 preferred fishing. 74 golf, shooting. The uestionnaires were sent to promi- nent statesmen, clergymen, bankers, doctors, Army and Navy officers, edu- cators, actors, business men and ar- tists. Q. How many bills were introduced at the first session of the Sixty- eighth Congress?—H. G. A. There were 10,436 bills and reso- lutions introduced in the House and 3.485 in the Senate. Q. What is the best kind of grass to plant in shady places?—C. T. T. A. The Department of Agriculture that of lawn grasses the Rhode creeping bent and Ca- Kentucky bluegrass weil. In the the shade than in the open. Along the | Gulf coast the gra: carpet | grass An- stands shade { | other good grass for shade on clay lands in the moist regions of the ex- treme South is the large water grass. Q. Why is briar wood used for pipes?—B. K. L. A. This particular wood is used be- cause of its non-inflammable char- acter, which it owes to the high pro- portion of salicylates contained in its fibers. Q. What is the saying relating to the “most American thing in Amer- ica?”—R. F. A. Theodore Roosevelt, speaking at Chautauqua, once designated the Chautauqua system is “the most American thing in America.” Q. Can perforated postage stamps be used?7—R. M. T. A. The Post Office Department eays that perforated stamps are accept- able, many concerng perforating the stamps they use for identification. (It is certain that you pwszle daily over questions that we cam angwer for you. You are comfronted dy prodlems. grave to you, which can bde answered | €asily by us. Our attention is directed chiefly to matters of fact. In matters legal, medical and financial we do not give strictly professional advice, but even in these we can often smooth yowr woy and provide the contact you necd with technicians. Make a practice of asking us wAat you do not kmow. Ad- dress The Star Information Burcas, Prederic J. Haskin, Dircctor, Teenty- first and O strects morthwest. Inclose eloquence into 2 craps AR . 12 qair in stomgn o o direet reiNd | Siberia. nent. in shade. | by default, for Great Britain, recog- | DISTRICT’S SCHOOL PROBLEM Inadequate Facilities for Education of Youth a Re- proach to the National Capital. BY JAMES E. CHINN, ARTICLE VI With school authorities planning a comprehensive five-year building pro- gram to meet the accumulated short- age of public school accommodations, a special committee of the Beard of Education is making an exhaustive investigation of another emergency scheme—the platoon school—advo- cated as an expedient to relieve the serious congested conditions which are retarding educational progress In the Nation's Capital Platooning of the elementary schools where overcrowding is more pronounced has loomed upon the horizon of those who are depressed with the conditions in the public school system as a temporary road to relief. The platoon school is not a new fdea in American education. Sixty cities in 24 States have adopted it to combat overcrowding. One of Washington's schools, the Park View, has been operating successfully on the platoon plan for four and one-half years. * % Dr. Frank W. Ballou, €uperintend- ent of schools, is opposed to the in- troduction of the platoon system Into any more of the District’s gchools, fearing that it will jeopardize the success of the proposed legislation on the five-year building program. Furthermore, he believes that the Washington schools generally are too small for the introduction of the platoon plan. The basis of Supt. Ballou's philoso- phy, however, is that the people have a right to as ‘good schools structually and educationally as they are willing to pay for. and has taken the posl- tion that if, after due consideration of all the facts and principies in- volved, the people think it wise to adopt ‘a_policy of platooning the schools, the school board should pro- jeeed to organize the schools on that plan, regardless of his professional view's. * * ¥ Many and varied are the platoon stems now in use. Fundamental- ly. the platoon schoel is a single school with two different types of lities in more or less constant and simultaneous operation through- out tho day. The duplicate school endeavors to give a longer day, a richer curriculum and more varied activities with the most intensive use of the school plant. The platoon system enough regular classroc one-Lalf the pupil capaci school; special facili care for the other half. cilities are: of the enrol require: s the Tic t to These fa- Auditorium, 10 per cent ment: gymnastum, 10 per cent of the enrollment: music room, per cent of the enrollment; art room. 5 per cent of the enrollment: library, 5 per cent of the enroll- ment; science and geography, 5 per cent ‘of the enrollment, and play ground, per nt of the enroliment. Correlating with and necessitated by this platooning certain other mod- fica 5 | the hool are incorporated into the daily program of the platoon school. Un- less this time is thening the school day to six hours in the piatoon schools, this ad- ditional time must be taken out of the time now devoted to the so- called fundamentals in the traditinoal schools. 2. A more varied school equip- ment to provide appropriate educa- tion while pupils are assigned to the special faeilitics. IN THE SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL V. COLLINS The tyranny of the Arctic is lentless. In 1921 Capt. Vilhjalmur Stefans- son left a detachment of four scien- tists and an Eskimo woman upon Wrangel Tsland, off the coast of Last Summer a relief ship, commanded by Capt. Noice, found that the men had died, and the woman, Ada Blackjack, was on the verge of insanity. due to her lonz strain of lonely and desperate suffer- ing. Capt. Noice brought the woman back to civilization, but left on the island Charles Wells, and a party of 13 Eskimos who desired to hunt walrus. On August 23 the U. S. schooner Herman, under Capt. Noice, left Nome, Alaska. to make a second attempt to bring back the Wells party—a June effort having failed. Its arrival at ‘Wrangel Island is likely to be mis- construed as reaffirmation of the title of the United States to that desolate terra firma. Authorities de- re- | clare, however, that the title requires no reconfirmation to establish validit its * x K ok Wrangel Island has an area of 239 squarc miles which is covered with perpetual ice and snow. Its history dates back a little more than a cen- tury. It was first discovered in 1821 by a Russlan ship, and was named in honor of the Russian admiral, Baron Ferdinand von Wrangel, who had done notable exploring of the north coast of Siberia and, from 1829 to 1834, was governor of Alaska. Admiral von Wrangel never saw the island which became a monument to his name. Many years passed, but Russia took no action toward as- suming sovereignty over it In 1849 the island was rediscovered by a British naval expedition under Capt. Kellett, who sailed close in, but did not land. He named it Kellett Land, supposing it to be a peninsula of a great Arctic cont! Again, actual possession went nizing that the land was worthless to claim it. although the Kellett dis- covery gave her a prima facie title. In 1881 two United States naval vessels, secking to bring relief to the long-lost Arctic explorer, Capt. De Long of the U. S. S. Jeanette and his party of scientists, landed men upon Wrangel Island. Later, the United States Navy made a complete survey of its coasts, and the island appears on the official maps of the United States as belonging to this Nation. These expeditions were followed by that of Stefansson, the Swedish ex- plorer, in 1932. It is said that he bad made appeals to Canada for finances to enable him to make the trip, and, in return, had promised (or expected) to reimbuse Canada by adding is- 1ands to her domain. It is not known that any funds were advanced, but it is reported that both Canada and England were surprised when they learned that Capt. Stefansson had 1 5 land to the | wherein is .quoted Daniél Webster's annexed” Wrangel Ioland emcials | celchrated correspondence with the British Empire. declare that Great Britain has no in- tention of setting up a serious claim to the island. * ¥ ¥ % Two phases of the question of Wrangel lsland_and its ownership aro interesting. Worthless until now, Capt. Stefansson prophesies that within eight or ten years it may be- come a valuable supply station for airships traveling from England acress the North Pole, thereby short- ening the connections between Enge land and India by several hundred miles. The claim is discounted by authorities, who point out that travel ia no longer merely P ki et T b6 provided for by | ! parents” and the school authorities, | | | days — not outh it does better in for human habitation, made no effort | i | 1ot | in days before steam power. 2. A corps of teachers especially trained for these special activitles which would become a part of the daily program of every pupil. * ¥ % x As auditoriums are essential to every platoon school, Dr. Ballou does not belleve that the system could be introduced into the Washington schools on an extensive scals be- cause of the lack of assembly halls. Figures compiled by the superin- tendent show that only seven ele- mentary buildings have auditoriums that are usable. They are the E. V. Brown, Park View, Henry D. Cooke, Bryan, Thomson, Cleveland and Mott. The Powell School also has an audi- torfum but it {s to be converted into a junior high school next February. Playgrounds and gymnasiums also are necessary in platoon schools and Dr. Ballou points out that none of the elementary schools has an in- door play space, while the play- grounds are not generally adequate for platoon use. * % = Back in November, 1921, soon after Dr. Ballou came to Washington, he | gave consideration to the introduc- tion of the platoon system in the | schools. At that time he asked Robert L. Haycock, then supervising principal of the third division, in which the Park View was located, | and now aesistant superintendent, to report on the work at Park View. Mr. Haycock's conclusions were then: “l. The platoon system cannot be introduced satisfactorily in the Dis- trict of Columbia by converting our largest elementary buildings into platoon schools. Many large build- ings of an expensive type must be constructed at a higher cost per pupil than those now being con- structed. The cost of instruction— that is the cost of teachers—must necessarily increase also under such a poli “2. A six-hour day is necessary if tho best program of work-study- play is to be carried out. With a five-hour day the directed play cannot be introduced. “3. There is considerable doubt in the minds of many leading educa- tors as to the advisability of fitting the smaller children into a program that will draw them away from the ‘mothering’ influence of one teacher. To avoid retardation of pupils more coaching teachers are n in platoon schools than in s the ordinary type, because teacher cannot give the necessary in- dividual help to 70 or 80 pupils. ! . Tho city that adopts the pla- | toon system on an cxtensivo scale | must consider plans for the train- ing of teachers especially for the | work. This is now being dons in Detroft. “6. The Park View platoon school organized as an emergency measure because of the congested school pop- ulation in that neighborhood, has been operated on a high plana of | efficiency by the principal and an | able corps of teachers who have adapted themselves admirably to the| platoon plan. Tho work done under | this new organization has not been | a failure. On the other hand the new system has becn operated suc- essfully to the satisfaction of th but there have Leen many handicaps | to overcome and numerous problems | that must remain unsolved because of the lack of facilities in that type building. accord with Mr. Haycock’s conelu- | dlons, and some of them he would state even more forcefully. | ter what improvements may be made in aerial travel, they will never change the terrors of the Arctic. Eng- | land is now considering an aerial route across Europe to India by which the trip will be made in four four weeks by sailing through the Suez Canal, nor in as many months, via Southern Africa,as * * % The other point of interest in the question of ownership of the island comes in connection with Capt. Ste- fansson's assumption that such title lapses at the expiration of five years from the original discovery unless the government takes active steps to confirm its rights by making settle- ment, or proclaiming an intent to ex- ercise sovareignty. There is no such international law. Soverelgnty may lapse if, within a reasonable time after discovery, the government makes no effort to con- firm _its rights. But ‘reasonable time” varies with each case and de- pends upon circumstances. Moore's International Law Digest, Vol. I, pp. 265-266, says: “In 0ld times the acts relied on-as giving title * * ¢ have scattered at wide intervals over a long space of time. * ¢ ¢ RBut of late years a marked change has occurred. * o A tendency has consequently de- clared itself to exact that more solid grounds of title shall be shown than usoed to be adopted as sufficient. The most notable evidence of this tend- ency is afforded by the last declara- tion adopted at the Berlin conference of 1885 * & ¢ (The United States ‘WaAS a party to that conference with all the powers of Europe.) The con- ference agreed that: “Any power which henceforth takes possession of a tract of land on the ©coasts of the African continent shall accompany the respective act with a notification thereof, addressed to the other signatory powers of the pres- eny act, in order to enable them, if | need be, to make good any claims of | their own."” While the above agreement was di- | rected toward Africa only, it is | claimed that the principle that noti- fication is sufficlent—with the ab. sence of any requirement of occupa- tion of any kind within any specified time—applies everywhere in the ab- sence of any other such international definition of what is to be required. The American survey of Wrangel Islang, it is alleged, covers such offi. cial notification to all the world as to our ownership. * x * But now that Capt. Stefansson has raised a doudt as to our rights, the Soviet governor of the northernmoet province of Siberia declares that ‘Wrangel Island has always belonged to Russia, under the law of proxim- ity. (It is 107 miles from the nearest Siberian cape.) A similar claim {s recorded in Moore’s International Law Digest, Volume I, page 265, Peruvian Minister In 1852 concern- ing the claim of Peru to ownership of Lobos Islands, on which were valua- ble deposits of guano. Americans had gone to the islands and had carried away shiploads of [ guano. Peru protested, alleging that, | i | tiguity, since the Islands were only 37 miles off the coast, under the law of con- they belonged to Peru. Mr. Webster, as Secretary of State, de- nied the claim on the ground that contiguity extended only to the “three-mile limit—as far as a eannon could shoot to defend the clalmed islanda” - / AR R =fibss tos grest & d&s- ri o8 & e 55 Sepicu { Coolidge Politics at Large BY N. 0. MESSENGER Six weoks from now we will know the worst—or the best, according to the individual point of view the millions of ballots have fluttercd into the boxes in the voting booths November 4. A world of political f- fort must be exerted in the mean-| time in eampaign management and maneuvering. Veritable floodgates, of | | oratory, argument and expletive will | be opened. Some of the biggest guns | of the campaign are yet to lay down their barrage, while others already in action will continue to roar. The! country will have no difficulty in | learning what it is all about, | = * % % | In some political quarters it contended that a large percentage of | the voters have already made up| their minds and that those who have | done so are not likely to be shak n by the coming appeals of the cam-| Paigners. That may be true as to the ultraconservative group and the deeply thoughtful, but it is not to; be lost sight of that in this campaign | there is an element of the electorate | which is being appealed to on gro that are far from congervative and likely to appeal more to prejudice than to serious judgment, | say that bas a tactical Politicians Senator la Folletee advantage 1over his opponents in postponing his | final drive to such a late day in the | campaign. He has made only candidaey and the opening of 1 tual campaign last week. It m a w Or two yet before he starts on the big drive. That will leave his opponents rather scant time in Which to respond to and attack his asscrtions and claims. fe likely to be thrown into a tumult of discussion by Senator La ¥ peculiar style of campaigning, some of the Republican and I cratic leaders wish there turther time in which to refute arguments and give the country POrtunity to analyze them, 3 * % x % The opening statem weeks we will know have been a rash Assuming that “the worst an indecisive election, throwing choice of President into the Homse | and pessibly ul ately into the Sen- ate through the choice of a Vice Fresi dent, the “worst may be yet to come There can be no Concealing the fact that many leaders in the two oid par- Ues are “gravely concerned over the | posibility of the La Follutte ticke: | polling such a heavy vote as to pre- | clude either of the candidates of the old parties from establishing & major ity of the electoral college at the polis November 4. Rcpublican leaders are basing their hopes on an expectad | landslide which will give | Rim the requisite 266 electoral votes. But La Follette s admittedly strong | in many Western States and if he can | Rold out the bare number of elec-| toral votes necessary to keep Presi- | dent Coolidge below that fizure, the | election goes to Congress. | = % % % If the country wakes morning of November 4 to Senator La Follette has hedg dent Coolidge or John W. D from this v 1 266 the coun face & political crisis which in all circumstances may prove the gravest n political histor; There will lu! erious months ahead full of anxie ty and perplexity in which it will be possidle to form all sorts of combi- nations in Congress to sway the final and will be the on d tha Presi- is off | \\lli] up fin | selection of a President. This would e certain to greatly affect busines and industry at a time when the fu ture seems to hold more promise of world stabilization threugh the set- tlement of affairs in Europe e eS This consideration, when once it is| fully understood by the country, is ox pected to have effect upon the cie. tion favorable to the Republicans. The growth of the La Folletta strength carrying this menace of sending ti choice of I'resident to the Congre: is counted upon to have great in- fluence in swaying the voters to “tak« no chances” and to make sure of hav. | | Ing their votes effective by cast them for the man who seems now 1o be the leading candidate. This state- | ment is not a disparagement of John ‘W. Davis' prospects. It cannot be de nied that public sentiment appears at this time to be more in President Coolidge's favor than for the Demo- | cratic candidate. Senator La Follette is yet to make his majer appeal to the voters, but the stronger he makes it and the more effective it is the greater become the possibilities of the selection going to Congress. * ¥ * 3 This is the favorite timo for straw votes and polls. Many newspapers are making them and they are being gathered in pldces of amusement, factories, on trains and in all kinds of places where pcople meet or pas In nearly all of these polls President Coolidge is shown as leading, ‘nator la Follette trailling him closely and Mr. Davis running a more or less close third. These polls e to point to the existence of a La Follette strength which if translated into electoral votes would give him the position for which he is striving to send the selection to Congress. * ¥ x % ‘William G. McAdoo is scheduled to loom prominently on the political horizon for the next fortnight. He is back from Europe after his defeat by Mr. Davis for the presidential nomination, and all Democratic eses are centered upon him in expecta- tion of bis making good his promise to render active support to the Demo- cratic national ticket He is to start in on a speechmaking trip to the Pacific_coast right away. The Demoeratic managersare count- ing heavily upon his efforts in b Jhalf of the ticket. There is no indl cation of any reason to doubt the sincerity of his promise or that he will carry it out in full measure. ‘When it is realized that Mr. McAdoco devoted six years to building up a following In his aspiration to the presidential nomination which was frustrated by circumstances influ- enced by conditions that did not furnish a fair test on his own merits, it can be realized what a power he may prove in the campaign. The Democratio managers expect him to enthuse new life into the somewhat lagging Demoeratio campaign. * ¥ ¥ % Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York 1s to supplement Mr. McAdoo's effort as a national figure. At this writing Gov. Smith is expected to be a eandi- date for re-elsction to the governor- ship. If this occurs his prestige will be increased and he will be linked up closer with the national party. It is no reflection upon John W. Davis that he should seemingly be 80 dependent upon the aid of two men who were contestants with him for the nomination. The future political Interest of both Mr. McAdoo and Gov. Smith would appear to be involved in the success of the na- tional ticket, although some politi- cians argue that it would be to the interest of both Mr. MeAdoo and Gov. Smith if Mr. Davis were de- feated. 1832, even though cannons can shoot farther todsy. lfl'l‘mfi“?:l:hh' ur::- ognizes no greater limi 20 ea miles—except by special consent in the case u‘m defanse against the S, 2%, by Dt SO is ) i corpuscles) which forr two | 5 addresses, the announcement of his | The country | lette’s | Perhaps the t ‘ashington is the number of t " count for the e THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, : A THIS AND THAT Intor each life Scmme duvs mo iny day some rain must fal t be durk and drears Wast in mnc, because day ye we happen it is different, er all, n read about it raining out West < DaEs on o something more intere.! ing. ot that rainstorm continue castward sweep, Lowever, soor ar: king about the rai in the om of capillarics relaxed, out of kilter, The average person never gives thought in his whole lifs to ! capillaries. Most of us do not evin know we have any capillaries. W wouldn't know a capillary i¢ we me it in the middle of the road. Webster says a capillary minute, thin-walled vessel, smallest lymphatic and biliary v sels, espectally one of the blocd veesels (the emallest bare permitting the passage of the blood networls nearly all parts of the body.” Some way or other, rainy weathe relax llaries, with the rr sult fecl out of sort gloo) mean to dog: cats only gets ons [ a direct ph to ompla day, « you minded, Rain not Just how this evil e relaxing process I am explain. Ask your doctor. feel your puls wise about the weatl So there i s one dowr, me excuse 10 the o be | man on a street car onm a Even the sweet ladies will growl you if you dare them to st asido to permit your humble self advance down the 105t striking man tation of the effect of rain on t} n svstem is the universal lat. 153 which bescts Washington whe | the water starts falling down abou T am Every Government private ae office, knows t tHe =loom of the normal darkness of think the alarm ¢ turn over for other bane of a rainy day n fact that the lat. owd the street cars to over Whereas usually one m at on certain lines in ti neighborhood of 8 o'clock, those wh n bright davs leave for work fail to get to the car track until around % o'clock. Thu alonz unusvally crowded c ing. Undoubtedly ing is to hose wh tine, some of th use of cars ar ny morn crow car walk to work however, c. ereat enough to a crowded cars. Relay: o tainly c t be e, wet and zli o Washington ra Sodden houses, build automobiles. all thes tho trees. Washinzt her trees as long ning, help m s unique. 55, stree are set off by should keep pos Asphalt streets turmning from gra to glistening black is one of the mo: eresting phénomenons of a ra ay in the Xa o many thing { ally rainstorm strikes ‘ormation from dull g oughfares, to shiny, black k and complete. With & rush the rain ‘mak | transformation. Tops of auton take a shiny hue, roofs under the water, flags flap again the beating drops. If a stiff wind accompanies the rain the flash water careening off {asphalt is a striking t The number of women out in . rain_without umbrellas is & note- worthy thing. Just why women hats to carry umbrellas s a mystery. O would "think, with their liking for clothes, they would rather like to keep their dresses fresh. Nothing of the kind { woman would rathe | luz along an um | sort recently b helped some in till women and cloudy s Men lers wnd that about Almost any get soaked that ella. I tubby come popular h this regard, g0 out or rul a dry p four times as wet . of cou slop along in the ral after they reach the age of discretion | wear overshoes. 1 * £ x ¥ | _“The useful trouble of the rain Tennyson called it, in his dull “Idyil of the King.” Truly, rain in a big city pars bir dividends. Not only does it clean the strects in a way that no street cleaning department, no matter how efficient, can do it, but {t clears t| air, it, puts oxygen into i, ozone, “pep.” Sometimes the air of a big citr, even a city as clean as this one, geit~ sort of musty. Espacially in war: weather is this true. Personally believe that the widespread trec system hera helps kecping our | find trees, = ower: likely to find good air. A rain, now and n, Is necessar | to zive the blanket of air over a ci | a thorough washing. much as a good | housewife washes her blankets This is the function of a rain a big city. Here we have no need for rain for crops, although we feel better when it rains, knowing that the farmers need the rain more than we do. When it rains on Washington, usually it {8 raining in Maryland, Virginia and other States. PR A face at tho window. 3 2 Who 't 11 'that wants me Tonight @ the ratn? A rainy night is a good night to b in the house. The other fine trme to be indoors is during a violent snowstorm, when the wind is howlin: outside, and the snow beating down in great drifts. A sound roof and a dry basement | —lis not that the ideal for a house, us well as for a man? The patter of rain on a roof musfc to most of us, either havins been a childhood experience or thing of which we have read so man. times that we think the recollect is our own. In these days the finest rainy nig! diversion of all is possible—listeni in over the radio to a broadcast pro- gram. Luckily, radio reception is usually very good on a rainy night although there are some exceptions To sit, warm and dry, listening to musio winging its way through the downpour is an experience that science and art have given to UB in s asky you a bt