Evening Star Newspaper, October 30, 1924, Page 6

With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. "PHURSDAY. . ..October 30, 1924 ¥HEODORE W. NOYES. . . . Editor + Whe Evening Star Newspaper Company . Business Office, 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave, : New York Office: 110 East 420d St. Ofice: Tower Buildi 6 Regent 8t.,London, England. The Dvening Star, with the Sunday morning @dition, is delivered by carriers within the eity at 60 cents per moath: dally only, 45 eents per month: Sunday only, 20 cents per month. Orders may, be went by mail or tele- phone Main 3000. @oilection is made by car- Fiers at the end of each month, Rate by Mail—Payable in A Maryland and Virgini Daily and Sunday.1 yr., $8.40 Daily only 8unday only .. All o Daily and Sunday. yr., $10.00;1 m Daily only ......1yr, $7.00;1 m S8unday only ....1y! $3.00;1 m 85¢ 60c 25¢ Member of the Amsociated Press. The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dis- Patches credited to it o not otherwise credited in_this paper and also the local news pub. lished here: All rights of publication of special dispatches be re also reserved. —_— Britain Goes Conservative. An overwhelming victggy for the Conservative party has been the re- sult of the elections which took place yesterday in Great Britain. The earliest returns indicated a considera- ble gain for that party at the expense of both the Laborites and the Liberals. As more constituencies have reported these gains have increased until the count at 4:30 p.n. today, London time, stood thus: Conservatives, 373 seats; Laborites, 138; Liberals, 38, and other parties, 12, a total of 561 out of 615 seats, The Conservatives have thus won an absolute majority over all in the next House of Commons, en- abling them to organize the govern- ment, probably under the premiership of Stanley Baldwin. This is not an unexpected result. Of the two parties greatly in oppo- though _jointly numerically than the ministerial La- the Conservatives were in a position to make the greater gains. They had a4 more distinct policy to oppose to that of the gov- ernment than had the Liberals, whose position has been rather midway be- tween the Conservative and Laborite lines, The Liberals could offer noth- ing to attract voters from the Labor ranks, while the Conservatives, with a more definite oppositon, could draw voters from the Liberals. An intensive campaign has been conducted during the past three weeks to arouse the entire electcrate to ob- tain a full expression at the polls, It @ppears to have been remarkably suc- cessful, the total vote far exceeding those cast at any previous British clection. Great numbers of women went to the polls yesterday and the resul em to reflect their influence markedly. The Liberal party passes into the position of a small minority. It may not muster 50 votes in the Commons, which will deprive it of any power or influence in the shaping of na- tional policies, or even in the forma- tion of a formidable opposition by coalition with the Laborites. The former leader of the party, Herbert Asquith, has been defeated at Paisley, his long-time constituency, which probably means his disappearance from public life for a while, perhaps permanently, though he has an- nounced that he does not intend to retire. He was beaten at Paisley by a Laborite by a majority of 2,400. 1t is too early to estimate the effect of the Conservative victory upon Brit- ish policies in either the international or the domestic field, though it may fairly be presumed that there will be a pronounced change of course in both. The Laborite defeat was prob- ably largely due to resentment with dealings with the Soviet government, especially aroused by the publication on the eve of election of a letter alleged to have been written by Zinovieft urging Communist propa- ganda in Great Britain. Whether that letter was genuine or not, its production created a profound sensa- tion in view of the dealings between the Laborite government and the Mos- cow regime. sition, stronger borit, r————————— Germany has a “Ku Klux Klan” which is embarrassing politicians. ‘When it comes to political embarrass- ments, Germany never misses a trick. ————r—— Great Britain is never discouraged. 1f one Parliament does not suit, it is always comparatively easy to get an- other. — e As the Russian government becomes more businesslike it will inevitably become less like sovietism. The Aqueduct Bridge. ‘The Aqueduct Bridge is still stand- ing, and money is neefled to remove it. Nobody uses the bridge, and the current of traffic passing over the Key Bridge increases. The District Commissioners, who have jurisdiction over the superstructure, are taking from it such material as they can use elsewhere. The United States engineer in charge estimates that it will cost $250,000 to take down the superstruc- ture and stone piers, and that will have to be authorized by Congress. would use the stone of the piers ‘or building sea walls for the Ana- coetia Park. There is something tenacious about <2e old bridge. It balks at giving up the ghost and disappearing from the * landscape. Its gray piers have been part of the upriver view for nearly @ hundred years, and the iron super- structure has been with us since 1888. It ought to be said that the old bridge L.as been very useful and that it has &iven us the best in it, though it has never been to all our peo- ple. Perhaps it was beyond the power of engineers in the fourth decadé of the nineteenth century to build a ‘bridge which would have approval ef people in the third decade of the twentieth century. Perhaps in a score or two of years people will be saying that the Key Bridge is not very much et a bridge, after all, and ought to e replaced,with a modern structure ¥Be Aqueduct Brdge has not had ® WPy @reer. Bad luck seems prospective aqueduct from 1833 to 1843 it gave great promise of being a success, but when it became an aque- duct, in 1843, it was not a success, though it did well its part ¥ carry- ing water and floating canal boats. But it did not make any money and disappointed those adventurous men and the Congress who brought it into being. When it became a private toll bridge, in 184647, it made money for its owners, but those who used it sald the tolls were-too high and the bridge was shaky. Throughout its career as a toll bridge, from about 1847 to 1861 and from 1886 to 1886, it was generally denounced by those who had to use it. On Wednesday, April 11, 1888, the opening of “The Free Bridge” was hailed with as big a parade and as fine outbursts of oratory and brass bands the District had known up to that time, Pacans to the bridge were sung with a full throat. But first one and then another of its piers got out of plumb. In each case the old bridge had an alibi. Its friends would say that the piers hgd not been built on bedrock below the river. Men came to use machines not thought of when the bridge was built and put greater weight on it than any bridge of 1388 was supposed to shoulder. After long delay the Key Bridge came, and the old Aqueduct stands forsaken. It should come down, and no doubt Con- gress will appropriate the money nec- essary for its removal. ——————— Holing Through. Yesterday, shortly after noon, the head of the contracting company which is boring a tube under the Hudson River for the accommodation of vehicular traffic to and from New York, quietly and with no ceremony pressed a button that set off the last blast in the boring operation. The two ends of the tunnel were holed through to an inch. This procedure was to have been marked by a con- siderable formality, with the Presi- dent of the United States making the contact to explode the charge. But on Monday Clifford M. Holland, chief engineer of the work, died suddenly as result of an affliction of the heart believed to have been due in the'main to his constant employment under- ground in high atmospheric pressure. In consequence of this tragedy all ceremony was avoided and the last blast was just like any one of the many that had preceded. This great work was started just two weeks more than two years ago. It will take about as much longer to complete. Holing .through is simply the first stage of the procedure, though the most difficult and dan- gerous. When once the bore is com- pleted the remainder of the work can be carried on with less risk, although it is necessary for the gangs to work during a great part of the time in the high pressures which cause in many cases a malady known as the “bends.” It has been the belief of the medical profession that this ail- ment is due to the entering of tiny air bubbles into the blood. It is ex- cruciatingly painful and frequently fatal. Many a tunnel worker has been crippled for life. Only the stoutest, sturdiest men can endure the strain of continuous high pressure with the alternations of increasing and de- creasing pressures as they enter and leave the bore. 3 This tunnel will doubtless prove a great aid in the facilitation of traffic between New York and New Jersey. Provision, is made in’ the plans for an immense volume. It has been pre- dicted that it would cause a consid- erable migration from New York City to the Jersey side, but this would en- tail provision in Manhattan for motor car storage, which of itself would in- volve a tremendous expenditure. With the Hudson River tunnel established it is likely that a tunnel will be start- ed between Manhattan and Brooklyn, though the need on that side is not s0 great owing to the severa] bridges that span the East River. —— e The wickedness of Wal Street is mentioned so frequently that its ex- istence has come to be taken for granted. Much of its evil reputation has come from the pernicious habit of lambs forcing money on it, often against its own audible protests. [ — The number of ghosts and goblins imagined by political agitators make almost every evening seem like Hal- loween. A A —————— One of the briefest, yet most influ- ential, campalgn ,speeches was made by Henry Ford when He said, *Cool- idge is a safe man.” ———— Sand-Blasting the Clouds. The old idea of artificial rainmak- ing by bombing the skies has been .| developed in the course of experi- ments conducted by Army aviators near this city. Primarily, however, the purpose of these cloud attacks has not been to bring rain, but to dispel fog. Though the work has not passed yet beyond the experimental stage, it seems to have been estab- lished that it is possible -to scatter masses of clouds in the higher strata of the atmosphere by the discharge of electrified sand, & process devised by a Harvard scientist. One of the aviators reports that he “dug an im- mense well” into one cloud bank, which, however, was 50 thick that he could not’ drive the aperture to the under side. In another case a cloud whith evaporated when attacked re- formed in lesser volume at a lower level. In one of the experimental flights & dense cumulus cloud which was elec-, trically charged was attacked, and one corner of it was broken up with the result of the precipitation of a heavy rain that lasted for four hours. This occurred over Chesapeake Bay. The practical utility of clouddis- pelling work by aviators is not to be questioned. - If it is possible to dissi- pate a,cloud hanging several thousand feet above the surface, it.is probably ‘possible to scatter a dense fog, which is merely a low-lying clowd, at sea level. The advani to navigators, especlally in harbors,'is evident. Thus far the experiments have been con- ducted on & comparatively small scale with only two planes. What might be 'HE EVENING ST. i T AR, WASHINGTON, D. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1924 EBE EVENING STAR|to have dogged its footsteps. As a|accomplished by u large fleet of fog- dispelling planes is only to be im- agined. Inasmuch as in one case at least heavy rain has been precipitated, it is quite possible that rain production on a practical scale may be possible. But thus far rain has been caused only when heavy clouds have been present. It might have occurred anryway in the course of nature. The great problem of the “rainmakers” has been to pro- duce precipitation of an apparently dry sky. So much has been accom- plished, however, by the use of air- planes that no limits may be set to the possibilities, especially in view of the mecent experinients. Halloween. Masks, rowdyism, annoyance, insult and property damage are all for- bidden tomorrow night, according to law and to advance orders issued by the superintendent of police. “Inno- cent pranks,” however, are permitted. Just what are innocent pranks? The reason for the barring of masks, what with the prevalence of hold-ups, is obvious; the reason for the ban on rowdyism, annoyance, insult and property damage is just about as plain. It is undoubtedly true that, could a poll be taken, more people in the District of Columbia would admit that they looked forward with misgivings, even with dread, to tomorrow night’ doings than with pleasure. The cele- bration of Halloween, as generally practiced in this country, is, as re- gards most of its features, archaic, a holdover from medieval times. It serves no good purpose. Its greatest joys seem to consist in doing forbid- den things. It necessitates vigilance and extra duty on the part of the authorities, It worries householders and parents, generally. No matter how keen the precautions, it always results in widespread vandalism. For many years the National Cap- ital thought there was but one way fittingly to observe the Fourth of July. Along with other communities, it has learned that there are much better ways. Americans have found out in the course of the past century that to get thoroughly drunk, to un- dergo grave risk in wasting gun- powder, to stage riots, were not really advantageous ways of marking cele- brations. The sooner the District of Columbia, not only through the chan- nels of authority, but through the in- fluence of the home, sets an example in discouraging the usual accompani- ments of such an occdsion as tomor- row evening, the better for it and for the American people. —————————— Europe was interested in the publi- cation of income tax returns, some of the financiers abroad being inclined to regard the wealth of the U. 8. A. with deep interest as one of the world's undeveloped resources. —ra—————— An election is serious, thoughtful business. Apathy must not be as- sumed merely because the interest in a campaign is not as vociferously in- tense as that in a contest for the base ball world championship., —a——————— After the election is over the pub- lic will celebrate Thanksgiving day. Those who do not feel exactly like glving thanks will at least be cheerful iand hope for the best. ————————————— The modest reticence of Gov. Charles Bryan has been remarkable at times, but never enough to cause him to be listed with the silent vote. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOQHNSON. Gentle Hypocrisy. In struggling for enthusiasms daily ‘We cannot always mean just what we say. We talkabout an entertainment gayly, When, honestly, we wearied of the play. We tell about a game of golf as proudly As if a life depended on & shot And try, by speaking long and even loudly, To seem enthusiastic, when we're not. ‘We do not wish to chill a fellow spirit ‘Who strives to find enjoyment here and there. His happiness, queer it, And so we make believe we deeply care. £ ‘We shout our plaudits at a speech protracted, Though privately we think it tom- myrot. 1t is @ rule by courtesy exacted To seem enthusiastic, when we're not. nobody wants to Real Risk. “Would you risk your own life for the sake of your country?” “Am I not doing 80?” inquired Sena- tor Sorghum? ‘Hasn’t my campaign trip taken me over one grade crossing after another?” - Take Back Your Gold! A man who made a fortune great And-didn’t mind expense Sent money to a candidate To help his influence, The candidate with heart so true Exclaimed: “Remove this pelf! It might become my duty to Investigate myself.” Jud Tunkins says he never bets on an election for fear his selfish interest might bies his judgment when he votes. Pitiless Publicity. 5 “A man should have no secrets from his wife.” “If the Government goes on giving the details of his affairs,” answered Mr. Meekton, “he can’t have any even it he wants to.” ‘Nother Reform! Too often a judicial process is Surrounded by a mystifying mist; Let's have the lawyer settle down to biz ‘ ‘Without intrusion by the afi “De world s ’ Dbetter, Uncle Eben: “but it never gits good all of & sudden like some folks think it's ginter be after an election.” THIS AND THAT BY C. E. TRACEWELL A learned cat, reading in the ency- clopedia that felines should be given meat only every other day, undoubt- edly would exclaim: “Bahtr S Much in the same way, the average human being may be excused if he yawns mightily upon reading various welghty bits of advice doled out on all sides by those who are pining to rescue mankind from its sins. He is told that coffee {s nothing but caffeine, that tea is worse, that candy and cakes will ruin him, that cigar- ottes and cigars are terrible, that warm rooms o' nights will make him susceptible to colds, that setting-up exercises are necessary, that one never should lie abed in the morn- ings, that under no circumstances should one ever read in bed or fail to take his cold bath. These are but a few of the instruc- tions, inhibitions and prohibitions he meets dally, either in reading or orally. Any reader can make a little list of his own. The trouble is that for every slice of advice he can find an equally good authority saying just the opposite. . One eminent doctor tells you to cease eating hot bread. Another oqually eminent medical expert puts out a book to prove that this fear of hot bread Is unwarranted. So the average man of average years of discretion must be forgiven Wwhen he lays the book or article down, and, like the academic cat aforesaid, exclaimi “Bunk! * X ¥ % Not that there is not much good in all this. There is. The key to this overflowing knowledge, however, is the individual. Nowhere is there a more striking app)ication of the old maxim about one man’s meat being another man's poison. Each individual has to weigh it for himself, and determine just how far he cares to o with it. Take your cold bath in the morning. Some find it in- vigorating, others find it a nuisance. Many a stout fellow, who ought to be able to roll in snow if he pleases, will admit, if hard pressed, that he shivers at the very thought of getting up in the morning and taking a really cold bath. Temper the water a bit, take that breath-taking chill off, he will enjoy it, but even then he gets up late many mornings, and has to forego the somewhat dublous joys of the much- heralded early morning plunge. The trouble with all matters of this kind is that often they run counter to the things that must be done in dally living. Doing one’s work and taking one's pleasure—are not these the two mainsprings of our existence? Around these two necessities the other actions of our days must be grouped, whether we care to admit it or not. The man who likes his books will' not give up reading in bed, once he has found its joys, simpl; because some “expert” has sald it is hard on the eyes. He will recall that Mark Twain did it. Mark Twain was an expert, too. * ¥ *k ¥ It is really too bad that in the working out of our complex existence so many appealing things are dis- covered to be harmful. One sympathizes with old Omar, when he declared, in his entrancing quatrains, that had he the making of the world he would tear it to bits and “mold it nearer to the heart's desire.” In such an event, were the remaking Ibanez Plan to American editors have been having a good deal of fun over the announce- ment of the novelist Vicente Blasco Ibanez that he intends to overthrow King Alfonso by literary bombs pre- pared at a safe distance in Paris and dropped upon Spain from airplanes. “He is going to wage this war with a pen,” explains the Grand Rapids Press, “fighting the battles of op- pressed Spain anywhere but in Spain. He is going to write a war. He will whack Alfonso in New York and in Kokomo, in Dublin and Cork, in Bris- tol and Liverpool, but he is going to stay away from Madrid and Seville. That is certainly battling de luxe, and war on a silver platter. The average red-blooded American will hope that when Blasco has the poor Spaniards all stirred up about what the rest of the world thinks of their sadgot, and sets them to shooting tyrants on sight, he will abandon pushing a pen against Alfonso for a little while, en- ter Spain and push a saber for the good cause.” The New York Herald-Tribune thinks that in the face of the weary drama being played out on the sun- bakéd hills of Morocco it seems scarcely to be even literary wi “Senor Ibanez,” this paper notes, pects to overthrow the king in ‘three or four months,’ and if he does not succeed he will devote the rest of his life—to lecturing. One was afraid 80.” * ¥ %k X “‘Because he has written some sen- sational novels, not ill adapted to the needs of the films,” the St. Paul Pioneer Press is sure “Senor lbanez has come to think of himself as one of the great ones of the earth, a scourger of kings, the terrifying instrument of truth and justice, but it is difficult to think of the author of a -half-dozen ‘screen classics’ in any of these roles.” Indeed, “it ap- pears that he has left off riding with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse and has borrowed Don Quixote's steed, Rosinante, for a little journey.” It would be unkind “to say that the great novelist is thearing voices,’ " says the Roanoke World News, “but the fact remains that this whole scheme of his sets one to thinking of the doings of that great literary char. acter of hig country, Don Quixot. and if Don Blasco will, before going much further, get himself a Sancho Panza and an ass, we shall, with fair weather, in all probability have a serles of performances almost as en- tertaining as those of the famous don in Cervantes' great book.” To the Dayton News “it is an un- usual situation at least, this business of a novelist taking up a pen against a monarch and determining to de- throne the latter, but after it is all over with there may be some excel- lent material for a ‘movie’ or a new novel, and who knows but that Ibanez may find himself heralded as the first citizen of Spain, and in the event a republic is formed become the first president.” It all reminds the Kalamazoo Gazette of a bygone age “when courageous pamphieteers took up the pen with @ dgep feeling of religious devotion to the cause of the people, yet the attitude of Ibanez, as set forth in this document of his, seems to be more melodramatic than judicious” In the Ibanez pronpunocement the Chicago Tribune sees what a terrible strain can produce on an otherwise normal mind. “Any . Intelligent patriot,” says the Tribune, “would be beside himself in looking over tne ] condition of his count; A military government which gets results may be a good or bad thing, but one which ts licked is a total loss. All the Spanish have been doing for years in the North African mountains has been by defeat to supply the Rifts with arms to defeat the next draft of perplexed recruits.” * % % Viewing the matter rather seriously, the Brooklyn Eagle observes: “There s mo reason to doubt the novelist's placed in our hands, we would make voffee good for every man, woman and child in the world. We would do what no manufacturer of decaffeinized coffee ever has succeeded in doing. We would make it tasty, full of “pep” and go. Because a cup of good coffee is mighty good. Coffee’graces the tables of 'the world, and we imagine it still will con- tinue to do so, despite what any one says. Tea, too, has its place in the home, as it has in commerce and ‘history. The trick about tea is to make it with a tea ball. Some may call it merely “colored water,” 8o brewed, but actually it is best this way. Life would be poorer without tea. ‘ The point about these two beverages is that they are so wound up with our lives that only in a newer, better world will we be content to get along without them, for then we will be eatisfled with water, as We Ought to be now. * k x * Candy may be bad for us, too, but the male world continues to eat it, just the same. o It is & base slander upon the other sex to picture them as the ultimate con- sumers of tons of candy, when any man knows that an office of male workers can_imbibe miore chocolate bars in 24 hours than all the girls in the Veterans' Bureau could in a week. As for cigarettes and cigars, they are a habit, pure and simple, but the world goes puffing ahead, despite all the words to the contrary, and I am afraid there is not much that can be done about it. A perusal of the in- ternal revenue statistics for this year as compared with last makes this very plain. We are told one never should sleep in a warm room; but to deprive a bedroom of heat simply exposes the average person to pneumonia. That Is the fact, whether one likes it or not. A good warm room, with plenty of cool air sifting in from an open window, gives you fresh air in abun- dance. How many men really take setting up exercises in the morning? Mil- lions have begun them, and the same millions have given them up, because they become boresome. Undoubtedly they are a fine thing—but so is Bun- yan's “Pllgrim's Progress,” and, hon- estly, who reads that any more? * % x % The “ice cold morning bawth” dies hard. Thousands of determined men kave Indulged in this rite, until finally they thought up some good excuse for stopping it. When a man takes a cold bath every single day for months, in order to “harden” himself to cold weather, and then takes the worst cold he ever had at the very first touch of Autumn, he may be forgiven for pass- ing up the matin shower thereafter. If he will temper the water enough to “take the curse off,” probably he will be able to go ahead with his self-imposed program of physical righteousness, and certainly he will be a great deal cleaner for it. Inhabiting the bed after the stand- ardized time for quitting it is a most enjoyable habit, one indulged in not only by thousands of so-called “lazy boys” but also by scores of manly men and lovely women. And reading in bed! 2 There is a true luxury, it ever there was one. A tired body, a good book, a comfortable bed, and a light properly placed, and one s as near heaven as he will ever be before he gets there. Oust King With Pen Amuses Editors sincerity, although his methods may be questioned. Literature and the writers of literature have been im- portant factors in every revolution. It has been noted, however, that the most effective revolutionary propa- ganda is that provided by writers who gain and hold the confidence of their countrymen by staying in the country which they would serve. In the nature of things, the seeds of revolution are of slow growth.. Dr. Butler of Columbia has just pointed out that our revolution was completed in the hearts and minds of Americans before it gained expression in overt and obvious acts. Something of the kind must take place in Spain before there can be a great change. That Senor Ibanez can work such a change, smuggling in pamphlets from France, is_extremely doubtful, although his efforts may make trouble for the Spanish authorities.” The notable thing, in the opinion of the Springfield Union is the probabil- ity that if Ibanez has decided to come out flat-footed against the Spanish military directorate, not sparing even the King, then the directorate is really tottering, because “Ibanez is an expert in striking while the iron is hot; he has specialized in doing this, and the fortune he has made from his books indicates that none of the ad- vantages of specialization has been lost to him.” Furthermore, the Read- ing Tribune believes that Ibanez, “with his ability to reach millions of readers throughout the world, may be able to make Alfonso appear a very sorry figure,” because “a definite drift toward a republic has long been observable in Spain.” “What will come of Ibanez's sum- mons to lovers of Spanish liberty remains to be seen,” concludes the Milwaukee Journal, but “perhaps it is fortunate that in Latin nations, where dictatorships are more likely to develop, there arises a spirit now and then—a poetic “spirit—to sound the call to freedom.” .Man as Dietician. | Dish Classics of Culinary Art Created by Male Cooks. To the Editor of The Stars 2 I agree with your editorial that cooking classes for men should “pan” out well. Man is a natural dieticlan. Those dish classics of the culinary art which have stood through the cen- turies are the creations of men. Apicius, the Roman, equipped a ship and sent it round the world to find a new sea.food. _ Napoleon was not above turning the spit on which his chicken dinner was roasting before the camp fire. He said, “An army travels on its stom- ach” and gave great attention to his food. One of the Louises of France did all his own cooking. Another maintain- ed a kitchen force of 300 experts, whose work he personally advised. An Italian philosopher and noble- man who entertalned a great deal prepared all the ‘banquets for his guests. Show me a man who doesn’t 1ike to get out in the woods and cook to a turn the prise of his rod or gun. The work of the gas companies in several cities where they organised evening cooking classes for men is laudable. I happily proffer the ex- perience of a lifetime should a civic or gas company men's cooking class be organized here. 1 can only account for Washingto- nians not being among those already in the'movement by the thought that elther our women are still paving the road to our men’s hearts with cook stoves or our eatl places have a soverelgnty over the male palate ‘which other cities are not so fortu- nate to possess:” ~“PETER BEORRAS. The North Window BY LEILA MECHLIN There Is an old conundrum, the an- swer to which every one knows, “When is a door not a door?’ Perhaps some clever person will be able to frame an equally appropriate answer to a conundrum which has lately come to mind—“When is an ofl painting not an oll painting?” The answer in fact is, “When it s a photograph”; but this answer leaves no room for mirth and therefore does not satisfy the requirements of a conundrum. An ofl painting which begins as a photograph {s a sorry thing indeed, and yet in the realm of portraiture it is astonishingly popular. It is quite possible to order from any one of half a dozen prominent photog- raphers in this and other cities life- size portraits in ofl, guaranteed good likenésses. To insure this matter of likeness the head is photographed upon the canvas; the artist is re- lieved of the necessity of drawing. This is then colored, after which the background and figure are filled in tree hand. The miracle is that any semblance of a work of art could thus be secured. The pity is the even small measure of success at- tained, for the ignorant are deceived, and in some instances such spurious imitations of, what should be a work of art are being taken into well ap- pointed homes and given place in permanent public collections. The credulity of an uninformed public is being used as an asset in trade. * k% But some will object, if such pho- tographic portraits satisfy the de- mand, why are they not good enough? There is a saying that the public gets the art it deserves. A photograph ‘which pretends to be nothing more than it is is an excellent substitute for an oil portrait, if one has not the means to obtain the latter. A portrait painted in olls is essentially, if it be’ successful, a work of art, the work of a man's hand and brain, an Interpretation, a rendition. There is the same difference be- tween it and the photographic ofl- colored portrait as between a plece ©of woolen goods and shoddy; the one Is a woven fabric, the other is made of seraps pasted together; the one wears, the other does not. Of course, if a genius were willing to 80 employ his talent he might pro- duce, through the medium of the photographic oil portrait a great work of art. It is possible to suppose that a Rembrandt, reborn, might attain this end, but a Rembrandt would not be willing either to so prostitute his talent Or to consent to the handicaps which mechanical process imposes. Hence most of this painting of photographic portraits is done by not second, third or fourth rate painters, but fifth, sixth and even tenth rate painter: Who have learned the trick of pain ing, and have no comprehension of it as an art. No wonder the work is bad; the wonder is that it is so good, good enough to pass, like a clever counterfeit, even sometimes those who should be on their guard. * x % % The artist who paints these por- traits (which, by the way, cost little less than would a portrait by an artist of standing) gets no credit for his work, for the pictures are signed by the firm name of the photographer. This, too, is an offense against art. Even in industrial art today the chief manufacturers see that individual credit goes.to the designers for their designs. There is no such thing as syndicated art production. One trouble is, in connection with portraits, that the first thing the average observer looks for is like- ness, and {f this is found he looks no farther. Now, likeness is an evasive thing, and if one is observant it may be noted as only the hackground of expression. There s nothing deader in this world than an expressionless portrait—a portrait which has noth- ing to its credit but a fairly correct rendition of features. Place such a portrait beside one of Sargent's mas- terpleces or between two of the great portraits of the English school, in the same room with a Velasquez, a Titlan or our old friend Holbein— here is the test. The people who these masters have interpreted are living personalities. The subject of the trick portrait is dead—repulsively dead. How much better would a good photograph, ;‘P:lch makes no pretense, be than s. Portrait painting was a great art before photography was discovered. Photography has become an art, but it is not and never can be a sub- stitute or an auxiliary to portrait painting, beyond bearing witness to certain facts. Commercial photog- raphers, as purveyors of portraits to the public, could well serve the in- terest of art by securing commissions for painted portraits from accom- plished artists. Théy “would then be profiting art and would help to raise the standard of living, through ap- preciation of the best. * % k% The man or woman who buys what he or she supposes to be an Oriental rug and brings it home, admires it, shows it to a connoisseur and learns that it is only an imitation, feels mortification, and later, learning to discriminate between the real and the imitation, wonders how he or she could have been 80 deceived. There is just as much difference .between the oil portrait done by an artist, which is a work of art, and the oil. colored photographic portralt, which is not a work of art, but which is ordered, executed and delivered as such; and the mortification of those who Vrder them when some day they acquire sufficient knowledge to dis- criminate will be no less, particularly When they are aware that the price paid was sufficient, or nearly suffi- clent, to get them the real thing. It is like buying paste for diamonds, beads for pearls. But, of course, if one knows no better— - Let it be fully understood that the commercial photographers are not attempting to deceive the public; it is the public which is deceiving itself. * x x % This whole gubject of portrait paint- Ing 1s full of interest and intricactes. The early painters of America were peculiarly gifted, and the possession of a portrait by Copley or Gilbert Stuart— even Chester Harding, Waldo and a half a dozen others, is today regarded as a badge of aristocracy, as well, incidental- 1y, as a eource of income. A Gilbert Stuart portrait has- been known to bring $60,000. Five thousand dollars can almost always be had for a good Copley, while portraits painted by others mentioned, even of perfectly obscure in- dividuals, command their price, and it is a good one. Time will tell: The good portrait may become the coveted pos- @ession of the art museum ; the bad por- trait will find its way to the attic. We in America do not think, or have not thought, a great deal about future generations; we have been too much occupied in Itving, in meeting conditions as they confronted us. But there is a certain amount of ancestor worship in our midst today, and we may well ask ourselves whether or not we are bullding a foundation and providing material worthy of such worship in -the future. An ofl por- trait is not easily lost or hidden away, and if it is painted’ in perma. nent colors it will not fade out. It is sdmething for our «children and our grandchildren and their children ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. Can Senator Brookhart of Towa continue to call himself a Republican after the party organization, has repudiated him?—A. T. 8. A. There is nothing to prevent Senator Brookhart's calling himself a Republican, voting the Republican ticket and voting with the Republi- cans in the United States Senate. That is something for him to determine for himself. However, he may not be re- garded as a fellow partisan by Re- publicans. That is for them to deter- mine. Q. What damages were collected for the killing of Consul Imbrie?— N. V. W, A. The Persian government pald Mrs. Robert W. Imbrie $60,000 as rep- aration for the assassination of her husband. Q. The fence in our back yard is whitewashed and we find that it rubs off on the children's clothes. What can we do to remedy this?—K. D. C. A. Alum added to whitewash will prevent its rubbing’ off. Q. How many dag routes are used for transmitting mail in Alaska?— T. G. O. A. The Post Office Department says that there are 68 dog routes, which are run in relays and which all to- gether employ about 3,000 dogs. Q. I frequently see this in the paper, “President and Mrs. Coolidge attended the First Congregational Church in Washington, of which he is a member.” To what church does Mrs. Coolldge belong?—T. E..M. A. Mrs, Coolidge is a member of the Congregational Church at Northamp- ton. Her membership has not been transferred to the First Congrega- tional Church in Washington, D. C. Q. Does slavery actually exist to- day in any part of the world?—D. ST A During the October, 1923, ses- sion of the League of Nations it was stated that slavery obtains in three areas, involving over 1,000,000 slaves. These are Abyssinia, the mandated areas of Southwest Africa and Tan- ganyika. . # Q. Who sald “T came; I saw; God overcame”?—J. C. D. A. These are words spoken by John Lobieski to the Pope,when Sobicski presented himself with the Mussul- man standard. Q. Can the mole see?—H. T. T. A. The Biological Survey says that while not totally blind, the common mole of the Eastern United States can at best merely distinguish be- tween light and darkness, as what remains of its organs of sight lies wholly beneath the skin. Degenera- tion of these organs has apparently not proceeded as far in the Townsend mole, which usually .opens its eyes when annoyed by an observer. Q. How long has there been a law that a person had to live in the United States for five years before he could become a citizen?—W. A. A. This law was passed on June 29, 1906. Q. What are Druses’—G. T. T. A. Druses are people of mixed origin who inhabit a district in Syria. Their religion is fundamentally Mo- hammedan, but their faith mingles the teachings of the Mosaic law, the Christian Gospels and the Sufi alle- gories with those of the Koran. They believe in the transmigration of souls with constant advancement and puri- fication. Their teachings enjoin ab- stinence from wine and tobacco, from profanity and obscenity, and polyg- amy is unknown among them. There are a few hundred of this sect in the United States. Q. How much does it cost per acre to plant a forest in the Lake States? —F. B. 8, A. The Forest Service says that the experience of the last 10 years shows that it costs from $3.70 to $5.75 per acre to plant Norway or white pine seedlngs, depending upon the number planted per acre and upon the presence or absence of down timber. brush, rocks, etc., on the ground to be planted. 'Q. Is the tree still standing under Wwhich William Penn addressed the Indians on the peace pipe treaty?- P. 0. 8. A. Thée Old Treaty Elm under which Penn is said to have made his treaty with the Indians is no longer? standing, but there are a number of Young elms in the park where it used # to be, which are supposed to be de scendants of this famous old tree. Q. V. G. A. The organs of locomotion of a snake are its ribs, a muscular con- traction bringing these together on first one side and then the other, thus BIving the reptile a forward motion Q. What is “Walla Alfred Wallace defined an- parent biolegical line as the line of demarcation between the flora and fauna of Asia and those of Australia In 1889 a scientific expedition mad. discoveries which dispose of the prin- cipal argument for such a line. How does nake crawl?—w, s Line"?—R. T.' Q. How much land is under cultiva- tion in the world?—F. T. M. A. It has been estimated that of an area of fifteen billion acres, about one and one-half billion are under culti vation. Q. Where was the silk substitute commonly used in this country first made?—L. S. A. The artificial silk_principally produced in the United States is commercially known as viscose and was first prepared in 1892 by Cross, Bevan and Beadle of London. Q. What is the lightest gas in the air’—F. 0. C. A. Hydrogen occurs in the atmos- phere to some extent. This is the lightest gas known. The second, lightest gas, helium, also occurs irf small amounts. Nitrogen is tho lightest gas occurring in sufficient quantity to affect materially the den- sity of the air. Q. What was the “Plumb plan” for operating the railroads?—R. A. A. Under the Plumb plan the rail- roads would be nationalized and op- erated by a board of 15 directors, five of whom would be appointed by the President of the United States, five elected by the operating officers of | the companies and five elected by the classified employes of the roads. Q. Can you give a recipe for Spanish bunuelos?>—P. E. S. A. These Spanish cakes are pop- ular during the holiday season and at weddings. To three cups of flour, one-half teaspoonful salt, add enough milk to mix. Knead as you would bread, roll out and cut in disks about the size of a small plate. Fry one at a time in deep fat, and serve cov- ered with sirup made of sugar and water. Q. What is considered the more ) durable wood, locust or oak?—R. K. A. Under any given set of con; tions the average service life of timbers of the different species will vary. How- ever, black locust and osage orange are the most durable of native woods. When exposed to conditions which favor decay they will probably last almost twice as long as white oak, and from three to four times as long as red oak. y . Take advantage of the free informe- tion bureaw which this newspaper main- tains. If there is a question you want , answered dow't hesitate to use this serv- ice. AIL replies are sent direct to the inquirer. Address The Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director Twenty-first and C streets morthwest Inclose 2 cents in stamps for return Ppostage. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE Radio has just made one of its eagerly-sought conquests — Andrew W. Mellon. The Secretary of the Treasury has been stonewyailing him- self against the siren charms of the microphone for miany months, but he has at length succumbed. It took the combined influence of the Cool- idge Administration and the Republi- can national committee to capture Mellon for.the air. He only sur- rendered in the name of party duty, and made his maiden excursion on the ether from WRC at Washington with 'a Keep-Coolidge-and-Prosperity talk on the night of October 28 Secretary Mellon is the shyest politi- cian in captivity. Speeches are on his strictly prohibited list. This ob- server was a witness of Mr. Mellon's first contact with radio. Between his native modesty and verdant coy- ness before the microphone, he had a terrible time of it. * * X % President-elect Plutarco Elias Calles of Mexico, who is-paying a visit in Washington en route from Europe, is a schoolmaster by profession, like Ramsay MacDonald, the deposed Brit- ish premier. Like MacDonald, too, Senor Calles is a Labor politician. After a teaching career in his native State of Sonora, Calles joined the Madero revolution against Poffirio Diaz In 1910, and three years later was a Carranzista opponent of Gen. Huerta. Senor Calles became secre- tary of industry, commerce and labor in the Carranza cabinet, but resigned to direct the presidential campaign qf Gen. Obregon in Sonora. Until Obre- gon became president in 1920, Calles was provisional secretary of war. Obregon made him secretary of the interior and he held that portfolio until 1922, when he left office to cam- paign for the presidency. Semor Calles throughout his versatile poli- tical career has been aligned with the so-called radical element in Mexico, but his friends hope that with presi- dential responsibility he will develop into a conservative. Calles is 45 years old, is bronzed by the wars and brawny, and pronounces his name Ky-ez. * ¥ % % It is not Coolidge, Coolidge all the way in the upper crust of Massa- cHusetts business, society and poli- tics. Two of Frank W. Stearns’ fel- low merchant princes in Boston, the brothers Filene, are as far apart as the poles on this year's presidential election. Edward A., of European peace-prize fame, is a_ League of Nations Davis Democrit, but his brother, A. Lincoln, describes himself as “a Coolidge Democrat.” The latter has a married. danghter in Washing- ton, Mrs. Alvin E. Dodd, who is also “a Coolidge Democra: Mrs. Dodd, who was the first woman to be granted a graduate degree by Har- vard University, was one of the founders of the new Democratic Women's Club of Washington. Not llong ago she served polite, but firm, notice on her sister Democrats that she had left the reservation for the campaign of 1924. LR ‘Washingtonians who enjoy politics and spelibinding have to emigrate again. They may not know whether it is a likeness of us or not, but they will know if it is & work of art, and their estimation of us will be more or less affected by that knowledge. ‘Therefors, when we get a portrait—a photographic oil portrait—which is not a work of art are wasting our money and.are dim! umu‘ our '.r';pn: tation—a _pretty poor investmen from’every standpoint it would seem. . into Maryland or Virginia to_indylge in their favorite pastime. Some of them who heard Senator “Tom" Hef- lin of Alabama speak at Hyattsville, Md., the other night, say he is by long odds the funniest man on the stump. The yellow-vested megaphone from the Muscle Shoals country got a powerful laugh by relating a pas- sage-at-arms he had in the Senate last. Winter with Senator. “Jim" Wa! son of Indiana. Heflin was In the midst of one of his most stentorian assaults on the G. O. P. “Will the gentleman from Alabama yleld?’ asked Watson. Heflin ylelded. “Does the gentleman from Alabama not know that the American people re- jected his party in 1920 by a ma- Jority of more than 7,000,0007" Wat-* son interrogated. “I do,” replied Heflin, “and I also know that in 1912, when Mr. Taft was the Republican candidate, they almost made it unan- imous!” * X ¥ % Wade H. Ellis, former assistant at- torney general of the United States, who has returned to his Washington practice from a Summer and Autumn in Europe, wandered off the beaten tourist track into Spain. Like all God-fearing Americans, he went to bullfight. The arena was in Granada./ “Bullfighting,_is undoubtedly the world’s last ‘'word in senseless bru- tality,” says Ellis.. “A full after- noon’s program calls for the slaughter of 8 bulls, at the rate of 20 minutes’ torture for each. My parfy could stand only two killings and we made our way out of the grandstand, when the day's ‘sport’ was only a quarter over, amid hisses from the Spaniards, who deplored our lack of artistic ap- preciation. The next week there was a bullfight in Madrid, attended by the King and Queen. It was given for the benefit of the Red Cross, which seems to be the Spanish idea of humanitarian consistency.” * X ¥ ¥ Fiye Americans, speclally commis- sioned by the President, are on the ‘way to next month’'s international oplum conference at Geneva. Al- though it is to be held on the prem- ises of the League of Nations and will maks use of the league's routine machinery, the conference is not league affalr. The United States’ § delegates (Bishop Charles H. Brent, Mrs. Hamilton Wright, Representa- tive Stephen G. Porter, Surg. Gen. Rupert Blue and Edwin L. Neville of the State Department) are clothed with plenipotentiary powers to sign certain conventions. Not many Amer- icans know that the world's opium crusade dates from President Roose- velt's Shanghai conference in 1909, The forthcoming Geneva meeting is destined to mark the final triumph of American principles. For years the United States has been insisting that the opium evil cannot be ef- fectively combated until the produc- tion of poppies (mainly in Turkey, Persia and India) is confined to the { world’s demonstrated medical needs. Recently the 54 States belonging to the League of Nations definitely as- sented to the American contention. Now, if all goes well, it will be em- bodied in an international treaty. * ¥ x % Europe doesn’t seem in any hurry to export its surplus population to these prosperous United States. Great Britain's 1924-35 quota of 34,- 000 has been drawn on to date only o the extent of 9,000-odd immigrants. On the monthly limit basis of 10 per cent of the total quota, 13,600 Brit- ishers might have come. Germany, which has the largest allotment, 51, 000, has sent only 16,000, or 4,000 be- low her limit up .to November 1. Nor have the other “Nordics,” the Scandinavian countries, begun to ex- Baust their quotas. Indeed, of aly the nations on a quota basis, only Russia, Turkey, Greece and Syria ha: taken full advantage of their : . v limits. 3 * (Copyright, 1924.)