Evening Star Newspaper, December 11, 1924, Page 6

I’HE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. THURSDAY...December 11, 1924 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Busizess Office, 11th &t. and Pennsvivanis Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. | Chicago Office: Tower Bullding, ogland. Ecrepean Office: 16 Regent St.,Londoa, The Dvening Siar, with the Sunday morning | €€ition, is dellvered by carriers within the clty ‘at 60 cents per month; dally only, 45 €onts per momth: Sunday only, 20 cents per month, Orders may be sent by mall or tele- bbone Main 5000. Collection 1s mede by car- tlers at the end of each moath. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virginia. Dally and Sunday..1yr., $8.40; 1 mo., 70c Dally only....... 1 yr, $6.00; 1 mo, 60c Sunday only...... 1yr, $2.40; 1 mo., 20c All Other States. Daiiy and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo., 88¢c Dally only. $7.00; 1 mo., 60c Sunday only. $3.00; 1 mo., 26¢ Member of the Assoclated Press. The Associated Preas fa exclusively entitied o the ‘ne for republication of all news dis- [atclies credited to 1t or not otherwise credited | i this paper and alto the local mews pub +ied “hereln. Al “rights of publication of | eclal dlapatches hereln are also resered. Building Inspection Deficiencies. An illustration of the narrow mar- 2in of maintenance allowance granted the District in the annual appropria- tions is afforded by the report of | the inspector of buildings to the effect that unless @ supplemen appro- priation is granted his service will | face a deficit for the present fiscal ar. The current appropriation for | he annual employes of the office is | 57,080, with an allotment of $17,000 for temporary inspection. The budget sust submitted proposes §58,000 the annual employes, an increase of $500, and a provision of $20,000 for | temporary inspectors, an increase of | 3.000. These am far too small. "There is a total fleld force of 19 men, Of these only 13 inspectors are avail- able for the actual work of build- ing inspection, and of the other 6 4 ars assigned to elevators, 1 to fire escapes and 1 to signs. It is oby ously impossible for 13 men to cover | & the new building works in | <his city thorougl Construction | in progress here at a rate to call| for the services of at least twice as| many inspectors. At the time of the Knickerbocker Theater disaster, in January, 1922, attention was pointedly called to the nadequacy of the building inspection “orce. Congress granted some relief then, but.did not go far enough. It ated that branch of the District government as it has perennially treated all the branches of the mu- ipal organization, with rigid econ- omy, cutting down the Commission- :rs’ recommendations for increases of force and of pav. Proper building inspectior matter of such vital importance tha unds for the maintenance of this service should never be skimped. It ® necessary to watch every construc on work closely, in det No mat- how conscientious contractors ray be, errors will occur, laborers’ iaults will develop. Disinterested supervision is essential. The safety ? life depends upon integrity of con- ruction. It is not | | | | | | for | 1 | | | | 1 of to enough to dole out creases of force and equipment e growing icity, especially when municipal equipment has never been edequate. Since the Knickerbocker aisaster the building inspection force has been Increased by only four men. | Such en addition should have been made to the inspection service 10 vears before. Just so in the matter of the schools. A heavy arrears of echool building needs has accumu- lated until the District school system $= congested to the point of a veritable dental of education to a large number of the children of the Capital. Merely to catch up with this arrears by 0 per cent, which is a maximum of annual performance by Coneress, 35 to continue to deprive the District «f its proper facilities for this essen- tial work. e - Tt 1s,asserted by Gov. Ritchle “of | Maryland that the freedom of the in- dividual has never been so much re- stricted by law as it is now. Yet the ports of grand juries indicate that epite of the restrictions a great any individuals are taking too many rlous liberties. o Predictions that the President will %iave trouble with Congress create no surprise. Having trouble with Con- zress is a part of the President’s regu- lar occupation. ————— New styles in soclalism are an- ounced. Marx has apparently had nis day as a best seller. ¥ — s The Income Tax Cases. In order to be certain of o final dacision on all angles of the income tax publicity question the United States has brought three cases, one in Kansas City, one in New York and ene in Baltimore, citing a newspaper in each city as defendant. At Kansas City the court has ruled that the law 7ad not been violated, inasmuch as the matter published was not a part ' the income tax return, scrutiny or vublication of which is specifically prohibited. An appeal was noted in the Supreme Court. In New York the case was submitted to a jury, with structions by the judge to the effect that no violation of law had been yproved, and an acquittal verdict was rendered. Inasmuch as a defendant cannot be placed tavice in jeopardy for the same offense, an appeal could not be carried to the Supreme Court on that verdict. So a fresh indictment as been drawn against the New York newspaper, citing different xnames and amounts taken by it from the tax records. It is expected that this indictment will be dismissed by the court, and from that action an appeal may be taken. The Baltimore case has not yet been decided. In both the Kansas City and the New York decisions the courts ruled 1hat publication of names and amounts yaid in taxes did not constitute a vio- Jation of the prohibition against giv- ing publicity to income tax returns. | ernment 1s not pu Both courts differentiated between the payments and the data of income and exemptions submitted by the individ- ual to the Government and held in confidence. In Kansas City the court discussed this matter at length. It held that if the amount of the tax was to be construed as part of the return, inasmuch as the law directed publicity by opening the rceords to public scrutiny, denial of the right of publication of the tax amounts was an infraction of the first amendment to the Constitution. In New York the court merely declared that the tax payment is not a part of the return, and that, therefore, the statute has not been violated. However the case reaches the Su- preme Court, by direct appeal as from the Kansas City decision, or by indi- rect appeal in effect, as in the New York case, that court will have before it specifically the question of whether the amount of tax paid is an integral | part of the return and whether the denial of the right of publicity to the newspapers is a contravention of the first amendment, which guaran- tees freedom of the press. The Gov- uing these cases vindictive but secking a defini- tion of the law. uld Congress re- peal the publicity statute before de- ciston is rendered by the highest 1 3 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1924 ties of mountain goats for climbing roofs were all that was needed a few years ago, old Kris has had to put into use auto trucks, except in seasons when the sleighing is very good. One of the signs of Christmas is that many children are better behaved than last week. They have made lofty resolves and say “Thank yeu" and “if you please” and are almost golug to the extreme of say- ing “By your leave” and “After you, dear father.” The Christmas spirit and Christmas hopes flll the breasts of many of our friends. The janitor is extraordinarily busy. Bits of paper on the floor and specks of dust on the desk engage his earnest and industrious attention. The cook comes in the morning almost soon enou~i to get breakfast and cleans up t linner dishes be- fore going hou Her humor is much cheerier and her health a good deal better. e Fog in London. London of the fog in that This visitation Stories come from prevalence of a den: for many hours. what has come to be known as “London particular is in line with tradition. Due to some of atmospheric conditions, the British capital has been perennially subject to these thick mists, settling down of court, these cases may lapse, but they should be pushed to a final decision, in | order to settle a question which is u\"I importance apart from the income tax | question. | e The Gas Tax I Inquiry has House District committee into administration of the gasoline tax | law in Washington, Surprise is felt| at thy, failure of the tax to yleld| the amount estimated and a subcom- | mittee will try to ascertain the cause of this difference. Either the estimate of th tax yield was too high or the tax is not being fully collected. One of the two ‘is evidently the cause of this disparity. The Commissioners have expressed the belief that the tax is fully coll and that failure of the yleld below the estimate is due to the fact that in the original com: putation the av use of gasoline per motor District was placed too ‘Thi; ould be an easy matter to determine. Gasoline shipments into the District of Columbia can be ascertained almost exactly by ref- erence to the freight invoices, inas- much as practically all of it is brought in tank cars over. the rail- road: With a certain allowance for be computed, the daily co ption may be set down definitely, Large users of gasoline may be importing directly and evad- ing the payment of the tax, They| are presumably subject to the tax ven though they do not buy from a al source. If this is the c measure of the difference tax yield and estimates may discovered. { There is little likelihood that any material loss in revenue is due to the purchase of gasoline by Distri motorists outside this jurisdiction. The Maryland tax is the same as that of the District, and the Virginia tax is 1 cent a gallon higher. So there is no inducement for the local motorist to cross the boundary to obtain a supply. Apart from the tax prices are approximately the same in both the States and the Dis- trict. If the estimates prove to have been too high the lower yield of mx(will lead to a revision of the estimates for appropriations from this fund, which is avallable for street repair and improvement work. If evasions of tax payments are found prosecu- tions should follow, with the adop- tion of precaution against repeated offenses, The question having been raised, it | is well that it should be probed and | the facts determined rather than | allow the suspicion to remain that| any Washington dealers are evading | the law. nquiry. by i the | the | been ordered | | ected { | | i waste, betw be there of e i Assertions are made that the “next | war” will be fought in the air. In that case, everybody may as well en- list. There will be no safety in being a non-combatant. —— ra——————— The Forbes case presents so many variations that the discriminating gos- | sip enjoys the privilege of selecting whatever line of scandal suits his fency. N Christmas Drawing Near. The days before Christmas are few. The President orders a suitable and useful gift for many thousand Gov- ernment employes when he proclaims a half-holiday for them on the day before Christmas. One does not have to strain the fancy to hear Christmas bells: and smell the baking turkey. Christmas is written in the shop windows. Christmas seals have been put on sale for the help of humanit The postmaster hangs out the Christ- mas sign and says “Mail early or we sink,” or something to that effect. Things are being speeded up at the post office, the force of workers is being doubled and the windows and the substations are being opened early and closed late. No special correspondent at the North Pole has sent down this year an interview with Santa Claus and a description of his plant, but ft can be assumed that this great old friend of little people and of grown-ups has taken on extra hands and length- ened the work hours of his force. The Postmaster General, in an official report to the President, will say that the mail for Santa Claus is heayy this year and that some of it is written by folké who have not been long at thelr copy-books, if such things as copy-books are nowadays used at all. There was a time when Santa Claus could make all the things needed and deliver them, too, but there has been & great increase in the number of .children, the size of cities and the height of buildings, and it has been necessary that Santa Claus enlarge his plant and lengthen ! why | tively upon it without’ warning, blanketing it in impenctrable murk, blocking trafflc, even stopping some lines of business and causing people extreme discomfort and even danger. Just the moisture is so thickly con- densed at that particular point has never been explained, Fog is caused by meeting of air currents of differ- ent temperatures with a heavy per- centage of humidity. It is veritably atmosphe water in suspension. Some have thought that these Lon- don fogs were due to the exhalations of moisture from the walls of stone and brick buildings, which are par- ticularly porous. The ‘“particuiar’ character of the London fog is ac- credited to the presence of much soot in the air due to the use of innumerable open-grate fires burning soft coal. “smuts” which arise from the chimneys mingle with the water particles suspended in, the alr and give an unusual degree of opacity to the atmosphere. In this latest London fog traflic has been almost suspended in certain | districts, the mist being persistently thicker in certain localities than others. It has been necessary to burn flares at street corners to guide | drivers. Trains have heen stalled because of the obscuring of signals The subways have been compara- fres from the fog. but have been choked with traffic as the sur- face vehicles have been deserted. People have been utterly lost the streets for hours. All sense ai- rection is gone in a fog. Land- marks are blotted out, guides are lackiug. cientists have striven for years to try to find a cure for these visi- tations, which occur mainly in the late Fall and early Winter. Nothing has ever been done, however, and the fogs remain the terror of the London pedestrian, the despair of business men and purveyors of en- tertainment. No American citles are subject to any such peculia dis- abling phenomenon. et in the Congressman scru- tinizing a naval appropriation is naturally inclined to inquire how much of the money is likely to rep- resent the sinking of valuable ships to obtain statistics relating to target practice. Of course, o A threat of communism brings every French patriot to alert attention. France's experience with communism is a historic sufficlency. e Aireraft operations may make the clevation of guns a less important matter than facilities for transmit- ting explosives downward. e r——— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Moderation. Let's be quiet; let's be gentle And discreetly sentimental As we have the big display On Inauguration day. Let's extend in our clation Flattery by imitation, Valuing the thought sincere More than ostentatious cheer. Even 'mid the merry riot Rightly due—none can deny it— Let us pause and think anew On the work there is to do. Consistent Economy. “You are not saying much at present.” “A true statesman today,” answered Senator Sorghum, “is expected to economize, even in words, “Father, Dear Father.” Father, dear father, out thero the tub The home brew is gassy and pale. We hope you will hurry away to the club, Where people drink mild ginger ale. in Jud Tunkins says his community has lost interest in saving daylight and is now trying to cut out the moonshine. Incorrigible Orchestras. It's no use to despise ’em As you repine and fret. The more you criticize 'em The jazzier they get. The Play and the Public, “Would vou regard the new play as improper?” Not under the circumstances,” answered Miss Cayenne. “It was a highly improper audience” Economical Destruction. ‘Why smash a ship that we may tell Of peaceable devotion, ‘When blue prints serve almost as well And don't fill up the ocean? “You das'n’t take too much advice,”’ the roll of assistants. Modern archi- tects have put many things in the way, and, whereas a good sleigh and fleet reindeer with some of the quali- said Uncle Eben. “If Noah had paid ‘tention to de neighbors, he'd have been cotch in dat overflow completely ark-less ™ peculiarity | Have you ever smiled at the sim- plicity of African savages in naively belleving In the hocus-pocus of their 8o-called witch doctors? You, superior being of a mighty civili- zation, scorn such crass superstition as that involved in bowing down to & plece of bone, in the belief that it will cure all manner of sickne If a witch doctor should suddenly appear before you and place a curse upon you, declaring that you would be dead in three days, you properly would laugh the ugly fellow to scorn. The simple native, a victim of that superstition, would be crazed with dread, make his plans to depart to the next world, and dutifully die on the third day. Such is the compelling power of suggestion, coupled with fear of the unknown. You are not entirely free from superstition, however, despits the decades of highly cultured ctviliza- tion behind you. Not as long as you “tap on wood"! L Consider for a moment the many household superstitions which hold away throughout the length and breadth of this great land of ours. In country towns, on farme, in small and great cities countless men and women are victims of superstition. They laugh at what they do, yet would not refrain from doing it for the world. They smile fndulgently at themselves, yet keep on tapping on wood, and walking around ladders, and being upset when they break a mirror. These little houschold superstitions hold us all {n thrall. Many an emi- |nent an, noted for his wisdom and |ability, will “tap on wood” with fe ver, If by chance he happens to boast that he has “not had a cold this Win- The intelligence of the victim has nothing to do with it. It is the dark |dread of the | man fn his carly days, that stark foar |of something evil “Iying out there,” | which has followed us into our safer |dwelling places of today. This primitive fear feeltng knows {nothing of police or fire protection. It takes no reckoning of the passing of centurles or change in conditions, the upbuilding of clvilization, or tha firmer belief in a power that works tor righteousness. Like some terrible monster that lurks {n the deep wood, from which it |never emerges, but In which men are | sure it abides, superstition raises its {ugly head to scare us today as of old. We no longer believe In augurie | at least most of us do not—or tri sword or any &f the other | superstitions of long-gone days. The little pet ones, however, are with us {still, as much’ at home as our dogs |and ‘cats. by major in| * There 15 not a housewife anywhere who, when she drops a knife, falls jto say “Ob, 2 woman = coming to call.” 17 she lets a fork fall from her hand she exclal “A man is coming to call.” These mystic sentences mean |by evening there wiil be a |at the house of the sex by the utensil carelessly allowed to | fall from the hand, usually in the | process of washing and drying the |dishes. Only in a special work, such as Sir John Frazer's “The Golden Bough,” would it be possible to find | the origin of this little by-play in- {dulged in by the good mothers of jour land, and probably one would not be able to find out, even in the that visitor voted to the cuvious origins of our every-day habits, how it came to be. In some families the dropping of a spoon means that a child wiil come calling before nightfall. In many small towns to drop a dishrag signifies that a “dirty slouch” will honor the household with a visit This superstition probably is a slap They'll feel like burning red fire on the Quay Woodrow Wilson in Geneva over the United States’ acceptance of the League of Nations' invitation to its 1925 arms-trafiic conference. The leagud has been ding-donging at America on this subject for more than two years. The private manufacture of arms is one of the problems spe- cifically raised by the covenant. It was discussed at the first assembly and has been under consideration inte; mittently ever smince. The attitude of the United States Government has al- | ways been looked upon as the key to the | problem. The 1922 assembly declared : “It {8 important that the members of the league should endeavor in every way to meet the'views of the United | States Government and to secure their / co-operafion in a common polfcy.” As [far as American adhesion to the league Is concerned, Geneva considers that half a loaf is better than no bread. Hence the jovous satisfaction [that now undoubtedly preval |throughout the great ‘“secretariaf | over which Sir Eric Drummond pre- | sides. | * ok k% One of the aspects of Latin-Ameri- can relations, which gives Secretary Hughes real delight, is the solidarity of practically all of the Latin-Ameri- can republics with the United States on the question of Russia. With the exception of Mexico, none of Latin- America has_recognized the Soviet government. This is due to no lack of intrigue and effort on the part of Moscow. Other states which continue to boycott the Bolshevist regime are Switzerland, the Netherlands, Bel- glum, Bulgaria, Rumania, Spain and Serbia. * ok X ¥ The world fiyers—Lieuts. Smith, Harding, Nelson, Ogden, Wade and Arnold—are putting in busy days and nights in Washington complling their official report of the epoch-making hop around the globe. Incidentally, they are being overwhelmed with en- tertainment. If it keeps up, the Army birdmen say they'll have to girdle old Mother Earth again to rest up. * % k X Are you a D. §. S. P.? These are the mystic initials of a patriotic or- ganization which proudly lays claim to antiquity antedating the Daughters of the American Revolution. The “Order of the Descendants of the Signers of the Secret Pact or Prior Declaration of Independence” pays homage to the colonial patriots who signed the document known as “the Secret Pact of November 9, 1775.” Thus the D. S. S. P. claim an ances- tral vintage about eight months more anclent than that of descendants of the signers of the historic instrument dated July 4, 1776. The “secret pact” wasg a document signed by delegates from the various colonfes, Who vledged themselves not to divulge anything debated in the Congress of November 9, 1775. Many of the sign- ers afterward signed the Declaration of Independence, and some who signed the declaration subsequently signed [ the “secret pact.” D. S. S. P. contend that the pact was, in fact, “a secret declaration of independence or a fore- runner of the same.” The president general of the D, S. §. P. is J. G. B. Bullock, M. D., and the treasurer gen- eral is Mrs. Paul Anderson. The or- der's headquarters is in Washington. * R kX People don't usually assoctake Pres- ident Coolidge with an excessive fondness for animals, but it is one of is comspicuous traits. His pets at ndicated | pages of that monumental work de- | unknown that was with| | THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. at the careless woman who dirties the kitchen floor. The curious thing about this par- ticular superstition of dropping eat- ing utensils is that quite often it works out. Hence the universal be- lief in it by women and girls. Almost any family can tell you instances of ‘acquaintances dropping in during the evening following the dropping of a knife or fork on the Kkitchen floor. * kK K “Knocking on wood” is the most widely spread of all the every-day household superstitions. It numbers among its victims the most intel- lectual. Probably the most purely intellectual man I know never fails to knock on wood after any remark savoring of bragging. Sometimes he is hard put to it to find any object of wood at the point where he violates the unwritten law, but usually ends up by seeking out a bit, and solemnly tapping It with his forefinger. Sometimes he is walking along the street. Then a tree has to serve, and I have known him to carefully insert his fingers between the meshes of the wire protective covering sometimes placed by our thoughtful District government uround the trunks of young and innocent trees. At other times this highly intel- lectual man has recourse to his pipe, the bowl of which is of briar wood. Lacking that, he will fall back on that humorous expedient of the small boy and tap his own head, satisfied that in some mysterious way he has at least partially complied with the occult laws which he scorns, but nevertheless reverences. “Deo volente,” the anclents said after any statements of theirs involv- ing a determination. “God willing” was a sort of mental knocking on wood. “I will go to Naples next month, Deo volente"—that s, God willing. Is not cur knocking on wood a &ross survival of that pleasant and |reverent old phrase? | * * % Very few women wiil leave o house, return to it to get something they have forgotten, and go out again without performing a certain rite. This rite involves sitting down and counting 10 before leaving the house the second time. Stald and lovely women will force whole companies be scated, all be silent, mentally, rather than run of displeasing the great force of evil Most of our superstitions are an effort to ward off evil, some form of propitiation of a dastardly devil who seems bent on wreaking ven- geance upon us for our least lapse. We are afrald to travel on Friday for fear something will happen to us. Many a man and woman, reading here, will recognize himsel? or her- seif Oh, no, we are all count the risk unknown not at all afraid of traveling Fridays—we do not foar o train wreck in the least— but we pleh out Monday or Tuesday, Just the same, if we possibly can! The number 13 is held in dread by most people, although some regard it as their “lucky number.” Either way, it is pure superstition. Opening an umbrella in the house is regarded as dire bad luck by many. This probably arises from the fact that most umbrellas are black. Breaking a mirror mean how many years of bad luck? As for walking under a ladder, thousands would rather climb one £50 feet high than walk under the shortest one. And black cate! Whew! These are a fow of the more widely spread household superstitions. Every section of the country has its own pets. All of them point back to our ancient beginning, and give us pause when we boast too much of our intelligence. Let us tap on wood. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE the White House “Tige,” the executive cat that was lost last Spring and found by radio, and “Ron Roy,” the beautiful white collfe, which is Mrs. Coolidge’s frequent companton, In his moments of reverle, and some times when reading, the Presi- dent sits with “Tige” curled up In his 1ap or even perched on hisshoul- der. The tricks that “Roy Roy” knows were mostly taught him by Mr. Coo!- idge. The First Lady of the land 1s understood to be somewhat more in- clined toward birds than animals, and some of the sweet singers in the White House were trained by her. * ok ok % Radio fans by the thousand ought to be interested in a bill now pend- ing in Congress to give the pay and allowance of a lieutenant in the Navy to Charles Benter, leader of the Navy Band. In addition to granting the leader a better income, the bill de- signates that the organization, now known as the Navy Yard Band, shall henceforth be known as the United States Navy Band. The air audience far and wide for more than a year has been enjoying the music of Ben- ter's men, who, of course, supply it without extra pay. Even If the lead- er's salary fis ralsed to that of a naval lieutenant (ranging between $3,500 and $3,750, including allow- ances) the Navy Band's leader will still get & good deal less than the conductor of a Washington theater orchestra. The latter receives no less than $450 a month for directing 20 or 22 men through one program a week. The Navy Band of 67 men plays a dozen programs a week. They are Presldent Cooidge's favorite musi- clans. Benter's band accompanied President Harding to Alaska. * ok kK Baron Ago von Maltzan zu Warten- berg-und-Penzlin—to give the newly appointed German ambassador to the United States his full name—has spe- cialized in Russian affairs during his past three years of service in the Wilhelmstrasse at Berlin. - Although a nobleman and a former officer of dragoons, Baton Maltzan is believed to have identified himself whole- heartedly with the democratic regime Just sustained afresh by the German election. There has been a consider- able competition for the Washington ambassadorship. One ardent aspirant was Dr. Wilhelm Solf, the German envoy to Japan. But Solf, despite un- commonly fine equipment for the mis- sion, was German foreign minister in the last days of the Hohenzollern au- t;crncy. and l:; bwas not felt at Berlin that he woul! e an ideal Washington. Sglesron (Copyright, 1924.) are Give Business a Chance. From the Birmingham Age-Herald. ‘Those who are urging an extra session of Congress are respectfully requested to give business a chance to catch up be- fore the obstructive process is resumed, The Lawless Average. From the Des Moines Register. One trouble with the average man Is that he generally considers himself above the average. Message to Moscow. As the London Dally Telegraph vlews it, the Amerlcan clection was a message to Moscow, of fricnds to re-enter the house, all| The North Window BY LEILA MECHLIN ‘Continue, good friends of the vi- slon, to encourage the handicrafts in all of the schools of the country, and the fine arts will blossom forth on every side” wrote Lorado Taft of Chicago recently to friends in the East connected with one of our leaé- ing art organization. This, coming from a sculptor of renown, has per- haps more force than if it came from @ craftsman, for sculptors and paint- ers are thought to have most concern for the arts called fine and are sup- posed to look down on the handi- crafts, but the fact is that such sup- position s incorrect. To au great painter or a great sculptor a craft work beautifully wrought is doubly significant. In those wonderful days of the renaissance in Italy, when the art of painting reached perhaps its greatest height, there was no dividing line between art and craft, no dis- tinction made between artist and craftsman. * ok K % Mors than many supposre there are talented craftsmen among our Amer- ican painters and sculptors of today. Francis C. Jones, treasurer of the National Academy of Design, and his brother, Bolton Jones, the well known landscape painter, ars master crafts- men in more than one medium. Not only have they beautifully decorated by carving much of the woodwork in their own home, but have made chests and other pieces of furniture wrought with all of the fineness of design and exquisite finish of the master craftsmen of centurles ago. They have carved and colored stat- uettes in the spirit of those wrought in the early days for the great Gothic cathedrals. They have put togather windows of stained glass, mosaics of lovely color. They have ornamented their walls with mural paintings 1l- lustrative of the ancient sagas, and never does thelr grnamentation over- weight the article or object with which it s decorated. Irving Wiles, who is one of our foremost’portrait painters, finds recreation in the mak- ing of ship models historically cor- rect, beautifully fashioned and fitted. Albert Herter, who painted the mural panels for the Academy of Sclences Building in this city, established some years ago and brought to extraordi- nary perfection the Herter looms for the weaving of tapestries, many of whichgcompare most favorably with the products of the famous Gobelin looms of Frauce. L B Twenty years ago there was what seemed to be a widespread revival of interest In the arts and crafts in this | country. In many little towns as well {as in the larger cities arts and crafts | societies were formed, and o stronga nold did the subject take in popular imagination that department stores advertised craft goods, and a great dral paraded under the name which had no claim to such consideration Because of lack of understanding and unskillful workmen, a popular mis- conception spread abroad that eraft work was clumsy and i whereas the fact is that the o reason handwork has for being is that it is better than machine-made. A good many of the little arts and crafts socleties which sprung up in | the flurry of interest a double decade ago have gone out of existence; con- sequently many people think that the craft movement, in America at least, has died o Instead, however, of dying out it has gone uninterruptedly forward, galning in strength all the while. A year ago the Boston Soclety of Arts and Crafts recorded sales in their Boston salesroom of the works | of members to the amount of $162,000. * % *x x e Boston Society of Arts and Crafts was the first formed in this country, and has done more than any other not only to establish the handi- cFafts but to uphold a high standard of artistic merit. No work can go on sale in the society's rooms in Boston | or in New York that has not passed the society’s jury, and none does pass this jury that is not, in the first place, well designed, and, In the second place, finely wrought. If the crafts- man is to' contend with the machine it must be through superior produc- tion. This the Boston craftsmen have understood from the beginning, and it is for this reason that their work has found a market. * % ok ¥ Not long ago a dinner was given in Boston by the Soclety of Arts and Crafts to one of its members, a mas- ter craftsman, John Kirchmayer, carver of wood—an artist, if ever there was one; a modest craftsman delighting In his work and finding su- preme joy In production. Kirchmayer was born in Oberammergau, but he has lived for many years now in or near Boston, and some of the best carving in some of the finest churches in our land is his work. At the din- ner given in his honor were gathered painters, eculptors, architects and art lovers, all of whom paid high tribute to the skill and the suprems beauty of production of this modest wood carver who claimed nothing for him- self, but was recognized as one of the great fraternity of art. X K % In his talk at the Arts Club re- cently Frank Gardiner Hale, maker of cnamels and hand-wrought jew- elry, a vice president of the Boston Society of Arts‘and Crafts, himself & master craftsman, told many inter- esting things of the development of the handicrafts in this country. The Boston soclety was founded through the Inspiration of Charles R. Ashbee, who was the founder and intimately connected for years with the Arts and Crafts Guild of Chippingeamden, England. Mr. Ashbee, it will be re- membered, lectured here in Washing- ton some years ago under the auspices of the Washington Society of the Fine Arts. For several years now he has been In Jerusalem assisting in the work of replanning that anclent city under a British commission, At first the majority of the leading craftsmen in the United States were foreign tralned—Mr. Hale learned his craft as jeweler and silversmith at Chippingcamden, but gradually this is being changed and craftsmen, American born and trained, are com- ing to dtstinction. We have today in this country makers of wrought iron —one in Philadelphia, one in Boston —who vle with the best of all time. We have wood carvers not a few; silversmiths such as Arthur J. Stone of Boston, whose works stand worth- ily beside those, for instance, of Paul Revere. And strange to say, we have always had a few excellent silversmiths in this country from the earliest colonial days until today— witness some of their products set forth in the new American wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Great Britain goes to more pains, as do other European nations, than our- selves to encourage the crafts and to require a high standard, to protect the public from imposition and frand. As Mr. Hale explained, the hallmark made, | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. Who could decide to turn some of the parks into parking spaces?— A. B. A. The streets, avenues and parks of the city are Federal property, and the parks could not be turned into permanent parking spaces for auto- mobiles unless by an act of Congress. The Commissioners of the city have jurisdiction over the parks and streets in that they are to provide for thelr care and keep. Q. Was old Jackson City, Va., lo- cated on Alexandria Island or on the malnland?—C. J. A. A. The Office of Public Buildings and Grounds says that Jackson City, Va., was not located on Alexander Is- land, but was on the mainland near the end of the historic Long Bridge. Q. Is the steamer City of Baltimore still in commission?—C. T. B. A. The Chesapeake Steamship Co. says that the steamer City of Balti- more is still in commission and leaves Baltimore every other day. Q. If X order five tons of coal, what assurance have I that I get full weight?—A. I W. A. The District department con- ducts frequent “ciieck-ups” on deliv- erfes of coal to see that proper weight is being glven. Complaints about ac- tual or suspected short weight should be addressed to the Superintendent of Weights, Measures and Markets, Dis- trict Building, and these will be in- vestigated thoroughly. Q. Can I get a course in elemen- tary algebra at Georgetown Univer- 8ity?—G. K. E. A. Georgetown University does not offer an evening class in elementary algebra, as the subject is below uni- versity ranking. Q. How is the National Soldlers’ Home of Washington, D. C., managed? —A. M. 8. A. The TUnited States Soldiers’ Home, District of Columbia, is a Fed- eral institution, the administration of which, in accordance with regula- tions prescribed by Congress, is su- pervised by a board of commission- ers, consisting of the governor of the home and the following bureau chiefs of the War Department: The quartermaster general, the surgeon general, the judge advocate general, the adjutant general and the chief of engineers. The number of per- sons cared for at this institution va- ries from year to year between 1,000 and 1,500. Q. What part of the money raiiroads made last vear was out in wages and taxes’—M. A. M. A. The Bureau of Rallway Eco- nomics says that for class 1 rallroads in 1923 the total revenues were $6,- 289,580,039; the amount paid in taxes was $331,917,729, and the amount that paid with over 26 years' service, base pay of $4,000. Q. Does & rallroad cross the s Bernard Pass?—J. L. A. Bernard Pass, which is in tr Alps in Switzerland, is a carriage roac and no railroad runs on this pass across it. n ennua Q. Where is the replica of ths ship that safled up the Hudson E A. The Half Moon lies in New Yor Harbor and salls up the Hudson o each year. A. You probably refer to the Walde Museum, in Prague, Czechoslovak Which Is devoted to a collection of dre. fastening devices. It was founded b, Bohemian button manufacturer, Q. What 1s the averago shrinkage evaporation on 5 gallons of gasol stored in an underground tank for seve daye?—W. R. > A. The Bureau of Mines sars that thie shrinkage from this cause would br nearly or practically negligible. Tho shrinkage by contraction due to tem- perature change, such as cooling during the night, may average about 1 cent. On being heated again durin; day the shrinkage changes to expans in about the ganie percentage. Q. What was the amount of insurance carried in 1923 and amount of fire loss?—W. D. H. A. The National Board of Fir Underwriters says that it {s estimated that fire losses in the United St during 1922 aggregated about $50% 000,000, although its complat tabulations not vet availabl The amount re insurance cove age in force estimated at §12 000,000,060, Q. I hear punctuation of th merry gentleme in use in this count: me what change is A As we this familf {placed arte: Christr Cambridge University in the punctuation an of Q. How many lives were lost n t ZR-27—J. A. W. A. The ZR-2 was constru England and exploded in a trial in August, 1921, over There were 44 lives lost. The embodied the British idea of airships. This was bullt by the Rc Airship Works, Pulham, Engla Q. Are thers any horses today v toes?—T. H. H. A. The Smithsonian Institu says that there are no horses ! today having two or more tocs Engl: paid in salaries and wages was $2,- 785,286,536, ! What {& th R. The record for the standing jump in sk! jumping is 182 feet, held by John Stulich, Ironwood, Mich., February 24, 1624. Mountain slide, professional, 229 feet, made by Harry Hall, Revelstoke, B. C., February 8, 1921 1s Nelson, 201 feet, 921 Amateur, N at Revelstoks, B. C,, February 9, 1921. | | | Q. What is the difference between a | dromedary and a camel?—E. B. A. Dromedary is a name sometimes given to the Arablan or one-humped | camel, but properly belonging to a| variety of that species distinguished by | slenderness of limbs and symmetry of form and by extraordinary fleetness, “bearing much the same relation to the ordinary camel as a race horse or hunter does to a cart horse.” Q. What is the pay of & colonel in the Regular Army?—C. W. A. The pay of a colonel in the Army varies according to the length of serv- ice. With less than 25 years' service he Q. Should the peace pipe, wher ing emoked as American I smoked it, be passed to the r left?—. S, A. The manner peace pipe” was determined by individual tribe of Indians, and Bureau of Indian Affalrs is not to state whether or not the pipe always passed in the same direct Q. M A. Strictly speaking, are the people of Rom fans are inhabitants of peninsula. The Roman were the people of Ita under the rule of Ror of passing Are Romans and Itallans ing, the Roma whils 1 the Itali of hist who (The Star invites its readers to this information service freely. An tensive organization is maintained serve you in any capacity that relat to information. Failure to use the ser ice deprives wou of benefits to whicl you are entitled. Your obligaton only a 2-cent stamp, inclosed with you inquiry for direct reply. Addresss Th Star Information Bureau, Frederic . Haskin, director, Twent, receives an annual base pay of $3,500 streets nothwest.) Dawes’ Attitude on Cabinet Has Nation’s Editors Guessing Vice President-elect Dawes has told President Coolidge that he prefers to occupy the position to which he was elected, and will not accept an invi tation to bec e an ex officio member of the cabinet, a position which, ac- cording to the Nashville Tennessean, Mr. Coolidge ‘enjoyed’ during Presi- dent Harding’s administration.” The Harding plan,” continues the Tennessean, “is not adapted to color- ful personalities with strong convic- tions and the courage to express them. Were Coolidge and Dawes to =it at the head and fcot of the council table the ends of the table might be reversed almost from the outset. Dawes made a wise decision, and no doubt Coolldge heaved a sigh of re- lief when he announcel it The Grand Raplds Press says: “We are inclined to agree with Mr. Dawes— as Mr. Coollidge does—that it is bad precedent to assume that the Vice President should be as completely identifled with the party leader as Mr. Coolldge was. The Vice President is subordinated too much, even as matters stand. Let him be a free lance, an imponderable, a factor to be guessed at and worried about a lit- tle, and he will not only enjoy the vice presidency a little more, but will be in & position to stand on his own feet in case of emergency.” * ok k% “While no great harm would be likely to result from the participation of the Vice President in cabinet meet- ings,” observes the Indianapolis News, “it is hard to see how very much good could come from it. It is better that there should be no con- fusion of executive and legislative functions.” The Des Moines Register agrees that “there is so little chance of any good coming from Including him in the cabinet that the Harding policy might very well be dropped.” ‘While, in the opinion of the Seattle Times, Mr. Coolidge’s attendance at Harding cabinet meetings “was uni- formly pleasant, it is by no means sure they were highly beneficlal.” It is likely, the Times continues, “that Gen. Dawes will find the Senate suf- ficiently interesting to command his entire attention, and perhaps his pungent comments on senatorial practices and achievements will serve to speed up that slov:-moving body.” “Actual experienc: demonstrated the failure of the ecperiment,” says the Springfield, Mass., Republican, which belleves that the example in the re- cent campaign ‘“demonstrated the risks attending the Harding-Coolidge experiment when the opposition can- didates based their charges that the on silver made in England was in testimony that the metal used came up to standard, the name hallmark being derived from the Guild Hall, where the works were tested. * K K This is, of course, the day of quan- titative production, the day of the machine, and for purposes of utility much that is machine made l}enllraly adequate. The machine in ifself is a triumph of the Inventiveness of man. The great trouble with things which are machine wrought, however, is that there has been no joy in the making, no opportunity for creative skill on the part of the maker or of pride in production. The creative in- stinct is inherent with all. When the cook cuts little fanciful shapes In the crust of an apple ple, as Granville Barker once pointed out, she is obey- ing a natural instinct for decoratlon; Vice President had harbored a guilty knowledge of the administrative scandals on the mere fact that he had ‘listened In' at cabinet meetings and had thus become a responsible mem- ber of the administration over whose Y a shapeless hole would quite as sat- isfactorily allow the escape of steam. The great danger which threatens the craft movement in this country is lack of willingness on the part of the young to serve an apprenticeship in order to attain proficiency. Life is short and art is long, and time saving is the cry of the hour; but good craftsmanship is only acquired through endless effort, through that in- finite capacity for taking pains which 1s s0 rare that some have becn disposed to call it genius. policies and acts he had no control whatever."” “The innovation of the last admin- istration was not an fmprovement « the wisdom of the fathers,” in t opinfon of the Boston Transcript. “In the cabinet the Vice President was placed in the uncomfortable position by the very nature of his office sharing the responsibility before the public of the decsions of the cabinet without any authority elther to § fluence or to oppose them. The co: try owes a vote of thanks to t Vice President-elect, to whose co mon sense is due the return to con stitutional practices.” ek “There is very little evidence that Mr. Coolldge contributed anything very definite to the formation of the Harding administration policies,” ot serves the Rochester Times Unio which adds: “On the other hand, ther is little doubt that Mr. Coolidge gained In the closer knowledge of gov- ernmental problems which came from his attendance at the cabinet meet- ings On the whole, perhaps, the ex- periment worked well rather than 111" As the New York World sees {t: “Tha country needs a Vice President in tho cabinet. For his presence thers is not only the obvious argument that he may one day succeed his chlef in of- fice and can profit in that case from closer contact with affairs, but the additional argument that the policy- | making burdens of the Executives are | heavy enough to stand the co-opera- | tion ‘of two minds. Mr. Dawes Is man whose energy might make the presence of a Vice President In tl cabinet less of a precedent and more of a real thing.” Gen. Dawes' action, In the opinion of the Milwaukee Journal, to a good many supporters of the Coolidge- | Dawes ticket “is likely to be a dis- appointment. They had visioned the peppery general hammering the cabi- net table unt!l the inkwells danced, driving home his ‘brass tacks’ in gov- ernment. It may not matter that Gen Dawes' volce 13 not to be heard in the inner circles of government. Yet, coming so soon after his saving the country from ‘the red flag,’ and the demagogy and mob psychology, this self-effacement of the man of the hour would indlcate that the Ameri- can people swallowed an awful dose of bunkum. In fact, we are beginning to suspect that all the talk about how the politicians tremble when Gen Dawes' name is mentioned is just some more of what the younger set calls blah-blah.” * X ok ok The Birmingham News refers to possible ambitions in 1928 and Mr. Dawes' desire to keep his political record unattackable, and remarks: “Iie would rather put up with the loneli- ness and detachedness about which Thomas R. Marshall grumbled, rather than be linked up with cabinet con- claves on Teapot Dome and the rest of ‘the unpleasant things with which Vice President Coolidge was linked in pre-election days.” This theory s discounted by the San Francisco Bul- letin, which says: “Our notion Is that if Mr. Dawes does not wish to sit at the cabinet table it is because of bashfulness. He ls a shrinking vio- let; on whose tender petals tiny dew drops tremble. He might make 2 good President if he could get over it. Buf that will not be until long after 1928