Evening Star Newspaper, December 12, 1924, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR - With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY......December 12, 1924 THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor Yhe Evening Star Newspaper Company Offics, 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. Fogs Sant S el Rurop:an Office : 16 Regent 8t.,London, land. The Evening Star, with the Sunday morning ®dition, is delivered by carriers within the ety af 80 conts per mouth: dally only, 43 Seats ber month: unday oniy. 20 cents’ per month. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- phone Maln 5000. Collection s made by car- riers at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday..15r., $8.40; 1 mo,, 70c Daiiy only. ..1yr., $6.00; 1 mo, 60c Sunday only.......1yr, §2.40; 1 mo, 20c All Other States. Dally and Sunday.1 yr., $10.0 Dally only. 1yr., $7.0 Bunday only J1yr., $3.0 Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Press is exclusively entitled o the ‘vse for republication of all news dis patches credited to 1t or ot otherwise credited 1 this paper and also the local news pub Jished ‘hereln. Al rights of publication of speciul dpatches hereln are also reserved. Treffic Rules and Enforcement. Tie traihic problem /in Wasningto: Dresents two aspects, one of la making and one of law-enforcement At present the law-enforceinent phase of the guestion is of the greater im- portance and demands the most thorough consideration and prompt action. Congress is now preparing to enact a law which will make provision for the speedy trial and proper pun- ishment of violators of the trafife rules, especially those who drive their cars while intoxicated and those who speed away after a collision. A traf- fic court is considered as onc of the essentials, a court equipped for the immediate trial of offenders and quali fied to impose severe penalties. Addi- tional traflic policemen, it is hoped, will also be s1pplied, and the granting of licenses further restricted to lessen the number of incompetent, irresponsi- ble drives Meanwhile, it is plain that the street spaces of Waskhingt n are not used to e best advantage and with the great- t degree of safety, assuming that all drivers are law-abiding and desire conform to the rules. In other words, the traffic rules themselves need some revision to accommodate the volun of traffic with less danger. A scientific study of traffic condi- tions in this city has been made, and leads to the conclusion that at certain points the movement of vehicles can be facilitated and the percentage of ‘danger lessened. By use throughout the city at intersection points whe congestion is common of the “rotary system, which is now in use is believed that the risk jon would be diminish The safety of people who use street cars, and who therefore must cross the traffic lines in order to reach the loading stations or platforms, is to be considered. In many cases the platforms do not coincide with the designated passageways across streets. Some of them are so long that they extend half a block from the street intersection, The temptation is great to the pedéstrian to leave the curb in midblock In order to reach the nearest point of the platform. There is consequently a constant infiltration of people across the line of traffic. Much danger arises from corner turning under the “impulse” system. People afcot are caught unawares by vehicles unexpectedly changing course Yet the driver must move at first op- portunity. He should, of course, turn the corner at low speed with full warning to all who are crossing on foot. Washington has by no means an ideal traffic code. With its breadth of sireets it should have less difficulty than almost any other city in regulat- ing vehicles to permit a maximum of movement with a minimum of danger. As soon as the punitive measures now contemplated are provided to insure more efficlent enforcement of the | rules the rules themselves should be considered for revision. It .is urgent, however, that rule revision should | wait in order that enforcement meas ures may be surely provided without = the e Chicago girls who admitted that the social whirl took up so much time that they felt compelled to cheat in their cxams at least display a candor that refresh They may be a means of requiring Chicago to decide whether it will cultivate fame as an educational | ecnter or as a fashionable metropolis. —r——— Germany has settled down in a de- rermined effort to regulate her own governmental affairs on a secure basis instead of aspiring to dictate the politi- cal policies of the world. German Sabers. Tn a campaign speech delivered in behalf of the Democratic party, just before the election for the Reichstag, Dr. Otto Gessler, German minister of defense, sald, according to a cable res port: 1 emphatically reject the mere sug- zestion of war revenge, and not one Ger- an child would I wish to see sacri- icod to the realization of such a thought. This ridiculous rattling of sabers which we don't possess must cease, We must confine ourselves to business and poli- tics, which will be devoted to the nego- tlating of commerclal treatles, the formulating of taxation programs and other urgent economic legislation. Dr. Gessler’s reference to “the rat- tiing of sabers which we don’t pos- sess” has been quickly followed by a report from the interallied military control commission in Germany to the effect that the provisions of the Ver- sailles treaty concerning disarmament are not being carried out. The mis- sion has found that the German gen- eral staff continues its deliberations as it did before the war; that the German arms factories are turning out new war material; that, contrary to the treaty, there is in Germany an ef- fective force of soldiers far surpassing the limit fixed by it. Complaining of numerous hindrances put in the way of its work by the German govern- ment, the mission reports that despite ° them it has discovered factories for <he production of arms and munitions and found secret stocks of newly the | manufactured rifles, cannon and anti- tank guns. This report will now go before the council of ambassadors, which must either renounce the condition it re- cently imposed upon itself to trans- form the mission from a military to a civilian body, or oppose the policy of the present French government in favor of the immediate transfer of the responsibility for the military control of Germany to the League of Nations. In any case, this report puts Dr. Gessler in a peculiar position. As minister of defense he, of course, must know the exact condition of Ger- many’s military armament. His refer- ence to the rattling of sabers not pos- sessed may be @ mere campaign figure of speech. Perhaps he was referring to sabers on the old scale. Maybe he was entirely sincere ‘in his depreca- tion of armament and talk of revenge. But there sre the guns and the fac- tories for making more guns and the organized troops. Are they solely for defense? If so, defense against whom? Who threatens Germany? Extending the Botanic Garden. Development of the National Botanic Garden proceeds, but not at great speed. However, the promise is that the plan of turning certain public reservations in Washington south of the Capitol inte parts of the Botanic Garden will soon bear fruit, and flowers Expansion of the garden is asked for many reasons, and a way :as been found to expand it on Gov- ernment land in parts of the city which very much need improvement. { The garden will b cead over a lar area, taking in ations made in the original plan of the city and land reclaimed by filling the Washington City Canal and par of the James Creek Canal. It would be possible to extend the garden from its present site south to the Eastern Branch, and this may be done. The garden will be of irregular form and not symmetri- cal, but it will serve the purposes of g the Government at Washington tional Botanic Garden and chang- of unimproved Govern- into pleasant | a N ing a number ment rescrvations places. At a recent meeting of the subcom- mittee of the House appropriations committee ha’ % in hand appropria- | tons for the Botanic Garden, the | chairman said that new buildings along the bed of the old James Creek Canal will be provided, and tracts of land owned by the District will prob- ably be acquired during the coming fiscal year for the systematic improve- ment of the garden. At present the } not in harmony with { ment between the Capitol, the Monu- ment and Lince Memorial. It con- tains a national memorial, the founda- | tion for another statue, glass houses, small Lrick buildings, o fine fountain, historic trees that ought to be preserved {and masses of shrubbery planted { when the institution had no other aim | than ng a garden, After vears of | debate and delay the tall iron fence of | { the old garden was sawed off, but the | | shabby Lrick base of the fence and | the sawed-off butts of the spikes re- main. The old buildings are there. They are happy landmarks, but it is the fate of landmarks to pass. The conservatory, once a splendid_example of the crystal house, is in a dangerous condition and a larger one is nceded. | nic Garden is park develop- Loot or Public Safety? | One of the six prisoners pleading | guilty to participation in the $2,000,- 000 train robbery at Rondout, 1Il., and | receiving a sentence of 25 years ad-| mits that he has concealed $100,000 of the loot. He refuses, however, to turn over any of the money or the bonds unless the sentence is reduced. “Sure I've got the money,” he says to a post office inspector, “I've got 35 years' sentence, too; now what are you going to do about 1t?” Well, what is going to be done about it? Will the court compromise and reduce the term if this prisoner | gives up the cash? Which is more im- | portant, to put this man away for a | long period of punishment for his | crime, or to get the loot? | —————————— | Some of those old Western road| agents would get a real thrill if they | could come back and see the fights between rum runners and Volstead enforcement men on the Eastern boulevards. oo His observations cannot fail to re-| mind Magnus Johnson that while the | Golden Rule is a great guide in mat- ters of abstract morality it is of little value as a political argument, —————————— An impression gains ground that a musical star does not care what be- comes of the show, so long as the elopement is a success. ——e———————— Debt discuseions convey a whole- some reminder that one war ought to be paid for before another is under: taken. ——————————— B.T.HM.BS.D.C. ; A man appeared in a New York | court yesterday on a charge of illegal- 1y practicing medicine. One of the ex- hibits in the case was a professional circular on which, after his name, | appeared the cryptic letters of “B.T.H.M.B.S.D.C.” There were three | judges on the bench, and they pored | over the cryptogram intently. Not even their expertness in solving cross- word puzzles enabled them to deter- mine the meaning of the mystic symbols. So they asked the defendant, and he glibly reeled off the translation, adding that he was really entitled to two more letters, M.C., meaning medi- cal chemist. In explanation of this addendum he said that in 1922 he was granted a permit to sell a patent medicine. The circular proclaimed the fact that the alphabetic practi- tioner would cure any allment to which the human system is subject for $15. He slipped when a representa- tive of the district attorney's office applied for a cure for rheumatism, which he did not have, but which the cross-word medico agreed to cure for THE EVENING good many dollars. Some people are deeply impressed with abbreviations that appear to stand for honors, de- grees and titles. Charlatans make a good living out of the credulity of such folks, They probably do no physi- cal harm, for the “remedies” they use are innocuous, though perhaps pun- gent. They may take a heavy toll in fees. Maybe they stimulate the imag- ination and actually start cures by mental processes. Still, the courts frown on them, and the medical pro- fession is naturally aeverse to such enterprise. There are some of these profusely initialed confidence men in every community. Some of them ac- tually hang out “shingles.”” The wise ones keep within the law, but occa- sionally they slip and fall. This New York “healer” ¥ » rendered a public service by culi iing capital letters and thus makin is cgse conspicuous In a way to stimulate prosecution of such frauds elsewhere, Street Car Christmas Spirit. These days before Christmas are crowded. The street cars are packed, the strects are congested, the stores are choked. Everybody is hustling And everybody should be considerate. It is possible for a great multitude of people to get along easily in such con- ditions if all will be regardful for others. In the street cars particularly there should be this consideration. Almost everybody has a package of some kind. Standing room is at a premium during the rush hours. The average individual actually takes more room now than at other times on account of these bundles he is carrying. It is harder to hand out fares to the con- ductor. If every passenger would have the exact fare ready on entering the car to drop into the box or the conductor’s hand the process of loading would be facilitated, Car movements would be speeded. Everybody would be accom- modated. This is a small matter, but it has an important bearing on the general comfort of those who use the street cars. It is particularly impor- tant in the one-man car with front entrance, where the driver must make change and receive fares and cannot start the car until the last passenger has paid. 3 It would pay everybody at such a time as this to lay in stocks of car tokens so as to have fares always ready. Buying 15 for a dollar at times when the cars are not crowded makes for later facility. Trifles like this are mutually bene- ficlal, Let the Christmas spirit pre- vail on the street cars as well as in the shops and in the homes. Move up to the front and make room for new- comers. Remember that the peopie who come later also have packages and need room. The passenger who is at the head of the line today may be last to board the car tomorrow. e There is no hesitation aboyt making’, governmental changes in Germany. Whatever may be the privations in other dircetions the supply of political talent is always abundant. e The League of Nations can claim credit for having made the discussion of future war possibility so thorough that it will be difficult for any obstrep- erous nation to spring a surprise. o If magicians persist in going to the White House and discovering zold watches in loaves of bread, bakers are liable to claim a new pretext for rais- ing prices. —e————— Soviet Russia shows a growing dis- position, to- forget some of its Nd-time sentiments and talk business, — e Almost every graft investigation re- veals, incidentally, a serles of wild | parties, with not a dry agent in sight. SHOOTING STARS. DY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Educational Impulse. Whenever I set out to play, Or read some trifie tenuous, The relaxation, T will say, ; Prepares for toil more strenuous. I really need the exercise, Or respite intellectual, To strengthen me for projects wise And make them more effectual. | This sentence I will give you, son, So dolefully declarative; The work in life that T have done Is nearly all preparative. For when I tread a merry way So jazzy.and sensational, I fool myself and try to say It's very educational. Holiday Rejoicings, “Of course, your constituents will wish you a merry Christmas.” “They can go farther than that with me,” answered Senator Sorghum. “The election went my way, and they can congratulate me on an entirely comfortable Fourth of March.” ’ Invisible Taxation. The secret tributes that men wring Increase taxation's sum. The smuggler scores on everything From immigrants to rum. Jud Tunkins says if you give a man a present worth two bits he is pro- foundly grateful; but if you give him advice worth thousands of dollars he immediately begins to be suspicious. Disappointed Crowd. “They tell me your latest play of- fended the audience.” “It did,” admitted Mr. Stormipgton Barnes. “There wasn’t an indelicate speech or situation A it.” Hope in Posterity. The criticism that's ‘addressed To every school and edllege Has left us frequently distressed Concerning human knowledge. ‘We lead the children on the way Of learned demonstration; We know that they must form some day The boards of education. $10. Unimpressed by the array of cap- ital letters the court found him guilty and bailed him to be sentenced later. That bunch of eight initials—with two in reserve—has probably netted the licensed patent medicine vender a | Uncle Eben. “Don’t depend too much on folks dat makes deirse'fs agreeable,” said > “Temporarily speakin’, de confidence man is @ heap better company dan de school teacher,” STAR, WASHINGTON. C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1924, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. The late Victor Herbert once wrote a song which was given the catchy title of “Everybody Else's Girl Looks Better to Me Than Mine. Most men, at some time or other in their lives, have felt like changing the song to read, “Everybody Else’ Job Looks Better to Mc Than Mine.” No matter what sort of work one does, sometimes he grows stale on the job, as the saying Is, and wishes he were a plumber, or a carpenter or a bunker or almost any sort of worker other than what he is. Terhaps it wa: too hearty a break- fast, a dispute with the wife, some fracus at the office or any ono of a thousand different causcs—in any cvent the result is that he heartily wishes his life work had been ca t in_some other profession or trade. When this mood overtakes a man it 1s well to take a survey of the various jobs he would not want to fill. This diver fon has a wonder- fully cheering effect upon the mind. “Jobs I Wouldn't Want” might be the title of a new song that will await the coming of a new Victor Herbert to set it .to music. I am afraid we will have to walit a long, iong time. * ¥ ok ok Among the jobs that I, personally, would not want to fill, are the fol- lowing: Milkman, lamplighter, ashman, garbage man, motorman conductor, plow-pit man, banana peddler, stee- plejack, organ grinder, street cleaner, charwoman. Upon the sturdy shoulders of many of the workers of this type the very fabric of our great city rests. What would we do without the milkman who in the wee smu’ hours bring« the milk for our little on How would tho city get along without th motormen and conductors, who run like the old Welsh air, “All Throug the Night,” or lacking the minist tions of the ashmen, the bage men and the trash colldetors Every reader can make a list to sult himself. Upon his own tempera- ment depends what jobs he will plac in his catalogue of those occupations which he would not like to under- take in order to carn his daily bread. Perhaps a real psychologist or psychoanalyst, looking over such a list, might be able to tell there from just what manner of man drew it up. Sherlock Holmes undoubtedly could fathom the exact height, weight and color of hair of the maker from the list. What an interesting “This and That” it would make if a milkman would send me his list of a dozen jobs he wouldn't want, and the worthy lamplighter on my stre would do the same, and so on down the line! Perhaps at date we may have that pleasure. Take the milkman. He has to get up at midnight, or thereabouts, get his wagon—or au- tomobile—secure his cargo of lacteal fluid and start out on his route, 1o matter what the weather, While the rest of us are slumbering the milkman plods his rounds, his horse trained to art and stop almost by intuition. Scores of horses still function in Washington between milk wagon shafts, despite the in- roads made by the automobile truck You have awakened in the night { to hear the clatter of the milk wagon It may be 1 a.m., & o'clock, 5 o'clock or later. The lorse stops. Comes, then, the clink of bottles against wire basket, the steps of the milkman as he up the sidewalk, the clank bottles placed upon the porch, l’n-treut of the vender, the cl the uck to IN TODAY’S A leading member of the United States Commission 05 authority for the annbuncement that when the National Academy of De- sign of New York Clty celebrates its centennlal anniversary mext vear, it should do it with an exhibition of & century of American art, and that the oxhibition should be hedd in Wash- ington. This cxhibition, he says, need not be a large one, requiring 2 special bullding, but it might be accommodated in the National Mu- seum, where some of the permanent exhibits could be removed for the occasion. The query as to how such an enter- prise in the Capital would be viewed by the Main Street residents of New ! York did mot disturb the Washing- | tonian, for he explalned that the | exhibit might be shown later in New { York, and even in Chicago, but it { should first be scen in Washington, { which is destined to develop as the great American art cenier. 1 o There is nothing which so flatters a Washingtonian as to speak of the | Capital as the futuro art center of {the world. All residents of the Dis- | trict of Columbia are “futurists’ as |to that dream. In cousidering the prejent art status of the clty, It is | encouraging to note the many in- fluences which are actlve in bring- ing forward a fuller appreciation of tho fine arts, even In the midst of a political and “non-resident” atmos- phere. The main difficulty in all of Washington's clvic advancement prob- lems is ascribed to the fact that the powers which regulate the affairs lof the Natlonal Capital are more concerned in the country fairs of their home districts than In an art center of the Nation. * Kk ok K How much is art appreciated in Washington? The city is rich in its statuary, although it is quite fash- ionable to speak slightingly of most of these products of the sculptor's genius. It is so much easier—and safer—for the spectator to look dep- recatingly upon what he is incompe- tent to judge, and to assume that all the sculpture is bad, even though it is “commemorative,” than it is to judge, or even to enjoy, its art. ‘We are told that there are but 15— some say only 2—statues in Wash- ington that are not “atrocious.” One of these two, being a replica of the Joan of Arc of Parls, is not eligible, therefore, to the centennial exhibit of American art. The other is discreetly unidentified, hence might be any but the one plece which the tyro might dare to admire or enjoy. It is so un- safe to admire! * k ko As for plctures, Washington 1s rich in precious canvases, though unfortu- nately the public has little access to some of the best. How arlstocratically exclusive is some fine art! It breathes in mystery; it is sheltered in cellars like old wine in cobwebs. Should it be poured out like pearls before a pork barrel? How like the dark, un- fathomed caves of ocean are the warerooms of the Corcoran Art Gal- lery, the National Gallery of Art and— ve deep!—the Freer Gallery! What splendor lies In the canvases hid in our many private galleries and their storage chamber: For years there has been an urgent demand for the erectidn of 4 large separate bullding in which t¥ house the - National Art Gallery, a few of whose pictures now hang in the Na- tional Museum, close to skeletons of ancient animals and savages—neigh- bors, perhaps, of the Neanderthal man. A year ago Congress appropriated land for such an art building, and then private funds were subscribed to forward the architectural design. ant design has now been- submitted the Commission of Fine Arts, and some future | runs | of the | the horse, the sound of hoofs again. Look out of the window and survey the scene. The milkman has a lght in his wagon. Perhaps he wears a sweater. Usually he is a tall, “raw- boned” man, physically fit to stand the wear and tear of a hard job. He clatters by your house at 1 |o'clock. One night you see he has a small boy with him, who is help- ing. At 8 o'clock that morning, just as you are getting onto vour street car, you see a milk wagon come by. In it are a tall man and a little boy. Milkmen seldom make mistakes In |leaving their wares. Despite the fact that all row housese look alike and bottles of milk must seem as peas in a pod in the dark, the milk- man will leave you a quart and a pint one morning and, if you have changed your order, the correct amount of 2 quarts the next morning. If the milk is not on the doorstep, it is never the milkman's faulf, but always that of some pilferer. All of us can take a lesson from the milk- man. Here is another thing—while the postmen on Christmas morning greets his patrons personally and receives fat Chirtsmas présents all down the street, the milkman never sces any- body, and so Well, who Is going to remember the milkman this Christmas? * ok ok x The hurrying lamplighter has a job that never sppealed to me. With his stick in hand, and sometimes & small lantern under his arm, he hustles from street light to street light, up alleys, around corners, to light the '“mps that do duty throughout | the city / « . pay, as for all part'time work, ie comparatively small. A lamp- | Lighter must walk around the world several times during a year right here in Washington. If your doctor ever tells you to take up some out- door occupation, apply to the District Building for a lamplighter's job. You can get four or five miles walking each evening, to say noth- ing of a similar amount about & o'clock in the morning. For lights that inust be turned on, of course, have to be turned off, too. The ashmen, garbage collectors, trash men and street cleaners hold humble but highly important positions in the civic structure. Upon their persistent, perspiring efforts depend the sanitary condition of the very | 8roundwork of the metropolis. The charwomen, too, who clean the | Ereat departmental | office buildings | of praise, at the same time we admit {we would not trade jobs with them. And the motorman, the conductors {and the men who work in the plow | Pits, especially those who do their structures and big city like Washington get alon, without them? The big man in the plow pit, down there with the liye wires, makes an { especial appeal o the imagination of mall boys and of their elders who have not lost their faculty of percep- tion. He slides down with the great- est unconcern, clangs his bell, jerks the troll. pole rope, comes out again, totally unmoved, turns the switch, goes back into his little house on the corner to wait for the mnext car. As for the banana peddlers—also the celerr venders on the corners— the street piano men, and the steeple- jacks, T would not be @ one of them, for the following reasons: I could not stand the ladies who would keep on asking me if T w ure my produce was strictly fresh | v strect plano is too darn heav { I surely would fall off a steeple SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL V. COLLINS. jcertain minor details have been eriti- Fine Arts is|cized, the general plan being enthu- | | siastically approved. making the desired | windows and more skylight, mainly- {but whether Congress will authorize ‘zlhn building in the general approval of the many buildings needed, remains |£till for the dreams of the optimistic “futurists.” The architect is changes—fewer _ Nevertheless, Washington is “go- | ing to develop” as the great art cen- {ter of America. With the absence of “Industries” and the unexampled presence of more sclentists than has any other community in the world, all { conditions point to the Capital as ideal for culture of the esthetics. Art influences are at work. Prove {t? The X painters indicated it, with their interesting exhibit in the Cor- coran Gallery last week. The same gallery also shows a special® water color exhibit by Lucien F. Powell, of which any gallery might be proud. The Landscape Socfety has shown that art is in the very air of Wash- ington, secking expression. The old- time idea that only in Europe is glorlous scenery is no longer toler- ated by one who has “seen America first.” “But what is Washington really do- ing to make art popular?’ demands an art lover, who is serious in his urge and is neither a tcchnician nor a dilletante. “What we need, first, is to estab- lish standards of art,” answers the art commissioner. “What stendards, you ask?” the commissioner continues. “People will not learn art without standards. Not 10 per cent of the pictures in — gal- lery would be hung if proper stand- ards were adhered to. Gazing at. plc- tures in galleries will not teach the people anything. It is not the rub- bernecks who trall through galleries who are going to elevate art.” The art commissioner pointed to the high standards of the Freer Gallery to illustrate the jdeal—‘not intended to appeal to the uneducated in art.” “Yet the very hoi-poilol of France and other European countries appre- clate the art they see in the Louvre and the Luxembourg—and in the Florence galleries and the Sistine Chapel and other great public e: hibits of the best art in the world, was suggested by the connolsseur, adding: “To the uninitiated, the Venus de Milo is but a figure of a fleshy woman, who has lost her arms; to one who studies it, draws it seriously, discovers its grace and the flow of line, its beauty is disclosed. Why will not familiarity and study of all art, as shown in our galleries, aid the public in understanding—and appre- clating—Its beauty? How else will that beauty ever become known? What ‘standards’ must first be cata- logued? 3 “Is there any reason why Wash- ington might not have a great annual salon, like that of Par's? The curator of the National Art Gallery says that if there were wall room in the gal- lery, the nation would receive gifts of a million dollars’ worth of art an- nually. I was told, yesterday,” in- sisted the connolsseur, “by the owner of one of the finest collections of paintings in America that she was only ‘waiting to donate her pictures— worth millions, I estimate—as soon as the National Gallery could care for them.” “What Amerjca needs is to get back to serious art—away from the clap- trap of modern fads,” declares Lucien Powell, the 78-year-old dean of Washington painters, whose glowing color was pronounced by John S. Sargent was ‘‘unequaled In the paint- ing of American canyons,” ard who has been designated by the wife of a former British Ambassador as “the American Turner.” “Fix standards of art?” added Mr, come in for a-shar: | duty from midnight on—how could | THE PUBLIC LIBRARY 4. Makers of History. “To understand the past we must look at it always when we can through the eyes of cotemporar.s,” advises Froude. Secen thus the pas becomes the present and :s alive With eager figures and dramatic events pictured in colorful detail. Freeman called Alfred the Great the greatest character in history. One is persuaded to agree with Freeman as one follows the fort of the the country which they had ravaged, fostered ecducation and religion and did all things with the single thought of what was good for his people. Uno of the best short lives of King Alfred is that prepared by Sir Walter Besant for the celebration of his thousandth anniversary. Besant quotes freely from Asser, the King's counselor, thereby Introducing much local color and making Alfred’s personality more real, When Sir Thomas. Moro was on his way back to the tower and execu- tion, his daughter Megg watched for him, and “as soon as she saw him, after his blessing upon her knees rev- erently received, she, hasting towards him, without consideration or care of herself, pressing in amongst the midst of the throng and company of the guard, that with halberds and bills went rount about him, hastily ran to him, and there openly in sight of them all, embraced him, and took him abut the neck and kissed him. Who well liking her most natural and dear daughterly affection towards him, gave her his fatherly blessing, and many godly words of comfort be- sides.” With such appealing pictures Willlam Roper (Megg's husband) de- scribed Sir Thomas' happy family life, his merry remarks, the fulfillment of his public dutles, his loyaity to the King, his joyous acceptance of his fate. The bouk is supplemented also by the letters of Sir Thomas More to his daughter. Jsabel of Castile, whose marriage with Ferdinand brought about the union of the Spanish nationality, is one of the most remarkable figures in history. The turbulent conditions in Spain, the intrigues and treachery of the Spanish nobles, the Queen's ruth- less expulsion of the Jews, her relent- less cruelty in the Spanish Inquisi- tion, her glories in the conquest of Granada and the discovery of the New World make a drama of intense in- terest. All are vividly portrayed in Piu s “Isatel of Castile.” Cavour of Italy was the promoter of another national life. Although Willlam Roscoe Thayer is the author- | ity on the life of Cavour, the book by the Countess Cesaresco is briefer and meets the demands of the usual reader. Full of sparkle and interest, it presents the history of the unific: tion of Italy in a fascinating w “The Diary and Letters of Frances Burney” (Mme. d’Arblay) are written to Nobody, for she said, “To Nobody can I be wholly unreserved, to No- body can I reveal every thought, every wish of my heart, with the most unlimited confidence, the most unremitting sincerity, to the end of * Her minute and animated tive is full of human interest, { for she met all sorts of people and portraved all sorts, from the top of society to the bottom. She had “an untlring pen and eagle cye and a sin- | gularly amiable disposition.” | A sympathetic and trustworthy pr ntation of the character and | reer of Mary, Queen of Scots, is found | | in Maccumm’s “Mary Stuart.” Of thix romantic Queen, Greene say: “Her beauty, her exquisite grace of man- i her generosity of { ner, speech, her sensibility, her gayety, | her womanly ears, her manilke cour- | age, the play and freedom of her na- ture, the flashes of poetry that broke from her at every intense moment of ¢oe, which has only the lapse of years, deepened with Government Efficiency and National Parks To the Editor of The Star; It would add much to the cfliciency of our Government to locate the pros- pective new national park in the mountains adjoining the Shenandoah Valley. That s to say, it would be possible for Government employes and officials—including the President—to take short vacations there, who now must go much farther or not at all for the occasional rustic isolation so generally recognized as beneficial to mental efficiency. Practically the only seclusion which the President can now obtain during busy periods is that attending a short trip on the Mayflower, but there are many heads of departments and divi- sions needing similar benefits who cannot secure them at all. The Presi- dent would no doubt apprecfate an alternative of the Mayflower trips, valley, it pould require only two hours by tor to bring the Execu- tive among the inspiring beauties of nature unadorned, in which there is so much that is curative for great minds. The vistas and quiet of the terrain so ideally available in nearby Vir- ginia would certainly have the effect of lightening the mental loads and making minds fresh and vigorous for effective attacks on the problems that assail the heads of our Government. In this effect the destiny of our coun- try might be materially affected for the better by the selection of the Blue Ridge site in Virginia. Congress, too, might reasonably be expected to exercise better its legis- lative functions during a long session, especially, by proper utilization of the privileges of such a reserve. In addition, the mass of the Gov- ernment workers would be able to take occasional trips to the park, and thereby add to their strength and ability to accomplish their tasks. The exhausting trips now reguired of the few who can afford to visit other national parks or reserves off- set the benetits obtainable, and it may be properly sald that there is no such place of recreation now availa- ble to Washington, nor would it be properly available to benefit the proc- esses of Government if placed far- ther away than the Shenandoah Val- ley. H. L. WOODWARD. A Menace to Be Cured. From the Chicago News. Within the next four years thena- tional lawmakers ought to do some- thing toward olling the works in a way to prevent the peril of prestien- tial deadlocks. Dictionary in Demand. From the Boston Transcript. Thanks to the cross-word puzzle, the dictionary is likely to find place among the best sellers. - Powell. “The standards of today are never those of yesterday or tomor- row. Time was when the Dutch painters gloried in painting files or other insects upon their portraits, so realistically—microscopically—as to deceive the beholder. That was thelir test—their standard—of superb suc- cess. Today there are schools which assufne that all there Is to art is a studlo stunt in impressionistic values and rainbow colors. When ‘standards’ are standard'zed, of what use will be galleries? Then, Indeed, —galleries will be futlle—not until them. The drt world must return to serious art, in which painters will again picture ‘dreamm faces' as d4id the masters of the former gemeratioms.” _ s “(Copyright, 1924, by Paul V. Collins.) King who defeated, the Danes, rebuilt | temper and | warmth of affection, her frankness of | her life, flung a spell over friend and | 116 vears of age or over, who are gain- | tully employed. | iy and now that the concrete roads ex- | tend continuously and directly to the | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J]. HASKIN Q. What is the limit in savings ac- count that a married woman may have before it becomes taxab'e in the District?—A. A. Y. A. Banking accounts are exeript to the amount of $500 in the District of Columbia. This includes both sav- ings and checking accounts. Q. Whom- should I address for in- formation about the Sons of the American Revolution?—R. B. H. A. Communicate with the general secretary, Frank Bartlett Stecle, 918 F street northwest, Washington, D. C. Q. Was the District of Columbia | ever the site of an Indian village? M. AL G, | | A, The part of the District which is now the town of Anacostia way probably the wite of the famous Indian village of Anacostan, Pow- hatan or Nacochtank, visited by Capt. Smith in 1603. In 1663 an English- man started a plantation upon the gite of the present City of Washing- ton. Q. How are made?—L. J. B. A. The berries are collected from the bayberry bush and boiled in pails of water. The wax rises to the top, is skimmea off, and boiled again. Regular candle wicks are cut the de- sired length, attched to a rod dipped in warm water and then dipped Into the pail of wax several times. Al- low the wax to harden between times. The wax should be kept just warm enough to be in a liquid state. Q. What {s the final authority as to the spelling of the name of a town or city?—A. J. G. A. The United States Board on Geographic Names, composed of 15 members, representative of the I ecutive Department, the Government Printing Office and the Smithsonian Institution, is invested with power to render figal decisions, binding on all departments of the Government, in settling the names of stations and places throughout the United States and Alaska, and to fix the spelling of the same in accordance with local usage. The board was instituted in 1890 by President Harrison. A sepa- rate board exists for the Philippine Islands. Q. Please d known as the C. M A. The Southern Cross is not a | phenomenon. It is the popular name for a southern constellation situated near the Antarctic Circle, and there- fore never visible in northern tudes. It consists of four, brig stars, to which fancy, alded by Chr) tian associations, gives the cruciform shape. Two brilliant stars, which mark the summit and foot of the Soutbern Cross, have nearly the same right ascension. The constellation, therefore, is almost vertical when passing the meridian, and these two stars act as pointers to the Antarctic pole. Q. What is the difference between a cabaret and a grill>—G. C. D. A. The actual meaning of the “cabaret” is a tavern or house where liquors are retailed. It is usual to apply this name only to those resorts |or houses serving the light refresh- { ments, mostly beverages. A grill, on the contrary, is usually a place where | a specialty Is made of steaks, chops, | entrees or other quickly prepared dishes. Q. How many people are emploved | in such a way as to be on a Govern- ment pay roll in the United States?— I A. The National TIndustrial Con- terence Board says that the aggregat. of active and inactive persons on the pay Tolls of all governments in this country numbers close to 3,400,000 This amounts to 1 in 12 of all persons bayberry candles scribe the phenomenon “Southern Cross.’— Q. Is Samuel Goldwyn a foreigner? A. Samuel Goldwyn . (surname changed from Goldfish) was born in Warsaw, Poland, 1882; naturalized a citizen in 1902 in the United States, educated at night schools, organized the Jesse L. Lasky Photoplay Com- pany in 1913, organized Goldwyn Pic- tures Corporation in 1916. Q. Is oil cheaper fuel than coal for stoves and rnaces?—P. L. A. There is no oil burner using kero- | ed which are cheaper than coal. The comparative cost of the two fuels, o? course, must be covered entirciy by local prices of the two commoditics, There are two types of burners in general use—the vaporizing and the atomizing. The vaporizing type will glve 150 to 175 gallons of ofl per ton of coal, while the atomizing type will run from 90 to 150 gallons. Q. Are Indians citizens, or are they not?—F. R. A. A law was passed by Congress last June which made all Indians citi- ens of the United States. However, in some States Indians are not allowe to vote, Th depends upon, the laws of the individual States. Q. Who built the pyramids?—A. 1L Cheops_built the highest of tho pyramids, Chephren the second . : Menkaura the third. Q. Has thers cver been “a taller than a good-sized man"? H. G. A. Popular Science Monthly, in a recent issue, had a picture of a Tazzy longhorn, described as 6 feet 4 inches in helght and weighing 4,200 pounds, and sald to be the world's largest steer. The name and address of tho owner were not given. Q. Is it Improper to eat the lettuca upon which a salad is served?—Ii. c ¥ A. Inclination may guide a person. The lettuce may be caten If one chooses. Q. What tree is it whose branches take root?—A. G. The Department of Agriculturs that you probably refer to tio Banyan tree. Its branches downward, which, when tl become rooted, become preps, ar this manner the tree spreads over great surface and endures for age: Q. Are people born in Alas Philippines considercd cans?—C. L. R. A. People born in Alska are co: sidered American citizens, while’nu- tive Filipinos are not so considercd unless their parents are American citizens, aud Amer! Q. What was the name of the auto- matic chess man in the old Eden Musee?—S, G. A. This automaton was known 3 Ajeeb and was worked by a player concealed on the floor below, who operated the machinery by means of mirrors. Is the place known where Moses as found in the bulrushes?—V. A. W. A. Opposite Cairo lies the Island of Roda, where, according to Arab tra- dition, Pharaoh’s daughter fou Moses in the bulrushes. At the south- ern extremity of this island is the nilometer. by which the rise of Nile has been measured by the C renes for 1,000 years. It is a sq well with an octagonal pillar m in cubits in the center. Q. What are calas?—R. A. A. A cala is a kind of rice cake well known in the French quarter o New Orleans. It is a batter cake which has been raised with yeast an fried in deep fat. Calas are eal with the morning cup of cafe au lai Q. Will an increase in the weigh of mail increase the salary of th postmater of a third-class post c fice?—J. C. M. A. The Post Office Departmer <ays that the salary in a third-cla Dost office is based on the sale postal supplies, box rents, etc., ra r than increase of the weight in t mail. Q. What is a man of straw?— M. H. A. A professional false witn the English courts who gives stra bail. They were or are said to wex straw in their shoes as a sign their profession. (It is certain that you puzzle dai over questions that we can answer | vou. You are confronted with probler grave to you, which can be answer easily by us. Our attention is dircct. chiefly to wmatters of fact. In matte legal, medical and financial we do give strictly professional advice, even in these we can often smoo your way and provide the contact y need with technicians. Make o practic of asking us what you do mot kno | sene oil which can be claimed to be cheaper than coal. There are, however, oil burners on the market which use the distillate kerosene, commonly known as furnace oil or fuel oi, ‘ Messages Finds President Coolidge’s first messages to Congress—the budget message and the annual megsage—delivered after his election, meet significant approval of the editors of the country regard- less of party lines. The keynote of economy meets particular favor from all sides. Most editors agree that the message is intended more for the country at large and for the Sixty- ninth Congress than for the Congress to which the communications were ac- tually addressed. “The message read in the two houses,” says the New York Herald- Tribune (Republican), was really ad- dressed to another audience. It is for the ears of the country and the next Congress. Mr. Coolldge restates his | views of a year ago. They are em- phatically the country’s views now as well\as his. The message striking- Iy ~ illustrates that common-sense grasp on realities which is the source of the President’s exceptiopal strength with the people. For that reason it is a communication to an inappro- priate address, appreciation of which will be much keener outside than in- side Congress.” In the opinion of the Boston Transcript (independent Re- publican), “evidently Mr. Coolidge ex- Dects littie in the way of legislation in line with his recommendations from the Congress which he inherited and significantly refrained from in- dorsing for re-election. Therefore, his recommendations are few. Under all the circumstances, the President bas shown great wisdom, we think in reserving his address for the Con gress-clect. Most of the recommenda tions contained in his message pro- vide a useful chart to the expiring Cofigress, in case it can find the time or the inclination to supplement its passage of the annual supply bills with the enactment of new and sound legislation.” * kK K ' “The message is more than an ap- peal to the Senate and the House of Representatives,” declares the Spo- kane Spokesman-Review (independ- ent Republican). “It Is a solemn ad- monition to every legislature, overy | city government, every county and school district in the United States.” Coming to this old Congress, thinks Des Molnes Tribune-News (independ- ent Republican) “with appropriations mainly its business, the President puts all the emphasis on economy. For the old Congress he has sent pr: cisely the message the old Congre: needs.” There are no “high lights” in the message, in the opinion of the Cincinnatl Times-Star (Republican), which believes that “it is so remote from the demagogic that it seems an anti-climax after the fuss and fury of the late campaign. The message preaches economy, and then more economy, just as the President of a Mighly respectable corporation might preach economy in his annual state- to the stockholders.” Address The Star Information Burce Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Twen first and C streets northwest. Inclos cents in stamps for return postag: Plea for Economy in Coolidgc Commendatit “Nobody, whatever his part ) ations,” says the San Francisco Bu letin (independent), “can study th document ‘and escape belief that w have in the presidential office a of sincerity, of candor and of v both keen and sane concerning thing: fundamental to the fortunes of tl country.” The Columbus Dispatcl (independent) suggests: “The co try at large will find in this messasc we fear, a great deal more of sound wisdom than Congress will show any eftective disposition to act upo Apparently, in the belief of the Chi cago Daily News (independent) Coolidge has no hope of tax revisio by the present Congress. “All asks of it,” adds the Daily News, economy, care In dealing with ap- propriations and determined oppc tion to all measures which, b creasing expenditures, ‘would 1 tax revision impossible during next fiscal year. * Kk Kk “President Coolidge's message appeal to most practical American: as one filled with sound advice,” ob- serves the Houston Chronicle (inde pendent). “It is just such an epistle as one might expect Col. John Cool- idge, the President's father, would deliver to Calvin were he retiring from his New England farm and turning it over to his son to manage.’ “President Coolidge's message,” de- clares the Omaha World-Heralc (democratic), “will make a good im- pression even upon many who are not adherents to his school of polit- ical thought. It is lifted above the Jevel of the commonplace by its can- dor and earnestness. It makes good his campalgn slogan of common sense.” The New York World (inde- pendent-Democratic) belfeves the President is carrying out the will of the people who 8o overwhelmingly voted him into office on his program for economy, in fact, on his entire outline of domestic policies, it con- siders him on “solid ground.” But, states the World, “when Mr. Cool- idge advises remaining aloof from any disarmament conference inspired by the Geneva protocol on the ground that we must first assure ourselves that European natlons do not desire to interfere with the United States in- handling its domestic questions, then he is not on sound ground. If the President really favors the futues disarmament activities he recom- mends he should abandon the profes- wial Republicun attitude about Geneva.” “The message lays the groundwork for constructive action by the Sixty- ninth Congress,” says the Anaconda Standard _(democratic), “as for the present Congress, 1t President Cool- idge's inmost thoughts could he reached, it would in all probabllity be found that he regards the mes- sage as o case of casting pearls %«