Evening Star Newspaper, December 17, 1924, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR]| _With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. ‘WEDNESDAY .December 17, 1924 STHEODORE W. NOYES. ... Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business (ffice, 51th 5t, and Pennsylvania Ave. New 101k Omfice: 110 East 42nd 8t Chicago Office: Tower Bolld! Europesn Office : 16 Regeat t.,London, Kngland. - The ventag Gtar, with the Sunday morning egition, 1a dellvered by carriets witiin the city ai .80 cents per month: dally onls, 45 gents pér month; Sunday only. 20 cents per month. Orders may be sent by mail ot tele- phone Main 6000. Colleetion s made by cur- tlers at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday..1yr., $8.40; 1 mn., 70¢ Daily only. 1yr., $6.00; 1 mo,, B0c 8unday only. 1yr., $2.40; 1 mo, 20¢c All Other States. Dally and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo., 85¢ Dally only & $7.00; 1 mo., 60¢ Buhaay onl; 3 . Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Press 18 exclusively entitled to the ‘use for republication af all mews dis- patches creaited o 1 of get otherwise credited n this paper and aiso the loeal mews pub lished Lerein. ~All rights of publication of ) dispatehes hereln are also reserved. 01d Schools and Present Needs. In his statement of the needs of the public education system of the Dis- trict before the Chamber of Com- merce last night at its monthly meet- ing, Supt. Ballou set forth that the per capita cost of education. here is much less than in many other places, citing particularly that whereas Wash- ington spends annually only $77.69 per pupil for school purposes, Yonkers, N. Y., spends $129.67. This is a char- acteristic comparison. The local school cost has been kept low because Con- gress has not been willing to spend in -accordance with the needs, al- though the District has been willing. om its side, to contribute freely and sufficiently of its tax money to this end. There should, however, be no ques- tion of comparison. Washington's needs ere absolute and unmistakable, with- out' reference to what other cities do or what the cost may be. It is short of bulldings and short of teachers. It zs short even of text books, now using, as an ‘example, obsolete geographies that do not accurately tell the story of the world, Many of its buildings are old, obsolete themselves in point of structure, plan® and sanitation. Some of the elementary schools, Dr. Ballow pointed out last night, were built as far back as 1868, or 66 years aga. < leas for the betterment of these conditions have been made to Con- gress for years. They have not fallen upon entirely deaf ears. Congress has granted fands for new buildings from time to time, but never in sufficient abundance to permit @ complete catch- ing up on thé arrears at any one time. The District's public school equipment has been like Mr, ‘- Wilfer's suit of clothes, never completely new. A five-year bullding program !s pro- posed, a large-scale series of appro- priations that will effect the replace- ment of obsolete buildings, perhaps the. consolidation of ‘amall buildings and the provision of new . structures that will bring the system for once in | the District’s history up to date. The memory of -some of those who heard the superintendent speak last night at the Chamber of Commerce meeting doubtless ran back to the days when many of Washington's public | schools were housed in rented struc- tures, dark, ill-ventllated, and from a modern point of view wholly unsuited to the shelter of children under tuition. From even the point of view of that period—the early 70s, and, in- deed, the 80s, of the past century— many of the District's schools were poor makeshifts. Church basements, transformed small dwellings and even, in one instance, a remodeled brewery building were used for long periods while waiting for more funds for new constructions. And when the new con- structions came they were tardy. The school population had tncreased to the point . where they were barely ade- quate for the new additions to the school attendance. That *condition has continued to date. Portable buildings have been addpted as makeshifts, Yet some of the veterans still stand, unsuitable in every respect, A deadline should be drawn agafnst them, & date line, a line that would exclude from publie school use all structures buflt or occupied be- fote a eertalnr time, 8" “aat are located in crowded gections without adequate recreation space, all that have not ehupdant light and air. For to keep | these buildings up to the mark of sanitation, regardless of the question of ptay spaces, costs heavily. It is the worst. of bad economy to maintain them. < . A comprehensive buflding program is the prithary essential of District sthool needs, .The District has the money in the Treasury for a good stact- upon such a series of construe- ‘tion's If Congress will give the word for its appropriation on the basis of eduity. The plea of “no funds” cannot be faised int objection so long as this fund,_femaing unappropriated. dotuality is: admired, but nobody comiplains when & snowstorm sched- uled by the Weather Bureau fails to arrive on time. —— b Delicate questions are being raised ag~to whether a.pation can have a sifong navy with a weak appropria- fon” bill. Naval Armament Controversy. & The: public will follow with interest 4he” dlscussion in Congress and the duggested ‘conflict’ of opinion emong high officials of ‘the administration over naval armament policy. There s always & question at this stage of sessions”of Congress when the naval appropriation bill is in. progress of construction. In Congress the com- Plaint is frequently made that the Navy Department is adroit in seeking 0 aggrandize the Navy. For its part some sections of the Navy retort that ‘the Navy “fs being discriminated against. Both sides uphold their own contention, At the moment there appears to be @’ difterence - between the President ‘and Secretary Hughes on one side and e faction of the Navy on the other hand over naval armament. Friends of the President say they think an ef- fort is being made to shake President Coolidge from his firm determination not to allow the Government or Con- gress to take any step which would cause the United States to join in the race for competitive military arme- ment. It is believed that the majority sentiment on Capitol HUl sympa- thizes with the President and Secre- tary Hughes. The suggested investi- gation of the state of the Navy and inquiry into the charges that the Navy is below the Washington conference ratio is being discouraged by the President and at the Capitol. It is pointed out that a special inquiry In regard to that is not necessary and that the naval affalrs committees of House and Senate can develop all the facts necessary. President Cool e and Secretary Hughes are agrd@ upon a policy of working for international peace along thelr own ilnes, which contemplate the avoidance of sword-rattling. It is said for President Coolidge that he will not allow himself to be *stam- peded” by any consideration from his adherence to the principle of non- participation in competitive naval armament. More Judges Proposed. Decision by the two District com- mittees of Congress, sitting in joint session on the traffic question, to pro- pose in the bill now being framed an addition of two Police Court judges to the present bench greatlyrelieves the apprehension of the community on the score of adequate traffic court facil- ities. The committee has refused to establish a separate traffic court, but keeps the jurisdiction over traffic cases within the Police Court and increases the personnel. . Experience in other cities has been that distinct traffic courts work better than the allocation of this class of cases in the regulag courts. The joint committee, however, elects to proceed with the Police Court as a basis and to increase the personnel to the point where speedy action can be assured. Washington will be content with this arrangement if the traffic branch of the Police Court maintains a pace of procedure adequate to meet the inflow of charges. The primary need in this connec- tion is @ court which will grant imme- diate trial of charges of all degrees of seriousness. Traffic offenders should be taken to court without delay. There should be no forfeiture of collataral. Every person who is arrested for an infraction of the rules should face a judge. Records should be kept of every conviction on such a system that repeated offenders can be at once identified and given increased penalties. The time of witnesses and policemen should be conserved. At present many citizens who witness ac- cidents are loath to go to court be- cause of the loss of time involved. With the traffic court in operation, whether a8 a separate judicial unit or as a branch of the Police Court, on a proper basis this loss of time will be minimized. It will be less difficult to secure convictions. Offenders will be more certain of punishment. The rules will mean more. The streets of ‘Washington will be safer. g The joint committee is seeking to frame & model traffic law for the Dis- trict. ‘It is proceeding to consider now the proper penalties for specific of- fenses, presumably in the direction of increasing them. It will consider also the question of license forfeiture. It should, and doubtless will, consider ways and means of lessening the num- ber of motor cars through restrictions upon licensees by the imposition of conditions which they must meet. More judges have now been pro- vided in the draft of the bill. More policemen should likewise be pro- vided. Although the present police force arrests traffic violators at a faster rate than the present court can try them, more street guards are nec- essary to avert violations, to di- rect traffic, to prevent accidents. A larger force, indeed, should be re- garded as a measure of protection against lawbreaking. The hope of the District is that this mode’ ¢:affic law will be framed and enacted at once. It should not be de- layed in a search for the ulti- mate, perfect system, upon Wwhich all persons agree, for such a sys- tem 1is unattainable. The urgent need is a law that insures the detec- tion of rule breakers, their prompt trial and a sufficlent punishment to check repeated offenses. ——— o It may be necessary for Pennsyl- vania to revive the mother-inaw joke. A Philadelphia judge advances the theory that divorces arise fcom a crav- ing for excitement, dve to the fact that homes are too quietand peaceful. —— et Prohibition authorities are expected to be unusuaily busy in_an effort to prevent the term “holiday cheer” from being a ghastly misnomer. ————————— Muscle Shoals for the presemt de- velops miors rapidly as- & national problem than as a national resource. J e — The Price of Rapid Transit. President Coolidge yesterday, in ad- dressing the traffic regulation confer- ence delegates, made a remark thaf should be spread broadiy before the people of the country to arouse them to the magnitude of the price they are now paying for rapid transit: It the death and disaster that now fall upon our innocent people through the vear and over our country as a whole wére concentrated into ome-ca- lamity, we would shudder at the tre- mendous catastrophe. The loss is no lese disastrous because diffused iz time and space. Every day people are being killed in the cities and on the country roads in what are known as traffic accidents. They are being killed in collisions be: ‘tween motor cars and pedestrians, be- tween motor cars themselves, between cars and trains at grade crossings and in wrecks of cars that are out of con- trol. With the rarest of exceptions they are due to recklessness. Speed, indifference to rules, inattention to ‘warnings are the primary causes. In- competences, drunkenness and sheer criminal carelessness contribute to this shocking condition. It would be well if such a record cquid be kept as would show, from |, wel to week, perhaps, the number of deaths and disablements and the amount of property lost through mo- tor accidents In the entire country. The Presideat. suggests that if there casualties were to occur In a single catastrophe the country would be pro- foundly shocked. Scattered as théy are over the days they are, unfor- tunately, taken as part of the price paid for what are known as ‘‘modern facilitles” of communication. Motor casualties should nét be garded as inescapable incidents modern rapid transit. They are capable. They are needless. They are & gross, wanton waste of life. They ll‘: a reproach to American civiliza- tion. re- to es- The Skillful Worker, The head stonecutter of the Na- tional Cathedral died, religious service for his soul and memory were held in Bethlehem Chapel and the remains of this master artisan were carried to his old home in Iowa. His name was Charles Austin, This man was de- scended from colonial settlers in Maryland and from a line of artisan ancestors. His grandfather was a “‘master carpenter” who helped build the first part of the Capitol. He had himeelf worked on famous buildings in several parts of the United States, and his work here was cutting key- stones for the vaulting of the cathe- dral. His memory should be kept and, of course, his name will be preserved in the records of the cathedral, but as Years pass his name will be forgot, perhaps only to be found after search among dusty, moldy papers in a re- cess of the building. It is regretted that care is not taken of records of men who build great and enduring structures. There are fam- {lles in Washington who proudly keep in mind that the grandfather or other ancestor helped bulld the Capitol, the Monument, the Treasury or the Pat- ent Office. The ancestor they honor was a stonemason, a brickmason, a carpenter, a plasterer and 5o on. The names of men who cut the corner stone of the Capitol, who chiseled and set its pillars, who built the dome and 5q} the statue of Freedom in its place, who laid the courses of marble high in the Monument and did other work of historic kind are worth recalling. One can find the names of some of them, sometimes, in moldy pay rolls, but it is a job to get at them. ——ee—a— . No degree of prosperity will satisfy the farmer so long as the processes of distribution cause the price of his product paid to others at the finish to be so much larger thari that paid to him at the start. — e The average citizen again wonders how much Santa Claus would cost him if instead of being & myth he were a real live salesman, —————— A million population is predicted for Washington, D, C., as due in a com- paratively short time. This will move the limits of the congested area at least as far as the District line, and require more appropriations for police, if only to cover.the work of chalking up the jay parkers. —_————— Reported illness of Trotsky may be in part due to the fact that some of the politics he has been compelled to swallow is not agreeing with him. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANLER JOHNSON. My Own Opinion; My Own Opinion” I possess. It fills my heart with pride; No doubt this leads me to express Things I had better hide. I do not care, although it may Be valueless and small. It gives me joy, in truth to say That I have one at all. “My Own Opinfon!” I decline To hark to reason strong; And just because the thing is mine, I love it, right or wrong. Demonstration of Wisdom. “Do you belleve in the wisdom of the plain people?” “Of course,” answered Senator Sor- ghum; “and shall continue to do so as long as they go on re-electing me.” Economical Eskimo. Again I hail the Eskimo So sheltered from disaster. He builds his house of heaven-sent snow And buys no bricks or plaster. Jud Tunkins says, speakin’ of con- tagion, it's a terrible pity foolishness is 80 much more ketchin’ than smart- ness. The Laugh and the Tear. Men must laugh on, though flerce the smart That to our lives draws near; The laugh that hides a bitter heart 1s sadder than a tear. - Landmark Abolished. ““What has become of the old saleon that used to stand opposite the post office?” . ““We tore it down,” answered Cactus Joe. 2 “Unsafe?” - “Not exactly unsafe, but no longer reliable.” After a Hard Day. 4 There-is no Santa Claus, I hear. The story is & bluff, There isr't any salesman near To help me buy my stuff. There is no seat on yonder car; There 1s no taxicab, No price tag, not too big by far For my small purse to grab, - And s0 in pessimistic mood A mourntul lay I sing. On every hand the Myths intrude. There Ain't No Anything! “We cerfainly ‘does love our prob- 1ems,” said Uncle Eben; “when we gits tired out wif housin’ problems an’ eatin’ problems an’ political problems we sits down an' puts ourse’’s to sleep wif cross-word puzzles.’* F street any afternoon now is a glittering - parade . ground, whereon may be seen the flower and beauty of our fair city, all dressed up in silk and furs, engaged |n the pleasant duty of Christuias shopping. Washington's one and only ¥ street always presents a scene.of loveliness and ¥ivicity. * Even ‘on the- hottest Summer #fternoon it 1s unique. But the three weeks before Christmas finds it at its best. Now any afternoon perfect streams of humanity flow east and west along its sidewalks, while in the street au- tomobiles present a jam which re- minds one of stenes to be witnessed in much larger citles. There is an electric something to the atmosphere, brought about, of course, by the gathering of so many finely dressed, happy, healthy people, all bent on finding some gift for mother, or some present for father, or ten presents for little Jimmie or Jane, or “something for Aunt Mary.” Christmas is in the air. It greets one. from the shop windows, it looks out from the bright eyes of girls and women, it shouts to one in the volces of little children, expectant of seelng Santa Claus. What would we not give, you and I, to be able to see Santa Claus again with the eves of youth! That is something that comes only once. For surely Santa Claus is a sort of magical personage. He wears an invisible cloak, hiding his real self from our gross eyes, but reveal- ing his personality in all its glowing colors to the fresh young eves of the little ones. They see Santa Claus, unchanging, undying Kris Krinkle, where you and I only see—let us whisper it, for shame—an old pretender whose false whiskers we long to pluck from his face. They see more than w ee, they possess more than we possess. Who can deny {t? X ok ok x A fine white hunting dog, sporting a tremendous bandage around his head, walks along crowded F street. Poor doggle! Poor doggie!” say the beautiful ladies, stopping In pity to pet that portion of his head un- adorned. The dog seems to know and appre- clate the sympathy lavished upon him. His great brown eyes gleam from underneath his bandages with an understanding light. How he got hurt is a mystery, and must remain so, for just then the woman who has the dog on leash hustles him down the pavement, leav- ing an impromptu group of shoppers talking together about the injured canine. They seem somewhat astonished at finding themselves, utter strangers, conversing so freely. Now that the oz is gone, the sole bond of union between them is gone, too. Restraint enters, where befors mu- tual sympathy prevailed. First one woman leaves, then another, until shortly the group is dissolved back again into the flow of pedestrians from which it came. How absurd, and yet how natural, this restraint of human beings one with another! We pass along, we see those whom we would like to know. They look back, they seem to 1ike us. The language of the eyes is unmis- takable. The optic lingo is older than any International language. It transcends race and creed, time and space. It says things plainly, usually unmis- takably, too. “If 1 see you in the crowd, why should T not speak to you?' asked barbartc Walt Whitman. Why not, indeed! Well, only convention and the police and a few other little fac- tors such as that. Not a day passes but most of us see at least a dozen persons whom we know we would like. The joke of it is that something also tells us they would like us, too. Yet we dare not speak. . One exchange of glances, one un- derstanding moment, then we pars by, and it is forsaver, for the chance of over mesting again in a great olty is slght, indeed. We might as well be dwelling, one fn Washington, one in London, for all we shall ever meet again. This I8 one of the unspoken trage: ales of the city, that among so many thousands we shall never meet the unknown friends of ours. Unknown friends! Here at Christmas time let us hail you, once &nd for all, send you our greetings to cover this and all future holldays, and let there be no regret mixed in, but only a warm feeling of friendship. We shall never meet, friends just the same, % &k This is the Christmas pageant of F street. It {s presented, too, on Seventh street, G street, Pennsylvania avenue, Fourteenth street- and on many other thoroughfares, but since we have to single out one, we take F street. Forgive us, all other streets! A true Yuletide pageant it is, with its women of all ages, from child to elderly lady, the eternal feminine predominating. Oh, yes, there are plenty of men, but they are so out- numbered that the total impression is of women and girls. Who would have it otherwise? Not this chronicler! Who wogld want to write about an F street of men? What poetry would there be in a procession of John Smiths, in business suits and overcoats as alike as peas in a plethora of pods? What inspiration could one draw from a walk along F street if the only fellow pedestrians we met were of the male persuasion? As things are, however, we have in- spiration on every hand. Here flash beauty and charm, loveliness and gayety, hand in hand, slde by side, file upon file, rank upon rank. There goes Inspiration in the of a lovely lady in tan, whose deep and dark eyes gleam llke stars down for a play on earth. There walks Loveliness in green, edged with gray fur; a snappy com- bination, belleve me. See the thfee little girls going by, each holding a Mamma doll. If you were to take up one of the dolls and carefully inspect the label on its tummy, you would find there a well known sentence: “Made in Germany." They still make the best dolls over there, with really pretty faces, cute bobbed halr, etc. s Here a lady with a nurse maid and a huge perambulator is about to en- ter a department store. The door is wide, but scarcely any too broad for the LIg baby carriage, which enshrines a little one almost smothered in linen, silk, wool. The perambulator Is almost large enough to hold six bables, edge to edge. The nurse wheels it with pre- cision through the door. The cara- van disappears—one wonders what will happen when it arrives at the elevator. The swirling crowd blots out the speculation. Back and forward it pushes, surging both ways at once, little eddies of humanity detaching themselves to break into a foam of silk stockings against street car steps. Surely the ladle but we are ‘we not? form very twin skirts are getting shorter and shorter, and their stock- ings lighter and lighter! The old black silk is & thing of the past, left to do duty on the musical comedy stage. Joyous, colorful F street! 1 feel the inadequacy of my mental paint brush, and ¢an only advise the reader to g6 to F street and paint his own plcture. Delay on Protocol in Europe Viewed as Overture to U. S. The request of the British govern- ment to the League of Nations for postponement of the discussion of the security and disarmament pro- tocol at the league's next meeting is varfously interpreted by American editors. Some think the move is in- tended to give the United States op- portunity to call a disarmament con- ference. Others believe it is a de- nial of the concessions accorded to Japan in order to keep peace with the British dominions, which object to the concession on the ground that they might give opportunity for in- terference in purely domestic ques- tions, including immigration. As' the New York Evening Post views it: “The directing members of the league have evidently decided not to throw overboard the chance of ob- taining American co-operation with- out determining’ first what form that co-operation will take. Spokesmen for France and for Japan indicate & follow-the-leader attitude on the part of these two nations by agreeing with the Baldwin government that haste should be made slowly. They will hold the Geneva program in abeyance until they find out what the United States has to offer. This con- stitutes a distinct reversal of the league policy to take from America the initiative and direction of arma~ ment reduction, but it need not pro- hibit a return to the Geneva protocol if that initiative and direction does not take a form -‘that offers broader and higher possibilities than the.plan that is_to be shelved.” The New York Herald-Tribune be- lieves that “Britain would clearly prefer a second armament limitation conference in which the United States would be a major factor, not a mere looker-on. It may be assumed- that Great Britain sees the value of a sec- ond arms conference on neutral ground, which would be a real world gathering rather than a league-man- aged one. The President's proposal is not dead. Circumstances may bring Europe to see that the Mac- Donald-Herriot conception of world pacification was tinged too much with diserimination and. exclusiveness.” Britain’s indefinite postponement of considering the protocol, the Sioux City Journal declares, “cannot be cor- rectly interpreted as signifying any- thing but the prevalenca in the new British government of a powerful pro-American view.” * ok ok kDL Although granting much may be said in the note about the attitude of the United States and President Coolidge’s desire to call another dis- armament confergnces, the Louisville Courler-Journal thinks, “it is harmony with Canada and Australia that the British government is really consid- ering. The Unionist government is acting in accordance with its ideas to further imperial unity.” As the protocol was finally framed t Springfield, (Mass.), Union suggests: “It raised serious questions for some of the Britishgdominlond and Great Britain cannot proceed with certainty until there is & complete understand- ing. with her dominions. Many other questions are Involved before the question of -American participation can be considered. This is so be- cause until Europe can ttle her own Internationalism, any more ex- tended internationalism must be pro- visional at-best.” - z In the opidien of the Providence Journal, “Great Britain’s action tends to support the contention made by some observer when the protocol was adopted that the Benes plan is provo- cative of war rather than an aid to peace. There can hardly be any ques- tion that the British dominions have informed Downing street that they cannot assent to any such principle as the Benes plan stipulates, namely, the intrusion of foreign nations int the domestic affalrs of a country. Holding a similar opinion, the Cleve- land Plain Dealer declares further: “It is certaln that the Baldwin gov- ernment does not care to accept un- modified or unconsidered the MacDon- ald proffer of the British navy to coerce the states which may prove recalcitrant in the matter of accept- ing arbitration. And it is possidble that the British goverhment means just what it says, to wit, that it Is not taking a stand In opposition to the protocol, but is merely waiting to give the matter careful consid- eration and to form a policy of its own Instead of blindly accepting the policy of its predecessor.” *x ok % The action upon the embattled pro- tocol seems to the New Orleans Time Plcayune *at this time and di tance, to be & first step toward repair of the blunder committed at Geneva under Japanese pressure. American friends of the league in great ma- Jjority will approve the British action. Extension of the league powers to include invasion over the rights of each nation to regulate its own Im- migration must have operated as a permanent bar to Amerfean member- ship, for this gepublic cannot sur- render its right, never before chal- lenged, to frame its own immigration laws for its own safety and welfare.” Without the supp of thé two most important world powers, the United States and Great Britain, the St. Paul Dispateh points out, “the protocol is valueless. It is, In effect, scrapped, because those states which adhere to it, if any, will, in_effect, be in al- liance against the United States and Great Britain. The probabllity is that it will die a natural and merited death.” Suggesting that “the situation has many other angles aside from Amer- fean sensitiveness on the question of the league and regarding the proto- col,” ~ the ford Times believes, ‘‘progress has been made in securing the tentative adoption of a protocol. Even if the present plan should be scrapped, the ides of conferring upon disarmament will not be abandoned. Eventuslly there will be such a con- ference. It is possible that delay may produce & better plan of framework than the tentative protocol well as a bettér chance for success when the delegates ultimately sit around the table. There is seldom any : in proceeding slowly and with ci tion in matters of grave importance. The New York Evening World agrees that “should this particular plan prove unacceptable the fact remains that the _world-wide organization, embracing most of the m.(r:n‘ of ‘the earth, has. prepared a plan; that if [this one falls, this same world or- ganization 18 in a position to func- tion speedily in the adoption of another.” The world that longs for this kind of progri toward peace, observes the Brooklyn Eagle, “need not feel discouraged over this action on the part of Great Britain, even if it does mean a desire on the part of the Baldwin government to pa. | the responsibility for the -calling o 3 conference | United States. It may find President Coolidge eagerly will- ing tq assume thqt responsibility.” - Politics at Large Congress gets away for the holiday recess on the 20th and intere: egislative affairs will be su. ed. Until Congress takes & frosh breith and starts in upon the hectic short session, which is to close March 4, officlal Washington s likely to con- cern ftself very largely with interna- tional affairs having a bearing upon policies relating to naval armament, which, of course, will Include coming legisiation on naval appropriations. The policy of the administration upon these is pretty well understood in offi- cfal circles, as President Coolldge’ mind and plans are disclosed to those about him. It is made very plain to his friends and assistants where he standy on national defense. It is known that President Coolidge has no intention to allow national defense to be weake: for lack of sustenance and its is also known that he is determined not to countenance any course or policy which will indi. cate a disposition on the part of this country to participate in interna- tional competition or military arm ment. * k% % President Coolldge regards the mchievements of the Washington conference as one 6f the most val- uable ever rendered to humanity in any era. He does not intend to tol- erate any weakening of the benefit conferred upon the world through the inistive and action of the United States. His heart and saul are bound up in Increasing in, every way pos- sible the structure of international unity, which he hdg séén started and carried on by the administration of his_predecessor and throughout his own, At the same time he wants to see to it that his country's defenses are maintained. President Cooll is 2 practical man as well as an in- tense humanitarfan ‘and- therefore by no means a dreamer of dreams which cannot be made of utilitarian benefit. * * x % It is wald that he would deem it the proudest accomplishmeént of his administration if when he goes out of office he can leave the record of having done something of lasting utility to the world at large in the way 6f maintaining Its peace, through practical and not visionary means. Many thoughtful men in congre slonal and official life in Washington look forward to 1988 as likely to be a crucial year In world peace. It is realized that relations with Japan are In a delicate condition, which will re- quire the wisest statesmanship and patriotiem and the best thought of the best minds of the country to pre- vent misunderstanding which might Tead to friction. President Coolidge and his entire cabinet are deter- mined to do everything in their pow- er to avold irritation and the Presi- dent is seizing every opportunity to ure the Japanese people of the amity of the people of this country for them. The will to peace is strong among the people of the United Stat. and it is a fixed policy of the Go ernment of the United States. As- surance of these facts is to be driven homé to the people and government ot Japan at all times. R Domestic politics in the coming new year is likely to be .>ncerned largely with the New York mayor- alty campaign. Definite announce- ment was made Monday by Mayor Hylan that he will seek renomina- tion to that office. As he puts it, he intends to stay on the mayors job until he is 60 years of age, which will carry him over another term in office if he can achieve it. Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York is likely to have a good deal to say about his renomination, however, for Gov. Smith is unquestionably the leading Democrat of New York State, if not the most conspicuous figure in the Democratic party of the country. A mayoralty campaign in New York is almost a national affair and the selection of the opposing candida will attract country-wide attention. Mayor Hylan's emphatic announce- ment that he is not only willing but determined. to run, has cléared the atmosphere and may be said really to have started the campaign. * % % % The new year Is coming in with the most encouraging prospects in business and business, of course, Is closely connected with poli- tics and legislation. Some of the most prominent financiers and du ness men In the country have in the past few days given out statements congratulating the Nation upon a very satisfactory condition of present affalrs with a reasonable warrant of continuing Iimprovement. They also sound a note of warning against pos- sible dangers which arise and which will require constant wateh- fulness to prevent becoming disturb- ing elements. The principal of these are regarded as being Increase of prices resulting from overenthusiasm and overstumulation and of . possible inordinate demands for wage in- creases. In the ‘relations between capital and labor the wise counseél of Samuel Gompers will be missed until labor has picked a leader with the wisdom and attributes of Mr. Gom- pers. ‘With administration's efforts and policies for international peace and with the country in a sound business boom; with a party established in po- Iitical power backed by the conserva- tive voters of the country, the coming new year ought to bs one of interna- tional and domestic progress and prosperity. LN Every once in a while some low- spirited group takes it upon itself to deplore the “materialism” of Amer- ica. Of course, these Jeremlahs do not affect the average citizen, who looks upon the Americans as a pretty decent sort, who, while paying rea- sonable attention to material affairs, have certainly proven by their ac- tions throughout the history of the Nation that the Nation's ideals are strong and that its citizens live up to them. It is felt that 1925 bids fair to be a year of further exemplifications 6f ideals In actual practice, with beneficlal results to the world .at large and to our own people. When the new Congress takes hold, whether it be an extraordinary session to be called by the President after March 4 or not until the beginning of the regular session there will be legis- lation further along humanitarian lines. Groundwork plans for this are already being discussed by states- men. There will also be legislation designed to better material condi- tions. * ok kK So as the eountry goes through the mellowing influences of Christmas and gets ready to turn the calendar over for & new year, the average citizen has reason Yo look forward to January 1 with all kinds of hope for peace on earth, g00d will toward men, and gratifying material prosperity. Portrait Pleads Principles. ¥From the Philadelphia Pudlic Ledger. Lord Astor has received a pressing Invitation to ove Lady Astol portrait from the House of Commons. Yet there is_ no likelihood Parliament will forget what she has stood for. . . 7 Cross-Word Credit. ¥rom the Baltimore Sun. History will dooubtless give the cross-word puszsle credit for causing the discovery of the dictionary. ’ Only a Few of Em. = - From the Boston Traascript. The legisiature that passes the few- est laws may merit the greatest fame, ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS . BY FREDERIC }. HASKIN Q. Kindly let me know the scale of wages fo carpenters, bricklayers and plumbers in the District.—L. A. B. A. The 8rptember Labor Review says taat -the union scale of wages per hour is: Carpenters, bricklayers, $1.50; plumbers, $1.25. Q. What proportion of the Civil Service employes work in the Dis- trict —F, B, L A. On December 31, 1923, there were 544,671 Federal executive Civil Service employes. Of these 65,025, or about 12 per cent, were in the District of Columbla. Q. What Is the name of the Presi- dent’s dog and what is its breed?— L. 8. A. The President has two dogs— Rob Roy, a white collle, and Laddie Buck, an alredale. Q. What is the name of the shrine #0 often seen in Chinese and Japa- ness pletures which looks like two up- right posts with curved pleces across them?—P. W. L. "AzIn Chinese architecture this is known as pai-lon, and often stands alone as @ memorial. In Japanese the name iz toril. These gateways of light skeleton-like post and lintel construction, designed with delicately cutved llies, are usually found as an approsch to sacred places. Q. What is the approximate cost of a fully equipped racing car of an up"l(o-dlh 915 cuble inch type?— e A. Thg American Automobile As- soclation®says the approximate cost of a modetn racing car, 91.5 cubic inch type, would be $16,00 Q. Hdw many ex recelve ‘Government J. M. A. - At the present time Mrs. Roose- velt ¥ the only President's widow re- celvifig a penslon. The franking priv- ilege was extended to Mrs. Roosevelt, Mrs. Clpveland, Mrs. Wilson and the late Mrs. Harding. Q. Why does bolled water taste flat?—W. J. K. A. Bofled water tastes different because the air is dissolved. After bolling it may be aerated by passing it through a sieve-like device. ‘Q. Where is found the first men- tion of the papal tlara?—A. G. S. A. Joseph Braun, in & brief his- tory of the papel tiara, says that it is first mentioned in the “Vita” of Pope Constantine (708-715), contained in the Liber Ponificalis. The term used {s he “dumelaucum.” esidents’ wives pensions?—W. Q. What is the length of the race course at Santa Monica?—W. T. L. A. The American Automoblile As- soclation says the old Santa Monica race course was simply a serles of boulevards running around the town of Santa Monica, Calif., not being a special speedway in any sense. Due to adverse local legislation, no races been held on this course since Q. When was the first skirt worn? —C. H. K. A, If one accepts the biblical ac- count of the history of the race, doubtless Eve wore the first skirt, for It Is stated in Genesis that Adam and Eve made themselves coverings. The anthropologists, who believe that man as we know him evoived slowiy trom some lower form ‘of life, ‘say IN TODAY’S X m that there was a stage in-his develop- ment whon he went naked, but it weuld probably be impossible to fix the time when mea first began to wear ciothing. Q. What will ‘remove ‘grease and dust'from white paint?—J. F. D. A°"A good way to clean white paifit {s'to dip a plece of soft flanuel cloth fn warm water, wring it out them dip 4t in clean bran, using this to rub the paint. ' The friction of the bran will remove the stains without Injuring the paint. g}. ‘Why was Danlele da Volterrs called “the breeches maker"?—D. V. Y. A. The painter Daniele da Volterra was éommissioned to add draperies tc some of the figures in the painting “The Last Judgment” after the acces- sion of Paul IV. The title “il Brag- hettone” was because of this circum stance given to the painter. Q. Can a Ford engine be used in a boat?—P. H. P. A. A Ford engine can be used in a motor boat. However, it is designed for fresh water circulation, and would rust out quicker if used near salt water. Q. Which scorches easler, cotton?—C. W. 8. A. Wool and silk are disintegrated at a lower temperature than cotton and linen, therefore scorch more easily. Q. Is “Israel” pronounced in two syllabels or three?—P. J. R. A. Authorities seem to agree tha this is a three-syllable word. silk or Q. Are animalculae in water suf ficlent food for goidfish?—Y. M, A. They are not sufficient food. 17 commercial fish food s not avallable, goldfish may be fed crushed vermi- celli, ants’' eggs, small worms, aqua tic larvae and rreen stuff in the forn of lettuce and watercress. Bread crumbs may be used, but they should not be allowed to stand in the water. Q. Please tell me when the ex plorations began which led to the di covery of Tut-ankh-Amen’s tomb.—C A. G. A. Mr. Howard Carter had been ex- cavating in the Valley of the Kings for seven years prior to last Autumn, when, on November 20, 1922, Lord Carnarvon, with whom he was asso- ciated, announced the discovery of the tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen Q. Why is a constitutional amend- ment necessary to change the date of the beginning of terms of President, Vice President and members of Con- gress?—0. Y. F. A. The Constitution fixes the terms of President and Vice President at four years, of Senators at six years and Representatives at two year: and any change in time inducting ne men into these positions would affect the term of office of the incumbents. It is therefore necessary to amend the Constitution to make the change. (To know where to find information on a subject is. accordiing to Boswell, as true knowledge as to know the sub- Ject itself. Perhaps “your drop of in Yalling on a thought, will make a thou- sand_thinik.” Submit your perplezing questions to The Btar Imformation Bu- reau, Frederic J. Haskin, director Twenty-first and O streets northwest 8end a 2-cent stamp for direct reply.) SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL V. COLLINS. During the last few days the center of “pure sclence’—the Carnegie In- stitution in Washington—has, been crowded with viditors. The ifiterest of the public In the uitraséientific demonstrations there on exhibition has been stimulated by the presence of eminent specialists undertaking to translate into words of one syllable the problems and achievements of their laboratories—e difficult task for a technician. Today everybody is a seml-sclent- ist; what is commenplace to the masses would have baffled the high- brows of a century ago. * e xR fhe Carnegie demonstrations were put upon a plane as practicable as possible. For example, there was a machine for testing calofies—heat units or energy units In food, by measuring with exactness the amount of oxygen necessary to burn up a certain portion of food. Our diges- tion is merely a furnace-oxidising of food and recombining its elements into blood and tissue. It shown that half a doughnut contains just enough energy to equal the physical power required to climb the Wash- ington Monument. If the electric elevator be used to make the aseent, the electricty re- quired is energy—the energy pro- duced by oxidising coal, Just as physical energy 18 produced by oxi- dizing food, and In this case, the same amount of energy. Coal is energy first brought to earth in sunbeams, which are here con- verted Into vegetation. From vege- tation the energy is stored in coal and later converted into eleotricity Those same sunbeams which grew into vegetdtion and being mixed with oxygen, became electric energy, might have been turned into grain, and the grain into flour and Pork and lard, and the flour and lard into doukhnuts. Hence, whether doughnuts or coal, it is the'same energy, and ‘the .same amount either in coal or dough car- ries the man to the top. * k¥ ok Some ome with more imagination than science has said that the earth “has neither exports nor imports, aside from occasional meteorites.” Yet the sun is constantly unlaading upon. the docks of the earth.great cargoes of energy. Evéry half a square yard of the earth's surface re- ceives sufficlent sun-energy every six- hours to feed a man a day. Nature laughs at the futile efforts of man to equal her effielency in trapping and storing that energy, though even na- ture stores but a £mall portion. Men have invented sun engines, vet the best are but toys compared with the power-storage plants of vegetation. Men diseovered the use of coal only 100 years ago: now we are burning, every year, what it took nature a century to store. Mare recently we have discovered petroleum and gaso- line, but at the present rate it will all be gone in 25 years—or all that can be found available. It we knew how to capture the solar energy which falls upon earth every six hours, each acre would produce in the crop-growing period, 90 days, a harvest of 1,476.63 tons of coal. Like Newton, sclent! are wandering upon the shore of a great ocean, gathering a shell now and then, but the vast deep is unknowable. * % * N One apparatus at the Carnegie cx- avaporation of another showed ungs of a rog; another showed metels crystallizing; apother. defnon- the ecurrents of electricity flowing through the earth. There were also piotures of acheological discovéries showing the civilisations which ‘had’ flourished and vanished thoubands of years ago. 5 * ok ok x There were machines of incon- ceivable - delicacy — a_ selsmograph which would detect an earth tremor in the uttermost parts of the globe. There was a thermocouple which would measure the temperature of & man in an adjoining room If became excited Two or three years ago Dr. Coblen of the United States Bureau of Stand- ards produced a thermocouple f measuring the heat of stars—eve of invisible stars. It was so sens tive that it would respond to tI heat of a candle 50 miles away; but Dr. Coblents, unsatisfied, has refined it &0 that now if a man light a can- die In Philadelphia it will affect t! thermocouple at the Bureau of Stand ards, providing there be nothing to screan its rays. Dr. C. G. Abbott, of the Smithsonimn Institution, is authority for the statement that Pettit and Nicholson of the Mount Wilson Observatory, California, have produced a bolometer (invented b the late Prof. Langley of the Smith- sonian _Institution) to which n ithermocouple can “hold a candle Dr. Abbott himself, with this bo- lometer, has measured the difference in the heat of the colors of a split sunbeain, marking the differences be- tween “Cold blues” and “warm red or yellow, and can tell how hot are the invisible infra-red rays of th spectroscope. ‘He declares that to measure the heat of one candle 1,000 miles away {s difficult only because of the rotundity of the earth, and he facetiously offers to do it if one will carfy the candle straignt upward 1,000 miles. * A x Answering the irrepressible ques tlon as to what good there is in pure scieice, Dr. Abbott, referrin to moderh methods of sonnic sounc ings of ocean depths, says: “In the first place, ull knowledge 1s.800d to take away ignorance ana superstition and point the way to new discoveries. * * * No one could have predicted in 1830 that Faraday's and Henry's experiments In magnetic effects of electric currents would have grown up into the telegraph telephone, dynamo and all modern electrical installations.” Yet, If it had not been for Frani- lin's kite and the experiments of men lke Faraday and Henry, a century ago, where would now be Marconi Edison and Jenkins? Let not the world be harsh upon sclence; it is young yet. he the astronomer * X ¥ % Americans are talking glibly of our world monopoly of hellum gas, with which we can safely fly our airships because of its non-inflammability What is the story of helium, so re- cently learned? It is not merely that it was first found in the sun, through the spectroscope, but in its pages are writ the story of creation. Our forefathers, taking the sym- bolism of Genesis as a literal measure of creatlon in six days, 6,000 years ago, opposed sclentific facts which in. finitely magnify the glory and the grandeur of creation, Dr. Willlam Duane of Harvard Uni- versity, says: “Among the radio-active changes appear. processes In which the meta! uraniufh transforms itself through successlons of intermediate stuxes into the metal lead and into the gas hellum. ® ® ¢ The rate of trans. formation s such that 5 per cent of a quantity of uranfum changes into lead and hellum in about 370 million years. We find uranium, lead and hellum associated together in a great many minerals, and it is natural to (#uppose that the helium and the lead were produced by the disintegration of the uranium; duriig the past ages . Calculationk based upon the fuantity of leads wranium ores vary from' 340 millions 01,700 millions of years, accordfis to locality from which the ore Is obtained. * = The ages calculated from radio-active data, represent the length of time during which we may suppose the chemical elements to have beén in mechanical contact with each other They do not represent the time that has elapsed since the earth may have reached-a-state capable of supporting organio lite'as we know 1t But nobody has figured out where that original urantum came from, nor how it was made.