Evening Star Newspaper, December 25, 1924, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR| With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY...December 25, 1924 THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, (1th St. a1d Pepn-yivania Avi. .\e&‘an‘k g,::« 11|l) en ce: Tower 3 Earopean Office : 16 Regent 8t., London, “The Evening Star. with the Sunday’morning editior in delivered by carriers within the city ‘at 60 cents per mont ts per month; Bunday o A, Orders may be sent by ne Main 5000, "Collection is made by car- rs at the end of each mouth. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday. .1 yr,, $8.40; 1 mo., 70¢ Daily only. 1yr., $6.00; 1 mo,, 50c Sunday onl. ., $2.40; 1 mo., 20¢ All Other States. Dalily and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00; 1 mo., b6c Daily only $7.00; 1 mo., 60c Sunday only $3.00; 1 mo,, 25¢ P! riey Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled o use for republication of all news dis- atches credited to it or not otherwise credited n this paper and also the local mews pub- i liahed herein. All rights of publication of #pecial dispatches herein also reserved. The Nation's Christmas Tree. President Coolidge set alight Wash- ington’s communigy Christmas tree last night in a ceremony of quite as much significance as any formal Pageantry pertaining to national af- fairs. He lighted the ‘candles” on the large spruce®ree that has been planted in Sherman Square, and thus gave a signal for carol singing that proclaimed the coming of Christmas. The tree will stand permanently, growing, it is hoped, from year to vear and serving as the Nations em- blem of the season. It is well thus to recognize officially & custom that is participated in by all the people of this country—indeed, by all the people of Christian lands. Observance of Christmas as a season of rejoicing, as the anniversary of the birth of the Savior, as an era of char- ity and love and helpfulness, is one of the most firmly fixed of human in- stitutions. - At Christmas time all sects and cfowggand faiths join in rejoicing, for- setting " differences in beliefs, united in respq-t for an advent that brought TegeneraNon to humanity. More than twenty centuries have passed mnce‘ that advent, twenty centuries of| steadfast progress by mankind | toward the ideal of living and| conduct proclaimed and preached | by Him whose birth is now cele- brated. Twenty centuries, too, of conflicts, wars, reverses and violations of Christian principles. Yet always upward, onward, outward toward the attainment of the Christ spirit. The Christmas tree is but a symbol of the day. It means the exchange of gifts. To the tree come the tokens of love and memory. To Bethlehem came the magi with their gifts for the new- born Christ. ce then giving has been the token of Christmas time, and the most blessed gifts are those which are inspired by selfless love and & wish for the happiness of others. Let this great spruce stand, there- | fore, through the years near the home | of the President, a silent mark of the spirit of Him whose life guides the ‘People of this country. The Metric Association Convention. The movement for world metric | standardization is to have renewed agitation at the annual meeting of the Metric Association, which is to be held in this city December 29 and 30, for which a program of special interest to merchants, manufactur- ers and educators has been arranged. The occasion is to be utilized for an- éther drive on Congress in behalf of | liberal metric legislation. World metric standardization has its opponents on economic and busi- ness grounds as well as its ardent supporters, and the subject has been hotly debated in Congress. At the coming convention an educational ex- hibit will be on display during the meeting, ‘and also throughout the ses- slons of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The general public, outside of the scientists, among whom there are dif- ferences of opinion, has not seemed disposed to warm up to interest in the - subject, probably largely from Jack of knowledgy of its Intricacles and details. The convention, therefors, can be welcomed for the informative mervice it can render to the public that may be seeking further light. Japan, beginng the 1st of last July, began the actual transition to the metric system. Within five years from that date all government depart- ments, factores, services and schools must substitute the metric for the for- mer Japanese welghts and measures. All the Latin-American republics are already on the metric basis, involving its use by 90,000,000 people. It is es- timated that in addition to all the multitudes already on the metric basis 250,000,000 more have been added in the past five years. —_——— High pecunfary inducements are to be offered singers who have hereto- fore been reluctant about radio per- formances. There are two classes of singers: those who must be highly paid and those who must be coaxed 1o, keep quiet. % ———— ‘The third party movement insists on disregarding the obvious opinion of the American people, last Novem- that there cannot be proper study of meteorology without consideration of the physical properties of the atmos- phere. The other school holds that the mqon runs the weather and that in the bright orb of night the philosopher may read whether there will be rain or snow. One school gives heed to the barometer, anemometer, evaporometer and hygrometer. The other school takes to heart the cusps of the cres- cent and founds {ts -forecasts. on whether the moon is wet or dry. This is the “lunar school,” or the ‘“night school.” Still another school of meteorology s that which says Avaunt! to the thermometer and nephoscope and takes counsel from the bark of hickory trees and fur of squirrels. This is called the squirrel school of thought and sometimes the “nut school. The Star published interviews Christmas eve with representatives of the foremost two schools of meteoro- logic. Washington's official broad- caster said that snow was indicated for Christmas. The Star’'s janitor on the editorial floor, Robert Levi Wil- son, who is a disciple of the moon school of meteorology, was quoted as disagreeing with the official forecaster and saying: “It ain’t gonna snow no mo' till de moon tilts down again. When de moon lays flat on its back the first, second or third quarter, it's gonna be clare, but just let it tilt some and de watah splashes out an’ it rains. De mo’ it tilts de mo’ it rains. De wind ain't blowin' right for snow and de moon is tiltin', an’ it will rain on Christmas.” At this writing on Christmas morn it neither rains nor snows and the sun is shining. . s The Anti-Christ at Moscow. In recognition of the fact that in all Christian countrjes, save in Rus- sia, where the calendar is awry, De- cember 25 is observed as the annl- versary of the birth of Christ and therefore the natal day of Christian- ity, Gregory Zinovieff, chairman of the executive committee of the Third Internationale, and also one of the Soviet executive coundl now ruling in Russia, fssued a statement explain ing the present attitude of the Com- munists on the score of religion. A passage frgm his pronouncement as dispatched from Moscow is well worthy of quotation in full: In a peasunt country like ours, where the majority of the popula- tion is illiterate, and where the peasantry pays so high for articles of necessity, we can not allow our- selves such luxury as a vigorous and inflexiblo religious campaign. We shall pursue our attacks on Almighty God in due time and in an appropriate manner. We are confident we shall sub- due Him in His empyrean. We rhall fight Him whenever He hides Him- self, but we must go about such a question as apti-religious propaganda more caretully in the future. Our campaign against God and religion muat be carried out only in a peda- gogic way, not by violence or force. In other words, Communism pro- poses to defeat Almighty God by education, by ‘pedagogic ways.” It will not kill priests or bar churches against worshiping peasantry. It will not officially deny the existence of God, but it will undertake to root out all respect for and belief in @ higher power than man. Let this pronouncement of one of the Soviet chiefs ‘of Russia, who speaks with such amazing frankness. be read and pondered by all Christian people in this country. Let.it be understood as the keynote of Com- munism, which is atheism, anarchism. Can # government founded upon such principles be recognized by American people? Not even the change of policy in the campaign against the Almighty lessens the out- rage. The Soviet government at Mos- cow is beyond the pale, Samuel Gompers’ Estate. Samuel Gompers, after serving many years at the head of the most powerful labor organization in the world, died the possessor of an estate that is now valued at $30,000. This fact is noteworthy only as a sign of one of the reasons for the high esteem in which he was held throughout his life and especially during his service as president of the American Fed- eration of Labor. Belief in his abso- lute integrity was universal. He was regarded as incorruptibly honest in all his dealings and actions. Had he been less scrupulous he might, with- out transgressing any laws, have amassed a great fortune, for oppor- tunities were not lacking for him to profit by his position, had he been #o disposed, in a manner to leave him fully free from accusation, or even technical impropriety. His estate was the product of his own thrift, his careful, modest mode of living. Though mot In itself positively to his credit, since honest and scrupulous regard ‘for proprieties is to be rated as the natural bent of men, yet this modest accumulation of wealth so trifiing in comparison with the estates of many others long in positions of high responsibility is a memorial to him that is held in high respect. For a long time Mussolini has had everything his own way in Italy. This fact, apart from every other con- sideration, is quite sufficient to ac- count for a popular suspicion that he has had glory enough. ————— No - “international propagandist’ has yet succeeded in displaying the industry and resourcefulness in seek- ing publicity of the up-to-date jazz orchestra leader. ber that for immediate purposes one party was quite sufficient. Meteorology. ‘The science of meteorology has made progress since Alhazen wrote on twilight, Vitellio on the rainbow and Galileo on the thermometer. “Meteorologists have not always agreed, but disagreement among professors ot science and members of the same family is not unknown. Henry Field- ing in “Tom Jones” told of physicians who were in such violent disagree- ment as to the malady of their patient that they could agree on only one thing—that the patient was dead. There seem to be two -schools of Mbought in mstecrosgy. One holds The Croydon Plane Accident. Probably no explanation will ever be had of the cause of the shocking disaster near Croydon, England, when & London-Paris express airplane crashed to the ground in flames and eight persons, the pilot and seven passengers, were killed. This is the first accident of this kind in passen- ger planing between the two capltals, the greatest, indeed, in aviation, out- side of the wrecks of the large dirigibles. No explanation of it can be made because the plane itself is a total wreck and there are no sur- vivors. It was inspécted and passed as in perfect condition just before.the flight. It started well, but almost im- mediately afterward it banked in a gust of wind, went into & nose dive 3 the ! and plunged. Whether it was the fault of the pilot in falling to meet the sudden twist of air or the result of a breaking of some part will prob- ably never be known. It was just one of the mysterious happenings in aviation ‘that have taken many ‘lives since man began flying. This gruesome tragedy ¢oes not signify that passenger alrplaning is less safe than other forms of trans-. portation. Perhaps at present in pro portion to the number of persons car- ried the number of casualties in the air is greater than that on the sur- face of the earth by all means, or on the sea. That is because there are comparatively few passenger plane services in operation. But in the air ’ mail service, for an examplé, the ratio of safety is remarkably high. Count- less flights are being made "daily all | over the world and the percentage of | disasters is small. Compared with motoring in. present conditions, plan- ing is undoubtedly safer. Such happenings as the Croyden aceident will not check the develop- ment of passenger planing. The per. centage is altogether in faver of safety and the advantages of air transport are great enough to over- come the relatively slight chance of misadventure. While the loss of these eight lives is to be deeply de- plored, the main misfortune of the Croyden tragedy is that the cause cannot be learned as a means of cor- rection and precaution against acci- dents hereafter. Christmas Weather. | Today's weather does not call for every one's applause. Some men ask for a snowy Christmas and others for one that is green and sunny. Some folk want snow, that they may hear the sleighs with the bells whose mel- ody foretells a world of merriment, bells that tinkle in the icy air of night, while the stars that oversprinkle all the heavens seem to twinkle with a crystalline delight. Other folk would have Christmas day—with thanks and apology to John Wolcot—a time when “‘daisies peep from every field and vio- lets sweet their odors yleld, the pur- ple blossom paints the thorn and streams reflect the blush of morn.” It is impossible that the Weather Bureau meet all tastes at the same time. Naturally, there is some dissat- isfaction. There are persons who say that the seasons are not the same since the weather came under Gov- ernment ownership and were more regular when the weather was under control of private prophets and the almanac. It is a question which the press cannot settle. However, a good many citizens of Washington will felicitate the Weather Bureau on this Christmas day. ————— After a most energetic career, Trot- sky is to be given a chance to prove whether his pen can again be suf- ficiently persuasive to call him from retirement, L ————————— Fuel investigations have, as usual, contracted to the usual December limits of individual excursions into the basement to see how much coal is left in the bin. ———.—— Possibilities that Blasco Ibanez will fight a political duel .are at least strong enough to warrant movie camera men in hastening immediately to the scene. —————— So far as the inauguration is con- cerned, there will be no compulsion. Those who delight to jazz will be at perfect liberty to do so. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNRON. Radiography. Through my geography I ranged With long and patient care, | But distances have all been changed By music in the air. From journeys now I do not flinch. When I to Pittsburgh pass, I find it's less than half an inch Away from Springfield, Mass. 1 give the works a gentle tap To shift the tune—and, lo! Schenectady is on the map Next door to Cleveland; O.: DifSicult Role. “I'm kind o' sorry,” said Senator Sorghum, “that folks blurted out the fact that there isn't any Santa Claus.” “What difference does it make? “Just this: A lot of people looking for appointments or contracts seem to think it's up to me to take his' place.” Holidsy Materialist. Assurances I give my friends Of holiday esteem, And yet my heartfelt wish extends Beyond this formal scheme. I wish that I to each could bring A roast—a flagon clear— Or any old substantial thing That makes for simple cheer. Jud Tunkins says, when a man gets famous you don’t know whether to & publicity expert. Economy. They tell us to economize. ‘We know that such a course is wise— Yet he who'll spend to fame may grow; : He who will not hath little show. Judge Bacon. “Do you think Bacon wrote the Shakespeare plays?” “How should I know?”’ rejoined Miss Cayenne. “Some parts of them are highly improper and I shall not allow my literary research to involve me in an implied attack on the Judiciary.” . 3 Slogan Still Good. Shop early! Let's be on our way That. cheerfulriess may thrive. There i8 another Christmas day In Nineteen Twenty-five, “I got jes’ as much sentiment as anybody,” sald Uncle Eben; “but I ain’ never 'spectin’ to play Santa Claus no mo’; owin’.to de fact dat wearin’ canton flannel = trimmed clothes, some one done stole my sho’ nuft overcoat.” NPl 0 e J Sl congratulate him on being @ hero or |' THIS AND THAT —_— BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. In the old days children were satls fled with a popcorn ball for a Christ- mas present. Now they want electric trains and elaborate mamma dolls— and they get them, too, bl 1ittle souls. What a picture the old folks p for us of thé Christmas of past dayi They had no electric lights then, or modern bathrooms, or phonographs, or radlo, or any of the hundred and one things we take as a matter of course today. Yet they had the spirit of Christ- mag, to hear them tell about it, the genulne spirit of Christmas, the kind many of us miss, in our up-to-date and considerably smaller houses of today Little Johnny then was the same as little Johnny warmed himsels in front fireplace, or a big drum stove, in- stead of by a steam or hot-water radiator, but the underlying spirit of he one Johnny was exactly the same our John today. The former did not have, however, such large and expensive tastes. The toys were few and far between in those days, and the money to buy them with was even less conspicu- ous. For tkere had to be a solid stratum of lucre to oil old Santa then, Just as there has to be today. Little Johnny of old was easily satisfled—at least to hear him teil about it now, when his hair is white and his whiskers are whiter, and the years have placed around him that hedge of geniority which made the Roman senate a venerable institu- tion, and makes the Japanecse vener- ate their ancestors. In the old Christmas Johnny hardly slept a wink, determined to catch Santa Claus in his benevolent task of sneaking down the chimney. Chim- neys then were ample to allow the big form of Kris Krinkle to slide down easily. They were so large, in fact, that no child h any doubt about the saint’s ability to make the descent. In the morning Johnny ran out to the parlor or dining room—prob- ably the latter—to find a huge and resplendent popcorn bell walting him as the gift of dear old Santa Claus. Rapture mantied the shining face of little Johnny. A good old pop- corn ball was just what he had been wanting. “Santa Claus brought me a blg popcorn ball” crled Johnny to his parents. Every one was happy as could be. “Santa Claus brought me a good old popcorn ball’” Johnny told his play- mates, later in the day, and each com- rade replied in kind, that Santa Claus had brought each of them a good old popcorn ball, too. The popcorn ball must have done heavy duty—to listen to the old folks tell about it. It did its stuff in sugar, in molasses, now white, now light brown, mow glistening like snow, now taking on the hue of the ginger- bread man. essentially today. He of a wide * 'k % % But how many children of today would be satisfied with a popcorn ball? Remember, the spirit of childhood is esventially the same. Johnny to- day is much the Johnny of old. But somehow times have changed. What would have sufficed once goes no longer. New days, new desires. Better and better standards of living, more and more wants. The desire for Christ- mas presents is in inverse ratio to the width of chimngys. When the fireplace was big enough to let a real-for-sure Santa, no mat- ter what hjs girth, slide down without getting a bit of soot on his red and white outfit, the kids were perfectly satisfied with a pgpcorn ball, or some other simple gift that Santa might have stuffeq into any ome of his capacious pockets, Today, when the furnace chimney is too small for any but a very thin Santa Claus, indeed, the children want electric trains, and toy automo- biles, and doll perambulators, and other articles that would require a derrick to get them down the chimney. Santa Claus is a wonder worker, though, the same today as he was yesterday, and as he will be in the days to come. There is no doubt about it. The little ones today no more doubt Santa’s abllity to get an electric train down the chimney than they do that thg fine old fellow exists. Some of the older boys, of course, take pride in refuting the saint's existence, but these skeptics are with us always. No, the spirit of childhood is the same, and Santa Claus is the same and his abllity is the same. Today hundreds of toy rallroads will spin around thousands of miles of shining tin track in the District of Columbia. Johnny Is having the time of his lite—and so is Btg John. As a matter & fact, Big John asked Santa Claus to bring that train just so he could play with it him- self! Ostensibly he ordered it for little Johnnie, but in the fine ear of nature the old boy Is getting more fun out of it than the young one. Ask any proud father if that is not true. Openly he may deny it, but in the secret places of his heart he will be forced to confess that he is getting a lot of pleasure out of that little train. Ask any wife and mother, as she ‘watches the two Johns play together, which one is enjoying the traln the most. Ask mother—she knows! Nor is the reason far to seck. « The elder Jokn is the boy who always wanted an electric train, but got a popcorn ball! Probably it did not Tun by electricity when he wanted one. Maybe it was wound up with a key, a spring in the locomotive fur- nishing the power. The toy was essentlally the same, however, and a popcorn ball, no mat- ter how fine, could not exactly take its place.” Children have a great deal more common sense than some folks give them credit for possessing. The little Johnny of long ago was sat- isfied with his popcorn ball because he knew, In some dim, vague way, that Santa Claus wae limited to popeorn balls in his particular case. As John grew up he harbored a suppressed desire, as the psychoan- alylsts call it, for one shiny train. His subconsclous mind determined that if he ever got the chance he would get himself one, despite time and tide. His mind behind the mind we know never lost sight of its objective, and S0 when the opportunity came along in a new little Johnny, it seized upon' it, so_that thesconscious mind declared: “Well, we must ask Santa Claus to bring Johnny a train this Christmas!” * ok ok % So there the train sits, beneath the Christmas tree, its sturdy little loco- motive straining at the leash, eager to haul the shining row of Pullman cars around the even more shining track. > The electric power company that scoots the street cars around town, that lights our houses and works the vacuum sweepers s waiting the touch of a button to start the little train on its way. Snap! And away she goes—across the switch, through the tunnel, past the little station, around the bend, while big Johnnie ‘and little Johnnie look on with glowing eyes. VITAL THEMES Christmas Cheer for the Cheerless Liberals. BY WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE. Pretty much all over Christendom the liberals are in the doleful dumps and the conservatives are happy. By liberals we mean those who distrust prosperity unless it brings justice with it. By conservatives we mean those who reject such justice as threatens the fullest prosperity. To- day the authorized leaders of “the Caucasian world are thinking chiefly of their own affairs, husbanding the main chance, letting the devil take the hindermost. The process of re- action following action 's the old, old pendulating movement taat has bullt the world. Civilization maintains its balance. Now comes Christmas to the dis- couraged liberals, who see small hope for peace on earth and little encour- agement for good will among men. They see with sorrow the weak ig- nored or oppressed, the faces ground oft the poor, the crumbling safe- guards against injustice. But, alas, these crusaders do not realize that each day brings a new phase of the conflict. Free speech, for instance, is only a battle ground upon which new issues are fought. There can be no free speech. There can be no rights for the weak until all are strong enough to defend their rights. There can be no dominant sense of sheer Justice in a changing world of selfish humanity until then; just men are made perfect in some millermial day. Men who see and feel the injustices of the cruel world have had faith and hope and tolerance—and the strongest | weapon of these. ‘s tolerance — put their lives joyously into the ancient and eternal combat between the war- ring forces of life upon the side of the lowly, the yoiceless, the disin- herited. Until those who were under- privileged had .their champions, the world moved slowly. In the 2,000 years in which men havq been trying even'if vainly—to orgahize a civili- zation based upon the altruistic phi- losophy -of Jepus of Nazareth, the world has moyed faster than it moved in 10,000 years before. This is the idealists’ reward. Upon that hdrd fact of history he may weld the armor of his faith. Tomorrow, when we enter into some broader material realm, the' rising tide of conservatism, which is carry- ing the world, will recede. Then will come the time for the-dreamer to en- ter into his kingdom, to organize his aspiration, to realize in the institu- tion of men his highest hopes. Let him be of good cheer, Christmas is his day of rejoicing, the time of re- freshment for Hhis faifh. Indeed, Christmas symbolized his heart's de- sire. So long as Christmas ‘wakens the universal heart of our. eiviliza- tion ‘men need not fear. The day of jubilee will come. Even among the potsherds in the ashes and clad in sackcloth, the liberal who loves jus- tice and sees it neglected in the mad scramble for prosperity amid a per- verse generation may lift a brave volce in a sad world and cry out, “A Merry Christmas.” A “Merry Christ- mt may he hurl at his foes and with his cry exercise all the powers A TR One Needs Some: Sleep. (Ind.) Tribune. e fa"a good idea to Kiis the chigren good night if you don’t mind wall up for them. Parking a Paradox. T i, spése. is. where you_leave thie cat.to have the taillight Jnocked-oft, Christmas Recalls Plight of Near East To the Editor of The Sta: The Chrigtmas season brings im- pressively to mind the profound in- fluence which Near Fast Relief, deal- ing with the growing generation in the lands where Christmas had its birth, is bound to have upon the peace and happiness of that upheaved cor- ner of the world. Nothing in the tragic and terrible decade that we have just passed through is so pitiful and unjust as what it has done to the children of so many different countries. That these helpiess millions should know nothing to show them that there are such things in the world as justice and gentleness and love—it turns one's Legrt cold to think of it. The orphanage work of Near Fast Relief comes in to-snatch as many as it can from this terrible kind of start in life to try to show them that there is another kind of world from this which they know, and that it is joy to show them this world and train them to its thoughts and fealings. Every child that can be rescued from the miserable plight into which the war has forced him will be just so much gain for the forces of order and peace and good will in the world. IDA M. TARBELL. Plea for New Year Eve Holiday for U. S. Workers To the Editor of The Star: I did not think the bill to mak Lincoln’s birthday a holiday woul pass the House, because I belleve the Government workers were already getting as many holidays as they are entitled to. I do not believe, how- ever, that the half day the Govern- ment workers have been getting nearly every year in the past before New Year day should be taken away from them this year. The Govern- ment workers did not get a half hol- iday before New Year day last year, and because it looks to me like they are working harder now than they ever worked before, I believe they ‘should be given the half day before New Year day this year. It is true that bricklayers work eight hours a day and they do not get any holidays with pay, nor do they get any annual or sick leave with pay. But bricklayers work only about half the time, and when they are not working they are resting, or having a good time. doing as they please. If a bricklayer works only 14 days in a month he makes more money in a month than any one of 50 per cent of the Government workers make in a month working full time. All workers not working for the Gov- ernment make so much more money than the Government workers that they can afford to recuperate on their own time. And that is why Govern- ment workers need holidays, annual and sick leave, more than workers that are not working for the Govern- ment. JOHN ANSCHUTZ. Fines Not Enough For Traffic. Violators To the Editor of The Star: . . _ Fines for trafiic-law violations have no deterrent effect upon the average driver. Fines ure regarded as inci- dental penses of the sport. Jall sentences should always be imposed upon the speed fiend and the “hit-and- run” offender, even for what seems to be the first offense. These offenses ieldom committed when an of. is in sight. Very f drivers brought into court are really first offenders. It is only a case of first time caught. - Careful drivers should, ald traflic reform for their own pro- The North W,ilidow BY LEILA MECHLIN It Is_quite natural at this on, and particularly on this great day of days, to revert to the subject of re- ligious art. To what great extent has Christianity Influenced ‘he de- devopment of art? The Holy Babe of Bethlehem, whose birthday is today celebrated in every iand, brought into the world not only peace and joy but beauty. It was the Christian Church that first nurtured the art of painting and some of the most beau- tiful paintings that have ever been produced are of the Christ Child and of incidents in the life of our Savior. Moreover, many of these were paint- ed for the church, partly, perhaps, by way of illustration, but doubtless with what might be termed a holy zeal. Cimabue's Madonna, purposed as an altar plece for the Church of Saint Maria Novella in Florence, was carried, 1t will be récalled, through the streets of that city in triumphant proc. lon before emplacement in the sacred edifice. It is in Florence that we find the works of Fra Angelica, whose joy it was to decorate the walls of his mon- astery, St. Mark's, with religlous themes. At the academy In Florence for many years, but now in the Uffizl ang Pltti Galleries, are to be seen those remarkable = paintings by Ghirlandajo o the visit of the Kings of the Wise Men—marvel- ous paintings, primitive in their simpllcity, yet po: ied of ‘great beauty in color and composition and a real dignity of Dect, picture: to which one always returns with pleasure and fresh emotion. Then there are the Botticellls—those su- premely spiritual works which seem to conserve the soul of reverence with the least parade of medlum. And what also of the Bellinis, the Peru- ginos, the Filippo Lippis and the host of others? How glorious a company they are; how variously the great theme has inspired them! * % k% Discussing this subject in “The Field of Art” in the December Scribner's Magazine, Royal Cortissoz declares that “an age of faith and nothing less is mirrored in the ten- derness of a Duccio or a Giotto,” and goes on to say: “The pictures of Fra Angelico are of so much salntliness all compact, and the mgn fs as child- Iike the spirit of his immoztal wor But Mr. Cortissoz reminds us that “the exaltation to which these painters gave expression was not pe- culiar to any one school, but rather an element, depending for its perfect exploitation wholly upon the in- dividual. The church was there to supply the theme and the occasion. The artist was there to make the most of both, according as he was a man of imagination and transcendent- ally a man of My hands.” there is no uch thing, Swinburne, as an “There is no such " says Mr. Cortissoz, “as a great painter who cannot paint and paint superlatively well.” Of all the religious paintings of the past Royal Cortissoz ranks as foremost Ruphael's Slstine Maedonna. “This picture,” he says, “survives as a triumph of religious exaltation, an interpretation of divine motherhood, chiefly because, to express it bluntly, it is so magnificently and monument- ally put together, because the man who made it was g0 Intensely the artist.'s In other words, and quite correctly, this greatest of all themes has in- spired the greatest of all artists. In fact it requires the greatest of all artists to adequately give It expres- sion. Great art, like great literature, must be universal in Its appeal if it would hope to live. The appeal of the Christ Child and the mother is of this order—the appeal of infancy o: in- nocency and of motherhood. £ & x % It was not the palnters alone of the,| renaissance and of the Drimitive period Who used this theme. The.Del- la Robbias in their sculpture and faience, groups and medallions, most beautifully set it forth, more beauti- fully in many instances, it would seem, than the painters of their own time. And how simple was thelr ex- pression, their medium pottery, blue and white, vellow and green; their purpose in a measure decoration. In many instances around - the sacred group are borders of gayly colored flowers and fruit, and yet not one fota in reverent beauty is taken away from the expression of the work as a whole. Before the simplest of these even the casual visitor stands today, as it were, with uncovered heac in recognition of the sacredness of the subject, the spirit . which pervades the work Time and space will not permit even mention of the greatest masterpiece: of paipting which found their inspira- tion fn the Christmas theme, such as Coreggio's “Holy Night,” Velasquez, and Murillo's “Adoration of the Shep- herds.” The catalogue is & long one, but curiously enough, it has to do al- most entirely with the past. With the exception of illustrative works, such as those Hofmann, Portaels and Plockhorst, there have been compara- tively few notable religious pictures palnted in the last century or more. Bdwin H. Blashfield, the dean of American mural painters and the dis- tinguished president of the National Academy of Design, painted some years ago a picture familiar to all reproduction, “Christiias but this was a picture of{ angels ringing the Christmas bells and therefore can scarcely go in this category. John Lafarge painted “The Halt of the Wise Men,” a large and beautiful easel picture, but his great religious painting is “The Ascension's in. the Church of the Ascension, in New York. This Mrs. Cortissoz, his biographer, rightly ranks as the no- blest work of this great painter's éx- traordinary imagination—religious painting in its highest estate, a sublime work of art. Why, then, have we not more great religious paintings in America? Not because the theme has lost fts power, but rather that we have not brought forth painters of the caliber of those who have in the past so nobly given it interpretation. They are yet to come. x K ok ok It is to Christianity that we owe our Gothic cathedrals, that most per- fect expression of all the arts. Wor- ship is instMctive with man. The art artisans of the Gothic period found opportunity for the full expression of their art in the erection and beautifi- cation of these houses of worship dedi- cated to the glory of God. The Gothic sculpture and the giorious stone cuttings were largely produced to illustrate religious themes for a people many of whom could not read. Thus for a real purpose this splendid art came into being. On Mount St. Alban, in this city, is being erected at this time such a house of prayer for all people in the spirit of the past, but through the art of:the present. The cathedral which is gradually taking form there is not only a work of architecture concelved in the tradition of the Gothic, but is gradually being beau- tified by sculpture, as were the Old World cathedrals. When the build- ing is completed high up against the roof there will be 1,000 vauiting bosses, each different and all quaint- ly carved, as were the figures on the Cathedral of Milan or the gargoyles of Notre Dame. The: were designed by the architects Frohman, Robb and Little; are modeled, cast in plaster and then cut by the stonecutters. Mr. Robb was the chief designer, Abgelo Lualdi the modeler and, according to &n article by Mr. McCormick publish- ed In the current number of the In- ternational Studio, D. F. Lane the stonecutter. Thus Christlan art in this fleld is finding new expression. L The same’ may-be sald-of stained BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. How far is the new Annapolls road finished 7—R. E. §. A. The Automobile Club of Maryland says that this road Is known as the De- fense highway. It is improved as far cast of Washington as Collington, and from Annapolis to « point 10 or 15 miles west, leaving a section of about 20 miles still unimproved. Q. How many members has the Ohlo Soclety in Washington?—F. L. B. A. Willlam L. Symons, the secretary of the society, says that the Jist of mem- bers comprises about 600 names. Q. Do the Government Hotels employ men as stewards?—J. K. A. A woman is in charge of this food work and is known as superintendent of food. Q. Is it proper to address and intro- duce a captain in the Officers’ Reserve Corps as “captain”—J. D. S. A. A man having the rank of captain in the Reserve Corps may use the title upon ahy occasion that he chooses. Q. Why is a guard kept at President Harding’s tomb?—P. P. A. A guard of honor is kept at the tomb as a miark of respect, and to re- strain visitors from carrying awa: souvenirs. Q. How is the name “Le Quex” pro- nounced 7—H. T. N. A. It is pronounced as if spelled “le ku."” Q. Who owns the largest X-ray ma- chine?—J. B, G. A. One of the largest X-ray machines in the country is that built by the Gen- eral Electric Co. in 1923 for use in the treatment of cancer. This apparatus is capable of gener- ating 200,000 voltage of rays, which penetrate through one-quarter inch ot lead, one foot of aluminum and two feet of brick. Q. What is the difference in the air pressure at street level and at the top of the Woolworth building in New York City?—E. M. 1. A. Atmospheric pressure varies with temperature. The pressure at sea level has been estimated at 14.7 pounds per square inch. At a height of half mile, or 1,320 feet, it is 14.02 pounds per square inch. The pres- sure at the top of the Woolworth building would be about 142 pounds per square inch. Q. At the battls of Jutland, who was In command of the British and who in command of the German: —T. 8. A. The British were in command of Vice Admiral Beatty, who was on hts way to join the main fleet of Sir John Jellicoe when he encountered the Germans. The German charge of Admirals von Hipper and von Scheer. Q. How much of the has been drained?—T. H. G. : A. By the end of 1923 about 1,000,- 000 acres had been reclaimed. Five canals of agtotal length of over 200 miles were completed. Approximately 2,700,000 acres remain to be drained. Q. Plaese state what Presidents left the United States while in office? —R. A. R. A, Presidents who have confines of the United States while in office were: Roosevelt, visited the Panama Canal Zone and went to the City of Panama: Taft, crossed the border into Mexico and dined with President Diaz at Juarez; Cléveland on & fishing trip, exceeded the boun- dary of the United States; Wilson, peace conference in Europe; Harding. British Columbia, Canada. H Q. What commission is deducted from the wagers made at the race tracks in_Maryland, Kentucky and France? Who gets it?—W. B. M. erglades left the fleet was in| A. In Kentucky ,and Maryland 5 per ceat:of the wagers inade at the race tracks goes to the clubs. 1in France an averagesof 8 per cent com- mission is taken by the government and devoted to prescribed us Q. What American sculptor hag modeled the largest number of de- signs for medals?’—N. S. G A. It is probable that James Earle Fraser has. Q. How many raflroads does the Government control?—W. T. S, A. The only one that the Govern- ment controls s the Alaskan rail- road. Q. Were there ever elephonts in this country?—G. W. A. A. The -Smithsonian Institution says that elephants were found in North America in quite large numbers, but that these animals were extinct long before the discovery of America. Q. What does a small lettdr (e) surrounded with a circle mean?—E 3L A. This is a sign that the photo- graph or article bearing the mark has been copyrighted. Q. What is the Kidderminster car- pet?—W. V. B, A. Kidderminster and ingrain car- pet are the same. One name is de- rived from the English town where it is made and the other signifies that the carpet is made of wool or worsted dyed in the grain—before manufacture. Q. How could anything be pre- | historic?—N. M. A. In a literal sense this expres- sion is incorrect, for anything or event of which there is record neces- sarily is historic to the degree of the extent of the record. Q. Are single beds or double beds used abroad?—K. A A. Single beds are usual on | coptinent,. while the double bed more common in England Q. How. many loaded cars can'a locomotive push?—D. T. A. Number 5105 of the Erie Rail- road, one of the largest locomotives in the world, has pushed 250 loaded cars in a test. This engine weighs 432 tons and has 24 drive wheels. the Q. What is the meaning of the words “Thesaur, Amer. Septent Sigil.” found on the seal on all paper money?—R. K. A. The sea} is that of the Treas- ury, and the* words are the abrevia- tion for the Latin sentence ‘Thesaur Americae Septentrionalis Sigillum The literal translation is “Of the Treasury of America North Seal.” Q. How:does the Palestine of to day compare with the home of the | Jews in Bible times?—G. M. S. | A. The Palestine over which Great | Britain has been given a mandate contains 13,724 square miles. The “Kingdom of David" was three times as large. Q. How many of the names of the States are derived from Indian sources?—C. C A. Twenty-two of the States have names of Indian origin. They are: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Towa. Kans: Kentucky, Michigan, Minfesota, Mis sippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Ohlo, Oklahoma, Ten- nessee, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyo- ming. near! (Take advantage of the free informa- tion bureau which this newspaper main- tains. If there is a question you want answered don't hesitate to use this ser- Ace. All replies are sent direct to the inquirer. Address The Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Twenty-first and C streets northwest. Inglose 2 cents in stamps for return podtage.) WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC Like lesser mortals, the President of the United States and the First Lady of the Land are the reciplents of holiday greeting cards, only in their case the number runs into tens of thousands. The White House mail bag this year has been as big as ever. Sometimes Christmas and New Year wishes are sent to the Presidént alone, and sometimes to both.him and his wife. They come literally from every nook and corner of the republic. No officlal communications reaching the Executive Mansion are more Scrupu- lously read or noted. An individual acknowledgment is returned In every case—an engraved card, bearing the White House crest, and reciting that the thought of the wellwisher s “much appreciated” and his kindly re- membrance “sincerely reciprocated”— or words to that effect. Those pa- triots _who communicated with the Chi® Executive this week may be as< sured that the humblest greeting came to his personal attention, and; In her case, to that of Mrs. Coolidge. * ¥ X% ¥ . An administration leader, thinking ‘sut loud for the benefit of ‘this ob- server, wondered whether Kansas will be kinder to Senator Charles C. Curtis in the days to come than it has been to other Sunflower Republicans ‘who attained to high place in Washington. “John J. Ingalls," aid the remini cent politician, “was tiwe first Kansas Republican of 'truly natiqgal caliber ever to climb_to pesition power. He was in the Senate continuously from 1873 to 1891. Yet he had no sooner begun to reap the fruits of his reputation when Kansas deposed him and sent the bewhiskered William A. Pefter to supplant hym. ‘Phil’ Camp- bell of Kansas, after 20 ‘years in the Houss of Representatives, was retired about the time the path to the speak- ership lay straight &head of him. ‘Chariey’ Curtis is now the leader of the Senate, after a meritorious record of 10 years' service. He comes up for re-election _in 1926. Will Kansas prove recreant and ungrateful, as it did in the cases of Ingalls and Camp- bell ™ * ok K X Charalambores Simopoulos, the new Greek Minister to the United States, restores Graeco-American diplomatic relations which, though never sever- ed, have lapsed since 1920. The Hel- lenese followed the example of Amer- ica four years sgo and defeated at the- polis the political .party which had conducted the war. Mr. Simo- poulos’ arrival’at Washington coin- cides with the announcement that the Greek refugee loan has been success- fully floated. This loan is to provide funds for the definite “éstablishment of the refugees who fled into Greece from Asia Minor after the destruc- tion of Smyrna in 1922. It amounts to about $60,000,000, and was nego- tiated by the League of Nations. The ——————— glass and of wood carving. The glory of the old medieval glass to be found in Chartres, Sainte Chappel and else- where abroad I8 beiug revived in this country by such artists as Charles Connick, F. G. Reynolds, Mrs. Willet and others. Among the woodcarvers, devoting his time almost exclusively to religious subjects for the beautifi- cation of our churches, is John Kirch- mayer, one of the lovellest of who: works i8 a “Christmas in Heaven” panel. Meanwhile workers in mosaic are coming forward, bringing back an old art to retell the old, old story of God's gift to man—of peace on earth to men, of good will—the great WILLIAM WILE proceeds of the loan cannot be used for feeding the réfugees. Hence Dr. Nansen, refugee commissioner of the league, is appealing to the charitably inclined in America apd throughout the world for funds to feed the refu- gees for at least another year. £k % A group of legitiiately curious Washingtonians who Jeeard this ob- server speak Of jingoes and jingoism on the radio "asks to know” where the idiom comes from. An anthenti- cated - explanation is that it dates from the late '70s,‘When Great Brit- e on the verge of one of thelr pefiodical twars over Afghanistan and India. Loud-mouth- ed patriots in England were breath- ing fire and brimstone with reference to all things Russian. The epidemic spread to the London music where a popular comediin of the d gave currency.tp a ditty whose r frain rang: e don’t want to fight: But, by Jingo, if we do, e got the men, We've got the h We'se got the money,. too! * o % One of the Year's grand army of Coolidge biographers made his first call on the President a day or two before Christmas and handed him with appropriate compliments, a copy of the “Life” the scribe pro- duced a few months ago. Mr. Cool- idge, who can be exceedingly gra- cious on occasion, despite his reputa- tion for reserve, accepted the volume thankfully, and then sald, in his characteristic drawl: “Wa-al, after Christmas, maybe I'll get around to write you a book review on it!” ¥ oK Ok K Gen, Pershing is to be the star per- former in an all-star theatrical per- formance at the New York Hippodrome next May. The occasion will be a national testimonial from the American Legion. The general promised to grace it with his presence just before he sailed for South America last month. James A. Drain, national commander of the legion, and other legion officers from all_parts of the country will attend. In addition to etar turns by 2 host of stage celebrities, the feature of the testimonial will be the presenta- tion to Gen. Pershing of & bronze bust of himself, executed by Julio Kilenyi of New York. The idea of the affair originated with National Vaudeville Artists’ Post 690, composed exclusively of vaudeville players who were in the service. * * ¥ ¥ Repreeentative Danie]l R. Anthony, jr. of Kansas, who went home for the holidays, has found himself under heavy bombardment at Leavenworth from the alumni of a ocertain Middie- ‘Western university, whoee ' foot ball team won great renown this year. An- thony is the proprietor and editor of the Leavenworth Times. A few davs ago that paper published an article deeling with a person described as “Virgil H. Evans.” The article stated: “Virgil H. Evans, a well known foot ball etar, released from the Kansas State Reformatory on Jume 18, 1924, and paroled to the facuity of ————— University, to play the 192¢ season on the college team, has been returned to the Kansas State Penitentiary to com- plete his sentence. Because of his sur- render the Kansas parole board listened to the plea of the faculty for his parole in order that he might play on the foot ball tean and become enrolled as a student’”” Mr. Anthony has been in- formed that the allegation, as far as the university in question is concerned, “is a puccession of ligs.” (Copright, 1938