Evening Star Newspaper, December 29, 1924, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D: C. MONDAY.....December 20. 1924 Editor THECDORE W. NOYES... The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office, 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Omce: 110 East 42nd Chicago Office: Tower uul'dm?: European Oftice : 16 Rogent St.,Loudon, England. Sunday morning The Evenlng Star. wit riers within the daily only, 45 edition, i delivered by city at 60 cents per month capts per month; Sunday only. 20 cents per month. Orders may be sent by mail or tele- phone Main 5000. Collection iy made by car- Flers at the end of cach mont Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. and Sunday..1yr., $8.49; 1 mo., T0¢ Dail Sunday only All Other States. Daily and Sunday. Lyr., §10.00; 1 mo., b5¢ Daily only.... $7.00; 1 mo., 60¢ Sunday only $3.00: 1 mo,, 25¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Press fs exclusively entitled to the for rvpublieation of all news dis- atches credited o it or not otherwise credited o thls paper and wiwo the local news pub- hied Lereln. Al rights of publication of apecial dispatches herein are also reserved. Framing the District Bill. Today of House ittee ubcommittoe the appropr as signed to ¢ tions estima present Teconuue: satisfaction termns tments of funds. Our fations comr onsider District appropr meets for its first survey of the i are ain thes heir al- its sosion to ¢ to ad lations and i juate first petition to to appropriate liberally for the Dis- triet's needs. putting out of mind at this t ught the method of apportioning expe which, as a result of conference between the two for t be finally de- We urge that there be no m th Bureau's s Congress sub- iture of the d items ¢ is more e all th of houses, wi s yea cided upon. cutting recommends stitu mon r Budget total tin it public If the mendati b cught deiil considered recom- s of the Budget Fureau ar de 1 up in- At least full amount of appropriations recomraended by the Budset Bureau should be made. The estimates are carefully framed to me be up for ned the ¢ creases. They include provision for the urgent necessities of e and ment fire protec- and for ds equaliy specific in their re- irements K develc ex hey ar rieeti; 1aunicipal 1 urgent. flex of th nually and provides an cl re Capita inicipality. enacts ghat an- ratio law of 1922 the 69-30 1l ate program of LW [t permits excap- in appropriation acts to the ap- tion of the 60-40 rat Which was intended to perr ” to whole cost imposed and wi ion t certain wade the the District ain other ap- the 0 a prov appropriztions wit 4 permitied e propriations to be made o instead of the G0-40 case of the interest oxp 1378 and in t! to apply. to the ted These ng fund ditures under Distr tax sur taxes for benefit, its the collected on esponding accum Treasury from the the 50-50" ba et is. with e committee | prevail | high peak of efficiency in 1924, Loadings of most commodities were the highest ever noted. No ground was afforded for complaint of delayed transportation. Capital expenditures of $1,100,000,000 for improvement and expansion were authorized. Yet it can- not be sald that under the existing level of transportation charges the shippers were overtazed. The net operating income of carriers of class 1 in 1924 was approximately 4.30 per cent on their property investment. The earnings of the same class in 1923 were 4.47 per cent, The estimate as to 1924 was based on complete reports on the first 10 montha. The report of the American Railway Association disclosing the establish- ment of 10 records in 1924 in railway operations and efficiency should be e guide to Congress when it contem- plates legislation in the coming ses- | sion. It would be a pity it anything were done in national legislation threatening to Impair the record of this year or to halt the march of rail- way progress. The roads have shown what they can do-if given fair treat- ment in legislation. The country has learned how closely the prosperity of the railways is linked with the general vrosperity of the Nation and the in- dividual. The rallroads, too, have learned the | lesson that they are semi-public ser- vants and not masters; and they now recognize the rights of the public in lrespect to service which they once { ignored. B e —— Swelling the Record. Three more deaths from traffic ac- cidents are reported today. The year 1924 will close with a shocking record of lives destroyed In the mad rush of people in motor cars. Tt will be the worst record for this District and one of the worst in the country, in terms of proportion of population. Congress has in hand the prepara- tion of a measure to cope with this evil'of recklessness in the streets. The | hope of the community is that it will | make speed with it, to put into opera- | tion quickly the remedial measures { that are provided. More judges for the i i ' | | hearing of traflic cases, more police- men for the enforcement of the rules and the guidance of traffic and the | capture of violators of the laws, and { more drastic penaltles for those who | deliberately break rules and endanger {life. These are the principal items of | the proposed bill thus far outlined. | First offenders should be consid- et concrete, demonstrated needs. | ered with some degree of lenlency, if | | their infractions of the rules are of a | hools. for library | minor character and do not cause se- | {rious injury or death. But frequent offenders should be rated as menaces to public safety and deprived of op- tor a long period. Their licenses should | jail terms. In another respect the District ineeds protection. The standard of ich is now | icensing drivers should be ratwed. At | | present, owing to the lack of facili- | ties, the examinations of prospective | drivers are insufficlent to determine | | the real degree of responsibility and | capacity of applicants. There s, perhaps hundreds, of drivers are [ sec { operating machines in this city today | i who are not qualified to operate cars : | < as in the | jn the present condition of traffie, who | |tack in judgment and in skill, or who 1nic act Of yre geficlent in understanding of the | liability resting’ upon them. There are many drivers now run- ning machines in this city who are not, in fact, licensed, who are running family cars without cards. who have { portunity to commit further offenses | | be forfeited and they should be given | vigorous fight is in prospect. The pro- posal of & commission to determine the best terms upon which the Gov- ernment can dispose of the great power plant, by sale or by lease, may be adopted as @ compromise between the contending plans now under con- slderation. There is nothing to prevent a clean- up of the legislative calendar by the 4th of March if the spirit to do so pre- vails in both houses. The country wants action and adjournment, with a period of quiet following. If questions arise which require the summoning of Congress in extra session that course must be followed. But there is noth- ing now. in view which would make such a session necessary if the essen- tial measures are passed by March 4. The course which the country ex- pects Congress to pursue is to pass the strictly business measures which require adoption, those which provide the necessary means for running the Government, and to devote the re- maining time for the consideration of such other matters as are before the houses. If that is done no extra ses- sion will be needed to complete the unfinished work of the present Con- gress, which expires in March, The task of passing these bills belongs to this Congress, not to the next one, elected in November. It should not be neglectetl. e Prolonging Life. Bertram Ball, director of th ;nf Orology, in an address befure the | American Education Exposition. e says that 100 yvears of vigorous life will be within reach of the majority of the generation now in the cradle. This happy state of the future millions who are to inhablit this earth, rendered more immune from the ills that the present day flesh is heir to, is to come about because of the rapid develop- ment of the idea of stopping disease at the door of the body. Close co- operation of the medical, dental, diet- ary and kindred healing sclences is to bring this about. He forecasts that it will soon be about enemy germs to enter the body and secure supremacy as it is or cholera or yellow fever to slip past Uncle Sam’s quarantine. Contrary to the popular impression it is not work that cuts life short of germ that reduces the body and mind power tremendously. The microsco and test tube are searching the germ out. He points out that new health specifications are being made out with sclentific accuracy never dreamed of before. “Think,” he says, “of what the addition of just one vear to the productive life of the average New Yorker alone will amount to in mil lions of dollars.” e It would not be any more possible to prevent the American public from engaging in general rejoicing on f auguration day than it would be to prevent citizens from standing in line to wish the President of the United States a Happy New Year. —— When retmbursements become due. | consumers of electricity have tlie sat- lisfaction of knowing by their bills from month to month that the indi- vidual accounts were kept with an accuracy which should facilitate all caleulations. | ———— The new head of the A. F. of L. will have to be re-elected at least haif a dozen times or so to demonstrate that he holds the same confidence and esteem that enjoyed by the late | as A cheerful prophecy comes from Dr. | Institute | as bhard for | the 100-year mark, but the destructive | What are life'’s hardest lessons? As the new year approaches, it seems well to conslder this subject, not from the -standpoint of the preacher, but solely from the stand- point of the average man. New Year's resolutions mostly are bunk. Few make them, and those who do seldom keep them. It Is rrot sudden resolve that does the trick In thls world, in the majority of cases, but steadfast determination. A moment of time Is not enough for most of us; we require days and days of effort, weeks and weeks of right thinking. This being so—and I am sure it Is —what are the hardest lessons we have to learn In this world? We pass up renunciation and other tests In the grand manner, and ad- dress ourself to the simple, everyday lessons we find hardest to learn in this world. Ten of them come to mind, but, of course, there are many more. These ten of life's hardest lessons will be discussed In a8 many separate papers, because they have to do with qualities that belong to all of us. There Is nothing surer in this world than that what applles to one will apply to another, for all of us are very much alike at bottom, although we may differ tremendously in ap- pearance, dress, richness in this world’s goods or lack thereof. | AL Do not always take that happens in some relation to your precious self. Thix is one of life's hardest lessons and some never do learn it. Yet un- til one does he finds the world pretty rough sledding. The steering gear Is out of whack, and his sled has rust on the runners Nor Is this a fault peculiar tc alone. Hundreds of men and outh men that happens around them in relation to themselves. A friend falls to speak one day as he passes on the street. This Is im- medlately construed Into an insult. “Now, what on earth have I done to make him treat me In that fashion?" Why, nothing at all! That s the point. of the whole thing. Instead of being hurt, the in- jured one should learn the lesson— one of life’s hardest—not to take everything that happens in some re- lation to hlwself. Although he may seem to himseif the center of the universe—in one sense, of course, he certainly is—all of us are—to others he is but one of thousands close at hand. one of mil- lions far off Everything that take him into happens. does mot consideration in the happening. indeed! Very few happenings do. The friend that fail- | ed to speak, thereby hurting his feel- ings, did not even see him. That was the real explanation of the seeming slight. The friend was busy thinking out a problem, so busy, as a matter of fac Iy at his good friend failed to see him. but es alone saw. His brain was so upied that when the message was flashed to it of the passing of a friend, the mind refused to accept it There was no Insult intended, or. in fact, the insuited one put that meaning upon the oceurrence, and for {days thereafter lot it rankle in his }llllnl‘v He had not learned the lesson i of refusing to take everything that | huppens in some relation to himself. ! ¥ o ok % | Healthy conceit is another thing. The man who hasn't a certain amount of pride in himselt will never &get anywhere. (He calls it pride, his ®nemies call it conceit. It is both. It is pridec which merges into conceit, and conceit which merges back again into pride.) Even Jesus, who counseled bumil- ity, had a proper pride in his trans- N TODAY’S yet everything | who ought to know better go through | life continuing to orient everything | t, that he looked square- | actually | His thoughts were so busy that his | BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. cendent work, saying, “T am the light of the world. But to have this real pride in self, in ability, in achlevement, in one's possibilities, does not mean that every other person in the world is in- terested in one. Not by a jugful! As you sit in the theater hox, to you it may seem as If the eyes of the whole auditorium were continuously upon your colorful personality. Es- peclally if you are a woman, you will be sure of it You wlll fix your hair, and sit just 80-50, in order that the dress may hang just right. Your laugh will be somewhat different from the one you use at home, and, all unconsciously. you will use the broad “a” in your conversation The funny part of it, if you could know the truth, is that not a person in the audience is looking at you after the first three minutes. Not a soul sces you as an individual. You are merged into the background, and into the group known as “the box.” The box, to the audience, is a bulge in the side of the theater accommo- dating several men and women, in assorted evening clothes. Your pre- cious self, to old man Jones down there in the first row, is known sim- ply as “that woman with the red halr. Such is life! oy There is, then, no real need for re- garding onw's self as a shining mark under u perpetual spotlight. The late mily Dickinson has a little poem, of the kind she was expert in con- structing, in which brought out this point She said how it must be, to be a public who, like a frog, never could get away from'the admiring bog. The very vast majority in this world readily fall classification given by Tngersoll, when he sald he would rather be a poor | peasant, happy beside his humble cottage, than be that imperial imper- sonage of murder, Napoleon. Most of us, either by fate or lack of ablility or fortune, are forced into the happy position of the peasant at his doorsill, with hix good wife and smiling children by his side. Yet what do we do—whadda we do? We make an imaginary public for ourselves. We conjure every person Wo meet as Interested in us. We | wave our magic wand of unhealthy conceit, and straightway every one realizes we are in the offing. Aboard the strest car, if two voung girls happen to laugh, while looking In our direction, they are laughing at us: Straighy feel uncomfort ble. mentally curse the flappers, won- der what on earth attire, or what is our new shoes. We retaliate by fixing our pierc Kage upon the damsels’ shoes, pro- ceeding ake them uncomfortable in, turn Now the girls were a happening that miserable of people under the ay we the matter with to m talking about was nobody else's business—ospecially yours—and were laughing about it. They happened 10 be looking vour way, as they smiled, but, honest—you w far, far from their thoughts. Most of us would ge more out of life if we would assid vusly cultivate a certain indifference. We will be able to proceed upon our sterfous way more fortably if we. will stop ng everything that happens in relation to our seives. No, a resolve will do little zood. It is easy to resolve, but hard to re- | volve after the initial push is given. { Realization is what we need, continued | realization of the truth by means of | our trusty old brain | With realization, aided by | mination, comes freedom. s the end we w be able to our own those things which and leave the rest to fate. SPOTLIGHT a great deal deter. that ke as re ours, BY PAUL V. COLLINS. i is wrong with our | ing | | i | l H | ery ar. VITAL THEMES Gompers' Soul Goes Marching On BY WILLIAM ENGLISH W ALLING With the death of Samuel Gompers, its undisputed leader, the American labor movement and its policies will be seen as the spontaneous, natural and inevitable product of American conditions. Gompers' masterly leadership con- sisted precisely on recognizing all the facts. He did not dream of infect- ing any theory or dogma into the movement; he defended it vigorously and effectively from all doctrines, ex- cept those which have grown out of the experlence of the movement itself. Gompers led American labor where it wanted to go. He held It together, he strengthened and invigorated it. He made no attempt to lead it his way; his way was the direction the movement had taken from the outset. His sole creed was American labor, and American labor believed in him because he belleved in it. The best proof of Gompers' success and his most enduring monument will be the fact that the movement will go straight ahead on its present course without him. But that does not mean there will be no change in its tempo. It will positively not swerve to the right or the left. Every single one of Gompers' lieutenants, every single member of the executive council, is a guarantee of that. He rose to every great occaslon and ful- flled every one of his major duties to the utmost. But more or less in- capacitated sin the war, he was un- able to summon the new energles and time in his later years that would have been required to give full effect to the newer activities and policies of the federation—policies that called for new methods as well as new thought The federation’s much misunder- stood political tactics are not new, they are a natural development of 20 years of experience. Gompers ap- proved the political tactics of the fed- eration and helped to shape them to the last. WIith its new president, William Green, a tried and brilliant lealler, whose future promises to equal that of Gompers himself, and 'the other new men now in charge of the federation, new methods and machin- a certainty—and with them a new efficiency with regard to every one of its new policies. Of these T mention the increase of political ac- tivity, because it is one of the most momentous, and because it most in- terests the general public—and not hecause the federation is likely to be- come a mere political body or to launch a new party. ody who at- tended the recent convention at El Paso could fail to see that the fed- eration was never farther from that. The federation Is certainly not on the point of launching a British Labor party in this country But it may well be on the point of devising tac- and machinery that will make its nt non-partisan (or rather bi- partisan) tactics more effective than the British Labor party has ever been or can £00n hope to be. Those tactles are new to America and new to the world, and if success- ful would lead to the greatest of all democrat experiments. For would pave the way to the control of all political parties not by organized labor, but by great non-partisan or- ganizations, of which the labor move- ment is but a type. And they would lead the country at least in the di- rection of economic democracy. This was the ultimate goal of Samuel Gom- pers, and it will remain the goal of the new leaders of the American labor movement. S L (Copyright. 10248 ———————— A Cause of Fires To the Editor of The Star: At this season of the year, when o many fires oceur in residences, a warning as to the danger of loose celling or wall paper as a source of danger may not be out of place. On Christmas night in my house, while the wife and myself were read- ing, our attention was arrested by a slight rustling noise in the hallway and wondering what it could be, got up and looked around and found to our surprise that a long strip of they | | Sea {became ANSWER TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. Are there any beautiful exam- | ples of paintings of the Madonna In public collections in Washington?— | L 5 % A A. In the National Gallery of Art you will find “The Marriage of St Catherine of Alexandria,” by Giacomo Francla; “Madonna and Child,” by Govaert Flink; “The Virgin and Child,” by Buvard Van Orley; and others. Q. Is Washington north or south of the Mason and Dixon line—F. A. T. A. The City of Waehington lies a little to the south of it. Washington is in latitude 38° 053', while the Mason-Dixon line is in latitude 39° 437 26”7, Q. How much higher is the land around the Chevy Chase Club than that at Fourteenth and Pennsylvania avenue?—E. T. B. A. The Chevy Chase Club is about 360 feet above sea level and Four- teenth and Pennsylvania avenue is about 20 feet above sea level, making a difference of about 340 feet, Q. In what year was the first school opened in New York City?— W. Y. W. A. In New Amsterdam (now called New York) the first school was start- ed in 1633. Q. What were the gate roceipts in the last world serfes?—J. W. M. A. They amounted to $1,093,104, Q. Wil timbas dapay 124t fs kept] any of the several slow-moving &r- boreal adentate mamm.als of tropical forests of South and Central America, consisting of three-toed sloths, hav- ing three olaws on each front foot, and two-toed sloths, having the front feet two-clawed.. They vary in elze from that of a small bear to that of |a cat. They feed on the ledves.. buds | and young shoots of trees, among the branches of which they ‘live. rarely descending to the ground. They do not walk upon the branches, but cling beneath them with back down- ward, progressing with agility. They are chiefly nocturnal, resting sleepily during the day, from which fact and from a misunderstanding of their habits, the misnomer of “sloth” arose. Q. How does the mass of the ear compare with that of Jupiter and Saturn 7—F. B A. If a bronze cent were to repre- sent the mass of the earth, Saturn could be 11 silver dollars, Jupiter silver dollars and the sun 750 ti the mass of all the planets and t| satellites together. Q. What is monopole oil used for? —J. A. H A. It is used to remove the called gum from silk fiber. It mak the fiber soft and leaves a s | erackle. When re the dark Q F. A. The term is rather indefinite we: age G. submerged in water?—W. V. A, The Forest Products Labora- tory says that if the wood is com- pletaly submerged in water and kept s0 at all times it will not decay. Even species of low durability will resist decay forever under such conditions In salt water, of course, the timber will be destroved by ocertain animals, which riddle it with holes, but it is presumed your question re fors to decay omly and to fresh water. Wood which is partly in the water and partly out or wood which is wet part of the time and dry part of the time will decay just like wood set in contact with the ground. Q. Why was the salary of the Presi- dent first fixed at $25,0007—A. B. A. A. George Washington, the first President, refused a salary, saying that he would accept expenses only. | President Washington kept a minute account the first year and found that he had spent 5000 English pounds, about $25,000. For this reason the salary of the President was fixed at 25,000 Q. Does the law of the United States permit a surgeon to attend his own family?—S. A. A. There is no law States which prohibits from attending members of their family. This is entirely a personal matter, but as a rule physicians and surgeons agree that it is best for persons outside of the family to treat their relatives. This is usually vised because of the fact that phy cians in a family are apt to be more lenfent with their relatives than an outsider would be Q. When was that branch of Army aviation known as the flying c: started —M. F. S. A. The grade of fiying cadets was established by a law of Congress in 1919. There are two cia held yearly in in Mafch and one in Sept is one class held vear lighter-than-air type. Q. Who discovered —B. F. G. A. The Sargasso Sea was discov, by Columbus on his fifst veyage. He involved in it fer about : fortnight. The sea is so-named be- cauge of the large amount of sea weed particularly in the form of gassum bac-ciferum which it tains. * in the United medical men the BSargasso ered Sar- Q. What R. L. A. “Sloth” is the term applied to is a “two-toed sioth?'— Uniting on the marine | ad- | the heavier-than-air type, | The beginning of the perlod is ger erally understood to have been the fifth century at the time of the fall of Rome apply the term 1o the four centuries following, while | others make synonymous | with the midd which ended | at about the ti bus d covered Amer ° r 1 Q. Where did the waltz originate? —H. D. A. The but was waltz is of French origin, adopted and modified in | Germany hat it is usually identi- |fied with that country. It becanm popular on the continent early in the nineteenth and was intro- duced into England in 1812 Q. What, is a man called who studies crop production?—B. C. A. All farmers study crop pro n, but who specializes gricultur t deals agronomis century, | t i th | with production is ca n th branch and of cr lise |airz—a {0ee am lation ¢ | wings has been unalyzed to degree by an ultra-rapid vented by C. | Wash AT the 3 of | His { back |over the forwa meet unde | The Rosetta whi lyphi | the excavat opened hat n X R man akes a b t birde certain ngton has showr x geon's that to de trated tures stroke, > head, a o wher propels the when ing —F. R. F. hanical contri of improving Dr. Yeardsl ng The first the ng was don in me purpos. ade ’ h format o1 The Star I ic J. Haski and € at th of e 2 | Traffic Problem is service exce should be osed for a dir {never been examined. Many of these | {are juniors, unqualified in law, but | still running machines through the Samuel Gompers. Everybody knows that the adage A pint's a pound The world around every metric actions other sy 1. Laying the Foundation. By ERNEST GREENWOOD, celling paper had become loose and | wus hanging down over the lighted gas fixture. contribution by the United States which should not be lost to the Cap- country where the “m I8, in business trans- cither obligatory or permis- ital because Congress has delayed un tl 1 to make the actual appropria- tion. The law of makes §0-40 the substitution for 30-50. but allows exceptions in re- spec in order that ther appropria- tion last sesslon the trict appro- for that par- particalar xceptions should and taat for the fiscal vear practically all the items of the vill he appropriated on other than 60-40, There vugit terness in th the questin of cific exc to the 60-40 permanent raq The House committee will malke its recommendations on the sub; the House will act. If the bill goes to the Senate with provision of 60-40 contribution the Senate will, it is assumed, as a matter of course, sub. stitute the 60-40 provision of payment for the lump-sum payment, and the conference committee will in the end 2 thus permanent ratio in to specific items Distr at sight be a law enacted the conferees 1 bill agreed that act and that the permissibl come the rulc rear shovld basis o e no frictic Lit- H pitons to 1 ct, and na Ly the yielding of cne side or by com- | promise determine the form of pro- vision to prevail during the next fiscal Year. We urge that the compromise law of 1922 be given a reasonable chance to justify itself by its fruits by undis turbed opportunity to operate at le: for the five ys contemplated by the statute. Whatever in the end may be deter- mined as to apportionment of costs by final conference, we urge that the Honse committee and the House ap- propriate with justice end wise 1ib- erality to satisfy the multitude of Dis- trict war-time neglected needs end to meet the current requirements of the wonderfully expanding Capital murici- pality. —— v In certain senatorial circles the Teapot Dome discussiori has come to be respected as a modern institution not lightly to "e dismissed. Railway Activities. Once the arbitrary and despotic dic- tators of legislation affecting them; and then in reaction the foot ball of dema- goglc legislators, national and State, the American railways have struggled through adverse conditions managing to survive, until with the return of safer legislation they have attained a position where they are now classed es standing on a par with, if they do not exceed, any other industry. This i the position ascribed to them in the report of the American Rallway Asso- siation, Bailresd operation reached Muscle Shoals, conactalag which a be- | some | | | st crowded streets. There are many drivers of cars who |in case of accident in which damage is done are utterly unable to meet the financal obligation of lability and | who have no insurance coverage to | protect their victims from loss. | Al these factors make for danger |in the streets, incompetence, irre- | “ponsibility, lack of effective police supervision, due to inadequacy of force; the ineffectiveness of the court procesdes, due to the forfeiture of col- lateral and the long delays that are caused by crowded calendars and lack of juries. This is the condition which it is hoped Congress will cure by promptly {enzcted legislation designed to make Waushingten safe. — e Ieference to the cholce of “French oil as a battlefleld” by the present government at Paris recalls the fact that the emergency was 8o acute that no deliberate selection of a battlefield was possible in the effort to adjust an ancient European grudge. ——————————— No inauguration can be rendered sufficiently quiet to prevent the Nation i from registering enthusiastic approval | of the manner in which things turned {out. . ———— ! The Task of Congress. It is within the power of Congress to complete, if it will, the work as- signed to the short session, which is resumed today after one of the brief- est holiday recesses on rocord. A good start was made on the appropriation bills before the holiday adjournment. Several of the measures were passed by the House, and Senate committee work was begun upon them. In the House committee other bills are ad- vanced to a stage of early completion. way to the north end of the Capitol. Under the House rules this business can be expedited. Under the Senate rules. however, legislation is effeoted at a short session virtually by unani- mous assent. It is possible for a de- termined filibuster to block the pas- sage of any of the important money bills, a single member possessing the power, if supported by a few co- operators, to prevent agreement upon voting dates. There are two questions which may block the passage of the appropriation bills, though one of them Is in the way of settlement in good season. One of these is the postal pay bill, which has been vetoed by the President, and a motion to pass which over the veto is pending. A date for that vote has been set. The other question relates In a few days they will be on their | SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. 0ld Dears. Of the Dear old Oaken Bucket People sang in days of yore. Then for ofl they drilled and struck i And the Bucket is no more. Dear Old Home among the roses! Later comes the Dear 01d Flat! Every passing year discloses Dear old This or Dear old That. Dear old Battleship alarming, Till your final splash you gave! Dear old Telegraph, so charming: Dear old Telephone so brave! Dear old Phonograph untiring’ Maybe in a year or so We will speak in terms admiring Of the Dear cid Radio. Where Conscience Halts. “Do you always vote the way you conscientiously think?"” “Not always,” enswered Senator Sorghum. “I khow, as evervbody else does, that I deserve better compensa- tion. But I wouldn’'t have the nerve to vote for an increase of my own salary.” ‘Wanted—A Sense of Humor. At thought of war the nations pause— ‘War is a state delirious That's rendered possible because Folks take themselves too serious. Jud Tunkins says he never yet saw a man who was doing things nearly as self-opinionated as folks who was uundertakin® to tell him how. Acute Intellectnalism. Everybody thinks a thought, Doin’ of his level best; Thinkin’ his own think is fraught _With more meanin’ than the rest. Trade Diplomacies. “I understand that Snake Ridge claims to have the only moonshine still in the State.” “It’s a bluff,” answered Cactus Joe. “Them Snake Ridgers is always per- tendin’ to have a monopoly of one thing or another.” Self-Assertions. ‘The man of millions sits apart _ And thinks of human mind and heart ‘While gravely seéking to improve Conditions under which we move. ‘The Underling of manner proud Grows haughty toward the general crowd And ventures in superior tone To sass us on the telephone. “Don't ask advice,” said Uncle Eben, “unless you has made up yoh mind and feels free to enjoy a little con- versations” PRy B was the accepted standard of meas- urement in the kitchens of our | ggandmothers, but, as in the case of {many another bit of knowledge— such as William Tell's little apple nd George Washington's cherry tree {and hatchet—modern research like that of the Bureau of Standards is seeking to demonstrate that [t is not ultra-scientific and is therefore un- reliable. . Whatever a pint may have been be- fore the Volsteed law, or anterior to the organization of the “All-America Standards Council In Advocacy of Tniform Commodity Standards for All the Americas” it is alleged to be no longer accurate enough for this scientific age of precision. How, Indeed, could any old-time method of measurement be adapted to computations even of the linear dimension of the name of the afore- said organization, not to mention its avoirdupois? Surely only the more modern unit, based upon the exact length of the meridian from the Equator to the North Pole—the me- tric system—could suffice; and not common fractions, but the more eru- 1ite decimals, must be used to punctu- ate a title requiring so many lines to record. It {s lucky to get off with- out triangulation. S This ponderously named council of “All-America” is holding a meeting in Washington today and tomorrow, with the confessed purpose of prov- ing the mallgnant complications in the relation of a pint and a pound and demonstrating that the “poem” no longer should be hidden or cam- ouflaged In old English, read in as refreshing modernity, as a futurist canvas: The world around The gram and meter Are all that's sound To make weights teeter. A listoger-in at the debates now in progress in the Pan-American Bulld- ing may get the impression that, at least in the cubic dimensions of the arguments, there are six or seven sides, depending, of course, on where the decimal rests—i. e., on whose logic is to be decimated. * ok ok * The metric system may be traced back to the French Revolution of 1793, which abolished religion in or- der to broaden the fleld of expression It replaced the “systeme usuelle” at the same time that the Age of Reason superseded religion. In this metric system everything was to be divided by 10—a year was to have 10 months, a week 10 days, a day 10 hours. All quantities and weights were to be composed of units of tens. The new system was enforced by law from 1793 to 1812, when Napoleon abolish- ed it as a failure after its 19 years of trial. He found that it only compli- cated matters with a double standard, since in common practice it was ig- nored for the familiar measures. In 1837 the metric system was again made legally compuisory in France, and it has so remained ever since— except in common practicg, In Sclence for August 5, 1904, is the following admlission by one of the advocates of the theory of the metric system, Prof. J. Le Conte Stevens: “A century has not been sufficient to cause the abolition of old names and units among the common people of France, whether In city or coun- try, resort to them being usual wh no penalty is involved. The same is in Germeny and Switserland. but should | sive similation w tions, * ¢ » * * Reasonably complete as- Advocates of the met- T ¢ aystem deceive themselves if they think that new standards can be established among the masses by statute or otherwise within a few years, * * The first result will not the abolition of confusion. but the increase of confusion.” ¥ * % % In a letter in 1905, of Commerce of Amie minister of commerce, industry and la. bor, this expression was given: “The chamber considers that in view of the customs adopted by certain trad. ers it scems difficult to arrive at a com. plete suppression of the actual condi- tions; that, moreover, such a radical and immediate suppression would cause pro- found disturbance in many indust Yet that protest was written 112 after the introduction of the metric system, and after 70 years of the 1837 second law of compulsion In its use. * % from the Chamber ne, France, to the * In the bulletin announcing the meet- ing the All-American Standard cites a speech by Secretary of Commerce Hoover advocating standardization : In order that international good will may be maintained and the interests of the individual and the public safeguard- ed, 1t s necessary to establish standards of quality and quantity in such® com- moditles “as enter into international trade.” i Opponents of the change to the metric | system retort by quoting Moses, who sald on Sinai: “Ye shall do no unrighteousness in | judgment, in mete-yard, in weight or in | measure. Just balances, just weights, Just ephah and a just hin shall ye have." But, say the opponents, neither quota- { tion is an argument calling for adoption | of 80 complicated double standard as the | metric system alongside of the * vateme jusuelle,” in the countries—th United States and Great Britain with all the British possessions—which produce more than three-quarters of all the products of skilled labor that are produced in the world. *x ok ok & The advocates of the decimal sys- tem argue that the metric system is in use in all countries other than the British and American and that our “English” system (derived from the anclent Romans) is not under- stood in Latin countries, hence that we lose trade because we do not talk the language of their weights and measures. Investigating this, the American Institute of Weights and Measures in 1920 sent a ques- tionpaire to all the 6,000 members of the American Manufacturers' Ex- port Association and received replies showing that they found no more necessity of' adopting the metric system "for the exports to Latin America than for teaching their lai guage to the workers in their shops. On the bulletin, the all-American Standard, there fis a Dportrait of Henry Ford among those of advo- cates of the proposed change, but in answer to the questionnaire the Ford Company replies: “Our cars for export trade are al- ways equipped with American-size tires—not metric size.” Similar reports came from 8 or 10 other leading makers of automobiles, as well as from the others of the 1,445 exporters of all kinds of goods, In none of the Latin American coun- tries, 1t Is clal the metric ill take several genera- | i | i and 'aystem besd put h:m!wm. 1t would have caught fire in a short time and undoubtedly hate caused a serious fire on the staircase leading to the bedrooms, where three chll- dren were sound aslesp after the pleasures of Christmas day. We feel thankful that we had post- poned an intended evening visit to a near neighbor. H. Y. DAWKINS. Sees Conversation Lacking in Polish And Urges Reform A discriminating use of words in our conversation is not generally considered a national trait of Amert- cans. Slang and profanity in all too frequent practice have made us tar- gets for criticism not only among ourselves, but In quips and retorts of our neighbor nations. We are not to be criticized too sharply for that, however, but more or less distin- guished or conspicuous Americans have at times afforded us some em- barrassment because of a loose tendency in colloguial and even pub- lic talks. A certain popular and sensational evangelist thrived on speech punctured with epithets and coarse slang. Carelessness in public speech, as well as private conversa- tion, has developed a shiftlessness in the use of English. And when words do not come quickly there grows the use of stale slang and expressions Loth coarse and iname. The slang habit is doubtless due to the paucity | of words; perhaps we would not cuss at all if we had on tap clean-cut, effective language out of the vast reservoir of correct words of the American dictionary. Now comes the cross-word puzzle, its popularity extending over the continent, a contagion that touches the home, the community and the country, a rivalry for correct words that wellnigh parallels the interest in the world series of base ball. It is a good epidemic, a game that is well worth the candle, and the virus seems working true to form wherever planted. The search for the right word becomes a merry chase and carefully chosen language is the im- perative rule of the sport. We can see the prospective benefit to the American people and can even hope for some pride In the correct use of our national vocabulary. Let the @ame go on, with all the encourage- ment that scholars as well as the Zame-loving public can give it. We have not words to express our ap- preciation of the man who made the right use of language a fascinating sport which has now taken the stage ‘n these United States.— Omaha Werl1-Herald. —_————————————— consumer, even where it is used by the wholesaler. * ok ok % In illustrating the limitations of the “ratio of 10" it is pointed out that when Dr. George F. Kunts, the president of the Metric Assoclation and recognized as the greatest ex- pert in precious stones in the world, reformed the karat, he could not stick to the sacred “ratlo of 10" but made a karat consist of 200 grains— a ratio of 10x10x2—impossible to di- vide with a decimal. If this ace of diamonds fll‘: it impossible, what of the farmes {Copyright, 2924, by Paul V. Collisa) | 1 | Secretary National Conference Pwenty-two thousand six hun men, women and children killed. Six hundred and seventy-eight t sand men, women and children seriousl injured. Seven million dollars property damage accidents. Six million dollars economic loss. This is the picture for the year of our Lord 1923 held up by the commit- tee on statistics to the National Con- ference on Street and Highway Safety called by Secretary of Commerce Her- bert Hoover, and which met in Wash- ington for the purpose of constructing a national accident prevention platform Nearly three-quarters of a million fatalities and serious personal injury accidents and a property damage ac- cident on our streets and hig for every two of the 15,000,000 ¢ daily use—not during the last years—but every year rs in ten Increase of S0 Per Cent. Traflic fatalities have increased S0 per cent during the last six years, and at least 85 per cent of them are due directly to the motor vehicle, Nor is this the whole of the dismal and appalling story. At the present rate of increase in the production of m tor vehicles and in deaths and serious injury accidents, we can expect an a nual toll of 50,000 fatalities by 1935, 1f something Is not done about it and that somathing soon This is why the Secretary of Com- merce created the Conference on Street and Highway Safety, consist- ing of police officials, highway and motor hicle administrators, Ameri- can business, industry and labor, au- tomobile manufacturers, the organized motorists, insurance companies and policy holders, the railroads-and the street railways, women's org2niza- tions and welfare and safety rssocia- tions, together with various other na- tional groups. Its purpose is the do termilnation of the essential facts in order that better organization and the better co-ordination of activities for the reduction of the accident rate might be effected. For eight months prior to the conference eight widely representative committees, appointed by the Secretary for the purpose, en- vaged in a nation-wide survey of the facts of current practice and the most succeseful methods of reducing accidents. Eight Committees Report. The reports of these eight commit- tees were given widespread publicity for weeks before the conference. Newspapers all over the country com- mented on them at length, both in their news columns and editorially and they require no further exposi- tion here. It is sufficient to say, per- haps, that they contained ampie rec- ommeffdations with regard to the fun. damental principles involved in a n. tional accident prevention program on which the conference itself might reach essential agreement, and that is exactly what the conference did. But the conference did more than this. It decided that it did not pro- pose {o.be an end unto itsclf, adopt- ing a string of well pwrased resolu- tions to be forgotten almost before the delegates had their bags packed for the homeward journey. It de- cided this couference should write . the {ntroduction to the on Street and Highway Safety. the menace National €. Highwa e and on ctices unt ar ural road in the Unit end a perm tee, with He | Hoover as was vided which, assisted by a staff headquarters in the Department Commerce, will continue the work of | studying the varlous phases of { problem, beginning now the prepar tion for the ference next Dec ber. «irman | Program for Action. T ttees over 160 conely rousgh ymmended by program sions eight volving grouped They are and publication other informat tent and ch highway acctdents. 2. Definite fixing of responsibil | for needed action by various elements of Government and other social units 3. Legislation, regulation and mea ures for the enforcement thereof. 4. Nation-wide uniformity of prac tices 5. Technical research and develo ment of improved methods. | More adequate provisions | funds for facilities, enforc | Education and other i | to secure voluntary co-operation of concerned in the traffic problera. | ill further reducing these grouj | ings to the ultimate fundamental we find at the very foundation of tr whole platform: Tniformity, educa- tion and enforcem t. Uniform laws uniform practic ducation of all the people, drast’ enalties for the breach and adequ nforcement ma- | chinery | The conference evidently appreciated that no group of men, even though it may number into the hundreds.and be drawn from every section of the United States, can sit down and draw up & set of hard, fast and detailed rules ané regulations applicable everywhere with- out regard to local conditions. As a matter of fact, a reduction of the accident rate depends entirely upon | the local community, and without proper education and organization of all of the | people of that community any program no matter how earefully and expertly may be designed, is bound to fail. The committee on public relations, however, stated emphatically that the brunt of the responsibility for street and high- way safety rests, and must continue to rest, upon the public officials—Federal, State and local. “Each group,” said the committee report, “is charged with its own particular responsibili The Nation has been provided with the groundwork of a definite street and highway policy. The foundation for a platform of safety. ident prevention and uniform practice has been laid. The big work, howeve in the future, and this is the work of proving, iir that this program will reduce the acc: dent Fate -and, sécond, of educating the puhll‘ to a_point where it is understood that §ts adoption means the saving of just do many lives, just so much suffer- ing fnd just so many dollare. (Copright, 1024 r emblir statistical arding the of street |