Evening Star Newspaper, January 3, 1925, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY.....January 3, 1825 . .Editor THEODORE W. NOYES. . The Evening Star Newspaper Company Busizess Office, 11th St. and Penusylvania Ave. ew York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Officc: Tower Bullding. European Office : 16 Regent St., London, England. The Evening Star, with the Sundsy morning edition, in delivered by carriers within the ¢ity at €0 cents per month: dally only, 45 Cents, Per, month: Sunday only, ‘20 cents per month. Orders may he sent by mail o tele- Plione Main 5000. Collection is made by car- Flers at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday. . Daily only. P Sunday only. 8 All Other States. Daily and Sunday.1 yr., $10.00; Daily on $7.00; 1 mo., 80c y. Sunday only. 1yr, $3.00;1mo, 25¢ Member of the Associated Press, The Associated Press Iy exclusively entitled | o the ‘use for republication of all news dis- | patehes credited to it or not otherwise credited n ths paper and also the local news pub: lshed “herein. All rights of publication of spec dispatches herein are also reserved. Wanted: A Peace of Justice. A fervent new year's hope of the Capital community is that the Presi- dent and Congress will put an end, by & peace of justice, to the six-years war of retaliation between a group of landlords and a group of tenants which has raged to the injury of the reputation and vital interests of Wash- ington. Congress is assembling while the Christmas spirit of peace and good will still permeates the atmosphere. In the spirit of the season, the land- Jords and tenants of the District should be brought together to ne- gotlate quickly a peace without vic- tory, a peace of justice, of honor and of public spirit, a peace that will pro- tect and promote Washington's wel- fare. The influx of more than 100,000 war workers into Washington without Bovernmental preparation for their reception upset the local housing market. The demand for comfortable housing far exceeded the supply. A competition resulted. Prices shot up, and some landlords took advantage of the opportunity to profiteer. In some cases they doubled or tripled the normal rental, to the injury of the underpaid Government employes of small means who could not meet the extortion. Thus war-time congestion of people In Washington gave landlords and Sublessors for a time the whiphand in dealing with tenants. The Sauls bury law and its successors in rentals | regulation transferred the whip to| the hands of tenants. Some landlords and more sub-| lessors used the whip despotically and unjustly when they had the opportu- nity. Some tenants used the ‘whip despotically and unjustly against land- | lords and sublessors when the Sauls- | bury law and its successors gave them their opportunity. Whenever one of the temporary rental-regulation laws was about to terminate some of the landlords have threatened reprisals upon objection- able tenants when the protection of the law was no longer enjoyed. And Congress has on each occasion re- sponded to this threat by re-enacting for an additional period the war- emergency rent law. ‘Washington has suffered and suf- fers at every stage of this war of retaliation and threatened reprisals. It suffered from the original and in- cidental profiteering and unjust deal- ing, whether by landlord or tenant. ‘Washingtonians, in the mass, have been profiteered upon by an insig- nificant percentage of profiteers. And finally Washington suffers in good repute in the Nation's respect and friendly consideration, being pilloried as responsible, collectively, for the very profiteering from which it is the main sufferer. Thus the Capital community, as a whole, suffers from any excessive rentals; suffers from the injustices of rental laws which violate the spirit of the Constitution and which are de- fensible only as meeting a war-time emergency, and, finally, suffers with disastrous results in the good opinion of the Nation, as represented in Con- gress, being unjustly held responsible for the profiteering which it is com- pelled to endure. Landlords and tenants should both be driven toward negotiation of a peace of justice, through reciprocal concessions and small sacrifices, not merely by selfish consideration of their own permanent interest, but by anxious public rited concern for the welfare of Washington. The pentling bill furnishes no equi- table and effective solution of the dif- ficulty At a time when more house: for rent are needed it discourages every owner of rental property from venting. It continues into peace time, deprived of the justification of war necessity and war-time emer- gency, legislation of dubious constitu- tionality. By its new drastic, despotic and elurring features it intensifies bit- ter resentments and passionate im- pulses to retaliate if the law should bo declared unconstitutional. It carries on the war of retaliation, instead of ending it. If the new law is declared consti- tutional, Washington suffers vitally also in that event, for another element of debasement will be thereby at- tached to the status of the Washing- tonian. The Supreme Court has de- clared that he is less than an alien in his lack of access to the United States courts. The American princi- ple, “No tazation without representa- tion,” does wot apply to him. Now it is suggested that a mere juggling of words into a certain formula in a statute can deprive him of such con- atitutional rights and safeguards as the guarantee that his property shall not be taken from him without just compensation and without due process of law; and the seat of National Gov- ernment is also branded with the stigma of being the only spot in the is sec may break faith with Impunity and where the obligation of contracts may be impaired. The hope of Washington is that for the future peace.time neither the ten- ant nor the landlord shall be at the mercy of the other, but that even- handed justice and absolute fair deal- ing bétween them shall be assured, re- storing the conditions of a past peace time when men were expected neither to extort nos to break their word of contract once given. Some men are accused today of ‘criminality in pyramiding trusts, and some men are accused of extortion of excessive rents. Cannot any who are gullty be singled out, convicted and punished without punishing the multi- tude who are guiltless? Cannot future threatened extortion be prevented by some equitable rentals-fixing legis- lation which shall be fair to both parties in interest and to the whole community as well and which shall not slur all the owners of rented and rentable property in the District as imbeciles of criminal tendency, unfit to handle their own property and un- worthy of the protection of the con- stitutional safeguards which are the inalienable heritage of other Ameri- cans? Slow Snow Removal. That Washington s ill-prepared to cope with snow in the maintenance of traffic ways has been proved by this present visitation, with a fall of about 8 inches in the course of about 36 hours. The first snow came New Year eve, and nothing was done municipally to clear it away. It was packed by the traffic during New Year day, and Thursday night, more snow falling, the street car tracks were choked. As the street ways were not clear the vehicular traffic was forced into the middle of the street on the car tracks, and as the sidewalks were not cleaned off, save in a few cases, the pedestrian traffic was forced also into midstreet. As a result of all this concentration, with the street railway sweepers tardlly getting at work effectively, the snow was packed hard in the middle of the streets and riven into deep ruts, veritably of ice. Had it been possible to work at the streets immediately aft- er the beginning of the snowfall with large scrapers, followed by a fleet of trucks for the removal of the snow, this condition would not have resulted. To maintain an equipment of plows and trucks, and to organize an emer- gency force of snow removers equal to make headway against a heavy fall of snow, would cost a very large sum. Congress has not granted such a sum to the District. In fact, the organiza- tion is not sufficlent. This has been the condition for many years. Appeals { have been made for a larger snow- removing fund, but without avail. It may be that, owing to the coincidence of the snowstorm on a holiday, there was not sufficient speed in preparation and action on the part of the District authorities. Wherever lies the fault, the fact re- mains that the streets of Washington | are at present in an atrocious condi- tion, dangerous to all users. The deep ruts at crossings where the lines of travel intersect menace the springs and axles of motor cars and even the | physical safety of their occupants. Traffic is slowed to the point where congestion is greatly increased at the rush hours. Even with the most care- ful driving accidents occur, for cars cannot be gaided. Wherever sidewalks have been cleared completely, and the snow is piled in the gutters, mounds and ridges are formed which prevent the close approach of vehicles to the curbs. This narrows the travel way danger- ously. No matter what it costs, there should be en immediate organization of appliances and men sufficient to clear the main-traveled streets of the city whenever the snow falls. By at- tacking this job at once upon the first indication of a storm the heavy ac- cumulation which later requires such hard labor for removal would be pre- vented. [ — The simplicity of his inauguration shows a thorough willingness on the part of Gov. Al Smith to indorse some of the consplcuous policies of the pres- ent national administration. e Possibilities of a “trade war” are | not so serfous, after all, as the pos- sibilities of surreptitious laboratory preparations for a renewal of more primitive forms of fight. e Very few statesmen now wear whiskers, The impressiveness of a man’s appearance no longer counts for as much as the way he sounds over the radio. —————————— A blizzard now and then in inaugu- ration year provides a little proper re- hearsal for the street cleaners for the Fourth of March. e A Record Bank Clearing. Yesterday, the first business day of the new year, the New York clearing house handled a record volume of bank clearings, with a total of $1,635, 000,000. This was $50,000,000 higher than the previous record set on the 15th of December. It came within $207,062,000 of equaling the total value of all paper currency in circulation in the United States. The nearest ap- proach to the New York record has been scored in London, where seven times during the past year the total clearings reached about $1,000,000,000. A bank clearance of $1,655,000,000 in"one day is a symptom of tremen- dously active markets, During the past two months the Stock Exchange in New York has been the scene of record-breaking activity in the buying| and selling of securities, with a steady upward movement in prices. These sales of stock have been largely upon a credit basis, that is to say, with new notes in security for loans replacing old ones. Of actual cash there has been, of course, nothing like the total of the stock value volume. Yat there has been a steadfast turning out of currency to keep pace with the ad- vances in values. No clearer indication of the fact that this immense volume of stock trading has been on a credit basis is necessary United States where there is no sanc- than the fact that yesterday's U 10 certaln contracts, Where & los- | digarences in New York alone amount- | publicans ed to within a little over $207,000,000 of the total issue of paper currency in circulation in this country. In other cities clearances were high, New York, of course, leading the others because the heaviest volume of trading centers theré. A system which permits such volu- minous and Intensive transactions amounting to billions of dollars in the country in a single day without the use of much actual currency is highly complex, and requires the mokt skill- ful management to prevent disorgani- zation. Financial panics result from derangements of the system, If con- fidence is shaken the credit system is disorganized. Currency is demanded. Contraction results. Demands are made for “hard cash.” Checks are questioned, perhaps rejected. Runs begin on the banks. Under the Federal Reserve system protection is given to the countr against simultaneous contraction. Banks support one another and are supported by the reserve organization. A condition of universal contraction is practically impossible short of some overwhelming disaster. The opening of business for 1925 with a record volume of bank clear- ances in New York is a good augury tor continued and even increasing business activity, of which a rising Stock Exchange is an indication. The forecasts for a prosperous new year made as 1924 waned appear to be in the way of verification. The New York Legislature. Politics will be enlivened in the next few months Ly a series of skirmishes between Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York and the VLeglslature, which is hostile to him. Thers will be no rea- son for any one to become seriously perturbed, for it will all be political horseplay, and the skirmishes will likely end in & “draw.” The prospect holds no promise of any constructive work by the Legislature. Upon his inauguration New Year day for the third time, Gov. Smith, facing the fact that he was confronted by a Legislature which is Republican in both branches, made a plea for abatement of partisanship in the con- sideration of numerous measures of State legislation to be presented, and for harmonious @ction between the two parties for the good of the public. It was the politically wise thing to do, and about the only proposal he could make in the circumstances. On the face of things it would seem that re- sistance to his program by the Repub- licans will place them in the seeming attitude of trying to “hamstring” the governor for partisan effect. It falls out that such is their pro- gram. On the day the words were ut- tered the Republican leaders went into conference to map out plans to resist | the governor's measures and to sub- stitute legislation along lines of their own. The governor may propose, but it is theirs to dispose. The result is expected to be a dead- lock on legislation, for while the Re- have a majority in the Legislature they have not the strength to pass a bill over his veto. That fact will also serve to protect the governor against “ripper” legislation which the Republicans would like to pass to de- prive him of some of the patronage he Drinking was a less consplcuous feature of holiday dining than ever before. When @ merrymaking host has paid the cover charges he is quite likely to feel inclined to economize on the still more expensive incidents of the occasion. There is also the fact to besconsidered that the great Ameri- can digestion has been submitted to a long series of ordeals. The law of the survival of the fittest works out in many ways. The blizzard may have helped to give delinquents in the matter of license tags a little respite. It was no kind of weather for'a motor cop who cares anything for his health to be out in. — 0 nation has suggested a willing- ness to go on with the manufacture of airplanes with a view to turning them | over to Uncle S8am for credit on ac- count, ———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNBON, As the Year Grows Old. “Happy New Year” was the call Such a little while ago! Now the cheer grows rather small As the wintry breezes blow. Merry moods that all admire Swiftly vanish from our view As we shiver and inquire, ““What is Congress going to do?” Oratory. “Would you advise a young man to study Cicero's orations?"” “Not too much,” answered Senator Sorghum. “Cicero was all right for his own crowd, but he wouldn't get anywhere with @ radio audlence.” Late Hours. “Early to bed and early to ris Seems on the face of it all fair enough. But midnight we learn from the radio wise Is the time to reach out for the long-distance stuff. | Jud Tunkins says in spite of all the | marvels of science there are moments when a snow shovel seems the great- est invention on earth, Mysteries of Humor. The comic picture that we view With a hilarious eye, If it in life were to come true ‘Would surely make us cry. Art in the Rough. “Is Mesa Bill & success as a movie actor?” “Wonderful,” replied Cactus Joe. The only thing that keeps most of us hangin’ ‘round the Gulch is the hope that the studio director will be around lookin’ for more talent.” “When a man undertakes to live wifout work,” said Uncle Eben, “he’s liable to find hisself workin' hardor dap ever tyin’ to pay de | |that when a fellow mortal BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Be friendly. This is one of life's very hard lessons, it one may judge from the lack of friendliness to be encounter- ed on the streets, in offices, in stores and various establishments, in faot almost anywhere that mankind con- Eregate A friend tells me that he has been banking at a local institution for 11 years, and that no one in the Bank greets him with a smile yet. At the end of 10 years he went to open a speclal account, and asked the vice president for advice. This was given, but so frostily that the man felt llke withdrawing all his money from the Instituton. “Now I am not a striking man In appearance, of course,” the man eald, “but yoy would think that after 11 years some one would know me."” Well, you would, now, wouldn't you? This Instance shows very well what I mean when declaring that being triendly ms to be one of life's hardest ns for a great many people. Undoubtedly the National Capltal is like most great citlas in this respect There {s something about the num- ber of persons in a big metropolis that puts a damper on the spirit of friendliness to be encountered as a matter of coyrse in smaller cities. One ghould not éxpect to meet here the same comradeship to be found on Main street “back home.” And yét he has a right to look for the simple courtesies of everyday life which help to make everyday living pleasant. * k¥ % ‘There are far too many boobs in this town who m to have been brought up In & stable back home. You pass the time of day with one of these lunkheads, and nine timeés out of ten passes hé greets you with a stony stare, as if he were some falr maiden fresh from the farm, who was looking for a bad, bold man to insult her. Only recently I was standing on a windy corner waiting for a street car. Minute after minute went by. The corner got colder and colder. After a while a very nice-appearing young fellow came along. Now, I would speak to a hog, my- self, without feeling the need for any introduction, it 1 felt like ft, and there seemed & mutual tople of con- versation. S0 1 turned to this fellow, who was waiting for a car, too, and made the following remark, entirely harmlesy: “Cold morning, Isn't it Do you imagine for a minute that my fellow companion of the corner smiled pleasantly and replied in kind, something to the effect that {t cer- tainly was a cold morning, inde: Not on your life—he merely con- tinued his contemplation of the op- posite corner, not by so much as a wink of an eyelid denoting that he had heard my crass remark about the weather. May be he was deaf, you say? Not on your life! He was just un- friendly, that was all. Somewhere in the inner complex of his soul was a nasty something which had colored his disposition a billous yellow, so greeted him civilly and withal courteously, he was unable to reply in kind, having nothing left wherewith to be eivil and courteous himsalf. These are not extreme cases. Talk the matter over with any friend, and between you there will be brought to light many similar cases. Here is another one I was told about since Christmas: A man buy- nig & house had to pay his monthly installment & day or so before De- cember 25. It was bright, cold weather, you remember, the kind to put snap Into the step and pep into one’s heart. The joyous Christmas season was at hand, too, that wonderful time when a man is happy, if ever. He was feeling rather jolly as he le: Diary of a Washington Correspond- ent: Attended this week most r markable trial I ever witnessed— man charged with crime of having been killed by an automoblle. His mangled body lay in a room above our heads. He was found guilty and sentenced to be buried for felonlous negligence In running Into a tourl car, Formal charge, 1 gathered, was obstruction of motor traflic in a pub- lic highway. Incidentally, witnesses swore accused into a drunkard's grave. They did not testify he was drunk when he committed his fatal interference with traffic. It was only brought out that his breath was al- coholic as he gasped his last on the operating table of a hospital. Also it appeared drink was his “falling. It had brought him into contact witn the police. Nor did a significant con- flict of testimony on the alcoholic question mitigate the impending ver- dict. Beardless interne, who ‘“han- dled the case,” swore the man smelled of whisky. Deputy coroner sald au- topsy revealed no evidence of alcohol. * k¥ ¥ My way to this amazing trial took me to the District of Columbla morgue, at “Seventh and the wharves, where the Norfolk boat docks. Of- cially, the trial was a coroner’s in- quest’ over America’s twenty-four thousand six hundred and seventy- ninth automobile fatality, or there- abouts, of the lately vanished year of grace, 1924. The defendant (that seemed to be his mute role in the proceedings) was white, aged 42, hus- band, father of two, and a blacksmith. ‘Was crossing a great suburban high- way leading out of Washington at 6:30 o'clock on a Sunday evening. Coroner’s jury found man had “step- ped in front of automobile so sud- denly that car driver was unable to prevent acoident.” Verdiet: Guilty of carelessness in the first degree. Death penalty had already been imposed. ik T attended that Inquest with a pur- pose. I was curious to see how some motorists, literally, get away with murder; to observe how thoroughly such tragedles, Which are today striking at the safety of the Nation in a very vital sense, are probed. I came away sad, horrifled, almost con- vinced these is one law for the quick and one for the dead. Plcture the scene. Coroner and his deputy on bench. Six average-looking men in jury box against wall. At @ table, two shorthand writers; representative of the district attorney; lawyer for automobile owner, who happened to be the diiver (the plaintiff in the ac- tion, as it appeared to me), natty fel- low, aged perhaps 27; at his elbow, evidently as comforter, man friend. Four or five rows of spectators. Dead man’s brother, a baldheaded working- man. Negroes, including women. Police Court hanger-on, regulation rough-and-ready types. Bootlegging murder case was next on docket. * % k % Coroner drones indictment (of the blacksmith), technically known as “statement of the facts.” Then calls motor-cycle policeman, who had not seen accldent; only hastened to hos- pital after precinct headquarters told him “man hurt.” Kpew nothing what- ever .of circumstances. Excused. Deputy coroner, very professional, re- ports result of autopsy. Grim de- tails of internal hemorrhage; com- pound fracture of ribs; protruding | bones. Excused. Boyish interne narrates vietim's delivery at hospital 1y voung man, “whose condition was Tells how blacksmith suc- approached the cashier's window in the real estate office. How was he to know the girl behind the window had a grouch? “Here s & little Christmas present for the firm!" he cried, proffering his check, She might at least have given a faint smile, even if she did not relish the brand of humor offered with the check. It was simply good business to smile. Just a faint smile—how easy it would have béen to do, and how ac- ceptable it would have been to the man who was happy with the Christ- mas spirit, and who only meant it in the best possible manner! The jovial boss of the establish- ment would have smiled in return, or probably laughed outright, had he been behind the cashier's counter. But he was not, and here was a girl who fafled in one of the little essen- tial decencies of life. She was just another case of lack of ordinary hog friendliness. Some people find it such a hard lesson, you know, to be friendly! * * ¥ % Motormen and conductors often are prime offenders in this thing of fail- ure to display just ordinary civility, thereby showing the world just how hard a lesson being friendly is for them. A woman tells me about this one Now she is a sweet girl, without one trace of hauteur or any other quality that could offend even the most sen- sitive of condyctors. Nor is she, for her part, at all supersensitive. Her shoulders are much too pretty to bear chips upen themi, and she fs heauti- ful “and bappy, to boot. So she has nothing to resent. “Can you tell me If this car changes to Georgetown?" she asked the con- ductor. That dignitary looked at her, turn- ed away, as If he would not answer at_all, finally relented, and, having delayed his answer beyond that fine point in time which marks courtes: replied sullenly: This conductor had not lcarned to be friendly. Contrast his manner With that of another operator on the same line. A lady wanted to get off at a corner, but her wits were wool- gathering, and she rang the bell much too late. The motorman stopped the car for her in the middle of the block. “This Is against the rules, lad he said, as he opened the door her to alight. “The next time pleas ring the bell In time.” This man had learned the lesson of friendliness. I'll bet dogs come to greet him with wagging talls, and little children with smiles and shouts. If I were the president of his road I would promote him for breaking that rule. r * k * ¥ Surely we ought to be friendly, even at the cost of some of our sup- posed dignity, for (friendliness is much more to be desired than dig- nity, and bears fruits of heart's balm, even in the midst of a great city, where one can dwell through a long life and never know the name of his next-door netghbor, It is true that often too much triendliness is worse than none at all, but because a thing can be over- done or abused is no reason in the world why it should be condemned. Too much of anything is bad. The golden mean of that misjudged phi- losopher, Epicurus, holds as firmly in this as in all the other affairs of lite. We should be as friendly as we may becauss it pays big dividends to ourselves and others. Civliization has little meaning unless it has freed us from the mere animal struggle for existence and allowed us some op- portunity to think more of others than ourselves. A start along the road is just being friendly. WASHINGTCN OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE coroner. “He seemed to have par- taken of alcohol.” Coroner wants to know if he “sald anything.” Interne says he “swore a good deal” in mo- ments of consciousness still vouch- safed him. (Sollloquized, I'd have telt like swearing, too). Excused. i vouth, companion of car takes stand. Describes ac- cldent. “Was Mr. driving very fast? Phythias avows he “couldn’t have been. because it was cold, and T would have noticed it.” (Whatever that highly {lluminating statement means, I reflected). What had they dons with blacksmith after striking him? They “put him oa the floor in the back of the car, and T held his head,” witness. What was his condition?" Friend deposes that blacksmith “swore and seemed more intoxicated than hurt” Excused. Gray, honest police sergeant .is called. On precinct duty near acel- dent, byt hadn't seen it. Knew nelghborhood and knew blacksmith. Exhibits penciled diagram of scene of collision. Describes poorly lighted street. Faint {incandescents, hun- dreds of feet apart. Practical dark- at point of collision. Coroner, nd counsel nod, understanding- .~ “What was blacksmith’s repu- tation?” asks coroner. “Drinking was his failin responds honest sergeant, apologetic for seeming to traduce memory of dead. Car owner’s counsel pipes up, eagerly, “Had he a police record for drunkenness?" Gray sergeant, reluctant, says he had, Ex- cused. Car owner is sworn. College grad- uate, go-getter young businessman type, well groomed, self-possessed. His sad story soon told. Before wit- ness knew It, blacksmith stepped off sidewalk into street Crash. Stop- ped car, picked up body, took it to hospital, reported himself to police, released on own recognizances, await- ed coroner's inquest. “Any ques- tions?” asked the coroner. Coroner had none. Jury had none. Counsel had none. No questions. Excused. Inquest has lasted 29 minutes. “All out except the jury!” bawls a balliff. My evening paper headlines tell the rest: - Autoist Is Exonerated. Cleared of Responsibility in Death of Man His Car Struck. Now, I yearned, yearned passion- ately, to take part in that inquest, as it wound to the inevitable end. Stress had been laid on the aroma of the victim’s breath and on his alco- holic reputation. Now and then we hear of car drivers with breaths and reputations, I remembered. So I would fain have cross-examined the only witnesses of the affair along lines llke these: “Where had you been the day of the accident?” “Do you use alcohol?” “Did you take a drink on the day of the accldent?” “How many drinks?” “How many had you had just be- fore *the accident?” “HoW fast were you driving?” “Did you blow your horn?’ “Were your lights on?” “Were you ever fined for speeding or violating any other traffic regula- tions?"” “What is your reputation In your neighborhood 7 “Any questions?” asked the coroner. None. The jury was not out long. Dead men tell no tales. And Herbert Hoover wonders why automobiles kill every two years as many men as we lost in J'rance. Isn’t the answer, pos- Dapp owner, sibly, that too often, on these oc- sober.” l bed ating table. . “W) cuml on_ oper: ; bl m casions, no ’mu- ‘ asked? ! The Library Table BY THE BOOKLOVER Francis Asbury, the pioneer Meth- odist bishop in America, whose bronze equestrian statue by Augustus Luke- min was recently unveiled at Si teenth and Mount Pleasant streets, had a career almost as picturesque and adventurous as that of a co- lonial settler or sea rover. He w: ften called the Prophet of the Long Road and the Man Without a Home, In “Francis Asbury, the Prophet of the Long Road,” by Ezra Squier Tip- ple, the life of this itinerant preach- er and organizer of American Meth- odism is shown to have been as de- voted and self-denying St. Francis of Assisi, who * man save Jesus only” and upon that journey of poverty and self-denial and obedience to the let- ter of Christ's command which made him the most consplcuous figure of the thirteenth century. For 45 years the slender, not very robust man traveled incessantly over all the States then composing the Union, and the roads in his day were not of macadam and conorete, nor was his means of transportation a motor. His faithful horseés, Jane, Fox, Spark and others, carried him over the roughest of roads an average of about 5000 miles a year. His journal shows that he went into New York State more than 50 times, New Jersey, more than 60; Pennsylvania, 78; Maryland, 80; North Carolina, 63; South Carolina, 46; Virginia, 84; Ten- nessee and Georgla, each 20; Massa- chusetts, 24, and into other States and Territories frequently. ok ok k Some of the dangers of these jour- neys are narrated by his blographer. “Asbury was constantly in personal danger. Wolves follow him; his horse falls; he crosses the Potomac in an open boat; he is lost in the swamps of South Carolina—'0 how terrible to be here in the dark!"—in the blackness of the night he is bruised by the trees; his saddle turns and he falls from his horse; he fords the Catawba and finds him- self ‘among the rocks and In the whirlpools,’ escaping with difficulty; through another’s carelessness he is ‘nearly burnt up’; he falls down stalrs; his horse, startled, throws him into a millrace and his shoulder is hurt; a whirlwind, accompanied by hailstones, ‘of such a size that three |stones filled & pint measure,’ nearly overcomes him; his horse falls on the ice, and Asbur. leg is caught under him; night overtakes him in the monutains, ‘among rocks and woods and dangers on all sides’; he has to | swim a long creek’; rufMans seek his life, a bullet grazing his head as he rides through the forest This life of hardship and perpetual travel was continued until two days before his death at the,age of 71, when “the 8reatest itinerant of the ages has come at last to the end of the long road, and behold there is a house at the end of the road, and a light in the window and 2 welcome, At last the Man Without a Home h found his homa.” * * ¥ % E. V. Lucas’ contribution to the miniature library of the de luxe dolls® house made by British artists and artisans for Queen Mary 1s the small- t book among the original texts, measuring only one inch by seven- eighths of an inch. It is entitled, “The hole Duty of Dolls,” and many a liftle girl would delight in the possession of this tiny volume for her own doll house. Among the rules whimsically set forth by Lucas are the following: “It 18 the whole duty of dolls to comfort their owners. It is thelir privilege, too. This is done malnly by perfect placidity and silence. “No @ell should ever say, ‘L told you sgo." “Dolls should know that few owners are as black as they are painted, or as white. Most owners are gray. ‘A doll's soul is none the worse for being sawdust.” The complete text of this little book, as weil as that of the other 170 books in the dolls house library, is given in the two volume descrip- tlon of this unique toy entitled, “The Queen’s Dolls’ House.” In addition to original limited edition, there has also ?leen published a shorter popular edi- on. * ok * % The thoughts, perhaps rather the feelings, of Emily Dickinson on death are among the glimpses of a rarely gifted and sensitive personality given in “The Life and Letters of Emily Dickinson,” by Martha Dickinson Bianchl. At the death of her mother she wrote: “The great mission of pain had been ratified—cultivated to ten- derness by persistent sorrow, so that a larger mother died than had she dled before. Thete was no earthly parting. She slipped from our fin- gers like a flake gathered by the wind, and is now part of the drift called ‘the infinite’” When her father died she said in a letter to cousins: “Father does not live with us now—he lives in a new house. Though it was built in an hour it is better than this. He hasn't any gar- den because he moved after gar- dens were made, so we take him the best flowers, and if we only knew he knew, perhaps we could stop arying. To Col. Higginson she wrote: “I am glad there is immortality, but would have tested it myself, before intrust- ing him.” In another letter she ex- pressed a thought that recurs often in her corresopndence: “I dream about father every night, always a different dream. and forget what I am doing daytimes, wondering where he is.” Her favorite nephew died when he Was only 8 yvears old, and two years afterward she wrote: “October s a mighty month, for in it little Gllbert died. ‘Open the door, was his last cry, ‘the boys are waiting for me.’ Quite used to his commandment, his little aunt obeyed, and still two years and many days, and he does not return” Her later letters are increasingly full of death, partly be- cause of the loss of many whom she loved, partly perhaps because she felt her own hold on life loosening. The day before her own death she wrote to her cousins: “Little cousins—Called back. Emily.” * ok ok ok The large circle of readers who en- jyoed Hendrik W. Van Loon’s “The Story of Mankind,” with its story pictures by the author, will be Inter- esfed to learn that the Survey, the fortnightly journal devoted to soclal service, will hereafter have from him a regular page of comment on public questions with accompanying vig- nette pictures, and an extra full page cartoon. * ok ok ok Mystery storles satisfy certain moods of almost all readers and a good mystery story is often a real blessing. A. E. W. Mason, author of many novels of adventure and my: tery, has written a new one, “The House of the Arrow.” In the pro- vineial town of Dijon & wealthy wid- ow is murdered. The question is, of course, who committed the murder. The great Parisian detective, Hanayd, comes on the sceme, also a_ young Englishman, member of a firm of London solicitors. These ¢two divide the interest of the reader and Ha- naud rivals Sherlock Holmes. * ok ok % A murder trial involving three generations of three families is the material for Honore Willsie Morrow's latest novel, “The Devonshers.” The backgroynd is Oregon and during the progress of the complicated trial most of the history of the settling of the State is brought into the evidence. The family skeletons, hates, rivalries and sacrifices of the Devonsher, Dun- can and Worth families are alxo un- veiled to public view. Heredity and environment are -howuo be the ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. How many sized flags are flown on the White House?—M. L. A. The White House s that there are two flags used on the flag- staff. A small sized one is used in bad weather, and on bright, clear days, & large one, Q. What city has the most tele- phones in proportion to population? E. V. Y. A. Omaha leads the world with 28 telephones to each 100 persons. The next 10 cities, in order, are Stock- holm, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Denver, Washington, Los Angeles, Qhicago, Toronto, Cincinnati and New ork. the most common dream?—). C. D. A. The most common dream is said to be that of wandering about nude or insufficiently clothed. Q. Doesn’t the human heart ever rest?—H. R. R. A. The heart rests between beats, about eight-tenths of a second elaps- Ing between the contractions, which are about one-tenth of & second in length, Q. Is there a standard size for t hose used by fire departments?—T. A. The hose genérally considered as standard for fire-Aighting purposes is 23 inches in digmeter, which at 90 pounds pressure at the hydrant givés a flow of approximately 195 gal, lons per minute through 500 feet of hose, with a pressure of 20 peunds at the noszzle. Smaller hose is said to give friction lesses too high in pro- portion to the usefulness of the hose, and three-inch hose is considered too awkward to handle. Q. Is it true that they are making false teeth of steel in Germany?—T. T. K. A. The Krupp works in Germany are now manufacturing enameled steel false teeth. Eight dentists are employed in the department, and it is said that the steel teeth are becoming increasingly popular because of their durabllity. Q. Where is the largest clock in the world>—C. R. W. A. The largest clock in the world is on the roof of a factory in Jersey City. The clock face is 50 feet in di- ameter, and the minute hand Is 27 feet long and welghs a ton. Q. Would a hen hatch an eagle's egg?—H. W. H. A. That experiment is said to have been tried successfully by Guy O. Glazier of the San Diego Soclety of Natural History, although he had to use three hens. When one hen had sat on the egg two weeks, another was put on the job. It was 41 davs before the young eagle broke through the shell. Q. Why is red used as a danger signal?—D. W. I. A. Because it is most easily dis- tinguished at a distance, Bureau of Standar tests of trafc signals placed red first in visibility, green second and blue a poor third. Ordi- narily rallroad yellow lights, it was found, often are mistaken for orange or red. Q. In City Hall Park, New York, there is a statue of Nathan Hale. Does it é‘enlly resemble the patriot?—D. A E. A. Frederick Macmonnies, who de- signed this statue, had no likeness of Hale from which to work. It is therefore an idealized conception. The sculptor is quoted as saying: “A statue in bronze or stone should never be a photographic llkeness, but should be so conceélved as an Iideal that the figure should symbolize the life work of the subject. Q. What are the names of Dumas “Three Guardsmen’ serles in the or- der in which they should bLe read?— E. G. B A. The historical sequence is as fol- lows: “Thé Three Mysketeers, story commenoced with 1625; “Twenty Years Afte: which begins with the year 1645, and “Le Vicomte de Brage- lonne,” which begins with 1660. Q. When were Christmas trees first used in the United States’—E. G. A. Christmas trees became popular in the United States about the same time that they were introduced into England. In England the first Christ- mas trees were set up in the Royal Palace of St. James at the time Gueen Victoria married the prinee consort in 1840, Q. When was the constitution Sweden adopted >—C. R. A. The fundamental laws of Sweden have never been embodied in any single constitution, but consist of va- rlous enactments of the Dlet from the years 1809 to 1566, Q. How did the expression “tw bits” for 25 cents originate?—J. M. A A. The term “bit” used In the ex- presslon “two bits,” “four bits,” etc has reference to a small silver coin such as the Mexican real, which was formerly current in Amedica, but now no longer used. It was usuall valued at 123% cents of Q. What is the height of the sun on the shortest day of the year in the extreme north of Norway?—G. . A. North Cape, at the extreme north of Norway, is within the Arctic Circle, and at that pojnt the sun does not rise for two months in Midwinter— that is to say, there is continuous night from Novembher 20 to Janyary 23. On these two days the syn barely shows its upper edwe above the hori- zon. Sunset almost immediately fol- lows sunrise, and these therefore are the shortest days at North Cape Q. How work ?—H. G A. The National Rifle Asséclation says that a Maxim silencer works on the same principle as an auto muffer. The tube is screwed on the muzzle of the gun. This tube consists of a series of baffles that cause the gases to Issue slowly instead of with a sudden rush. It is this rush of pow- dered gas from the muzzle of ths gun which creates a vacuum, causing the report when discharged. does t Maxim silencer Q. Does the Alaskan Rallread con- nect Alaska with the United States? —0. B. A. The United States Government Railroad in Alaska does not conpect Alaska with the United States. Thers is_no railroad running from Alaska which does. To make the connection it is necessary to go from Seattle by water. Q. How is evaporated horseradish made?—J. H. M. A. Horseradish for preparation as an evaporated product should be ocut into small chips, then thoroughly dried and afterward ground. This, if bottled dry, will keep in good con- dition for a long time, and its pun- gency will develop when the dried powder is molstened. Q. By what system are Chiness children given their “milk” names?— A L BE. A. Prof. Isaac Headland says that the names usually indicate the place or time of birth, the hope of the par- ent for the child, or exhibit the par- ents' love of beauty of euphony. Q. How much money was involved in the great Humbert swindle?— M U J A. On the representation that she had inherited a fortune of $20,000,000 from an American millionaire, Mme. Humbert and her husband netted about $10,000,000, while the amount of notes in the form of original loans and renewals equaled $140,000,000. (Are you ever hampered for want of informationt Do you wonder and dlun- der through misinformation? This ool umn was institutsd to serve a very ap- parent need of our readers, and its popu~ larity ds attested by the thousands who seek information daily. Use this serv- ice and learn its possibilities. Address inquirtes to The Star Imformation Bu- reaw, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Twen- ty-first and C streets northwest. Inclose @ 2-0ent stamp for u direct reply.) Uniting on the Traffic Problem VI—Education and Safety. By ERNEST GREENWOOD, Secretary National Conference on Street and Highway Safety. The committee on education of the ational Conference on Street and Highway Safety in the very first se tence of its report says: “Safety has the characteristics of all fundamental movements in that its success is de- pendent dpon education.” According to the committes, accidents are pri- marily the result of igrorance and, therefore, the problem involved in street and highway trafic is the fundamental problém of education. This i{s absolutely true. By “educa- tion” the committes does not mean simply the installation of safety edu- cation in the cyrricyla of the public schools. Its definition of the word is, much broader than that. It in- volves not only education in the schools, but preparation for the teach- ing of safety, adequate playgrounds as a safety measure and means for safety instruction, the training of traffic engineers in our engineering schools, the training of traffic control officers, the education of employes of steam and_electric railways, taxicab and motorbus compsnies and opera- tors of fleets of commercial vehicles and last of all the education of the general public. 6,000 Chfldren Killed. Thirty per cent of all fatal auto- mobile accidents happen to children of school age and under, or, in other words, nearly 6,000 children were killed last year in motor accldents alone. It has been sald that tl ching of “safety” in the public schools, with modern methods, has reduced fatalities to children in cer- tain communities more than 50 per cent. This means that if it were in- corporated in the curricula of all of the public schools of the United States it would save the lives of over 3,000 children. If this is true, and I believe that it {s, the teaching of ‘safety” should be made compulsory | by law in every State in the Union. Unless, however, the publio can be educated there will be little or no co-operation between motorists and pedestrians, the public and officials, legislatures and administrators, or any of the other groups of great in- terests which are in a position to make material contributions to an accldent prevention program. Press Alds Safety. Perhaps the greatest single medium for education in safety 18 the daily press, and, fortunately, our great newspapers, with appreciation of their responsibilities, are fully awake to that fact. It is my observation that newspapers today are dolng more to educate the public to the seriousness of the situation than any other medium. After all, it is on the morning or evening newspaper which any organized effort must depend to Bet & mcul,e to the great mass of the people. If, as the committee on education contends, accidents are pri- marily the result of ignorance, then it seems to me that the newspapers are rapldly taking away from the people thig particular alibl. Safety education in the public The proper training of traffic control officers and modern methods of train- ing large groups of drivers take care of that particular class. Our engi- neering colleges are equipped to train traffic engineers who can go out as experts to solve the physical prob- lems involved. But when all is said and done we must eventually fall back on the daily newspaper and reach the great mass of the public, It is the newspaper which plays up in its headlines the giving of jall or other drastic sentences which cause eéven the mos: cklessly inclined to be cautious. It is the newspaper on which our great organizations depend to get the results of their research work and their plans for a reduction of the ac- cldent rate to the general public. In fact, it is the newspapers which have been largely responsible for arousing the nation-wide interest which has been evidenced In the National Con- ference on Street and Highway Safety and helped to make it the great proj- ect it has become. Accidents as News. Untll comparatively recently, auto- moblle accldents were so common that they seemed to have little or no news value. The discouraging fact has been that the automobile accident, bappening as it does every day in every community of any size, and being more or less alike, has not been news. This has made the education of the general public particularly dif- ficult until suddenly the public be- came awakened almost overnight to the traffic menace. The newspapers began to picture the situation throughout the United States. Statis- ticlans sought to make comparisons of figures in different towns, showing the relative accident rate, and these figures, brought together, became so startling that the automobile acci- dent, per se, suddenly became front- page news. Now those who have been saying that It s a waste of time to try to sell the idea of safety to the present generation and that the only hope lles with the next and its edu- cation in the public schools are doubt- ful if this is true. Any reform must first be tolerated and then finally de- manded by the public, but the Ameri- can public today is rapidly beginning to be educated to demand a reform in street and highway trafic in most emphatic terms. This committes on education of the Conference on Street and Highway Safety has presented a most elaborate program which, combined with the recommendations of the committee on public relations, should go far along the road of a campaign on national education. While the brunt of the re- sponsibility for street and highway safety rests and must continue to rest upon the public officials, these officials are almost helpless unless they have the whole-hearted and enthuslastic co-operation of all the citizens. (Copyright, 1024.) The Man Who Is Wanted. schools will teach the child habits of [ From the Columbia Record. safety and teach him or her to be alert when on the streets. The child flmfi‘w*flu The demand for a man who terested in some one besides himseil