Evening Star Newspaper, January 10, 1925, Page 6

THE EVENING With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY. THEODORE W. NOYES. . . . Edito; The Evening Star Newspaper Company mess Office, 11th St. and Peassylvania Ave, 110 Taat Acnd St ag “Towe: Bullding, Buropean Office : 16 Kingeat St.,London, England The Evening Star, wii sdition, i deliversi by earilers a “ity at 80 cents u daity g ts per month: Sunday oniv. month. OQrders muy he asat b "bone Main 5000. Collection i viets at the ead of each moath Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Daily and Sunday. .1 yr.. 35.40: 1 mo, Daily only. 1vr., $6.00: 1mo., 5 Sunday orly. 1 All Other State. Daily and Sunday.1 ¥r. Daily only. 15yr Sunday only. 1yr. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is excinsively entitied to ihe ‘use for repubilation of all news Gis- TRtches eredited fo it or mot otierwiee credited Tocal uews pub: of on ot Practical Injuries Threatened. he new Cramton bill, sliminates forever the definite proportionate from substantive ial relations of Nation and Capital. The action of Congress last vear in vielding to eleventh-hour pres- sure and experimenting temporarily in the appropriation bill with the lump-payment plan had no such ve- sult. The practical effect of the Ciamton hill, destroying the 60-40 relation be tween national and the Capital community contributions toward enacted principle of contribution the the finar law the tional City upbuilding, is to place a | maximum limit on the contribution of the United States und to remove the limit entirely from the contribution of the local taxpayers. Indeed, the very purpose of the proposed legislation to enable a taxing body in which the District s not represented to increase the local burden of taxation at its pleasure, un checked by the existing requirement that every such increase be reflected in some measure in national taxation for Capital upbuilding The maximum national contrib fs made definite during the time which Congress refrains from dimin- ishing it; but all limits are declared off in respect to the local contribution, and it remains definite only in the cer- tainty that the local tax burden will be largely increased, and that the lo- cal taxpayers will not participate at any time in the decision of the amount of the increase, the methods of taxa- tion by which the increase is secured. and the purposes for which the tax rhoney is spent. TUnder the §0-40 ratio of contribution every dollar of increased taxation of the unrepresented . District means some increase of national taxation for Capital upbuilding. Under the pro- posed legislation every dollar of in- creased taxation of the District means a corresponding reduction of the amount necessary to be devoted from national taxes to Capital up- building. Under the 60-40 ratio plan there an equitable self-imposed check upon excessive and unjust tax- ation by the National Legislature of the unrepresented and impotent Cap- ital. With this self-imposed check fe- moved and with every tax dollar ex- acted from the District reducing the | necessary tax dollars to be spent upon Capital upbuilding by the Natlon, the | obvious tendency and by some the avowed purpose of the proposed legis- tion is to decrease the national dol lars of Capital contribution eventu- ally to nothing. The proposed legislation obtrudes annually upon the attention of Con- gress the suggestion of e large cash donation to the Capital. as if the pri- mary oblization of National building were upon the local taxpay- ers, and the Nation were on cidental contributor, a volunta benevolent donor. Since the Naton in 1878 recognized and assumed its Na- tional Capital power and cbligation, its responsibility in respect to the Capital has been primary, dominating, exclu- sive. As late as 1916 this relation of Nation to Capital was fully recognized and clearly set forth in the report of the joint select committee of Cong: which made the most thorough haustive and able study of the fiscal relations of Nation and Capital that statesmen had given to the sul since 1874-8, As long as all the assets and revenues of the national and local joint contributors toward Capital up- building are in the hands of the na- tional joint contributor, and as long concerning the amounts (o be paid by the joint con- tributors, respectively, and concer the expenditure of the joint ave to be made by the national tributor the latter must in and will in fact, bear the i sponsibility of Capital upbuilding, and cal taxpayers will be recogr ieir true relation as merely ors of tax mone 3s, to ect n equity re- dental contribu fixed in amount exacted at the inint contributor. Another practival effsct of destroy the 60-40 vatio will he to reduce minimum any chance of equitable contribution by I'nited States when our accumulated tax surplus to be expended. This tax money was collected by air- hority of the half-and-half law solely o apply upon the District's half of District appropriations. Whenever it is espended it would be equitable to =pend it under the halfand-half law., the United States duplicating it. 1f the surplus comes to be used ie proportionate contributions are on he 60-40 ratio, the Nation. through 1l either apply. as equity nd. the 30-30 ratio, or will make the existing 60-40 ratio retvo- ictive and add to the Di only 40 per cent from the National Treasury. But if both 50-30 and the 60-40 ratios are destvoyed. and when the surplus comes to be expend- ~d there is no definitc proportionate centribution by Nation and taspuying by themselves ng to proportionate the comes when January 10. 1925 rl mail ot tele- made by ear- governing | plus | varticipate at all under any percentage {of obligation to enlarge the surplus ! fund for the upbuflding of the Capital. | In fuct, the Cramton bill S0 couples | (he tax surplus and destruction of the {6040 ratio as in itself to wccomplish {this dreaded result. et Gun Elevation. | Severa! developments have occarred | during this closing week in the matter the Bundsy mm‘-.:or the elevation of guns on the Ameari- the 5 |can battieships. The Secreta State rendered an cpinion to the effect that the elevation of the guns to in- crease their range would not be in vio- lation of the treaty of WWashington Mch vesulted from the arms-limita. tion conference. The Secretary of the I Navy has informed & committec of Congress that it is not the purpose of this Government to make the gun- changes, as a iatter of economy. The President Las informal- 1y, but definitely, stated that he s op- posed to the elevation of the guns on the ground that it violates the Ameri- | can polfcy of armament limitation. Thus the situation stands: | TUnited States holds that it can right raice the guns and thereb crease thelr range, and so render Lattleships more efficient; it does not purpose to make these changes for economic reasons and, furthermove, it {holds that gun elevation Is not con- {sistent with arms limitation as the principle is now established as an American policy. Tn short, we may do it, but we will not do it because it is too costly, and also because it is incon- sistent. The eifectiveness of a battieship lies in range of its fire. It is an offensive weapon, Tts target is the battleship of the enemy. A battleship with fof 1 |eficient 4 weapon than one with a range of 15 miles. A changs in the elevation or firing angle of the guns of the major battery of such a ship may make just such a difference in rangs so that while ton for ton of ship displacement and gun for gun in caliber two battleships may be equal, the one with the higher projectory and, theratore, the longer range, is the move effective weapon. Gun elevations, however, can be changed without great delay and prac- tically @s an emergency measure of increased offensive power. If the pre- scribed and agreed-upon ratio for naval armament is maintained as to tonnage and armament each nation re- tains the right to make such changes as will within the potential limits of its naval force Increase its effective ness. That, at least, is the position of the United States as defined in the dis- closures of the week. The United States will not violate the spirit of the elevation by tar may permit. Keep the Gutters Clear! More snow is falling, perhaps not to continue for long, perhaps to form the foundation for another accum- ulation, to give trouble for all users of the streets. Householders are ex- pected to clean the walks in front of their dwellings, and the owners and managers of business establishments to do the same in front of their stores and offices. One of the main difficulties about the snow cleaning of last week wus that most householders fin clearing | their sidewalks pushed or had the snow pushed for them into the gutters, thereby blocking them and forming high ridges along the curbs. making access extremely difficult from street. The best method of snow disposal in i the residential section is to pile the {snow taken from the sidewalk upon |the lawn of the parking between house and walk. There it is out of the way of traffic and does no harm. {If conditions do not permit this dis- | position, the snow from the walks | the walk, along the curb, with care to prevent it from toppling into the gut- {ters and also to leave openings for |access from the street. | Tn the business sections this can- | not, of course, be done, for there are ino lawns. But the snow can be piled | upoa the edge of the walk at the curb, with suitable openings for the con- venience of those approaching by ve- | micte. { It the sidewalk snow is thus cared |or there will be no high piles in_the | gutters to Llock off motor cars and |delivery trucks and to choke the |dralnage when the melting begina. {The exercise of care in this matter will greatly relieve the situztion and | make for Letter street conditions while Ithe District government is removing |the snow from the pavements. i . . Mussolini has gone heyond adage. “language was given for the concealment of thought.” t newspapers are made curation of the news. for the ———e—. Some of the tourists who most en. joy themselves in Paris are those who =0 there to secure divorc: ——e— Probably & Long Tariff Peace. The disposition of the Republican majority in Congress, said to reflect | the attitude of the administration. ap- pears to be averse to a revision of the taviff for the next four years. This in. ference is drawn from the action of the [ouse committee on ways and means yesterday in refusing to recom mend a slight change in the tariff which would permit the transfer of cattle across the Texas-Mesico border. The corumittee held that the proposed change in the schedules was undesir | able. as establishing a precedent which |might be used to bring about other change: | Carrying out this policy may lead to protests, especlally from the North- west, and will doubtless cause discus- sion. It will bring gratification, how- ever, to those business interests which deplore what is popularly called “tarift tinkering” whenever propositions are advanced to inake changes in the schedules. Democrats will probably charge the Gministration with adhering to a standpat”’ policy, and it will devolve upon the administration to choose be- tween possible criticlsm on thut score i | i The | a range | miles of effective firing is lees | Washington treaty, although the let-| the | should be piled on the outer edge of He insists | THE EVENING STAR |drcd to one that the Nation will not | terests that want four years of tariff peace. In the late campaign the ex- isting tariff law was made an issue by the Democrsts, who assailed it vig- orously and who expected to reap po- {litical advantage from their criticisms of this law, which was put upon the statute books by the Republicun party. Apparently the country falled to become excited over the alleged in- |fquities of the protective tariff, and the Republicans seem now to be tak- ing thls fact as a mandate for con- tinuing the protective poliey. It remains to be shown by the ex- pected discussion of the subject in the { public press whether this deduction of | the 2aministration meets with general |upproval ur not. Congress is too busy | with voutine work on current legisla- |tion to give much uttention to the tariff question in the remaining days !0t the session now .drawing to a close, and at present there seems to be little prospect, if any, of an estra session jduring the Summer. There is every | indication, tuerefore, of u long period |of tavift peace and the continued op- eration of the existing law. ———— Puzzles and News. The latest freak in cross-woid puz- | zledom is the man who has canceled his subscription to his favorite news. paper because the daily serles of orthographic entertainments has be- come too difficult. For 24 years his natural hunger for Lnowledge con- cerning world affuirs has been entirely satisfled by the news and editoril columns of the same dally newspaper, but now e cross-word puzzie has | catapulted into the place of first im- portance, and the necessity for sitting up nights to probe, and browse, and thya! and worry over the obsolete notns. an prehistoric animals which n alrcady wearled by the toil has resulted in a protest from the faithful absorber of current events, who must have puzzles he can work as well as news he can read. He says the press puzzles are the only ones avaflable, and that inasmuch as he can afford only one newspaper he must buy another one than his fa- vorite. A subscriber of 24 years' standing surely deserves some consideration from the South Dakota daily, so why not present the aggrieved cross-word addfet with a couple of books contain- ing the cryptic numbered squares and thus permit his subscription to run merrily on until the pusle craze | passes the way of all fads? —————— Italiun sored by Mussolini to the extent that it keeps them printing descriptions of new York's tall buildings, the Bible and Kant's philosophy. At least, these toples come within the definition of “news fit to print. e The understanding seems possible that a presidential veto and the legis- lative attitude toward it only repre- ference of opinfon, with no hard feelings necessarily involved. . Washington has proved that it has the patience to make a good job of snow cleaning. The only dificulty is ! that of getting through with one bliz- zard before another starts. B e Alpena, Mich., {2 no doubt now li: {ed among the towns that have ac- quired grotesquely exaggerated im- pressions of the “gay life” in Wi ington, D. C. ———— Political factions in Ireland show & renewed disposition to ignore the fact | that the world has trouble enough. e No system of penalties can prevent the snow from parking next the curb- stone indefinitely. ——— -SKOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNEOX Inevitable, You may be upright, good and wue, But if you run a flivver Some day a cop will come to you And set your nerves e-quiver. Although you love your fellow man And leave him unmolested, And tell the truth as best you can— Some day you'll get arrested. ‘This is a democra and Disdaining the assumpti Of virtue rare or purpose grand. We level all presumption. However noble be your aim: However high you set it. Arrest awaits you just the Some day you're going to ge Dodging Comparison. “Why don't you quote more poetry in your speeches” “T gave up the practice years ag answered Senator Sorghum. “It's a mistake to introduce a good plece of poetry and leave the audience wonder- ing why the rest of your stuff seems s0 feeble by contrast A Gruve Matfer Seltled. They're sending pictures througa the air; Which makes one fact quite ciear. They're no more handsome over there Than we are over here. Jud Tunkins sowe of his friends have got Juzurious they can't sleep except at a five-dollar con- cert says 50 | Fights and Frol | A fight—a lunch—a friendly ga. | When lelsure can make way fo | The final question is the same. { Just who is going to pa; 3y for i When Gossip Sounds, | “You can't believe half you hear.' “Halt,” replied Miss Cayenne, more than enough. When the Bills Come In. Scant is the glory that Fame lends To him—time will diminish it— Who has a fight and then depends On some one else to finish it Scant is the glory that expands Above thet realm’s civilities 1 Who will not meet the casii demandz Resultant from hostilities. “Hope,” said Uncle Eben, *is bene- ficia) ‘cordin’ to whether you uses it in Capltal, then the chances are a hun- |and the approval ef the business fn-|yoh work or in & crap game.” - Hindu gods, chemica! symbols | newspapers are being cen.| STAR, WASHINGTON THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Have yvou ever stopped to think how much bunk there Is in the world? All that pleasant stuft about the sandman and falrles and Sunta Clau to begin with; and then some about George Washington and the cherry tree, and what a crime it is for bad boys not to get good marks in dull studles. As if sleep depended upon a sand- man or the enjoyment of life upon fairies, or the huge and undoubted succesy of Christmas upon a mytho- logical Kris Kringle, or the tremen- dous worth of Washington upon a cherry tree, or even advancement In life upon the dublous abllity to dis- tinguish amo from amat! Bunk, I calla {t, to use ths scintil- lating language of the comics, which, after all, comes nearer to being the speccli of the people than the very pedentic lingo of the classroom. 0Wing up, 4 man meets an aston- tshing umount of plain bunk, so much, In fact, that when he has reached the wugust age of 25 years he lo{xln- to find It very difficult, indeed, to Keep 1fs bearings in the overflowing sew of |mlzed truths and lies which beat about | B, In the ocean “blurbs” on the jackets of new books, the Congressional Record, purts of the annual reports of the Govern- ment departments, wll the “flag wav- Ing" portions of speeciies, the over- done grief of parents at minor crimes of offspring and hundreds of other exhibits which the average observer can spot for himeelf easly enough. CRE What, then. are some of the truest statements in the world, thoughts which men have come to feel are the truth and nothing but the truth? These statements must be abso- lutely free of any suspiclon of bunk, to meet our requirements, so that we might place them before a child, saying: “My son. here are some of the tru- est things in the world. You may have to grow old Lefore you reslive they are true, but they ara true, nevertheless, & far as we can see.” The boy, no doubt, would a with one word: “Bunk!" But we cannot help tha 10 true things: 1. As & man thinketh in his heart, 80 s he. 2. Early to bed, and early to rise, makes u man healthy, weulthy and wise. of bunk float the er here are i To him that hath shall be given, and from him that huth not even the little that he hath shall be taken away. 4. Birds of | mether. 5. What is will be. §. A man is known pany he keeps. H . Every man sell. { 8. Nothing suoceeds like success. | 9. ‘There is something in the mis- fortunes of our best friends that is rot displeasing. 10. The square described on the bypotenuse of a right triangle Is equal to the sum of the squures on the other two sides. * & ¥ % rings stand firm agalnst l(he shocks of men and time .Oru of them from our Old Testament, one from the New Testament, of gospel of good tidings; oue by Benja- in Franklin, one by a cynical Frenchman, another by Euclid, the others part and parcel of thut world- Iy wisdom enshrined in the proverbs |and wavings of all nations. { “As & man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Surely this is one thoughts ever put into words. Tts modernized verslon 1s, “As @ man thinketh, 80 is he,” merely dropping out “in the heart,” in order to be nearer scientific truth, as we know it Whether a man does his thinking with his brain or “in his heart” the fact is that his character depends, In VITAL THEMES Call feather flock to- is; and what will be, by the com- has something to of the truest the Hope of Mexico By WILLIAM ENGLISH WALLING Intellectual Liberal and Socialist | Calles is the first of all Mexican Presi- dents who represents the beginnings of 2 genuine democratic and popular move- ment. Under Calles the Mexican govern- {ment and Mexican labor, both of the | country and of the towns, have begun 110 loak to the United States s a friend and a model. Labor organizations like ours and a nation of educated small landowners llke ours, this, broadiy |sm-akml. is the Calles ideal and plan | for Introducing law and order, promot- ing economic development and making Mexico into & self-owning, self-govern- ing nation. The fulfillment of that ideal is @ long way off, and can be reached only through many stages—as even the somewhat radical agraran and labor | leaders of Mexico now fully recognize, espectally since they have come into power. If mow America rhows im- patience, failing to realize that ‘the changes most desperately needed in Mesfco will take years, decades and gen- erations to carry cut, the present friend- liness will turn once more to the old arrogance and contempt on our side and to the age-long envy and suspicion that formeriy prevailed in Mexico Law and order, the first prerequisite 1o agriculture, industry and commerce, are being slowly and painfully restored, but future eetbacks and reactlons in that laborious process are almost in- evitable. Bridges are destroyed and rallroads crippled in many sections. Few are the rallways that can operate with- out military escorts and armored cars. There sve fully armed rebel bands, often of hundreds of members, in most of the 27 wtates, and more than one such band in reveral states the hundreds of gov- ernmental agrarfun committees, armel to enforce a partial division of )-rge are a continual source of dis- order. The 300 generals and 10,000 of- ficers are by no means all to be depend- | od on as events frequently demonstrate. or mors claimanta to the in several states. Practi- v all elections of evers kind are con- tested—and usually with some reason. The economie dlsorder and destruc- tion need not be described; they fol- low {nevitably after the politicul als- | order. TMorses and cattle, the first | prey of revolutionary bands. are but a fraction of what they were In 1910 I"The crop area, especlally sugsr, has been greatly reduced. Many of the a1} beginners of all fmportant s (of & primitive but practical type) have fallen into disrepalr. | There is little home market for the factorles or business for the rull- |rouds. There Is hardly a chance that ths government can ralse enough taxes in the next few years to bal- |ance its budget, even if the army e {reduced from 75,000 to 25,000, as planned—and that might bring re- Vellon, s But these are onlr the emergency problems. Other more vital and fun- damental changes will take decades. Tt will take decades to educate the | utterly primitive and not cven semi- {clvllized Indian population. It will take decades to teach thls recent serf to administer even the smallest farm, | It will take decades before any con- derable part of the elections are above suspielon or any consideruble proportoin of the cloctors vote a fre. Australlan ballot after the American or Western Luropean manner. But becwuse the Mexican situation Is desperate that {a no reason way great measure, upon what he thinks, how he thinks, when he thinki Whether he thinks it naturally, tuitively, or artificlally, even forced, does not make so much difference— ths main point s that he thinks som thing. “I am, because I think,” sald Descartes. 3any have difficulty in grasping the idea that what a man does and sava comes from what he thinks. Thinking 1 such an intangible thing, if one may be pardaned for such an evident statement, it s quite hard to see, sometimes, how deed: come from thoughts. “Words are things” some one hus #ald. Thoughts are facts, and you cannot get away from facts. That is how It comes about that as we think, 50 we are, for better or for worse. * ¥ % ¥ to Led, and early to rise, man healthy, wealthy and " This sage crack of the great Franklin stands today as one of his greatest monuments, despite the fact that there are thousands of healthy men Who never go to bed until mid- night or after, just as there are thousands of weaithy men who stay up late, and hundreds of wise men who have no use—theoretically—for sleep. Actually, every created thing has use for sleep. Even the nighthawks have to put aside, although they may do It most reluctantly, a certaln time for Morpheus. Recently in Beslln a group of “fu- turlsts” went on record in favor of the ultimate abolition of sleep, but that | resolution will find itself tabled by na- ture in the long run. Of course, going to bed early, and get- ting up with the dawn, does not auto- | matically make a man either healthy, | Fealthy or wiee, The fact that one so lves @hows he possesses some wisdom, but the health and the wealth must come from his own plysique, activity and brain power. Benjamin Frankl bor. He enunciated a truth. but gave his hearers credit for knowing how much the result depended upon them. No, there are plenty of lunkheads run- ning around who g0 to bed every night 2t 8 o'clock and get up at 6 am “To him who hath shall be given, and from him that hath not even the little that he hath shall be taken awus.” These worde of the gentle Jesus are among the truest ever apoken in this world. There is no man living who does rot see them exemplified before his very eyes every day. When a man secures an Eonor, those who conferred it upon him delight in honoring him still more, since thus they honor themselves. Wherefore, “Nothing succeeds like suc- cess.” This Is the companion truth, a brusque modern atatement worthy of having been composed by Napoleon, that incarnation of succear at any cost. Birds of a feather flock together” is paired with “A man is known br the company he keeps." The one speaks of & general condition, the other is specific. but both mean about the same thing. ard both are true. “What i8 is, and what will be will be.” This {3 & more or leas fatalistic utter- arce, but simnly makes as plain & state- ment of fact as there iv. Anything that | happens, 1s, and anything that will hap- pen, well, it will happen ! Every man has something to «e!l”” iz @ business aphorism, one that rings true. Some men eell goods, all sell ! ability—und some thelr souls ““There is- somsthing In the misfor- tunes of our dearest friends t is not displeasing.” Now, there is a cynical re- wark for you, and yet it is true enough. “How do rou expain that?" I asked a bright young lady. “There is alwuys a sort of sly satis- faction that it hasn't happened to us, she replied You may not agree with that last one | —I hope you don't—but here is one no- | body can dlspute—that is whr T put ftin: | *The square deseribed on the hypoth- enuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares on the other twe sides.” was a wise old we should despalr. It is reason on. why we mu cpare to he ever more patient «. helpful. The possi- ULle rate of progress I have deseribed 15 that maximum that can be safely forecast. It assumes gradually in- creasing law and order and produc- tion. New revolutions and foreign complications would retard it still further. But it may also be acceler- ated. The Rockefeller Foundation finds that 82 per cent of the popula- tlon in some districts have hook- worm. Its elimination may double the productivity and wages of labor as it has dome in Brazil. Another curse, malariz, could alse be’ elimi- nated. New {rrigation ideas, the use of tractors, new roads giving access by automobile, etc. may open up whole sections. Mexico is at last in the hands of a great popular leader, who wants to develop the people as well as the re- sources of his country. He may suc- ceed; but the odds are heavily against him—unless he can manage to ob- tain and hold for his country the understanding end sympathy of the people of the United States. Unfor- tunatel; the enemies of true self- government fog Mexico are numerous and powerful—in both countri And there s reason to fear that they may infect our minds and hearts with thair {natural Impatlence with the necessarily slow psychological processes of nat- ural development. (Coprright by Cosmos News, Willlam Alles White, cdairman board.) ndteate, editorisi ——— Reasons for School Survey Are Stated To the Editor of The Star: 1 read with great astonishment your editorial headed, “No School Survey Needed.” In all this argument about a survey of the schools, I cannot help but wonder who is more interested i{n the welfere of thelr own children than the parents themselves. e, the par- ents, pay the taxes that run these schools of ours, we furnish the ch dron, and I can assure You that the parent-teacher associations furaish Just about all the comforts of the Sehools, spending thousands of dollars for materials that are furnished by the schoo! boards of any other cit: So the parents, who, by the way, Rave made two survevs, the best that have been made, hecause they visited every bullding, only ask that 2 sc! entlfic survey be inade, 50 we may know 1l facts, and then an up-to- date map be made of the entire school aystem, showing needs in all locali- can be finished by next Fall, so thé cry of “delay” is absurd. If the fAve-year building program s passed they cannot get to work for a vear. So why the hysterfa about it? Wa parents-feel that at last we must demard that no schools be built with- out regard for the consideration for the health of our children; that nar- row brick-lined balls and brick-lined clagsrooms are not only unsightly, but dacidedly & menace to health and cve- fght. We are not opposed to a vear buliding program; we wish it were a ear progran:, but not under pres- ent’ couditions of lack of knowledge of what & school building should be and what the entire District of Co- tumbla siiould havé in order to bring it anywhere near a standard that all of us would be proud of. MARY ELIZABETH RAFTER, | Bresident of Distriet of Columbta Co! | gress of Parent-Teacher Assocla- tiens. their | i blological ecience, 5o that he now oc- The Library Table BY THE BOOKLOVER Arnold Bennett's Elsie, the hard- working, kindly, voracious general gervant of the respectable Earlfor- ward couple In “Riceyman Bteps,” has been ugain introduced into literature in the title story of a new volume of short stories by Mr. Bennett, “Elsie nd the Child.” At the close of Riceyman Steps” Kisie marries Joe, a shell-shocked ex-soldler, always more or less morose and subject to fits of violence, but altogether and very dependently devoted to Elsie. After the shabLy deaths of the Barl- forwards, one after the other on the same day, Elsie and Joe go to work for Dr. Raste, who had attended the Earltorwards in their last illness— that Is, he had attended them as much as Mr. Barlforward penuriousn would permit. Dr. Raste {s the lead- ing physiclan of Clerkenwell and has an establishment of some size; Mrs. Raste ulso makes some pretensions to formallty in her housekeeping, so Elsie rises in the scale of labor, and whereas she had formerly been a charwoman, then a ‘“general” she now becomes a house-parlormaid. She would have been cook, except that Joe's inborn talent for cookery has been discovered when he has once cooked @ mea] during a slight llness of El and henceforth Joe has pre- slded over the saucepans on the big kitchen range. Elsie and Joe are in their way as dlsingulshed as Juno and Jupiter. Every one calls them simply Eleie and Joe. “Once they possessed a surname, but through disuse it had withered away and existed no more— save In ink on their insurance cards and medical card #* Eisie was the active. benevolent force of “Riceyman Steps,” though she shared with the two Earlforwards the character interest. The delical literary quality of “Elsie and the Child"—and it is one of the beat of Arnold Bennett's shorter picces of fiction—depends entirely on the char- acter of Klsie. There is a story, but one cares little for it except as it in- volves Elsle. “Elsie had youth, kind, dark blue eves, blue-black hair, a magnificent physique, the stability of @ tower.” She is both subtle and si ple. When Joe has “one of his moods™ and beats the dog and smashss the alarm clock and rips from their nall on the wall the war medals of Elsie’s first husband, Elsie is tactful enough to say nothing; she only glances sur- reptitiously around to see if there are any knives in the room and feels that she is “living to the full her private life in thess moments.” She never ceases puzzling over the pecullarities of the “worshiped and incalculable rulers of the universe” who dwell above stairs. They are unhappy if ther cannot have a bath every day Elsie herself {s content to throw her light purple uniform 2nd all her un- dergarments In one heap at night and to tumble unbathed into bed. They must have their meals “as com- plicated as a church servios”; Elsie enfoys best eating her “fill" of one dish, preferably cold boiled potatoes. Elsle can never understand why It is bad manners to knock at the draw- ing room door, or even to cough, be- fore ghe enters. Elsie is the slave of Miss Eva, the badly spofled 12-year- old daughter of the Rastes, and the fact that Miss Lva loves Disie better than she loves her mother nearly makes serlous trouble in the. well or- Fanjzed tamily, but Joe saves the situation. * Representative Robert Luca of Mas- fachusetts, in addition to a long ca- reer of active and useful participation in theywork of law-making, has for some years been engaged in writing an exfensive work on the science of legislation. When complete, this treatise will consist of four volumes, treating historically, deseriptively and critically the legislative branch of government. Two fat volumes of this work have now appeared. Of these, the first, on “Legislative Pro cedure” was published a year gy the second, on “Legisiative Assem- blies” has recently come from the prese. In this volume Mr. Luce, who, before his election to Congress six years ago, had In his own State served in the legislature, the gov- ernor's councll and a constitutional convention and had been lieutenant governor, describes the framework. muke-up, character, characteristics, habits and manners of legislative bodles, present and past, American and foreign, and in doing so draws on 2 wealth of historical Information The two remaining volumes in this erudite and interesting series will be devoted, respectively, to “Legis- lative Principles” and “Legisiative Problems.” et I A new®magazine, the initial num- | ber of which is dated January, 1923, {5 entitled the Golden Book. By de- sign it contains nothing that has not been previously published, and has stood the test of time. It aims to include only “fiction and true stories that will live.” Among the aristo- ciats of letters represented in this first number are Anatole France, Stevenson, Kipling, Mark Twain, Bret Harte, O. Henry, Richard Harding Davis, Owen Wister, Gaboriau, Mau- passant, H. lunner, Tolstoi, Du- mas, Robert Burns and Verner von Heidenstam. The Golden Book is edited by Henry W. Lanier, with the ance of an editorial board con- eisting of Willlam Lyon Phelps, Stu- art P. Sherman, John Cotton Dana and Charles Mills Gavley. Prof. J. versity foremost Arthur Thomson of the Uni- of Aberdeen is perhaps the present-day popularizer of cuples the field formerly held by Hux- ley. His book, “What Is Man?,” is an introduction to an all-round study of man as an organism and as a social perso He avolds technicalities, quotes abundantly from well known authorities and makes intricate mat- ters clear and fascinating to the lay- man. The book s the result of a course of lectures given before the United Free Church College in Aber- deen. Dr. Thomson in his treatment of the pedigree of man is an out-and- out exponent of organic evolution, sometimes called the Darwinfan the- ory, and since this course of lectures Is the third that he has given under the same auspices, it may be taken for granted that the Willilam Jen- nings Bryans are not very numerous on the board of trustees of the United Free Church College. The uuthor be- lieves that the evolution of man is not a completed proces “Without haste, without rest, taking millions of vears to make a vertebrate, and other millions to make a mammal, the sublime process has continued. Its momentum s still behind us. Why should It stop?” He also believes that “the modern ldea of God—a God of evolution-“—brings us back to the God of our fathers, whose name ‘Jehovah' —the scholars tell us—meant not ‘I am that T am,’ but ‘T will be what I will be.’ " * * % A new magazine, the initial num- ber of which s dated January, 1925, is entitled The Golden Book. By de- sign it contains nothing that has not been previously published and has stood the test of time. It alms to include only “fiction and true stories that will 1lve.” Among the arlsto- crats of letters represented in this first number are Anatole France, Stevenson, Kipling, Mark Twain, Bret Harte, O. Henry, Richard Harding Davis, Owen Wister, Gaboriau, Mau- passant, II. C. Bunner, Tolstoi, Du- mas, Robert Burnsg and Verner von Heidenstam. Tha Golden Book is ed- ited by H Lanier, with the assistanee of uu cditorial board con- sisting of “Wililam Lyon Phelps, Stu- art P. Shermarn, John Cotton Dana and Charles MiTl: Cuvley. | clusive of the dam above the Falls, ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. How many women are there in Parliament?—B. McG. A. Four women were elgcted to the House of Commons on November 2 and will take thsir seats when the Parllument convenes. They are Lads Astor, Duchess of Atholl, Mrs, Eilton Phillipson and Miss E. Wilkinson. Q. Why was the late Samuel Gom- pers given military escort for his fu- neral?—J. T. B, A. Military honors wers given to Samuel Gompers in recognition of his services during the World War. Q. Will you please tell me wheth- er the tonsils are of any use?—S. E. A. While muchstudy is now being given to the question of the physio- logical function of the tonsil, little information is avallabl Various theories have been advanced, as that it produces a digestive ferment; that it secretes mucus to aid in the de- glution of food; that it forms lym- phocytes; that it produces an Inter- nal secretion of value, etc. None of theso has been proved, however. Q How much did the Publisher Constable give Sir Walter Scott for “Marmion?'—G, S. S, A. The sum was £1,000. Q. Can jodine be used to purify wa- ter’—R. W. E. A. Yes. Add two drops of ordinary tincture of lodine to « quart of wa- ter and let ft stand half an hour be- fore using. The quantity of iodine used is so small that it cannot be tasted in the water, although it is of sufiicient strength to kill all germs. Q. How many authors claimed to have written Llizabeth Allen's “Rock Me to Sleep”?—C. A, E. A. Five writers claimed its author- ship. Q. Why were the Irish Fenian cieties given that nam 8 A. Socleties originally known in Ireland as Phoenix Societies adopted the name Fenian, taking it from Fionn or Finn, who commanded a kind of Irish militia in the third century. Q. Who was “the father of Ameri- can mineralogy”?—M. F. W. A. Parker Cleaveland, born st Row- Mass., in 1780, who died at ick, Me., 78 vears later, was given that title. He was a pro- fessor in Bowdoin College for 63 years, acquired a world-wide repu- tation, and was elected a member of 16 different scientific and literary so- cieties in Europe. Q. Has a United States Senator ever been killed in 2 duel?>—f. S. B A. A duel was fought in California In 1859 between United States Sena- tor David A. Broderick and Judge D. S. Terry, in which Senator Broderick was killed. Q. At what depth was oil first dis- covered in this country?—D. C. T. A. The first oil well in America Titusville, Pa., was feet deep and produced 400 gallons of oil a day Q. Is it true that one leg is long- er than the other, and that for this reason a person when lost walks in & circle?™—A. W. C. A. The Public Health Service says that there is a slight difference in the length of a human being's legs. Tiis difference may oceur in either leg. Although disputed by some persons, it is said that the right N TODAY’S BY PAUL V. Usually it 1 expected that the #grave and reverend Senators” will be found more conservative and cautious in enacting important legis- lation involving not only millions of dollars of expenditures, but also ques- tons of general policy as to public ownership of utilities, than is looked for in the House. The Representa- tives are younger and fresher from “the people” of their districts, hence- But when it comes to Great Falls| development for the supply of water for Washingtonians to drink and of | power with which to light the eity move the street cars and keep the wheels of industry operating at low cost, the Senate has led the wav, where “Representatives fear to read.” The Norris bill, which passed the Senate last April. authorizing the War Department to g0 ahead with the immediate construction of all the Great Falls project as presented by the War Department in Maj. Tyler's plans. That meant the fnvestment as promptly as practicable construc- tion could be done, of mot Jess than $44,500,000. with dams below and above the Falls, for the operation of power house machinery and for the conservation of water in great veser- voirs, so that the supply held back would be available to maintain an even flow throughout the dry seasons as well as in flood time. That would produce some 120,000 horsepower, which is about double that the ci of Washington now consumes. It would mean a continuous all-year flow of 6,000 cubic feet of water per second, with a fall of 215 feet 3 * % k¥ Now comes the House subcommittte of the committee on the District of Columbla, headed by Chairman Zihl- man,. our neighbor from Baltimore. After prolonged hearings this sub- committee recommends an amended program in the development of the Tyler project by plecemeal and with conditions precedent. The House committee appears. just as outspoken in indorsing the economy of the project as the Senate, while it pro- poses to advance only as far as it can do so without unnecessary risk. The House plan would require that before any construction actually be- gins the Government shall acquire all the land, including its riparian rights, which the entire Tyler plans involy Also, before the surplus power shall be created, that sur- plus must be sold or contracted for, Dby responsible customers. It assumes that the time to sell anything at a profit is before becoming overstocked; hence, instead of planning to de- velop the entire Tyler project (in- with the great reservoirs above the Falls), only the dam and reservoir below the Falls, at Chain Bridge, shall be constructed. - That will cost $18,600,000 and can be bullt as part of the full scheme of $44,500,000, just as advantageously as if the entire plant were to be constructed at once. Washington will consume at once all the power of that one unit at Chain Bridge; additional construction to follow when the need for more power appears. Even this one Chain Bridge unit cannot be ready until 1930 * % % The Norris bill, as passed by the Senate, makes no provision for thé aistribution of the electricity, but it is confined only to its production. The House messures is made de- pendent upon advance contracts for distribution, and Chalrman Zihlman states that it {s the purpose to con- tract with existing private corpora- tions to handle that distribution, rather than for the Government to enter into ruinous competition with established private enterprise. The local electric company already has its system of wires underground. The wiring was done mostly beiore | the etreets were paved. For the Government to parallel the wires with | who side of the body is slightly heavie than the left. The right side of the body is controlled by the left side of the brain, which is usually the larger side, except in a left-handed individual, when this is reversed. Q. Who did the actual cutting of the marble statue of Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial?—A. C. D. A. Six brothers named Piceirilli, a family of Italian sculptors. French went over their work, pointed up the features and attended to other de tails. Q. Has Japan ever been invaded” —J.H. B A. No invasion of Japan has oc curred in historical times. Kubla Khan attempted an invasion, but was repulsed. Q. Who first used the term “mov ing pictures?’—S. S. A. Thomas §. Tally of Los Angeles is credited with coining the phrase “moving pictures” in 1897, Q. How many parts are there in a typewri 7—W. A. A, A, Different makes af machines vary somewhat, but one of the mos: popular has 1,500 parta. Q. Can a candy thermometer be lett in the bolling sirup?—W. C. A. A candy thermometer may be placed in the candy when it goes o the stove and left in it until the re quired temperature is registered Heat will not hurt it Q. Did the St. Louis Browns eve win a pennant under Chris von de Ahe?—R. R. A. The St. Louis Browns won the rennant for four consecutive years 1885-86-87 and 1598, when a membe: of the American Association, whicl was a mafor league at that time, ur der Chris von de Ahe. What was the first land grant from ates”—T. F. R. A. The first railroad land grant from the United States was to the Mobile & Ohio Co. of 1,000,000 acre lying along the route from Mobil to the mouth of the Ohio River. It was made in 184 Q. When watch first M. M. F. A. A Q get a 1road 1 the United the parts of by machinery were made and Edwar process o 3 ron Dennison Howard invented the making the parts of a watch b machinery and erected the firs building in the world for that pur- pose at Roxbury, Mass.. beginning the manufacture of American watches 1850, Q. What was Riot?—D. R. W A. A riot continuing through tin night of July 3 until the night « July 4, 1837, in New York City, wa so-called. It took its name from t roughs and rowdies of “Five Points who were known as “dead rabbits Eleven persons were killed riot. Dead Rat th it (Inforin and entertain yourself b making constant use of The Star I formation Bureau, Frederic J. Hask: director, Twenty-first and C stree’ northwest. There is a wealth of infornia tion at the command of The Star read ers. There is mo charge for service e cept a 2-cent stamp, which should be i closed for direct reply.) SPOTLIGHT . COLLINS. to co-operate with the Potomae Eie tric Power Co. in the distributic over cxisting wires, 1f the Potomac Electric Power ( declines to co-operate, it is sugges ed by the committee that the Fede. autl:oritles could require it to p chase its current in the cheapes market—that of the hydroslectr Groat Falis power—and could b | further pressure to bear by reducin: rates to consumers so low that stea production of current by the Poto mac Electric Power Co. would ruinous. Baltimore might become profitable bidder for the current case it is not accepted by the loc power company. However, the Co! gressmen do not expect such a co tingency to arise. Actording to Maj. Tyler, the cc of power delivered in Washin, ¥ would not exceed 6.75 mills, when th- item of depreciation of the plant put at 6 per cent: if depreclation he counted at 5 per cent the cost weuld be 6.2 mills, and it can be distrib over long distance lines at an add tional cost of one mill per 100 miles $0 that Baltimore would be within . range as a customer. saving to Washingtonians, on badls or presant consumption, ie a5 31,500,000 & year. The natural beauty of the falls w not b changed. et Th the giver The reservoir below the fals will be ~a lake 8 miles long, which may be adorned as a feature of a new park Representative Blanton recently read into long testimonials from uents praising of Texus the record his constit opposition to ap- propriations for the benefit of th. National Capital—so far off fr Texas—is opposed to the Great Fa development by the Government. e cites it as an unconstitutional exer cise of the Government's right of eminent doman to cross State lines invade Maryland and Virginia and condemn land belonging to private in dividuals, unless solely for naviga- tion. FHe protests that the proposed dams and power houses will not affect the navigation 6f the Potomac {ver, hence not within the constitu tional powers of Congress. In response to Mr. Blanton's objec- tions, the question of constitutiona! ity has been passed upon by Attor- ney General Stone—i.e. Associate Jus- tice Stone soon to sit upon the United States Supreme bench—who sweeps jeway the Blanton arguments with & carefully worded opinion, signed per sonally by himself. He says of the right to condemn “The report referred to may cor template condemnation proceedings and make clear what the bill does not specifically declare. To avold an) doubt, the authority to condemn reul estate should be expressly confer- Ted. ¢ 4 ® “When the Legislature itself ex- pressly declares the purpose for use to be a public one, or what amons ‘s to the same thing, expressly author- izes a taking for a use specifically described, its judgment will be ac- cepted by the courts, unless the use is palpably without reasonable foun- dation. * % ¢ As the supreme legislative authority for the District of Columbia, and having numerous governmental establishments whizh consume large quantities of electric current, there would be some ground for & declaration by Congress that such hydroelectric development was both necessary and expedient.” Mr. Stone cites the power of Con- gress to condemn land at Gettysburg and elsewhere for memorial park purposes, where the land (at Gett burg) was taken from a raflway which, itself, had right of eminent domain then, adds Mr. Stone, “It is difficult to conceive of any valld obfection to the Government's benefiting itself and promoting the welfare of the residents of the Na- tional Capital by furnishing a pub- lic utility service which modern life a new system laid beneath paved streets would be Impossible except. At great expense, and it 1s proposed: makes convenient and.almost indis= pensable.” tesis « (Coprright, 1925, by Paul V. Oolites.)