Evening Star Newspaper, January 17, 1925, Page 6

- wonders what real diffe THE EVENING STAR‘Tme«tmg a serfous fall of the lira in With-Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY....January 17, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES. The Evening Star Newspaper Company tusiness Ofce, 11th St and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 Fast Chicago Ofee: Tower Rul European Office : 16 Regent St.,London, England. .. . Editor with the Sunday morning Ly carrlers within the per month: daly only, 43 Sunday only cents per [ t by mail or tele ction is mude by car. h month. Orders the niay end of es Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance, Maryland and Virginia. d Sunday. .1 yr., $8.40 Daily only 1yr., $6.00 Sunday « 1yr., $2.40 1 mo, 70¢ 1 mo., 50¢ All Other State: 1¥r, $10.00; 1 mo., $5¢ $7.00: 1 mo., 60c 1yr, 1yr. $3.00°1mo, 25¢ Daily and Daily only Bunday inday only. Associated Press. svely entitled Member of th hews pub. lication of reserved Snow-Cleaning Money. and the Dis- busines a Congress priation neans for alls With begin h Winter the Commissioners a position to make an ef- learance of at least the main city ners caders of the city ay a pro al was approved to urge make an annual appr of gton. at the streets of the however severe the fund provided ctly limited to the It should be in the v fund. starting 20,000 and maintained at that throughout Winter by roy to supply it from time to st the 20 e stric each ations e Commis 1ld have an assured credit 11 times period of possible snow in a position to a ) of possible snow in of snow t they are fund were en at a short ith of March, to cope with visitation, such as inauguration period aordinary f a small sum solel: nadequate. In- gen has an unwise pro- cleaning a definite care one time, and al- hout the . by made t ained thro is the SNOW seasc re. s as drafts are 1pon n the Treasury the C: ich found the ent experience ¢ apita 1w C nprepared they 1 mo, 20c | foreign exchange. A part of the press of Italy attributes the sharp drop of lira quotations to maneuvers in Ber- lin, where recently reports of the as- sassination of Mussolini were printed and were cabled to all the stock ex- changes of the world. One of the gov- ernment organs urges that the arti- ficial depreciation was not justified by Ttaly's present political, economic and financial condition. At the same time, however, it is a real deprecia- tion, and is likely to find its reflex in n increase in the cost of living. This is perhaps one of its purposes, a move to start a revolutionary reaction against the Mussolini regime. No date has been set for the elec- Mussolini will choose his own time, but he must act soon. He has pledged an election, and he must ful- fill the pledge. Recently an anti-Fascist olt was narrowly averted by the announcement that the premier would submit to popular decision. King Victor is belleved to have exerted his influence to that end. Much has been | happening In Italy that is not clearly { understood outside, much, perhap: | that has not been known beyond the | boundaries. The situation there is ex tremely difficult, but apparently Mus- solini retains control, and there is no present sign to indicate that in the election he will be repudiated by the people. tion. rev ———— Mr. Hoover's Declination. The value of Herbert Hoover as an administrative officer of the Govern- ment is demonstrated anew by the offer to him by President Coolidge of the office of Secretary of Agricul- ture, which he has declined. The President’s tender of the office was a compliment to Mr. Hoover's capacity as executive, and particularly his ability as an organizer. Though not a farmer, he has closely studied the agricultural problem, which he con- ceives to be one of distribution and marketing rather than soil culture and tillage. That he would render a valuable service to the farmers in the capacity of Secretary to effect the or- ganization of a more scientific and economic marketing system is as- But Mr. Hoover has cogeluded, it would seem, that his true field of operation is the Department of Commerce, at the head of which he has served four years, and where he has worked out highly impertant results for the benefit of American in- dustries and business. and where he still has service to render along the same lines. When racent. it was announced t Mr. Hoover would continue in cabinet of Mr. Coolidge after March 4 there was a general feeling of gratification. He has sacrificed greatly in accepting office. He has been now engaged in the public serv- ice during war time and peace time for more than 10 years,atan immense pecuniary loss to himself and at the cost of unremitting labor in the most difficult conditions, for a large part of the time without any compensation. He is inspired by zeal of duty, and he now feels that his most useful line of occupation is in the department in which he at present serving, where opportunities offer for contributing constructively to the welfare of the people. sured. wisely, ———— Flush the Streets! Washington's streets are in a con- of | dition of | measures should be emploved to clean | them. 1 not be repeat- | ially movai purposes shou to use the si is should be made d funds themselves | all e meet Secretary Slemp’s Retirement. ment of C. Basc Slemp | ices as secretary m executive dent w )= an occasion to those who have dealings for in his v there he has helpful Mr. | for his post as the President’s aide largely on account of | executive offices, months of d most services. D was chos: 1 congressional pro- |good condition, and the public health > personn He W anication Congress. of the legi effective me- between the He was of 1y in the pre- ampaign and in the lative body. as it and material service politi convention tional canvass, mp will remain in Washing- ugh retaining his political resi- entering the 1 Thus he will be still his host of friends at Capital, where he has lived in an al capacity for na- dence in Virginia c- tice of law here. vears ———— »ses the average citizen tax publicity and ence it made. re pme Musc to rec fame. ——— hoals debate is beginning all the babbling brook of poetic r——— Mussolini's Confidence Vote. emier overwh, the lta Mussolini was given an of confidence in an Chamber of Deputles yes- terda to 33. Opposed to him were the three former premiers, Gi litti, Orlando and Salandra, the latter not present on account of iliness, but aligned with the Absent from t eeting were the 100 Aven- tine insurgent deputies who are boy cotting Parliament in protest against the M policies and program. ming vote opposition. ussolini The session was stormy, but the out-| 1t will be limited largely to Regular come was assured from the The effect of the vote insure gencral eleetion Mussolini will submit to the popular vote. His ontend that he is plot- ting so to frame the election law that victory will be insured. He declares that he contemplates an election at which all qualified voters may express re- be- is at his ginning. to which fortunes a enemies themselves without « pression. At yesterday’s session he shouted to one of the ex-premiers, who was charging him with planning coercive meast “You may rest as- sured we will not use the artillery in have reion or cur election that.” It is charged by the Mussolini gov- you ernment that a conspiracy against the | not be on ezl Laoak O 6 ldaed ol ideTT 'W- | mounds and layers thickly coated with finite | girt. The ordinary street-cleaning ap- | pliar }a fortnight. The rains that have fallen | nave carried away only a small per- done even|of spectators, been the feature, the of such filth that unusual The snow that froze after par- melting remains in places in s have mat been used for fully centage of the dirt, and with the grad- ual melting a muck has formed that is most unpleasant and is actually a menace to health. The Fire Department should be brought into service for cleaning the streets. By the use of hose the pave- ments could be scoured of all the dirt and probably much of the remaining snow and ice. A few hours would suffice to put most of the streets in would be protected thereby. Cer- tainly the city would look cleaner than it does at present. The existing con- dition of the streets is a disgrace to the Capital. —————————— In her various complications Ger- many has felt it desirable to forego, at least temporarily, the responsibili- ties attached to & system of prohibi- tion enforcement. e —————————— People who demanded a trial for the ex-kaiser did not realize how little time the world would have for inciden- tal demonstrations of retributive senti- ment. —— o Inauguration Auguries, ‘Washington is beginning to thrill in anticipation of the quadrennial cel- ebration which only the National Cap- ital can stage. On the occasion of the coming March 4 eight years wili have gone by without anything in the way of a colorful or elaborate ceremony. Although the inaugural, now not quite two months off, will, because of presidential preference, have no chance of equaling past performances still fresh in the minds of thousands of local citizens, the latter, and the many visitors, will undoubtedly be thankful for what they get. On the credit side will be the par- ade; none has been held since 1917. troops stationed within easy traveling distance of the seat of Government. With the elimination of civilian con- tingents and of State National Guard units it will be shorter and in some ways better, although the presence of such crack speciaily uniformed corps as the Richmond Blues, the 5th Mary- land and others, a point at present not decided upon, would prove gratifying exceptions. On the debit side is the de- cision not to import the West Point and Annapolis cadets. These two de- tachments, undoubtedl. the best- drilled and best-appearing troops in the world, have always, in the minds THE EVENING BSTAR, WASHINGTON, D. young persons, would on that day get their first glimpse of these upstanding young Americans, a view calculated to be of patriotic value. There will be no inaugural ball, bril- !liant with the uniforms of visiting corps. This, perhaps, is as well, for with the growth of Washington and the development of the motor car travel probably no structure could be found here that would be both ade- quate and appropriate. Such an af- fair never was really a ball, anyhow; it was more of a promenade except that one could not promenade by re son of the crush. There almost cer- tainly will, however, for the bencfit of those who like to dance, who want somewhere to go and to take their guests, be a duplication of the highly successful charity ball of four years since. It is planned to make this the outstanding social event of the season, and for this plan Washington and towns large and small in every part of the country should alike be grate- ful. A tip to local householders with hospitable hearts and spare_rooms: Invite inaugural guests early. They will have some anyhow, and they might as well get those they like best. o A Corrective Penalty Needed. In drafting the proposed new traffic law for Washington the District com- mittees in Congress would do well to consider the adoption of penalties for the graver offenses against the regu- lations, such as driving while drunk and running away after collid- ing, in terms of imprisonment without the alternative of fines. A stralght jail sentence far more effective than a money penalty. In most cases at present offenders have the alternative of paying cash or go- ing to prison, and whenever they are financially able to do so they choose the former, A fine that is paid is soon forgotten. A jail term is never forgotten. Under the present system of alterna- tive punishments only those who are unable to pay go to jail in expiation of an offense. The more affuent of- fenders escape with a penalty that is relatively light, This is in effect a discrimination. It is virtually the same as forfeiture of collateral on a larger scale. There i3 no assured corrective in a fine. The habitual rule breaker is apt to continue his practice of speeding | or reckless driving when he has left cash with the clerk of the court. He is free to continue his dangerous use of the streets, whereas the offender who has been Jailed is for 30 or 60 or mors days out of commission, S0 to speak. No more trouble is to be apprehended from him for a period. Penalties should be viewed as cor- rectives, not simply as punishments. The test of the matter comes in terms of effectiveness. A daily recital in | the reports of Traffic Court proceed- | ings of fines imposed clearly carries | no effective admonition to the driving | public, else there would be a diminu- tion of Trafiic Court work. v A man with an iron will as an or- ganizer of voters, the late Richerd Croker could not provide against a lack of harmony in his own family circle. is ot — Scientists are still announcing dis- coveries that may prolong life, pro- vided the.individual escapes the reck- less motor driver, — e So far as changes of personnel are concerned the inauguration on March 4 will look almost like & set of New Year resolutions. o SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER J@HNSON. He Who Gets Fed. ‘Whene'er a man of fame draws near, The same old plan we view. He banquets with extensive cheer, 'Most every day or two. And every other afternoon Receptions claim his care As with a knife and fork and spoon He fondles fancy fare. His old alarm clock he must wind Although his hours were late; An early. breakfast he may find Classed with affairs of state, Ah, he who would his country serve ‘With faithfulness complete Must exercise both brain and nerve— And eat, and eat, and eat. No Choice, “Are you in favor of economy?"” “It doesn't make any difference whether you're in favor of it or not,” answered Senator Sorghum. “When you're working on a Government salary you've got to have it.”” Critical Moments. While op'ry singers make their choice The world uncertain runs. ‘We wonder if they'll lift a voice Or elevate their-guns. Jud Tunkins says it's all right to laugh at your troubles, but you'd bet- ter not do it in the face of a traffic cop. Versatile Date. Next Fourth of March will bring to view Inaugural display. The date, with various changes due, 1s also moving day. Literary Decadence. “Literature is at a low ebb.” “It is,” answered Uncle Bill Bottle- top. “Even the label on a licker bot- tle doesn't mean anything worth noticin”.” Suppressed Demonstration, ‘With no inaugural display We may seem shy and shrinking, There'd be a mighty noise, they say, 1t we could hear the thinking. The Lonely Laugher. “Why don’t you like him?"” “He lacks dignity and repose,” an- swered Miss Cayenne. “He's the sort that will put on the headphones and laugh out loud all by himself at radio comics.” C., SATURDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Cleaning off snow is getting to be a regular household occupation in Washington this Winter. Real snow shovels—made in Michigan, where they have big snows, are in demand, hardware stores reporting brisk sales. If you ever have tried to clean the &now off your walk with a small éoal sho you will know just what that mean “Oh, papa, see the beautiful snow!" chortles little Billy, rubbing his chubby_nose against the cold pane, while Tis gleaméng eyes take in the whole fairyland into which Our Street has been transformed. Father, however, s8mchow fails to enthuse over the lovely snow. To him it represents hard work, hazardous automobiling, slush, wet feet, maybe a leaky roof. “Papa, aln't the snow beautiful?” Yes, my son, very beautiful.” “What makes it beautiful, papa?” “Why, ah, nature makes it beauti- ful, Billy. That's it—nature makes it beautiful” “Nature papa?’ “Why, the snow, my son, the snow. 1f.little boys play In it too much, they will get wet feet, and maybe they will go to Heaven, and be angels.” “Will there be any snow §n Heaven, papa?’ “Why, ere —ere—oh, snow in Heaven.' “And will the angels get wet feet, too, papa? “I suppose so, I suppose s0."" “If they get wet feet, where will they go, papa?” makes what beautiful, es, there Is Xk ok off snow with a coal shovel Is a task reminiscent of Her- cules and his famous job in the Augean livery stable. Householders in the National Capi- tal are so used to petty snows, with perhaps one big fall a year, that or- dinarily they do not possess them- selves of a proper wooden snow shovel. Now there is no more useless thing In the worlde than & wooden snow shovel when there Is no snow. It is like a phonograph wtihout a record, a radio recelwng set without a tube, a furnace without coal. A snow shovel without snow is worse than a Gibson girl of the 1900 vintage wtihout an admirer, more to be pitled than a puppy without a small boy to wool it around, much worse off than an automobile lacking skid chains on a slippery street, more seless than a bee without flowers. Forelorn the snow shovel stands during Spring, Summer and Autumn and perhaps most of the Winter, but when a big snow comes down, then it comes into its own. And if, as seems to be the case here this Win- ter, snow follows snow, the wooden shovel proves to be a real good in- vestment For something less than a dollar tha fntrepld home owner who is deter- mined to abide by the police regulations which call for the removal of snow within 24 hours after it ceases falling, can get himself a very capable shovel. He will bless his own foresight the minute his left hand falls on the han- , and his right slides down the shaft. “Ouch!” he is llkely to exclaim, as several splinters enter his hands. Makers of snow shovels seem to g0 on the theory that users of the same have tough hands. Such & thing as smoothing off the handle and shaft never seems to oc- cur to the enterprising manufac- turers. Perhaps they intend them for horny-handed sons of toll rather than for white collar workers. So the first thing necessary, after purchasing your big wooden shovel, is Cleaning The Future of to remove it carefully to the basement and glve it a good sandpapering. What wonders even the unskillful can work with sandpaper! It is better to take your splinters oft beforehand than to get them in the hand later. This is n case where a splinter on the paper is worth two in_the hand. Decldedly. * k¥ ok You stand in the front door, rub- bers on feet, sweater around manly form, new snow shovel proudly aloft over left shoulder. Across the street old Bill Jones is sweating away with his coal shovel Bill moves with the precision of a machine, bend, scoop, raise up, toss- bend, scoop, raise, toss—1, 2, 3, 1,238 4. At the end of the tenth shovel he stops, affecting to lean on his shovel to look across the street. You know better.” He is winded. He makes out as If he were viewing the landscape—the snow, snow, beau- tiful snow—but {n reality he is rest- ing. You have tried it yourself with a coal shovel! Ask dad, he knows! “Watch me now, Bill,”” you seem to call, a8 you stride down the steps and slide the big wooden scopp across the walk. The {ron-bound btim bites into the white stuff after the manner of a glant steam shovel Into sand. She cuts a swath wider than the wake of a passenger steamer. She eats up the snow like a greyhound distance. You push the shovel in front of you, as if it were a lawn mower, and it cuts the snow away like so much grass, piling it yp on its broad beam. Before old Bill Jones is half down his walk, standing up stralght at every tenth scoop to’taks the kinks out of his back, you have completed your entire walk. “Best buy I've made this Winter,” you Inform yourself. P Home 1ife In Winter seems just one darn shovel after another. When you are not shoveltng coal into the furnace, you are shoveling snow off the walk into that constant- ly augmenting pile in the yard and out next the curb. Soon there will be various layers ot snow in Washington streets, much as one finds half a dozen or more layers of wall paper on the walls in apart- ments. In these you can peel off pa- per after paper, showing forth bits of color, giving the spectator some {dea of the various tastes—or lack thereof —of former occupant 1f snows continue to stick here geologists will be able to expatiate upon the strata in the streets, saying, “This streak here marks the end of the big snow of January 1 and 2; this layer here i the result of the com- bined snow and slest of January 11; this layer- il Shovellng snow is becoming & soi- ence with us Snow may mean fun and snowballs, sleds and frolio, with the small boys, but with staid house- holders it means just one thing: Shoveling. Determination of the proper time to begin the operation needs to be calcu- lated with a sextant, after careful reference to the weather predictions, for the wary householder is confront- ed with the following momentous question: Whether it is better to shovel now, while the snow is still falling, and take a chance on having to do it all over again at night, or whether one should wait until evening and do it all at one fell swoop. Brothers of the shovel, what do you say? 4 the Philippines By FRANGIS B. LOOMIS. ARTICLE 1V. I now come to a consideration of what the United States has done in a material and economic way for = the Filipinos. It is assumed that all in- telligant Americans are aware of what the United States has done in the way of education and spiritual enlighten- ment for the Filipino people. In the matter of foreign trade, Philippine Islands have gained per cent in the last 20 years; major portion of this business Leen with the United States. The trade of the Philippines for 1923 totaled $208,552,737, of which 65 per cent was witlp the United States. In that year the islands pur- chased $50,654,710 worth of American goods, or 58 per cent of all goods imported into the islands. Philippine exports in 1923 amounted to $120.- 752,080, of which $85,543,675, or 71 per cent worth, went to the United States. In 1904 Philippine foreign trade was only $29,500,000, with im- ports and exports evenly divided. Future Trade Possibilities. Yet our trade with the islands is considered to be far short of ulti- mate possibilities. Were the Philip- pines purchases from the United States on an equal basis with Ha- wall, or about $200 per capita a year, they would be more than $2,000,- 000,000. As for exports, the value is only limited by the development of the insular resources. To put the present purchasing power of the Philippines more con- cretely, the islands now use every year the output of 200,000 acres of American wheat, 86,000 acres of American cotton and 3,850 acres of American orchards. Twelve thousand five hundred American cows furnish part of the annual dairy-products of the archipelago. Manila is admirably situated geo- graphically for becoming the big trading center of the Far East. With- in a radius of 1,700 miles is a popu- lation of 126,000,000. Gradually the port is assuming such a position. Can Supply Tropical Needs. The Philippines are an archepelago approximately 6.000 miles west of the United States. They lio wholly with- in the tropics and are capable of pro- ducing practically all the troplcal products needed by the United States for generations to come. Thers are 115,026 square miles of land included in the 7,083 islands that constitute the archipelago. The United Kimg- dom comprises 121,438 square miles, Japan, 147,698, and Germany, 182,264. North and south the archipelago measures 1,152 miles; east and west, 682 miles between the extremes, with a coast line of 11,444 miles, longer than that of the United States. The population is about 11,000,000, all Filipinos or so-called non-Christian tribes, with the exception of 45,000 Chinese, 8,000 Japanese, 6,000 Ameri- cans, 4,000 Spaniards and about 3,000 of other nationalities. The popula- tion per ‘square mile {s 94; in the United States, 30. English is spoken or understood by about 4,000,000 Fill- the 700 the has s generally admitted that the biggest hindrance to capital invest- ment in the Philippine territory is the state of political unrest which has prevailed there for many years, due to the independence agitation, kept alive by & number of leading Filipino politicians, The people, as a whole, are happy, prosperous, and contented with American rule. In conclusion, I call attention to another fundamental fact, namely, very cream, of past reviews. That these gray and blue regiments will hand is to be regretted; WL ReRatEie “In too many cases,” said Uncle Eben, “’tain’ necessary foh Satan to go after sinners. All de old boy has to do 18 to leave his address.” that there is no such thing, properly speaking, as a Filipino nation or people. There is a collection of semi-civilized and savage tribes, some 50 In num- ber, speaking more than 83 different dialects, some of which are not un- by members any other tribes. Between many of these tribes thers exist historical feuds and hatreds. It is estimated that among the 11,000,000 people inhabiting the Philippine Islands not 'more than 400,000 coples of newspapers a day are circulated, and probably not more than one million people out of the entire population have any idea what is going on in the world. There are nearly a million pupils enrolled in the Philippine public schools, but only 60 or 70 per cent in attendance; 80 per cent leave after the primary course and 40 per cent of the balance are out of attendance all the time. Public Sentiment Weak. Furthermore, what we call educated and enlightened public sentiment does not exist among even a respeotable minority of the people. What passes in the islands for public sentiment is really opinfon manufactured at & price” by political cliques in Manila and some of the large towns and provinoes. We need not, therefore, be greatly concerned with what is called public opinion in the Philippine Islands on the subjeot of independence. The Fill- pinos are suffering from an excess of selfish, pernicious activity on the part of professional politicians. This is the Toot of their troubles. What they now need is 8o to improve conditions that a majority of the people may acquire enough intelligence to under- stand their true and worth-while friends are to be found among the thoughtful people of the United States and among those American of- ficlals who have devoted, unselfishly and gladly, so much of their time and talent and physical well-being to the regeneration of the islands and their people. Makes Plea for Birds. To the Editor of The Sta May I make a plea-for our birds through the pages of your paper? These beautiful feathsred creatures suffer for want of food and water In such storms as we are having, when every twig, =eed pod, berry, tender shoot and blade of grass'is covered with sleet and ice— when all of their drinking pools are solid blocks of foe. Game wardens tell us milllons of birds die every Winter In such storms as these. By feeding them we not only save them, but got the great thrill that comes from taming the wild. Shy wood creatures, with all thelr beauty of plumage and gayety of song, will come to the window sill for food and water. Oh, how it charms as they gain confidence and become less shy! This morning when I put out crumbs on the bird shelf hundreds of bluejays came flying down before I closed the window, followed by many specles of sparrows, a flock of dainty juncoes or snowbirds, and soon the friendly chicadees. Then Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal came, & Caro- lina wren, and finally the mocking blrd. A plece of suet tied to a tres near the window brings the hungry birds from the woods with all their woodland music. The nuthatch, downy and hairy, and red head woodpecker dined in close succes. sion. And finally the shy red-bellied woodpecker and the whistling tit- mouse. The bird bath is the great- est joy! For birds need a great deal of water. As soon as the bowl is filed with water, the birds flock to it and one by one they quench their thirst and often break the ice to bathe. The cardinals make the most thrilling picture with their high crests and brilliant plumage against the icy snow. The mocking bird is a frequent visitor—he never lets one for- get for one moment he is an F. F. V. among birds, MINNIE L, BRIGGS, | JANUARY 17, 1925. The Library Table BY THE BOOKLOVER Two exactly opposite views of old age are those of Browning, in “Rabbi Ben Ezra,” and Matthew Arnold, in “Growing Old.” Hrowning says: Grow old along with me! The best ix yet to be, The last of iife, for which the first was mude. Matthew Arnold says What in it to grow oid? In it to lose the glocy of the form, The lustre of the eye’ A Is it for beauty to forego her wreath? —Yes, but not this alone. It s to spend long days, And not once feel that we were ever YOUDg; it s to add, immured In the hot prison of the present, month To month with weary pain. It is with Matthew Arnold’s view that Hugh Walpole seems to be in accord in his novel “The Old Ladies There are three of the old ladies, all over 70, living in shabby, cheerless rooms In a rickety old building in Pontippy square, Polchester. “Mrs. Amorest and Mrs. Payne were won- derfully strong women for their age, but Miss Beringer felt her back a good deal” Yet Mrs. Payne's legs have a habit of glving out, o that she never dares leave her room, and Mrs. Amorest feels tired strangely soon whenever she goes for a walk in the High street or to the cathedral for afternoon service, and especially when she climbs the steep, dark stairs to her room. All three are wretchedly poor. and Mrs. Payne and Miss Ber- inger are completely alone in the world. Mrs. Amorest has a son some- where, from whom she has not heard for several years. Kach of the three thinks the other two show their age badly. * ok ok ¥ In the three old ladies Hugh Walpole has drawn three distinct types, alike only in their age and their loncline: Mrs. Amorest {s a pretty old lady and loves pretty things. She has given to her room an air of refinement, with her rose-colored silk _screen, gatelegged table and little bookcase containing Tennyson's complete works, 12 volumes of Macmillan's Magazine and the four books of poems and plays written by her husband. She is deeply religious, {ndepvndent and courageous; she asks nothing of any one and only one thing of Nfe—that her son Brand may return to her. Mrs. Payne s a coarss woman and malicious—more than half cra: we suspect. She fs lazy, a glutton and uncleanly also and passes her days “rocking herself in her chair, lying back In it wearing her soiled red wrapper and her shabby crimson shoes and munching nougat from a paper bag. Her passion for brilliant color has been a dominant characteristic from child- hood to old age. ‘“She had hated her husband for many reasons, but chiefly because he had thrown a gay hat of hers into the fire.” Miss Beringer fs the poorest of the three and the most lonely, because she has not even a past to look back upon. She has always been superfiuous. Her parents, with too many children, were never interested {n her, her brothers and sistérs slighted her because she was gawky and homely and her one friend married and pro- cesded to forget her entirely. She is “a stupid woman with a kind and gen- erous heart; than that there is nothing more aggravating, exasperating, touch- ing and pathetic to be found in the human kingdom.” She Is also a crea- ture of fears. “She had always been frightened of everything; now, with her 0ld age, her fears had accumuiated upon er. ’ o Commenting on his three old la- dies and others like them, Hugh Wal- pole says: “People talk of poverty and they talk of loneliness, and in a majority of cases do not. understand the trus meaning of either word People also talk of ‘the classes’ and their hardships. Very seldom do you hear anything about ‘the poor gentlewoman classes’ and thelr hardships. The poor gentlewo- men of this world do, in every civi- lized country, by their unselfish and heroic lives, constitute a large, pro- portion of the future citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. Verlly, they need that paradisal promise.’ FR The Booklover naturally wishes to see good books published, and then to have such books widely read. He is therefore interested in the diagnosis of the pub- lishing eftuation by an anonymous New York publisher-bookseller in the Janu- ary Atlantic Monthly. Commenting on a statement of the president of the Amer- fcan Booksellers' Association, who asks what has become of the slogan of a few vears back, “Fewer and better books,” he first points out that as a matter of fact there’ has not been a “constantly increasing production” of books. From 1830 there was a steady increase in the number of books published up to 1910, when there was a drop, due, no doubt, to the war and the increased cost of bookmaking, 5o that only about 63 per cent as many books wers published in 1923 as In 1910. Howeéver, he agrees that too many titles are published, and he proposes to his fellow publishers and booksellers certain remedies for such overproduction, which he summarizes as follows: “The only intelligent basis for the limitation of production is to kill oft the admittedly weak and worthless books, together with their sponsors, and then by every means in our power to concentrate on eversthing left. At a rough guees, I should eay that the residue would amount to 6,500 or 7,000 titles & year. Below this I do not think we can safely go, for below this would be economic underproduction. Above all we must increase the demand for £00d books. We can do this only by co- operation.” * X %k X The power of music as a therapeu- tic agent is advocated by Dr. Agnes Savill in her book, “Music, Health and Character.” The author herself was not a natural music Jover, but once, when taken against her preference to a Chopin recital, she made some dis- coverles concerning the invigorating and soothing qualities of good musle. Since then she has made many tests of music as a remedy in the treat- ment of nervous and mental ail- ments. She considers certain kinds of music more helpful than others and finds the etudes of Chopin, the sym- phonies of Beethoven and the con- certos of Bach especially valuable. Only classical musio, she savs, can have any curative effect on intellec- tual people. The age, constitution, education, memories and ideals of the individual all help to determine the value of music; therefore the type and amount of the music must be care- fully prescribed. *xxx Henry George's “Progress and Pov- erty” was first published in 1879. It has been translated into all the prin- cipal languages of Europe. More than 2,000,000 copies have been printed to date. Including all of IHenry George's books, which might be called “The Progress and Poverty Litera- more than 5,000,000 copies have been fssued. Together they have pro- foundly influenced all subsequent ece- nomic thinking. An abridgement of the work has been made by Anna George DeMille, which gives in about 200 pages the economic principles of the complete work, which runs to nearly 600 pages, thus furnishing to the present busy generation the gist of Henry George's philosophy. WAk Grace Richmond's hardworking, consciemtious doctor, Red Pepper Burns, reappears in another novel, “Red of the Redflelds.” In this book Dr. Burns is asked by a friend to find a home in a reliable family for a young man who is suffering from a mysterious ailment, consisting of profound apathy. “Red Pepper” finds a place for the apathetic Felix Rowe in the home of his cousin, Marcia Redfield. Among the Redfilleds Fe. lix gradually akens interest in life. Of oourse, a girl has something to do with % working | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. Has the legal with Canada increased since prohibition?—D. B, . A. The Dominion Bureau of Statis- tics says that Canada has exported 295,813 gallons of whisky to the Unlted States in the past 12 months. The whisky was valued at $4,700,000. The whisky trade with the' United States has grown, as in the preced- ing 12 months only 144,184 gallons of whisky went across the border. In addition, large quantities of ale and beer went from Canada to the United States. This officlal state- ment ignores the enormous illicit trade. whisky or trade decreased Q. What is meant Service 7 A. This is the name that is nc used for what v known as the diplomatic and consular service. Q. When the controller of the cur- rency winds up the affairs of an in- solvent bank, what Is done with un- clatmed deposits?—M. J A. The receivers of an insolvent national bank liquidate the assets of the bank as quickly as possible, al though there is a time limit of 90 days for claimants to file a claim for the unclaimed deposits. Claims can be submitted until the final divi- dend is paid any time during the recelvership. Q. When was Barnum's Circus first sent on tour?—W. V. 8. A. It first went on tour Q phrase, trust”? y the “Forelgn in 1 Did Grover Cleveland coin the A+ public office is a public o5 T A. Cleveland did not coin the ex- pression He many times gave ex- pression to the sentiment, but it was W. (. Hudson who phrased it in axiomatio form. Q. Does church taxes? —J. L. W. A All church property is exempt trom taxation in the United States. Q. A a pay What furs are most valuable? H. G. Of the European furs, Russian sable is by far the most valuable, while in this country silver fox is given this rating. Q. Is the Fleet Review lished?—J. W. C. A. It was discontinued shortly aft- er the death of its editor, John R Cox, about two years ago. Q. Where is the geographic center of Alaska?—W. T. G A. The Geological Survey says that the geographic center of Alagka is difficult to determine for the outline of the territory is’ very irregular. However, if the outlying islands are included in the determination, it is not far from it §5 miles south of Fort Gibbo latitude 63° 48, longitude 15 still pub- Q. What is the poem from Francis Thompson quotes: change, and at the very door fond heart, hath made me —M. B. A. The lines about which you have TODAY’S which “Such of my poor” the poem called Wordsworth. inquired are from “A Complaint,” by Q. What was Napoleon's capital in Italy?—A. T. D. A. In 1797 Milan was made the capital of the Cisalpine Republlc founded by Napoleon, and in 1805 it was the capital of the Napoleonic kingdom in Italy. Q. Whers did the term *“cousin Jack's” originate?—E. T. A. Originally the name was applied to Cornishmen in the western coun- ties of England and also was used in the colonies where they were ac- customed to work as miners. Q. Why will a fat man float more easily than a thin one?—T. B. L A. It is because flesh is lighter than water. Buoyancy is a question of displacement of the volume of water, therefore, a fat man displaces more water than a slim man, thus glving him more buoyancy or lifting powe Q. Why are the stacks of & ship raked?—J. C. A. This is done in order to sec a draft Q. What must be the area of parachute to allow a man welghing 150 pounds to descend in safety? LIN should have a dlameter, hav area 652 square feet. In still air he will drop at the rate of speed of from 8 to 10 feet per second = 150 pounds 24 feet of Is a water displ pacity 2—C. A. The culatad by n Q ship's tonnage rated | rent or carrying te of a ship uring the interior « the ship to ascertain its interna volume, and then dividing the total by 100 to obtain the tonnage. O hundred cubic feet is figured, acoord ing to this system of measuring, & being equal to one ton. nage 1o d Tow Q. What s the great cir ance between Boston and Cap h Africa?—G. C. B The great circle distance al miles. The number of nd minutes of arc of this great circle 5 minut 112 degrees 9 Q How is made?—H. K A. Tt 1s due to crystallization and frequently produced by the ad | to the glass mixtur: { materia which will r on | the glase. . s haque Ela (The Stam Information Bureaw u answer your question. This offer applics strictly to information. The bureaw ca | mot give advice on legal. medical anc | financial matters. It does not attempt | to settle domestic troubles, nor unde take exhaustive resecrch on any jsct. Write your question plainly o rlefly. Give full name and address inclose 2 ts in stamps for retur postage. ALl replies are sent direct the inquirer. Address Frederic J. Haskin director, The Star Information Bureo sub Twenty-first and C streets northwest.) SPOTLIGHT BY PAUL V. COLLINS. There has been speculation since the resignation of Secretary of State Hughes as to our relations with Sov- fet Russia. It has been claimed—not in America, but in Russia—that the change of the head of the State De- | n based upon a de- ge to partment has be termination of President Cool recognize the Soviet, against only the adamantine policy of Se tary Hughes has interfered. Such an assumption brings up the question as to what Soviet Rus today, and what this country v face in re- versing the admin n's policles of the last four years—or the last six years. The attitude of Senator Borah, chairman of the Senate com- mittee on foreign relations, is espe- clally significant. cre- * % In his message to Congress in De- cember, 1923, President Coolidge out- lined the administration pelicy, say- ing that there was no objection to commerce between our citizens and the people of Russia, but he added: “Our government does not propose, however, to enter into relatlons with another regime which refuses to recognize the sanctity of interna- tional obligations.” * * * “But while the favor of America is not for sale, I am willing to make very large conces- sions for the purpose of rescuing the people of Russia. Already' encourag- ing evidences of returning to the an- clent ways of society can be detected. But more are needed. * * * Whenever the active spirit of enmity to our institutions is abated, * * * Our coun- try ought to be the first to go to the moral and economic rescue of Russia.” * k ¥ * Obviously the above quotation dif- ferentlates between the masses of Russians and the rulers, who, it is alleged, are exploiting and oppressing them. The President stands ready to do what can be done for “rescuing the people of Russia” From what conditions do they need rescuing? * X X X Tt has been pointed out by partisans of Russla that she is now in com- mercial prosperity since her balance of trade shows that she is exporting more than she is importing. Also it is found that her trade with the United States—which has not recog- nized her Soviet government—exceeds her trade with any other country, even including such countries as have freely recognized the Soviet, not- withstanding the claim that recog- nitlon is a condition precedent to peaceful and successful commerce. To that it is answered that Russia buys her cotton of America, not in token of love of Americans nor their institutions, but because we have the cotton and she must have raw ma- terfals or close her factories. Last year she bought nearly $50,000,000 of our cotton, which constituted 26 per cent of her total imports. However, the total of her imports and exports is not regulated by the fundamental law of supply and demand, but is arbitrarily controlled by orders from the Communistic commissariat, which the triumvirate ruling the countr: All imports are bought by the gov- ernment, not by individuals. Since 1922 Internal trade has been licensed to individuals or firms and today 85 per cent of domestic commerce is thus recovered by private firms, though the government shares 50 per cent of the profits. It was that to which President Coolldge alluded in his message above quoted. But foreign commerce is still absolutely in the hands of the government and great jealousy 15 felt lest political power be weakened by the return to private commerce, even in domestic trade. It is this return that is known as “the new policy.” From month to month, the commis- sar makes estimate as to what the ex- ports will amount to in the next month. Then, with the total author- ized exports in mind, the government cables its agents throughout the world, directing how much cotton and other goods to buy. There is no such thing as free fow of commerce; the imports are artificially held below the exports. In the last fiscal year, ended in Rus- sla September 30, the cxports totaled $170,000,000 and the imports $104,000,- 000; balance of trade, $66,000,000 ex- ©ges of exports. Of the exports, grain, r 00 1$72.500, constituted foodstuffs, including grain, butter anc eggs, amounted to $58,000,000. Hence the total favorable trade balance wax covered by the forced food expor needed for home consumption. T essage of President Coolidge, abc quoted, contained this signifi statement: “We have relieved tr pitiable destitution with enormous charity." per cent A Her offi ger w a orable trade balan her own food supply. orting grain f ada. Sokc mi r of naance, stated las vember 10 in his official report the central committee of the Rus sian Communist party—the gover: ment—as follows “This year we have no surplus grain and we shall perhaps even ha\« to import a certain quantity in or to prevent a sudden ju of pri; of white bread in the town Rykov, president the Soviet, d clared November 14 “Earlier, grain exports figured our program.. Now we have entire renounced it." . The reduction in the supply of gra and other foodstuffs is not due to favorable weather, but to the fund: mental Soviet policies of exploiting ti peasantry for the industries of the towns—the consumers of ¥white bread whi welfare is referred to above L: the minister of finance. In the beginning the Soviets decreed that all grain above the amount deer necessary to feed the family and stoc of the farmer must be confiscated by the government for the commune. The peasant soon saw that there was no incentive to produce more than his own requirements, since b was forbidden to sell or to retaln it Hence he ceased excess product This policy of seizure of the surplus has been modified since 1922, but the government takes 10 per cent tax “in kind” and there is much hiding of surplus products. As the government has continued to export foodstuffs to inflate the trade balance, the food supplies in cities and towns have fallen and the cost of living has increased enor- mously. This brought strikes for proportionately higher wages, until the cost of production of manufac- tures has made exports impossible, in competition with other workers in foreign countries In a speech by Kaganovick, Com- munist labor leader, as reported in the Moscow Pravda, the official organ of the Soviet government, he said: “We have in our economy, com- paring it with the pre-war period, the following picture: We have reached €0 per cent of the pre-war level of wages, but only 30 per cent of the productivity of labor. We have established the $-hour day. But, in reality, we have not in our country an 8-hour, but & considerably shorter working day. We must enter into action directly and with determina- tion, in the question of the produc- tivity of labor. We must say to the labor class: ‘If you wish to maintain contact with the peasantry you must increase the productivity of labor.’ “If we do not place before the lahor class the task of increasing the pro- ductivity of labor, private capital will beat us. Private capital will estab- lish, over our heads, contact with the peasantry, with the wealthy peas- ant class (kulaki), and international capltal wil' come to their assistance, and thus a united front against the labor class will result.” * % % % The economlo ruin of Russia, thus confessed by its rulers and its labor leaders — who persist in_upholding communism as a theo being blind to tho causes of reduced productivity in both fleld and factory—is paralleled by the social and religious anarchy. Zinofieff, chairman of the executive committee of the Third International (the Russian government), declare. “We shall pursue our attacks on Al- mighty God in due time and in an ap- propriate manner.” This pictures the character of the | government professing to want to en- ter into international agreements, even with governments whose stabil- ity the Soviets are secking to under- mine throughout the world. (Copyright, 1925, by Paul W Ovilead now confess that be able to forc by Tobbi he is alres