Evening Star Newspaper, March 14, 1925, Page 6

I 6 g THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY......March 14, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES. . . .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Buriness Ofice, 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New Yor' Ofce: 110 Eant 42nd St. Ohicago Office: Tower Dullding Buropean Oftice : 16 Regent St.,London, England. unday morning Star, with the The Evening Star. ey edition, fs delivered by carriers city at 60 cents per : daily onlv, 45 cents ‘per_month; Kunday oniy. 20 cents per mosth.” Orders may be sent by mail or tele- Phone Maln 5000, Coliection fs made by car- Tlers at the end of each wmonti. Rate by Mail—Payable dvance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday..1 yr., $8.40; 1 mo., Daily only ...1vr., $6.00; 1 mo, Sunday only 11 ¥r., $2.40; 1 mo., All Other States. Daily and Sunday.1 yr., §10.00; 1 mo., Daily only..... Sunday only.. Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Press g exclusively entitied e ‘use for republication of all news dl es credited to it or wot otherwise credited news pub- 700 50c 20¢ 85¢ pat i this paper and also the local shed hereln, 1 rights of peclal dispatches hereln are a! To Consider the Court. The World Court is at last to have its day in the Senate—a day some what deferred, but nevertheless a day. By a vote of 76 to 2 the Swanson reso- lution providing for the adherence of the United States to the Permanent Court of International Justice was made a speclal order of business for December 17. The huge vote by which was adopted does not show strength of the World Court in the Senate—for many of those Gp- posed to such adherence by the United States voted “aye.” They were faced with the prospect of being compelled to vote on a motion to take up the World Court immediately—a motion which likely would have carried—had they not consented to fixing the date in December for its consideration. With the support of the administra- tion back of it, and with the Demo- crats practically solidly in favor of entrance into the World Court—two Democrats only have declared them- selves against it—the final ratification of the protocol which the late Presi- dent Harding sent to the Senate more than two years ago seems reasonably assured. Its only opponents are a group of the old irreconcilables who stood against the Versailles treaty and the League of Nations. They in- sist that the World Court is merely “the league court,” and that the United States has no business in it. But both President Harding and President Coolidge and former Secre- tary of State Hughes have insisted that with certain reservations adher- ence of the United States to the court would in no way involve the United States in the affairs of the league. They have insisted that the court is a real step in the interest of world peace, and that the United States shouid not lag behind in such an un- dertaking. The decision of the Senate to make the court @ special order of business in December docs not assert that a vote shall be taken. But with the sentiment in the Senate overwhelm- ingly in favor of action on the court proposal, it is with confidence that the friends of the court look forward to December. They believe that the Sen- ate will insist upon keeping the pro- tocol before it until it is disposed of. There is no specter of March 4 and the automatic close of Congress hang- ing over the next session of the Con- gress—it may run from December to December. The opponents of the court are hope- ful that something will happen in the interval between now and December that will strengthen their position. As sentiment was changed in this country during the long fight over the League of Nations covenant in the Senate, so may a change in sentiment be brought about with regard to the court, they hope. Or barring that, there may be a change in the inter- netional situation abroad which will make adherence to the court less ob- jectionable. The Democrats of the Senate took the initiative in forcing the issue on the World Court. It was the motion of Senator Harris of Georgia to dis- charge the foreign relations commit- tee from further consideration of the World Court and to bring it before the Senate without further delay that hung over the senatorial heads and forced the fixing of a date in Decem- ber to take the matter up. Unanimous consent was requested in the Senate late vesterday by Senator Curtis of Kansas, Republican leader, to make the World Court a! special order of business Dedember 17. But ‘objection was made to this by Senator DIll, a Democrat. Whereupon the Demo- cratic leader moved to make the Swan- son resolution the business of the Sen- ate on that date, and it carried. Tn @ human way the Senate has put off until tomorrow what it might have done today. But the agreement actual- 1y to lay the World Court before the Senate is in a measure a considerable victory for the friends of the court. S The Vice President of the United States is supposed to enjoy quietude. The presiding official of the United States Senate may be compelled to dis- turb him. Poo Bah in the whimsical operetta showed how an individual with divers responsibilities may be at variance with himself. e Belated, But Salutary Action. After 20 years the Senate has, in the ratification of the treaty over the 1sie of Pines, put at rest the uncer- tainty and unrest existing in that island over the status of its sov- ereignty. Yesterday by a vote of 63 to 14 the Senate formally vested the ownership of the Isle of Pines in the vepublic of Cuba, thus ending a con- troversy dating from the close of the Spanish War. The treaty had been pending before the Senate since March 2, 1904, when it was negotiated by Secretary of State John Hay and the Cuban Minister, de Quesada, to promote friendly relations with Cuba and intended to forward good entente with Latin America. Obstruction 10 its ratification had been interposed by American citizens living on the | states. Isle of Pines and with property ln~| New York, took a tumble of 25 feet terests involved, who feared their rights might not be safeguarded. As perfected by the Senate, the treaty extends the provisions of the Platt amendment to the Isle of Pines, as well as Cuba, and assures for Americans on the Isle of Pines the rights accorded foreigners who re- celve the “most-favored glllun" treatment in Cuba. The public is aware of the filibuster against ratifica- tion which collapsed dramatically Thursday nigiht. The opposition failed because rejéction of the treaty would have been of no substantial advantage to American residents in the lsle of Pines. It would merely have sufficed to dangle before the American resi- dents there the false hope too long cherished in the past that some day the Isle of Pines might become Amer- ican territory. The ratification of the treaty accom- plishes definite and desirable In the first place, as polnted out ¥ Senator Pepper, it will terminate results. | the perfod of suspense to which our contributed. dents of the Isle of Pines will realize that the thing they have been wishing for is really en international impos- sibility, and will turn their attention the direction of pressing against the United- States any claim that they may have for indemnity for any wrongs done them by the United Ratification has discharged once and for all a clear duty of na- tional trusteeship. It represents the return by us, as trustees, to the bene- ficiary of that of which we took pos- session as trustees. Moreover, the ratification is clear evidence toall of our nelghbors to the South that the United States means to deal fairly with the weak as well as with the strong. The United States again makes good its promise of fair play in actual deed and renewed as- surance of amity with all things Latin Amerijcan. The relinquishment on the part of United States, it is set forth in the treaty, is in consideration of thé grants of coaling and naval stations in the Island of Cuba heretofore made to the United States by the Republic of Cuba. Citizens in the Isle of Pines shall suffer no diminution of the rights and privileges which they have ac- quired prior to the date of exchange of ratifications of the treaty. —————— America has become well acquaint- ed with Russian art. If tourists could be persuaded to go to see Russian dancing and hear Russian music in their native surroundings the revenues available to Soviet government would increase considerably. e The farmer is pleased with high prices for wheat, but dismayed by the cost of what he has to buy. However, it has never been possible to devise any reliable system of “all coming in and nothing going out.” —————— Saving the Frigate Constitution. Can any one imagine the storm of protest which would sweep the British Isles in case the neglect of Parliament allowed the old three-decked line-of- battle ship Victory, flagship of Nelson and scene of his herolc death, to de- teriorate beyond repair? Such a lapse would be on Britannia's part as in- credible as it would be unpermitted. The frigate Constitution, although no one outstanding national hero trod her decks or gave his lifeblood thereon, means as much to the residents of these United States as does the Vie- tory to Englishmen, nay, perhaps more, for while the latter commemo- rates a high-water mark in Britain's lengthy naval history, the former ves- sel not only does the same, but its timbers float as a tangible manifesta- tion of the very beginnings of Ameri- can sea power. Any British ship, to occupy a comparable position, would have to be a combination of the flag- ships of Nelson, Sir Francis Drake and the lord high edmiral of Alfred the Great. The Constitution has been neglect- ed, but, if present plans go through, will not long remain so. Congress au- thorized her much-needed recondition- ing, but overlooked the trifling mat- ter of providing funds for the work. Now Secretary Wilbur has authorized the inauguration of a nation-wide cam- paign to obtain the necessary money through contributions which shall consist principaily of 2% cents, the fortieth part of a dollar, from each school child in the country. This cam- paign is intended not only to raise funds, but to arouse patriotic interest in naval history and in the Constitu- tion of 1787, for which the vessel was named. Secretary Wilbur makes it plain that those back of the move- ment are not trying to help out the Government in an economy program, but to offer to cltizens generally, and children in particular, a chance to feel that they have participated in a pa- triotic project which will resuit in the preservation of a historical visible re- minder of the progress of the Nation. Oliver Wendell Holmes saved Old Ironsides once with his pen, and his name is thereby indissolubly linked with hers. The boys and girls who have thrilled over his poem (and who has not?) are now to save her with their pennies. And to aid in their col- lection Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes of the Supreme Court of the United States may be asked to compose one or two additional stanzas for the in- spired poem written by his illustrious father. How long a wooden vessel, through painstaking care and replace- ment of parts, can be preserved is not definitely known, but the United States can and will find out. American re in A Wagnerian Hero. “Fellows, e long cheer for Smith!” sings out the college cheer leader when the sterling quarterback or shortstop, suffering with a sprain or break, is removed from the fray by tne eagle-eyed coach and the wise team doctor. Smith gets it, and de- serves it. A substitute, often just good and sometimes better, takes his place, and the cash customers go on enjoying themselves. The footlights ‘and the = backdrop have their physical heroes no less than the gridiron and the diamond. The other day Kurt Taucher, & Teu- tonic tenor. singing the role of Sieg- fried gt the Metropolitan Opera House, | well ¢ into & pit full of scenery and wooden and iron odds and ends. The curtain was up at the time, but a screen of steam hid his plunge from the au- dience. He was badly shaken, and it was found later that he had broken two fingers and sprained both hands. Taucher calmly continued in the scene for the:next 45 minutes in spite of pain and of a shaking up calculated to ruin temporarily an artistry, that is gencrally supposed to be easily af- fected by adverse circumstances. No substitute came on, no cheer was given, he got a puragraph in the papers mext day, and perhaps will get a burst of applause on his next ap- pearance. Theatrical artists of both sexes sing, play and act under condi- tions that would put many people in bed, and seldom is anything known about it. Taucher seems to have been t for the role of one of Wag- ners principal heroes. ——— Joan of Arec. The wife und daughters of the new French Ambassador to _the United States reached Washington just in time to participate in exercises which must have Been a pleasing introduc- tion to their life in this country. This was a brief ceremony of tribute to Joan of Arc, conducted under the auspices of Le Lyceum - Societe des Femmes de France, held around the statue of the Muid of Orleans, which stands in Meridian Hill Park, and which was presentedto the Capital by that organization. Joan of Arc is not only a national heroine. but an international one. With the yvears her fame, both mili- tary and religious, grows ever more brilliant. She is a.character unique in history. No other® nation but the French have such an one, and as long as valor, virtue and virginity are valued on this earth her memory will make for a better understanding and more cordial relations, not only be- tween France and other lands, but €ven among those other lands them- selves. e “Store Teeth.” The Bureau of Standards is making an extensive investigation of dental alloys, and it is prophesied that *‘store teeth” elmost human and strong enough to chew nails may be one of the contributions of science to the present generation. From unimagina- tive and accurate New England comes the pertinent yarn of the deacon who lost his store set of molars in the dark depths of the village mill pond, and who gratefully received them back in short order as the result of the in- genuity of the community's leading angler, who, baiting up with a piece of fried chicken turned out by the best cook in. town, hauled up the lost article on his third cast. ——r—e— A prize fighter has suggested him- self as a candidate for the presidency of Germany. Athletes are worshiped the world over, but this country has managed to preserve its conservative restraint. Even a Jack Dempsey or a Benny Leonard would scarcely de- velop a nerve like this. Even if physi- cal prowess should 80 dazzle popular imagination as to’ claim political recognition we would be likely to favor a form of sport distinctively Ameri- can and place before the primaries a Bath Ruth or @ Walter Johnson. e Predictions that the price of gaso- line will go up to a dollar per gallon have as yet shown no deterrent influ- ence on the flivverist. The traffic con- gestion grows greater day by day ——— Any expert accountant ought to be able after a brief examination of the books to convince any nation on earth that it could not afford “another war.” —_—— The Attorney General's office may not be the most responsible office in the cabinet, but it is the one most prominently discussed. —os SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Forecast. When Congress goes away from town, There comes a grateful rest. ‘We do not need to fret and frown In information’s quest. We know there isn't any news. So, as the days go by, ‘We make up anything we choose And call it prophe-cy. Official Eliminations. “Every now and then you used to threaten to retire to private life.”” “Times are different,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It was reasonable to expect a certain complimentary protest. Nowadays, when a man threatens to resign, the applause be- comes positively embarrassing.” Spring Song. 1 do not ask for violets blue, Nor bird songs from the gizzard. I only hope we may get through ‘Without another blizzard. Jud Tunkins says if you want to gain a friend lend a man as much as he can pay back. If you want to make an enemy, lend him more. Working for Uncle Sam. Oft in the Government we're told This situation’s met. A job is difficult to hold, And harder still to get. Titles. “Would you marry. a man with a title?” “Everything would depend on the kind of title. If it was ‘earl’ or ‘vis- count,’ I should promptly say ‘no. But if it was president of a bank I should pause and seriously consider.” Mystic Letters. Those letters “V P.” ‘We frequently see In the crossword which brings dis- content Will sometimes :apply To “Vox Populi” And sometimes to “Vice President.” “De boy dat tells de teacher he loves to go to school,” said Uncle Eben, “is liable to git de prize marks, but he ain’ helpin' his reputation at home foh truth an’ veracity.” THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., SATURDAY, MARCH 14, —_—— THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Somewhere in Gaelic originals Ossfan, which gave (o the shortly before ers of Concord round the world, I say may lie in Florida, not that they are in Florida, land of oranges, sunshine and tourists. It is just an interesting speculation. America may have the key to the Ossian- Macpherson controversy. Again, it may not In some Augustine, or New Louisiana, may rest strange mamuscripts. The passcrby, browsing over the stands, might toss them aside as worthless. Yet they might be ethe manus: which Macpherson said he pos: the originals from which he clurcd he translated the poems Ossian, discussed in this column this weel! Stranger Florida may lie the of the poems of James Macpherson orld in translations he embattled farm- red the shot heard old book stall, in St Orleans, in package of things have After all these decades, would they not be a veritable literary find,’ those wuneient, browned manuseripts? Tradition says they may have been lost in this country Macpherson, it will be remembered, refused to tu over the manuseripts, after he had heen accused of “fak- ing. It is not known to th day whether he actually had any con- #iderable number of manuscripts. In Reld’'s Bibliotheca Scoto-Celtica, pub- lished at Glasgow in 1832, pceurs the following: “Macpherson proposéd in edition to print the Gaelic originals of the poems if he could obtain as many subscribers would indem- nify him for the expehse, but the poems =oon acquired a celebrity, and, in a subsequent preface, he informs the public that, as no subscribers had come forward, he did not think such A4 Course necessary. He afterward again intimated his design to print the originals as soon as he had time to transcribe them for the press, “Whether he ever transcribed them, or even seriously intended to do so, is involved in obscurity, for, In 1763, he went out to Florida with Gov. George Johnson and if the manu- scripts ever existed, they were lost either there or during the passage to or from that country.” * koK x It is, therefore, a pure speculation, but an interesting one, nevertheless, to those interested in poetry. What would such a one not give to be the finder of such precious manuseripts! A for me, 1 wovld like to verify Macpherson's statement that the poems were genuine. After reading Ossian through, browsing over the controversy. and re-reading Mac- pherson’s own preface and introduc- tory remarks, I feel as follows: If the poems are not genuine, Mao- pherson is one of the most magnifi- cent “fakers” in the world's history. Nothing short of genius itself could have falsified those productions and produced such eminent critical opin- ion upholding them. The poems ring with veracity. In Dr. Hugh Blair's extended critical remarks prefatory to the old edi- tions, the Ossian poetry is subjected | to much consideration as to the in- ternal marks of veracity. It must be admitted that the learned doctor bullds up a most in- teresting case for the genuineness of | Ossian and for the integrity of Macpherson's translations. He points out the freedom from all an- archronisms, the trueness to ancient ways of thinking, freedom from ab- stract ideas, utter lack of commereial or even agricultural thought; and it must be admitted that when the critical reader of today reads Ossian with this thought in mind, he is practically forced to agree with Dr. Blair. happened. his first jana The old doubt, of course, remains, and must remaln—unless some book lover should dig up those manu- scripts down in Florida, or some other State! Macpherson, if a faker, “covered up” very well. There are several statements in his own preface which might be so regarded. One interesting explanation of his day was that, after the poems had made what today is called & “hit,” the translator wished to seize all the glory for himself, and destroyed the ancient manuscripts. x ko teresting statement in Dr. Blair's “critical dissertation” follows: The manners of Osslan's age, S0 far as we can gather them from his writings, were abundantly favorable to & poetical genius. “The two dispiriting vices to which Longinus Imputes the decline of poetry, covetousness and effiminacy, were as yet unkown. That last sentence interests me, as it will all lovers of poetry. There is some tendency today to regard poetry as effeminate, something hardly worthy of a real man. As a matter of fact, it was the rough and ready heroes of old who began poetry! The real he-men of ancient Greece composed poems be- fore they wrote prose. Poetry comes naturally to primitive men. “An American chief, at this day, harangues gt the head of his tribe, in a more bold, metaphorical style than a modern European would adventure to use in an epic poem,” says Dr. Blair. “This day,” of course, meant about 1766. Poetry, then, is not something whic! begins and ends with “Spring poems, but is that bolder, more masculine ex- pression, if you please, natural to real red-blooded men and women. Poetry is picturesque, it is expres- sive, it flows as life flows. It abides in the hearts of men. Today the de- light in poetry—real poetry—is some- what sub rosa, but beneath ths sur- face it gleams with life. Since writing on poetry recently I have been astonished at the depth of love for it which these writings have brought forth. From modest home, from mansion, come notes of praise and interest. One woman wants me to read her own verses and give & critical opinion. A man sends In a copy of his own printed verse. Others are interested in guessing the authors of poems. Yes, poetry is very much alive, One i T The poems of Ossian are real poetry, filled with the exaltation of mood which true poetry brings. The two great characteristics of these poems, as Dr. Blair says, are tenderness and sublimity. “It breathes nothing“of the gay and cheerful kind; an air of solemnity and serlousness is diffused over the whole. *Ossian is, perhaps, the only poet who never relaxes.” Those words contain an accurate just characterization of the poems of Ossian, and if the reader feels that they would be too much for him, he had better let them alone. As Dr. Blair continues: “The beauties of Ossian's writings cannot be felt by those who have given them only a single or a hasty perusal. His manner is so different from that of the poeta to whom we are most accustomed, and so much crowded with imagery, the mind fis kept at such a s:retch in accompany- ing the author, that an ordinary read- er is at first apt to be dazzled and fatigued, rather than pleased. His poems require to be taken up at in- tervals, and to be frequently re- viewed.” With these words, let us say good- bye to Ossian. And may those read- ers who go to Florida not forget to keep a watch-out for those manu- scripts! Dawes’ Criticism of Senate Generally Backed by Press The attack on the Senate rules by Vice President Dawes in his inaug- ural address is recelved by the ma- jority of the editorial writers of the country as an_ entertalning outbubst with a large element of truth behind it. A few hold that it was bad taste, while others declare that the remedy for existing conditions is in abolish- ing the short session of Congress, rather than in amending the rul Some believe senatorial barriers tend to prevent bad legislation. ‘The matter is viewed as enlighten- ing by the Indianapolis News, which observes that “there are multitudes of people who, as a result of the Daw address, understand the situation as they never did before.” The Man- chester Union accepts it as evidence that the Vice President will be some- thing more than an amiable figure- head. “A good captain is essential” says that paper, “but you have to have a hard-boiled top sergeant to keep a company up to the mark.” The San Francisco Bulletin pictures Vice President Dawes chuckling over a statement by Bryce that the office is a second-rate one glven to second- rate men. “He is far from a second- rater,” says the Bulletin. “By a dozen tests he has proved himself a man of first-class powers. He is a man en- tirely competent for any duty—even the highest—that may come to him.” * ok ok The Cleveland Plain Dealer |is among those who regard the lecture as “ill timed” for an inaugural. ‘Tt was well grounded in fact,” says that paper. “The best answer the Senators can make is to take the matter to heart and revise the rules” The Cin- cinnati Times-Star predicts the Sen- ate will do nothing about it unless it has to. “Eclipse for the Vice Presi- dent?’ It adds: “Either the Senate must come out into the sunlight with him or sulk in the shadows.” The Greensboro Record calls it “a pretty good -show and the kind that leaves the impression that the best part ls coming after the curtain is down.” The New York Times forecasts fayor- able response. ‘‘Honest efforts must bo made,” asserts the Times, “to free the Senate of the United States from the reproach of the Vice President, fresh from the people. Among the papers that showed a tendency to disagree is the Lousville Times: “The performance revealed in him less of the majesty of the lion rampant than of the maladroitness of the bull in the china shop.” An- other_word of condemnation is from the Rochester Herald, which says: “Had the Vice President reserved his ‘bawling out' until a business session of the august body over which he will preside, it might have produced an impression far more favorabl than' that indicated by comment The Lynchburg News suggests that Mr. Dawes "apparently forgets that he is now Vice President and no longer Gen. Dawes addressing a body of soldiers of inferlor rank. The News adds that “Republicans wish to change the rules while they hold the majority and Democrats de- lay until their sun is'in the sky.” If Mr. Dawes was looking for a fight, states the Newark Ledger, “he has started one.” The Ledger adds, “The country, at least, Is assured of much amusement.” The Worcester Gazette concludes that “an autocrat for a presiding officer has manifest draw- backs.” The Minneapolis Tribune argues that “senatorial dignity has its claim and so has senatorial cour- tesy; with either or both abrogated the country would be a worse loser than it has been under the existing order.” The Anaconda Standard calls the incident one of “a bull in a china shop, a big stick, a stuffed club and a one-man steam roller; a riproaring, hard-hitting, leather-lunged boss with a walrus hide.” State rights are cited by the Pittsburgh Gazette- Times, which says that these rights are upheld by the Senate rules at a time when the popular mind gives them scarcely any thought. “Spoken to as individuals,” observes the Wa- terloo Tribune, “in the confines of the cloakroom, the Senators would jest about their traditions, their dig- nity, their privileges; but to ‘tell the world,” that is an entirely different matter.” The Kansas City Times takes the position that the filibuster “is a de- vice that goes with the short ges- sion” Abolish the one by abolish- ing the other, the Times suggests. The Charleston Post believes “there is much to be said for some depart- ment of public life in which there is slow movement, and in which the volce of one man may be equal to that of a multitude.” “The shock he gave the Senate,” de- clares the Memphis News-Scimitar, “is comparable only to the unrefined joy the plain people will get from the eplsode.” The New York Herald- Tribune remarks that the address “was carefully and courteously phrased, and it told the incontro- vertible truth”” Mr. Dawes would deal a blow at the irregulars, says the New York World, and it con- cludes that, “since the Republican party has falled to assimilate its blocs, Mr. Dawes would have it hush them!” The “speech makes sane and sober reading,” according. to the Bos- ton Transcript. “A tryout for the Dawes plan (American edition) must command widespread favor,” opinion of the Springfleld Republican. “He has the country’s consent to go as far as he likes” is the view of the Bristol Herald-Courier. “He has done the American people a distinct and appreciated service,” asserts the Burlington Free Press. “More power to his gavel arm,” is the comment of the Wichita Beacon. Whom Girls Would Wed. Every Girl Has Dream Man; Generally Gets Other Kind. Intriguing material for Rev. Harry Noble Wilson's sermon on “What Sort of a Man Do I Want for My Husband?" yvielded by 100 confidential letters from marriageable maldens, loses none of its interest—only some conclusiveness—when viewed -in the light of eternal femininities, Every girl has her dream man. Susan’s is blond and dignified. So she marries the swarthy clown of a vaudeville show. Margaret's 1s a lithe, daring aviator. She weds a cigar salesman who tends to be stout. Jane determines to listen indefinitely to a tenor's love songs. And she be- comes the bride of a boller factory mechanic. Mary, who will have none of mankind in general and the boy next door in particular, elopes-with him to reform him. How classify ahd label who does all of that? and so, meaning this and that. She is, in the argot, such a kidder. But no doubt she knows worth when she sees it. No doubt she is abundantly capable of looking out for herself. That, we take it, was what Rev. Mr. Wilson's investigation aimed to show. —8t. Paul Pioneer Press. the girl She says so { you want to lead. in the! 1925. THE LIBRARY TABLE BY THE BOOKLOVER. Let a strong woman marry a strong man, if she would have a successful life and & fighting chance of happi- ness; let a weak man seek a weak woman for a wife and, though they will never be successful, they will be likely to be happy Such are the opinions of FEden Phillpotts in his nowel, “The Beacon” What is the common-sense course for the strong man and for the weak woman he does not say. Perhaps he belleves that the strong man can look out for his own interests whatever the type of his wife, and that the weak woman will do as well with one husband as another. Elizabeth Densham comes from London to be barmaid at the Oxenham Arms at South Zeal in the Dartmoor hills. Almost immediately she has two suitors, Reynold Dun- ning, a bachelor of 40, “featured like a northern Indlan, with rather high cheek bones, bright, hard eyes and straight dark hair” is firm, unbend- ing, tenacious of purpose, rugged in character as in physique. He seems to Elizabeth to possess kinship with the $heath and rock covered mass of Cosdon Beacon, which lifts its mist- encircled top above the little village. Charlle Trevail is a man more like the smiling valley at the foot of the beacon. He loves the sunlight of life, takes the easiest wa: and to Elizabeth seems cowardly and lacking in self-respect because he submits to the mastery of his rich uncle, “Iron” Mortimore, who has brought him up and as a return to himself has en- slaved him. * ko X With the stage thus set, the drama of Elizabeth’'s life begins She soon becomes aware that both men love her. With Dunning “love is like the lightning; you can’t tell where it comes from.” He at first looks upon love as a force to be combated; then he yields to it and it mellows his harsh character. With Charlie Tre- vafl love is a joyous thing and he willingly gives himself up to his ab- sorption in Elizabeth. Between her two lovers, Elizabeth is Involved in a prolonged mental conflict. From the beginning her admiration has gone out to Dunning. His rugged nature appeals to her strength. She knows that she is a woman with brains and character far above the average, but she knows that he is even stronger than she. “He was a tonic—salutary perhaps in small doses, suffocating in large ones.” Charlle’ Trevail, on the other hand, quickly wins her affec- tion by his kindness and devotion. There is also another strong reason which tips the scales in Charlie's favor. Dunning sees it and with his usual bluntness tells her of it. “And You wouldn't be led. That's why you let Trevall take You out so often You can trundle him this way and that, like a child trundles a hoop. You can trundle him to the top of Cosdon, though he hates the place. Dartmoor's too plain- spoken for him. Does he satisfy you? Because if he does, you're a doomed thing.” To this analysis Elizabeth replies, with seeming irrelevance, “You're a cleverer man than I thought.” She herself knows that she prefers a man who is not too self- sufficient, so that she may be able to “lift him up” and “enlarge his ideas” in marriage. She admits the truth of Dunning’s further diagnosis: “So you'll be likely to fix on a weakish man, and hell be lucky; but you won't. You'll lift such a man up, 1 dare say; but think of the sort of man who can lean on a woman. You'll do a bit for him, I grant, but what will he do for you? And what will be the end of it? Why, you'll come to despise him, and he'll get wind of it that you do, and then he'll grow restive, and—-" In the working out of this problem of three lives Phillpotts shows his usual fatalistic philosophy. Robert Louis Stevenson, courageous, debonalr, even flippant, in the face of a lifelong burden of Invalidism, had also a rather care-free philosophy with regard to his obligations to hers, according to his new biogra- pher, John A. Steuart. Henley for some years acted as his unpaid literary agent, and ‘“for these serv- ices Stevenson was grateful, though remarking curfously that ‘gratitude is a tedious sentiment’” He seems to have taken his fathers continual financial support very much for granted, and to have felt that he owed nothing in return. He believed that “natural love is stronger from parent to child than from child to parent,” and that “it is the side which confers benefits, not which receives them, that thinks most of a relation.” To the question, “What do we owe our parents?” he answered: “No man can owe love, nome can owe obedlence. We owe, I think, chiefly pity, since by no will of ours we make them carry the burdens of cur sins, sor- rows and physical infirmities.” Yet later, when his father began to break in health, Stevenson, though having in his philosophy no place for re- morse, often wondered whether long worry and disappointment over him- self had not weakened his father, and during the last years he showed an increasing tenderness toward the stern but always loving Thomas Stevenson. * % ¥ X The fat, well documented two- volume work, “Security Against War" by Frances Kellor, has two principal purposes: First—to prove the futility of the League of Nations and that all efforts toward the abolition of war in which the United States should en- gage must avold the league and the World Court; and, second, to show that the plan for the outlawry of war sponsored by Senator William E. Borah is the one that promises most hope for world peace. Those who long for world peace—that is, all of us— cannot but be disheartened at the continued sharp division between the rival camps of the sincere advocates of peace who cannot agree on a work- able method for making an end to cruel, foolish and futile wars. * K kK A realistic California setting and a very plain herolne are the chief characteristics _of Ruth Comfort Mitchell's novel, “A White Stone.” The story is laid first in San Fran- cisco and then at Cypress Ranch, in the hills back of Los Gatos. In San Francisco is passed the cheerless childhood of Rejoice Evers, ironical name for an unhappy child, who is small and thin and has green eyes, scanty hair and continual fever blis- ters at the corners of her mouth. In spite of her unprepossessing appear- ance, Rejoice marrles a famous pi- anist, Roland Duval, who possesses “unearthly beauty.” * Xk X ¥ Dr. William A. White, superintend- ent of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, is one of the leading psychologists of the country and a follower of Freud. The Booklover, has read with very great interest Dr. White's little book, “Ar Introduction to the Study of Mind” which he has written for medical students, soclal workers and all those interested in mental hygiene. Karely does the author, use a technical word. The.chapters seldom run to more than three . or four pages. To read the book is almost like sitting down with the wise and amlable author while he expounds his subject in the most di- rect and simpie way, so that the reader feels quite as much the kindli- ness, sympathy and wholesomeness of the personality of the author as his mastery of the subject. o Americanizing Japan. From the Sioux City Journal. Yes, Japan is progressing along American lines. A band!t held up & traln out of Toklo and escaped with 10,000 yem. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN Q. For whom was Hesketh street, in Chevy Chase, named?—E. H. W. . It was named by the late Sena- tor Francis G. Newlands after his brother-in-law, Lord Fermor-Hes keth, who had married a daughter of the late Senator Sharon Q. What cities in the United States have commission form of govern- ment?—E. 8, A. Some of the principal citles in the United States having commission governments are: Galveston, Tex. Des Moines, Iowa; Buffalo, N. Y. New Orleans, La.; Jersey City, N. J. Portland, Oreg.; St. Paul, Minn., and Oakland, Calif. Q. How old is the oldest Christian Sclence Church?—L. B. A. The First Church of Christ, Sci- entist, was formed by Mrs. Eddy in Boston, 1879, Q. Is Ukraine, in Southern an independent countr: A. The Ukraine was by the treaty of Riga, 1921, technically left as an independent state, g0 recognized by Soviet Russia and Poland. The sub- sequent establishment of a Soviet form of government under direct Soviet influence placed the Ukraine virtually in Russian territory Q. Will the Russia, L treaty between United States, Japan, England and Russia in regard (o €eal hunting in the Arctic expire next year?—H. 0. M. A. Under no circumstances will the convention be terminated before De- cember 15, 1926. It will automatically continue in effect thereafter unless changes are brought about through definite action on the part of the con- tracting governments. Q. Is there any way to make com- mon cabinet glue impervious to water>—A. C. B A. In order to render glue insol- uble in water, even hot water, it is only necessary, when dissolving the glue for use, to add a little potassium bichromate to the water and to ex- pose the glued part to tha light. The proportion of potassium hichromate will vary with circumstances, but for most purposes about 1-50 of the amount of glue used will suffice the Q. What is meant by the phrase C and C on the Alpha score?—L. A A. In the Army mental tests C+ equal high average intelligence; C aver- age intelligence; C— low average in- telligence. Q. Will the sun damage a French bevel plate mirror?—J. M. B. A. Exposure of mirrors to sunlight or other source of heat might cause cracking and peeling of the silvering, due to expansion and contraction. Q. What kind of a weapon was used to assassinate the Presidents?— A. The pistol that shot Garfleld was a Remington double-barreled Der- inger 41-caliber. The pistol that shot McKinley was of the same order. Lin- coln was shot by a Henry Deringer muzzle-loading vest pocket pistol. Q. A Is cream pure fat?—L. B, Cream is not pure fat, but con- tains also some of the other sub-| stances in milk. Q. Who invented paper?—H. K. A. Genuine paper was made by the Chinese from very early fimes. It was probably brought into Europe during the twelfth century through the Moors. About 1150 a paper mill was established at Fabriano, in_Italy. The manufacture spread to France, Germany and England. In 1690 the first paper mill in America was built | by William Rittenhouse at borough, near Philadelphia. Rox- | | Q. Who said, “Do right and will be conspicuous?’—C. V. R. A. Van Wyck Brooks quotes this as coming from the private memo randa of Mark Twain. Q. How many Jews are there n New York City?—R. O. A. A. The American Jewish Year Book for 1923-1924 says that t :.rPYI.EQZ.(HE Jews In New York City Q. What will soften paint brushes —J. C. B. A. To soften paint brushes place them in a can containing benzine gasoline or turpentine. After vo. are through using your paint brushe you should remove all the paint with turpentine and place in a can of al cohol. If the brushes are thorough ly dry they will be soft, providing there is no paint left in the brushes Q. Is a carilion of bells actuall being installed in Canada as a war memorial?—W. M. D. A. The contract for a carillon o 53 bells, one of the largest on the continent, to be installed in the new victory tower of the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario, has been let to a firm in England Q. Are 9 you cobwebs stopping the bleeding —O. P. A. While they n bleeding they shou Nor should waste, administered, cause blood pois Q. Can you violins made by One authority another “not third, “about 400, of the first Q. Please give tences in which there are two or more subjects clearly synonymous, followed by a verb in the singular.—G. H A. A line from Kipling’s “Reces fonal” illustrates this construction “The tumult and the shouting dles Another “The glory, the fame, the renown of the world has no charm for him.” efficacious i from wounds ht stop never be used or tobacco be of them ma oil any ng state the radivarius? ber is not & reports “over over a thousand of which rank Q. What_is the Prague?’—P. T. D. A. This name is applied to acropolis of towe palaces churches which dominates tie cap tal of Czechoslovakia. The ex-En peror Karl lived in one of the palace when he was a student of the Ur versity of Prague. “Hradchony and Q. Did Longfellow familiari self with the northern settin “Evangeline” before writing the —T. P, D. imagination Seot Q. What was the old Indian for Utah Lake?—J. D. J A. Timpanogo is the old ind name for Utah Lake. The word mea “Water among the stones.” T tribe that lived about the lake w called from the name of the Timpanogotsi poet depended upon He did not visit No (The Star Information answer your question. This offer applic strictly to information. The burcai co not give advice on legal, medical a inancial matters. 1t does mot attrm; to settle domestic troubles. take czhaustive research ject. Write your question My ane briefly. Give full name and address and inclose 2 cents in stamps et postage. All replies are sent direct the inquirer. Address Frederic J. Haskir Director, The Star Information Burca Twenty-first and C streets northwest.) Burcau vl for BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL ¥V The earth is exactly 7,926.678 miles in diameter at the Equator and 7.899.694 miles through the North and outh Poles. The measure, as an- nour.ced by Dr. John F. Hayford, late | Jor - o head of the College of Engineering, | distance Northwestern University, Chicago, is so exact that the fraction, out to 678-thousandths of a mile, shows that the last 6 feet is precisely carried | the calculated, for a thousandth of a mile | is 5.28 feet. Every schoolboy knows that the earth is flattened at the poles. Now we know that it is ex- actly 26.954 miles less in dlameter through the poles than through the Equator. Of what practical value s the ex- actness of the measure of the diam- eter of the earth? All science is even- tually of practical value, however ab- struse it may seem upon discovery. x Kk x The United States Coast and Geo- detic Survey has made exact surve along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, hlong the Rocky and Alle- gheny ranges and through the Middle West; also three transcontinental lines of latitude. Along all these basic structural lines official, num- bered bronze “bench marks" are plant- ed, and at the headquarters in Wash- ington a record is kept of the exact geodetic location of these marks, so that engineers may tie up their local surveys to known points. Local surveys ignore the earth’s curvature, because the distances are too short for the arc to be calculated, but transcontinental lines for rail- ways or State boundaries must cal- culate the arc of the rotundity of the earth, and to do so it is necessary to know the exact size of the mundane ball—the “spheroid.” * %k % The most precise measurement of the earth Is that made by the late Dr. Hayford. He had taken vears in making and correcting astronomical observations and making computa- tions by triangulation, beginning some 20 years ago when he was connected with the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. Last week his,measures received the ap- proval of the International Geodetic and Physical Union. Hereafter the Hayford mensures will be the basis of all engineering and surveving throughout the civilized world, standard for fixing international boundaries and bounding real estate. Heretofore, each country has had its own basic point and its own spheroid by which it made its sur- Vveys, and there was serfous over- lapping of international boundaries. Vations have gone to War over such boundary disputes. Men have squan- dered millions in law sults over faulty surveys, due to variations in basic points. In New York City, where land is counted by the half- inch, there are half a dozen old basic “bDench marks” making great con- fusion In surveying. When settlers rushed out into the untracked West and took up homesteads, the surveys were based upon astronomical obser- vations and often overlapped; liti- gation, to this day, is the result. * k¥ X A survey may be based upon as- tronomical observation or upon triangulation, the latter starting from a fixed landmark But the two methods do not always agree in results, though both are made with the utmost exactness. According to the expert geodocist of the United States Coast and Geo- detic Survey, Dr. Bowle, it was a great puzzle to scientists to harmon- ize the discrepancies of astronomical observations with triangulation sur- veys until the science of isostasy ex- plained the complications of the . COLLINS. gravitational fons plumbline, due to local masse For example, orto Rico, distance across the island is 33 miics but it was found that t al observations made a mile greater than the triangulation. Why? The center of island mountain and the gravitational attraction of tha mountain mass threw the plumbline out of perpendicular so that the zeniths of the two sides of the island appeared a mile farther apart than they were in fact * ¥ In making his is a measures of the earth, Hayford observed the exact distances on land which, by astron- omical observation, made a difference of one degree, but the degrees were not all the same distance. He corrected the astronomy by calculat- ing the influence of local mountains in diverting the plumbline. That necessity was unknown until he had developed the science of isosts the equilibrium of every section of the earth, as compared with other section of equal area This theory of isostasy suggested in 1830 by Pratt, but it lay in desuetude until Dutton re- vived it and gave it a name, in a lecture in 1889. Again it was ignored until Hayford, then geodisist of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, developed it, between 190. and 1909, and_discussed its principles in his book: “The Figure of the F and Isostasy, from the United State Today isostasy explains many mysteries and is ac- cepted throughout all sclentific cir- cles. By it Hayford has made the most precise measures of the earth ever computed. Now that the rotundity of earth, by the Hayford spheroid, has been fixed, similar isostatic allow- ances will be made whenever the tri- anglulations, upon known basic points, differ from astronomical ob- servation. Dr. Hayford was present- ed in 1924 with the’Victorian Medal of the Roval Geographical Society of Great Britain. Last week the news that his measures had been accepted by the International Society of Engi- neers reached Chicago, just a day or two after the scientist had dicd. ey It has been erroneously stated that all surveys in the United States ar= based upon the point now marked & the Zero Stone, planted between the White House and Ellipse. That stone is the basic point only for the Lee Highway surveys. All real estats and highway surveys are based upon a point located in what is known as Meade's Ranch in Kansas, located there by the Coast and Geodetic Sur- vey, and marked by a concrete block buried 34 inches beneath the surface and another block above it, protrud- ing 6 inches above the surface. That point—12 miles north of the town of Incas—was established in 1891 as the base for all surveys in the United States, and later it was accepted by both Canada and Mexico as their base, so that now it is the one cen- tral fixed point for all the continent. This is the only continent in the world which has but one point for all surveys. The International Geo- detic and Geophysical Union Is see! ing to establish similar bases in each continent. Congress has recerftly passed the Temple bill, providing for mapping the whole country, so that all natural features and improvements will be recorded for every acre. The enter- prise will take many years and cosff $50,000,000, but would not have been possible without the fixed starting point on Meade's Ranch, together with the Hayford measurement of the carth and a knowledge of isostasy. (Copyright, 1925, by Paul V. Collins.) was first Measurements in the