Evening Star Newspaper, March 26, 1925, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. L] WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY. .March 26, 1825 Editor The Evening Stur Newspaper Company ustness Office. 11¢h St. and Pennsylvania Ave. FOTIOTGY et 6 Bt dand B Chicago Office: Tower Building. Furopean Ufice : 16 Regent $t.,London, England. THEODORE W. NOYES. e Sunday morning jers within the dafly only, 45 0 cents’ per mail or tele- The Ervening Star. with edition, in deliversd by ca: city at 60 cents per montl cents per month: month. Orders phone Main 500C. riers at the end of each month. Rate by Mall—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. «z 1 me .00 Daily Daily only Sunday only. All Other States. 1 yr., $10.00: Puily and Sunday....1 ye. $10.00: .1 yr, '$3.00; Member of the Associated Press. ix The Associated Press is exclustvely entitl o the use for republication of all news dis- atches credited to it or not otherwise credited b this paper and also the local news pub Tished harein. Al rights of publication of pectal dispatches herein are also reserved. — = The Headlight Problem. TThere is no doubt that when Traffic Director Eldridge gets his new office into shape to begin activity in “iron- ing out” Washington's many traffic evils the headlight problem will be one of the first to be attacked. Washington for been staggering along with an inadequate, wholly inoperative and ridiculous | headlight law. The new traffic bill does not improve the situation in any respect, and it will be up to the traflic director, in the exercise of his author- $ty, to devise a regulation based on modern practice. \ The present regulation forbids a dazzling light, leaving it practically to the discretion of any one of the thou- €and policemen to decide whether or ot the light is dazzling. Under this law it was legally proper to use full headlights anywhere within the Dis- trict, the same lights permissible on @ dark road being permissible in the well lighted sections of the city proper. The new law provides that approved lenses must be installed, and that the light must be visible for 200 feet ahead ©f the automobile. No reference is made to candle power, tilt, focus or power. Modern headlight regulation defines ® proper light. It gives the maximum candle-power bulb that may be used, it provides for proper focusing and proper tilt. The mere fact that an ap- | proved lens is used in the lamp means nothing, because an improperly tilted or focused light, with a strong bulb, | will be just as blinding as a clear- glass light. Mr. Eldridge has made a close study of the headlight problem. He is thor- oughly posted on the whole question. As a representative of the A. A. A, and in co-operation with civic bodies, he has recommended for years that an adequate headlight law be put into ef- fect in the District. It was only a few months ago that tests were arranged at the Bureau of Standards under his direction so that lights could be ob- served under actual driving condi- tions. The headlight problem is a serious one, but Washington now has a traffic director who realizes its seriousness and who will go to the limit of his au- thority to give the District the best and most modern regulation to elim- inate the dangerous situation created by blinding lights. has Military Training. Military training for the young men of the Nation is worth all it costs, even if we are mever to have another war. That is the dictum laid down by Secretary of War Weeks, and to which thinking people generally will subscribe. Mr. Weeks' statement was in the form of a message to the Association of Military Colleges and Schools and he was speaking particu- larly of the military training given in such schools, but his opinion might well have been broadened to cover the training to be had in citizens' train- ing camps by young men unable to mttend these special schools. ‘The benefits of a reasonable amount of military training are varied and the most valuable of them have Iittle o0 do with preparation for war. The discipline a young man gets will make him a better and more useful citizen, to his own advantage and to the mdvantage of his country. The phys- fcal upbuilding will go with him as # blessing throughout his life, and the habits of orderliness and deport- ment he will form will make him a fmuch more agreeable person to get mlong with. If the theory that milltary training of @ Nation's youth bred a war- like spirit were a sound one, opponents of such training would be justified in their opposition to it. But it is Mot a sound theory when applied to the youth of America. Ask any vet- eran of the World War. They were trained until there were no better sol- diers on cither front in Europe, but it did not give them any hankering for another war. If this country never goes to war until forced into it by the martial spirit of veterans of the great conflict we will have a long era of uninterrupted peace, o Members of Congress who objected o salary increase for themselves have learned to submit philosophically to &tress of circumstances and to realize that it Is not always best for @ man to have his own way about every Iit- tle thing. 0il and Recognition. Russian oll, it now appears, was the morsel with which the Soviet govern- ment sought to balt its hook for Amer- ican recognition. In the suit just de- cided in Moscow, brought by the Rus- sian government to cancel the conces- eion granted the Sinclafr Ol Co., it is revealed that the understanding of the Russlan government was that this com- pany would induce the United States to force the Japanese to evacuate Saghalin Island, where the ofl deposits fn question are located. The Soviet government was mis- , however. The United States no steps to compel the Japanese to evacuate Saghalin Island, and the Russlan government's attorneys are attacking the contract with Sinclair not only because Sinclair fafled to be- g&in operattons in the concession with- in the first year, but also because of the fallure of the Sinclair company to bring about this expected action on the part of the American Government. In the meantime the Scviet govern- ment concluded a treaty of amity with Japan and was recognized by the Jap- anese government. Japan is to have the Ruselan oll instead of the Amer|- cans. So if the Soviet government has failed in one direction with its tempt- ing bait it may be said to have won in another. If the Russian government is anti- capitalistic—and it is—at least it has not abandoned old conceptions of the influence of capitalists in {nternational relations. What more naive admission of this fact could be found than the admissions now coming out of Moscow in connection with the trial of the government's case agalnst Sinclair. But perhaps after the failure to win recognition of the Soviet government through its concessions to a wealthy Amerlcan corporation, its ideas regard- ing the Government of the United States may have altered. The administration in Washington so far has not been shaken from its purpose to refuse recognition of a government which declines to be bound by its international agreements and to recognize the obligations of its country and which seeks to work for the overthrow of friendly govern- ments while still maintaining the out- ward signs of peace. The flop of the Russian government toward the Jap- anese—if it was a flop—has been re- garded in some quarters as & possl- ble menace, so far as the United States is concerned. There is nothing to indicate, however, that the Gov- ernment in Washington has been un- duly disturbed by the recognition now accorded the Russian government by Japan. The faflure of the American Gov- ernment to rush to the aid of the Soviet government in connection with the Island of Saghalin and the Sin. clair ofl concession may well be con- sidered by other governments and by other American business men in mak- ing their contracts. It is a little dif- ficult to see why the American peo- ple should be threatened perhaps with war because any business interest, no wmatter how large, seeks to reach out into other lands. —_———— A Merger of Government Bureaus. It is gratifying that the carrying out of President Coolidge’s policy of merging into new units bureaus that have similar or overlapping functions should begin with the merger an- nounced yesterday of the offices of superintendent of the State, War and Navy Bullding and superintendent of public buildings and grounds, which heretofore have functioned separately. The work of the newly created bu- reau is of peculiarly local interest to ‘Washington, although important to the whole Nation interested in the beautification of the National Capital. This consolidation, recognized as being the entering wedge for merg- ing other Government bureaus doing substantially the same work, is in line with President Coolidge's efforts to bring about Federal economy by putting various branches of the Gov- ernment on an efficlent business basis. It is said by those who have been in touch with the proceedings up to this time that they have absorbed the President's deep personal interest and that he is entitled to full credit of bringing about the merger. Not only are great economies in the operation and maintenance of public buildings and public parks in the Capital expected, but also greater ef- ficiency, thoroughness and speed in completion of the projects, in the con- struction of memorials, such as the Arlington Memorial Bridge, the Erics- son, Titanic and other memorials, are predicted. The new office, which will be known, commencing April 1, as the Commission of Public Bulldings and Parks of the National Capital, will be another independent establish- ment of the Government. Heretofore its various duties, those charged di- rectly to Col. Sherrill, were under au- thority of various commissions ap- pointed from time to time by Con- gress. Some of the separate and dis- tinct duties which Col. Sherrill was required to perform under the old order will be consolidated under the new office. He will be charged with executive responsibility for work involved in an expenditure of approximately $1, 000,000 a year in one branch of the new bureau's duties alone—the im- provement, maintenance and opera- tion of the parks of Washington, in- cluding the administration of all ac« tivities therein, such as recrea- tional features, bathing beaches, golf courses, tennis courts, base ball fields, and so on. These might be said to be of strictly local interest. The Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument will come un- der the new bureau also. One of the important duties of the new bureau will be the administration of the zon- ing laws, prescribing the character of use, height and area of all build- ings in Washington. Col. Sherrill, by virtue of his long experience in charge of public bulld- ing and grounds, is eminently quall- fied for the duties and responsibili. ties of the new bureau and can be confident of having the wholehearted backing of the community in his un- dertaking. e ——————— Rumors of Mussolini's continued ill- ness may be largely due to a thor- ough willingness on the part of cer- tain politiclans to see him take as many vacations as possible. Gen. Pershing in Politios? Friends of Gen. John J. Pershing are described as being intent upon putting the political bee in his bonnet. They want him to be & candidate for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate from Missouri to contest the seat of Senator Spencer from that State. How the general feels, himself, on that proposition de. ponent saith not. This is not the first | time an effort has been made to lure fien. Pershing tnto politics. He has been mentioned as a candidate for '.hel presidency, the vice presidency and once before as candidate for the Sen- ate to oppose Senator Reed. Conditions surrounding ' him are now somewhat different from those in the past. Upon former occasions when he has been urged to engage in political activities he was still in the Army service. Now he is retired, and while still subject to be called upon In emergency, has igreater freedom of personal movement than he possessed before. For the immediate future, however, his time will be taken up in @ new and very important duty im- posed upon him by his Government which will take him abroad—his ap- pointment to supervise the Tacna- Arica plebiscite. Gen. Pershing would be-an attrac- tive figure in any political campaign, and would be a commanding one in the Senate if he should be elected to that body. It may well be that after the conclusion of his service in the important work before him he might find it to his liking to engage in poli- tics. His success in life, which stili lingers with him as a habit, endears him to the politiclans always on the lookout for a prospective winner, The general, no doubt, will give the question due consideration after he has accomplished his present mission, for he is not llkely to let extraneous suggestions interfere with the work in hand. The Earth Yields Its Increase. American farms produced last year $12,000,000,000; stupendous figures to roll under the tongue. This, according to a statement prepared by the De partment of Agriculture, Indicated an increase of $56,000,000 over the pre- vious year. Some. percentage of the increase may have been due to the higher market values for certain crops: but at that a section of the population benefited by the gain. The outstanding fact remains that nature was kindly, and that Mother Earth ‘was generous to her children. Spring estimates of crop conditions are hopeful of a repetition of the bless ings of last year in bounteous crops and profitable returns to the producers thereof. On miilions of acres of arable lands in the country the secret forces of nature are at work in reproduction, and the heart of man is high in hope of a generous vield. Spring Is a sea- son for hope which is now encouraged by fulfillment of the past. Everywhere there is evidence of prosperity. Finances of the Govern- ment are absolutely sound, as shown by the returns to the Treasury De- partment of the payment of the in- come tax for the first quarter of the year. A contented population is at ‘work on the world's tasks. Labor and capital are at peace. Taxes are to come down. On every hand the pros- pect pleases. ———— Secretary Mellon is seventy years ©old. As both his parents lived to be over ninety there is hope of two more decades of service from him; which is good news for the many people who like the manner in which he has handled taxation problems. ————— The new traffic director will go ‘ahead without attempting too much speed on a reform route that is by no means fres from obstructions. In the meantime motorists should follow his example and proceed withi intelli- gent caution. —_——— A decline In wheat prices renews the claim of sympathy for farmers, but calls for even greater sympathy for some of the speculators. ———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Uncle Mike. Our various troubles in the past To the police we told. ‘We have another friend at last More faithful then the old. When anything is on your mind ‘With confidence you hlke To tell it to this neighbor kind, Your good old Uncle Mike. He'll try to make your words quite clear Unto your fellow men; He'll always lend a listening ear, Or even eight or ten. He'll stand for hours and never show A shadow of dislike. It is a privilege to know This patient Uncle Mike. 8o, if the world has got you wrong And.you would right yourself; If you've & sermon or a song Left lingering on the shelf, No more in silence are you due Oblivion's road to strike, For you can always tell 'em to Our dear old Uncle Mike. Busiest Days. “Don’t you feel at a loss for oc- cupation when Congress has ad- Jjourned?” K “Not et all,” answered Senator Sor- ghum. ~“‘Our most conspicuous ef- forts are those of legislation, but the real busy days are those we devote to getting re-elected. Spring Pome. The little Pome on Spring is here In joyfulnese complete, We're glad to see it drawing near On merry, dancing feet. Though it prove tiresomely inclined To e familiar strain, Its language is at least refined And not at all profane. Jud Tunkins says when he goes to town he always carries e tin watch and some counterfeit money, so as to keep any hold-up men he may meet from getting peeved until after the little company has broke up. Charming Both Ways. “There isn't much material in my new dress.” : “No,” answered Miss Cayenne, “but you look charming in it-that is to say, partly in it and partly out of it,” Passing Contract. Position in affairs of state May oft prove brief though breezy. The salary isn't over great. And the resignation’s easy. “Der is & heap 0’ power in silence,” sald Uncle Eben. “No matter how you hollers in & crap game, de dice allus BY CHARLES E, TRACEWELL. Several days ago we considered in this column the tribe of Sneere Now let us turn to the Appreciators and pralse them, for they deserve much appreciation. Once upon a time I had ambitionk to be a Critic. What more pleasing role than to look upon the work of others and say what one thinks! The acme of earthly felloity, it seemed, would be to nicely survey the whole and divide a thing into parts. “It Is very pretty, Mr. Pope, but it s not Homer.” 'With such airy statements one could dismiss the la- bors of months and satisfy the hu- man propensity to “knock. But with years and gray hafrs come discretion, {f ever. Over a long, white beard one sges things other than when he was a lad, No longer do I pine to be a Critic. I would be, first and last, an Ap- preciator. Thus one allies himself with the creative, affirmative side of Cosmos and hus a sense of wellbeing which s unknown to the Devil, that first and most widely known of the criti- cal fraternity. * K ok ¥ sit around and find fault. Watch ‘em at the ball park and you will ses thousands of well meaning birds who know how to play the game better than Walter John- son. See them in places of authority, pleking to pleces the work of others. uch critics, often called on the rolls “supervisory officials,’ miss one of Anybody can | the meanings of life. No aim is here to say aught against necessary criticism. Such is indis- pensable. In so doing, however, it is essential that the supervisor make his criti- cism sincerely, with a desire to bene- fit, rather than just change. Critiet ing Just to be changing something is very common. It fools no one, not even the critic. Yet one can stir up an air of tre- mendous activity, and wear a mask of huge importance by simply taking a work and changing it around a bit. The net result is not one whit better than it was before, but no one dares say anything. From this sort of critie, O Lord, de- liver us! The Appreciator, on the other hand, works in just the opposite manner. It he changes something, he does it because he appreciates the remain- der, and is trylng to bring the whole up to the same standard. This is the secret of the Apprecla- tor: It lies in his state of mind. all, is ‘The &s we After not that the secret of life? state of mind is what counts, breeze adown the slide of the years. “As a man thinketh in his heart, s6 is he” sald Solomon. It has taken the world a long time to find this out. Centuries have passed, coming and going in their innocence and crime, their béauty and their ugliness, their knowledge and thelr ignorance, their cleanliness and thelr dirt. Ocean breezes have swept thelr healing salt over sandy beaches. Pine forests have perfumed the crisp northern afr. Amid the palms and oranges of Florida has prevailed the charming laziness of the South. Tornadoes and alternate cold and warmth of Midwestern States -has bred a race of hardy men and lovely women, Out of it all, in things physical and mental, comee but one universal phi- losophy, and that is to think right. Surely the countless’ aeons have brought us nothing better than what Solomon to)d us. Think right, and the chances are that you will be right, and feel right. That 1s why I would be an Appre- clator. When the lady came in with a stack of her own poems for me to “criti- clze,” I am afrald I proved a flat fail- ure. I sald what I could good about them and let the rest go. If objection is made that this is an arey philosophy of life, well, what of t? Where, in the name of heaven, did there arise any dictum that life must be remorseless truth, intolerant well doing, pitiless publicity, stark reality, boresome earnestness? 1 do not belleve any such thing. No one ever has, in his heart. Mahomet, the prophet of Allah, cut off the end of his robe rather than disturb his slumbering cat. Jesus sald, “Suffer little children to come unto me,* and attended wed- dings and other places of happiness. Life has its truth, but it should not be remorseless. It possesses much well doing, but such ought not to be without remorse. Life knows much publicity, but the pitiless brand is easily overdone. Reality is necessary, but why do the fashlonable novelisi always pick out the nasty? Earnest- ness {s beautiful, but it ought not be sanctimonious. Go to the animals, thou simp, and sec {f they abuse each other with tears or fervid criticism, which only stings and does no good. You will not find anywhere a Tiger with @ zeal for Reform. You and I might desire to reform the Tigers habits, but the benighted cats are very well satisfied with themselves Just as God made them, Search nature where you will, how you will, you will find In it no such thing as criticlsm, either higher or lower, except in the realm of man, Criticlsm s his prerogative. “God made man upright,” sald St. Paul, “but he has sought out many In- ventions.” My dog never tells me I am wrong, but T often tell my dog he {s. Fido is the better Appreciator of the two. He never knew what I have to un- learn. Knowledge {s a progression into something, out of which we often have to struggle again as best we can. As boys we get sex informmtion out of the gutters, and as men we have to be educated by life and love out of the sewers into the clean streets of manhood and womanhood. Yes, it is easy to criticize. Undoubtedly that {s why it Is so common, because it is the easiest way. It takes character to boost and sustain. It takes guts, if you will permit me, to withhold the jibe and bestow the word of praise. It takes a real preacher to eschew the sermon of petty criticlsm and send his congregation away with sweetness and light in thelr hearts. It takes a real father to have boys that love him. It takes a real mother to have children that revere her. It takes a real friend to be a friend. These are the Appreclators, folks, and I will be happy to be known as one of them, if time and the other Appreciator will grant me entrance. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL'V. COLLINS. What is the present defense policy of the United States? Is it economy, as declared to be the keynote of the administration, or is it preparedness from a military standpoint? In his inaugural address, President Coolidge said: “Our country represents nothing but peaceful {ntentions toward all the earth, but it ought not to fail to maintain suchenflitary force as com- ports with the dignity and security of a great people.” * K ok *x Some time prior to the World War a paclfist statesman took the posi- tion that a tralned army was quite needless, since American patriotism would impel & million men to fly to arms overnight. The war taught more than one statesman that a mil. lion raw men armed constituted a national peril, est guns might shoot when least expected, for the greater the force of the untrained the greater the mob-target for the enemy. Few today repeat the folly of underesti- mating the necessity of army or- ganization, equipment and training, yet suddenly there comes an order from President Coolidge which stops the weekly drilling and the increase of units of the National Guard throughout the country. Dismay in every National Guard armory is the resuit of the statement that in spite of the fact that Congress appropri- ated $1,820.000 to support the’ train- ing throughout the rest of the fiscal year, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy orders that it shall not be expended—tHat the drilling and other activities ordered by Com- gress and signed by the President shall now be suspended. * Kk k% Within War Department circles no protest is expressed against that up- setting of policles fixed by Congress, for discipline of the Army is inex- orable. The protests from the States, however, voiced by the Assoclation of State Adjutants General, are more vociferous, and since the States reach the constituents of the.members of Congress, their protests are not with- out influence. The interest In the malntaining of training of the Na- tional Guard is not political, It sim- ply follows along the line of the gen- eral polfey adopted with congres- sional and _executive sanction soon after the World War. Until the war came there was no Federal policy of support or encouragement of the State militia. The result was that State troops constituted an unbal- anced adjunct of the Federal Army, for they consisted almost exclusively of infantry, with hardly any equip- ment of either artillery or cavalry, and practically no commissary nor medical equipment, machine ~guns, nor horses, while aviation was un- known and absolutely unprovided for. * kX % Just before the war Congress, in its national defense act, provided for Federal co-operation with the States in buflding up a National Guard, stip- ulating that if the guard drillefl not less than 48 times a year and not less thah an hour and a half per drill the members should receive from the Fed- eral Government Regular Army pay on the basls of one day per week. Nothing was done under that act dur- ing the war, because the draft super- seded its practicability, but after th: war it was authorized by Congre that there should be a maximum of 500,000 in the National Gaurd and 270,000 in the Regular Army. s it would be impossible to or- ganize so large a National Guard the first year, funds were appropriated only sufficlent to cover the cost of such a force as likely to be formed. So the work developed satisfactorily up to June 30, 1924, with a National Guard of about 170,000. Then, be- ginning last July, the force grew until by September it amounted to 190,000 It was then discovered that the appropriation—made to cover the cost of 170,000—was inadequate to support the 'drills of 190,000 up to the close of the fiscal year, June 30, 1925. The total Federal cost of the National Guard is about $30,000,000, The State adjutant generals brought the deficit to the attention of Congress, and the War Department, upon request, gave an estimate that it would amount to $1,320,000. While the Bureau of the Budget—whose power is advisory and not mandatory-—failed to include the deficit in its recommendation or ad- vise Congress to make such an appropriation {mmediately available, Congress, upon {its own initiative, added the sum to its appropriation and applied it to the specific purpo This is not the first time that Con- Wwith the approval of the Execu- as exceeded the amounts recom- mended by the budget; last year it added over §1,000,000 to the Army appropriation. In the face of the specific appro- priation and the law for maintaining the National Guard and the contract with the several States to pay for the drills, the order has gone forth that the money shall remain in the Treasury, unexpended. That would result, it {s alleged by the National Guard champions, in stopping the armory drills until after the new fiscal year begins, next July 1. But if any unit fails to hold the full num- ber of drills in the year—é8—the law would automatically disband it, un- less the Secretary of War finds a Wway to order the suspension of th drilling and possibly also of the camping. Thereby, the morale and general enthusiasm of the members would be dampened. * Ok % K Some of the “military Jawyer: among the adjutant generals argue that, although the President is com- mander-in-chief of the United States Army and Navy, he does not exercise that authority over the National Guard, which are State soldiers un- til they are mobilized into the Fed- eral service in time of war or threat of national peril, and that the State officers should ignore his order, con- tinue the drilling, and then fight the claim of compensation under the congressional law, through the Court of Claims. A delegation of the Association of the Adjutant Generals, after walting upon the President, express the be- lief that the order, having been based upon a misunderstanding, will be re- voked. * ok ok % The National Guard, together with the Regular Army, constitutes the Nation’s “first line of defense.” The whole country is divided into nine corps areas, In each of which are one division of the Regular Army and - two divisions of the National Guard. While that is the ideal plan of the organization, it {s not agtu- ally developed, except that in Te: along the Mexican border, is a fu division of the Regular Army, and in that corps area is the nucleus of two divisions of the National Guard, with all officers and equipment, properly balanced between infantry, artlillery, cavalry, medical and quartermaster corps. When the entire system is developed it will be possible within two weeks after declaration of war OF other emergency to mobilize the National Guard and have a trained and equipped army of 500,000 ready for the field, in addition to the Reg- ular Army. The increase of interest in all the States, as shown by last Summer' increase of enlistment in the National Guard, indicates the success in na- tion-wide awakening to the plan of State and Federal co-operation. The National Government does not stipu- late what the several States shall do with their National Guard units, ex- cept that the force shall be an epit- ome of the balanced Army, with all branches of the service, 50 that.in, case of general mobilization, there shall be no need to repeat the trag: dios enacted at the start of the World War of undertaking to force infan- trymen suddenly to comprehend the trigonometry of artillery practice or be thrown out of the service. All this s aside from the other branch known as the Reservi (Copyright, 1925, by THE NORTH WINDOW BY LEILA MECHLIN. No one who attended the demon- stration of etching given last Satur- day afternoon at the Smithsonian In- stitution by John Taylor Arms, the well known etcher, could have failed to be impressed by the extraordinary dificulties which at every step con- front those who choose this as @ me- dium of expression. To the major- ity of laymen unacquainted with technical processes an etching rep- resents a delicately rendered draw- ing printed In some mysterious way through the use of acids. Those who hed the privilege of witnessing the demonstration given by Mr, Arms now know better, for with him they were able to follow, step by step, the making of an etching from the ini- tlal preparation of the plate to the final printing. And how much there was to be done and to be explained—the coat- ing of the plate, the preparation of the surface on which the drawing Wwould be made, the drawing by use ef the etcher's needle, then the etch- ing by means of one or several aclds, the stopping-out process, and, finally the removal of the ground and the varnish, the cleaning and preparation of the plate, the inking and the print- ing. Mr. Arms explained how it was desirable to press just enough upon the needls to mark the surface of the plate; how some lines should be bitten for two minutes, others for four, others for six, still others for ten and so on; how after one biting those lines which were sufficiently bitten were “stopped out” and the plate relmmersed in the acld. Be- fore his audience, on account of the short time at his disposal, he applied the acid with a feather, moving it gently back and forth across those Parts where more or less biting was to be done, watching the effect as the acid bit into the copper and an evi- dent reaction took place. But what huzardg the etcher experienced! A half minute too long or too short may spell rufn or, if not muin, at least something short of success. The art- ist who draws a picture ig all ocou- pied (n the matter of draftsmanship, composition, rendering: the etcher when he has accomplished all this has stiil the difficulties of complicat- ed mechanical process confronting him. The housewife will recognize & certain similarity to the making of & cake. After being properly mixed it must be properly baked, and the shade of difference in time makes all the difference between success and fallure. some one asked Mr. Arms after his demonstration, “when etching is beset by so many almost insuperable difficuities, when there {s such an enormous amount of technical hazard, do s0 many attempt it?" “Because,” his answer was, “the result finally attained cannot be at- tained in any other way through any other medium.” There is something, he explained, about the incised line which is different and finer and more significant than any other line that an artist can make. It {s this which gives etching its interest and Its fas- cination and brings the etcher his re- ward. Mr. Arms' explanation of the etch- ing process was extremely clearly given, and conveyed In comnection with the demonstration an under- standing not to be had from mere words. So simple was it that not a few in the audience were encouraged to feel that the process was not be- yond the boundaries of their own capablility. This is always the effect of an exhibition of mastery of art; it is the fumbler who discourages even the beginner; it is the simplicity of the master work which allures the novice and leads him to exclaim: “I believe I could do that, too.” A * ok % % M Afmis’ demonstration had to do exclusively with the process of what is known as pure etching, but he did briefly define and explain the differ- ence between pure etching, dry point, aquatint and mezzotint. He has him- self made most interesting use of aquatint, expanding its possibilities far beyond its supposed potentialities. As he uses it, It corresponds to an ex- terit with meazotint, the ground laid by the resin dust corresponding to that made by the rocker, and being treated simllarly in the interpreta- tion of subject matter. The one has & little more subtiety In tone and & 1ittle less regularity in texture. Obviously the public is interested in result, and properly so, but a knowledge of processes lends not only interest, but intelligence in the mat- ter of critical appreciation. * ok % % Mr. Arms explained how much of the effect and oftentimes the quality of an etching was dependent upon the printing. Not infrequently, he said, an etching of comparatively little value could be made -extremely charming through the skillful ma nipulation of the printer, but a really great etching even a bad printer could not spoll. Repeatedly he instanced Rembrandt as the groatest etcher of all time, and he called attention in- terestingly to the fact that in this particular field all would agrees in placing this artist first; here, at least, there is unanimity of opinion. He spoke, t00, of the marvel of Whistler's etohings, of the beauty of his line, the perfection of his art. ‘The etching which he himself made by way of demonstration before thé audience was a little picture of Char- tres Cathedral as seen over the rooftops of the town. It was taken from a sketch made when in that picturesque old city a year ago. He claimed for it no artistlc merit, for, as he ex- plained. etchings were not done while you waited; and those who sat lis- téning and watching could not have failed to be impressed with both the sureness and the lightness of his touch as the drawing was made and with the really charming result so skillfully accomplished. * K K % Mr. Arms spent 18 mont: in Europe recently, drawing and etching French and Spanish cathedrals and other chiefly architectural themes. He was trained as an architect and ‘this training has given him a knowl- edge of structure and structural forms which has enabled him to ren- der such forms most sympatheticall; He has also inherently the etcher's instinct, the elemental love of beauty, the power of elimination with the grasp of the essential, and he has very steadily in the past few years attained high rank among not only American gt .ers, but the foremost etchers of .oday. The exhibition of his etchings, drypoints and aquatints now on view in the Smithsonian Building, Division of Graphic Arts, will continue to the end of this week. It is very worth seeing. * kK X ‘The Brooklyn Soolety of Etchers, of which Mr. Arms is secretary, is about to hold, at the Anderson Galleries, in New York, its annual international exhibition. This will- comprise etch- ings, drypoints, aquatints, 'mezzo- tints and block prints by not only American etchers,. but by the. fore- most etchers of France, England and other European countries. It will not be a bewilderingly large showing, but it will be upheld to a very high standard and it will give our Ameri- can etchers opportunity to compare their works with the best of their conferes across the seas. This is but one of three International print ex- hibitions, held in the United States every year The others are held under the auspices of the Chicago Society of Etchers and under the auspices of the California Printmakers’ Society. From thé Chicago exhibition, lately closed, over $4,000 worth of prints were sold, ‘When it is considered that the major- ity of these probably did not bring more than $25 aplece, an estimate of the number of purchases made can ‘be arrived at. Remembering the rarity and quality of talent essential to the making of an etching which Isa work ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. How long has Knoxville, Tenn,, | in reconstruction in Franc: had a city manager?—C. T. 4. Louls Brownlow went to Knox- ville as city manageér a little over a year ago. Since then he has saved the city more than enough to pay his own salary and those of his de- partment heads. Q. How many Chinese come to this country to study?—C. M. 1. A According to a 1920-21 survey made by the Bureau of Education. there were 1,443 Chinese students in American universities and colleges. Q. Why doesn't the force of the earth whirling through space at 19 miles a second blow us all away?— P. K A. The Naval Observatory says that if all space wers full of sta- tlonary air, the motion of the earth through it at the rate of 19 miles a second would produce the same effect as if the earth were standing still and the air moving at the rate of 19 miles & second. But there is no air in interplagetary space. The at- mosphere of the earth is a part of the earth and moves along with the solid part under the action of the same forces that keep the solld part in motion. Q. What per cent of the content of & tree is molsture?—D. E. A. A. The Forest Products Laboratory says that the molsture in different green trees or in different parts of the tree may vary considerably, but, s a general average, 40 to 50 per cent of the welght of the wood In the tree may be water. The rest of the wood, that is, the wood fiber itself, will commonly contain about 50 per cent carbon, so that of the ortginal wood per cent s water, 25 per cent is carbon and the other 25 per cent of the tree consists mostly of hydrogen and oxygen in chemical combinations with the carbon. Q. Which will last longer, a 200- pound cake of artificia] ice or of river ice, If put out in the sun together?— W. R. B, A. The one thet is the cleaner and presents the smaller surface to the sun will last the longer. Q. I have lost my first papers. Can they be replaced?—A. L. A. If either first or second naturali- zation papers are lost they may be re- placed by applying to the court fs- suing themi. Q. What progress has been made A. Much progress has bee One thousand and thirty main rallroads, 1,490 miles of loca rallroads, bridges, canals and- 26,200 miles of highways were first rebuilt By J vy 1, 1924, over 80 per cent of the devastated area of France hac been restored to its former conditios approximately 80 per cent of fhe houses destroyed had been 90 per cent of the damaged reconstructed, 80 per cent trenches filled fn and 90 per cent of the damaged factories put in oper atlon. Agricultural lands have alsc been reclaimed and much of the population returned to its origing dwelling. mz miles Q. When was the first celebratior of the landing of the forefathers at Plymouth?—G. R. T. A. The occasion was brated Decembe 769. What is the income of a trained nurse?®—D. P. H A. There are nurses, not Service nurses, first Q. out 138,000 trained iding Public Health their average r year. Q. How can a mixture for soap bubbles that w moments?—L. A. The Bure istr 1 that it 1s advisable to add two table spoonfuls of glycerin to a pint of soapy water in order to obtain a satisfactory mixture Q. How many negroes are voting —K. T A. In the United 5,500,000 negroes who thelr majori Q be made il last a few States t have What is a The Ma. “fuol quat ailure to sense danger escape from the hunte Mexico, rather tha tates, within which it 1 western Texas, Arizo Mexico. in this column t only a few of the questions that pous nto our ofice daily. Those which are belleved to be of greatest publio interest are selected for publication. Any reade: s privileged to ask any qiestion chooses, however trivial or profoun and it will be answered direet. Inclusc a 2-cent stamp wtih your query, and ad- The Information’ Burea y-first stre rthwest.) (Space can be giv e and ( BATTLESHIP vs. AIRPLANE By COMDR. HERBERT S. HOW ARD. Construction Corpw, U. CHAPTER 1L Besides the function of defending our coasts and possessions, which in- volves as @ prime act seeking out t enemy and destroying him, one of the principal reasons for the existence of the Navy is to protest the commerce of the mation against enemy attack and to seek out and destroy enemy commerce. Suppose for a moment that two countries 2t war should de- cide that their commerce can be pro- tected by planes or airships. Two en- emy merchant ships meet in bad weather, so bad that planes cannot be used. One side has a.gun and uses it. The sida which did not have the gun would mostly surely make up its mind to fit & gun and a bigger one at the next opportunity. The other side then selects a bigger gun and maybe & lttle armor, and before long the old circle which led to the creation of the original warship to protect mer~ chant fleets is completed and battle- ships appear again. Another most important point in this question of ships of the water and ships of the air is that of their ability to operate under any condi- tions of weather and without regard to location. I have already spoken of delays occasioned by bad weather in the cases of the Ostfriesland and Washington. Even more recertly it will be recalled that in the daily papers was described the trip of the alrship Los Angeles to Bermuda. She arrived at her destination in & pro- tected harbor, with a tender and mooring mast awaiting her, but heavy rains fell and her covering soaked up such & weight of water that she could not moor without the danger of being unable to remaln in the air. Tntil all nations are willing to adopt the policy of the varlous Chi- nese armies in this last clvil war and agree to postpone all battles until after the Tain is over, there appears to be but one answer to the question as to whether a satisfactory torce should be of ships of the water or the air. I have heard it expressed that the vessel which will win con- sistently will always be that one which {s “on the job 24 hours a day,” and certainly In the present state of development that vessel is the fight- ing ship of the sea. Since much has been said about economy, it would be well to look into that queation. As far as I have been able to discover, the attitude of those who would substitute bombing planes for battleships is that 15 bombing planes are superior to one battleship. A modern battleship costs from $30,- 000,000 to $40,000,000. A hombiing plane costs about $40,000, so that 15 would cost $600,000. However, the life of a battleship is generally ac- cepted as 20 years, while the life of a bombing plane is but approximately four years. Allowing 50 per cent for replacements, which {s believed a con- servative figure, would give for cost of planes alone during 20 years a to- tal of $4,500,000. This also makes no allowance for crashed planes, fires, necessary training planes and protec- tive combat planes. Even with these additions, the cost s less than the battleship, it s true, but it {s not so much less when there is taken into constderation the capabilities of the battleship and the extremely re- stricted fleld of the plane. If it may be assumed to have been shown that aviation cannot replace a sea-going navy composed of ships, it can easily be shown that aviation is a most valuable auxiliary. The basic use for aviation In connection with ships of the sea is that of obtaininig information. Scouting vessels alwavs proceed ahead of a fleet to gain in- formation of an enemy at the earliest possible moment. With airplanes, the field and range of vision of such scouting vessels is increased enor- mously. Further, with fleets in con- tact and fire opened, hitting depends upon accurate spotting of the shots as they fall in order that corrections may be applied before the next salvos. With airplanes to report the fall of shot, the spotter Is raised to many times the height of his old position at the masthead and out nearer the target, so that his reports will have much greater accuracy. It may also be easily imagined that bombing planes flying from aircraft carriers may introduce a decisive fac- tor into an engagement. All these planes, observation, spotting and bombing, must be protected from at- of art, and the technical difficulties of the process, the wonder is that etchings can be purchased at so mod- erate a cost, Perhaps there Is noth- ing that one can buy, if one knows enough, that is sure to prove, in the long run, so good ‘an investment. Not a few etchings by cotemporary etchers have doubled their value within the last 12 Whistler . etchings, which once on fitime could have been had for a few Mollars now sell in the auction rooms for sums in four figures. SN, tion a bat plan a pults capab, from the deck of a war developed and ships of the fl a purely Ame and its creat has, T believe the direction o a superior aviation It will planes launched by new scout cruisers service to the round in locating a 1 coast of Gree If it be a is no one i Navy who wo agree—that aviation is & mo: tial part of th AV Y vexed qu should be pa wholly separat own point o of ships, T cally th placing our N on_ wit be pos as to wh of the Navy air force. Fro that of a d. my ing the de battle cru installing ¢ flest, and of n ships, light cruisers, and airplane carriers of the future, most intimate h must be main- tained with the tion. With the Bure the Navy Departn keep In Int t who are aviators but who naval officers of e cussing questions o familiar not only with airplanes but with airplane in relation to The dificulties of attempting to pre pare designs of 4 carrier even for the desig of a catapult, would be almost mountable we were dependin our Information to airplanes and their proble air force sepa With avi: of the Nav skill of th 1 bure Navy Department are at its co in the work of design The ¢ of fiying flelds and hang. but un expansi {n developing shor the doctors and hosy are available and the supply of the N handles supplies. « ing and v With a separate serv all these activities already fsting in the Navy would have to duplicated at great expense to the Government Aside from design, and c operation, the reasons seem equal strong for aviation that is entirel naval. stated above, the prima use for aircraft in a navy the gath ering of information 'he observe must know befc hand what the ir formation he is king is for; he should be able to recoghize types of ships at once and distinguish ships ¥ trained and skillful as well trained lence. In dis design they are ymar fderin our own Navy without fail Also he should know what the importa in his information are, so t € At be transmitted first, and to do this | must be familiar with the radio con munication system of the Navy an the naval signal codes. To make these decisions and to fu ish the { formation he has been sent to obtai nothing will help him bt naval tra ing. The same arguments apply the work of the spotters in gunne and of bombers Withcut a genera and absolutely ingrained b of naval knowledge and naval polr of view, they may well prove an al solute detriment to & commandin; officer Instead of & great asset. Finally, we have before us tic example 0f Great Britain. Aviatior was faken away from theipavy anc dombined fnto the Royal "Alr Forc toward the end of the war when th mertgco of the German fleet had pr. tically disappeared. TRo arr ment, with the passing of a few years, proved most unsatisfactory, much so that in 1923 it was d d that all air obse tion duties for the fleet would be carried out by nava observers, 70 per cent of the office personnel of the Royal Air Forer employed with the fleet being sup plied by the Navy. Even this change is considered in England as a half way measure and it is confidently expected that before long aviation fo fieet work will be transferred cos pletely back to the navy. Should in this country, create a separate a service now, it may be taken for granted that.we would traverse the identical cycle almost completed by Great Britain, and, in the course of & few short yenrs, dismember this uni- fled air force and have again the present air services of the Army and the Navs.