Evening Star Newspaper, April 18, 1925, Page 6

o THE EVENING STAR With Sundsy Morning Edition. WASBHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY. .April 18, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Compan ennsylvanis Ave. Office: 110 Fast 43nd St. Chicago Office : Tower Building. an Offics: 18 Ragent St., London, Eagland. The Bvening Star. with the Sunday morn- InE “edition, s delivered by carrigrs within the city at 60 cents per month: daily oaly, 45 cents per month; Sunday on) per month. Orders may be sant talephone Main 5000. Collection {s made by carrier at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginis. Daily and Sunday....1yr.$8.40: 1 mo. 70c Daily only ¥r. $6.00: 1 mo., 50c Sunday oaly 1mo, 20¢ All Other States. Daily and Sunday...1yr,$10.00. 1 mo., 85¢ Daily enly 1yr. $7.00} {mo. 6 Sunday o . $800: 1 mo.. Member of the Associated Pre The Assocluted Press is exclusively antitled to the use for republication of 1l news dis- patches credited to it or not otherwiss cred- ted in this paper and also the local news oublished herein. Al rights of publication o7 apecial dispatches herein are also reserved “The Dream of Over a Century.” Former Chancellor Marx, candidate of the Republicans for President of Germany, is campaigning with vigor ind with courage. Confronted by the candidacy of Field Marshal von Hindenburg, who is supported by all the Nationalists and Monarchists, it is essential for Marx to strike out on hold lines. He addressed a great meeting in Berlin last night and de- clared in favor of the annexation of Austria. This was greeted with. vo- *iferous cheering. It was hailed as 4 move to checkmate the claims of Senator Shortridge. The wife of Gov. Pinchot of Pennsylvanis, according to political rumor, may essay for a seat in the House of Representatives from the Keystone State. Reports say that » woman will run for Governor of Maryland, to be rec- ommended to woman voters of all parties, according to the project. Alrs. Wilbur Hubbard of Chestertown, chairman of the Eastern Shore Di- vision of the United Democratic Womeh's Clubs of Maryland, is be- ing suggested as the non-partisan candidate. There i3 one member of the pres- ont Senate who is not dismayed at the thought of women seeking seats in the United States Senate, and he is Senator Couzens of Michigan. The Michigan Senator recently said that he could pick out several seats now held by men in the upper chamber which could be better filled by com- petent women. No one can say that the future bars the Senate to women. In several instances women gained public office of high degres in recent elections. A free field and a fair fight for the woman aspirants! e A Reconstruction Feast. There is going to be a Democratic peace dinner in New York after all, to be held tonight as an annual Jefferson dey banquet given by the National Democratic Club. Falilure to get cer- tain distinguished Democrats to the| table has not deterred the promoters of this conferénce feast, who have en deavored to arrange the list of speak ers so as not to make the dinner & boom for any one. Heretofore these anniversary repasts have included sev- eral presidential possibilities. Last year the principal speakers at the New York Jefferson dinner were John W. Davis and Gov. Albert C. Ritchie of Maryland. This year the speakers will Yon Hindenburg to represent the as- pirations of Germany for enlarg: ment and increased strength. At the sume time it put Marx in the cate- gory of those not afraid to say things not the 1t to taste of the entente was a shrewd bid for Whether or not this statement was more ‘than a campaign maneuver at this time, it undoubtedly reflects a cherished aspiration of the German people, and it presents a Qquestion that will probably continue as a cause of irritation in Europe. In his speech at Berlin Marx said: “The annexa- tion to the brother state of Austria and the creation of a greater Ger- many, the dream of more than a cen- tury, can be demanded now, when the security compact is under discus- sion.” “The dream of over a centur; is a significant phrase. It was the dream of a “greater Germany," of a Ger- man hegemony, that brought about the great war, the “Berlin to Bag- dad” idea. Germany before the war -egarded Austria as logically in line of absorption. A Teutonic state ex- tending from the Baltic to the Dan- ube was the immediate vision. But the Danube was not regarded as the frontier that would eventually bound it. That was why Germany in 1914 made common cause with Austria against Serbia, and hence akainst Russia and France, and ultimately Fngland and Belgium, and finally Austria today is a greatly reduced, practically bankrupt state. Barred from the sea, deprived of some of her richest territory and most profitable industries by the creation of Czecho- slovakia, she is in a pitiable condi- tion of decrepitude. But no feeling of commiseration animates the German intransigent in advocating the an- nexation of Austria. It is to fulfill the “dream of over a century” that annexation is sought. Were thers no other consideration than the rescue of Austria from a deplorable and unhealthy situation only academic objection would be raised by the European powers to the proposal. But there is far more at stake than the cure of Austria’s eco- nomic and financial ills. The entente cannot possibly consent to annexa- tion without destroying the treaty of Versailles, fhe basic principle of which was the reduction of Germany to @ point where she could not men- ace the peace of the world. r—o— If motoring becomes much more prevalent the ideal home will be & ga- vage with space enough for an oil stove and a folding bed | ———— Angling is a diversion which would he suitable for small boys if the aver- age small boy could afford the tackle | and the transportation. B | Woman Voters. The National League of Woman Voters, which is now holding a six- | day convention in Richmond, Va., is afficially described as a non-partisan | organization proposing to teach women to vote and take an active interest in politics and to promote world peace. Reports of the gath- ering and its discussion on the side- lines indicate that much is going on heneath the surface to expand the scope of the organization’s activities. There are indications that the League of Woman Voters intends to make a drive for election of women to the United States Senate and House of Representatives No one can in reason or logic rep- rehend such an objective if it is really in the minds of the woman voters. The seats of several incum- hents are reported as being aimed at by woman crusaders, and it falls out | that the present occupants are con- spicuous in public life. It is said that Senator Wadsworth of New York is to be the object of an on slaught by the woman voters. Sen- ator Wadsworth's renomination is sxpected to be contested by Miss Martha Van Rensselear. The name of Miss Mary Garret Hay is also en- tered in the lists. Senator McKinley of Tlinois is to be attacked by the woman voters, and Julia Lathrop of Rockford, IN, is to be boomed by the woman vot- ers for the senatorship. In Missouri Mrs. George Gellhorn of St. Louis is suggested to make a try for Senator sSpencer's seat, while in California Mrs. Parker Maddox of San Fran- cisco 1s suggested to run against be Senators Thomas F. Bayard of Delaware and Royal S. Copeland of New York, W. R. Pattangall, unsuc- cessful Democratic candidate for Gov ernor of Maine last vear and one of the leaders of the fight for the anti- Klan plank at the Madison Square Gai- den convention; Representative C. A. ‘Woodrum of Virginia and Mrs. Carroll Miller of Pennsylvania. It is not in- imical to this host of talent to say that it does not include any particularly promising presidential material. An invitation to the dinner has been sent to Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York, who, it is said, will attend. though arriving late, but will not crew of one ship, believeing that gun- men were sighting their weapons, threw cases of liquor into the ocean. Identification of ships loitering off the coast, plainly for only one purpose, may be effected by ‘means of such photographs. The exact position of these craft, perhaps within the limit of one hour's sailing prescribed by the new treaties with foreign powers, may be established by photographic means. Poesibly g combination of photography and actual raiding would strengthen the position of the Government in its enforcement work. But there is no assurance that these pictures will be available for Coast Guard uses in the enforcement cam- paign. The films and plates belong to the Navy Department and not to the enforcement service. They may not be turned over to the latter owing to distinction of jurisdiction. Whatever else is done with these pictures, they might well be exhibited for the information of the public. “Rum row" would then hecome a tangible actuality and would perhaps stimulate the feeling that enforcement should be pressed more vigorously in order to sustain the law of the land. The presence of these ships off the principal port of the United States is a reflection upon the American Gov- ernment. e AT T Highway Improvements. Attention should be attracted to the first meeting of the Joint Board on Interstate Highways, composed of State and Tederal highway officials, scheduled to assemble here April 20. The board was appointed recently by the Secretary of Agriculture at the request of the American Association | of State Highway officials. It is explained that the board has been brought into existence because of the general demand for a simple and uniform method of designating and marking interstate highways. Through routes, consisting almost en- tirely of improved roads, are now common throughout the country. It is reasonable to expect that within a few years there will be & network of such highways over the entire| land. Students of highway traffic problems recognize that these routes should be designated in accordance | with some uniform system, which would consider the main flow .of traffic regardless of State lines. There is at present much duplication and | confusion in their designation. At this time there is practically a speak. It is not known whether an in- vitation was sent to William G. Me- Adoo. This would appear to be strictly an Eastern Democratlc conference in the guise of 2 dinner in honor of Thomas Jefferson, but a belief is prevalent that the Eastern Democrats are not going to control the fortunes of the party in the realignment that the con- vention and the campaign of last year rendered imperative. Certain Western and Southern Democrats look askance at any movement toward rehabilita- tion originating in the neighborhood of Madison Square Garden. ——— The Tragedy at Sofia. Communist disturbances in Bulgaria continue at a shocking rate of increas- ing ferocity. A bomb was exploded in the cathedral at Sofia yésterday dur- ing the funeral of Gen. Georghieff, who was assassinated Tuesday. The latest Teport is that 140 persons, in- continuous system of improved high- ways from Bangor, Me., to Miami, Fla. This may be known as the Atlantic highway, with various sub- titles. It is expected that the forth- coming congress of State and Fed- eral officfals will by the interchange of views yield much benefit to the gen- eral public in its use of the highway systems. e A base ball banquet is now regarded only as a possible means 6f promoting indigestion and compelling Judge Landis to consult with a doctor before deciding how far a depletion of health may figure in & lowering of moral re- sistance. ————————— Paris tried to establish a fashion for long skirts and failed. For the first time in many years Paris has been permitted to assume the role of unap- preciated modesty- oo cluding 20 women and 10 children, were killed. Six generals and 30 other officers of the army were among those slain. About 200 persons were wound- ed. Martial law was proclaimed throughout the country and a curfew was established, all streets to be cleared at 7:30 in the evening. Citizens have been enrolled into patrols to maintain order. All passengers ‘on trains are being searched for arms. These manifestations of murderous radicalism menace the kingdom, but despite the assassinations and other outrages the government appears to be firmly established. A comparative- ly few radicals can inflict much injury without upsetting the political organi- zation. Bulgaria has been in ferment ever | since the close of the war. The con- flict is between the peasantry, who are inclined to communism, and the mili- tary and financial classes. Stambou- 1off, the premier of the people of the former class, was assassinated. His followers have sworn vengeance. This present disturbance is a recrudescence of their rage for his deposition and death. The influence of the Russian bolshe- vists is believed to be at the bottom of these manifestations. The Third In- ternationale, seated at Moscow, has its agents at Sofia, who are working on the Bulgarian people in the hope of establishing a Soviet state in Bul- garfa. Tius the happenings at Sofia and elsewhere in that unhappy coun- try are of concern to all of Europe, almost equally to America. — o Primary elections are not favored by the Colorado Legislature on the theory, perhaps, that there is enough red tape in actual office holding with- out introducing a preliminary supply. —————— Paper money is the supreme test of the persuasive powers of art and literature. - Phetographs of Rum Row. An interesting question arises in re- gard to the utility in prohibition en- forcement of the photographs taken from the dirigible Los Angeles of the liguor ships on ‘“rum row,” lying off the port of Nety York. Can these pic- tures be of any service in enforcing the law? They probably present a panorama of interesting information. But everybody knows the rum ships are there awaiting their chance to dis- charge their cargoes, either by run- ning in to shore themselves or by transshipping to smaller and speedier craft. Coast Guard ships are constant- ly active, working through the fleet and frequently picking up offenders, large and small. Their commanders and crews are not particularly in need of photographic material to locate the ‘“enemy.” But the moral effect upon the smugglers of motion and still pic- tures taken from the air is not to be discounted. - It is related that when Los Angeles flew low over rum row with cameras clicking and buzzing the | THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. After working in the back yard for several weeks, shining it up for Spring, 1 have more respect for farm. ers than I ever did before. No_wonder the great backbone of the Republic has to get up at 3 or 4 a.m. The wonder is how he manages to get his work all done by night. It is amezing how much time a small back yard demands, after a long Winter, before it can be sald to be in shape for the glad, new season. To look at the yard, lying out there in its proud square feet, one would think it possible to clean it up in & few hours. If not then, certainly in a few days. Several weeks, however, of intensive work still show much to be done in the back yard. Gardening, like house- work, is nevor finished. There is al- ways something-to dc. When one considers, then, the farmer, with his acres and ecres of land, his stock to feed and wter, his farm implements and machines to keep in shape, his crops to cultivate, his harvests, the wonder is that the man ever gets it done at all. Perhaps this is one of the biggest benefits to be secured from a little back yard, this renewed appreciation for the farmer, and the solid work he does for you and me and all of us. Our city hats off to our country cousin'! > w ok w The love for growing things may be dulled by city life in general, by apartment life in particular, but it cannot be killed. There is a theoty to the effect that much of our modern orime is due to lack of contact with the seil. There is something elemental, something soothing and calming about dirt, rain and wind, grass, flowers, corn and peas. That man who never had a plot of ground of his own, although he may never realize it, is suffering a deprivation not only of soil but of those factors growing out of the soil. Deep in the brain cells of every individual, no matter where or how born, is fixed a yearning for old Mother Earth. He may be born in a tenement, amid concrete streets and brick bufldings. His daily life may never lead him into the green fields. His highest con- ception of the beauties of nature may be some building-bound park, where Mother Earth snatches a few square rods of green amid an otherwise sterile landscape. Yet in the heart of that man the call of Spring still lives. He has, in a sense, been cheated of one of his birthrights, and something in him tells him, although vaguely, that all is not so well with him’ as it other- wise might have been. He may loaf on the street corner, and before his fellows sneer at the “country jake” and the hay sticking out of his boottops, but in the inner recesses of his soul lingers still the urge that man got centuries and centuries ago. the craving for contact with the earth. This is the land craving in every one of us. Often it is a_desire we do not realize we possess. It is, in short, one of the so-called “suppressed de- sires” of which we hear so much, Commonly that phrase is applied in other directions, but there is no good reason for not applying it to matters agricultural. The craving for earth and flowers is an elemental one, too, and is with us to the end. when we g0 back to the earth at last. * x ¥ X The man who has not access to a bit of ground of his own resents it, al- though he perhaps may never realize just what is the matter with him. In Prince Henry was thrown from a horse. In spite of the great sagacity attributed to horses many recent in- cidents indicate that they have no diplomacy whatever. —————— ‘While Washington, D. C., takes a vacation so far as senatorial sensa- tions are concerned, Great Falls, Mont., will assume the center of the stage. The Hohenzollern family was ready enough to participate in world politics. But it shies discreetly at the local poli- tics of Berlin. ——— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Economy. “I'm going to economize,” Said Hezekiah Bings; “I mean to be a bit more wise In hoarding precious things. The thoughts T'll cherish of the day When pleasure was complete And April's promise of the May Strewed blossoms at my feet. “The rainbow's glory I will hold In memory’'s purse, ciose bound And guard it better than the gold Which in the mart is found. Unto the joys flung from the skies My heart still fondly clings. I'm going to economize,” Said Hezekiah Bings. Office. “Will you leave office poorer than when you entered it?"” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum “Although the office has proved unre. munerative, my patriotism is such that I have no idea of leaving it.” So Fast They Follo Time swiftly flies. Our griefs would fade As Springtime smiles anew 1t we could get the coal bill paid Before the ice bill's due. A Jud Tunkins says a busybody never troubled about unemployment. Letting Well Enough Alone. “What a handsome ring!” ‘It's an engagement ring,” Miss Cayenne. 'So you are going to be married!” “I don’t know. It would be a shame to lay the foundation for a divorce and spoil a perfectly beautiful engage- ment." said Modern Modesty. The male wears trousers long And hides his chest, While mingling with the throng In life’s unrest. Though not built on a plan Of winsome grace, For modesty, mere man Now sets the pace. “Honesty is de best policy,” said Uncle Eben, “but in dishere com- munlty it ain’'t allus de best politics. The glory of Washington is its trees. Few cities in the world can compare with the American Capital in street and park follage, yet the rapid growth of population, with the consequent building of new streets, together with the constant competi- tion of tree mortality and tree ex- tension, makes life for the superin- tendent of trees, Mr. Clifford Lanham, one long struggle to make two trees grow where Congress had provided for onme. In the current fiscal year the tree-planting amounts to a total of 20 miles of streets—the record planting of any one year—yet it is limited only by the appropriation, not by the demand of citizens and their local associations. ‘With all the pride of Washingto- nians in their tree-bordeéred streets, few realized that yvesterday was Arbor day in the District of Columbia. Through the initiative of Supt. Lan- ham, the third Friday of April has been celebrated each- year for the last four years as local Arbor day, though the celebration has not yet become as general as tree lovers hope to make it, owing, perhaps, to the lack of a pub- licity director of the tree department or the oversight of the various citi- zens' organizations. Washington is especially fortunate in its magnificent park system, developed from natural forest beauty, with hills and rills, and it is the ideal of nature lovers to spread the charm of sylvan greens throughout the paved and brick-bor- dered avenues. Where else are ave- nues arched with such foliage as canopies certain residence streets of Washington? This spring the tree service is digging holes in which to plant hundreds of trees which do not vet exist—perhaps these holes (duly filled up again with mellow soil) wiil act as gentle reminders to the resi- dents of the streets of the possibili- ties of trees, of shade, of verdure, of birds and squirrels—of beauty and in- terest which would be added unto them if only the citizens’ associations would make their influence more ac- tive while the appropriation commit- tees of Congress are making up their budgets. Trees, unlike marble statues, continue to increase in beauty as the years go by, and the initial cost is a trifle compared with the near future value. e o Not only is Rock Creek Park to be greatly enlarged by the recent addi- tion of many acres, but two new na- tional forests—Camp Meade and Fort Humphreys, aggregating nearly 8,000 acres, within easy automobile distance of the Capital, are set apart, as fea- tures of our parking system. Forts Washington, Hunt and Foote are soon to be incorporated in the accessible parks of the District of Columbia nature lovers. But these are not available to those who do not drive autos, and to none are they so near tHSt they take the place of shaded avenues of the city itself. It will take years to develop parks and years to grow shade trees in the city. * K K K For 30 years the slogan of nature lovers has been “Plant a tree!” That slogan is now being enlarged to “Plant a forest!” This is not merely for the sake of recreation, but is the appeal of all who have a vision of the needs of the country for lumber and for moisture. In one county In New York—Broome County—86,000 trees were set out last year. There will be 40,000 acres in that county set to trees. Probably, with all the activity of the District of Columbia, the total number of trees set in any one year has never reached 3,000. The Conser- vation Commission of New York sells Z-yar«old tre: dfor :x;lva'.e x:)dn(mm at §2 a thousand, and 3-year-old trees at $4. School children of Broome BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. his hidden, inner rage he may want to “take it out on soclety,” or rob a bank or do something similarly wild. Put him into a garden, make him stick to it long enough to gat the taste, he will calm down beautifully and become a good citizen. Some are born gardeners, others have to get the taste for it, just as some children have to be induced to eat the leafy vegetables for a time un- til they really begin to like what is good for them. One cannot jump right out of an apartment building into a back-yard garden and be head-over-heels in love with his new occupation. It has to grow upon you, and it does it, give the occupation half a chance. Pretty soon vou will be looking for- ward during the day to the hour or 80 which you can spend in the garden. Necessary duties, such as sprinkling the grass and trimming the borders, and mowing and raking up the grass, will come ,to be pleasurable occupa- tions. You have to do it bafore you like it, in this as in many other affafts of life. The new gardener thinks all there is to do is to put the seeds in the ground and let ‘em grow. Well, some try it that way, but after they see the result they are willing to buckle down to work and make a real garden, For every minute they formerly put in they will put in hours or even days, days filled with health-giving sunshine and stooping. Oh, the benefits of stooping! Let every gentleman with a 35-inch girth go in for gardening, if he wants to get rid of that alderman’s corpora- tion, @s it used to be called. T It is astonishing how much natural trash can accumulate in a backyard over Winter. By natural trash I mean the leaves, etc., to distinguish them from man’s trash, such as pa- per, etc. You clear the leaves off the rose bushes, where they had been placed as protection. You pull leaves out from crannies and rid up the dead branches from yonder corner. You can spend at least a day pick- ing up the maple seeds that have drifted down from the trees. The garden is no place for modern hurry- up methods. Things are done by hand in the garden. This is one of its charms, that here one never hurries. You take a cue from Nature, who will not be hurried much, and you potter around and take your time. You pick up maple seeds by hand, one at a time, as if you had all the rest of your life to do the work in. So you come into one of the truths of life, often overlooked in this busy age, that there is a place for hustle, and that there is a place for taking your good, sweet time. The garden is the latter place. In the garden you have plenty of time to care for the sweet peas, be- cause the sweet peas do not come up over night, but take several months to come into their own. So man, in the garden, comes into his own slowly. covers that he cannot force life. ‘““Take your time, take your time,” says the Garden to Man. “See, I take my time. great forces at work in me, and I can only fold my hands and wait. Would it not be presumptious of me to attempt to hurry up the roses, or bid the asters stand and deliver? “April will pass and May will pass, and Jyne will go, and July be almost gone before the pink and white glo- ries of my asters will come to make glad the Jate Summer days. Let us Lave peace. finds he He dis- There are County are enthusiastic in adorning their school grounds with trees. * ook % Under the Clarke-McNary act of Congress, the National Government co-operates with State governments in supplying trees for planting, vet throughout the entire United States not more than 40,000 acres are plant- ed annually. Japan plants more than 350,000 acres. We have 81,000,000 de- nuded acres of former forest land. By proclamation of President Coolidge the entire week, April 27 to May 3, will be set apart as American Forest week for the purpose of emphasizing the national importance of public interest in forestry. The Nation is using timber four times as fast as it is producing it. The world is a spendthrift in that re- gard, but no nation can compare with the United States in timber profligacy. Every year we destroy by forest fires one-fifth as much timber acreage as ‘we plant. Incendiarism, careless camp fire management and cigar smoking in the woods are chief causes of fires. Yet one-tenth of the people depend upon timber and its manufacture into lumber for their livelihood, and all de- pend upon the cost of lumber for the economy of home building. Even the daily papers would be impossible but for the pulp from which paper is made. It takes a forest area three by four miles every Sunday to supply the paper for our newspapers—10 times as many acres per year for our Sunday papers alone as are replanted in forests. How long will it be be- fore we overdraw such an account? * % % Since the automobile came into use outdoor recreation has revived. The Forest Service is accused by certain utilitarian interests with having given too much attention to building roads and establishing camping sites in na- tional forests, but Col. W. B. Greeley, chief of United States Forest Service, points out that no such roads have been built for recreation, but that they serve the public for general purposes, including the mail service. Besides, they are not constructed out of funds set apart for forestry, but by direction of Congress with specific appropria- tions for specific roads. It is the policy of Congress to en- courage outdoor recreation, and to that end an act was passed in 1897 authorizing the uses of national for- ests for camping. In 1915 an act au- thorized permits for the erection of Summer homes in national forests ‘without charge for the use of the land, and for the last five or six years Con- gress has appropriated at each session $50,000 for the erection of sanitary facilities and other improvements upon public camping grounds. There are today 1,500 forest camp sites in the country. No other one infiuence for the benefit of the public is of greater value, say officials, than that of out- door living, especially in the exhil- arating environment of a mountain forest. Some 8,000 permits for Sum- mer cottages upon national forest land have been issued. R The tasks of the Forest Service in- clude fire protection. In spite of the employment of 1,000 rangers per- manently and some 2,200 temporary watchers during the dry season, there are from 5,000 to 8,000 destruective fires annually. Without such watch- ful guardianship the forests would be wiped out in a decade. Other destruc- tive agencies are the insect pests and disease. Even with the most scientific means of defense it seems sometimes impossible to check the ravages of dis- ease and insects. The same is true of diseases of the human and the animal, but certainly no one would discontinue the fight simply because perfect vie- tory is postponed. (Copyright, 1925, by Paul V., Colllas.) PRIL 18, 1925 BY THE BOOKLOVER A happy childhood seen in retro- spect through the deepening haze of years makes of Selma Lagerlof's “Mar- backa” a real romance-autobiography. The loss of the use of her legs through some mysterious hip disease when she was only 31 years old—a terrible af- fliction in the eyes of her parents—be- came for Selma herself the most mantic fact of her existence. & tells of the beginning of this paralysis one afternoon when she had been put to bed for her nap in the gable nurs- ery. On awakening she found her brother and sister gone from their beds. “They were perhaps out in the garden playing? She felt a bit hurt at thelr running off like that, leaving her all by herself in the nursery. She had better crawl out of bed, thought, and hurry down to them. .. . But now that she wanted to rise from her bed she could not. She tried again and again, only to ink back. Her legs did not seem to belong to her; she had lost all control of them. . . . The feling of utter helplessness which came over her when the body refused to obey was something so dreadful she remembered it long, long afterward— aye, all her life.” To her first terror succeeded almost immediately a feel- ing of satisfaction and superiority be- cause of the attention which was given her by every one. Her nurse, Back- Kaisa, a stern, morose woman, sud- denly became tender and devoted to little Selma. The clever old carpen- ter at Askersby made her a little cart. Whenever visitors came to the house she was carried in “for them to see and make a fuss over.” It was no longer ‘“necessary for her to be as obedient as the other children, who could stand on their feet. Above all, she did not have to eat food that was not to her liking.” Instead of stewed carrots and spinach and eggs and ale soup, she was fed with fried chicken and new, potatoes and wild strawber- ries and cream, and at times even de- clined to eat anything except pastry and preserves. N Fortunately for her character de- velopment, recovery came after & vear. The whole family from Mor- backs went to Stromstad, on the west coast for a holiday, and espe- cially in the hope that the sea air and the baths might help Selma. One day when they were all visiting a merchant vessel in the harbor the little girl was deposited alone for a moment on the deck. She had been eager to see a stuffed bird of para- dise which she' had been told was in the captain’s cabin. The cabin boy said, “Come along and you shall see ihim.” He gave her a hand and, with- out thinking, she walked with him down the dark companionway to the cabin, where her astonished family found her a few moments later gazing in adoration at the bird of paradise. “The grown folk said it was the splendid baths at Stromstad that had wrought the change. With tears of joy and gratitude they blessed the Sea, the air, the citv and all therein— glad they had come. The little girl meanwhile had her own thoughts about it. She wondered if it was not the bird of paradise that had helpel her.” X ‘Tales of the Lagerlof grandmother legends of the Marbacka neighborhood and bits of family history contribute to the romance of the book. Belief in signs and visions was common among Selma's elders, especially the women. Her grandmother a3 a young woman with two babies, had on a Spring night seen a vision of a snow- storm raging outside her window, with a procession of gaunt wolves carrying struggling infants in their mouths. A few weeks later a band of haggard, sick, returning soldiers had camped in her grandmother's yard and left behind the contagion of 2 “bloody flux,” from which both the grandmother’s babies died. Selma’s Aunt Lovisa, unmarried at 40, used, condescendingly, to make _ bridal wreaths-and help to dress the peasant brides of the village. It was a sacred tradition that a bridal wreath must be myrtle, but once, when myrtle was scarce, Aunt Lovisa had woven into a wreath for the peasant girl Kaisa some sprigs of whortleberry. Kaisa discovered it after her marriage and came back to accuse Aunt Lovisa, on the very day when Aunt Lovisa her self was betrothed to an elder! pastor, a widower with four children, The housekeeper sent Kaisa away with the assurance, “As sure as Mamselle Lovisa’s own bridal crown will be of myrtle was yours of myrtle and of nothing else.” When Aunt Lovisa heard of this, she “went white as a sheet” and cried out: ‘“You sald my crown would be of myrtle as surely as hers was. Now you'll see, Maja, there will be no bridal crown for me!" Sure enough, 'she never married the widower-pastor. He was taken ill and after his re. covery seemed strangely changed and never wrote to Aunt Lovisa, so she finally sent him back his ring. In the postseript of “Marbacka” Selma Lagerlof tells of her visit on her father's centenary to the graves of all her family. “My sad heart wept over my loved ones who lay sleeping there. Father and mother, grandmother, Lovisa and the old house- 1 had seen them all laid * ok K % A timely book of interest in the struggle between fundamentalism and modernism in the churches of this country, recently published, is “‘Duel With the Vatican,” by Alfred Loisy. The author, an eminent French scholar and for the last 15 years, ever since his excommunication from the Catholic Church, has been professor of the history of religions in the Col- lege of France. He tells the story of his attempt to induce the Roman Catholic Church in France to recog- nize the results of modern scholarship in relation to biblical and ecclesiastical tradition. The translftion is by Rich- ard Wilson Boynton, Unitarfan clergy- man and professor of philosophy in the University of Buffalo. He had written, some six vears ago, an esti- mate of Alfred Loisy’'s Catholic career and of the significance of ghe issues involved in it, which was originally published in the Harvard Theological Review and is used as an introduction to this volume. He sees in Loisy's career and his long struggle with the Vatican a “heroic effort to win a standing ground in Roman Catholic teaching for the principle of the com- plete relativity of ecclesiastical doc- trine to the time and conditions of its origin,” and he compares the volume with_Cardinal Newman's “Apologia’ and Renan's “Souvenirs,” thinking it their equal in interest and importance as & document of outstanding signifi- cance and importance in modern in- tellectual and religious evolution. £ iR Sir Sldney Lee, the author of the official life of Queen Victoria, has been engaged for the last four years on a life of King Edward VII, which he undertook at the request of King George. It is announced that the first volume will be published In March and the second before the end of July, 1925, and that the first vol- ume will give many Interesting side- lights of the late Kking's relations with Mr. Gladstone, Lord Beacons- field and Lord Salisbury. * x k x Two interesting travel books, good sither for packing in the vacation trunk or for reading by the steam radiator in the city, are “The Mystery Rivers of Tibet,” by Capt. F. Kingdon Ward, F. R. G. S, and “To the Alps of Chinese Tibet” by J. W. Gregory. ¥. R. S, and C. J. Gregory, B. Sc. Capt. Ward has been a teacher in Shanghai, and has lived and traveled in India, Burma and Western China. I W. Gregory 18 a professor in Glas- gow University, and, with his son, made a of exploration among the snow-eapped mountains of China. she | THE LIBRARY TABLE ! Q. Why are memorial stamps of different size?—A. L. N. A. The Post Office Department says that on commemorative stamps it is often found necessary to make the stamp large in order to do justice to the subject thereon. Q. What salary does the Suitan of Sulu receive’—C. E. A. The United States pays to the Sultan of Suly 250 Mexican dollars monthly. By the authority of the United States there is appropristed a sum sufficient to make the annual payments to the Sultan 6,000 pesos, Philippine currenc! Q. What is the figure called tha: is put on the front of a vessel’—G. A. A. If the image is a figure project- ing from the stem of the vessel it is called a “figurehead.” If it is an ornament in the form of an embossed shield that does not project in any way, it is called a “bow ornament.” Q. What Is the small negro nation that this Government declined to loan money about a vear ago’—A. W. A. You no doubt refer to Liberia. Africa, which country has a bonded indebtedness of $1,700,000 floated by New York bankers in 1912, with an internal floating debt of $500,000. The United States has a semi-official pro- tectorate over Liberia. An unsuccess- ful attempt was made by the country last year to float a loan in the United Q. Please furnish the names of the cities that have civil service on their police forces.—E. B. D. A. The Civil Service Commission says Washington, D. C.. is the only city which fills its police force through civil service examinations. Q. 15 Madagascar the fourth larg- est island in the world?--M. A. A. Most authorities on geography regard Madagascar as the sixth larg- est of the world. Australia, although a continent, is also an island, and, as such, is the largest. Its area is 2,974,581 square miles; Greenland comes second, 827,300 square miles; New Guinea, 330,000 square miles; Borneo, 280,000 square miles; Baffin Land, ' 236,000 square miles, and Madagascar, 228,000 square miles. Q. How much did Jenny Lind realize from her concert tour under P. T. Barnum's management’—T. R. A. Her net receipts from the con- certs were $176,657.09. Q. Please describe the Union Jack of Great Britain.--A. B. G. A. The Union Jack of Great Britain is composed of three crosses, repre- senting England, Scotland and Ire- land. The Cross of St. George for England is a broad upright Latin cross, red on a white ground; the Cross of St. Andrew for Scotland is a saltire or x-shaped, white on a blue ground; the Cross of St. Patrick for Ireland is a red saltire on a white ground. When the union of the two crowns of England and Scotland took place upon the accession of James VI of Scotland to the English throne as James I, the flags of England and Scotland were united. The Union flag as it is now flown did not until 1801. SEpes Q. Is Corpus Christi to v ey o coruns sti to be a naval A. There are no plans for Corpus Christi to be used for a naval base. The Government has constructed a foot channel up to Corpus Christi. The city and State together are spend- ing several million dollars on a ter- minal which will make Corpus Christi a modern seaport. Q. Is aluminum used in making airplanes?—V. P. C. A. Aluminum does not have the strength which is required in making airplanes. Duralumin, which is being used in the manufacture of airships, has lightness, and the alloy together Wwith the aluminum in this composition adds a great deal of strength. Q. What is the fastest transcon- tinental train in the world?>—F. R. K. A. The “Trans-Canada” of the Ca- nadian Pacific Raflway claims this dis- tinction. This year it will better last vear's time of 90 hours by 2 hours. Q. Should chickens be given milk? —O. A. A. The Department of Agriculture says that experiments indicate that the addition of milk to the regular grain ration of growing chickens will result in a greatly increased rate of growth. Q. How does the number of colds compare with other prevalent dis- eases?—H. M. A. The Public Health Service says ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN that while no record is kept of fhe number of colds occurring in this country, it is accepted that they are more prevalent than any of the com- mon diseases. Next to colds, diph- theria, measles and scarlet fever occur in the order named. Q. How large is Glacier Park?” N. P A. This national park, established in northwestern Montana in 1910, has an area of 1,534 acres. It contains 260 glacier-fed lakes and 60 small glaciers. Q. Can people be divorced in Bra- 2i1>—B. P. A. At present there is no divorce law in Brazil. In some cases it is possible 10 have inarriages annulled. Q. What is the origin of April Fool's day?>—D. T. P. A. The custom of sending people on bootless errands or making them victims of practical jokes on April 1 has existed ropean countries for many centurles. The custom seems to have been unknown to Ger man antiquity, however. Grimm re |gards it as having been introduced into Germany from France. V irious theories have been held as to 1s origin. One writer traces the custom to the miracle play formerly present ed at Easter, which sometimes showe:l the sending of Christ from Annas to Cafaphas and from Pilate to Herod Another finds the origin i some ancient pagan festival, such as the Huli festival held by the Hindus on March 31, or the Feast of Fools, cele brated by the Romans on February 17 Q. Please define the term “Hindu. LT B, A. The Earl of Ronaldsbay, presi dent of the Royal Geographic Society states that “if it be asked what con stitutes a Hindu, no definite answer can be given. Hinduism as a religion is not comparable with Christianity or Mohammedanism, or in this respect with Jainism or Buddhism for it claims no founder propounding a faith for the salvation of mankind. and there is no agreement among Hindus themselves as to what is es sential in a man calling himself a Hindu. The word Hindu finds no place in the ancient Sanskrit texts of the Aryans. A well known Hindu h deflined the term negatively as ap plicable to all inhabitants of India who are not Christians or Moham- medans or Parsis or Sikhs or Jains or Buddhists. How many people live on Tristan Da Cunha’—L. M. D. A. It is probably the most isolated of inhabited spots on the globe: the first permanent settlement was in 1810 and at present there are abou: 100 inhabitants on the island. Q. How long does it take to 4 an oil well about 1.500 feet deep’ E. T. A. The Bureau of Mines says that an oil well about 1,500 feet deep would usually be drilled by the standard cable tool methods in mbout 60 days, provided the formations to bes drilled are of moderate hardness. This is based upon the time of the beg ning of the rig to the final completi of the well. Q. What are the proper sccessories for @ woman to carry in a ballroom? Should one tip for checking a wrap? Should bridge tables be covered whils playing?—W. W. v A. A woman may carry a scarf, fan, party bag and gloves. Tips are not given in private houses, are d couraged in clube, but expected n hotels and dancing places. Bridg tables are covered with a fresh, tightly stretched cover for card playing and an extra cloth provided when refreshments are served. Q. Is the costume worn by Jeanne d'Arc fn Anna Hyatts statue his- torically correct’—T. T. S A. Grace Humphries, the art critic says of this statue: “For the first time in her sculptured life Joan of Arz is correctly dressed TQ.PDo sugar beets exhaust the land A. It is claimed that sugar beets are a great crop-yield stimulator After ground has been used for sngar beets other crops are found to in- crease 50 to 80 per cent in tonnage (Take advantage of the free infor- mation dureaw which this newspaper maintains. 1f there is a question you want answered don’t hesitate to use this service. All replies are sent direct to the inquirer. Address The Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin Director, Twenty-first and C streets northwest. Inclose 2 .cents in stamps for return postage.) Coolidge “Spice of Life” Finds Echo in the Press President Coolidge’s reference to women's styles in his address before the National Cotton Manufacturers’ Assoclation has been followed by widespread newspaper comment. His statement that stabilized fashions would be a boon to the textile indus- try, but present fashions added to the “spice of life,” appealed particu- larly to the editors. “‘President Coolidge made rather a neat reference to women's fashions,” suggests the Indianapolis Star. “Aft- er noting the fact that the most whimsical changes of fashion or taste may produce most complicating effects upon industry, he quoted a manufacturer as saying that if women could be fnduced to standardize and stabilize their fashions as the men have done, half the worries and un- certainties of the textile industries would be eliminated. He had also heard that whereas 20 years ago it took 10 yards of gingham to make a gown for a woman, she now man- ages to be fashionably dressed out of three and a half yards. ‘The uncer- tainty and change of fashion may be difficult for you, but it no doubt re- lleves monotony and adds to the spice of life, he said philosophically. He did the best a mere man, though a President, could do in dealing with the delicate question.” * k *k x ‘The President’s point of view is indorsed by the Topeka Capital. “It plainly appears,” asserts the Capital, “that the President, albeit somewhat sadly, recognizes the important hu- mane effect of changing styles, not- withstanding their economic conse. quences to the textile industrialists. We will say that variety in clothes ‘adds to the spice of life,’ and far be it from the mind of woman to stereotype dress. There is too much conformity in this world, which de- tracts from the spice of life. And, while there is strict conformity to fashions by all women, yet with fashions continually themselves chang- ing, the vice of deadly conformity is neutralized and compensated. This might be the rule to be favored in other things. More important than the textile industry, for that matter, {or production itself, is life, as the President hinted to the textile manu- facturers. And the value of variety is not the only moral comsideration he reminded them of. ‘You men,’ he said, ‘who are responsible for an in- dustry ought to make unlawful and improper practices in that industry thoroughly unfashionable,” which was one of the best remarks about fash- ions that the President made in his el i ® ok %k % ‘The suggestion that if women’s fashions could ‘be standardized much ' uncertainty would be removed from the textile ndustry brings this com- ment from the Harrisburg Telegraph: “It is to be observed that the Presi dent said ‘if.” We suspect that there was a twinkle in his eye when he said it. Standardizing feminine styles is almost as hopeless a task as stand- ardizing the weather. Women never have allowed anybody to do that, and ‘we suspect Mr. Coolidge, with all his power, couldn’t make such a decree work, even in the White House.” * ok % The Spokane Spokesman-Review, however, sees another side of the shield of fashion, which is to the ad- vantage of the common people. “While fashion’s fickleness,” remarks the Spo- kane paper, “lays a heavy tax upon its votaries, it is the means of giving bargains to poor people and to people who are well-to-do, but are not wear ing themselves out chasing every whimsical change in the modes. ‘Women's and children’s shoes, cloaks, dresses, hats and other articles of at- tire, once out of fashion, go on the bargain counters and often are sold for a small fraction of the price that the retailer paid for them.” The Burlington Free Press, #p proaching the subject from the Ver mont standpoint, says of the address: “Old friends of the President can hardly conceive of his dealing offl cially with fashions, but nobody can safely predict where the calls for con- stantly expanding paternal govern- ment may lead us or our Govern- ment. We recall that the President lately warned a bunch of college fel- lows to wear suspenders. We shall seek sedulously to give our readers the benefit of this official sartorialau thority.” The New Orleans Tribune criticizes the employment of a light vein in ad- dressing so serious a body as the cot- ton mill men. “We fear,” declares the Tribune, “that our excellent Chief Executive has gone too far. He is not expected to joke at all. To undertake to put spice into so sacred a dish as the sad discussion of a suffering trade interest aggravates the offense. He will hear from the trade.” An added attraction at the cotton banquet is noted by the Little Rock Arkansas Democrat, which says: “The Coolidge who spoke was the versatile man, the President who talks politics for a few paragraphs, business for a few more and Injects a little of our far-famed American ‘pep’ into a few more.” The Great Falls Tribune concludes. after viewing the matter: “It is a good time to go in and swim in the business pool, and as for the ladies (God bless them), we don't care whether they wear their skirts lemg or short."