Evening Star Newspaper, April 27, 1925, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY April 27, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave New York Office: 110 East 42nd ‘St. Chicago Office: Tower Building European Office: 18 Regent St.. London, England. The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- Ing edition, is delivered by carriers within the city at’ 80 cents per month: daily only. 45 cents per month: Sunday only, 20 cents per month. Orders may be sent by mail or telephone Main 5000. Collection is made by carrier at the end of cach month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virgini; Daily and Sunday. ... Daily only uros Sunday only . . 700 » 50¢ .. 20¢ All Other States. Daily Sunday. . . $10.00: 1 mo.. Daily Snds onoeT +%39:00: 1 mon Sunday only ©. $3.00: 1 mo; Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Pre to the ues for republication of all newa dis- patches credited (o it or not otherwise cred- ited in this paper and also the local ‘news published herein. All righta of publication ©of special dispatches herein are also reserved. — o= 85¢ 1y > BU 1yr 1yr. Von Hindenburg’s Election. Germany’s presidential election re sults in the choice of Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg to be the head of the republic by & majority of near- 1y 900,000." That result is significant of a reaction in the German mind toward monarchism. Von Hindenburg, now in his 7Sth vear, was drafted for service as a candidate by the Nationalists of Ger- many. No other candidate could have aroused the electorate so deeply. He appealed to all the militant sentiments of the people. Out of a total of about 38,000,000 qualified voters some 30,- 500,000 cast their ballots, an excep- tionally large percentage. Of these Von Hindenburg, according to the latest figures, received 14,639,399, while Marx was given 13,752,640. Thaelmann, the Socialist candidate, polled 1,931,591 votes. Upward of 22,000 votes were declared invalid. It has been figured that Hindenburg was elected by the former stay-at- Tome voters, chiefly women and farm- ers of Schleswig and East Prussia. In the agrarian areas Hindenburg polled 2,900,000 more votes than did Jarres in the March election, which failed of re sult, while Dr. Marx gained only half @ million more votes than were polled by the three Republican parties on that occasion. Nevertheless, Von Hin- denburg's vote is only a plurality and not & majority, as Marx and Thael- mann were given over a million more votes than he. No present estimate can be made as to the effect of Von Hindenburg’s election upon the process of war set- tlements by Germany under the Dawes plan. Repudiation of the agreements already made can- be effected only by the Reichstag, in which the Nation- alists are & minority. Upon the new President’s choice of chancellor much depends. Should the election of Von Hindenburg Zead to a definite develop- ment of monarchistic sentiment a Reichstag blockade may result, with the necessity of a new election, which would put this issue squarely before the German people. Repudiation of the war indemnity 1s a possibility in such an event. Von Hindenburg's election undoubtedly means that nearly a majority of the electorate is opposed to the Republican organization, whether to the form of government remains undetermined. The various monarchical movements that have occurred have been sup- pressed. This election is not a *“putsch” in the sense that those endeavors were, but its significance as a lean- ing toward the restoration of the old regime is not to be mistaken. On the eve of election Von Hinden- burg declared himself distinctly as an edvocate of peace. During the cam- paign, however, he appeared in full panoply of militarism, clad in his uni- form, decorated with his medals, and before him goose-stepped & multitude of adherents, emitting cries of mili tary ardor, The electorate that sup- ported him will probably expect some words or acts in keeping with this demonstration. His powers, however, ere limited, and a reaction may re sult from e failure on his part either to attempt or to succeed in an attempt to promote & monarchical develcp- ment, For the present it is Germany's ©own problem. But it has a poten- tiality for evil results in world af- faira, The real significance of yester- day’s election is that & decisive num- ber of the German people are willing and anxious to proceed under the leadership of & man whose nationa’ services have all been in war. ——— ‘When “Over the Rhine” made Cin- cinnati famous as possessing the con- tinent’s finest beer-garden suburb, no- body“dreamed that any person could be g0 disrespectful toward either beer or base ball as to demand the arrest for owning alcoholic beverages of a man in Garry Herrmann's position. —————— The bulls and the bears play the eame old game. The lamh never loses his innocence until he is broke, and then there is another lamb waiting to take his place. ————— American Forest Week. The American people enter on Forest week. April 27-Mav 3, with a better understanding than they have heretofore had of the importance of forests to the Nation. The exercises that are being held and the lesson: of the week will broaden men's under- standing of the subject, sharpen their appreciation of surviving trees and stimulate them to plant barren, brush and stump areas in woods. The science of forestry has had distinguished ad- vance in this country in a generation, and there is now a much more en. lightened view of the need of forests for the stabilization of stream flow and perpetuation of the supply timber and wood pulp. When forests were farspread men acted on the assumption that the sup- ply was inexhaustible, or that if ex- heustible and exhausted posterity could meet {ta own problems. With the mighty decrease in forests due toreck- A of is exclusively entitled | less cutting and fire a part of our peo- ple saw the danger of forest extinc- tion and moved toward conservation and reforestation. The National Gov- ernment has taken an imposing part in this work, and most of the States have undertaken to give some pro- tective regulation to forests and to replant deforested areas. Lumber companies and pulp manufacturers, looking into the future for a supply of materials Ly which they must liva, tave generaliy welcoted the plans for discriminating timber cutting-and for lree planting. The work has not gone as far as wise men would have it, but it is gath- ering strength and speed, and there Is no doubt that in time we shall come to treat forest land with the same consideration given. it by the natjons | of Europe. 5 The President in his proclamation of American Forest week sald. “We have stApped our forests: we have permitted fires to lay waste and de- vour them: we have all too often destroyed the young growth and the seed from which new forests might | spring. And, although we already feel the first grip of timber shortage, we store.” He says that destruction of [the forests of America would mean for us the lack of an elemental neces- sity and the waste of keeping idle or only partly productive nearly one- fourth of our soil. . It will be possible to preserve re- maining forests, restore to woodland much of the forest area denuded and to 8o administer the forests that they shall meet the needs of our people for an indefinite time, and perhaps for all time. To do this we must heed the lessons that forest conservationists are teaching this week. In the mat- ter of conserving the forests and de- veloping new forests on former wood- land, it will be found that the only way to do this great national work is to conserve and plant. —_— e Hints in Capital Upbuilding. The Pan-American Conference on Capital Cities, now in session in Wash- ington, gives many pointed, helpful hints to Washington in its campaign, now in full swing, to cause the Capital on the banks of the Potomac to ap- proximate the ideal in city planning, in capital upbuilding and in street, harbor, boulevard and park develop- ment. Among the South American citles Rio and Buenos Aires teach most pointedly the lesson of artistic taste and practical efficiency in creating the City Beautiful. The hints ‘given by these cities to American municipalities in general have a special application to Washington, for both Buenos Aires and Rio are, like Washington, national capitals in federal districts. The Southern republics adopted this feature of our Constitution but have improved upon their modal, showing in their treatment of the capital from its birth greater wisdom, greater fair- ness and greater national pride. What Rio and Brazil have done in creating the Avenida Rio Branco and what Buenos Aires and Argentina have dene in making and expanding the Avenida de Mayo set an example to the United States and to the Capital community, and give a new and in- spiring impulse to our campaign for the reclamation of Pennsylvania ave- nue and its equipment with a bufld- ing and park environment that will be attractive, appropriate and har- monious and that will meet the warm approval of the landscape as well as the building architect. These suggestions are elaborgted in editorial correspondence, printed else- where in The Star, based upon récent travel in South Amegica. ———- The demotion of Gen. Mitchell can- not be regarded as a thorough piece of work in’view of the increased popu- lar enthusiasm with which he is per- sonally greeted. e - The popularity of Secretary Mellon is not due to his gifts of personal oratory. But money talks, and the tax reductions have been most eloquent. —————— Theatrical posters have become suf- ficiently sensational to enable the thrifty citizen to look at the bill- boards and save his money. ————. Manufacturers Are Busy. On top of encouraging reports which came last week of conditions facing the farmers, come now sim- ilar statements of present activity and prospective prosperity in the manufacturing industry. With agri- culture and manufacturing on a ris- ing wave of improvement and well- being, the country ,may well take heart to believe ihat good times are coming and will continue. There is cause to be thankful that further blessings are ahead of the Nation, The National Association of Man- ufacturers, through its president, John E. Edgarton, summarizing an- swers to questions submitted to 10,000 leading industries throughout the country, states that prospects and immediate business of the manu- facturing industry are healthier and on a more stable basis than they have been since the close of the war. | Analyzing these reports, ground is found upon which the pleasing pros- pect for the future is based. It is stated that stability has supplanted hysteria and indecision, while pro- duction is at a healthy flow, wages are high, employment is on the in- crease, competition is keen. Price | variations are less severe than a year ago, while consumers' prices are lower. One gratifying feature of the ex- isting situation is that the country is now going through a purchasing era, not of boom proportions, it is gives basis for unusual confidence. Millions of dollars have been released through the lowering of personal taxes to enable the purchdse of near luxuries and even necessities that had been foregone hitherto by hun- dreds of thousands of persons in or- der to take care of their tax obli- gations. true, that local taxes have almost offset the Federal reduction, but the general advantage has been strongly true, but of steady persistence that | In some sections it is found, it is| noticeable. Some economists, yield- ing to a panicky spirit, have appre- hended unemployment this Summer. The reports dissipaté these gloomy apprehensions. It is found that the great bulk of industries “will con- tinue to- keep employment - at. its presént” gratifying stuge through the Summer. Indeed, 25 per cent of the reporting industries already have made plans to increase tneir forces. Many plants have increased their Wages over last year and will continue on the present high-wage basls, and, in fact, only 8 per cent are facing re- duction in wages. 1 —————————— Traffic Congestion Problems. Forty-five thousand more pas- senger, motor cars and 8500 mor trucks have been registered up to date this yvear in New York City than at the same time @ year ago. There are now! over 272,000 passenger cars and more than 80,000 trucks, or 352,000 motor vehicles in all. These gains in motor traffic are ag- gravating an aiready serious situa- tion. State and city authorities, as well as automebile organizations, are at a loss to find a satisfactory solution. have barely begun to save and re-|In the State at large the stream of motor cars is 20 per cent greater than { it was 12 months ago, and with prac- tically no addition space. It is now proposed to build special roads for trucks and safety parallel roads for the Lincoln highway be- tween New York and Philadelphia. Other expedients are under considera- tion, such as subway streets for through traffic. Any solution of the problem, or approach to the solution, is certain to cost a vast sum. Streets canniot be widened In New York City without enormous expense, practically prohibitive. New north and south streets cannot be cut through for-the same reason. Abolition of the elevated raffroads in New York has been urged as subways have developed, and now it is suggest- ed that these stractures should not be razed, but should be transformed into express traffic planes, approached by ramps. A vehicular tunnel between New York and Jersey City is under construction and will be opened for service In & few months. It will re- live congestion on the ferry boats, but, it is feared, will serve to increase the congestion in the streets of New York by permitting easy access from New Jersey. At the present rate of increase in motor vehicles this prcblem is becom- ing the most serious one in municipal management today. It is @ national question rather than local, for it af fects all cities, all States and inter- state traffic. . to the driving —————— ‘With the assistance of the airplane it should be possible to arrange a dis- covery of the North Pole which will permit no further controversy on the subject. ———————— New York is expertencing difficulty in securing a system of theatrical su- pervision which will prevent a fore- man of a grand jury from feeling like an involuntary press agent. ———ee— European finance has fallen into, the custom of estimating all currency by its relation to the American dollar. ————s The lion and lamb of March were superseded by the tropical and the Arctic emblems of April. o SHOOTING STARS BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Story. A little bit o' singin A little bit o' weepin'; A little bit o' wakin’ An’ a little bit o’ sleepin’. A little bit o' hardship; A little bit o' cloyer; A little sad remembrance— An’ then the story’s over! Contemplation. “I have heard that you contem- plate retiring to private lite.” “I do,” answered Senator Sorghum; ‘“the same as I contemplate going to Heaven. It's a sweet and blissful pros- pect, but somehow you don't feel in any particular hurry about it.” Marauders. 1 would not be A burglar bad. His ways, to me, Seem very sad. If T the laws Should violate, 1'd surely pause With caution great. A bootleg trade 1d cater to, And unafraid My way pursue. The burglar’s plin Affronts our minds. The bootleg man ' A welcome finds! Jud Tunkins says you cam't get something for notking, although a dressmaker comes pretty near it. Increased Cost. It brings a sense of sorrow— A tear is in my eye— To think of all the peanuts: A nickel used to buy! Misanthropic Canophile. “A dog is a man’s most unselfish and devoted friend.” 2 “True,” answered Miss Cayenne. “But I cannot reffain from suspect- ing that this trait only illustrates the intellectual limitations of the dnine.” Democracy. Men of position hfgh or low In impulse are the same. They all abandon work to go And view the base ball game. Somnolences, “I am going to tell a little bedtime story over ‘the radio.” “You have my earnest approval,” said the nervous person. “I am heartily in favor of any method of in- ducing sleep without the use of ordi- nary sedatives.” “Askin' advice,” said Uncle Eben, ‘mostly ain’ nuffin’ but a way of | ments to maintain peace. killin’ time to postpone de necessity of usin’ yoh own judgment.” All aboard, St. John, for an easy, prose trip through the fourth and final epistle of Alexander Pope's “Essay on Man,” originallv done in rhymed couplets. Some fans of this column have gone to the trouble of ‘writing in to ask what had become of weeks since No, 3 appeared. Well, we admit that the third epistle always bores us to tears. When we Zot done the labors of translating it into prose we were so exhausted that we never wanted to hear about Pope again. But the two weeks' interval has done us good. So we take up the strain again. Happiness, Buddy, is the main thing. No matter what you call it—pleasure. ease, content—happiness is the Roq fort cheese of life’s banquet. And you don’'t have to go to Europe to find it, either (no matter what the Shipping Board says). If you can’t find happiness every where, you will find it nowhere. You can’t buy it—it is free, like sunshine and fresh ailr. This is deep stuff, 1 know., but you have to puzzle it out yourself. If You ask the wise guys the Road to Happiness, you will find out they are near-sighted. One gang chants, “Service, not self":; another says to give mankind the go-by; some say you gotta be busy all the time: others that you must always be loafing to enjoy life. Some, sfandering the animals, find that pleasure merely ends in pain, and others, the so-called intelligentsia, are S0 sophisticated that even Virtue looks bum to' em. C O What are we going to do about it? Take Nature's path; all we have to do is to think right and mean well, and we ought to come out O. K. No man can be happy without helping make some one else happy, too. « These birds who pretend to shun or hate mankind in reality are looking for an admirer or hoping to draw a friend closer to them than ever. Why, if you take away what others feel, what others think, pleasures fade away, glories pass out. Of course, you will find some peo- ple who are’ greater, or richer, or wiser than you, but that doesn’t mean at all that they necessarily are hap- pler. Such a belief shocks your old friend, common sense, buddy. No, the Lord did not place happi- ness In external things. Your “high- powered car” won't make you happy in itself. They crank up their “weil known small car” and ride out into the country, and no sooner are they there than they turn around and drive back to town again. ,iHope and fear even things up, after all. Now here is my recipe for Happi- ness: 1. Health. 2. Peace. 3. Competence. A fellow has to have a certain amount of money, in this day and age, to get along, but once he has that, he can let the rest toil along for super- fluous wealth. All they get out of it is the pleasure of paying a big In- come tax, now, honest, ain't it? As for health, be temperate. There is so much wisdom packed away in that sentence that most people won't recognize it is there. As for peace, you have to be a de- cent guy. Do good, said the prophet, not evil, that ye may live! He didn't say be good so the moralists will approve of you, or be good so you can go to heaven. Not on your sweet life! He said to do good in order that you may live, get your money's worth, as it were, of this strange thing of which we are integral parts.—Life. Sometimes it may appear to you that slick men, crooked ones, are get- The age of after-dinner oratory is not gone. It did not vanish with pro- hibition's advent, as that prince of postprandial artists, Chauncey M. Depew, once asserted. Depew aver- red that the only result of the eighteenth amendment was to make speeches drearier and speakers duller, The banquet of the American Soclety of International Law in Washington on April 25 knocked the Depew theory into a cocked hat. There were five speeches, Each was a gem. They were brief, learned and witty—a com- bination seldom encountered. They demonstrated that the art of genial speech is no nation’s monopoly. Briton, Dutchman and American met in verbal combat. Honors, by almost unanimous consent, went to the Netherlander. He spoke in English that Borah or Lloyd George might envy. * ok x % America ought to elect Charles Evans Hughes national toastmaster for life. He ‘presided over the Inter- national Law dinner with grace and eloquence, plus a nimble humor that is not popularly associated with the former Secretary of State. Hughes typifies in supreme degree the gift for oratorical charm inherent in the American to an extent not found in the citizen of any other country. In language, power of expression and that ebullition which must mark the ideal toastmaster, Hughes 1s incom- parable. He scintillates mainly be- cause he likes to do that sort of thing. It is not an effort. It comes naturally. He can lapse from the sublime to the ridiculous without a strain. He can tell stories as well as Choate ever told them and in the next breath stir hearers to emotional en- thusiasm with some appeal to their moral or spiritual sense. As we are a speechmaking nation, we ought ‘to have a national toastmaster, subject to draft on state occasions. For that i useful “office I nominate Charles Evans Hughes of New York. * koK K Menand women at the International Law feast could not help noting the difference between the virility of Hughes and the lesser buoyancy of Secretary Kellogg. Interest in Hughes’ introduction of his successor was heightened by the common un- derstanding that it was he who fitst suggested to President Coolidge that Kellogg should become Secretary of State. It was with a graceful flour- ish that Hughes presented Kellogg to the dinner company. “A keen blade of the law.,” he called him. with the learning of the sclentist, the conscience of the jurist and the wit of the politician.” Mr. Kellogg brand- ished a surprisingly vigorous orator- ical sword. Beginning haltingly, he developed speed and force as he pro- ceeded. When he reached his appeal for American adhesion to the World Court, Kellogg was in Western fight- ing trim. He thrust out boldly and struck hard. His maiden speech on foreign affairs in Washington can be set down as a triumph. AW N Mr. Hughes repeated a story re- cently told by Sir Esme Howard, in which the British Ambassador liken- ed the Old World to an old lady in a London omnibus, who sat on the false teeth in her pocket, and was so seriously bitten by them that she de- veloped -hydrophobia. “Dame Eu- rope,’ said Ambassador Howard, “is sitting on her false teeth—the ‘upper set composed of fear; the lower of in- herited belief in the power of arma- Between them she has been dangerouly bit- ten.” Mr. Hughes- breezily suggested kY | THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. this last portion, it having been two ! | reprobate. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. ‘A mah ting away with a lot in this world, but, @as a matter of fact, the very things they gain are what a decent man wouldn’t touch with a_10-foot pole. Whatever happiness they seem to have, there is one they will never ge that's a cinch—and it is simply this: To pass for a decent man. Nobody may say anything, but everybody is on to them. ok K K If the old world seems pretty well mixed up, remember that it takes a mixture of various grasses to Erow the best lawn. Kentucky blue grass by itself won't do it. We always get back to my pet state- ment—that whatever . is right. Caesar had his place in this world- the grasping, ambitious Caesar—and 50 also did one Titus, who said when he had done no good deed one day, “My friends, T have lost a day!” That old Roman had the right ide: 1 believe that the prize of being de- cent is something that you can't ge' any other way—a certain amount of sunshine in your soul, to usé a nifty figure of speech: a certain feeling of. happiness in the heart. + You can't beat it. Why when you were a boy you thought you.were happy when you stole the crullers out of the big crock in the pantry, but you wouldn't feel so glib over that now, although you are that same boy grown. And sometimes a boy who is a saint at 21 ends up by being an old Honor and shame cannot be said to come from any particular set of con- ditions. All we have to do is do what we are supposed to do, according to the best judgment of the hest of our fellows, Real worth is what makes a man, not his clothes. What's fame? Why, it's nothing but a sort of fancied life in others' | talk. All we have of it begins and ends In the comparatively small cir- cle of those who know us, no matter how famous we are. The Hottentots never even heard of Napoleon. Getting right down to it, an honest man’s the noblest work of God. For who would want to be a wise man— it means simply knowing how little one can know in this mysterious universe. It means simply seeing everybody else’s faults, and knowing your own. Believe me, Buddy, if you want to teach truths, you have a hard row to hoe. Everybody fears you, nobody aids you and very few begin to under- stand you. I call it a painful pre- eminence, to look at yourself above life’s weakness—and its comforts, too! Virtue—just being decent—is the only point where human bliss stands still. "All the rest is a mad merry-go- round, with the steam music grinding out tuneless fox-tots that all sound alike. 3 The decent man is never elated, while one man’s oppressed, nor is he | ever dejected, just so long as another | man is blessed. Nature has not given to any of the | animalé a wish which they cannot gratity, What they seek, they find. And so, to Man, she gives not only a hope for known blisses here, but a faith in a Bliss Unknown. And it must be right! - Ah, Buddy, in dreams I see This and That, I see a man in a great country as yet unknown, nearly 200 years hence, translating these lines into prose, in a spirit of admiration as well as of fun. He knows, and all his readers shall know, that being urged by you, I made sense out of poetry, showing erring pride that whatever is, is right; that remson and passion both play their part In life; that true self-love is love of one's fellows; that only by being decent can we be happy: that our greatest wisdom is to know our- selves. America to be of much assistance to} her if she insisted on biting herself with her own false teeth. To which | odontological qui] ir Esme Howard | neatly rejoined: “Everybody knows that American dentists are the best| in the world.” % 2w Jonkheer Dr. A. C. D. de eff, Minister of the Netherlands at Wash- ington, swept the international law feasters off their feet with his wit and profundity, expressed in Chester- fieldian English. The Dutch are the world’s ablest linguists, but this Netherlander beat all the Dutch that ‘Washington ever heard. He won his spurs with an opening sally that h2 was glad to be present as a guest of honor, which saved him the trouble of giving himself “a Dutch treat” as a member of the society holding the dinner. But it was when Jonkheer de Graeff lampooned Washingtonlans who talk about ‘“‘dear little Holland" that he was at his after-dinner best. He pointed out that with its insular dominions and pcpulation ‘“dear lit- tle Holland is about two-thirds the size of the United States. “To speak of ‘dear little Holland,'" the Minister said, “denotes pity. which we resent and don't need.” Then he told of a Washington hostess who introduced him as the “Minister of Norway.” and apologized by lamenting that “all these little European countries are so col fusing, you know, that really the; ought to bury (heir differences an form a United States of Europe. Jonkheer de Graeff was especially ef- fective when he described Holland's brave and triumphant defense aof her rights under international law during the World War. * % ok x Senator William E. Borah for vears has been accustomed to read aloud from the Bible for two hours every Sunday morning at his own home. It does; make any difference whether he has a congregation or not. That is the way he likes to worship. Some- times he speaks in tones loud enough to be heard in other parts of the apartment house he inhabits, especial- ly if it's Summer time and the Senator is sitting near an open window. L : ‘When President Coolidge speaks at the corner stone laying of the Na- tional Jewish Community Center on May 3 he may be expected to say something in answer to Prof. Philip Marshall Brown of Princeton. The American Jewish community is agi- tated over the suggestion recently made by Dr. Brown in Washington that Jews observe a “dual allegiance’ through their passion for ‘“racial in- tegrity.” Dr. Brown insists he did not mean to cast aspersions on the pa- triotism and loyalty of American Jews. No one aware of the record made by Americans of Jewish faith in the World War suspects that class of "“dual allegiance” where the United States. is concerned. More than 200,000 of them served with our armed forces. Ten thousand were commissioned of- ficers. Three of the 78 men who. re- ceived the congressional .medal of honor for gallantry in action -were Jews: - (Copyright, 1925.) % g . Politicians in the Saddle. ¥rom the Frankfort News. Probably our mounting public debt is due to the fact that so many poli- ticians are in the saddle. Nearly ‘41l of “the horrors -of have disappeared, including the silk irts.~—Baltimore Sun, | importance THE U. S. MAIL BY FREDERIC J. HASKL Placing a 2-cent stamp on a letter does not make it mail. At least it does not make the letter United States mail. for the care and protec- tion of which our great postal system may be held responsible. A sealed, addressed letter bearing the necessary postage stamps, but still in the hands of a private citizen is no more mail than a dictated but unwritten letter in the notebook of a stenographer. The letter may be property in tne legal sense. It may contain information or perhaps cur- rency of considerable value. It may be protected by the local laws which guarantee to everybody the use and enjoyment of that which is his by right of ownership. 1f the letter were to be stolen the thief might be prosecuted for larceny, but the proceedings would be con- ducted by the State or local author- ities and would in no way concern the Federal Government, because the let. ter had not yet become mail. - If simply attaching to a letter the little adhesive engraving of George ‘Washingtotn were of itself sufficient to constitute that letter United Statex mail, the present army of 300,000 posta workers would be totally inade- quate to the task of affording pro- tection to countless millions of stamp- ed missives scattered far and wide throughout the land. Literally ~bil- lions of postage stamps are sold an- nually and manifestly it would be im possible for the Government to guard each and every scrap of paper to which a stamp is affixed. It is only when a letter has actuaily become mail that Uncle Sam is ealled upon to exert his power and author itq to safeguard it. It is only when this takes place that, not alone the Post Office Department and the Fed eral courts, but, if necessary, the Army and Navy may be employed to guarantee its safety and inviolability. A postal employe is expected to lay down his life, if necessary, in defense of the United States mail with which he is intrusted, and many have sac- rificed their lives in the execution of this high trust. Not, however, until a letter or parcel has become mail is it entitled to the merest jot or tittle of this ‘magnificent regard and consid eration. When, then, does a letter or a pos- tal card or a parcel become United States mail? The question is of some to every user of the postal service. Upon occasion it may hecome a matter of life or death to determine the correct answer. The Court Rulings. The Federal Courts of the United States have ruled that a letter is not under the protection of the Post Office Department until it is actually in its custody. This condition may be brought about by depositing the mat. ter in a post office, a mail box or other | receptable established for the recep- tion of mall, or by handing the let- ter or package to some officer of the department whose duty it is to handle mail. This explanation seems simple and obvious. Nevertheless it has been the source of endless difficulties on the part of patrons of the postal service. Confusion exists as to what is meant by “other receptacles esetablished fo! the reception of mail.” A lengthy and involved dissertation might well be written on this short phrase. It will suffice, however, to say that it is a receptacle established by the direc- tion or under the authority of the Postmaster General. T‘x controlling factor in any case is whether a piece of intended mall is actually placed under the exclusive cor%(rol of the postal establishment to the exclusion of private citizens, in- cluding the sender himself. Big business houses have as a_gen- eral rule a box or basket labeled “outgoing mail.” In this receptacle letters and parcels from the various departments or offices of the concern are placed for the purpose of being later conveyed to the post office or mail box. "Usually many employes have access to such a receptacle and not infrequently letters and bundles are withdrawn for reconsideration. Suppose the president of the company dropped an important and valuable letter into this “outgoing mail” box, from which it was later filched by an employee, would the latter be guilty of “stealing mafl?” ‘Under the postal Jaws he would pot be chargeable with, such an offense. The letter had not yet bécome United States mail at the time it was taken by the thief. Naturaily the larceny of the letter would* be punishable under the State laws; but not as an offense against the sanctity of the mails. ‘Stealing An Unmailed Letter. Jim Blank handed to his friend Tom Tank a personal letter which he asked Tom-to drop in the mail box. When Tom saw that it was addressed to a well known money lender he became inquisitive. Impelled by overwheim- ing curiosity he opened the letter and found that it contained a small sum of money. Instead of resealing the letter and putting it in the matl box Tom kept it and spenmt the money. ‘When the theft was traced to him, he admitted his guilt and went to jail— but not to a Federal penitentiary on a charge of stealing mail. The mat- ter had not become mail at the time it was stolen, and so the offense was one against the general law of prop- erty right and not against the statutes protecting the mails. . If, however, Jim had handed his letter to a postmaster, rural carrier or any other employe of the service charged with the duty of handling mail, that instant the letter would ‘| have become United States mail fully entitled to all of its privileges as such. ‘When once a letter has actually been mailed its contents are inviolate. No piece of sealed first-class matter may be opened or pried into by any person mnor upon any pretext except under two conditions. If the addressee of a letter cannot be located and there is no return address, the only possi- ble method of ascertaining the iden- tity of the sender is to open the letter. This may be done by no person in the postal service except an employe of the dead letter office, and there only under the expert supervision and closest scrutiny of responsible officials held to the highest degree of account- ability. In certain extraordinary cases a Federal court may issue a search war- raht authorizing the seizure and open- ing of a specific piece of mail. Students in boarding schools and inmates of charitable or penal institu- tions and insane asylums frequently complain that their letters are opened and read before being dispatched.. In- sane patients are particularly insistent that the Government wreak vengeance upon the censors of their correspond- ence. - “-Ordinarily the rules of education of eleemosynary institutions make some provision for the supervision of cor- respondence by those responsible for the care and management of the stu- dents or inmates. Even in the ab. 'sence of such regulations, it is patent from-the rulings of the courts that at the time these letters would be opened ~—that is prior to their dispatch—they would not have become mail in the true sense of the term. A letter, postal card or package be- comes United States mail only when Uncle Sam’s postal employes actually receive it into their official custody and control. Until that time its care and the safeguarding of its contents are matters resting with the owner, and - the lity may not be E . responsibil ‘war | shifted te the Post Office-Department merely by affixing postage stamps and ealling the matter mail, _ ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. How tall is the President and how much does he welgh?—V. H. A. President Coolidge is 5 feet 10 inches tall, and at the present time weights 155 pounds. Q. How did the queer terms that are used In describing base ball games originate?—C. B. T. A. Sports writers are continually adding to the “base ball language,” and it is claimed that Charlle Seymour and Lennie Washburn, writing for the Chicago Inter-Ocean and Chicago Herald, introduced this kind of slang to the public. Q. How long has the ,rentenmark deen issued in Germany?—S. W. B. A. The decree establishing the ren- tenmark was dated October 15, 1923. The rentenmark was introduced No- vember 15, 1923, Q. of any value?—C. A. M. A. Emeralds are precious stones but a flawless one is so rare that the expression a “flawless emerald” sig- nifles unattainable perfection. Q. Palestine decreased in late years?— M. W A. We do not find record of an actual change in the characfer of the rainfall of Palestine. As in all sub- tropical countries thereabout, there is'a marked fluctuation in the amount of rain which falls in different years caused probably by varying seasonal distribution of pressure over the eastern Mediterranean and the adja- cent land areas. The earliest known rainfall measures were made in Pales- | tine in the first century, A.D.,and the annual amount recorded was practl- cally the same as at present. The tnnual rainfall of Palestine is about | 28 inches. Q. Explain the custom of eating cheese with pie.—A. M. A. It is traced to the belief that cheese will aid digestion. Q. What is the full name of Mahatma Ghandi’—E. V. E. A. His name is Mohandas Karam. chand Ghandi. Q. Who reports the rise of water in the rivers to the Weather Bureau? —H. F. H. . A. There are a large number of stations reporting on the daily stages of the rivers, probably from 500 to 1,000, and in addition there are other stations maintained to study the gen- eral climate of the country. These we known as co-operative weather observing stations and probably numé ber between 4,000 and 5,000, well dis- tributed over the various States. Q. Where are wills filed in Eng- land?—J. G. A. Al wills probated in Great Britain are filed in Somerset House, | London. Q. What instrument produces a greater volume of sound for its size than any other musical instrument?— W, W. A. A writer in the Youth's Com- panfon says that the smallest mem- ber of the organ family, the accor- dion, has thi$ distinction. Q. Will you give a little informa- tion concerning the cost of living in France?—R. T. T. A. A recent report says that the cost of living in Paris, calculated from a basis of 100 in 1914 was 518 last December and 525 in January. HQ. What should a cat be fed?— By A. The question as to the proper food. for cats depends entirely upon the age of the cat in question. After belng weaned, for the first two or three weeks nothing but milk should be given, then gradually add cooked vegetables of all kinds, mixing bread Is an emerald with a flaw in it | How much has the rainfall of | ative?"—J. M with them whenever possible. Meat gravies may be fed over potatoes 2nd other vegetables when the cat is from 6 weeks (o 2 months old. At the age of 2 months, a small amount of thoroughly cooked meat, minced fine, may be given once a day. Raw meat should never be given house cats Q If T wind a watch spring and | placesit in some kind of an acid while still wound up, what happens to the energy of the spring? We have a law in physics that we cannot create o1 destroy energy. What can become of V. A. G is turned into heat Q. What kind of money vse during the Revolution: M. B. E. A. During the Revolutionary War a new kind of paper money was issued by authority of the Continental Con- gress for the purpose of carrying on war with England. This was known as Continental currency. Most of this became worthless. ame into War?- Q. Is there such a word as “prevent- A. Although it {s often heard instead of “preventive,” it is not in good usage. Q. Who was the first person to pre- dict an eclipse”—B. R. H. A. The first man, so far as historical records show, to calculate the time of an eclips Miletus, who lived 640 to 566 B. C prophesied an eclipse which, ac ing to modern recko: March 28, 585 B. C. H ord- took place Q. From what animal does the fur come which is-called “mouffion 7" —C. C. M A. “Moufflon” is the name applied to a wild sheep restricted to the high- lands of Corsica and Sardinia. The mane of these animals in ashy gray and the rest of the body rusty red, and lighter on the sides and stern and with a dark line along the spine. The belly, sides of the tail, feet and nose are white. The females are more dun colored Q. Do the British colonies pay taxes to the mother countr: W. L. A. The British colonial po ions are not required to pay any direct tax or other fund toward the support of the mother country. The main bene- fit derived by England from her colo- nies is in the way of preferential trade. Q. Give some the tailless cat.—M. S. A. In most Manx cats the tails are represented merely by a tuft of hair without any remnant of bone. This strain is met with in many parts of Russia and there is a very general opinion that it originally came from Japan or some other tern count Unless the jungle cat, which =l information about |is a nearly whole-colored species, can of un- i claim the position, the ancestry these Manx-Malay cats is still known. Q. How long has Northern Island off the west coast belonged to the United States Government?—M. J. G. A. Northern Island, San Diego County, Calif., was taken over by the sovernment under act of Congress dated July 27, 1917. Provision was made under this act that the District Court of southern California determine the ownership and compensation. The award made by the court and jury was $5,000,000, with interest from date, upon which the island was taken over by the Government. The full amount paid was $6,098,033.33. (Let The Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Twenty- first and C streets northwest, answer your question. The only charge for this servive is 2 cents in stamps for return postage.) 2 U. S. Grind and “Effeminacy” Give Editors Lively Topics “The grind” in American life is at- tacked and the development of “effem- inate men" deplored in two public statements by professional observers. The issues raised furnish the subject of some heated talk, which has ex- tended to all classes of people in all parts of the country. Have soft hats, silk stockings, peari-colored spats, lilac pajamas and embroidered bath robes caused the disappearance of the he- man In real life, leaving his only sur- vivor in the movies? 1Is the condition called ‘“Americanitis,” a product of too much hurry and bustle, causing an excessive number of deaths between the ages of 40 and 507 The press records the answers that have been made. Df. Charles Gray Shaw of the Uni- versity of New York is responsible for the charge that the he-man is slipping out of the picture. “We know.” con- cedes the Columbia Record, “that the man is inclined to be the domestic. Modern men marry for the sake of a home, with its dog, radio set or graphophone, while women approach the wedded state with the idea of get- ting a companion or a lover. Men used to pay the carfare and the res- taurant check. Now girls carry their own money and frequently pay the cashier. Women used to consider mar- riage the grand terminal of their life- tain’s ambition. it only as a flag station. Mere man came into the picture this year in the most colorful of Springtime pageangs. With lavenders, powder blues, London smokes and other pastel shades, he: ran the gamut of pulchritude, until woman, once queen of the season at Atlantic City, was thrust into the background. The next step, we sug- gest, will be the shingle-headed women and the long-haired men. We are on the way, and it will be a wonder day when we get to where we are going. On the other hand there is nothing in history or in_modern examples of distinctly masculine types to support the attack upon modern man, accord- Ing to the Atlanta Journal® which submits these facts: “Well, Mr. James J. Corbet, Mr. Benny Leonard and Mr. Jack Dempsey, if we are to judge by their pictures, take great pride in personal appearance, but we are yet to be convinced that any of these worthies are suffering trum feminization. In truth, George Wasl ington, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington and other notables of the long ago were much fonder and more addicted to ruffies and laces, satins and cilks than any of the pres- ent generation. The modern man may smoke many cigarettes through an amber holder. His grandfather took snuff from jeweled boxes. The fact of the matter is that in colonial times the men dressed far more like women than do the men of today, yet in looking back at their achievements who is there to say that they were wanting in sturdiness?” * k ok K Histery is summoned to the res- cue, also, .by the Twin Falls Daily News, which say: ‘But good heav- ens, man! Didn’t men of the heroic Elizabethan age wear all such frip- pery, and much more, not merely in boudoirs, but in public? It must take more than silks and laces and rain- bows to destroy virility. The critics’ condemnation of un- starched shirts and soft colors brings a heated reply from the Louisville Times. “Sioux braves did not wear stiff collars,” says the Times. ‘“Thev ‘had -their faults,- but-they were not effeminate in Red Cloud's day. An Afghan or an Ashantee, whose neck Now they recognize’ never was imprisoned in a starched collar, is, in combat, a rough and utterly unladylike person. The great warriors of the world, almost down to the day of Grant and Lee, did with out stiff ‘collars.” The Harrisburg Telegraph recalls that “Back in the davs of the Three Musketeers men garhed them- selves in silks and satins, fastened with a jeweled pin, a drooping featt to the tucked-up side of their broad brimmed headpieces, buckled on ti gold-chased swords and silver-mounted and went forth to slay or be The South Norwalk Sentinel Who cares, so long as the | man soul continues on its adventure for achievement, happiness and un derstanding?” “Americanitis” as a menace to health and longevity of men s brought to public attention by Dr. William S. Sadler of Chicago, in a report to the Gorgas Memorial Institute. His con clusions are disputed by the San Francisco Bulletin, which believes that American efficiency “is largely responsible for the delusion that we work too hard.” The Bulletin admits that Americans hustle at a more rapid rate than other peopie, but as- serts that they work shorter hours and have more time for recreation “The ‘terrific drive’ of modern Amer " concludes that Golden ( is seen mostly on the golf ” The Savannah News, also holds that “people do not hurt them- selves working—steadily working at something they can take reasonable time to accomplish and which they like to do. They do Kill themselves with wear and worry The fault is with ideas of efficiency, according to the New York Evening ‘World. *“There is a touch of insan- ity—lack of sense is not strong enough—in our glorification of the grind,” charges the Evening World “Even crusaders are abroad, calling themselves efficiency men, to instruct us how to crowd some work into the few leisure moments that we have. Even play must assume the aspect of work." “There is,” however, according to the Saginaw News-Courier, “no dodg- ing the charge that there is alto- gether too much indulgence in this ‘hurry and bustle’ stuff, which per- haps is intended, as it is believed by its practitioners, to convey the im- pression that great results are being achleved.” —— Future Heating. There is something that may inter- est householders hopeful of new and better heating systems. It is on the authority of Henry L. Doherty, the big ofl man, who is also directing genius of transportation, gas, light and power companies in more than 100 American cities. ““The next big development,” savs Mr. Doherty, “is the heating of indi- vidual homes and apartments by a combination of artificial gas and oil. By using gas to a limited extent and depending on oil for additional heat the problem is solved. Yet many oil and gas men do not realize it. In five years oil and gas will be com- peting for heating homes on more than an even basis with coal.” It depends very largely, no doubt, on the production of better gas and oil_burnérs than any yet devised. Bu thdt, will come soon enough if thel 18- sound and plenty of the two fuels is assured. — Martinsburg Journal. in advance was Thales .«“ A L} ]