Evening Star Newspaper, May 11, 1925, Page 6

THE EVI With Sunday Morning I“Allk-.i WASBHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY. THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor The Evening ‘Star Newspaper Company Business Office 11th St and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Offica. Tower Bulldine. Buropesn Office: = . Enptand The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- ing edition. ia delivered by carriers within {he city at 60 cents per month: dally 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 each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and & Daily n’:“l.\' undey Sunday only .. . 700 All Other States. Daily and Sundar. ily only Sunday only . Member of the Associated Press. The A Press is exclusively entitled rl!"hu credited 1o it or not otherwise cred- 4 in this paper and alvo the local news blished Rerein: All righta of publication of svevial dispatches herein are also reserved. Defense Day Plan. “Defense day.” which with remark- able lack of foresight some politicians 4 political issue last vear, is to be observed again, this time Armistice day. November 11, pro- vided President Coolidge approves the | plans of the general staff. The pacitist element in the country no doubt will emit a roar. Particularly because, un- der the plans of the general staff, De- fense day is to be an annual “muster to determine just what Uncle Sam has in the way of national defense. A year ago it was said that Defense day would be viewed by the world as a military gesture on the part of the United States. But Defense day passed off and away, and was forgotten al- most within 24 hours, except for the tessons which it taught in regard to the national defense. No other nation has charged the United States with militaristic ideas and ambitions be- cause of it. No general political campaign is un- der way in the United States this vear. There will be no particular or timely temptation to Gov. Bryan, or to other State officials, to denounce De- fense day, hoping to strike a blow at the administration in Washington. Many Democrats who believe firmly in national defense—Americans for the most part forget politics when it comes to the defense of Americ were strong in thelr criticism of the stand taken by the Democratic nom- inee for Vice President last Summer against Defense day. The result of the vote cast in November certainly indicated that the observance of De- was not disapproved by the of the peopl One criticism leveled at the Defense day of last year was that it came at a time when the farmers are busy, September 12, the anniversary of the battle of St. Mihiel, the first in which | American arms won a great offensive movement in the World War. The farmers, opponents of Defense day in- sisted, could be better employed in the flelds, and could ill afford to give the time to a muster or mobilization of forces. Present pians call for this an- nual examination of the national de- fense on November 11, and the criti- cism that it will interfere with the tarmers largely falls to the ground. To avoid as far as possible wounding the susceptibiltics of certain persons who lock with suspicion on anvthing | military, Defense day is to be termed a “‘must. instead of a ‘“‘mobi tlon.” Mobilization acquired a sinister meaning because of weil remembered assemblages of European forces in days gone by. Asa matter of fact, De- fense day in this country resolves it- self merely into an inventory, a taking | of stock, to see whether in time of emergency there is the machinery necessary to put the country quickly into a state of defense. Tt containg no threat, but it does serve a useful pur- pose. sought to make on VD — Business can never be good enough to keep the prices going always up- ward in the stock market. A certain amount of variation is necessary to the bulls and the bears as well as to the brokers. ——— Brass Jars and Genii. The Oriental School of Archeology hopes to discover the ruins of the city referred to in Arab folklore as the home of jinn, sirens and other evil geniuses. That is the substance of a dispatch from Tunis, which says that an Arab sponge fisherman returned to Tunis with a rare vase, and said that diving for sponges near the Island of Djerba he saw the ruins of an an- t city. In a book of world renown in which most young readers had deep faith the matter of evil genii imprisoned in brass vases was discussed at length. Once a fisherman’s net brought up & copper vessel, and when the seal was broken a cloud of smoke covered the seacoast and took the shape of a genie twice as big as two giants. It will be remembered that this genie led the fisherman to a lake between four mountain tops, where the fisherman caught four fish, one white, one blue, one red and one yellow, and took them to a Sultan not far away. When the Sultan's cook began to fry the fish the kitchen wall parted and a lovely Egyptian woman appeared and talked with the fish. You remember that the Bultan made inquiries of the fisher- man, that he had never heard of the lake, and that going to seek the col- ored fish he entered a palace of black marble where he found a being, human from the waist up and black marble from the waist down, groaning. You remember that this wretched man's wife had studled magic with a black slave, had made her husband half- nian, half-marble and then kept him alive by magic. This half-marble man was King of the Black Isles, and through this brasspot genie he was delivered. A more impressive and just as authentic account of these genie vases | western sea why May 11 1925 | up these bott | met is found in the story of the City of Brass. It eppears that Abdelmelick, a King in Syria, having heard that Sol- omon had imprisoned disobedient gentt, them with molten lead and his . Abdelmelick sent Talib to that fishexmen brought s in their ,nets. Talib with adventures which come only to imaginative touriss today. He found a wonderful palace: with 400 tombs of people who had died.at their ordinary work, and read an inscrip- tion which warned travelers that Fate cannot be bought with red gold, white silver, pearls and jacinths, He passed a pillar where an Afrite, Dahish, son of Elamash, was imbedded in stane to the armpits. He saw a huge red «ar- nelian idol. He came to the phice where Solomon flew on & magic carpet with birds flying above and beasts marching below and overcame an army of disobedient genii, alded in the campaign by wild beasts, vicious birds and reptiles. Talib came to the City of Brass, where the walls were 80 cubits or 120 feet high, found everybody dead in the city and annexed loads of such treasure as bags of musk, ambergris, aloeswood, pearls and facinths. You recall that & black King ordered divers to bring up brass bottles containing!, genli, and that 12—it was an even dozen—of these genie jars were taken by Talib to Kink Abdelmelick. This dispatch concerning the Orien- tal School of Archeology, the fisher- man, the vase and the city of the jinn and other genii carries the memory of many readers back 50 years or more. seale sign ———— e Hylan Hitting the Bumps. Mayor Hylan's campaign for renom- ination in Greater New York, begun months before the election, is hitting some rough places in the road. It is known that Gov. Smith opposes the mayor for a third term, and that Tam- many is disinclined to stand for him again. It is known that William Ran- dolph Hearst, who once himself as- pired to the mayoralty and actually claimed election, though refused the office, is strongly backing the mayor for another go of four years in the City Hall. The mayor pitches his claim upon the issue that he has been instrumental in maintaining a s-cent fare for the people against the de- mands of the “interests” that seek a kigher rate. Now comes a revelation that is de- cidedly embarrassing to the mayor, An investigation is in progress by the city controller regarding the relations of a certain security bonding firm with the contractors for municipal work. It is alleged that the members of this firm, closely allied to the Hylan fam- ily, have been getting an undue share of the business, have, in fact, been en- joying a virtual monopoly. Contractors have testified to the application of pressure to compel them to take out their bonds with this cencern. It ‘would appear that bidders who did not sign up in advance with it failed to receive awards, though they were the lowest in the competition. Heretofore the mayor has denied any connection whatever with the bonding company or its activities. It has now been brought forth, through the production of vouchers. that messages have been constantly passing between the mayor’s office and the offices of the bonding company. Slips for messenger service, paid for by the city, have been brought forth, ard all that the mayor can say is that he never kmew anything about such communications. But there stands the record, of a constant flow of messages between the executive offices and the offices of a private bonding company, with which members of the mayor's family are associated, and the signifi- cant fact that bidders for public work who would not hook up with this par- tieular bonding company did not get { contracts. 1t appears that in the push for busi ness the favored bonding company crowded out certain others, whose members are also connected with prominent political families, influential in Tammany. Perhaps the discrimina- tion has something to do with the pres- ent Tammany disinclination to let Mayor Hylan run again. At eny rate, the situation is giving concern to the mayor’s supporters. And the mayor- alty fight is only one of the factors in the greater political situation affecting the fortunes of New York State’s chief executive. > o The millions to be exper.ded for de- fensive construction in Hawaii will mean great improvement in & ma- terial way, at a sacrifice, possibly, of much that was light-hearted and idyllic in the temperament of the na- tive population. The lessons of civili- zation grow harder as the course of study proceeds. ) France is naturally impressed ad- versely by the ease with which many Germans fell into the old goose step when demonstrating in honor of Hin- denburg. — ———— United States Highways. As an outcome of the accomplish- ments of the meeting in this ecity April 20 and 21 of the initial confer- ence of the Joint Board on Interstate Highways, composed of State and Federal highway officials, a similar meeting of officials of 11 States will assemble in San Francisco next Fri- day. It is to be the first of a series of regional meetings to be held dur- ing May and June in San Francisco, Kansas City, Chicago, Atlanta, New York and Boston for the purpose of selecting the important interstate roads to be known as United States highways. It is proposed that the selected routes shall be designated by numbers and marked uniformly in all States with a standard marker. Officials of the highway departments of Wash- ington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado will be present at the first of the series of meetings. The necessity for uniform numbering and marking of highways was shown in the April meeting at Washington. The pro- posal to designate important inter- THE EVE INING S'l'.\Rl""‘"“" and devils in brass bottles, yways has increased enormously in recent years. At present there is much confusion In the situation re- specting the naming of interstate raads. The overlapping of named routes Is common, for there are few such routes that ure mot coincident with parts of other routes. One well known route 1,500 miles long over- laps other routes about 70 per cent of its length, and 10 different routes are involved in this overlapping, while In places two or three of them coincide for many miles. Interstate motor travel has come to stay, and the convenience and safety of the traveling public by this means of transportation are worthy of being safeguarded in every wa: It is gratifying to note that the con- current attention of State highway officials i3 being given to the subject. ———— One-Way Street Signs. ‘When District traffic ofcials, un- der the leadership of Director Eld- ridge, begin their study of semaphore lights for Washington it has been suggested that they also investigate the best type of flluminated traffic signs, which will be visible to the \motorist both day and night. Although the present signs marking oneavay Streets are of sufficient size and appearance to warn the motorist in ghe daytime, considerable confusion has' been caused, especially in the | designation of new one-way streets, ibility of these same signs ut Mamy cases have been reported in Whlch‘ the Washington motorist, anxiou® to co-operate in the new code, ‘has unwittingly driven the Wwrong way on a oneway street simply because he was unable to dis- cern the sign after dusk. Of course, a large share of the blame should fall on the driver, be- cause in the majority of instances it is stmply s case of ignorance of the rules and \general non-observance of all traffic signs. But there are un- doubtedly some, among them the many thousands of tourists, who can- not read the signs at night. New York y has recently in- stalled illumirtated signs. An arrow designating a one-way street is in- closed in a neat. box. At night a light is turmed on behind the arrow and there is no mistaking this type of street. With Washington trafic improve- ment making apid strides there is no reason why every progressive idea should not be caught up and put into | use here. The National Capital, when the new traffic code becomes thor- oughly effective. will rank with the best regulated cities in the country and to this end ewery effort should be made to have the city as well marked for night driving @s it is for the day time. —_— e The French government will apply German indemnity collections in pa to reconstruction of devastated areas. The lessening of a debt is itself in the nature of & reconstructive proce: ——————— Portions of the dispersing rum fleet off the Atlantic coast are said to be moving toward Chesapeake Bay. It may be necessary to bring the oyster navy into renewed activity to rein- force the Coast Guard. ————— ‘The apparent demand for imported liquor labels would indicate that home brew is not a success. In this case there is no protection possible for a domestic industry. —e— The new parking regulations have brought forth the worker who does not get to the office until after parking time begins and then leaves his desk every hour in order to move his ma- chine. ——.———— Among the evidences of political in- genuity to be admired in Mussolini is his success in establishing a dictator- ship under royal patronage. ———— It is expected that Trotsky will re- sume political activities in Russia. In his activities contemplating an adjust- ment of Russian problems Trotsky has become one of them. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Words and Music. ‘When Orphean tunes began to play The trees and stones all moved their way. And so, were 1 a statesman bold ‘Who could a melody unfold, I should not waste my words so wise ‘When I had something to advise, But I should undertake to play Some subtle and convincing lay. Modern Conveniences. Are you opposed to filibustering?” ‘'Only to a certain extent,” answered Senator Sorghum. “I think senatorial courtesy should permit a man to fili- buster by phonograph instead of wear- ing out his own voice.” Apportionment. A disposition sunny No Communist will shirk If he divides the money But doesn’t share the work. Jud Tunkins says when he used to work 14 hours a day the most that worrfed him was that he mightn’t have the work to do. Stratagem. “Do the children go to sleep when you tell them stories?"” “1 suspect,” replied Miss Cayenne, “that they only pretend to go to sleep when they don't want to hear any more.” Shooting. We used to speak of men “half shot;” ‘When flowing bowls they'd weather. The rum fleet will, as like as not, Be shot up altogether. “We used to have temperance lec- tures,” said Uncle Eben. “Since we to payment of war debts, and in part | IONDAY. THIS AND THAT ARLES E. TRACEWELL. “I hate Spring in Washington,” he sal This being a novel view to me, 1 listened to the gentleman, for only re- cently I had treated exactly the oppo- site side of the matter. ‘Washington in the Spring, it has been stated in this column, is very beautiful. So it is, of course. Now here was one running down our be- loved city! “I hate Spring in Washington,” he reiterated. “It is cold and clammy. If you let the furnace go out, you freeze, and if you keep it going, you smother. “Altogether, it is a disagreeable season. One day it is hot, another cold. No man, not even the weather forecaster, can tell what the next day will bring forth. Give me honest Summer or Winter." Certainly, there is a great deal to the gentleman's contention. We who, by birth or adoption. claim Washing- ton as our own, would not dare to say otherwise. e, too, suffer. The city, however, is not at fault. The city cannot help its weather any more than we can. Nor {5 Washing- ton unique in the matter. From all sections of the country comes the modern lamentation. “We don't have Spring!” Where are the Springs of yester- year? In this latitude the vernal season seems to be a vanishing quantity. The old formula went something like thit Spring equals warm breezes. Today the formula runs Spring equals cool breezes. ok koK Those old Springs are recalled with delight, even by the youngest of us. One does not have to be able to recol- lect how the weather was in 49 to know that something has happened to_our weather. It is true that the meteorologists (@ confounded!y hard word to spell) as- sert that there has been no wholesale hange in the weather. To say that pring has changed” {s simply bunk, according to the weather experts. They do not call it “bunk,” of course. They perhaps would phrase it more along this order: “There is no scientific proof of an authenti change in meteorological conditions Pleasant gentlemen at the United States Weather Bureau have told me that a review of conditions over many years will show more or less the same sort of weather, although during any one particular Spring the untrained observer may he inclined to belleve that “Spring has changed.” Perhaps, after all, the \Weather Man is_right. Maybe it is we who have changed! Perhaps we are critical now, where once we were enthusiastic Maybe our blood is « - now | when once it ran warm through veins where arteriosclerosis was an ut { terly unknown quantity- Perhaps, after all, the visions of Springs we remember are mostly vis ions, colored and drawn anew by olde minds pathetically seeking for Kl Dorado. which we will never really find again. Not to the clouds must we look for Spring, then, but far into the Heart of Man: and there, if we diligently seek. perhaps even vet we may find as pure a Spring as ever gladdened us. Who knows” Bk ko Practically speaking, however, were any more real With nearly 1500000 American schoolboys and schoolgirls studying and debating the Constitution of the United States, it is a rational prophecy 1o say that the future of the Republic lis not in danger. This observer has | participated in many thrilling events at home and abroad, but he recall none more impressive or more stimu- |lating to patriotic pride than the {“finals" of the National Oratorical Con test in Washington. The occasion was | tremendous in itself, vet inconsequen tial compared with the greater thing jit represented. For those sev IYoungsters from the four quarters of Ithe national compass were the pick jof a million and a half, roundly, of their comrades in 16,216 high schools throughout the land. Reflect upon ¢ American youths, t ithe threshold of maturity and char- acter forming, burning the midnight incandescent over the charter of our |liberties, and all and sundry that it means. ~ Reflect, too, that this has occurred in the midst of the much- maligned jazz and bobbed-hair age. The contest proves that the young- sters of America have not ail gone to the dogs. * ok ok % Robert Sessions of Birmingham, Ala., 15 vears old, youngest of all the “finals’ competitors, crowned 'winner by the United S Court justices, who jury of awards. It was a popular verdict. If the audience that packed ‘Washington Auditorium could have decided the contest, there would have been a mighty shout reminiscent of certain episodes in Madison Square Garden last Summer. The burden of its tumult would have been: “10,000 or Robert Sessions of Ala- That brilliant young lad of Dixie has a future as an orator as surely as the stars twinkle in the Southern heavens. It would be a sorry day for Senator “Tom™ Heflin or any other Alabama spellbinder to be compelled to match wits and elo- quence with Robert Sessions of {Birmingham. The boy is as at home on the platform as the most hardened public Speaker. His gestures, his de- {livery, his English, his poise and general manner were altogether nat- ural and captivating. The two girl contestants preceded him. Their chances for the $2,000 first prize vanished before Sessions had spoken 2 of his 10 minutes. It became ap- parent that his four boy rivals, who were to follow, had their work cut out for them. * % X ¥ Everybody was_interested in the oration of Max N. Kroloff of Sioux City, Iowa, because he was the rep- resentative of the melting pot in the contest. This 17-year-old offspring of Russian immigrant parents pushed Sessions hard for first honors, though he captured only third. A swarthy, stocky youth, Kroloff poured all the fire and spirit of his Semitic soul into his glorification of the Constitution. His peroration plunged the auditorium into a maelstrom of enthusiasm. Hun- dreds of pencils which had placed “1” upposite Sessions’ name were put to the program and elevated Kroloff to first place. Had the Iowan won the contest his-victory would have been almost as popular as the Alabaman'’s. EE % Cabinet officers and members of Congress are in receipt of incessant evidence that our schoolchildren are deeply interested in national affairs. Even the Dawes plan for Senate re- form appeals to them. A United States Senator from a New England State has just received a letter from a high school girl asking for both sides of the controversy over Senate rules. She says she wants the ma- state roads and mark them uniformly | got prohibition we's liable to need a | terial for a graduation thesis in June. was initiated by the American As- sociation of State Highways officials in November, 1924, when the asso- ciation asked the Secretary of Agri- culture to name a joint board to consider the question. Tourist travel oyer interstate high- disarmament conference.” As Some Men View It. From the Columbia Record. The more dishwater a wedding ring iSees the longer it seems to last, * k ok % At a recent press conference in the ‘White House offices, a newspaper man who expects to “cover” the President during the latter's Summer vacation piped up and said: \ “Mr. President, I want a room and bath at Plymouth, while you're visit- WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. {Deportation as Viewed not those old seasons lovely with a loveliness that seems vanished from the earth? I can remember one Easter season as a lad that was spent by the “gang’ in our neighborhood entirely in a small park. It was warm enough to lie on the grass as much as one pleased without catching cold. Day after day the weather remained steadfast. Householders, we can reason now, must have been able to allow their furnaces to go out and stay out by April 15 at the latest. As far back as memory helps us we can recall that there were no serious setbacks in the weather situation then. Flowers were not wheedled by sunshine into blossoming, and then suddenly nipped by killing frosts. Those were Springs that were Springs, memory tells us. What have we now? Spring nowadays is the last word in fickleness. ‘“Woman is fickle,” runs the song, but the first word is in error. That song always has been a slander on womankind. Women are not half as fickle as men. If the song said “Spring is fickle” it would be right up to date. Fair Spring is disfigured by tears, and a large dis- play of the “cold shoulder.” In short, we do not love Spring as we used to. A Spring nowadays means work at its ne ry expense that vet seems unnecessary. Today we jump from Winter right into Summer, with scarcely a real taste of Springtime. By “work at its worst” one means simply running a furnace after that necessary household duty has begun 10 be a decided bore. Warmth in the home is essential. A cold home is worse than no home at all. “Home, Sweet Home” means @ good furnace in the basement of plenty of stoves, although the song didn’t go into that detail, of course. Songs never do. A house with dry feet (basement), cool head (roof) and the proper bodily temperature (warmth) is a real home. The householder who values such a home does not mind running the fur- nace from October to April. That makes seven months. Where he draws the line is at eight months | of hard labor on a coal pfle. May is the month that breaks the house holder’s back. Shovels, pokers, etc., weary him immensely. He tries letting the furnace go out for a day or two. It is not so cold outdoors, and— It is chilly in the house. He cannot deny that it {s disagreeable to sit up, so he goes to bed “to keep warm. The next day he sneaks down into the basement and starts the furnac “so the children will not catch cold. Then the weather outside runs up to 43 degrees in the shade, and life in- doors becomes unbearable. The furnace, with cheerful incon- gruity. refuses to go out. Neither will it go dewn. The tire, without recoal- ing. burns brightly. Will it never go out” Oh, yes, it will burn itself out—just as the next cool wave arrives. “Thank heavens.” you will say darn thing is out at last Just then a voice will float down the basement stairs “The paper savs it will he colder to night,” says the voice. “Maybe vou had better keep the fire going. ‘the ing your father. What's hotel in Plymouth?” The Coolidge House,” tort. the best was the Dawes intends to live in Washington where he can give the Capital a comprehensive once- | over. The home of the late Capt., Guy T. Scott, son of the former Sen- | ator Nathan B. Scott of West Vir ginia, which Mr. Dawes has leased, stands on one of the highest points in Washington. It surmounts al- most the peak of what is known as teenth Street Heights. From its terraces a sweeping view of the city is obtainable. The Scott mansion is commodious and charming, bt not one of the pretentious home: fill the immediate vicinity. As almos next door neighbors, the Vice Pres dent and Mrs. Dawes will have Henry White, former Ambassador, and Trwin B. Laughlin, our multi-millionaire Min- ister to Greece. The White and Laugh- lin houses are among the most modern and most_beautiful in Washington. The Vice President has chosen u place with charming grounds and he can give garden parties if the spirit moves him. Nobody knows what rent he's paying, but it's a safe guess to esti- mate that it will eat up the lion's share of his $15,000 salary as Vice President. tha * ox % % orge Wharton Pepper of Pennsylvania is an ardent supporter of the citizens' military training camp movement. “I have had some good vacations in my time,” sayvs Pepper, “but the best were the two I spent as a rookie at Plattsburg in 1915 and 1916. I am not as fit physically as T was nine years ago. ‘What was fun then might be grief now. Were it otherwise I should certainly apply for leave the spend a month this Summer at one of our C. M. T. camps. Any healthy chap between 17 and 24 who misses the chance iIs missing one of the great experiences of life.” * % % ok East is East and West is West, and the twain is meeting on the golf links of the District of Columbia, Rudyard Kipling to the contrary not- withstanding. The new Japanese Ambassador to the United States, Tsuneo Matsudaira, has succumbed to our national passion under the tute lage of John Barton Payne, chairman of the American Red Cross. Payne took Matsudaira to the Burning Tree course the other day for the first time. The Japanese envoy said he'd only played golf a couple of times in his life on some indifferent links near Tokio. Then he proceeded to shoot a bogey 3 in 2. (Copyright, 1925.) e Senator By Archibald Hopkins To the Editor of The Star: On my return to Washington I find in your issue of Thursday a state- ment that a letter of mine was read by Dr. Hill “recommending deporta- tion of all persons who are aliens who do not agree with the existing political order.” T cannot deport our own citizens no Tatter what they do, but foreigners who come here with the avowed purpose of inciting the ignorant and discontented to vio- lence, sedition and bloodshed in order to_overthrow our Government should be deported. That was the purport of my letter. Of course, any citizen has the right to personally advocate change. To go beyond that, as many do, is ag though a board of health, aware that disease germs were being purposely scattered through a town, were to say, “We have no authority to use prevention measures. We can do nothing until an epidemic breaks out.” ARCHIBALD HOPKINS, -~ 1lite MAY THE PUBLIC LIBRARY 16. Books on Music. “Only as we Americans learn to react individually to art, resisting the herd opinions that are so easy and 80 false, can we become discriminat- ing enough to acclaim the good and reject the bad. In the coming decades we are to wield much power in music, and it is important that we should make ourselves intelligent judges of what is new as well as seasoned lovers of the old but every youthful beauty we call classic.” Mr. Mason’s “From Song to Symphony” (VWE-M386f) is an able book on music appreciation beginning with folk songs, tracing it through opera, piano music and finally orchestral music, giving in a general way the meaning of the various forms and enabling the reader to understand and consequently enjoy the concerts and operas more fully. “A friend of mine had a phono- graph which he occasionally enjoyed. He used to say that he ‘wasn't mus- ical’ but he ‘knew what he liked.” His repertory was small but pleasing to him since, thanks to the records, he had become acquainted with some pleces of fairly good music. * * * He never knew how musical he was until he chanced one day on a para- graph in a book his daughter was reading about one of the composi- tions he liked. He suddenly realized that this composition told the story of an episode in the life of another man, a human being who lived, strug- gled, rejoiced and narrated his ex- periences in the language of tones So this book. “The Lure of Music, by Olin Downes (VW10-9D758 1) “depicting the human side of great composers, with stories of their in- spired creations, was written with the aim of bringing to the average man some significance and beauty of the music of the masters. In an easy, entertaining style, the author gives intimate pictures of great com- posers, devoting a chapter to each, and, in addition, there are flve chap- ters of a more general nature. Walter Newman Flower's “Life of George Friederich Handel” (VW11-H 193f) is a fascinating and compre- hengive outline of the life of the man, “the_ striking personality that never admitted defeat, but rose superior to whatever powers a surfeit of enemies could and did exist.” It is not neces- sary to be versed In music to enjoy this vivid, entertaining book. Handel is the most noted musician England has ever had, and these pages are filled with interesting, intimate inci- dents of the life and times during the t half of the eighteenth century. ‘The Bethlehem Bach Choir,” by mond Walters (VVS3-W173b), h: special appeal now, following its re- cent festival here. The bouk gives a clear and attractive setting of America’s earliest e { Here is a true sing- ing community of spontaneous origin in the pioneer days, when its songs were heard by Ben FrankHn and in war time by Washington. With few breaks in a long history, it is still among the best sustained popular movements of artistic life in the pres- ent industrial era. “Of all the arts music is practiced most and thought about least. It is not an exaggeration to say that one might listen for a lifetime to the po- conversation of our drawing rooms without having a symphony talked about in terms of more than superficial knowledge of the outward forms of such a composition.” Henry Sdward Krehbiel's “How to Listen to Music” (VWE-K527h), “gives hintsand suggestions to untaught lovers of the art in his clear and understanding 00k. The following books for a “two-foot bookshelf on musical subjects” has been suggested by the national Music ‘week committee and may be found in the Public Library: : Krehbiel, H. How to Listen to Music. VWE-K527h. Faulkner, A. What. We Hear in Music, Huneker, and His Music. Thayer, A. W. Beethoven Henderson, W, sie? V' Downes, O. VW10-9D758 1. Mason. D. G Chopin—The Man VW10-C454h. Life of Ludwig von VW10-B393t. . What Is Good Mu- 1383w The Lure of Music. Beethove. and His Forerunners. VW10-B393m Mason. D. G. From Grieg to Brahms. VW10-9M356f. Mason. D. G. Child’s Guide to Music. VWE-M3s6g. Mason. D. G. The Romantic Com- posers. \'W10-9M386r. Mason, D. G. Orchestral Instruments and What They Do. VX-M3860. Scholes, P. A. Listener's Guide to Music. VWW.Schs. Dickinson, Edward. The Education of a Music Lover. VWE-D66. ——or—. Ours, Right or Wrong. Country Must Not Expose Itself to Possible Foes. ‘To the Editor of The Star: “My country; may she be ever right, country, right or wrong. Thus said Stephen Decatur over a century ago. And who, having the spirit of the true red-blooded Ameri- can, would not glory in the sentiment of that gallant warrior of that gal- lant past? America, our America, though at times she seems deserted by those charged with the duty of protecting her, shall not suffer for the want of manhood to protect her in her times of peril. In spite of petty differences, petty | jealousies and divergent policies, those | who live and prosper under her flag should be willing to defend her from | enemies within and without. We enjoy the privileges of the in- stitutions that make her great. We are part of that greatness and it is our duty as citizens to guard the portals through which must come all efforts to build or destroy. The Roman empire—though often torn apart by internal quarrels and conflicting policies—did not fail to unite to a man to present a solid front to a common enemy. Likewise if we love our country as Stephen Decatur must have done, we will not allow the sordid and disgust- ing facts that some people preferred swivel chair patriotism and blood- tainted riches to the glory of true pa- triotism, and fattened like parasites on the distress of others, to dim our patriotism or relax the eternal vigi- | bases as S Barbara News, lance which is ours to exercise. Pacifism and the desire to outlaw war and preparations for war beyond a certain limit may be all right in a way, but when carried to the extent that it weakens and endangers our defense, thus exposing us to a pos- ;IblIe foe, we should call a peremptory alt. In weighing the policies of the times and the trend of all nations toward a universal brotherhood of man, we should halt_the efforts of pacifists to belittle and sMght our heroes of the past. What would this nation—re- spected, yet feared—be today if it were not for such heroes as Washing- ton, John Paul Jones, Capt. Lawrence and Stephen Decatur? They molded this Nation with the same firmness by which they defended it. And all the combined efforts to belittle or ignore them cannot detract from the glory which they so justly deserve. On the other hand, those who saw in the late war only an opportunity to enrichen themselves, and those who frown on the efforts of those early heroes who so nobly defended this struggling infant Nation in the pangs of its birth, will go down in oblivion, unhonored and unsung. C. GEORGE LEE. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ). Q. Can reservations be made in the tourist camp in Washington”— Rt D. B. A. The superintendent of the Wash ington tourist camps says that it i not possible for him to make reserva tions in advance, us this Is not the policy of the camp. He feels that they will have plenty of tents when you come to this city. These tents are equipped with two cots, and there is room for another if it is needed These cots have mattresses, but they do not furnish bed clothes, linen, blankets, etc. Q. Who takes care of the laws that are passed by Congress’—R. S. D. A. Mr. Van Valin is the custodian of the acts of ngress. are the originals of the 53,601 eral laws. Q. Was “Swiss written before or Crusoe”?—H. D. G. A. It was published in 1813, while “Robinson Crusoe” was written in 1719. “Swiss Family Robinson” wis inspired by the earlier book, and was completed by the Swiss author, J. R. Wyss, whose father had started it. Fed amily after “Robinson Q. Is it necessary to import drink ing water in Holland?—W. N. D. A. The water supply of Holland is plentiful and there has never been any necessity of importing water for drinking purposes. The country is drained by a number of fresh water rivers, among which is the Rhine. o is Harry Lauder’s What Lauder's real ) real name is MacLennan. Q. Where does the United States rank as a_producer of coal and lum-| ber?—E. N. A. It ranks first in the production of both. Q. Give directions for slipping starting red maple trees.—W A. The Forest Service s that red maple trees grow easier from seed —much more readily than they would from slips. This seed does not re. quire any particular care, and wil grow in any soil. It is planted as you would an ordinary vegetable seed. Q. What kind of a gem is a cameo? —G. W. K. A. The word “cameo” {s not the name of a gem. Ii is imerely method of cutting. In other words, any hard substance or gem can be made into & cameo. although usuall onyx, sardonyx, agate and Ivory a used. and v Q. Of what is the carp the symbol in Japan?— A. The with the annual boys' festival) is persistance and Q. What kind of troubadours sin; W. A A. There were several kinds—the canzonet, or love song; seranade, or evening song; aubade, or morning song: servante in praise of patrons. roundelay, or song with refrain or chorus; dance song accompa g the round dance, and the pastoure! treating of Arcadian love. ich is assoc observance of the symbolic of vigor rength. songs dtd the Q. Did seals ever live on land’™— E. C. A. They are probably gin, but have become almost pe-fect adapted to life in the water. ‘The: seek land or ice floes only for breed ing and rearing of Q. What is the native reckoning time in India A. The Samvat year is 3 used except in Bengal. According to tradition it was introduced Vikrana in 58 B. C. A Samva: date represents the year last pleted. Q. Did James Whitcomb R have a pen name?—A. C. E. A. He first attracted attention when using the name “Benj. F son of Boone.” Q. Were of land sistem of X sive corn- rings ever used for Egyptians. The rings metals were circular b was left, that the r d 1 formed into a chain. for money found its way Europe and the B: Q. Why are the davs longer than the nights at the Equator’—H. O. E A. The Naval Observatory sa) that at the Equator, from sun sunset is seven or eight minutes r than 12 hours. Owing to the effect of the earth’s atmosphere in bending the sun's rays, owing also to sensible width of the sun's d a little more to Western sh Isles. Hawaii Critics of sham battles who think not much of anything is proved by fleets steaming about and booming big guns with actual war conditions lacking were not greatly impressed by the recent elaborate American war game around the Hawaiian Islands. A different view is taken, however, by many editors discussing the subject. For instance, the San Antonio Express believes: “These maneuvers, which are the most ambitious the United States ever has undertaken, may result in an altered defense scheme for the mid- Pacific. Among the changes, doub Jess, there will be a greater depend- ence on air forces, particularly the cruising planes. which could tuke the long flights from such continental n Francisco.” The Santa nearer the scene of operations, goes further, with statement that inadequate air forces and “failure of the submarine unaided by line ships to match the power of the dreadnaught” are outstanding fea- tures. “In the war game,” argues the News, “the lesson is that to meet the power of a fleet another fleet is re- quired. Ship must match ship. Here is a good argument for the big Navy men."” The Milwaukee Journal suggests that “there will be some disappoint- ment that the newer weapons of war, the submarine and the airplane, were not more extensively used.” The Journal continues: ‘“They apparently were ‘played down.” It was a surface contest. "But even so, one lesson is clear. The safety of the Pacific coast lies in the American fleet, however it 1s composed, and we must make sure that nothing can happen to prevent its appearance in the Pacific, and that ‘when it does appear it shall have a preponderance of power." The war game as a good practice of wits, a worthy seasoning of forces. and a sound test both of mobilization and discipline is the outstanding fe: ture for the Fort Wayne Journal- Gazette. “But the war game,” adds the Journal-Gazette, ‘‘cannot repro- duce all possible situations, all phases of strategy, all tests of the human factor. That nation which aspires to conquest or fears attack can but arm itself to the best of its resources, develop military efficlency to the high- est attainable point and wait for the decision of events in the stern issue of actual war.” * ok ok * The value of the game in its bearing upon the future of Hawaii is seen by the Kansas City Journal: “The enor- mous sums shot away in the bombard- . R In his care | Robinson™ | John- | se 1o | the | HASKIN | ilumir Al 18 Biwa Q Has Gove men A. Government hullet copyrighted and iy reprodeed at will It take liberties with t} that might 1 If & dealer reproduced a seed bul for instance, and inserted his advertisement in such a way Kive the th ernment ns are safe ho he w Q. What constitutes —0. I\ A municipality ated city, towr possessing a chir conferring pri government Q What most maple su, A. According to the two counties tha duction of maple sugar were Orleans county, with a total production pounds, and Caledonia, the 1920 cen: led in the pro- fresh | Janssen in 1868 d sphe terrest | made | | |5 D ! mpid and ightly blue ir - same densit ed bv subject pressure and then cooling own expansion to a temps low the boiling point of uents (nitrogen, 194 degrees grade: oxygen, 183 degrees |grade). Its chief use is as centi- centi- a re- he was Naam A. The e fall of tide in New York i feer 5 inches Q. pared How —J. 0. A. Logan by cooking | draining | and ct Q. Where i the wo " is e pree juice may be madae loganberries slightiy, ning to taste golf club in crossed and re- nd railways and w match con of 21 holes. an nking. f the octago- e nine, ted porcela nd lamps were destroyed bells 1 Q. Under the Un Haiti? A. The Ameri of pol who took o 3, 191 in the Frenc that year, whi ical | assacred in juil. AL the ms, the president I was dragged wnd murdered hours later a State arrived at Port- es. The U the cou W . W occupat stored ¢ (The Star Informat answer your question. This offer ap- plics strictly to information. The bu- reau cannot give advice on legal, medi- cal and financial matters. It does not | attempt to settle domestic troubles por undertake austive research on any subject. Write your question plainly |and briefiy. Gire full name and ad- dress and irclose 2 cents in stamps for return postage. All replies are sent direct to the inquirer.) n Burcau i 'Sham Battle Crities Assert “Battle” Teachings Nil ments and ba nal. “will be well with even measurable « exact potency of the Pi coast fense. The people want k hether the coast is as vulnerable as it is charged with he The impossibi conditions in a sized by the N ames are charge of Times declares. have in mind are u A similar opinion is exp: Manchester Union, wh Se Yy Wilbur has that while such war gar sle information, _it manifestly impossible t ditions of Actual hostilitie certain point, and therefore the ent maneuvers are “This sham war a tidy sum of money,” the New Or- leans Item points out. “Military and naval officials say they learn things from it, that it demonst soundness or faults of theorie 3uu these conclusions are but theories un- til subjected to the test of real war, That test cannot be approximated in sham battles, The Baltimore ning lighter vein, makes the susgestion: The course of events is mereiv noted as of interest 1o taxpayers. Whate. else the Navy and Avmy may gree about, there is never any ¢ sion of opinion on the necessi getting more money It hoped, however, ubserves the Naw, | Haven Register, that official reports “will include such recommendations as | will appease our frightened brothars of the coast and at the same time be reasonable enough for the administra. tion to see its way clear to follow There is no reason to fear the of such maneuvers abroad, ccordins to the Chicago Daily News, which con. {tends: “Cruises and exercises do nag lead to war. There are suspicious per sons who jump at the conclusion that, a cruise by American warships is |threat against some power or an in- | direct proof of military support to |another. Such ideas are childish.” Sa iso the Ann Arbor Times News: | “Such activities are not a gesture for | w ey are a common sense course to pursue in the interest of peace.” A strategic blunder is suggested by the Knoxville Sentinel, “in the con- duct of these maneuvers and display- ing the strength and the weakness of our forces and equipment for War in- mediately under the eves of Japan and - Japan’s expert observers, since Japan happens to be oug theoretical fo, teness t e is empha- Times. what - them have planned,” he results achiev pointed ous vield v: