Evening Star Newspaper, May 20, 1925, Page 6

6 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. WEDNESDAY.....May 20, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office . 11th St. and Pennsslvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 49nd St Chicago_Office Tower Building. European Ofice: 16 Regent St.. London, England. The Evening Star. with the ing edition. 15 defivered by 1ty at' 60 cents per month: daily onl 45 cents per month: Sunday only. 20 cents per month. Orders may he sent by mall or telephone Main 3000 Collection is made by carrier at the end of each month. Mail—Payable in Advan Maryland and Virginia. ily and Sunday. ...1yr., $8.40: 1 mo., 70c Daily only Sl mo.. 30c Sun 1y undas morn- carriers within All Other States. Dails and Sunday...] yr. $10.00; 1 mo., 83 i e LGk L E Stnday only 130 $5.00: 1 mo: Zc Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled o ihe use for republication of all news dis- patehes credited to it or not otherwise cred- ited in this paper and also the local news published herein. Al rights of publication ©of special dispatihes herein are also reserved. The People and Enforcement. Addressing the Senate special com- mi on prohibition enforcement, Senator Watson of Indiuna has just made the following statement: T can say this, that from the Presi- dent down, they have determined to ke a tremendous effort to enforce shibition in the United States, and they are going to use all the agencies t their command to enforce it to the limit. Then, if, after it is enforced to the limit, the people will not stand for it. it is for the people to say so and it can be modified- This was said in executive session, but publication of Senator Watson statement was formally authorized. It explains the nature and purpose of the intensive campaign now in prog- ress the administration. It does not, however, indicate how public sen- 1iment on the subject of enforcement will be tested or manifesied. There are two factors of importance in this campaign of enforcement—cost So far it has suc- It has practically broken up row,” the fleet of smugglers Iving off Atlantic ports for the dis- charge of contraband cargoes. It has practically stopped the inflow of liquor from that Activity on the part of the rum runners on the Pacific been noted, but so far as known comparatively little smuggling has been effected there. On the ber- der between the United States and Canada the traffic has been lessened. The question is now whether this can be maintained and how much the maintenance of the cordon will cost. Will the people stand for the expendi- ture of necessary money to give force and effect to the law? That is plainly the purport of Senator Watson's state. ment of the case Public sentiment and effectiveness. ceeded. N source. coast has will manife: it- self this through Con- gress. At the session appro- priations will be sought for carrying intensive campaign of en If there is u pronounced inion against the continua- tion of the blockade around the shores and borders of the country and the prosecution of the fight against bootlegging within the coun- try it will justify the denial of such appropriations. On the other hand, an opinion favorable to continued en- forcement of the law will require the grant of the necessary funds. Modification the Volstead law has sought ever since its en- actment. It has been resisted by the advocates of prohibition on the zround that it would be a surrender of the principle of the eighteenth amendment. Congress unquestion- ably has the power under that amendment {o frame er nrcement legislation, more or even liberal than the act now on t statute books. A heavy responsibility, how- ever, rests upon Congress in this matter, and so long as it is believed at the Capitol that the weight of public opinion in the country favors the retention of the present statute and thorough enforcement, there will probably be no change in the law and no denial of appropriation. ———— At least 75,000 people assembled at Louisvlile, Ky.. showed their utter ailure to comprehend repeated ad- monitions that horseracing is a repre- hensible euston. Human nature is an cbstinate clement in the affairs of the world. on subject nex on this forcement. public « been — e United States Senators demand the right to filibuster. The early orators of this republic prided themselves on the ability to interest and convince an audience and laid no stress on the privilege of wearying it. oo Developing American Art. Announcement was made vesterday that the Carnegie poration has voted the sum of $360,500 in support of American ving on experiments or demonstrations in the ng music. Twenty institu- including natio tions organizations carry inclu al asso and colleges, were named as recipients | of the funds. New York Universit Wellesley College and Grinnell Col- lege, lowa, get endowments of $30,000 cach for the maintenance of depart- ments of fine arts, and Hampton and Tuskegee Institutes receive an equal sum each for the maintenance of in- struction in industrial and applicd arts. Other glifts are for the support of scholarships and for the expenses of organizations which are engaged in the promotion of art development and ap- preciation, such as the American Fed- eration of Arts. The purpose of these gifts and ca- dowments is to aid in the advancement, of the fine arts in this country. The American pesple have reached the point in national culture where such works are progressing rapidly. Insti- tutions of learning and voluntery or- ganizations are producing both crea- tors and appreciators of art in all Jines. Municipal art is advanced far beyond the standards of half a century ago. The public taste has been culti- vated. A supporting demand for the works of painters and sculptors and designers has been created. Facilities ve Deen provided for students to under the best of guidance to enable talented aspirants td study In this country. Galleries and private collec- tions have been created and developed to bring into range of popular view and research notable examples of the art of the past as well as the present. In this development Washington is decply interested. It has become, in truth, in recent years a center of art interest through the ecrection here of notable public structures, the creation of memorials and the establishment and enlargement of galleries. Here are located the headquarters of the Ameri- can Federation of Arts, an Qrganiza- tion that has contributed rizhly to the cultivation of the public taste and the promotion of art development through- out the country. It is gratifying to find the name of this organization in the list of those aided by the munifi- cent gift of the Carnegie Corporation. v American and German ‘“Isolation.” Criticism of the foreign policy of the United States today by a former Un- dersecretary of State of the Wilson ad- ministration is not surprising. But when Norman H. Davis, in his zeal, de clares that he cannot “entirely escape the conviction that there is some sim- flarity” between the present altitude or policy of America and that of Ger- many in 1914 he oversteps the bounds of credulit; Mr. Davis, addressing the Interna- tional Chamber of Commerce at,a han quet in this city, pictured Germany in 1414 as a nation sufficient unto herself and refusing to give her genu- ine support to efforts for peace. He might have gone further and pictured the designs of the German leaders of those days to break down the peace that then existed and to extend Ger- man power by conquest of arms. Because the United States has held aloof from European politics, avoided entering into a league which is fundamentally political, and is to- day insisting that the Permanent Court of International Justice, the World Court, be divorced completely from the League of Nations, Mr. Davis professes to see some connection be tween the policy Of this country and that of Germany a decade ago. Well ormed as he is, Mr. Davi in- deed, have a vivid imagination to dis- cern any connection, however remote, between the peaceful attitude of Amer- ica toward the rest of the world and that of the German Empire in 1914, The attitude and policy of the United States today are the attitude and policy of the United States since the days of Washington, who warned against entangling political alliances. It Mr. Davis is able to find in that at- titude 'and policy the germs of war, then he is more far-seeing than great Americans of the past. The United States is doing a tremendous work to- a work that has been under way since the close of the war, aiding with its to reconstruct war- devastated Europe. Mr. Davis criti- s this country because it remains outside of the League of Nations, as now constituted. He belongs to that element in the country which believes that America should go into world polities to clean it up. The woman who marries a man to reform him is equally hopeful of the future. Lasting reforms come from within. When Eu- rope as a whole reaches a stage of real devotion to peace, and evidences it; when her armaments are curtailed in- stead of increased, the chances for a| better international understanding will be immeasurably improved. Mr. Davis is mistaken if he believes that he can aid the cause of American intervention in European affalrs by likening the age-old voliey of this sountry to that of the late German Smpire. has resources oo No serious concern is manifest, al- though in addition 1o predictions of “another war” threats of earthquake are brought to the attention of the At. lantic seaboard. If there is anything the weaker ones and trying to stem the mad rush. A panic always brings out both the worst and the best in humanity. No standard of conduct that prevails in normal times prevails in such circum- stances. The veneer of good behavior strips off from the essential brute, while the seemingly timid and retiring person shows the qualities of true heroism. The great misfortune is that the mechanical devices to facilitate the dense herding of people into restricted spaces, and to enable them to move to and fro In their daily orbits of life are so faulty as to precipitate these conditions occasionally. Fortunately this latest happening has taken no toll of life, though it has once more de- veloped the fact that a large-city crowd contains many decidedly ele- mental human beings. ———————— The Route to Arlington. An illustration of the need of the Memorial Bridge as a means of access to Arlington Cemetery was afforded vesterday by the funeral of Gen. Nel- son A. Miles. The cortege crossed the river by the Highway Bridge as the shorter of the two routes to Arlington. This necessarily blocked all traffic on the bridge for a considerable period. There was no confusion as in the e of the Armistice day ceremonies inci dent to the dedication of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but the solemn procession in token of a Nati mourning for its departed military chieftain blocked all transit. With the Memorial Bridge in service these cere- monial marches from the Capital to the national cemetery will be by a di- rect route, with appropriate setting throughout. Fortunately the prospect now is that in a comparatively short time this route to Arlington will be available. Work on the Memorial Bridge h been actually begun. In a few seasons it will be in service, the dream of decades of aspiration real- ized. n's - While John W. Davis was willing to accept W. J. Bryan as a political as- socfate, through his fraternal affilia tion, it is not likely that the West Virginia statesman will permit himself to be drawn into a support of the great commoner’s biological tions. a conten- s Germany’s experiment with paper currency does not appear to have cost much real money to anybody except rash speculators. It afforded an ob- ject lesson on the futility of trying to settle debts with unsecured promissory notes, e No enterprise is so big that some one does not advise its being taken over by Henry Ford and conducted for the benefit of the public. Even Wall Street is now included in the list of sugges- tions on this line. ——— Both the Fourth of July and Armi- stice day have significance of their own. There is perhaps no need to sup- plement them with the thought of na- tional defense, an idea big enoush for a day unto itself. ————— A comfortable salary was secured to Hindenburg. Evidently what com- mended him to the German people is the fact that he is a practical man. e A retired cabinet officer is soon for- gotten. A favorite of the prize ring or the base ball field is held in permanent attention. It is the era of athletics, o A considerable amount of intellectual energy will be devoted to the ascer- | tainment of what the Tennessee Legis- | lature knows about science. N Scales of earning capacity are hard to adjust. A winning race horse can command nearly $25,000 a mlnule‘ ———— the average Ainerican appears to en- joy, more than anything else, it is an effort to scare him. ——————— Director Eldridge's remarks imply a reminder that the joke about not be- lieving in signs is now much too ancient to be considered funny r———————— H A successful pugilist gets as much applause as a statesman and never retires to private life. e Rum row finds old John Barleycorn with an acute attack of sea sickness. ———— Panic in the Subway. One of the dangers of intense con- gestion in underground transit was) demonstrated yesterday in New York when, through a minor accident, caused by & short circuit in the con- duction, the insulation of one of the teed wires burned and the emission of smoke and the accompanying shutting off of the lights caused a panic in which upward of 100 persons were in- jured, some of them seriously. The sudden halting of the train, the | presence of acrid smoke and the dark- ness precipitated a stampede for the doors into the tunnel, where, but for | i the prompt action of ene of the train- men in running forward and cutting off the current from the third rail, many persons would doubtless have been killed by the high-power charge. | As it was, the accident proved that subway transportation is accompanied by serious risks, so long as passengers are subject to panic. ' No precaution can be effectively taken against the sudden spread of fear and the consequent frantic rush of people confined within a limited space. Rules, admonitions, resounding advice, all are futile in such a condi- i tion. Men and women wito normally are calm become unreasonable in their excitement. Common sense dictates | calmness and orderly action. But com- mon sense flees in the* darkness and panic fear supervenes. It is shocking to read of the out- rageously selfish and brutal conduct of men in such a situatign, men knocking down women in their own rush for exit, trampling over children and causing more peril than that from which they were fleeing. Such cow- ards are always to be found in any crowd. They are unhappily character- istic of the promiscuous herd of a big city. At the same time there is com- | { SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON Tribute. Of all the splendid year we hail the gentle June as Queen Who conquers our affections with a majesty serene; ‘Who brings us peace and plenty with no hint of cruel strife ‘While hopes that long lay dormant are revived to real life. She asks no jewels that were brought through suffering and greed. The dewdrops and the stars are all the gems that she will need. So we'll meet her and we'll greet her in the honest olden way As we offer her the tribute of a beauti- ful bouquet. Practical Wisdom. ‘Do you enjoy Solomon's proverbs?” Yes,” replied Senator Sorghum. “But he didn't need 'em to demon- strate his wisdom. He showed he was the wisest man when he established his position as the richest.” The Brawl, The hostile Rum Fleet heaves in sight ‘With weapons in condition. ' | We knew that licker made men fight— But s0 does prohibition. Jud Tunkins says that if people keep on abusing the Darwinian Theory the first thing we know the monkey is going to turn up Wwith enough pub- licity to give him a political pull. Political Retirement. The orator who stands aside Need feel no consternation. The lecture platform will provide A better compensation. Change. Times have changed.” “They sure have,” answered Uncle Bill Bottletop. “When a man insists on foolin’ with bad licker folks simply call a cop instead of threatenin' him with delirium tremens and the gold cure.” Diminishing Attire. The fashion annually brings Surprises still more rare Till clothes appear to be the things That people used to wear. “Education,” said Uncle Eben, “de- pends on de natural intelligence it's built on. It takes a long time to edu- pursue their preparatory work. Schools | fort in the accounts of others, who|cate & parrot to say ‘Polly wants & of instruction have been established showed thelr manly quslities, helping ' but it don't- mean nuffin',* | oy, I, with a laudable desire for selfimprovement, wants to know how he can cure himself of the obnoxious habit of falling to speak to friends and acquaintances. He write: % “Your article in The Evening Star of May 8 appealed to me very much. Especially this line, ‘Give me the peo- ple who speak to me all the time or never.' My conception of the fellow wha is not consistent in speaking to me is very much like yours. That is to say. he makes me tired. My main reason for writing you is to find out how one can tell it he is the type of fellow we are discussing, and, if so, I want to know the best method of curing one's self of the habit. T suppose that I have the right iden when T speak of it as a habit. “I would like very much for you to answer this letter through The Star as soon as it is convenient for you to do so. I assure vou that the answer will be appreciated.” This is a most unusual correspond- ent. His initials, by the way, stand for the name of one of the most dis- tinguished persons in the history of America. What makes him unusual, however, is his self-confession of a fault, I"ew are the men, and far between, who are willing to admit being in the wrong. Adam started the fashion of placing the blame somewhere else, and it has endured unto this day. If we are unable to excuse ourselves any other way, we blame inanimate na ture. At the worst, we are usually able marshal reasons galore to show why we could not help doing as we did. It is a poor deed, indeed, we cannot find rich reasons to support! ok %ok The questions before us, for the edification of P. H., and others, are two In number, to wit: 1. How can one tell if he is the type of fellow who does not consist- ently speak to othe What is the best method of cur- Ing one’s self of the habit? One’s conscience is the best answer to the first question. There will be many, of course, who cannot answer it. because, forsooth, it has never oc- curred to them, just as there are many who commit terrible blunders at table simply because they do not know any better. Just to digress here for a moment, there are many worse things in the world than eating peas with . knife or grabbing one's fork in reverse, holding it as if it were ‘a pronged dagger. These are little tricks which come about through ignorance. They may hide the best heart in the world, just as they probably do stand for the best stomach. We refuse to shy from a man because he is not “up” on the niceties of our so-called modern civi- lization. What we are afraid of and shrink from, {s the bad manners of the heart. When the man who makes a mnoise over his soup gets uway from table, we may find he loves his wife, adores his children and is a staunch believer in all the better things of life, which, perhaps, he has had but little chance to personally appreciate. The man whose heart manners are bad, however, is worse when he is away from table than he is at i While daintily and most properly im- bibing his nourishment he at least partakes of the nature of the brutes, and, to that extent, shares some of the virtues of my friends, the animals. Thrown on his ow1¥ resources, how- ever, his hard heart displays itself in resentment, malice, cruelty and a score of vices much more to be de-: plored than improper table manners. Save us, O Lord, from the bad man: ners of the heart: % A man's conscience, then, will tell him if he is the type of chap who is likely to speak to a friend one day to 1 THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. and pass him by the next. A little observation, too, helps an- swer the question. Surely even the busfest person must realize that he! has walked by & good acquaintance without bothering about the formality of saying “How-de-do.” Another test—a very good one—is the effect such actions have upon one's self. Usually the one who is last to speak to others is the first to. vesent such conduct from a friend, much as the man who delights in playing prac- tical jokes is the first to holler when some one plays one on him. Do you feel sore and hurt when some one you like passes you on the street seeming to look squarely at you yet without deigning to even nod? Then look for the beam in thine own eye, for the probability is that you do the same yourself, yet do it %o unconsciously that you scarce are aware of ft. ‘We come, now, to the second ques- tion: What is the best method of cur- ing one's self of the habit? To answer it, we must, in a sense, work buck ward over the ground already covered. It is necessary. of course, to know that one sometimes fafls in this everyday courtesy before one can ap- ply any remedy. In the eyes of the Jaw ignorance is mo excuse, but in the eyes of God it must be. That is where God is better than man-made law. When a man realizes that he is at fault he has taken the first step, and perhaps the greatest, In curing him- self. Without this realization he is likely to get nowhere. The next step is to make u dster- mined resolve. The world has long been making determined resolutions and breaking them as determinedly, you sa Well, we cannot help that! As long as men are men and women women there will remain the necessity for resolutionss. ' What if the New Year “resolution” has become & joke’ Fvery attempt at proper, needed and decent self-improvement is worth While, even though it amounts to no more than many weighty resolutions “unanimously adopted” at meetings. very resolution, serfously consid- ered. leaves an jmpression upon the brain, an impression that some day may work up into life and love. We ure reminded of the very Ialnn!!‘% flour ad, “Eventually—why not now?” io each proper resolution that is worth considering at all leayes Its im pression in.our mind, and if we do not do the thing now probably we shall do it later. : That is the hope of mankind—that we shall do it later. We arrive as babies, and our moth- ers dream of what we shall do. Look ing at her 3-year-old, the fond mother pictures him beloved and great, applauded of the multitude, and tears come to her eyes as she dreams. "As children we play, and work a bit, always with the idea that we shall do big things later. In the flush of young manhood we dream anew our mother’s dream for us, and, although foiled here and there, are determined that we shall carry out our best dreams— later. 5o life slips away. a succession of big resolutions, and perhaps tiny deeds, every crest of the wave gIVINE a won- derful view, each trough causing us to look back with regret. Yet there is « big crest just ahead! So we make another resolution. The crux of the whole matter—to use | the words of* heleth—is to be as de- | cent as wa may. God Knows, most of us will not hurt ourselves! It is only by looking into one’s own heart that one can tell if he really-is the type of fellow who does not con- sistently speak to others, and it is only by applying the Golden Rule, fo,seme extent, at least, that he can ever gure himself of this or any other obnoxious habit. without speaking WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. In the passing of Viscount Milner, Sir Rider Haggard and_Gen. Nelson A. Miles, John Hays Hammond of Washington Jost three friends of long standing. The walls of Hammond's study on Kalorama road bear portraits which Milner, Haggard and Miles dedi- cated to him in memory of fond as- sociations. Hammond was sent to South Africa by Cecil' Rhodes a consulting engineer about the time the Dutch and the British flew at each other's throats in the Boer War. As an’ American, he enjoyed the confi- dence of both sides. Milner told Ham- mond, after the celebrated Bloemfon- tein conference between the British high commissioner and Kruger, that instead of finding the old President of the Transvaal Republic the crafty, cunning statesman he was reputed to be, Milner discovered that Oom Paul was “a blubbering humbug.” * ¥ ¥ Once when crossing {he West in a special car in the service of the Gug- genheim copper interests, Hammond invited Rider Haggard, then on a vis- it to the United States, to travel with him. Haggard remarked one day, while the party was in the Sierra Ne- vadas, that he'd never seen an Ameri- ean hobo. Harris Hammond, the min- ing engineer's son, said that a speci- men of the real thing had been riding on the brakebeam ever since the train left Reno. At the next stops it was de- cided to bring in Mr. Dusty Roads for exhibition to the British novelist. Hot and grime-bespattered, the hobo was produced. Hammond invited him to a wash-up and foed, and later to a talk. He turned out to be an admirer of ‘all of Rider Haggard's books and discussed them with him, to the novel- ist’s astonishment, with gusto. Ham- mond got the hobo a job in the Utah copper mines, where he promptly and permanently made good. * Ok k¥ Gen. Miles told Hammond, soon after | the Boer War broke out and while the | British, under Buller, were being de- feated in battle after battle, that the Boers would never be suppressed vu- til the British adopted the tactics ae United States Army used against the Indians. For Hammond's benefit, Miles | drew up a plan of operations based on | the fighting methods our generals and soldiers utilized on the Western plains. As subsequent events in South Africa proved it was almost the identical plan employed by Lord Roberts and Lord Kitchener in bringing the Boers to book two vears later. * ¥ k¥ One of Henry Cabot Lodge's most cherished works of art—a bronze ele- phant affixed to a base of lignum vitae—has just come into the posses- sion of Robert M. Washburn, a_Cool-| idge biographer now writing in Wash- ington. Washburn was toastmaster at a dinner given to Lodge by the Roose- velt Club of Boston in November, 1920. A gold plate, attached to the base on which. the G. O. P’. emblem is mount- ed, attests that it was presented to “The Senior Senator from Massachu- | setts—A Great Defender of the Faith.” |A day or two ago Senator Lodge's daughter,. Mrs. Clarence C. Williams, presented the elephant to Washburn, with a message that the family felt he should be the heir of a treasure which the late Senator prized as highly as anything in his possession. * %k % 3 Kentucky will be the next State to be invaded by Vice President Dawes in the course of his crusade for re- form of the Senate rules, He has ar- ! runged to deliver a public address in Louisville in June. Fred M. Sackett, the new Republican Senator from the Blue Grass State, plans to be present and possibly will speak. Informal ar- rungements are under way for a joint debate between Dawes and Senator George H. Moses of New Hampshire. The President pro tempore of the United States Senate is now the offi- cial leader of the opposition to the “Dawes plan.” The scheme at pres- ent is to have Dawes and Moses blaze away at éach other on a New Eng- land platform. If they are favorable to the idea, the performance would be repeated in other parts of the country. There are the elements of another Lincoln-Douglas debate in the propo- sition. ok % It is Secretary Kellogg's desire to name a man experienced 'n interna- tional law to the Assistant Secretary ship of State just vacated by John V. A. MacMurray. The Secretary of State is so burdened with major af- fairs of foreign policy that he feels the necessity of having among his four As- sistant Secretaries at least one who is an_ international lawyer. To that end the appointment will probably be given to some one not now connected with the State Department, although the finding of the right kind of a man at $7,500 a-year conjures up certain difficulties. The need for a lawyer Assistant Secretary has become the more urgent since the resignation of Charles Cheney Hyde from the solici- torship of the State Department. * ok koK Israel Schapiro, who is in charge of the Semitic division of the Library of Congress, had a call the other day from a retired general of the United States Army. He told Schapiro he wanted to dedicate to the Library a priceless old volume of Oriental lore, which came into his possession when the general was on duty in the Philip- pines. The veteran soldier was not quite sure just what the treasure was, but it bore every trace of rarity and value. He felt it to be his duty to be- stow it upon the national library. Schapiro, who knows the Oriental lan- | the Democratic party s facing the ne- guages and literatures like he knows English, hated to disillusion the gen. eral, but had to tell him that the book was only a frayed copy of a work which exists in shoals. It was the Koran. - (Copyright, 1925.) Shaw’s Voice ““Canned.” Bernard Shaw’s voice is to be pre- served for posterity on a phonograph record for the British Museum. The world is interested more in Shaw’s pen than his voice, yet an author ig net really known until his voice is heard. And Shaw's voice is said to be an | especially pleasing one. He made such a hit recently with the beauty of his ! speech, when he broadcast a short | play by radio, that he was urged to let " the ‘gramophone peoble ake a record. ’ haw iy Irish, and it has been said by language experts that the speech | of a cultivated Trishman today is per- haps the nearest approach in living language to the pronunciation of Shakespeare’s time. That suggests an appropriate performance for Shaw. Let him recite for a memorial record some fine passages. from Shakespéare —whom Shaw has sometimes de to regard as & worthy Park Press, Viewing the political situation in the country at large shows that the two great political parties are work- ing along lines that are in fact not very far apart as to desired accom- plishments. There is this essential difference, however, as to their respec- tiye conditions: The Republican party finds itself in an unparalleled state of unison of effort and purpose while : of reorganization. The Repub- s have a aefinite objective of ac- complishments without having to con- sider party soildarity. The Repub- licans can’ dismiss questions of can- didacy for the next presidential elec- tion. They have their knitting in hand and will epply themselves as- siduously to the securing of further tax reform and reducing the expenses of the Government. They can afford to let presidential condidacies develop as they may. * kK K The Democrats appear to have as their one big problem as to candi- dacies the elimination of both Gov. Smith of New York and William G. McAdoo of California from the field. Both of these men are now regurded as active aspirants for the presiden- tial nomination in 1928. The belief is strong in high Democratic circles that the party cannot afford anotner con- test for the nomination between these two contestants without risk of hf ng- ing the refigious question to the front again with all its direful potentialities, “A plague upon both. your houses” ap- pears to be their anathema upon these two perenniul candidates. Democratic leaders can hardly busy themselves with the big affairs of party policy if | dar ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. Which yacht is bigger, the May- flower or the royal yacht of Lng- land?—W. K. A. The Victoria and Albert is u 439- foot yacht and the Mayflower's length is 273 feet. Q. What is heroin?—W. H. A. It is an acetic ester of mor- phine, chemically known as diacetyl- morphine. It is a white, crystalline, neutral, slightly bitter powder. It is only slightly soluable in water, bu: freely so when a dilute acid is added The use of the drug in medicine prac- tically dates from 1898, and there is still a diversity of opinion as to its action and value. Q. How did the German Republic get under way?—H. O. A. The abdication of the Emperor of Gernfany was announced Novem- ber 9, 1918. The self-constituted Coun- cil of People’s Commissioners took over the government and declared the existing Imperial Parliament dissolved and proclaimed the republic. A call was issued for the election of a na- tional assembly. It met at Weimar February 6, 1919, and elected Fried- rich Ebert President of the Republic on February 11. The National Assem- li)l.‘s‘dduhled a constitution July 31, 919. Q. Was there a difference in the calendur of the United States and Russia in 19107 -A. Z. A, At i time Russia was still using the old style, ulian calen- whereas the United States was using the new style, or Gregorian cal endar. Russia adopted our calendar on February 14, 1918, The difference they must stop every once in awh to beat out some incipient blaze of McAdoo or Smith activity which threatens to interfere with their pres- ent main objective of preparing for the congressional election in 1926 that springs up around their feet. * ¥ k ¥ An interesting feature of the situa- tion regarding tax reduction is that some of the Democratic statesmen are now vying with the Republicans to outdo the doers in the extent of tax re duction. The Republican plan at pres- ent is to be content with reduction of the maximum surtax to 25 per cent. Democrats ar now coming forward with the proposition to_reduce the maximum surtax to 15 per cent. Strangely enough, this s being sug- gested by some of the very men who in the framing of the last revenue bill grumbled against reduction of the maximum to 40 per cent. The Repub- licans have dropped their pelicy of calling the next reduction the “‘Mellon plan. They do not attach any pa- ternity to their future propositions on account of disfavor which met the suggestion of the “Mellon plan” in the past. 1t falls out, however, that the ad- ministration of the Treasury Depart- ment and the finances of the Govern ment by Secretary Mellon has ma- terially abated the opposition to him personally. He has taken into partner- ship thousands of investors in the Government financing by the issuance of popular-price Government certifi- cates, which are being absorbed by the small investors of the country. They are feeling an interest in Government financing and Jooking upon it with different eyes. He is being gen- erally recognized as one of the sound- est and ablest Secretaries of the Trea ury who have ever occupied that office. The distrust of him which was at first held in some quarters on account of his zreat personal wealth has disap. peured under the demonstration of his consistent, whole-hearted work in be- half of the welfare of the investing and financial world.. Will Rogers, the nedian, recently said, referring to Mr. Mellon’s great wealth, that “when Meilon goes into the Treasury he feels as if he is going slumming.” In what is called “high finance” he is regarded with a species of idolatry. * % X ¥ Like the Pied Piper, Secretary Mel- lon lately made an excursion into the South, and with his magic flute of arg- ument lured Southern financiers to his train. He pointed out to them that it was equally, if not more, advanta- geous to the commercial and industrial interests of the South to have an in- flux of general capital into their in dustries than to depend solely upon securinig the floating of tax-exempt loans. Statesmen of the South quickly seized the point. and there was an immediate revulsion of feeling in fuvor of encouraging capital by lowering the maximum of the surtax. * % x * Representative Oldfield of Arkansas, chairman of the congressional cam- paign committee, happily is rapidly recuperating from his recent opera- tion and in a very short time will resume active work upon the project of his heart of stimulating the inter- est of Democrats in the next congres sional elections. e is one of the most industrious and indefatigable chairmen the committee has ever had and he is in deadly earnest in his contention that the first duty before the party, to the temporary exclusion of all other tasks, is to try to dri a wedge into the Republican party by taking over control of the House of Representatives in the congressional elections of 1926. He realizes that it is a heavy task, but experiences of have shown that “it can und he is convinced that the party now has an opportunity to re- peat the achievements. * k¥ ¥ The country seems to have taken to heart President Coolidge’s recently expressed desira that the Nation take its eyes off of ‘‘Washington” and de- vote itself more to domestic affairs and “attending to its own home knit- ting” in the way of business and industry. Reports from every section show abatement of political activities and less of looking to Washington and the routine work of the Govern- ment. * ¥ ¥ ¥ New York State and City. however, continue to occupy the political lime: light on account of the approaching mayoralty campaign and Gov. Smith's contest with his political critics in the conduct of his administration Weeks have dragged on since the st outburst of opposition to Mayor s proposed renomination for the mayoralty without any elarifica- tion of the situation in the city. The axiom that it is “hard to be somebody with nobody” still rules inexorable in the case of Mayor Hylan. While some of his own party and his own faction of Tammany Hall still profess to be. lieve that his_renomination by the Democrats of New York City is not desirable, the Tammany organization has been unable to pick out a candi- date likely to command the great fol- lowing he undoubtedly ~possesses. They writhe and struggle in the f@ds, everincreasing in pressure, of the mayor's personal following. ~Further- more, in the background there is al- ways the menace of his possible can- didacy as an independent, hacked with the support of William R. Hearst. Take me or suffer probable defeat and lose the city,” is the mayor's grim answer to all suggestions that he quit the race as a candidate of the Demo- cratic party in New York City. x4y Gov. Smith of New York has been luced on the defensive in his admin- tration of the finances of New York State. When the Legislature adjourn- ed he was given credit for the finan. cial legislation enacted. At that time the Republicans charged that he had not reduced the taxes, but had only shifted them, and that the seeming re- ductions would have to be made up in other ways. It was then threatened that the Republicans would take thig question up with. the people. s iebarie st po - The- forecasted- campaign -opened. in. between the two styles of reckoning was 11 days. Q. Are there any weeds that are legumes”—D. E. A. Authorities differ as to the defi- nition of a weed. It may be said, however, that some legumes grow wild in fields. Q. What is the oldest school science in America AT A. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is the oldest, founded in 1824 by Stephen van Rensselaer, patroon of Rensselaerwick. It was dedicated by him to the common purposes of life. It was also the first institution to offer a course in agriculture leading to a degree. Q. of Will hogs eat snakes?—D. . A. The Bureau of Animal Indu says that hogs do consume snakes fact, certain areas which have been greatly infested with snakes have been fenced in and swine kept there- in to eradicate the reptiles. Q. What clergyman was with King Edward VII when he died?—M. R. C. A. The Archbishop of Canterbury was present. He read special prayers and conducted a short. service in the presence of the various members of the family. Q. What kind of country does the horned toad inhabit?—M. S. A. The majority of the species are desert inhabitants. They feed mainly on insects, and are sluggish, harm- less lizards with little power of self defense save their pointed scales which bristle up. Q. When was the first newspaper published?—M. T. A. New to “antiquity. The Romans and Chinese had issues similar to our mod- lern newspapers. The most noted in | Rome was the | Peking Gazette was published from 714 to 741, The earliest newspaper in the United States was Public Oc- curences, issued in the year 1690, in the form of a small quarto sheet. Q. Are the winds of the tropics more constant and of greater velocity than_ those of the Arctic regions?— L. N.. M. A. The winds over the tropics are on ‘the whole much more constant and of greater velocity than in the colder regions of the earth. Q. How many States increased a million in population between the last two censuses’—C. N. O. A. There were four that showed such an increase—California, New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Q. How old was Paul Revere when he took his famous ride?—W. A. He was 41 vears old. mous ride occurred April 18, 1776. “You Q. Can the expression can Under the leadership of the Fed- eral Forest Service the recent ob- servance of Forest Protection week has been the signal for widespread demand from all parts of the country that more earnest efforts be made in the direction of reforestation. The de- mands probably are more insistent than ever before in the history of this movement. The more practical spirit with which the matter is approached im presses the Flint Daily Journal, which remarks that “after nearly two dec- ades of viewing with alarm the coun- small _section of the citizens of the United States seems to be really doing something about reforestation.” The Journal says of the work done: “We hear these days of incidents that point to an_awakening of public interest. The National Forest Service an- nounces that it expects to set out 4,000 acres of pine seedlings in Michigan this year, with the hope that it will be increased to 10,000 a year later. It is within the power of the United States to restore to the next century much of this natural heritage of which the last century robbed the present.” Taking notice of the fact “probably 20 per cent of the people of Alabama muke their living through the forest industries, or in the manu facture of forest products.” the Bir mingham News declares. “The end is in sight. Only a few years’ supply is ahead of us. There are hundreds of thousands of acres in Alabama fit for no other use save the growing of trees. Under the wise and progressive law of this State, a ploneer in that regard, owners of such areas may se- questrate them from vearly assess- ment and taxation. It is time for the State to be waking up to its oppor- tunity and for landowners to take ad- vantage of it. N A hopeful view of the results of present efforts is taken by the Topeka State Journal. “The Government has been spending large sums in efforts at reforestation,” the Journal remarks, “and in maintaining fire protection service. - In the meantime the own- ers of forest lands, moved by their own interests in maintaining a supply though making no noise about it. the Pacific Northwest the timber own- _— New York last Monday night in a joint debate between Gov. Smith and Rep- resentative Ogden Mills at_a dinner of the Economic Club. Mr. Mills made a vigorous onslaught on the overnor’s financial policy, which was otly resented by Gov. Smith, who charged that Federal reduction of taxes seemed to be considered all right because it was a ‘‘Republican reduction,” while the Republicans could see no good .in -a reduction, which was a real reduction, stmply because it wés Democratic, papers can be traced back | Acta Diurna. The | try’s rapidly disappearing forests, a | that | of timber, have been busily at work. | In | fool all of the people some of the time; some of the people all of the time; but not ail of the people am of the time” actually be found in any of Abraham Lincoln's speeches? A. ' “The Wisdom of Lincoln.” pub lished in 1908, says that Lincoin used that expression in a speech a Clinton, IIL, on September 8, 1858. Q. How much is the property worth on which municipal golf courses are maintained?—B. A. B. A. The Playground and Recreation Assoclation of America says that 89 citles reported that they maintained golf courses. Of these only 39 set a value on ‘the property used. The total for the 39 was $5,925,641.61. Long Beach, Calif., has the most ex- pensive property devoted to this pur pose, valuing it at $1,000,000. Q. Are there acids that will meit gold, silver, platinum, brass and cop per?—J. C. A. The Geological Survey says that the metals mentioned melt only when heated with fire, however, they are dissolved by acid. Q. Can you give statistics ywhich compare the number of colleze grad uates who attain fame and posmons of distinction with non-collegs peo ple?—W. P. C. A. “Who's Who in a resume of the educat tages enjoved by the men whose names are included in t lication. Of the rtal, uates make up 63.67 who attended universities and leges, though not graduated, per cent: those educated in mies, seminaries and other schools, 7.1 per cent; educated normal schools, 1.64 per cent; cated in high &chools, per cent educated in common or public schools, 8.52 per cent. America” al at pub srad those: h dvan Q. Do savage peoples have con tagious diseases as civilized ones do? O A A. The Public Health Service savs that extensive investigations and sur- veys made by the medical authorities have shown that the prevalence of infectious diseases among civilized tions is infinitely less than among ir habitants of unei Q. Is the poem “Alice Fell” founded on fact>—D. W. G. A. The poem, written by worth, was based on an incident which happened to a Mr. Grahame of Glas- gow. The poem was ridiculed, as Wordsworth ~ says, “by the smalt crities. Q. Where w the first commission established”—1W. W. A. Kentucky established the first flliteracy commission ever organized; Alabama the second s illiteracy Q. Are there four times as many two-penny nails in a keg as there are eight-penny nails F. T, I A. There are 85,700 two-penny nails in a keg and 10,100 eight-penny. Q. Is a history or a s literature, strictly speaking?—H. A. An authority says that the term literature sometimes applied to printed discourse intended to be pre- served for permanent use, but more | specifically it is reserved for those |forms of discourse intended to serve artistic rather than utilitarian pur. | poses and developed chiefly by the | processes of the imagination rather than those of the reason and the sense of fact. Under the latter limitations a history or a scientific work could not be called literature. ntific work Q. To what company does the nick- name “The Old Lady refer?—G. C. A. It was the nickname given by the Northwest Co. of Montreal to the Hudson Bay Co. during the peried of strife between the two companies be- fore their merger in 1821. (Frederic J. Haskin is employed by this pgper to handle the inquiries of our readers and you are invited to call upon him as freely and as often @s you please. Ask anything that is a {matter of fact and the authority will be quoted you. There is no charge for this service. Ask what you want, sign | wour name and address and inclose 2 {cents in stamps for return postage. Address the Star Information Bureau Frederic J. Haskin, director, Twenty- first and C strects northwest.) Nation’s Attention Turned Again to Future of Forests ers have built up one of the most effi- cient forest fire preventing and sup- pressing organizations in the world Forty per cent of the South’s pine lumber, it is said, now comes from previously culled or cut-over forests There seems to be little danger that | we shall run out of timber.” The Spokane Spokesman-Review while conceding that the forests going rapidly, adds: “Out of the reali ! zation, and from a deepening and ac tive national interest, a way mu found to save the forests from § cally complete destruction. A mem ber of Congress from Washington State once contended that the forests of this region were more a liability than an asset, and the sooner they were cleared away, as he put it, and the land cleared for agriculture, the better would it be for the public here and in the Nation. Time has proved that he did not know what he was talking about.” e are * An appeal for a definite and com prehensive conservation program is made by the Chicago Dally which quotes former Gov. Lowden in pointing out the importance of tax reform. “Mr. Lowden emphasizes the glaring inconslstency between the agi tation for conservation of forest wealth and the tax laws of the several States. He suggests the exemption of young forests from taxation and the substitution of an excise tax on ma tured forests when used commerciul Iy.” The Santa Barbara News, con- demning the wastefulness that mark ed the progress of the westward tide of development from the Atlantic, con cludes: “Every citizen should not only give indorsement to the move- ment, but he should go farther and make the campaign personal.” The Hartford Times declares that aking thought for the morrow has become the order of the day,” and tells of reforestation in that State. ‘Per haps in the next few vears we are going to discover some substitute for wood, but nobody knows what, and we are wasting our wood supply out rageously.” says the Des Moines Tribune. “In the matter of reforest ing Michigan there has been talk for 20 vears, even longer, but what has been done to date amounts to almost nothing.” is the view of the Lansing Staté Journal. Referring to a report of great timber supplies in Brazil, the Charleston Daily Mail observes tha it would be safer and far more sat isfactory to have and maintain an adequate supply of our own timber as well as of everything else.” Public indifference is deplored by the Manchester Union, in reviewing the efforts of the past.. “The public should be aroused,” the Union con- tinues, “but one has to fear that just as an individual subjected to incessant shouting is likely to go to sleep, some- thing. like this has resuited from th¢ worthy ‘Dpeal!‘ of worthy people “or ot o