Evening Star Newspaper, May 25, 1925, Page 6

T HE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTO, 9 B TN NSO PO ES R AL . L WL RORE R i L e e e i THIS AND THAT THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C MONDAY. . .May 25, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES. Editor Siar Newspaper Company 3 O 11y s P e i Ave NG raps Omes: MOEH At capn Office: Tower Buildl Buropean LMmce ';m‘n»,rrm S0 Eindon, iogland ity at 60 fer mont’s nts “per montl ¢ Sundav only Der month. ' Orders muy, he sant telephone Main 5000, Colle: carrier at the ena of 15 made by Mail—Payable in Advance. ryland and Virginiz. 1 yr. §8.40: 1 mo. 1.8 Rate b{' Ma Daily and Sunday. Dafly onty o1 Sunday only " Iy and Sunday. ly only Sunday only .. wlished Lerein. All riehts of of special dispatches herein are also reserved. Waiting for Word. With the possibility of a report at any moment of the arrival of Amund- sen's polar exploration pariy at some point of contact with the rest of world, it is in order to v the in ing fear t these ekers after the lost in the great hey left their base z Thursday afternoon, and it ule had been foliowed they would have been back within range of the report at least three days ago. Nothing what. ever has been heard from them since they sailed toward the Pole. known that they. reached their goal, if. having reached it, they have been | compelled to lay to for favorable weather for a return, or to continue on toward Alask; come to grief in landing or are in the grip of an Arctie st The peint from which | and his companions took off for the Pole miles distant from that | mark. Save for the northern coast of Greenlund and Grant Land. which lies Just west of Greenland, it is the near- st known land to the Columbia, in Grant Land, i 1t possible point of shelter and food supnly. m the Pole to Point | row. the northernmost part of Alaska. is 1,300 miles. Specui Nurthern Areti in or or have Amundsen is 550 is u lation regar Amundsen’s | route and return io futile in | of wide range of chanc ding o |t :{being misled into the belief that this i and | S any intrepid | mystery | { indiveri 1t is net | lor | the Zn competition. ards the development of industrial carriers, ships owned and operated by jblg American industries with plenty {of cargoes to fill them znd with busi- Iness connections abroad which will !insure return cargoes, as one of the {best prospects for the development of ;2 permanent merchant marine. The {vullroads of the country, he (feels, |could aid greatly, too. by extending |their transportation systems to for- felgn shores through ownesship or fliliation with steamship lines. | Mr. Palmer called attention to the {nct that the administrative losses of | the Governmeng-owned fleet have been I reduced from $30,000,000 to $36,000,- 1000, and that, beginning with next {July, they will be still further reduced ,000,000. But he wirned aguinst 'l . [veductlon in the expenditures {luakes of the Ileet Corporation hears veal relation to the solution o {the merchant marine problem. The hetter showinz mide by the corpora- | tion means sreater economy and more | . businesslike methods and efficiency | lin operation. But no real construc- tive measure has been edopted to keep the American flag permanently in the overseas trade. The industries of the United States have developed under a System of protection. The coustwise shipping of the country has developed under a fmilar system until it is now greater than that of several important mari- countries. But the over: rchant marine has been the stej 1. thrown on Its own resources. rinate subsidies to shippinz re ored. But Government ald of character is needed if the overseas merchant fleet is to be oper- ted by private shipping men. With- out such ald the alternative seems to be permanent Government operation abandonment. tiine not some Vo= Facing the Facts. Chairman William M. Butler of the Republican National Commitiee is one of those political managers who do not believe in ‘“‘cheating himself vhen playing solitalre. ‘When he discovers what appears to him to be facts in a political situation he believes in facing them and grap- pling with them as he finds them. Chairman Butler is dlsposed at this time 1o agree with the claims of Rep- resentative Oldiield of Arkansas, chairman of the Democratic congres- | | slonal campaign committee and pos- sibly next chairman of its national committee, that the Democrats have substantial ground for hope of carry ing the next House of Representa- The plancs may have been disabled in | landing at the Pole, if they reached | that p n. They may never quite attained the point of no latitude, and may be now afloat or crashed on an ice floe between Spitzbergen and the goal. They may have reached the ! Pole and turned south hack toward { Spitzbergen, or toward Cape Colum- bia, or toward Point Barrow. They | may have reached one of the two las named piaces, or have been wrecked | en route to them. i This polar flight has been recognized from the fifst suggestion of it as a most hazardous speculation, one of the | gerous adventures ever un-; ¥ ic have provision | no delusion that the victory will drop | very chance | mputed and studied, and so far as human device could be carried wa provided against. The start was made | in the most favorable weather. Yet| the expedition remains a mystery and | an uncertainty. It is the hope of all | the world that these intrepid seekers | after the zoal of the frozen North will return with a report of success, ———————— H Students of literature continue to! discuss in terms of erudition the| “morality play,” in disregard -of the! very apparent fact that in the mnderni drama the immorality play is the thing. i ———— There are forms of foot work which | attain permanent respect while others | are dismissed. The. turkey trot was| long ago banished from Berlin, but the | | goose step survives. | i S The Merchant Marine Problem. An analysis of the chant marine and the problem fronting American ship owner vate and Government, made by F dent Leigh C. Palmer of the Fleet Cor- | poration in an address before the | Chamber of Commerce of the United | States, without making any attempt | to gloss over the difficulties, sugzests the way to success. The American merchant marine en- gaged in overseas trade faces both tangible and intangible adv e ‘‘dif- ferentials.” The former include the greater cost of operation through higher wages, capital charges, etc. The latter embrace inexperience, lack of trade connections and the belief that the service is of an emergency or temporary character. With the absorption of the mer- chant fleet now owned by the Gov- ernment into private ownership, in the opinion of Mr. Palmer, the in-| tangible differentials should largely disappear. The only means of remov. ing the tangible differentials, however, lie in some form of Government aid. Mr. Palmer is entirely correct, when he suggests that definite and im- portant steps should be undertaken | without further delay to handle the shipping problem. | “A great fleet of ships does not | necessarily make a great merchant marine,” Mr. Palmer said. But a! greal fleet of ships is certainly u step toward a merchant marine, and an important one. Americans have such a flest. If they fail to work out a plan whereby the fleet can be operated advantageously, from the standpoint of both American commerce and na- tional defense, then an opportunity will have been missed. It is time that the Government fished or cut bait. The problem of the merchant marine has been confronting it, particularly | the legislative branch, ever since the slump In shipping occurred, not long after theiclose of the World War. Today :the ships fiying the Ameri- can flag in the overseas (rade are $0 per cent Government owned. It s in this trade that the real problem exists. The coastwise trade is all American, protected by law from for- American mer- | con- i | This poiitical frankness |swung to i lation | from tives in the of 1926, and he admonishes the Re- publicans that they must be up and doing if they expect to frustrate the Democratic hopes. Neither is he in- clined to minimize the danger of a possible imperiling of the Republican majority in the Senate. In a recent speech to the Union League of Philadelphia, the most rock-ribbed organization which the Republicans have in the country, he frankly admitted the for vigilance and dction. Commenting upon the phenomenal Republican vic tory of 1924, he sald: “To make 1924 effective we must win in 1 1 have necessity into our hands: we must fight for it.” refreshing. It is in contrast to the sometime at- titude of political managers In claim- ing everything in sight, thus foster- ing overconfidence which on election a mes ris: overboastiul in the face. In this case Chairman Butler is not ome | vegarded as admitting a condition of | despair existing among the Republic- Political history of the past has shown that it is not unusual for a violent reaction to occur following a sweeping victory by a political party in the presidential election. More than once the pendulum has the other extyeme In the succeeding congressional election. Cheirman Butler is admitting the possibility of such a result in 1926 and taking steps in time to prevent it next year. He expects the monition to his pz party cffort ans, result of his ad- v to be a stimu- all along the line and the building up of a strong organization among Republicans to hold what they gained in 1924, which, the R viewpoint, good party management. e r—e— of publican One of the reasons for the univer sal popularity of the Prince of Wales is undoubtedly which he manages to sidestep political discussion. 3 v True economy is the gift of percep- tion which enables the citizen to attain the happy medium between a spend- thrift and a tight-wad. —— Russia permits it to be understood that in her opinion Lenin's shoes do not fit Trotsky. e ——— = Blow Hot, Blow Cold. The present Spring has been un- deniably peculiar, a constant alterna- | tion of hot and cold, a veritable vibra- | tion of the thermometer up and down the tube that has puzzled the meteor- ologists and confounded the laymen. Tradesmen who seek to meet the pub- lic demands for seasonable apparel have been fooled and foiled and con- siderably distressed by the lack of con- | sistency in the climate. Store window dressing has been thrown into utter confusion. Of what avail to display straw hats and feather-weight gar- ments when the mercury is taking one of its eccentric dips or overcoats and gloves with the sun summoning the fluid up to the top of the column? Coal dealers have been tricked along with the purveyors of lawn mowers and garden tools. Folks given to long-range weather forecasting based on the natural signs have found some comfort in their guesses. But those guesses have been widely variant. Last Winter some of them pointed to a backward Spring and gome to a forward season. Just now there are those who declare that these shocking surprises of the weather are signs of an abnormal Sum- mer of violent changes and severe stresses, 2 Summer of disasters. Search for the causes of these ex- President Palmer congressional elections | is | the adroitness with | traordinary phenomena Is futile. No- body knows why the North American continent is subjected to such fiip- flops. Sun spots? Of course, there are sun spots. There always are. Barth- quakes in far-distant reglons? There have been earthquakes before without making the climate topsy-turvy halt way around the world. Truth is, this wezther thing is one of the unguesmble mysteries of nature. Man may manage to get hold of some of the symptoms of manifestations a few hours ahead of thelr deveionment in particular sections, but of the real causes of change, the fundamental reasons, the origins, he has no con- cept. Laws have been worked out to explain phenomena, but every now and then something happens quite con- trary to the laws, leaving humanity still guessing. The only thing to do is to take it all as it comes, to be prepared for any- thing, to pt the shortrange pre- dictiona for what they are wurth and to e grateful for the absence of devas- tating disturbances. For this present scason the course of safety lies in combinatione of costume, with an over coat conveniently available for wear over the palm beach suit and a cap in the pocket to veplace the straw hat. Woe betide him who regulates his wear by the calendar alone. ———— Law Officer Defies Death. member of the Federal enforcement department b resigned and it is teld by dlspatch that resizned, not because of bad nealth, but ““t. enter business for him self.” The dispatch says of this man at *s an ‘undercover agent’ he tound it necessary to consume on an average of 50 drinks of liquor daily and he said the number of drinks necessary for him to obtain evidence had totaled about 36,400 in two vears.” The vitality, strength and courage of this man were remarkable. To take 50 drinks a day in pre-prohibition days was thought to be somewhat of a tax epon the constitution of & man. In those days a label on a bottle was ac- cepted as more or less an indication of the contents and there was bellet that distillers and brewers took pride in turning out a fluid which would coax patrons to try it again, and again, and still live. In these days only men of immoderate innocence take label: riou: There is mucn expert testimony that gallons of poi son hide behind pleasantlooking la- | bels. Yet, this member of the prohibi- tion enforcement department in San | Francisco, In the energetic discharge {of his duty, took 50 drinks a day, or| about 36,400 {n two years, counting Sundays, and retires from the servic: not on account of death or poor health, but to engage in business for himself. The conclusion is that the man must bear a charmed life or that San Francisco bootleg, like the San Francisco climate, is superior *o that found in the East. ———— o A tion prohibi- at s after twe j4 i Economists are hopetul for a condi- tion of business involving neither over- | confidence nor lack of confidence. Un- til this happy medium is reached Wall Street’s bulls and bears will continue to have their play days. i | | It has yet t¢ be shown that ligious controversies now so prevalent have exercised a moral influence that makes the da the pol 's work any easier for | e f the North Pole is per- | pite of the fact that the obvious problem of mankind is” to make accessible regions peacefully habitable. The lura petual in 1 e A strong hope of peace may be based on the fects that America does not desire another war and Europe can- not afford one. | i i i 1 aamrgtt v SHOOTING STARS. DY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Limitations. King Solomon was very w He never had a telephon; 1 No airship bore him through the skies; No radio scothed him with its tone., | He saw no motion picture show; His light was hut a fllckering flame; i He traveled in a chariot slow, And never saw a base beil game. { And <o, when people advertise Those Proverbs, and we read through | we say King Sol was very wise— And yet, how much he never knew. | ‘em | | | Approval. “What do you think about proposition to change the rules?” “It's all right” answered Senator Sorghum. “We've got to have some- thing to argue about, and this is just {as good a subject as any.” this, Avoiding Agitation. When on a fishing trip I go The hour for indolence seems right. Repose is what I seel, and so, I hope T never get a bite. | | ; Jud Tunkins s: he likes a man who says little, if he doesn’t waste too | many words doing it. Econom In Fashion's ca We still are lost; The less she wea: The more the cost! Fashions in Phrase. | orice | Worid War. *“Fhe theater has changed!” “Evidently!” sald Miss Cayenne. “People used to applaud ‘Listen to the Mocking Bird' Now they say ‘Isn't the parrot delightfully profane’ Dignified Indifference. 1 rather like the chimpanzee Who slts up yonder in a tree And does not seem to care a jot It Evolution works or not! Depleted Vision. “Bootleg licker is hard on the eyes.” It 1s,” agreed Uncle Bill Bottletop; pecially when the bootleggers usc smoke screens.” “My idea of Heaven,” sald Uncle Eben, “is a place where nobody ain't never g'ineter start no argument "bout religion,” A BY CHARLES L. The value of a smile was perhaps never better illusirated in the whole long history of Washington. . Giaring at each other like tomcats prior to springing at each other's throrts, the two drivers sat stolidly at thefr wheels. The taxi man had driven his car almost into the side of the blg bus just as the latter was rounding the bend. Owingz to its longer wheel base, the bus was unable to proceed. Evidently the taxicab driver did not fee! the same way about it. He mo- tioned to the bus driver to move ahead, but the latter shook his head. : nle did not have enough room to do it. The move was plainly up to the driver of the smaller vehicle. A slight n of the wheel and the cab could ve ziven the bus plenty of room to start. Not the slightest bit, however stirred the taxi operator. Cap pulled down over his eyves, he glared wick into the bus. The bus driver. giteous in his indiznation, grated his teeth. ve got plenty of time, buddy,” zritted out the taxicab man. “I've got all day, mysel the other. Then he smile#t. As o matter of fact, the bus driver wis behind his schedule and did not have any time to spare. His bluff, however, was perfect and his emile superperfect. (t was Instructive to watch the ef- ‘ect of that smile. Bus passengers aear the front were fortunate, receiv. e an {llustrated lecture on “How to | fiet Results,” thrown in free for the one ride. ooner had the bus operator than the severe lines around | taxi chauffeur’s mouth relaxed, grated smiiled the He smiled. No soon had he smiled than he moved his as he should have done all along. What threats could not ae- complish a smile could. And lml?(’lnl“h I|mlle" sl So went the popular song of war- time days—a song whose philosophy is as good in times of peace. pe Even peace among mortals is but one succession of warlike episodes— on a very small scale, of course—but martial enough, nevertheless. Business is a sort of warfare, ever day life is a battle of one kind or an- other—if nothing more than a personal conflict with one’s own selt, or, rather, (PP worse features of one's disposi- tion The need for smiles is theoretically known to most persons, but actually ¢ had never sun . mile, smile, smil with its triple iteration of the happy command. It is one thing to sing “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit B:g' and quite another to actually stow lite’s little mizeries away, No doubt many singers of that song have immediatel zone to the other ex- treme of worrying consailderably and packing the very smiles they so musi- cally praised away o effactively that no one, especially themselves, could il them nzain. Human nature is so. Yet it does g00d now and then to stop in the rush of life and consider abstractly some concrete problem, such as this one: “I feel the better when I have read one of your ethical pieces,” writes a reader. Certainly I feel the better for having | tten them. ‘What do you expect to cure?” asks & friend. w TRACEWELL. The only reply Is that I do not ex- pect to cure anything or any one— not even mjself. We are all just learn- ing as we go along. * % * % The smiile occuples the place it de- serves in the world's literature. “Cervantes smiled Spain's chivalry away,” succinctly said Byron. In “The Christmas Carol” Dickens gave one of his inimitable pictures when he wrote, “In came Mrs. Fezzi- wig, one vast, substantlal smile.” Mrs. Fezziwig must have looked something like Lewis Carroll's famous Cheshire cat, whose smile from ear to ear perplexed sweet Alice in Won- derland. . The lust thing that cat was willing to give up, it must be remembered, was its smile. Bret Harte In one of his famous poen®, not as much read today as for- merly, perhaps, spoke of the China- man “with the smile that was child- like and bland. Pope, with his usual inclination to- ward the weak points of humanity, sald, “Bternal smiles his emptiness be- tray.” Lord Chesterfleld told his son that a zentleman never lauzhs uproariously, but al contents himself with a smile. No one should take Lord Ches- terfleld too serlously, of course. Hartley Coleridge painted a fair lady indeed when he said, “Her very frowns are falrer far than smiles of other meidens are.”” The world has long forgiven him for that slander on the rest.of the sex. Even severe Milton that dull work, “Paradise Lost.” spoke of ‘“u smile that glow’d celestial rosy red, love's proper hue." :ott in his “Marmion” portraved a common enough situation when he told of a lady “with a smile on her lips and a tear in her eve.” 8o close in | to laughter lie tears, as some one has said. Who has more delicately drawn a picture of a smile than Rabindranath Tagore, with his beautiful question ““The smile that flickers on bab; lips when he sleeps—does anybody know where it was born” *x % Man has been called the laughing animal, put he might more appropri- ately be termed the “smiling animal,” since the ability to smile is a refining | of the propensity to laugh. There are many on the “laughing side,”” as Pope phrased it: many who are willing—nay, anxious—to join in a laugh at the expense of others if only they can keep the laugh from being turned on themselves. Smiling is a more delicate manifes tation of this distinzulshed traft. A laugh s often conrse, u smile is more likely to be Kindly ‘The laugh, per se, may be hurtful; the smile, in itself, vsually is friendly We speak of a friendly smile, but seldom of a frlendly laugh. It is the smile we value most in life—therefore, the writers have done well to mention it. This good smile, it is interesting to note, s spoken of in the main by com- paratively modern suthors within the past 300 years. Ofthand, I do not recollect a singie instance of an old writer speaking of a smile Life was warfare inde dafly fighting, in the d of mankind. There were great laughs at enemies, cruel jests at others and few kindly smiles. As life. generally grown better in more o s the number of smiles has increas: and it behooves us, the modern guar- dians of this treasure, to make the most we can of what has been in- trusted to us—the ability to smile. literally WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE Capt. Raold Amundsen, the intrepid Norwegian on whom the eyes of the world have been riveted, was one of the first distinguished neutrals to | take sides against Germany in the, His pro-ally sentiments | were in striking contrast with those of his broiher explorer and fellow- Norseman, Fridtjoi Nansen, who in- clined In the direction of Berlin.| Amundsen had been signally honored by the German Emperor and German scientific societies following his ex- pedition to the South Pole. But the viking's sympathies were so bitterly anti-German that he publicly re- nounced the titles and distinctions conferred upon him by the Kaiser and German_institutions, and eventually returned them with a public un- nouncement of his motives. Capt. Amundsen visited the United States after we entered the war as the guest of the American Navy. A vacn illustrative of the dry humor of President Coolidge is percolating through Washington. The First Lady of the Land is charged with its au- thorship. During the early years of their married life, Mr. Coolidze came home one night from his law office in Northampton and found that his wife had that day bought from a book agent a compendium of panaceas for all ills that human flesh is helr to. “Cal,” having been Informed of the cost, examined the volume casually and laild it down without comment. Next night he looked at it again, and a second time closed it without dis- cussion of its merits. Next day Mrs. Coolidge, who thought the book was « handy thing to have around in a ‘*amily that contained youngsters, ob- served that her lord and master had scribbled on the fly leaf: “Don’t find any cure for suckers in this. * % * The hero of the battle of Cantigny, which will be commemorated by the 1st Division on May 28, was Col. (now Maj. Gen.) Hanson E. Ely, who com- manded the 28th United States In- fantry. Cantigny was brilllantly, but dearly won. Elv’'s reziment went into action with 3,700 men and came out with 1,200. One of Ely's prisoners was a particularly bumptious Prussian officer, from whom the colonel de- manded certain information as to the enemy's strength and position. The Prussian demurred, but the facts were forthcoming after Ely had literally shaken the truth out of him. Through friendly channels in the United States the German authorities contrived to bring about an official investigation of Ely's methods of securing military intelligence when his men were under murderous fire. An inquiry ensued, and Bly was triumphantly cleared of the charge of exceeding his rights, Gen. Ely, who is now commandant of the Army War College in Washington, is a Western giant, standing 6 teet 3 inches In his stocking feet. It only needs a look at his soldierly bulk to imagine that he isn't a man who would stand much trifling, either in war or peace. LR Bverett Sanders, assistant to the President, says that his most dramatic memory of four terms in the House of Representatives concérns the late W. Bourke Cockran. On March 1, 1923, Mr, Sanders was functioning as Qpeaker pro tempore during the debate on the rural credits bill. The silver- tongued Irishman from New York was ullotted 15 minutes to speak in opposition, but had not finished his speech within that lmit. - It became the presiding officer’s duty to use the gavel, and sa “The time ‘of the gentleman from New York has ex- pired.” At midnight of that day Cockran bre&u;led hl;l ].‘l(. 'l‘lllu l{’l: terrupted speech was his farewell pul lic utterance. It was Viscount French of Ypres, first 3ritish, commander-in-chief in France, whose name has just been added to the recent remarkable roll of notabie deaths in Europe, who brought about the celebrated Kitchener “shells scandal” in 1915. Lord Northcliffe was French's patriotic accomplice in ex- posing it. For the first eight months of the campaign the British Army was unable to cope with the enemy’s artil- lery because it lacked prope: ammuni- tion. The secret, though it was costing terrific British losses, had been kept from the country. Northcliffe was making one of his periodical visits to the western front. French told North- cliffe the brutal truth about the cause of the army's faflurez. He made it lain that the war office, of which Lord Kitchener was the b ble for the improper equipment of the King's troops. Northcliffe, with chai acteristic courage and impetuosity, de- cided to tell Britain the facts, regard- | less of consequences, and pillory the natlonal idol, Kitchener, by name. Englishmen say it was the turn: ing point of the war. Lloyd George be- came minister ¢f munitions, all Brit- ain was turned into an arsenal, and at the battle of the Scmme the British artillery outgunned and outshelled the Jermans at every stage. * * Civil war in Minnesota, threatened by strife between St. Paul and Min- neapolis over President Coolidge's im- pending visit to the Norse-American centennial, has been averted by White House tact. The President will live and speak in St. Paul, but he will take luncheon in Minneapolis, and, verhaps, say a few words to the deni. zens of Minnetonka's shores. Thus, it appears, the very untwinlike rela. tions that exist between the Twin Cities will not be aggravated by the presidential sofourn. * ok ok x Perhaps if Congress abolishes the Fegernl Trade Commission to please Seriator Borah, the $10,000 salaries now paid its members will be avail- able for the United States Tariff Com- mission, That body draws, per mem- ber, only $7,500 a year, as compared to $12,000 for members of the Inter- state Commerce Commission and the United States Shipping Board. It is said that President Coolidge is finding difficulty in obtaining the right kind of men willing to serve on the Tariff Commission at $7,500. Two vacancies require to be filled, or soon will—that -of ‘Mr. Culbertson, appointed Ameri- can Minister to Rumania, and of Wil- liam Burgess of Pennsylvania, whose retirement is immihent. An authority allgges that an extra $12,500 in salar- ies to six tariff commissioners of the right kind might mean an annual sav. ing of $1,000,000 to the United States Treasury. Congress recently refused the commissionars a ‘raise.” (Copyright, 1825.) Missouri’s Highways. Missourl is marching steadily for- ward in_the building of paved high. ways. The State Highway Depart. ment awarded contracts for the -con- struction of 67.5 miles of road to cost $874,795, making a total of $18,000,000 of road work contracted for since January 1.° Theé contracts cover 23 13 countles, and provide of primary road and. 62 miles of secondary road. Missourl is. constructing & highway system that will eompare .favorably with that of any State in the Unfon. The system wiil bring tourists to Missouri, enablé the farmiers to market their products more advantageously by making ti cities more accessible, and pmmui: the happiness and well being oi peaple in the rural commuaities by ing the opportunities for social inter- course.—Kansas City Post. S5l ad, was responsi. | Boys Go To Sea By FREDERIC J. HASK| Chairman T. V. O’Connor of the United States Shipping Board savs: "requently we have been told that we canmot bulld up an_ all-American personfiel on our ships for the reason that the American boy will not go to sea. It has been pointed out to us that the reason we lost our suprem- acy on the sea nearly a century ag was that the development of the in- terior of the United States offered greater Gpportunities for our virile vouth than did the sea. This was true then, and it has been true for half a century. “But now we have, as a nation, reached the point where we are turn- ing in earnest to foreign markets for the disposition of our surplus products. Necessity drives us to the sea, and when necessity drives we always move." Accordingly Mr. O'Connor is proud of the fact (hat he inltlated a policy under which the American boy may ship on Government-owned ocean-go- ing vessels. He was also one of a board of seven officlals who put this policy into effect. He feels there is at the present time an excellent opportunity ‘for ad- vancement for any hoy who enters upon a career of this sort. It is in his opinion that not all of the boys who ship on Government vessels will stick, but that a fair percentage will. ‘These will probably fall into two classes, those with a natural love of ships and the sea, and those who will vecome fascinated by the Intricate and interesting question of foreign trade and ocean-borne commeice. The first class will be composed of boys who will want to become mas- ters and will undertake to work their’ Wway up through the various grades. They must have a natural ability to handle men. By actual experjence they will learn what it means to keep 4 ship moving and how to load and unload cargoes. The second class will be boys who wish to enter the commercial side of shipping on shore. A couple of years’ experience at sea, visiting various ports in all parts of the world, will be a tremendous advantage to them when connecting with some shipping firm, and will greatly aid in their advancement. They will have a basic knowledge which could be obtained in no other wa *xaxn For the boys who do mot wish to remain in this line, the experience |and training they receive durinz a crulse {5 a splendid thing for them It will give ‘them a better under- standing of how other nations trans act their business and carer in- sht into international problems. Of course anything one sees with one’s own eyes makes a greater impression than =omething read in a book or newspaper, no matter how vividly it may be described or how clearly it may be set forth. American boys have taken very kind to the plan of shipping on Government vesseis, and certainly it How does the United States Q. rank A. The Depirtment of Commerce says the United States ranks second to Great Britain in the value of ex: ports and imports combined. The United States exceeds Great Britain in exports but not in imports. Q. What is the object of the Cecil Rhodes scholarships?—J. D. S. ! A. The Rhodes scholarships were provided for in the will of the late Cecil Rhodes, Their object is to n and German students at thy Untversity of Oxford. Q. When did Egypt become inde- -A. M. has kingdom February 28, when the British protectorate terminated. Q. What w paid admissions Exposition in 187 A. There were altog admissions at 50 cents admissions at 25 cents. recefpts from admissions $13,693. Q. 1s vaccination gland?—J. W. T A. The vacelnation orders of 1898 and 1907 in Great Britain provide that every child born in England must, within six months/after the birth, be vaccinated 1 registered private medical practitioner or by the public vaccinator for, the district. No parent or other person will be liable |to any penalty under the vaccination # if within four months from. the birth he makes a statutory declara- tion before a commission for oaths or 4 justice of the peace that he consci- entiously believes that vaceination would be prejudicial to the health of the child. A conscientious objector can thus escape penalties, but a per- son who does not obtain 4 certificate, or make a declaration, will still be liable to penalties for not having the child vacefnated Q. What was the population of the Unfted States at the time Webster delivered his Bunker Hill oration.— A.W.H A. Daniel Bunker Hill corner stone s the total number of to the Philadeiphia A. L. 620 and 753,654 The total were $3,- obligatory ~in E Webster spoke at at the laying of the f the Bunker Hill Me- | morial in 1825. The census reports are taken every 10 years. In 1820 the population of the United States was 5.453; in 1530 the population was 12,866,020, Q. How is barbecue sauce made’— ¥ B3, A from cooking the apoontuls of vins r mixed with one ind one-half teaspoonfuls mustard, one-half teaspoonful sugar, one-eighth aspoonful paprika. Heat thorough iy, pour over meat and serve. Q. Where is the { the world?—M. R. L. | A The Sahara Desert in | Africa is the largest con desert in the world. Its area is e timaicd to be over 3,500,000 square miles. meat three table. gest desert i is much more agreeable than taking a trip abroad on a cattle ship, which formerly was quite the thing for high school and college bovs to do. The application blank which must {be filled out in the applicant’s own | handwriting and |service of the United | Boara 18 | questions to be | applicant’s rull dress, tele- phone number, place and date of birth, color, height and weizht, whe | his father. if not born In this countr | became a citizen of the United S the marital status of the applicant his sea experience, If any, schools ha hns attended, his references, and statement as to when he will be re to report for duty. A boy who is under 21 ve: must file with the sea servi of placement the written consent of his parents or guardisn. All appli- | cants must |cate or other evidence of citize, This is in order that they may obtain Ithe proper passport. Last Symmer two Washinzton shipped on one of these Government vessels, and from their experiences an idea muy-be had of what a boy may expect when he sizns up for such a trip. They reported at the Shipping Board Sea Service Bureau in Baltimore and { were taken aboard their vessel. The watchman directed them to the third mate, who took their valuables, which. consisted of $10 each, assizned them. places to put their bags and then or- dered them into working clothes. * * % % tates cluding 11 “He put us to work sweeping out between decks.” said one of the lads, “and we were glad when dinner time came. That was 12 o'clock. We had soup, steak with onion gravy, pota- toes. peas, beans, carrots, hot biscuits, coffee and tapioca and rice pudding for dessert. Pretty good. All afternoon they wor ing the mud out of the hold. ballast had been used on the west bound trip. \When it was run off the mud steved. Shovels, brooms and scrapers were used to get rid of it. The boys were not sorry when supper time came at 5 o'clock. fter supper,” to quote from the diary of cne of themi, “we drew two cakes of soap, blankets, mattreses, covers and piliow slips. Everybody helped us out in every way. We were in bed at 9:30, and glad to get there."” The next day the crew sizned on and drew a day's pay. These two boys drew 83 cents each. and the crew with rare originality asked them what they were going to do with all that mone; During the first two days aboard the boys iwere initiated into the art of loading stores and other cargo. Carry- ing a hundred-pound bag of flour from amidships down a ladder to the store- room proved particularly tricky. As one explains, “There’'s knack to it. You get the bag balanced on the back of vour neck. I was having trouble getting down the ladder, when oue of the boys yelled, ‘dump her down, she won't break.’ I dumped her and she didn't break so I dumped all the rest. That helped a lot.” It was not until the ship went through the Capes and the real voyage began that the boys had an oppor- tunity really to get acquain the rest of the créw. One sa were a good crowd but the; make us out at first: Later we got on fine. There were eight nations rep- resented among the seamen. all efther naturalized or holding first papers. They all -sald that the American merchant_marine i8 the best in the world from a sailor’s standpoint. On the foreign ships the men have to carry their own ‘kitchens’ and bedding. By ‘kitchens' they mean plates, knives and folks, etc. Thé American fore- eastles they rate at 100 per cent. The foreign forecastles are crowded and the men have to eat in them. ‘When the boys reached the other side they visited Cardiff, where they saw the robes of the Prince of Wales on exhibition in the National Museum of Wales, and went to a burlesque show conslsting of all American acts and music. At Bristol they were espe- clally struck with codl burning motor trucks, each having:an engineer and fireman. They visited Dublin and re- ported plenty of barbed wire and sand bags still on view there, and many buildings still unrepaired. Belfast they declared to be the most modern city they were in. "l;lll\. crip“ home consisted nru‘:gl 1y of the routine of ¢ . By ¥ Goclared the tiih & NUFE.rudsess wad g“ll.n to make another voyage mext mmer. ed at clean- Water i | | t to the recruiting | 5 Shipping | s to the. n| ‘jeven a greater distanc algo furnish birth certifi- | hip. | Who pays to ‘have lost mone aced?—\W. M { A. The Post Oifice Department j traces lost and missing money ord | without expense to either sender or | addressee. 1t is indirectly bhorne by ers, if the department f, @ 1 orders | How far can a spake strike Q. . De A snake 'n 4 The can idea strike t ite « venomous full length or e 1s a popular ‘When 2 snake 1 ! but_erroneous bel! | strikes from its u position, the anter [ wh is thrown forward must 1 free from coil, In ®triking the snake simply straightens out the S-shaped 3 ] S-ehaped cu or half of the bod Ford Reopens On Fate Henry Ford's offer to purchase 400 war-time fleet has renewed ¢ as to the ultimate fate of these vessels, which have been a continuing expense to the Government. Hearty approval has been given in many quarters to plan, which involves scrapping many of the vessels; but favorable ¢comment is by no means unanimous, and some of the newspapers joining in the discusslon reflect Strong opposition (o any hasty disposition of national property for which practical use may be found. “Take ‘em, Henry! exclaims the Baltimore Evening Sun, which notes that the whole world “i# glutted with ships, 1w J that freight rates have fallen out of A1l proportion to the service rendered The Evening Sun further contends that ““we ought to welcome Mr. Ford’s shows an inclination to back out, we ought, perhaps, to force him to take them, even If we have to throw in a iittle money besides.” The Newark News credits Mr. Ford with a desire to arouse competition and liquidate “this depressing relic of the war.” The position Mr. Ford would occupy in the event that such a deal were made impresses the Brook- lyn Eagle, which observes that, “al- though possession of the ships would make Mr. Ford the greatest ship- owner of all history, there would be no danger of his ever becoming through them an octopus, strangling world commerce for his own profit.” The Roanoke World-News suggests, how- ever, that ‘“‘competitive bidding must demonstrate that Mr. Ford's bid is the best that can be gotten before the Shipping Board, anxious to get rid ol the vessels, rushes into a bargain w him.” The New York Times also lays down the principle that “it would not precedent to make Mr. Ford unk-dealer in Government property ** x % The Shipping Board fleet is veri- table white elephant, which eaten its head off a million times and is still hungry,” according to the Columbia Record, which further comments: “If Congress has the chance to change tront and mill around on this offer. as it did on Muscle Shoals, the ships will be rusted away and Mr. Ford will be in heaven before the answer will be ready. In the meantime the ships are still tied at the wharf, probably to keep them from sinking.” The Albany News takes a similar view, with the suggestion that the deal “is a good way out for the Government.” *“If Ford can assist the United States Gov- ernment to solve the problem of its idle ships, good business sense seems to advise that he be given every op- portunity to do what he can’’ the Rochester Herald declares. ‘“The Gov- ernment will lose money, but, then, all war projects are money-losers,!" re- marks the St. Joseph News-Press. “Indiscriminate wrecking” 1is con- demned in a note of warning sounded by the Indianapolis News. ‘“Idle ships; valuable for carrying purposes,” ad- vises the News, “should be untouched pending more extensive inquiry as to whether they may not be made of practical service. In some degree, they already have been a benefit, for they have been potential ‘competitors of both domestic and foreign privately owned. shipping, and thus have aide “keeping freight rates reasonable.” e Indianapolis paper dénfes that-it is costing a tremendous sum to main- tain the idle craft at the docks, and mainiain a certain number of British, | Add 1o the fat left in the pan | of the idle ships of the Goveriment's -ussion many of them built during the | and that “competition is so keen | offer, ne matter what it is, and if he| ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN curves. Tt does not have to be in this position to strike, for observation has shown that when irritated most of our poisonous snakes can strike from al most any position for short distances The greatest length of stroke is about three-fourths the lengtn of the snake Q. motim a more mitu | ral state? E. A. The firit law of motion, ene of the cardinal discoveries, which con tributed to the fame of Sir Isaa Newton, is that a body continues to {move at the same speed so long as 1o force Is applied to retard or accelerate lit. It was a surprise to his cotem- | poraries and continues to be to any one who hears it for the first time Experience leads us to suppose that the natural condition of a body is tationar: but Newton asserted that | neither rest nor motion is more natural than the other. Bodies set in motion by human agency always come re long, because friction stance of the air are always to retard them: but the earth is surrounded by empty space, 0, that there is no friction. Q. Where iase their north.—G. . A. Thé Biological Survey says that geese breed in the Far North. They winter in Maryland and sometimes s for south as Te number als winter in New Jerses if the weath permits, but very few are for during the Winter months in Northeastern Q. How lou South Africa eral?’—J. L. The Union administered ! general only since | Prior to that date governed separately Q. 15 rest o —W. do wild young on ese stop to their flight ates i v had f South Af by the act each Heow large is the lirzest motor beat in the world?—A. W. M A. The 17,000-ton iripsholm, Swedish-American liner, is the largest In the world. It was launched early in 1925 at ‘ewcastle-on-Ty Eng land, and is scheduled to take its place in thé regular passer beétween New ork and En run by Diesel oil engines | Q. Ha | Old Testament bee J nes’ versic Dr. Jam ree Church of | has just issued which is th lication of 1611 I inslations of the made since Kinz A translation nce the pub version st made King James Q. What is the difference betwee |the academ wn bachelor | masters and doctors I | A. The helor's has o | pointed sleeves s zown |long closed sleeve, the énd falling below the knee: the doctor's ¢ sembles the familiar pulpit or judse's swn, with full open round sleeves and is faced with velvet. It also bears {three bars on the sleeves. “The -two { latter the bachel | wor siik, or's of rreonl sstance?—P. C. charcoal nor any an_ac coal has high temperatures, volatile an v been 4 en charcoal is P mical neutral an inactive (Have asiced Haskin? He doc not know the things that peop ask him but he knows people 1who « | kuow. Try him. State your question brie 1 enclase urn postage directo. st and Iress I The Star In C streets northue the Debate of Idle Vessels s Observes that national defense neads had called for carriers suddeniy some might have been invaluahle.” The E: i ribune doubts that Mr. Ford will scrap the ships. “He is toe good on organization,” states the Tribune, ““to pass up an opportunity to stay on he seas if the remotest chance for making the business profitable. And the service which hg may nstall will be what America needs to keep near the leaders of the ship ping industry { * | _“It would be a good thinz for the { Nation if Ford having bought 400 ve sels, operated them under the Ameri | can’ flax tinues the New Or Tribune. “But if th American 1 chant marine se these {for Ford to scrap them | profitable and useful end 1 them to rust at their anchors’ « {The Syracuse Herald believes “with Mr. Ford engaged in ship) there would be a formidabic fo terested in establishin can merchant marine. hand, the Yakima R st * % is a real On the wther »ublic hold but that which s in mind.” The Gover write off the three an half biliions invested in shipbuilding and ship operation as one of the mc costly items of the war,” comment the Anaconda Standard Opposing the deal, the Charlestc Mail remarks: “If there were possible use for the vessels by the Government within a few years hence, or if busi- ness in the meantime should so im prove as to create a demand for them from private business, then the saving of the vessels would be justified.” ——— Praise for the Women’s Red Cross Motor Corps To the Editor of T The article in regard to the W: was much reporter to give to little ba of wter that I would like 50 much to sce given ,a little, or rather a great deal, praise for their unselfish devotion the boys of Walter Reed und & Elizabeth's. 1 refer to the mdtor corps of the Red Cross. These won _derful - women not _only e thein time, but their cars, without cost to any one, and drive every week, ulmost daily, to give ald and pleasure to the boys who have seen service, cafryin the boys to Keith's, taking Keith per formers to Walter Iteed, in addition to looking after carrying others t Sunday’s pape Reed Hospit: dated, » b watch over the familles who need at tention in the District. As a former inmate of these ins tution¥ I wish to extend tu these women through ydur columns. the heartfelt thanks of the boys whose lives they have done so much to brighten, and all without one thought of benefit or gain to themselves; and who have carried on this work ever since the war, and long since a great many have forgotten that there are @ few of us-for whom-the war will never be over. WILLIAM GAGE. R torecasting a Casket.’ From the Arkansas Thomas Cat. { Old Joha Ruddy is"fizing to celebrate his wooden wedding next week with a quart of wood aleohol.