Evening Star Newspaper, June 2, 1925, Page 6

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THE EVENING STAR |on account of accidents resulting trom‘ With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. .June 2, 1825 THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Edito The Evening Star Newspaper Company s O, Busi 111 AT e icazo Office: 53 O Wuropean Office: 16 England. The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- Ing edition. 1§ mv‘mé by clsn'ler within ths city at G& cents per month: dally only. 5 cents per month: Sunday only. 20 cents T month. Orders may be sent by mall or l:ghonu ain 5000. Collection is made by carrier at the end of each month. Rate .il Mail—Payable in Advance. aryland and Virginia. - All Other States. ly .00 Bilip smg smanr. 1 si04 Sunday oaly . -1yr. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Pres iy exclusively entitiéd 1o the use for republication of all news dia- pateh ted to it or not otherwise cred- ted {n this paper and also the local news Diblished hereth: Al rights of publicaiion of apecisl dispaiches hereln are also reserved. 1mo.. 1 mo. The Supreme Court and the Schools. By a unanimous opinion the Su- preme Court has decided that the Ore- gon law requiring that children in that State should be educated exclu- sively in public schools is unconsti- tutional. The court sets aside the law on the ground that it unreasonably in- terferes with the liberty of parents and guardlans to direct the upbring- ing and education of children under their control. It also holds that the law menaces with destruction proper- ties worth large sums belonging to parochiul and secular schools amount- ing to a deprivation of possession with- out due process of law. Interest is at once aroused by this decislon in the question whether it may serve as an indication of the at- titude of the Supreme Court upon the Tennessee law which forbids the teaching of evolution, soon to be brought to its first test in that State. There is a difference, a material one, between the Oregon and the Tennes- see laws. The Oregon law, without stipulating the kind of education, pre- scribed the place and medium of edu- cation for all the children in the State. The Tennessee law forbids the teach- ing of a certain line of scientific thought in the public institutions of learning in that State. In the decision of the Supreme Court occurs this passage: No question is raised concerning the power of the State reasonably to regu- late all schools, to inspect, supervise and examine them, their teachers and Dupils; to require that all children of proper age attend some schools; that teachers shall be of good moral char- acter and patriotic disposition; that certain studies plainly essential to good citizenship must be taught, and that nothing is taught which is mani- festly inimical to the public welfare. This may be taken as indicative of the' court's view regarding the kind of teaching which a State may pre- scribe. Advocates of the teaching of science, particularly evolution, in the schools of this country may see in it a favorable attitude by the highest court toward their contention. Oppo- nents of evolutionary teaching may, on the other hand, contend that that line of instruction falls under the ban thus pronounced agatnst that which is “'manifestly inimical to the public wel- fare. . ‘The Constitution in the first amend- ment provides that make no law respecting the establish- ment of a religion or prohibiting the free exerclse thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.” It does not specifically restrict the right of the State to pass such acts as may be construed as establishing a religion or prohibiting its free exer- cise, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press. It has, how- ever, been contended and maintained that in these respects a State cannot do what the United States cannot do. In the preseat decision on the Oregon law the Supreme Court sets aside a State statute because it is a depriva- tion of property without due process of law and because it is an inter- ference with the free choice of parents | and guardlans in the education of their childrén by reputable teachers. The question of importance now is whether the setting aside of the Ore- zon law on these grounds foreshadows an annulment of the Tennessee statute Torbidding the teaching of a particu- lar study or science on the ground of undue interference with the process of free education. If the Tennessee case should reach the Supreme Court through appeals the argument upon it will doubtless turn upon the court's vresent ruling that the States may not interfere with the educational proc- esses 80 long as they are adequate to 5ood citizenship, and as they are not in any way inimical to the public wel- fare. ————— Europe has a right to feel a certain satisfaction in recalling that America gave no serious thought to economy while the expense of the World War was mounting. ————— Stocks that have receded a little take another rise as a reminder to the Jamb that he cannot turn the road to fortune into a one-way street. e Henry Ford keeps out of airships, refusing to jeopardize even to w slight degree the most valuable official in his large and growing business. e = The District of Columbia has reason to feel proud of the abundance of ex- cellent material from which to select a Commissioner. R Our Badly Lighted Streets. The decision yesterday of the Court of Appeals, which affirmed the find- ings of a jery awarding $4,500 dam- 8ges against the District of Columbia government for an automobile acci- dent caused by poorly illuminated streets, demonstrates clearly that the local government is responsible for mishaps due to inadequate street il lumination. With a previous decision hunded down in which damages were awarded for an accident because of irregulari- ties in the pavement the District gov- ernment is brought face to face with the faet that it will be required to im- .prove conditiens dr pay heavy claims these defects. The National Capital has been called one of the “worst lighted cities in the world.” One of the strongest argu- ments for the accuracy of this state- ment is that Washington is one of the few cities In which motorists are not only allowed to use their bright- est automobile headlights but are re. quired to use them on all streets on which objects 200 feet in advance are not readily visible. A city illuminated by moving auto- mobile lights is certainly a poor ex- ample of modern progress and civili- zation. It is nothing but a subter- fuge for the evasion of obvious duties which it is incumbent on a city gov- ernment to perform. This is a deplorable condition. Wash- ington should be the best lighted city instead of one of the worst. Bright headlights on automobiles should be for use on country roads, where there is no other {llumination, and in small towns, but not in the Nation’s Capital. Now that the local government is reminded, by the damages which it will be forced to pay, that it is its duty to provide well lighted and well paved streets, it should bring strong pressure on Congress to get immediate action. The action of the court is a convineing argument that delay will prove costly, not only in damage suits, but in human life. e Taxation Without Representation. A situation has developed in Cook County, Ill, which may have an im- portant bearing upon the collection of Federal taxes. The Cook County com- missioners have resolved not to pay the State’s portion of taxes collected by the county . because the Iilinois Legislatures for several sessions have declined to redistrict the State to meet population changes. The constitution of the State stipulates that the As. sembly after each Federal census shall take steps to bring about a redistrict- ing. This, however, has not been done since the last two Federal censuses, The refusal of the Board of Comm sloners to pay taxes to the State is based upon the principle of “no taxa- tion without representation.” The Federal Constitution requires that the United States shall be “redis. tricted” for purposes of national repre. sentation every 10 years, and to this end a decennial census is to be taken. There has been no redistricting for nearly 15 years. The present ap- portionment, on which the size of the House of Representatives is estab- lished, was made after the census of 1910. Following the census of 1920 no reapportionment law was enacted, and there is no present prospect of such an enactment. It is known that great changes have taken place in the dis- tribution of population. The present apportionment is not representative. Nevertheless tax enactments have been made by a Congress so constituted as virtually not to represent the people. If the contention of the Cook County commissioners is valid, then there is ground for the ‘claim that Federal taxes imposed by a Congress which does not proportionately represent the people are likewise invalid. It is not to be expected that such a claim will be set up by any taxpayer or group of taxpayers. Yet the possibility consti- tutes a potential embarrassment, and this case points clearly to the need of early action by Congress to correct this present fault in the law and to the necessity of a strict observance of the Constitution hereafter In the reap- portionment of congressional districts based upon the decennial énumera- tions. Meanwhile, the plight of the Cook County taxpayers is viewed with bitter amusement by the people of Washing- ton, who are “taxed without repre. sentation,” and whose situation is even less bearable than is that of the Illinois residents who, though not redistricted according to the State constitution, nevertheless are represented in some manner at Springfield. No reappor- tionment under the Federal census can give the District representation in Congress. It will require an amend- ment to the Constitution, followed by legislative action, to do that. While walting for that act of justice, the people of Washington continue to pay their Federal as well as their local taxes loyally, though not happily. ——— Germany's attention is again to be called to the fact that there is a very influential disarmament movement abroad .in the world. R A child movie star is already slated by his parents and managers to ap- pear as Hamlet. There is still work for the 8. P. C. A. e A Government victory in oil suits conveys the ussurance that high-class legal talent is not monopolized by pri- vate Interests, i Py Hot Weather. News of Summer heat comes from many parts of the country. There may mnot be any particular encour- agemert to Washington people in this, but it reminds them that Sum- mer still has power to mike the mercury climb and that Washington is not always the hottest place. It is not easy to make Summer conform to every one’s conception of what genial June weather should be. Peo- ple are willing to have the weather warm up that men may take off their couts and suspenders, that cherries may turn red, peaches put on a blushing tint and blackberries pros- per, but they protest when Summer goes to such extremes as to interfere with work and make palm-leaf fans and goblets of ice water almost use les The “hottest day of the year" and “nearly hottest day of the year” reports come from New York, Chi- cago, Pittsburgh and many other places, and our own kiosk on the Avenue gives out some unusual sta- tistics. Washingtonians, however, do not need confirmation from the kiosk. By other means they learned that vesterday was warm and that today is not cool. A strange report from Rock Springs, Wy says: “Eight inches of snow fell in the South Pass ction, near Rock Springs, yester- day. Fishermen returning from that section brought word of the fall of snow.” There are some persons who do not regard fishermen as a reliable \ THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, source of information and perhaps feel that the faculty for e geration is so developed In them that these Wyoming fishermen may have en- larged a few flakes into an eight-inch snowfall The Debt Negotiations. Indication is plainly given that the United States will not conduct the conferences or negotiations for the payment of debts which are owing to it by forelgn governments elsewhere than in this country. The suggestion is made that the American Debt Com- mission go abroad to confer with rep resentatives of the debtor governments there. This, it is pointed out, is im- practicable as well as undesirable. Three of the members of the commis. sion are cabinet officers, heads of de- partments, whose protracted absence from Washington would be a serious disadvantage. Moreover, it is not the policy of this Government to consider the foreign debts in conjunction with the European war settlements. Nego- tiations in Europe would inescapably be affected by such considerations. The United States does not wish to g0 abroad as a collector. It has asked its debtors to come forward with pro- posals for payment. This is the proper place for them to talk business. Al- ready Belgium has indicated its inten- tion to send a commission here for this purpose. Doubtless other nations will do the same. It is far more dignified for the United States to recelve these delegations here than to meet them abroad, even on neutral ground. The negotiations for the loans were made in Washington, and In Vvashlnw\»nl should be held the meetings for their lquidation. D A Well Deserved Tribute. A well deserved tribute wi paid last night to a Washingtonian who has won the esteem of his fellow citizens by his civic spirit, his enterprise in forwarding all community and his participation in constructive works for the welfare of Washington. Col. Robert N. Harper, to whom a com. plimentary dinner was tendered, has established himself as one of the Dis trict’s substantial, progressive, valu- adle citizens. To him largely is due the credit for the erection of an audi- torfum, of which the District has been in need for many years, a place for civic gatherings, a meeting place for conventions which come to Washing- ton in increasing numbers, and an ex- pression of this community’s advance. It is, indeed, gratifying that appreci; tion of this character should be ex pressed during the active life of u man who has thus earned the good will and confidence of his fellow citizens, and Col. Harper is to be congratulated on having been in this manner honored and publicly appraised for his services for the Capital. It will be some time before the scien- tists bring the Einstein theory to a state of popular comprehension. When this is done it will be time to hold an argument over whether it is in strict accord with a literal interpretation of Genesis. R The Langley flying machine at first caused @ laugh. Now it creates a con- troversy. Orville Wright is insistent in his demand that where so important an object of Interest is concerned the rule “hands off” ought to be strictly enforced. ————— The world admires a brave and de- termined man. It is not the North Pole that the public is so much inter. ested in as the adventures and per- sonality of the explorer. ——— Interest in draft dodgers has faded out. Indignation has not yet subsided quite far enough for Grover Bergdoll to let his present residence be con- spicuously known. ———— Inquiries as to Summer hotel rates will reveal no evidence along the coast of a sentiment to the effect that rentals are too high. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILA JOHNSON Belated Energy. A town for years may plug along In easy and half-hearted style, ‘While not « man in all the throng Has one idea that's worth while. And when some one with patient sense Strikes out and does not deign to shirk, There comes a general shout immense To tell him how to do the work. Serving Uncle Sam. “So you really want a Government situation?” said Senator Sorghum. “Certainly,” replied the young man 8 there anything unusual in that' “Not a thing. What'I am trying to j understand is why o many people are so0 anxious to work for limited salaries, with no place to park their flivvers. The lines upon the paving drawn Attract my eyes, with mystic charm. And when, perchance, astray I've goner Their warning fills me with alarm. Perplexity brings many a frown. New furrows gather on my brow; For, as 1 journey through the town, The map's a cross-street puzzle now. Jud Tunkins says press agents used to be satfstied with jewel robberies. Now they're kidnaping the actors. 0ld Associations. “They say the Garden of Eden was in ‘the Atlantic Ocean and that it was submerged.” “I think of that,” replied Miss Cay- enne. “Whenever 1 go to the shore I imagine I see a modern Eve in the aaves and a sea serpent swimming in the distance.” Ne Discouragement. “Since they have thrown your lit- erary improprieties off the mews- stands how are you going to get them before the public?” “That's easy. I'll have 'em drama- tized.” “Foh de sake of peace in dis settle- ment,” said Uncle Eben, “I's glad dat along wif synthetic gin we got de safety ragor,” 5 Then Robin took them both by the hands, o And danc'd round about the oke troe. For three merry men, and three merry men, And three merry men we be. Never comes Spring but what the minds of English-speaking men turn backward to Robin Hood and his merry men of Sherwood forest. Whether Robin was a real outlaw, or merely a tradition, whether he was a rebel yeoman in Lancaster's rebel- lion under Edward II, or in reality one with the Teutonic god Woden, he holds perennfal fascination for all who #peak his language. We are the better for belleving that such a man as Robin Hood actually existed; that all the deeds attributed to him were performed: that he was brave, courageous, manly, ready to fight and ready to forgive; that he took money only from the rich and gave it to the poor. Robin was not exactly a parlor character, it is true, but neither was the England of his day—approxi- mately 1160 to 1247, the traditional dates—the England of today, nor its people the same as we find in Great Britain, or in the United States now. Those were formative years, back there in the old, old days, when the Norman invaders had been assimilated by the outnumbering Saxons, and the very language, though the Franks contributed & good percentage of words, took on its characteristic Anglo-Saxon features for good. Robin Hood summed up the vir- tues and vices of the age. “If ever 1 man was popular in his country, it was he,” says H. A. Taine, in his “History of English Literature, quoting an old histortan as follows: “It is he whom the common people love so dearly to celebrate in games and comedies, and whose history, sung by fiddlers, interests them more than any other. ® ok ok % Taine gives the following interest- ing anecdote, which must be read with the full realization that those times were not these times: “In the sixteenth century he still had his commemoration day, ob- served by all the people in the small towns and in the country. Bishop Latimer, making his pastoral tour, announced one day that he would preach In a certain place. “At 1ast a man came and sald to him, ‘Syr. thys ys a busye day with us: we cannot heare you: it ys Robyn Hoodes Daye. The parishe are gone abrode to gather for Robyn Hoode.' “1 was fayne there to geve place to Robyn Hoode,” sald the bishop Continuing, Taine says: “The bishop was obliged to divest himself of his ecclestiastical garments and proceed on his journey, leaving his place to archers dressed in green, who played on a rustic stage the parts of Robin Hood, Little John and their band.” He was the national hero, Taine continues. “Saxon, in the first place, and waging war against the men of law ® * * whose sway was 8o heavy: generous, moreover, giving to a poor ruined knight clothes, horse and money: compassionate, too, and Kind to the poor, enjoining his men not to injure yeomen and but above all rash, bold, proud, who would go and draw his bow before the sherit’s eyes and to his face; ready with blows, whether to give or take; ® * ¢ and all this joyously, jovial- ly, like an honest fellow who eats well, has a hard skin, lives in_the open air, and revels in animal life.” In Somer when the shawes be sheyne, And leves be large and long. Hit is fulle mery in feyrs foreste To here the foul: “This old popular poetry is not the praise of a single bandit, but of an entire class, the yeomanry,” says our historian. “‘God haffe mersey on laborers: | D. C, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES L. TRACEWELL. Robin Hodys eolle, and saffe all god ye That is how many ballads Today, in the United States of America, far across the seas, across oceans of time even more vast, we love this boid Robin Hood. Some way or other he warms our blood. It does us good to venture with him, to hear again the foulys sing, as he did, in merry Sherwood forest. Last yvear, and no doubt this Spring again, Washington public school children presented little dramas of Robin Hood, for all the world such as the archers In green gave on the stage from which the good bishop was chased. The positive virtues of Robin are s0 many, o partaking of the open afr, that children are but the better for knowing about them, especially in such versions as those of Howard Pyle. Few children there are who do not know something of Robin Hood's his- tory, its ups and downs, his death in old age—87 years—as he shot his ar- row out the window; his friends and enemies, ranging from Little John to the Sheriff of Nottingham. A splendid and true comic opera, “Robin Hood,” with music by the late Reginald de Koven, book and lyrics by Harry B. Smith, has done yeoman service in preserving to the American people this old English legend. It is a pleasing thought, that of all the American comic operas of the past 30 or 40 years, this one about Robin Hood is the surest to live. Its fascination is perennial, not only be- cause of its subject, but also because it was so well done. While the late Victor Herbert wrote many more melodies, he never com posed an operetta that had the power of endurance of de Koven's “Robin Hood.” This musical show will be siven entire a century from now, when Herbert's tunes will remain only as individual effort, * % % % Robin Hood plays a most famous novel, also in a drama by “The Foresters."” The earliest mention of Hood contained in the famous (but uninte; esting) “Vision of Piers Plowman about 1377. Perhaps the best source of the original ballads s Ritson's edition, “Robin Hood Ballads,” the 1832 edition of which was used by Taine, but which has since been su- perseded by the edition of 1885. While these ballads can scarcely be called “literature” in any sense, they do Lelong to that great list of source material, those early strvings of crude, great people, from which not only a great moral strength was to be evolved, but also u great literature. If these people had not been the best archers in the world, and had |not been able to withstand the blows of stout oak staves eight feet long, how would their ancestors, centuries later, have fared in the World War? If Robin Hood and his merry men had been less capable and less merry, where, think you, would George Washington and his men have found themselves after the disastrous Win- ter at Valley Forge? Robin Hood fights a stranger, and, after a couple of hours of battle, asks the man his name. “Iam a tanner.” bold Arthur reply'd, “In Nottingham lone 1 have wrought And 1t thou'li come there. T vow and swear. T will tan thy hide for nought" *" oo “God and Tenny is B ey, Food | . “Sincethois art s kind and free And if thou wilt tan my hide for nought. | 7T will do as much for thee.” fellow.” said jolly “Iiven nowadays boxers give each other a friendly” grip before setting to,” says Taine. “They knock one another about in_this country honor- ably, without malice, fury or shame.” Andrew Jackson’s Admirers Assail “Informal Biograp_her” That the living friends of Andrew Jackson are as quick to “‘demand sat- isfaction” for what they consider an insult as that doughty hero of more than one “affair of honor” himself, finds plenty of proof in the emphatic protests of the Nashville Banner and many other newspapers. These edi- tors, with the patriotic societies of Tennessee, are strong In their denun- clation of the uncomplimentary state- ments of Meade Minnegerode in his “Informal Biography of Rachel Jack- son. The Charlotte Observer contends that the author of the article has taken liberties in his description of the character of President Jackson and with the home life of his wife. It refers to the Tennessee resclutions as “scorching.” The Chattanooga News charges an attempt to “obscure the great qualities of a famous Amer- fcan.” The Greenville Pledmont, however, belleves that the author, “as he asserts, ‘wrote in good faith and absolutely without prejudice’.” There is no more beautiful story of married life in all the annals than that of Andrew and Rachel Jackson,” in the opinion of the Nashville Ban- ner, which says of the husband that he was “a great man, a good man and a just man,” and of the wife that she was “a most gracious, hospitable, warm-hearted, unassuming and noble Christian woman.” The Banner adds that “It is all the more astounding that a periodical of Nation-wide ecir- culation should permit in its pages a desecration so palpable of the mem- orfes of the two.” The Nashville paper states fucrther that “those old- timers simply didn’'t have educational opportunities; must be estimated for their other possessions; and were em- pire bullders the like of whom the world never saw before.” The Mem- phis News-Scimitar, also condemning the article, while conceding that Jack- son was a frontiersman, a rugged pio- neer of the little band that carved a nation out of a.wilderness, points out that “he had time to help draft the first constitution of Tennessee, to be a Representative in Congress, a Sen- ator, member of the Supreme Court and President of the United States.” * %k % give the source of his information about Jackson is maintained by the Lynchbu News, which offers this opinion: ‘That he was spotless and that he was a soft-spoken, good- natured and model youth will not be claimed, but what amounts to delib- erate murder, as virtually charged in the Minnegerode article, was foreign to his nature as it is generally ap- praised. That he was not a teetotaller is known, but it is not generally un- derstood that he was a drunken de- bauchee. To say that he was emi- nently a man of peace would be ut- terly inconsistent with the known facts, but he is not generally believed to have been a village rowdy and ha- bitual disturber of the peace.” “The trouble with Brother Minne- ville Post, “seems to reside in thi that he loves most to tell the truth when it hurt The Post concedes, however: ““Mr. Minnegerode {s care- ful not to permit his sketch to remain one-sided. He refers to the astonish- ing conquest Mrs. Jackson made of creole society in New Orleans: ‘A per- sonal victory which triumphed over custom and prejudice, the victory of her own great heart, of her sweet, charitable nature.’ -Llsewhere he says she was ‘honored and much be- loved.” Compliments of this type should go far toward acquitting Mr. The oblizgation of the biographer to | gerode,” in the opinion of the Louis- | Minnegerode of reviewing the Jack- sons with a jaundiced eye.” “Paint me as I am" is a quotation from Oliver Cromwell with which the New Orlea: Tribune {lluminates its comment. “Jackson was great enough to make it wise and right that he ishould be known as he was," con- cludes the Tribune. “His wife be- comes far more interesting and like- able if shown as Minnegerode shows her than if she remained unknown or forgotten save as an empty name.” The St. Louis Post-Dispatch remarks that “surely to have Cromwell, warts and all, s better than to have Crom- well bedizened to look like Apollo Belvidere,” and the Post-Dispatch is impelled to believe that *Jackson him- self would probably be amused at belng called o ruffan.” That paper holds that “a hundred such articles could not dim Old Hickory's glory or lessen the affection that we feel to- ward him, or the admiration that he evokes."” * ok ox % The Hartford Courant adds its tes- timony that “the average reader” of the article “found himself admiring this devoted wife who lived to see her husband ~elected President of the United States, but who did not live to see him take the oath of office.” The Quincy Whig-Journal views the mat- ter in the light of the conditions of the times and calls attention to the fact that “Webster was notorious for his drinking habits.” The American ploneers, it says, “had little of what we call culture.” Of Mrs. Jackson, the Whig-Journal asserts she ‘“‘was Elreo!bflbly as good as her cotempora- A protest against trying to “prove that Old Hickory was a mollycoddle” is made by the Kansas City Star. “We supposs continues the Star, ve shall hear next he was a pacifist and that his only imprecation was By Ginger.'” The Aberdeen World concedes that most biographers agree with _Minnegerode, but continues: “Yet Jackson was the first American President to leave office more popular than when he entered it. The com- mon people believed in him and ap- proved him despite his sharp temper and his combative disposition. He was 4 genuine representative of de- | mocracy. As throwing further light on the matter the Savannah Press declares: “Andrew ckson, who is represented {in some histories as a sot and a horse racer, once was presented a' silver medal by the Temperance Society of America. His name was attached to a certificate urging temperance, with John Quincy Adams and James Madi- son. ——————— Our Civilization. From the Baltimore Sun. God made the country. Plcnic |parties leave the evidence of civili- zation. 1 e et Expressive Language. From the Boston Transcript. Senator Capper says the Senate rules are “archaic, intolerable and in- defensible. Vice President Dawes could not have used language more expressive of the fact. ———s Dawn of Co-Operation. Prasident Coolidge. When it was discovered that two people could together roll a heavier stone than could be done by one alone —gut was the beginning of co-oper- ation, 2 on called | TUESDAY, JU i \fourth rate men. | directness with iclear and serious obligation by seek E 2, .1925. NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM EC.M. Gentlemen of the Jury. Francis L. Wellman. The Macmillan Company. Much of a mystery to the average even yet, these ‘gentlemen of the Jury.”” Though trial by jury is among the oldest of our inherited institu- tions, though it operates daily in In- numerable cases all over the country, though it bears vitally upon both the theory and practice of democracy, nevertheless the common concep- tion of this Institution is of an ex- ceedingly obscure and sketchy sort. From the newspapers one gathers, on a morning, that a jury has been; “drawn” for this case or that case, one io be tried in a court of law. Possessed of no real personal inter est one wonders idly why a jury al- ways “sits” and “sits in a box,” where- as the other parties to the contention appear to have a much freer use of themselves, “From this slender thread of vagrant interest he is likely then to envisage the courtroom—jury and judge, at- torneys and accused, with the wit nesses for and against. He comes to see the opposed attorneys raging to- gether like a pair of angry dogs toss- ing back and forth between their snapping jaws some small and fright. ened animal. The prime object of one is to prove the accused to he the favorite son of wickedness itself. The aim of the other Is to present him as the innocent victim of an empty though possibly damning circumstance. To this end witnesses swear for and against in a careless random of coun- teracting oaths. Oratory and tears flow, equally on both sides, to accom- plish the desired, but hostile ends. And one grows inclined to forget the prisoner at the bar as he realizes that this s, in effect, a game upon which the jury sits as umpire. These im passioned pleas and high dramatics are to win the game through the de. cision of the umpire. At the end of a longer or shorter to-do the jur one reads—is herded out into sion for Its ballot on this man game Sometimes there are disconcerting re- ports that the jury s “hung up’— | but it never is, really, for either| through boredom or other source of agreement they all finally emerge, alive, and turn the result of their confinement over to the judge. This, in sum, is about all that the average reader knows of trial by jury. Except one extra point which is ihat when a man of any substance is drawn for jury service he immediately gzets him- self a release on the pretext of im portant and engrossing demands upon his_time. This is the habit among men of affairs. And its long contin- uance must have had a quite damag ing effect upon the quality of jurors s a whole, and therefore upon the in- stitution itself as one of democracy’s | prime instruments of justice. * x % % Francis L. Wellman here turns over to readers a body of reminiscences growing out of 30 years' experience at the bar—an experience covering, roughly, more than a thousand cases before juries, cases lasting from one day to several months. The book is addressed “definitely and pointedly to jurors. Therefore, it is addressed to every citizen save those coming within the too-long Jist of exemptions from this duty. The writer deals sharply with this still growing list duce juries to the level of third aml He deals in equal | those who evade a ing these exemptions. to the detri.| ment, not only of individual cases at law, but to the damage of the entire legal structure as well. * ok ok X But this author is no preacher. Rather is he a good actor, sensitive to dramatic issues and settings, keen to the importance of personal con-| tacts. So he here takes the reader, the potential juror, into the rt room ftself, where the most intense of human dramas is being enacted. And he unfolds these dramas, one after another, each in its basis of accusation, in its projection by the one side and the other, according to| each separate and special noint of | view, in the respective methods of thought employed, in temperamental differences and their effects—in all the essentials of a trial as these in turn focus upon the body of jurors who are ultimately to determine the side upon which the balance of evidence lies. There is nothing labored ahout these successive projections, nothing dry and difficult. Instead, these court- room scenes, drawn from Mr. Well- man’s own practice of the law, are little morality plays turned pointedly upon the office of juror for instruc- tion at vital points, for general gui ance and, above all, for an emphasis upon the strength and quality of the Juror’s obligation as an instrument of the law. * ok ok The prime object of the whole is— of exemptions, whose effect is to re-! {gan mobile Assoctation organized?—A. J. M. A. It had its inception at Chicag in March, 1902 Q. T sent a check for The check vias cashed but receive a receipt., Should one?—C. M. K A. A canceled check is u receipt| in itself. The Internal Revenue Bu reau does not consider it necessary give recelpts for income tax paid by check. Q. What name s given to a mon ument or tomb which does not mark the resting place of the dead? — . A. Such an empty cenotaph. Formerly usually erected in memory of lost at sea or in battle when bodies were not recovered Q. How many Ambassadors Ministers do we have?—W. S. J A. The United States sends either Ambassadors or Ministers to 55 coun: tries. Q. Is Mme. Curle iiving’—R. G A. Mme. Curie, the discoverer radium, is still living. Q. When did one of the children of the royal family of England dle?— Ne R A. Prince John, the youngest son of King George and Queen Mary, died on January 18, 1919. Q. What is done with the original drawing of a patent?’—H. (. D. A. It is stored away among the other records in the Patent ~Offic after the grant of the patent. For fnspectfon by inventors and attorneys engaged in makin investigations printed copy is placed in the cl fled sets that are kept on th in the search room at the T fice. Q. When was the American Autn»’ income tax I did not I have alled a were those the tomb is otaphs and of Q. Which thermal units ~L. B. H. A. The Bureau of M gasoline has a higher per pound than kerosene contains gasoline more Q. Are potatoes and onions in the same class?—B. J. H. A. They do not belong to the same class. Potatoes are tubers and onions are bulbous plants Q. cates A Are Treasury saving still for sale’—T. B. . Treasury savings were withdrawn from sale July 15 1924. They are not transferable and are payable only to the owner named thereon except in case of death or dis ability of the owner and in_such cases will be payable and may be re issued as provided for. Q. To what countries does United States export steel?>—G. R. A. The amount of steel exports in 1923 was 2,009,141 long tons. We ship steel to countries all over the world Our best customers are Canada, Ja certs the China, Brazil, Australia, Islands and Chile Q. About how long agzo organ introduced for church use into 4, Germany and France?” Philippine was In a monograph on the history of the organ it says: “In 1000 the organ was improved by Pope Sylves ter. and in this century we find or used in the churches in Erfurt Magdeburz and Halberstadt, in Fast ern German and about the ame BACKGROU From New York comes the news that F. D. Roosevelt, former Aseistant Secretary of the Navy, has accepted the chairmanship for New York of the American Legicn Endowment ‘und Corporation, in raising New State's quota of the proposed $5,00¢ fund. The President of the United States is ex-officio chairman of the nal committee. On ¢he committee are all members of the President’s cab- inet, together with the heads of many prominent organization, such as the American Red Cross, the A. F. of !,.‘ the Masonic Order, the Knights of Co- lumbus, the G. A. R.. the United Con- federate Veterans, the Spanish War Veterans and the American Legion. Next week announcement will be made of the acceptance of the chair- manship for the District of Columbia of one of the most prominent capital- ists and philanthropists in Washing- ton, and the task will be undertaken of raising the District’s quot veral States have alreddy oversubscribed their allotment. * k x % let the author himself state his pur- pose. “My object is to acquaint jurors with the profound fmportance and dig- nity of their membership in that an- cient and honorable institution of Trial by Jury: to lay before them the du- ties, privileges and prerogatives of a Juror; to open their minds to the fal- lacies of human testimony, to the whys and wherefores of intentional perjury, to the methods by which truth can be distinguished from false- hood, by which exaggerations can be reduced to their proper proportions.” The chief of these objects, one gathers from the points of emphasis and elaboration here, is to impress jurors with the dignity of this office and with its importance as a prime element in the exercise of that democracy upon! whose principles this country has built one after another of its elements in the general government. *owox ox In pursuance of this prime object Mr. Wellman sketches the history of trial by jury to show that this is an institution that is centuries old, com- ing into England at the time of the Norman conquest and persisting, in essence, to our own time, with every likelihood of its long continuance. No cross-examination in those old days to shake evidence. Indeed, no evidence was taken. There were no Jjudges. There were no witnesses, out- side the 12 family heads chosen a Jurors because they were, in fac witnesses, or at least had some knowl- edge of the dispute in question. In | those old, and simpler, days if the ac- cused was “oathworth: a person of probity, his oath was sufficient to clear him. If, however, others swore against him, then he was compelled to bring forward his friends to sup- port his own ocath. Trial by jury has grown infinitely complicated since those days, but, at heart, it is the same honorable institution which this author urges responsible and influen- tial citizens to support by their per- sonal service when summoned to take part in the administration of justice to those who come under accusation. 2 hw This call to all citizens of good sub- stance is elaborated and defined in the closing chapter of this highly dra- matic story, “Some Suggested Reme- dies,” which sums, in effect, to the single aim of persuading the better class of citizens to accept service on juries as a public duty and to fulfill that duty in the spirit of intelligence and zeal which they apply to other public matters. This_slight sketch can do nothing more than to point the drift and give the single purpose of the whole. To catch Its effect of life at the peak of danger and stress, to see the instinc- tive play of human passions, to feel the blend of tragedy and comedy, of pathos and pity and the sheer naked- ness of humanity you will need to read this story for vourselves. This $5,000,000 permanent ment fund, for two causes, allied, was decided upon September national convention of the American Legion, held in St. Paul. Only the interest of the fund will be available for current use. When the present needs pass, for which the fund is to be raised, the President of the United States then in office will ap- point a committee which will decide its further use in lines analagous to | the immediate purpose—the care of orphans of deceased veterans of the World War and the gathering of legal proof of claims of veterans for re- habilitation and compensation under the law. It is calculated that the $5,000,000 fund will provide an annual income of $225,000. About half will be used in the care and education of the or- phans of the veterans. day over 35,000 such orphans, of whom 5,000 are in poverty or a state of partial dependence. The number will increase in the next 10 or 15 years, as the veterans die. It is not the purpose to “institutionalize” the orphans by building any large ome,” but to construct cottage billets,” each to be presided over by a ‘“house mother.” As far as pos- sible, the orphans will be provided foster parents and taken out of the “billets,” but they will always be the, proteges of the American Legion un- til they finish schooling and become self-sustaining. They will attend public schools in the neighborhood of the billets. Only one such billet has vet been put into operation—it is in Michigan—but others are under con- sideration. A millionaire philanthro- pist living in Washington learned re- cently of the undertaking and in- quired whether a billet had been planned for New England. Then he added: “I have a home facing the ocean— a large house with nine acres of land. As near as T can recollect, I paid $175,000 for it. You may have that for a billet.” While the great house is not class- ed as a “cottage billet” it is quite probable that the plans will be ex- pansive enough to permit the or- phans to enjoy the bounty of M. Greatheart. * K % % The work of the American Legion is not limited to Legionaires; no ques- tions are asked of a veteran whether he belongs to the American Legion or | not. The only question is whether he served in the World War, President Coolidge in his December, 1024, mes. sage to Congress recognized the Amer- ican Legion as the one outstanding organization for the relief and care of World War veterans. Congress has appropriated liberally for the relief of veterans through the Veterans' Bureau. It is the function of the rehabilitation committee, of which Capt. Watson B. Miller of this to | pan, Cuba, United Kingdom, Mexico, | the | endow- | There are to- | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN B SN time they were introduced for church use in England and Frante. Who wrote the first of Revolution?—D. This distinct Mercy Warren of history was written 7 Q. the A. Mrs, Her | was history claimed for Piymouth when she Who N. F nia hero pture Thom The tavern miles in an was Jac was a plot Mont Q A Jefferson at keeper, Jouett hour and three quarte His warn ing made it possible for Jefferson Lo »e Tarleton’s troopers who had been sent out the House of Burgesses in Charlottesville and t« capture the author of the Declara of Independence. The lators escaped. | Q In what olds affect the healt | A. Physteians sa t the voice, alter the ssion, cause earache and de |give rise 1o night terrors, | ehronic na. catarrh and | germ disease | | @ Do President itol?—H A. The Vice President’s office the Capitol. Th is also a room led the President’s room It is for the use of the President of States on his visits to the Capi decorated with rats of | s to surprise aden D. denoids fal ex fne cause other dise W that 1sed W the and the Vice is in historic pressi A. merly er | in certificates | thedral Mornings will be in the K. O H 1. & The | Div | de: n | exceeded ar of Rome. find (To know where to rma tion on a subject well, as true knowledge as know | the subject itself. Perhaps “vour drop of ink fall on a thought will make a thousand think.” Submit your per plexing questions to The Star Infor mation Bureau ric Haskin director. T and’ ¢ street northicest cent direct ey to Fred nd a 2 stamp | D OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. | their claims to in legal form, as i of the bureau to evidence, and in very the vete it sent his lawful cl The rehabilitation main offices in the E branches in ea of the Bureau districts throughou try, serves as attorney for the vetera with no expense to him. in his facts and formulating his clai No paid attorney is permitted v the law to represent a veteran befor the bureau, and thus the extortionate | “pension claim agent,”” who so scan | dalized the country - following the | Civil War, is eliminated. Within the | first six months. the rehabilitation | committee secured for veterans over a million dollars of their claims which | had previously been rejected on tech | nical grounds, in spite of the libey poli the present administrati of the bureau under Gen. Ilines. - To finance the rehabilitation com mittee work, the American Red Cross has been givi it $100,000 a year but last Summer two minor organiza tions, purporting to be interested aiding the wounded, appealed | Red Cross to give $100,000 each of them, and criminate” in favor of the American Legion. The outcome was a with drawal by the Red Cross of its sup port of any or; tion in that way and to co-oper only by direct Red Cross actior he Knights of Colum bus thereupon financed the American Legion rehabilitation committee to the extent of $75,000, and the Nation al American L provided the rest of the expense. * % % ¥ In the smaller cities the legion has| grown, especially during the last vear It is officially stated to have some 30, 000 more paid-up members in the| United States today than it had « vear ago. Commander-in-chief Gen James R. Drain predicts that the or ganization will close this year with a million members. In the District of Columbia only 10 per cent of the vet erans are legionaires, but in the West | 30 per cent are paid-up members. The Veterans’ Bureau hospital noting the increase of patients. The law was liberalized in the last Con gress so that all veterans of all wars are eligible to_hospita n, regard less of whether their sickness or wounds were proved of war origin. On May 31, 1923, the fotal number of pa tients ,343: June 5, 1924, 22,457 | and May 14,1925, 28.400. The statis { tical bureau states that very few of this increase are veterans of other wars than the World Wa of the need is not vet reached. PR After the amendment of the law | June, 1924, the American Legion habilitation committee suggested to Di- rector Hines a general review of the 260,000 “active permanent total and death cases” on file. ©f the 90,000 al- ready reviewed, 2 awards have been made on evidence secured by the committee, mostly increasing the death | compensation to widows and orphans. | To accomplish this 71,000 special let- ters and 294,000 form letters were sent out to all addresses of the veterans concerned. The review is continuing {at the rate of 900 y. | Between August 11, 1924, and May 16, 1925, the rehabllitation committee obtained for veterans a total increase |according to their legal rights, amount | ing to $1.3: It is this work. to. gether with the protection and up bringing of veterans’ orphans, that the | income from the $5,000,000 endowment {fund will maintain.’ The work has the cordial co-operation of the director and other officials of the. Veterans' Rureau and approval of the Government. (Copyright, 1025, by Paul V ex of the also “ceuse to dim are Colling.)

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