Evening Star Newspaper, June 4, 1925, Page 6

6 " THE EVENING STAR '_Wlh Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY........June 4, 1925 - THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor . The Evening Sfar Newspaper Company Business Ofice: 1143 St. wyd Pennsyly New York Office: 110 East 42nd 8t Chicago Offios: Tower Bullding European Office- 16 Regent St.. London. Eneland. - The Evening Star, with the Sunday morn- « Ine"edition. ia delivered by carriers within ixy the city at'60 cents per month: daily only. 45 cents per month: Sunday only. 20 cents r month. Orders may be kent by mail or 2 telsphone Main 5000. Collection is made by it carrier at ‘the end of each month. Mail—Payable in Advance. aryland and Virgink 2 Deily ard Sunday. - Dally onig . =7 Sunday only Al Other Suntes. Bafly 224 sunday...1 er. $10.00: 1 mo. AR - o $7.00 o + Sund; 3 oty . ay only . Membor of the Associated Pres: The Associated Press ie exclusively entitled .- to the use for republication of all news dig- " patehes credited to it or not atherwise cyed: ted in this paper and also the local newsa ~ ppRlisteec herain Al rizhts of publication 5/l epecini dispatches herein are also reserved. Peace and National Defense. Feace is the object of national de- a4 fense. With an .idealism that does not disrezard the practical, President “} Coolidge, In his address to the grad- uating ‘class st the United States <+ Naval Academy, expresses his hope “and belief in the ultimate victory of peace, the ultimate determination that ““the rule of reason is more to be de- *_ sired than the rule of force. But the President at the*same time proclaims his belief in national defense, of which the American Navy must necessarily be a very considerable part. Without a feeling of seeurity values fall. production halis, and the progress ot civilization is arrested. Reviewing the bistory of civilization. the Presi- dent finds that “in all this progrese and all this advance it has never been possibie to maintain that first essen- I-tial of sceurity without a background of military force.” The President, with even balance of .judgment denominated .as common sense, which is vet so uncommon, warns against “fingolsm,” particular- Iy jingoism on the part of the trained military and naval ofiicers of the country, and at the same time lays on the fact that under condi- they exist today force may [be needed In the future to maintain the peace of the Nation and of the world. 7 To'the younz men just leaving the ¥Naval Academy for the wider field *lot nav: ervice the President draws ‘with unerring hand a picture of the wplace which the officer of the United ““States Navy holds in the world. *You will be & constant testimonial “ihroughout your ‘lives that America *:believes in military preparation for national defense,” he says, “for the Ziprotection of the rizhts, the security ;and the peace of her citizens. * & ¢ What you represent the American /Navy will represent in the ports of our own country and in those of for- “eign peoples where little will be known the nature of authority under lib- erty, save what is learned from you.” Citizenship is the areat profession “of America, a profession which, the “President points out, must not be forgotten in the practice of the other { Zprofessions, whether law, engineering, | ~medicine, science. he holds, should be or milita and naval To be an American citizen, with all the term implies, the proudest bhoast of any The country will never nt to the establishment of a mili- ste. esident Coolidze’s address to men ve been trained for war may - fall upon some ears with an usually ‘peaceful sound. To some it may seem like teaching watchdogs to be friendly | h strange The President, it is true, might have confined himself to ‘ihe glories of the American Navy in battle, for those glories are many But he chose the wiser course, and sought to portray to the graduating class what America really stands for in the march of nations. There is-a growing suspicion that “the North Pole cannot be a practical success until it develops possibilities that attract the fancy of the expe- rienced realtor. 3 e The recent World War developed no tractions calculated to induce any prosperous nation to interest itself in plans to finance another. e When the weather favors corn crops, the price drops. The farmer again refuses to receive congratula- tions. —— The Water Supply. ‘Washington has been given its nual water warning. Because of e ceedingly warm weather, growth of population and extensfon of water mains it is easy for Washington to use water as fast or faster than the condult can bring it from the Potomac at Great Falls, and with hot weather consumption the reservoirs hold but «bout one s supply. The capaci Ot the reservoirs may be somewhat sreater than that, but, with the ex- “ceptional drawing cff of water due to the weather, the reservoirs do not hold much in reserve to take care of fires. A very large. fire or several considerable blazes might - bring a shortage of drinking water.” The su- perintendent of the Water Department calls for economy in the use of water ‘andinsists that lawns be sprinkled ‘only during hours allowed by police regulations. Perhaps no Summer has passed ‘in ~20 years that Washington has not been warned that the outflow of water sis close to two intake and that con- sumption runs almost even with the storage capacity of the reservoirs. The warning has come this Summer earlier than usual. It will be heeded. - With reasonable use of water in nomes and business bufldings, and with circum-. spection in sprinkling lawns and gar- dens we can get througti a long period of hot. weather without a water short- ~age. The superintendent of the Water Department says that in the past week .water consumption passed 401,000,000 gallons .and that strain on pumping stations reached a point where a »re.g’mm weuld shut off the water n- supply from one or more sections of the city. He sald that during the few hot days water service was not at its best in the areas comprising Chevy Chase, Tenleytown and Ta- koma Park. It is obvious that, though extension of water mains and pipes has not kept pace with the spread of Wash- ington, there has been a large vearly increase in the number of faucets, hydrants, bathtubs and water con- sumers. Water has been cut off from public fountains and meters instalicd in homes and business buildings. The Water Department is vigilant in find. Ing and stopping leakage and restricts the sprinkling of lawns. There has been no Increase in the water supply since Washington was less than half its present size; and for a good many years water comsumption in hot weather has come dangerously close to ronduit and reservoir capaeity. Tt may be that this is the last Summer wa shall hear the call, “Be careful in the use of water.” The new conduit from Great Falls will perhaps be ready for the flow of water next Summer and work on enlarging water storage and filtration is going on. Probably the need of a high-pressure system for the central part of Washington will be pressed before Congress this Winter. That system, besides giving Increased fire protection and greater freedom in flushing streets and sup- plying water to various fountains, would spare the output of fitered water. = —r———— Vacations for Wage-Earners. The more progressive employers have for a number of years past been granting annual vacations with pay to include wage-earners as well as salaried employes. That policy is to be extended this Summer. A survey made by the National Industrial Con- ference Board of New York shows that a number of industrial companies will inaugurate the system this year. These companies have now reached the conclusion that regular vacations with pay will prove valuable in pre. serving the heaith and morale of the workers, promote loyalty and content- ment and hence make for increased efficiency and productivity. They are inclined to consider vacations with pay as an incentive for the workers to “stay on the job” and thus reduce labor turnover. According to the Conterence Board investigation over 30 industrial concerns at present are known to be trying out the vaca- tion-with-pay system for wage-earners. | Some of the companies are taking an active interest in the -individual wage-earners’ enjoyment of the va- cation beyond the mere’ granting of time off with pay. In many estab- lishments care is takén to supply the vacatlonists with information as ‘to where to spend recreation periods to best. advantage. In some industries the employer grants a vacation to such workers as are willing to save up a certain amount of money toward it, in whieh case the company. con- tributes to the cost of the vacation granted. Under both contributory and. non-contributory schemes merit systems are applied under which a vacation is conditioned” on records of attendance and performance as well as fength of service. Efficlency - is the watehword in the forward-looking industries of the coun- ¢ and modern methods to.promote efficiency. take into consideration the physical health of employes. i ————— The Parasol. The parasol industry must be having 4 hard time. Troops of girls in gay { hose and dresses pass along the street | without a ,parasol. And wear hats | with narrow ‘brims. Some women |are playing tennis with bare arms, and the. Sun not only shines upon them, but “beats down” on them. {Some are playing without the shelter of a hat. These are new times, strange times. Many people today remember when a woman’s Summer outdoor toflet was not correct without a parasol. And the parasols were very preity. There was a time when no proper Summer girl would take chances with the sun. It would burn her red or brown and perhaps sprinkle her with freckles. No proper Sum- mér girl could contemplate such things without fright. Every girl wanted a lily skin. Poets wrote of lily brows and swan necks and men who were connoisseurs on beauty de- manded a fair complexion, unburnt, untarnished by sun or wind. Taste has changed and girls séem proud of brown arms and sunburnt necks. The } sirl with freckles seems unashamed, {almost proud of the spots that would have driven her mother to eating arsenic lozenges and anointing her face with mutton tallow, lemon juice and other household remedies. Young ladies now go forth in the sun, not only without a parasol, but without gloves. They swing a canoe paddle and a tennis racquet with naked. hands, unafraid of tan and blisters. Why, not so long ago, the Summer girl would not touch a croquet mallet un. {less her hands were gloved. Great changes! One wonders to what work the parasol makers have turned. . —o—— The strength of Hindenburg has been shown by his ability to restrain the Hohenzollerns from rushing for- ward immediately into the spotlight. Deadly Playthings. In’ this city the other ‘day a little boy, asked by his godtather to get a match for him out of a coat pocket, found there an automatic plstol, with which he began. playing. In a few minutes the pistol was fired and the man was killed, Now it is reported from Chicago that when a mother gave her 16-month-old child an auto- matic pistol as a plaything to quiet its cries the pistol was discharged and the woman was killed. Pistols are certainly strange toys for. infants. In both of these cases there was no adult thought of the petil of giving deadly weapons to chil- dren. Of course the man who saw a bo take o deadly Wéapon out of a coat pocket and proceed to trifie with it had no. thought that the &n would be fired. Nor. had the v-—_n wno gave the pistol to the crying infant any notion that the baby would find the trigger and have the strength to pull it. aohd va Why pistols, anyway? The profes THE EVENING sional thief and thug may need one in his business. The law-abiding per- son it armed has very slight chance to use a gun if attacked or menaced. The assaflant almost invarfably “has the drop.” The laws that permit promiscuous and free personal armament lead to more slayings by accident and mistake | than to criminal homicides. They allow the purchase of deadly weapons for which there is no-need whatever. They let foolish women and foolish men provide themselves with useiess guns for children to find and handle and fire with fatal results. They do not save innocent lives, but sacrifice them. ‘The unrestricted traffic in pistols is national menace, a cause of cruel life wasting. It is possible to restrain this trade. The pistol makers and dealers are adverse, of course, to any legislation that may ledsen their busi- ness. Are they to dictate the course of lawmaking while people are drop- ping continually before shots fired by the criminals, the foolish, the children? —~e— The “Unusual” in Los Angeles. When the Shriners were meeting hefe two years ago they were treated with a serfes of falr days, though warmish. They were given a good time. Nobody apologized to them for the kind of weatlir they encountered It was hot, but Washington did not excuse itself on that account. When the Shriners went out to Kansas City for the next meeting and had e good time, as they always have when they assemble, Los Angeles captured the 1925 conclave, largely through surances that the climate would be of the best possible quality, moderate temperatures and clear skies. Yesterday, when all was set for the big parade of temples and drill teams and bands the California climate famed In song and story, the burden of every conversation between a Golden Stater and any other person, went bolshevik, turned traitor, double- crossed the host. It rained, rained as it rarely rains anywhere, rained “pitchtorks,” rained ‘“cats and dogs.” Did it spoil the parade? Not at all. Of course, it was “very unusual,” as every Los Angelean was kept saying about every 30 seconds, and so the Shriners did the unusual, too. They put on bathing suits and paraded in the rain, carried fishing poles and angled from the curbs, and. cruelest touch of all, carried umbrelias blazoned with the legend “This s very un usual.” Hats off to the Mystic Shriners! They adapted themselves to the “un- usual” with a facility that does credit to the American sense of humor and vorsatility. Instead of having a bedraggled, miserable march in full panoply, they made a demonstration that will stand as a record of quick- witted adjustment to an abnormal con- ditton. And probably Los Angeles, though deeply chagrined, appreciates the joke. But it must now find a better phrase to account for the ab- normal vagaries of the usually benign and hospitable California climate. ——————— Canada claims territorial possession clear to the North Pole. The most valuable rights in prospect, as defined by victims of Summer. thirst, would be those of refrigeration. i AR e S Airships have no personal attraction for Henry Ford. - The eminent capl- talist cannot be expected to ride in everything he manufactures or pro- motes. BESE Japan is represented as having ag- gressive world designs when, as an apparent matter of fact, she has all she can do to take care of her own earthquakes. SEEEEEL R SR The enterprise of kidnaping mature, stalwart and courageous movie stars indicates that kidnapers are much more fearless than in the days when they picked out children. LrER e L SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JORNSON. The Pleasant Problem. Everybody talks about the weather; The climate is a means of great re- Hef, All the neighbors gravely get together And tell the tales of thermometric grief. Junetime brings the rainbow and the roses, In spite of all the sclentific row; And Summertime, as,usual, discloses The Problem of the Blossom and the Bough. ' Reliance on the Individual. “How do. you stand on the question of prohibition?"" “I'm in favor of it,” answered Sen- ator Sorghum. “I think, after the ex- perience we've had, there ought to be enough people willing to sign the pledge to make it go through.”, Sometime we will @ footing gain Upon the North Pole, far away, And learn to use the seroplane For an ice wagon, day by day. Jud Turkins says last year's bath- ing suit will be in style for this vear, provided jt was sufficiently shrinkable. Happy Medium. ‘Crimson Gulch is a big town now.” 'Tes,” answered Cactus Joe. “We've struck a happy medium. We ain't small enough to be wild and irrespon- sible, like in the old days, and not big enough to be downright tough like Chicago or San Francisco.” Local Sentiment. T understand you have a new jail at Crimson Guleh.” “Yep,” answered Cactus Joe. “There was a discussion about whether we'd bulld a new jall or a new hotel. Local sentiment conquered. Hotel guests are only strangers, but the jail is prin- clpally patronized by our own. friends and neighbors.” Board of Eddycation. Of Darwin we have had enough; An’ 0, we're layin’ down the rule Thet them as wants the pesky stuff Kin move away to g6 to school. “Soloman. must have been a_wise man,” said Uncle Eben, “to have had # many wives an’ not ome divorce suit,” STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., THURSDAY, THIS AND THAT We talk and write our Englieh to- day without any particular attention { to its tremendous past; and yet it lies | back there, all the formative work of | Beowoult, Caedmon, Layamon, Chau- cer, and wmany whose names are scarcely remembered. Our modern English was formed, Talne tells us, by compromise, and the necessity of being understood. To even glance for a few minutes at some of the elder poems of our lan- guage will show us the truth of the statement. They are French-English, English-French. It makes one have a better appre- clation, too,.of the flexible {nstrument we wield today, in our ryday con- versation, our books, our newspapers, our magwzines, our advertisements. Take an extract from the account of the proceedirgs at Arthur's coro- nation, given by Layamon, in_ his translation of Wace. This was Eng- lish as “she was writ" about 1180: Tha the 4 bugen ut of burhge et 1 Al W Klhges, 1% Alie Beemh e scopes. And all And alls tha clacrckes, 6 eories, alle ths ‘beornes. inel Al"fl Alle the th Alls tha sweines scrudde, Helde geond felde. The king gon to spek And sevef Tia'Foden ‘onithien All n}';,: rihten; © olv Kot Torso o gel fond" " s, and” cloethes Ske: en he’ iquende. Just what the King did and did not do I do not exactly know! Do you? Base ball slang (of the period of 10 years ago, say) was easy com- pared to old Layamon. There is something there about the bishops and the clerks, the earls and barons, and then we are delighted to find out that Alfred went to ‘“‘speken: and that he gave away some gold, silver, horses, land, casties and clothes. King Alfred must have been gen- erous to a fault. He did not seem to care a rap what he gave, any old thing from a nifty castle to the latest thing in dress suits, evidently. * ok ook In the time of Henrv I1II we find English a bit more easily understood. The following hymn to the Virgin, for instance, is pleasing enough: Bleased beo thu, lavedi, Bueit B ot s ¥ r of para ‘Moder ot mlltterniase I-blessed beo thu, Lavedi, AIS:M“% Ifldl-’ hflhli'h 5 ho : Bl dav and Di nioht e+ Bricht and scene Guen of storre So me liht and lere, In_this faiss fkels worla So me led and steore. One suspects that the above had been doctored a bit, so that it is more modern to our eyes than it really was in the original. The descent of those old manuscripts is a difficult one to trace. They were copled and re- copied, from age to age, all down the Middle Ages, so that by the time they came to the dignity of books they were different than when written. In the above verse it fs interesting to note the word for lady, “lavedi,” probably pronounced with the accent on the second syllable. No account of this sort, no matter how brief, would be possible without introducing the very famous old Eng- lish ve Sumer s i-cumen in, Lhude sing cucou: Growethe wd. bioweth med. urle #ing_cuceu, the wde nu. Cuceu, cuceu. America’s great army of motorists, the world's chief rubber consumers, have been considerably stirred by Sec- retary Hoover's report concérning the enormous profits in the rubber indus- try of which Great Britaln holds a monopoly. The suggestion that the increased price of rubber ylelds profits sufficient to pay the installments on the British debt is viewed as throwing light on the foreign trade situation, concerning which the British Ambas. sador in Washington has made com- plaint. There is new Interest in pos- sible American sources of rubber. “When the American autoist has a blow-out and concludes that it is time to re-tire,” suggests the Baltimore Evening Sun, “it may or may not be a consolation to him to know that he is making it possible for Great Britain 10 pay her war debts.” Reviewing the general situation the Evening Sun says: “It was a gloomy picture that Sir Esme Howard, British Ambassa- dor, painted in his spéech in New York on British trade with the United States. With a fine grasp of eco- nomic Jaws, he pointed out that Great Britain could pay her debts only out of a surplus of exports over imports. Every cloud, however, has its silver lining, and Secretary Hoover has ap- peared upon the scene and shows that America's Imports of raw rubber last year cost $185,000,000, and that largely as a result of a production-restricting scheme worked out by tive British colonial office these imports this year will cost some $400,000,000. Either figure is in excess of the $150,000,000 which Britain is paying annually on its war debts. Secretary Hoover is careful to avoid direct mention of the :m'imaudor's speech, but his inference clear.” * Ok k% The Akron Beacon-Journal, taking note of this condition, holds that “the remarkable recent increase in the price of this product, of which ‘our Natlon is the chief purchaser, sug- gests an intent on Britaln's part to be too hasty in retiring its debt at the ex- pense of the American consumer; tire users may be under the necessity of paving a price. that will make them believe they ing the whole world's war debt.” e increase in price from 17 cents & pound about a year ago to 70 cents. a recent quota- tion, s cited by the Philadelphia Pub- llc Ledger, which continues: ‘“‘Ameri- can stocks are low. British rubber shares are soaring, and a faint chill is creeping up the spine of the world's greatest rubber user, the American motorist. At 60 to 70 cents a pound the profits are unquestionably and ad- mittedly enormous. A year or so of being exploited -by the British will turn us back to the half-forgotten Mexican rubber shrubs and to the Southern Philippines.” The need of American sources is emphasized by the Flint Journal, which believes that, “just as British cotton manufacturers seek a way to produce cotton within the empire, 80 do tiré manufacturers in the United States seek relief from foreign control of rubber.” The Port- land (Oreg.) Journal, studying the market, calls attention to the in- creased prices of rubber and ofl, with reduced prices on some other prod- ucts, and views the matter from a po- litical standpot; declaring that it may have an efféct “on the Congres- sional elections.” - . A A % One reason for the increased price is'given by the Newark News, which explains: ““Visible -supplies in the market are low, making the American tire manufacturers . bidders i one another. After last mtm it is said that they were fearful o ex- tending their stocks, drew upen their reserves when rubber was cheap, and then, with depleted supplies, came into the market with a rush, which, combining with the limited supply under export restrictions, sent the ‘lation, but that is not Chaucer. BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. o8 thu cuceu: thu nauer nu. cucou nu, Sing, cuceu. Loud has that cuckoo sung ever since in glish’ literatu! Taese words, 1 belleve, were among the first to be set to music, forming one of the old “rounds” so popular in the anclent and “merry England.” An amusing example, by the way, ‘of that form of composition, was in- troduced by Reginald de Koven in his comic opera, ‘“Robin Hood.” It is during the singing of this round that Friar Tuck seasons the caldron of soup with a rat. * ok ok % ‘We come, now, t6 Dan Chaucer, “well of English undefiled,” as Spencer called the writer of the still famous “‘Canterbu; Tales,” which one authority terms “the greatest col- lection of narrative poems in the world's literature.” Chaucer not read much in this day and age, except in the kchools, where his memory is kept green. He was, indeed, the flower of the old English writers. He stands at the turning point. A true Englishman, yet versed in the fashionable forelgn languages of his day; a sturdy man, yet a dreamer; a diplomat, busin man, yet a poet— that was Geoffrey Chaucer. This writer was born at London about 1340, dving In 1400. His life was not a long one, but was crowded with engagements in warfare, travel and missions. . He had friends at court, and made the most of them. Chaucer is described as a short, stout, fair man, a typical Englishman of the sort he described in his char- acter of the miller: The miller was a stout carl for the nones, Eul blave he was of braun and cie of bon at provod wel. for over all ther he cams, At'wrastling he wold here away the ram. It is interesting to note that those today who use the pronunciation “wrastle” seem to have some au thority for it in Chauce “Of all English versifier of the most melodious, provided a reader understands the chief differ- ences between middle and modern English,” savs the Encyclopedia Americana The average person today, except the scholar making a special study of this period, has neither the time nor inclination to delve deeply into these beauties of Chaucer. Why should he? The period is so remote, the changes in spelling and usage so large, that the average person would be foolish to spend much of his precious time, of which life gives each one but sc much, upon the poetry of Chaucer. The writer of these lines today (who feels that he has accomplished some- thing of a feat in putting old Dan Chaucer into a newspaper) confesses that he gets no joy out of the old bard. Chaucer is simply too much trouble. If 1 _want old English poetry, I turn to Edmund Spenser, who is almost modern, easy to understand, and just as melodlous as Chaucer ever thought of being. Chaucer is to me a curiosity, “a well of English undefiled,” admitted, he is one but a well into which I, along with | most people, am content to dip only now and then. I will take my Chaucer In easy doses, if you please. Some one has made a prose trane Here is Chaucer: And the river that I sste upon It mede such a noise as it ron. Accordaunt with the birdes armons, ethought it was the best melods at might ben yheard of any mon. Payment of British Debt By Tire Users Made Issue price of rubber up.”. Neglect of the rubber situation is charged by the Bay City Times-Tribune, which states that “American producers were so busy at other things that they let the British gain a position where they controlled the rubber business of the ‘world."” “We trust it would not be like Americans,” remarks the Cleveland Ne “to let their tire, automobile, gasoline, accessory and other business be affected indefinitely, to the detri- ment of sellers and buyers, through the tightening of a rubber ring on the other side of the world.” *“But we really don't see how any American business men can throw. stones at these people In Singapore,” the Bing- hamton Press remarks: “they’re only doing what every Whenever he can get away with fit. In studying the situation, however, the Harrisburg Telegraph contends that “cornering any supply is invar- lably followed by disaster for those Wwho do the cornering.” The Raleigh News and Observer asks: “Will the administration use the flexible tariff to start reciprocity? We cannot con- demn other countries for doing what we do.” * k% x “As the British advance the price of rubber, they will stimulate pro- duction in South American and other countries,” is the view of the remedy taken by the New London Day. ‘“The ultimate effect will probably be to cre- ate new rubber plantations under American auspices,” the Philadelphia Bulletin belleves. Rubber in the Southern States is held possible by the Charleston Evening Post, which states: “If it should be demonstrated that rubber may be produced commer- cially in this section, the industrial value of the discovery and its influ- ence upon the economic life of the South would be epochal.” Re(;rrln’: to “three of America’s master minds, Edison, Ford and Firestone, who pro- pose to grow rubber trees on Amerl- can soil, the Columbia Record pre- dicts: “If they succeed, it will ‘not be many years until the United States will go in for rubber farming on a large scale.” An Unknown Waterway. To be told that there is an American waterway a little less than 6 miles in length that carries more freight than the entire Mississippi River from Cairo to New Orleans would be star- tling to geography classes. Yet such s Newtown Creek, a short tidal arm of the East River that winds its way Inland, and with 3 miles of main chan- nel and 2 miles more of tributarles furnishes hundreds of New York -in- dustrial concerns a waterway service. No one has been named great in the school histories as the discoverer of Newtown Creek, and its muddy waters resemble most of the streams that carry more than their share of commercial burdens. But the spars of shipping and the tall chimneys of fact tell its story. It is dirty and lacks romance because it is used for other purposes. ‘These short st that seem to have no particular Iness suddenly take on great importance when lo- cated where they can be utilized by an industrial ulation. The Chicago River is hardly on the maps, but its impeortance in giving Chicago several precious miles of port facilities has never been underestimated. The Big Muddy in southern Illinois may some day be orie of the greatest coal car- T Tk, wiacesy world & stredm In wal a s does not have to be large to be usetul. Sizé counts for little. The wonder is that in_places where nature has been 80 generous with her waterway bounty ‘we have made-so0 littls use of it.— Quincy Whig Journal. ’ JUNE 4, 1925 THE NORTH WINDOW By Leila Mechli The Orient comes to Washington. With the thermometer well up in the 908 this might be mistaken as a reference to climate. In reality, how- ever, it concerns two recent visitors— James F. Ballard, a business man of St. Louis, Mo., who is an enthusiastic collector of Oriental rugs, and Miss Elizabeth Keith, an English artist, who has spent seven years in the Orfent and has made a remarkable series of woodblock prints setting forth its marvelous beauty and charm. Mr. Ballard stopped in Washington only a part of a day on his way home from New York where he had gone to meet and greet upon arrival at that great port of entry an Oriental rag which he purchased in India on the 1st day of January. In the pursuit of this rug he visited all but one of the principal cities in India, traveling hundreds of miles and spending many weeks in the search. He had come almost to the conclusion that the quest was hopeless, the treasure un- obtainable, when a Persfan} gentleman called at his hotel and inw.ted him to visit his home. This hoe was lo- cated some miles from Bombay and is_described by Mr. Ballard as a dream palace in a garden which in itself seemed il the ideal of Paradise. Aftér being shown many treasures by his host the rug that he had pursued 80 eagerly was brought out—the quest was successful. The following day he consummated the purchase; the rug is now in New York. * o x x What, some would say, could induce one to spend so much time, zeal and energy, to say nothing of money, on an Oriental rug? The answer fs, its iintrinsic beauty, that beauty which is derived through art. Such rugs as Mr. Ballard buys are more than well designed, and were woven by the most skillful craftsmen; they are exquisite- ly beautiful. For one little rug weighing approximately three pounds and three quarters Mr. Ballard paid, and gladly, $15,000—more than $4,000 a pound for the wool. If one should ask, “Why bother about art?” here is an answer: It was the art of the weaver, the designer, the artist, that gave this wool made into a rug fits extraordinary value. P In May, 1922, the Metropolitan Mu seum of Art received from James . Ballard a munificent gift of 125 an clent Orfental carpets, comprising the choicest examples in the large collec- tion which in the course of nearly 20 years of travel and of diligent study {he had assembled in his private gal- lery in St. Louis. “Subsequent gifts increased the number of rugs in this princely benefaction to 129,” to quote the director of the Metropolitan Mu- seum. This gift, added to rugs pre- viously acquired, made this collection {of the Metropolitan Museum one of the finest in the world o e Since glving this marvelous collec tion to the Metropolitan Museum Mr. { Ballard has brought together a second collection of raore than a hundred | specimens, equally rare and beautiful. This collection he has lent from time to time to various art museums in different parts of the country. His | enthusiasm for rug_collecting began when, 20 years ago, he chanced to see a rug display in a shop window in | New York. . 'A collection was being | sold at auction; he went in and bought not one but many. He was not con- tent, however, merely with owner- [ship. - From that day om he made | Orfental rugs an intensive study. He | not only knows them as an expert {but he loves them as an artist and | connoisseur, and when he talks about !them his enthusiasm is found con- |tagious. He has learned to under- istand the symbols of the weavers; he | has learned—and this is more unusual | —to fully appreciate the harmonles |of their color schemes. To him each rug represents the soul of the weaver, each rug is a human document with & message as potent and at the same |time as subtle as a great poem. In the foreword to the catalogue of his | present collection he says: “The in- spiration of the weavers who con- ceived the glorious designs and peer- less colors of these matchless rugs has left a great tribute to the world. There is a ravishing loveliness which comes over them every time 1 see them, and it seems to me sometimes that the spirits of these departed weavers are hovering over me when I am looking at them, striving to di- rect my attention to their ever-chang- ing hues, and entreating me to com- prehond and appreciate their ex- quisite beauty.” It would be hard to estimate the amount of pleasure that Mr. Ballard has found in collecting these rare works of art. Within the last year the pursuit has taken him twice around the world. But what can match the joy of discovery? Who can tell the pleasure that each new pos- session with its ravishing loveliness has brought him? Asked if it was his intention to show his rugs in this city, Mr. Ballard replied that he only showed them where they were invited. * x x x Special interest attaches to the Oriental rug today because many of our American carpet makers are re- producing Oriental patterns, and Ori- ental rugs of recent date are being brought here in great quantities and put on our American market. Even the actual technique of the Oriental knot has been imitated in machine- made floor coverings with a pile mzde up of innumerable threads pressed closely together and standing on end. ‘With the Orientakrugs, however, even of the simplest order, each is an in- dividual work, a work of art. The difficulty today of duplicating the priceless treasures of the past is that of obtaining, Mr. Ballard says, the dyes used by the great weavers; alas, those secrets seem to have perished with them, and also passing is the 8pirit of the craftsman who was will- ing to give a lifetime to the produc- tion of a superlatively beautiful work of art, an article of utility. * ok % % Miss Keith came to Washington with an introduction from Miss Edith Emerson of Philadelphia, the well known American mural painter and designer. She had already exhibited some of her interesting woodcuts by special invitation with the print mak- ers of California. Within the last few vears wood blocks have come greatly into vogue, but none, it is be- lieved, has attempted as elaborate work In_this medium as has Miss Keith. It is trie that she does not cut her own blocks, but has employed a most skillful Japanese workman to do the cuttting for her, arguing that this is a mechanical process for which it is best to employ expert aid. Those who have cut her blocks have been for generations wood-block cutters and are skiliful to the utmost degree; but they have done this work for her as the tralned stonecutter carves the work in sculpture from the sculptor’s model, or the caster casts it in bronze from the sculptor's moulds. And in this instance it is quite as truly, if not more truly, a work of co-operation. Miss Keith cannot send her paintings to Japan to be reproduced; the Jap- anese craftsman must work with her a8 well as for her to produce the de- sired result. And what are these results? Fairly large-sized pictures of Oriental scenes ‘which bring to the observer as almost nothing else has a full sense of the splendor, the beauty, the marvel of the Orient. Bhe has one, for instan of Hongkong, a city bullt upon a :h‘“i hill, which rises steeoly from the water front. It is,a night scene, and the lights of the city encircle the mflm as m"fll‘n‘l- Whg as ever thus p! ngkong Another of her prints shows an an:, cient gateway of strange, picturesque ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN Q. How cold is ice?—M. O. M. A. Ice is merely water that is be- low 32 degrees F. in temperature. Ice becomes much colder in extremely cold climates. Q. What-happens to wool when it shrinks?—W. W, A. The tiny scales of which wool fibers are made overlap and become shorter. Rubbing will cause this and subjecting wool garments to very hot or very cold water also makes them shrink. Q. In what part of the United gutnsu the most stone quarried?— A. The Geological Survey says that the largest quarry center in the United States, if not in the world, for the production of building stone is the Bedford-Bloomington oolitic limestone district of Tawrence and Monroe Countles, in Indiana. Q. Who has taken the place of Gutzon Borglum in charge of the Confederate Memorial on Stone Moun- tain?—T. A. C. A. He has been succeeded by Au- gustus Lukeman. Q. Please send me a complete list of camping grounds for tourists.— E. V. P. A. The number is increasing so rapidly that it is impossible to keep a list up-lo-date. e -Automobile Club in any city could furnish lists in its vicinity. Camping =sites are well marked along the highways, so that directions are not often necessary. Q. What State produces the most salt’—E. R. L. (A Michigan leads in salt produc- tion. Q- How did Karakul get its name? | A. The Karaiul sheep takes its name from Kara Kul (black lake), a village in the Eastern part of Bok- hara, a province in Central Asia. This province, which is a protectorate of the Russian Empire, comprises about 85,000 square miles. The number of sheep in this territory is estimated at from 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 and the an- nual exports of lambskins are known to average about 1,500,000. Q. TIs the Pacific coast line of the United States as long as the Atlan tie?—G. 8. T. A. On the Pacific, our coast line is 1,366 miles; on the Atlantic, 1,888. Q. What was the cubic displace- | ment of the motors used in the Speedway race at Indianapolis on Decoration day?—H. F. H. A. The Indianapolis Motor Speed- way Association says that the cubic displacement of the motors used in the International auto race was 122 cubic inches and under. | Q. What | is the origin of the ex pression “We, who are about tg die, salute you?—A. L. S. A. Gladiators who had enteréd the ring to entertain the Emperor Glau dius greeted him with these words Q. In Summef time our front porch is covered with caterpillars. Could they come from large old trees in the yard?—E. E. A. A. The caterpillars probably dao come from the trees. Examine them and if you find caterpillars spray the trees with a poison spray, such as this: Arsenate of lead, 3 pounds; lime, 3 pounds; water, 100 gallons. Q. What was ‘sanna’—E. B. TL A. According to the Scripture manna was the food of the Israeliteg for 40 years. The “food was gathered every morning, every man according to his eating, and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.” It is described po- etically as “food from heaven’ ®nd “bread of the mighty.” No substancs is known which )n any degree gally- fied all the requirements of the Scr) tural references hut one proposed t to identify manna with a lichen which grows upon the limestone in the Arabian and other deserts. The older masses become detached and are rolled about by the wind. When swept together by sudden rainstorms in the rainy season they may be col lected in large heaps. It i8 a form of nourishment in the desert. especialiv when eaten with the sugary manna from the trees Q. What has been the total ductfon of the various diamond fields throughout the world?—W. H. B A. Tt has been estimated that thq production of all mines from their discovery to the present time is 113, 810,000 carats. The productions of the individual flelds are given ae fo lows: India, 2,000,000 carats; Brazil, 15,000,000; South Africa, 90.000,000 Southwest Africa, 5,000,000; - Co 1,209,000; Angola, 0,000: B Guiana, 200,000; scattering, 150,000 Q. Is Paderewski in at the present time?—17 A. Paderewski is now at teau in Morges, Switzerland. He wil return to the United States for an other concert tour in the Fall and w remain until M 1926 pro country H his cha (It is certain that you puzzle daily over questions that we can answer for you. You are confronted by problems grave to you, which can be answered easily by us. Our attention is di rected chiefly to matters of fact. In matters legal, medical and financial we do not give strictly professional ad vice, but even in these we can often smooth wyour way and provide contact you meed. with technicians Make a practice of asking ws what youw do mot know. Address The Star Information Bureau, Frederic o Haskin, director, Twenty-first and ¢ streets northwest. Inclose stamps for a direct reply.) the BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL There is a strike of 10,000 Chinese in cotton mills owned by | e and located in Shanghai. In| consequence of that strike there are | riots in the streets of Shanghai, led | by ‘“students.”” To ‘“protect our na-| tionals,” four American battleships of | our Far East fleet are ordered to Shanghai. | At the distance of the antipodes, the using of four battleships in such a disturbance may- appear like Kkill-| ing a mosquito with a base ball bat— | until more is known of the real situa- | tion in China. That situation is re- ported as being the most chaotic and menacing to world peace of any con- ditions in the Orient since the Boxer | rebellion of 1300. The Peking corre- | spondent of the London Times cables “China is fast becoming a serious| problem for all powers interested in| the Pacific * * China is a republic de jure, but a group of many independent petty mil- itary units, de facto, all at war with each other and especially defiant | against the central government. In one province alone there are more than a dozen military units, each at war with all others. It is useless to undertake to outline any gen- eralization of the military ~chaos, for what applies today would be ob- solete tomorrow, except that the state of chaos is likely to continue. The inspiration is alleged to come not from a few ignorant pagans, but from the Russian bolshevists, determined to create unrest throughout the world until all organized governments are overthfwn and replaced by sovietism and thE rule of the proletariat. With China’s approximate half 2 billion population and present weakness and demoralization of the central author- ity, and the avowed acceptance of bolshevism by the party known as “Young China,” observers are begin- ning to recognize the strikes in foreign-owned cotton mills as mere symptoms of an organized boishevist attempt at fomenting a dangerous revolution. In that light, the prompt orders to our four battleships cease to be inexplicable, while mobs rule the streets of Shanghai, and police and legation guards are firing with fatal effect against the rioters. The cen- tral government has protested against the killing of Chinese rioters by lega- tion guards. Damages will be claimed, according to cable news. * % % » While the United States long ago settled its indemnity claims on ac- count of the Boxer rebellion by giv- ing to the Chinese republic all such sums to be used for educational pur- poses, other nations have not been so generous. France needs the money and demands payment not merely in “money” (paper), but in gold. Sev- eral of the military rebels make that an issue, threatening the central government if it dare export so much gold. Great investments in Chinese rail- roads and in business enterprises in China have ceased to be profitable, and creditors are clamoring for their pay. Practically all railroads have been taken by the rebel armies and used almost exclusively for military maneuvers, so that they no longer even pay running costs, with no reve- nue for the foreign investors in the bonds. Loans made in foreign coun- tries; secured only by the pledge of the central government, are in de- fault, with no visible prospect of either interest or amortization. This includes $100,000,000 owed by the Chi- nese republic for railroad supplies and other goods. Vested inierests which are centered at large treaty ports are in better security, because of persistent forelgn commerce and resulting customs which are pledged. Such loans are safe, provided the for- eign trafiic continues. The powers threaten force to protect the financial interests of their nationals in their Chinese investments. In such event, the powers may either act jointly, as T ——— * % architecture, silhouetted against a luminous evening sky; all of the awe- some mystery of the ages is in thi work. Or, again, she shows us a ga! street scene, the thronging people, the colorful banners, the brilllant con- trasts of sunlight and shadow. Here is that which appeals to one's sense of splendor and to the imagination as well. In some instances her prints take the form of portraiture. A Llama priest is represented with such keenness that the hnz:‘r;on::tl;n 16_ almost overpowering, a there is the decorative sense, the spirit of Oriental art ever présent. | transit, V. COLLINS. in the Boxer troubles, or ipe tively, with imminent possibilities o international friction. * £ * Quoting the Peking of the London Times “Nohting will avail without unanin ity among the powers, and withoy the resolution to go through it to tk point, if necessary, of using force The plan that seems to promise mos and would cost least would be to se cure a substantial increase in the customs duties. The large surpluses made available would be used as basis for consolidation of the floating debt and the provision for a regula: income for the government of the day. As an experiment. a portion o the increased duties would be payabie to the provinces in place of all internal charges on foreign goods i thus eliminating the illegal exactions now prevalent Provincial quotas would be held from provinces violating agreement regarding internal taxes and foreign control would be insti tuted on railways of which the work ing was hampered by troops. If when making these proposals, the for eign powers increased their garrison in North China from the present gregate of a brigade to a total of division, the expense to each po would be a trifle, and the moral «f fect tremendous.” With this united military scheme in it is easier to understand 1h- movement of our four great batl ships, ostensibly because some hun- dreds of cotton workers are out on strike. It is not authoritatively indi cated that the United States will Le interested in increasing the garr - North China. corresponden the SNy The deep-laid scheme of the Soviet government to gain control of the Chinese situation is manifested by the appointment of a Soviet Ambassador to Peking, where all other nations are represented by ministers. The rank of an ambassador made him the doyen of the diplomatic corps. Ambassador Karakhan immediately announced, : doyen, that he would not allow any united action by the diplomatic corps with_any international proposals the Chinese republic. He furthermore denounces openly the extra territorial rights of nations in China, and ‘ap- peals to Chinese patriots to free them selves from foreign ‘“capitalistic na tions” now oppressing China—particu larly the United States %= In consequence of this Soviet leader ship, Young Chinese are raising the cry- “China for Chinese!” and thre: ening attacks upon all “foreign devils " In the face of the Russian appeal 1o Chinese patriotism to rebel against foreign imperialistic Memands, Am bassador Karakhan has himself de manded that all White Russians who are now serving in the Chinese armies even though they have become Chi nese citizens, shall be freed from the service and no more be so employed. On April 30 the China Press (printed in English and published in Shanghai) reported a German ship had arri in the harbor, laden with arm correspondent at Sumatra repor other German ship with munitions Itallan make. Last March the China Review said “Young Chinese men of the Your China_ Society have decided that the best way for China was to enter relx tions with Soviet Russla, introduce communism, scrap religion, break up family relations, abrogate all ‘un equal’ treaties, and bring about a gen eral condition of anarchy and political disorder, which would have the final effect of bankrupting foreign institu- tions in China and forcing them out of the way. Dr. Sun Yat-sen and his Kuomintang party (radical) have been drifting that way and favor a radical revolution rather than peaceful evolu tion. He is reported as saying: ‘We are now sibordinated, restrained, held back by other nations. It requires unanimous consent on the part of a dozen nations for anything construc tive to be done, and under the work ing of the treaties any one nation, no matter how small and inconsequential in world affairs, has the power to block everything when China wants anything.’” (Dr. Sun Yet-sen has since died, but his party continues with the same aims.) The above Is the viewpoint or tne radical and vocal elements of the Chinese population, and this is what gives the seriousness to the present rioting and the s s _against for- elgnowned manufacturing enterprises. (Cogyright, 1925, by Paul ¥, Collins.)