Evening Star Newspaper, June 5, 1925, Page 6

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6 THE EVENING STAR WASH1IIGTON, D. C. FRIDAY ...June 5, 1926 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company Busing Offce 11t St and Dennavivanis Ave, New York Office: 110 Fast 42nd St Chicago Offic Tower B ||d|\'i:; European Office” 16 Regent St.. London. England. The Evening Star. with the Surday morn- tnx cdition. 1% deifvered by carriers’ within the city al’ 60 cents per month: daily only. 5 cent, . Rinday only. 20 « e N Orders may e sent By mail or elephone Main 5000. Collection is mi carrier at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginis. Daily and Sunday. . $8.40: 1 mo., a 1 mo. {’ufi‘gz}mo";ly' 40: 1 mo. All Other States. i1y and Sunday. .$10.00 Bailyicag Sundar Pe700: Sunday only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitied to the e’ for republication of. all news dis- patches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ited in this paper and alsa the local news shed herein. Al rights of publication ©f special dispatches herein are also reserved. [= 700 500 20¢ /5c A0c 26e 1mo.. 1mo 1mo. Departmental Readjustment. The administration, moving in the Interest of good government, has transferred the Bureau of Mines and the mineral statistics division of the Geclogical Survey from the Interior Department to the Department of Commerce. The executive order, making the change, signed by Presi- dent Coolidge, is the second in recent | months issued for the same purpose of the better co-ordination of govern- mental activities. The first trans- ferred the Patent Office to the De- partment of Commerce from the In- terior Department, wiich really had no connection whatever with the business of issuing patents. The President and his cabinet offi- cers have set Congress an exeellent example. For several years the prob- lem of better organization of the Government departments has been before that body. A congressional committee, with a representative of the late President Harding at its head, worked industriously on a plan of reorganization, which was finally submitted during the last Congress. It was put into legislative form and the bill was introduced. Kut that is as far as it got. The bill will be reintroduced in the new Congress and efforts will be made to have it enacted into law. The Department of Commerce, as its name implies, has particularly to do with the Nation's business. Its purpose is to foster with proper in- formation and advice the business of the country. Those bureaus of the Government which have been set up for a similar purpose rightly belong under the Department of Commerce. To Secretary Hubert Work of the Interior Department oelongs credit for the earnest manner in which he has sought to have transferred to the Department of Commerce both the Bureau of Mines and the Patent Office. In making his recommenda- tions he has shown a wid2 vision and a lack of petty insistence on retention of jurisdiction over these bureaus of the Government which were thrust under the Department of the Interior in the hodge podg> de- velopment of the executive depart- ments of the Government. An urgent need, both for the sake of greater economy and of greater efficiency and better service to the public, is a reorganization of the executive branch of the Government. It is one of the reforms put forward by the Republican administration along with the budget system, and is worthy of immediate attention. The President has, perhaps, gone as far as he can in effecting such re- organization. The transfers of bureaus to the Department of Com- merce were made by authority of the law creating that department. But other transfers and consolida- tions of equal value can be put through only after congressional action. The great difficulty is to make the reorganization sufficiently drastic. Many independent eommissions, bu- reaus and other agencles of the Gov- ernment exist today which should be incorporated in the major divi- sions of the Government, under the cabinet officers. Jealousies and fear of losing power, existing in some of the governmental agencies, are re- flected on Capitol Hill, where the interest of good government is too often lost sight of in the game of politics. ———— Darwin was a gentle, contemplative and unassertive man who would prob- ably have been pained had he suspect- ed that his researches would lead to controversy threatening the educa- tional system of half the world. ——— 1t is hoped that the delay in Amund- sen’s return is due to the fact that he has heard the weather reports from the regions geographically included in the temperate zone. ———— Tnless this idea o Widnapng movie stars is nipped in the bud some firre- sponsible press agent is going to con- ceive the gigantic idea of kidnaping Will Hays himself. e Bootleggers Get Right of Way. A decision by a Maryland County Court that, in the absence of any local option law, the transportation of liquor through that county for sale elsewhere s not illegal is calculated to bring di- rectly to issue the question of a local community’s right virtually to annul the Federal laws prohibiting the trans- portation and sale of intoxicants. Heretofore the county has muicted vio- lators of the Federal law in heavy fines when they were caught hauling liquor through that jurisdiction. Now it would appear that the county is declared a free right of way for boot- leggers. Lack of co-operation between the municipal, county and State authori- ties on the one hand, and the Federal enforcement agencies on the other has proved a serious handicap in the en- forcement of the Volstead act. This present decision in Montgomery Coun- ty brings to the point of definite action ‘THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1925. the question of whether a minor judicial jurisdiction can ignore and set ai naught the Federal statutes. Unquestionably the Federal authori- ties have the right to enforce the law in Montgomery County or any other local or State jurisdiction. They may make arrests anywhere within the county fon trial before a Federal Courts If the County Court can disclaim jurie- diction effectively it abandons the fleld of law enforcement in respect: to this particular offense and invites the ac- tive presence of Federal agents. The spectacle thus presented of a Iocal court declaring a hands-off’ policy at the very gates of the National Caps ital with respect to the enforcement of a Fedoral law. which applies to the entire country is not particularly re. assuring. It makes the task of Fed. eral enforcement somewhat more diffi cult through widening the area of pos- sible transportation of liquor without molestation, for illegal sale and dis- tribution in Washington. That diffi- culty, however, does not warrant the belief that the Federal enforcement agencies will relax in their endeavors. Sl — Bathing Beach Sorely Needed. The lack of a public bathing beach for Washington is now being keenly felt. People who want to “go swim- ming” during these hot days, when the thermometer is making recordsfor the Capital, can find no convenient places where they can safely and decently bathe. The bathing beach in the Tidal Basin has been closed by act of Con- gress as a result of an effort to pro- vide a second beach there. Private swimming pools are in great demand, byt are too few to meet the public re- quirements. Yesterday a boy was drowned in the Eastern Branch while swimming be- vond his depth in a dangerous curcent. His companions could not help him, and there were no guards at hand to rescue him. twithstanding this fatality, other boys were swimming in the place a short time after the body was recovered. This is probably only the first of a series of fatalities in local waters this season as a result of the closing of the public beach in the Tidal Basin. There is no provision in sight to re- lieve this situation. Inquiry is being made regarding the healthfulness of bathing in the Potomac, but it cannot be completed before the close of the Summer. Meanwhile there is no fund available for the construction of & public beach, even it the water should be found to be sufficiently free from pollution to warrant the establishment of a bathing place on the river banks. It is inconceivable that Washington should be permanently deprived of a public bathing place. The matter should be presented to Congress at the next session in such a manner as to lead to the provision of funds for public bath- ing facilittes. A city located, as the Capital is, at the confluence of two rivers, with abundance of water within easy reach, should have ample public swimming facilities. ————— A Woman for “Alderman.” If any old-time New Yorker had been told that the day might come when a woman would be elected to the Board of Aldermen of New York City he would have received the suggestion with jeers and expressions of scorn at the mere idea. “What,” he would have exclaimed, “a woman on that hard- boiled board? Guess again!" And yet such a possibility looms. The voters of Manhattan are to be given an opportunity to pass judgment at the polls on the selection of & mem- ber of the gentler sex for a place on that aggressively male organization. There are two woman govefnors of States already in office. There will be three members of the House of Repre- sentatives in the next Congress, and there will be one or two candidates for election to the United States Senate. So why not a woman alderman for New York, is asked in all sincerity in that city. Mrs. John T. Pratt was nominated for the Board of Aldermen by the Fif- teenth Assembly District Republican Club last night. 8he accepted the nom- ination with enthusiasm, and evinced determination to start with vigor upon a campaign of reform in the city ad- ministration and to attack “Hylanism" and “Tammanylsm.” It is a far cry to the goal of election in the circum- stances surrounding city polities in New York at this time. The course contains many water jumps and diffi- cult hazards and hurdles, but this dauntless crusader takes the saddle with confidence. 4 One of the seconders of the nomina- tion said, “‘She wiil bring to the Board of Aldermen a presence and a refining influence which it sadly needs.” It was announced at last night's meeting that the Republicans of New York. intend to make their slogan in the campaign “The Hylan Administration Is the Worst Since Boss Tweed. A general movement to define the extent to which scientific theories may be taught would make work for the Board of Education more arduous than ever. —————————— It has been made plain to New York by Harry Thaw that there is at least one farmer who stands in no immedi- ate need of sympathy. Curiosity and Traffic Jams. Last evening a hose wagon of the Fire Department on the way to the scene of a blaze was overturned in g collision with a motor car. Fortunately the injuries caused by the collision were light. But a great crowd of per- sons gathered, mostly in automobiles, at and near the scene of the collision, with the result that traffic in that sec- tion was tied up for nearly two hours. Every fire alarm draws people by the thousands, especially after dinner. At this time of year motorists are on the streets driving about in search of cooler airs and when unusual hap- pening occurs they flock to the scene. They follow the fire engines for long distafhces, apparently not realizing that hundreds of others are doing the same and that congestion is certain to occur in which they will probably be caught and held for a protracted period. There is no diver- sion and certainly no refreshment in sitting in & motor car in a trafic jam on a hot night. That is what hap- lowed the crowd and found themselves caught in a tangle in which they were held for a long time. These crowell: of motorists who flack to fires sometivtns impede the progress of the apparat#s and the work of the firemen. They call for the presence of large numbews of poMcemen. They Increase the percentage of accidents in the streegs and greatly discommode themselves. All these considerations have often been wrged to discourage the practice, and :vet it remains. It is probably impossible to prevent people “runiing o fires" or flocking to scenes of|accidents. There is a human instinct #m such congregation The impulse to gather at or near the place of some wnitoward happening is greater than the sense of precaution or any regard for personal comfort or safety, or for regulations. Curiosity imposes a heavy' burden upon all city dwellers in these, days of rapid transit. r——— Honorary Degrees for Presidents. President Coolidge, It is announced, will not accent a. number of honorary degrees that have been- tendered to him by universilies and colleges in this country. More than a score of these institutiony have formally in- vited him thus t> partake of their honors, the cerenjony of investiture re- quiring his presence at the commence- ment exercises. His decision to limit the number of -degrees is in keeping with his gneral! policy of economy. If he were to acaept all such honors he would have no time at this season of the year for amy administrative work He would be kiept on the go from col- lege to college throughout the country during the entfre graduation season. While undoubtedly the tender of such honors is a sincere desire by the trustees and flaculties of institufions of learning to, do honor to the Chief Executive thee is at the same time a certain spirit of promotion back of the proposal. It is no small thing to have a President of the United States, clad in cap and gown, marching in line ta receive a sheepskin under the colors of the school or aollege or university, no matter how lagge or famous the insti- tution may be. As a matter of fact, an educational institution seeking to bestow an hon. orary degree upen the President of the United States should go to him with the honor and not require him to go to it for the imvestiture. e The German election ought not to be regarded as a gesture of militarism. If there is amy man on earth who should be weary of war it is Hinden- burg. - No amount of controversy can pre- vent the Bible from being a means of attaining consoling quietude for those who read it with reverential sincerity. — aees Among those most interested in Can- ada’s claim to territory clear up to the North Pole should be the various ice companies. The rum fleet hovers in the offing, hoping, perhaps, to prove that nothing but whisky will cure the bite of @ sea serpent. ——————— The drought has brought forward the old complaint of too many boot- leggers and not enough water supply: ———— Occasional earthquakes render Ja- pan's problems more geological than political. ———————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Early June. ‘When June breaks away from the mild Summer day Which by right we have fully ex- pected, Of birds and of flow’rs and the indo- lent hours We would sing, were we not so de- jected. We pause to complain while we're praying for rain, That we feel like an overworked blotter. ‘There's merely one rule, as we try , to keep cool; We simply grow hotter and hotter! We once could be calm, when we saw a thermom. now, as stronger, We say with a sigh as it throws into high, “We're glad that they built you no longer.” ‘We try to use Thought, and imagine ‘we ought To feel like an Arctic performer. Thought helps not a bit, and we have to admit That it merely grows warmer and ‘warmer! But the climate - goes Controversial Agitation. “Don’'t you think a great deal of time is wasted in talking politics?" “No," answered Senator Sorghum. “It’s absolutely necessary for people to have something to talk aebout. And these days politics is much safer than science or religion.” Dignified Indifference. T rather like the Chimpanzee Who sits up yonder in a tree, And never seems to care a jot 1f Evolution works or not. Jud Tunkins says the plot to kidnap movie actors was mebbe due to the fact that the ad manager went on a vacation and the scenario writer tried to fill in. Time's Revenge. “Our grandfather laughed at young ladies in hoop skirts.” “No doubt,” rejoined Miss Cayenne. “And their granddaughters are now laughing at young gentlemen in wide trousers.” Legs. Though bow legs are well known to tame, It's quite correct to state That bootleg is what's most to blame For many a wobbly state. “A good many of us,” said Uncle Eben, “thinks we’s standin’ up foh de truth when we's only bein’ obstinate 'bout & personal opinion," - mot beyond the -range of possibility §s planning one. 7 ‘Wolf and Rex are the canine Da- mon and Pythias of Estey alley. The Alredale and his nondescript buddy are always up to tricks. Perhaps it should be explained that Rex is the son of Tipple, red-eyed dog of war, a chip off the old block if there ever was one. Tippie has a bushy tail he carries in & proud curve over his back, like a hairy banner waving him on to bat- Rex, being a cross between this country-looking dog and a bulldog, may properly be called nondescript. Rex has arrived at that ambiguous stage in a dog's life when he is no longer a puppy but has not arrived at man's estate. But he is arriving! And how he loves to run and romp With old Wolf! The two dogs may be seen loping up and down Estey alley almost any time, scuffing, roll- ing over, biting, kicking, pawing each other. To move is the highest aim of a dog. He wants motion, and plenty of it. Put him in an automobile, he enjoys it immensely, even though it be motion at second hand. He fs full of life, and must express it. ‘“Let's 80" is his motto, Let the proud cat sit on the back porch—your good dog must stretch the muscles of his legs, get his chest heaving, feel all the exquisite sensi- bilities of the animal on the move. The dog is the true athlete of the animal world, because he is never happy except when he Is at his favor- ite sport. Amusement is his sole ob- ject. He likes man because man, oo, @ppreciates motion, and is always ready to help him secure it. ® K W Wolf and Rex were up early the “ther morning, hefore any of the other inhabitants of the alley had even turned over preparatory to an- other snooze. The milkman had just delivered his bottled wares at several homes, leaving the back gates open, as wus his unfortunate custom. The milk- man, of course, did not remain long enough to see why his action was unfortunate. No doubt if one had upbraided him for it, he would have replied: “I ain't got time to bother about shutting gates. I got to deliver milk, and when I put it up there on the porch my job is done until tomorrow." Of course, the milkman did not reckon with Rex and his pal, Wolf. When the dispenser of lacteal fluid went along, Wolf sleeping snug- Iv In his own back yard, while Rex had just opened his own eyes in his own ‘dog house. A few barks at the passing milk man whetted Rex's appetite to get up and look for Wolf. The latter dog, down the alley. had come to a llke determination about Rexie. Issuing forth, each dog from his own place, they met in the exact cen- ter of the way, where they at once ¢ngaged in a running, biting contest, ¢nch curving his neck, waving his tail and snapping vigorously at the other, Rex rolled over, paws in air, while Wolf proceeded to walk up and down on his frame. After this preliminary exercise. the positions were reversed, Wolf playing the part of underdog, allowing the slighter Rex to give him @ bit of massage. This no sooner done than both dogs spled the open gate of the house thereby. With one accord they raced up the walk. Here was 6 o'elock sport, indeed! * k ko x “H'vah, Rex! H'vah, Rex!" barked Wolf, hitting only the high spots, rounding the garage on the way to a delectable looking garbage can. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Alley cats, be it known, are not the only creatures that have a fondness for garbage vans. Well fed dogs, too, find sport as well as nutriment in rustling the tops off of cans. Wolf and Rex are past masters at the art. One flip of a muzzle, and both dogs were on their hind legs, their heads stuck down Into the can, much as ostriches are said to attempt to conceal themselves from the enemy. Wolf got out a bag, which he thought contained food, but which, upon examination, proved empty. Dur- ing this examination Rex had pulled up a tremendous bone, much to Wolf's dismay. The latter. however, was a good sport, and so left his buddy In undis- puted possession of the find. Wolf, disgusted, atarted on a tour of in’ spection. He slid his tan and black body up the porch steps, snuffiing as he_went. Turning, he knocked two quart bot- of milk off the porch. Wham! Nelghbors who looked out saw an amazed dog looking down at two cas- cades of milk, flowing over the con- crete steps. Wolf seemed quite conscious that all was not according to Hoyle. He cased himself off that porch quicker than he had ascended, Rexle follow- ing, bome in mouth Once in the alley, Wolf appeared to heave a sigh of relief. What did he care If the householder, stirring un- easily at the noise, was to wake later to place the blame on the milkman? * k¥ “We should worry, Rex!' barked Wolf. “Say. look at that big ball up there.” ‘Wolf loped up to a hundred feet of clothesline, whieh had been left on another porch. Opening his capa- clous jaws, the Airedale started to walk off with the ball. Rex, seeing an end hang loose, grabbed it, with the result that pretty soon the two dogs were more or less enmeshed in the colls of the clothes- line. It was good sport as long as it lasted, but dogs are volatile creatures, There is only one sport they never tire of, and that is riding in auto- moblles, as all dog owners know. Wolf and Rex, by mutual agree- ment, abandoned the clothesli: It was now 6:15 a.m., and much yet re- mained to be done. There was still another yard with open gate calling. Ah, the lure of the open gate! Can any dog resist it? Certainly not Wolf and Rex. They raced in, they raced up and down, they rolled over, they fought, they played, they engaged in dalliance. Then Wolf spied something on the porch. It belonged to that portion of human wearing apparel which Dickens delighted in calling the ‘“un- mentionables,” so perhaps we should g0 into no further detail here since Dickens did not. “Unmentionables” is quite enough Wolf seized the garment, Rex seized it. Wolf pulled, Rex pulled. Wolf, one of the born clowns of Dogland, wagged his head Rex wagged, too. The dogs, their feet firmly braced, one with his tail wagging west, the other east, pulled away at the gar- ment, making it a veritable tug-of- war. Slowly Wolf. the elder, drag bis lighter pal. Then there was a ripping sound, and the “unmen- tionables™ became unmentionable, in- th began to ‘Woof!” ! shouted Wolf. Afn't we got fun? “Woof! Woof!" barked R good morning's sport, I calls it.” “a WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. ‘When history records the annals of these times, it will want a name for Hiram Johnson. Not improperly it could christen him the Great Vindic- tive. Nor would it miss the mark if it depicted him as the sad-eyed god of unrequited revenge. The California implacable is on the warpath again. The target of his latest wrath is Wal- lace McCamant, recently named by President Coolidge to be a Federal judge in Oregon. Senator Johnson will oppose the nomination in the Senate on the ground that McCamant *vio- lated the law of Oregon"” in 1920. The felony was committed at the Repub- lican national convention in Chicago, when McCamant, who was a delegate, failed to vote for Hiram for Prelfii‘em in accordance with the “instructions” of the Oregon State primaries. Later in the same convention it was Me- Camant who_placed Coolidge in nomi- nation for Vice President. Johnson asserts that “a man who will not re- spect the law, breaks his faith and violates the statutes of his State is unfit to be a Federal judge.” So all the Hiramian thunderbolts are to be hurled against McCamant when Win- ter comes. Johnson, for identical rea- sons, unsuccessfully opposed Presi- dent” Harding’s nomination of David H. Blair of North Carolina to be commissioner of internal revenue. * X ¥ X Unterrified by current events at Shanghai, John V. A. MacMurray, the new American Minister to China, is sailing srtaight for the turbulent inter- national port on June 13. He will leave San Francisco' on_ that day aboard the'United States liner Presi- dent Pierces All being well, MacMur- ray will talle up his duties at Peking on or aboutYuly 4, which he considers a chronologfcat omen of happy import. During the past fortpight he has had the opportunjty of bringing himself up to date on chaotic China through con- ference with Dr. Jacob G. Schurman, until recently our envoy at Peking and now about to sail for his new post as Ambassador to Germany. MacMur- ray is one of the world's acknowl- edged authorities on China, although as diplomatists go, he's only a young- ster. The Chinese account his age (43) a great asset from their standpoint. They are accustomed to Ministers from foreign nations who remain on duty among them for a long time. Mac- Murray’s youth, they hope, means that he will be with them for years. X K X ¥ Frank B. Kellogg, Seeretary of State, ought to return to his home State of Minnesota with President Coolidge next week in something of a spirit of high vindication. Three years ago, when Mr. Kellogg aspired to re-elec- tion to the United States Senate, Min- nesota rejected him and elected Hen- rik Shipstead by a plurality of 83,500. Since then honor after honor has come Kellogg's way. President Harding ap- pointed him a delegate to the fifth pan-American conference in Chile, and President Coolidge named him succes- jvely to be Ambassador to Great Britain and Secretary of State. . It should be an hour of personal tri- umph for the lawyer-statesman when the presidential flag is flown from the Kellogg mansion on Fairmount avs nue, St. Paul, overlooking the murky MisSissippi, for a day or two. A T First-hand information of condi- tions_in Mexico will be brought to the White House in the course of the next week by James R. Shef- field, American Ambassador at Mex- jco City, who has arrived in the United States on three-week leave. American-Mexican relations are ofy ficially cordial, but in reality no bet- ter than they ought to be. American landowners have been subjected to some exasperating treatment under the new Mexican. agrarian laws. It.is that stern representations to Presi- dent Calles’ government may be- come necessary, although Ambas- sador Sheffleld vigorously denies that his visit to the United States is in any way connected with a crisis In our chronically strained affairs with Mexico. * xox o James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor, is defying the hot weather in Wash- ington by giving shirt-sleeve sittings to A. L. Ratzka, a New York artist, who is painting “the little Welsh- man's” portrait. The picture is near enough completion to indicate that it will be an artistic success. Some- times his friends think “Jim the Puddler” (the title of his biography) has a Napoleonic aspect, both in size and physiognomy. Others often find in him a resemblance to William M. Kinley. But whatever his new por- trait in oil turns out to look ltke, Davis insists it is not going to serve as a model for a beauty lotiam, in ac- cordance with a distinguished ex- ample just set in anotl and fairer quarter of Washington official life. * ¥ ¥ X% Lewis Nixon of New York, ship- builder and successor of Richard Croker as boss of Tammany Hall, told a story on himself in Washing- ton this week. Not long ago he was in- vited to deliver an address in Rich- mond. but failed to make much of an impression on his crowd, a 'woman's organieation, because he was introduced as a mere New Yorker. Later in the evening the news per- colated through the meeting that Nixon is a native of Leesburg, Lou- doun County, Va., whereupon the proud daughters of the Old Dominion lionized him no end. Nowadays, Nixon says. when he has a speaking date in Virginia, he sees that his pedigree is properly advertised in advance. Nixon is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, fin- ishing at the head of his class in 1882, He was at Annapolls with John W. Weeks. In 1890, while in the Constructions Corps of the Navy, Nixon designed the battleship Ore- gon, which achieved immortality in the Spanish-American War. * X X ¥ Wall Street doesn't share Wash- ington’s antipathy to the League of Nations. That is why some of its big investment houses are bidding against European banking groups for a bond jssue for the Saar Basin, the former German coal and iron field now administered by the league. The issue would have the practical guar- antee of the Geneva international organization, like the reconstruction loans to Austria and Hungary, which were partially financed in America. (Copyright. 1925.) U. S. Becoming Land Of Holiday Seekers Lite in the United States has changed very much since that time when it took the average man 18 hours a day and 12 months a year to scrape together a more or less doubt- ful living—in fact, we seem about to swing to the ‘other extreme. A story was once told on New Or- leans by those who knew that fine city when it was the most delightful place of residence imaginable. It was to the effect that in New Orleans one-half of the town was everlasting- Iy on parade and the other half Jin- ing the banquettes looking at the paraders. That story was more truth than poetry, and now we are reaching the point where one:-] the popula- tion is on the other half the National Anthem To the Editor of The Sta Truly your correspondent, H. W. Elifs, in his letter printed in The Star of May 29, ventured in “where angels miight fear to tread” in his pacifistic citicism of the sublime words of our national anthem—a poem which raised the poet-patriot, Francis Scott Key, in one inspired moment to a place among the immortals. I have Treard the music of “The Star Spangled Ranner™ crith cized, but never before have I heard the words cevsured. President Hard- ing said: “Key caught the inspiration of a vital moment and wrote that in- spiration into one of the eonge of the ages ¢ * ¢ the author's pAtriotic service was an everlasting contribu- tion to the soul uplift and exaltation of his countrymen who live after him * * * to give ringing voice to such an inspiration was one of the greatest services which any man could do for the young republic.” Admiral Dewey said to me: “There will never be, there can never be, another national anthem, the Army’s and Navy's usage has sanc- ified forever the immortal words of The Star Spangled Banner.” This our famous hero said before the World ‘War. In that conflict our national an. them was more deeply dyed in the sacrificial blood of the patriots, who were inspired by Key’s stirring mes- sage “to do and dle" for their own “loved country” and for humanity. And yet we have this pacifistic plagiar- ism in the suggested substitute for “The Star Spangled Banner" sent to your paper by H. W. Ellis. Why does not your correspondent ask France change the words of the sellaise” as being “too warlike.” contains the words “to arms, to arms, ye brave.” Let us analyze the words of our national anthem briefly. We find the expressed anxiety for a beloved country, joy for its victory in battle, thanksgiving to God for that victory, closing with a prayer for His aid in the tuture— “Oh! thus be it ever when freemen shall stand Between their loved home and the war's desolation— Blest with victory and peace may the Heaven-rescued land Praise the pow'r that hath made and preserved us a Nation.” This sublime poem breathes the spirit of freedom from despotic power. It is a song of the freedom of land—of men—of souls—a song of individual liberty, of the rights of nations. It will endure. It is immorta AWALT. MAUD L. GRE! Hot Weather Needs Of City Animals To the Editor of The Star: i During the Summer heat waves like the one through which we are now passing, when the most comfortably situated of us suffer to some extent, my heart goes out immediately to the tiny fretting babies in dirty, crowded aliey and tenement districts and to the speechless birds and beasts, es- pecially those under the unnatural conditions of city life and dependent upon man for care. The condition of the bables is sad enough where pov- erty and crowded life keep them away from the fresh air and pure nourish- ment babies should have, but at least all possible under the circumstances Is done for them by their mothers, often aided by welfare workers. For the animals I feel in a different way, for, unfortunately, too many folk ' who' call themselves good Chris- tians, who respond on the instant to the cry of need of a human being, seem to think, and, sometimes, indeed, boast, that they feel no compunction to bother themselves where the lower creation is concerned, though every day indebted in scores of ways to the creatures they ignore. These heat waves bring need of mercy to both man and beast, and it is every one's duty to respond where need is apparent. The very least any one can do is to keep fresh water available for their own pets and for the neighborhood strays. There are persons who call homeless ani- mals nuisances; they often are, but through no fault of their own. These same persons might not only rid themselves of the nuisances, but act humanely by feeding such for a time in order to tame somewhat and send to the place provided for them, the Animal Rescue League. To homeless creatures a merciful death is prefera- ble to a miserable existence, and there is no true kindness in the sentiment, “It's a shame to kill them.” Animals killed for food for those who insist on eating meat are not thought of in_that way. Many crates of chickens at corner markets, are left for hours in the hot sun” waterless. Ask that they be watered and kept in shade: also that horses be kept in shade as much as possible and that they be driven gen- tly during the heat. VIRGINIA W. SARGENT. vt Will Give Bus Guides a Chance to Show Quality To the Editor of The Star: In answer to Charles M. An- dre’s query, I may state that it is a long time since I was in a Washington sight-seeing bus, and I am glad to hear that there are at least three which confine themselves to fact. In view of the complaint of a eciti zens' association, The Star's remarks thereon, what I have overheard and others been told, it is evident that not all conform to the stardard of those for which Mr. Andre vouches. I am certainly going to take a trip on one or more of them when time permits, and add to my knowledge. I am al- ways willing to learn and to be shown. A “rara avis” is the one who knows everything about even his home town. Departing from personalities, the matter of misinformation, slandering neighborhoods and the like is a prac- tice which needs serious consideration. A traveler paying good money to visit ‘Washington, rail fare and hotel expenses, for instance, may rightly consider himself badly treated if his time is taken up_ listening to trash, better examples of which he can get more cheaply at a vaudeville show. ‘Washington has a great advantage over many cities in having enough of interest to occupy weeks of sightsee- ing, so there is mo excuse here for abusing the job of guide. The com- plaint is not about the “Andre' ———. . $32,640 Paid for Book in Craze ‘for Antiques The announcement was made recent- ly that $32,640, said to be the highest price ever paid for an American book, was given for Richard Baxter's “A Call to the Unconverted,” translated into an Indian language. Tt is another example of the ridulous extremes to which collectors will go when the pas. sion to possess grips them. The in- trinsic value of the book is small; a reprint probably would not bring more than a dollar or two at most. This sale is particularly interesting because the book involved is an Ameri- can publication. American antiques of every sort are coming into favor now. Any one who has articles of American manufacture dating back to pre-revolutionary days, especially fur- niture and chinaware, would do well e —— pened. to some ‘hundreds of people last No Chunge in Wo! s of jevening when they heedlessly fol- ! ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN Q. Do radio stations receive letters from radio fans?—F. E. . A. Last year one large station in New York City recelved an average of 17,000 letters a month. In Janu- ary of this year the number jumped o 54,000. Q. How many refrigerator cars do the rallroads bave?—M. C. D. .~ A. They own or control 125,600 re- frigerator cars. In 1923 there were loaded in the United States 850,000 cars of fruits and vegetables requir- ing ventilation or refrigeration. Q. When a pitched ball hits a bats- man's bat without his striking at it, s it a hit?—0. T. 8. A. It counts as if he had swung at it and is considered a legally hit ball. Q. Is there a World War soldier buried for every mew stone placed in Arlington?—C. §. T. A. Any soldier or sailor of the United States service may be buried at Arlington, but no stone is placed before burial. All stones actually mark graves. many Q. How many types of tobacco are raised in this country?—M. P. A. There are now several hundred irdiscriminate type names used. The Department of Agriculture advocates a_ reduction to 27 definite types. These could be placed in six classes, including four or five types. Q. What power has the motor of the new trackless train?—H. C. C. A. The locomotive is equipped with two 90-horsepower motors. The Pull- man has an auxiliary 60-horsepower motor which can be used when it seems advisable to uncouple the Pull- man from the engine. Q. Does Japanese barberry spread stem rust?—8. W, A. It does not. Common barberry should be destroyed, but Japanese bar- berry is harmless. Q. Where do the male birds stay during the time that the eggs are hatching?—C. W. G. \ A. The Biological Survey says that as a rule during the nesting season the male birds perch out or in other words seek shelter in the rather thickly leaved places near the nest. Q. If a person has had smallpox will he ever need vaccination?—C. B. A. The city Health Department says that when a person has once had smallpox he is immune from this dis- ease and, therefore, vaccination is net necessary. Q. Wher lasting Fire"?—L. B. A. The inner pit of Kilauea is called “Halemaumau,” which is trans- lated “House of Everlasting Fire.” Kilauea is the active volcano on the Island of Hawali. is the “House of Ever- Q. What causes most of the auto- mobile accidents?—A. V. A. The Bureau of Public Roads says that it has made a limited study with the following result: 47.6 per cent of the accidents were classified as due to motor vehicles leaving the road: 33.4 per cent as collisions of two motor vehicles; 9.9 per cent as due to the running down of an equestrian or pedestrian; 3.9 per cent as collisions of motor vehicles and trains; 2.6 per cent as miscellaneous; 1.4 per cent as collisions of motor vehicles and other vehicles, and 1.2 per cent as unknown. Q. On what engineering work did Nero start the exeavating?—K. C. B. A. Nero began cutting a canal through the Isthmus of Corinth in A. D. 67, but the project was soon afterward abandoned. Q. When was the Government Printing Office established’—C. R. B. A. It was established in 1861. Q. When was the water power of the Niagara first employed industrini- Iy B A. The first application was that in a sawmill built by the French ‘in 1725 on the New York side near the rapids. Q. Do the soldlers in the United States stand with their feet parallel or at an angle with lreels together?— P. A. A. They stand with their feet at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. Q. How many Presidents have had their pictures on postage stamps’— E E L. A.” Fifteen have appeared. They are: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Harrison, Taylor, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, McKinley, Roposevelt and Lincoln, Cleveland, Harding. Q. What is a newel>—W. I. N. A. In architecture it is the central space or column round which the steps of a circular stairway are wound. When there is no central pillar, the newel is said to be open. Q. Does the Auditorfum Building in Chicago contain business offices?— A." The main floor is occupied by the Auditorfum Theater with a seate ing capacity of 3.641. The upper floors of the building are used as of- fice space. Q. What country was called the “Northern Giant”?—L. A. C. A. This name was formerly ap- plied in Europe to Russia, on account of its size, growth and population. “The Northern Bear” was another appellation given to Russta. Q. When was New York City the capital of the United States.—N. D. B. A. It was the Federal Capital for about a year and a half untl August, 1790. Q. When were clocks made by George Miller”—W. W. L. A. George Miller, clockmaker, is listed in the Philadelphia Directory of 1829 Q. What is the infant rate for Scotland?>—D. C. R A. According to the latest report of the Scottish register general, the infant mortality rate for Scotland in 1924 was 98 per 1,000 births. The birth rate for 1924 was the lowest re corded for Scotland since the war years of 1917 and 1918. Q. mortality. How long ago was the rate of commutations increased for privates while traveling?—R. G. The date of the War Depart- ment order authorizing increase of commutation rations for enlisted men on a detached service from $1. $2.25 a day was_ December 8, The rate of $2.25 is given to those soldiers who are in a travel status. Quarters, heat and light were not increased at the same time Q. How many books are Columbia University - library M. B. e A. Columbia University library has now added the millionth volume to its book collection The education sec tion alone requires four floors of the new building of Teachers’ College. Q. Has an timate ever been made as to whether the American wage-earners make more or less money than those of European coun tries?—E. C. H. A. According to statistics just compiled by the National Industrial Conference Board the American wage. earner, on a basis of what his pay will buy for him, is paid more than twice as well as his British colleagues in London: nearly three times as well as the wage-earner in Amsterdam, Holland: more than three times better than the worker in Berlin, Germany, and nearly five times as much as the worker in Italy. Q. How old is Jackle Coogan? 3.7T.C A. He was born October 26, 1914, so will be 11 in the Fall. Q. What credentials are necessary in order to belong to the American Veterinary Medical Assoclation? C. B A A. The association now requires that an applicant for membership must be a graduate of a recognized veterinary school with a curriculum of four years of nine months each. Q. What is the “Order of Wash- ington”?>—M. B A. The Order of Washington is a national _organization, founded in 1895 at Mobile, Ala., and chartered June 11, 1908. The members are as. sociated for historical and genealogi cal purposes. Membership is by invi tation and is hereditary. in the H (The Star invites its readers to use this information service freely. An extensive organization is maintained to serve you in any capacity that re- lates to information. Failure to use the service deprives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your obliga- tion is only a 2-cent stamp inclosed with your inquiry for direct. reply Address The Star Information Bureau Frederic J. Haskin, director, Twenty- first and ' streets morthwest.) Champions of Locomotive Scoff at Gar Wood’s Racer When Gar Wood's speed boat, Baby Gar IV, racing down the Hud- son River from Albany to New York, beat the Twentieth. Century Limited train running on schedule time, it aroused a spirited discussion of the siznificance or lack of significance of the performance. To many observers the incident dramatically emphasized | the modern development of speed, but others point to the train schedule based on safety and insist nothinz was proved, because the locomotive actually was not racing. The dramatic and picturesque aspect of the affair appealed to the Albany Evening News, which says it was an event that made history, while all the country watched and listened. “Air, water and rail, gaso- line and steam, vied down the Hud- son Valley.” The Evening News continues: “The fastest train com- peted with the fastest gasoline boat, while above hovered an airplane. And all along the way radio carried the details of the race. minute by minute. It was more than a sporting event, more than a contest of speed. It showed the progress that has been made in beating time on the water. The river that has played so great a part in the history of the United States makes more history.” Historic significance is seen also by the Toledo Blade. ‘‘The first steam- boat on the Hudson River was Robert Fulton's Clermont,” recalls the Blade. “Its time from New York to Albany was eleven times the running time of the speed boat. The Clermont waddled up the river in 32 hours. Gar Wood's boat went down in less than 3 hours. Until recently no such speed, nor anything like it, would have been dreamed possible for a boat. The designer of a hull of won- derful lines and the builder of a com- pact internal-combustion engine made it possible.” * ok ok % Speaking on behalf of the railroad man, the Philadelphia Public Ledger asks, “What has a high-power speed- boat, outracing -the Twentieth Century Limited down the Hudson to do with the spirit fused in men and steel and steam that makes great railroading?” Then the Ledger proceeds to discount the performance in the light of the spirit of the locomotive pilot. “Men say,” declares the Ledger, “that the old 'romance has died out of railroad- ing; that the old loyalty of men to their craft, their chiefs, their roads and their engines has gone. And yet when the builder and driver of the Baby Gars says it was a real race ‘won by the boat every railroader along the division hotly rejoins: ‘Race? No not to part with them until they have been appraised by some one who un- derstands such matters, for they may be worth a fortune. g The interest in American antiques is of enmplhr:'fimy r;ecent orl“ln and robably vet reached its peak. ’—H!tliurt’l Sun, race at all. The old limited can do 90. She's held to a schedule of 50. Thirty- nine minutes to the good out of Albany, she killed time all the way down to go in on schedule. Race?” The Ledger adds that the fierce loyal- ties of old are not dead, but were “stirred in the breast of every, {dog looking down in along the division when the racing gasboat mocked the speed and prestige of rail and steam,’ This business of a squirt motor beat advertising itself a: the Twentieth Century Limited, {'narks the Saginaw Courier, “brings to mind the picture, ‘Dignity and Impudence,’ with the majestic big calm wonder- ment at the snarling little mongrel going through the motions of attack No ‘racing’ is thought of and, of course, would not be permitted. Nor would it add to the peace of mind of the traveling public if the idea was allowed to obtain that passenger trains did race.” of a ‘racing’ % i Historic days on the Mississippi are recalled by the Decatur Herald, which observes that “the fine old days when trains raced for mail contracts are gone forever, and locomotive engi. neers no longer give reign to the sporting instincts of those Mississippi River steamboat captains, who, ac- cording to tradition, seated a black roustabout on the safety valve and threw tar on the fire when a rival boat signified a willingness for a brush. Modern transportation is serious busi. ness, and fortunately enough, is so garded by the men who are in | Delving into the teprimand records of the Santa Fe Railroad. the Joliet Herald News resurrects the story of the freight engineer who, temporarily in charge of a passenger train, “yanked the throttle wide open, and when he reached the first stop where a train dispatcher could slow his gait. bad covered 90 miles in less than 60 minutes.” The Herald News con- tinues: “When he completed his round trip he learned from a rough and pro- fane tongue that speed isn't the first consideration of a railroad. “Nothing has been proved except that the railroad company thinks more of safety than it does of speed,” the Indianapolis News remarks. The Providence Bulletin sees no signif. cance in the result, “but e had a good time and there wers nu fatalities, so why worry?" “‘The boat’s narrow advantage over the crack train supports the claim that the express might have won had it not been held down to schedule speed.” notes the New York Evening World. “Of course it was a motor boat designéd solely for speed.” comments the Asheville Times in pointing to the improbability that freighters . and liners will ever equal the locomotive. The Boston Transcript reminds its readers that ‘“the time is at hand when the man who wants swifter means of getting from place to place will take to the air.” The Asbury Tark Press declares the outstanding resuit is “to spoil the fun and en. danger the lives of swimmers, canoe- ists, rowers and amateur sailors.” The South Bend Tribune sees noth! in the victory except “that a motor swift, which we knew before.’

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