Evening Star Newspaper, July 10, 1925, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Mo!nlnx Efl“""i- WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY. . July 10, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES. . . Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St and Penneyivania Ave i ew York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office: Tower Building. RBuropean Office: 16 Regent St.. London, England The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- ing edition, iy delivered by carrors within 1he city at' 80 cents ner month: Naily only. 45 cents per month: 'Sunday o cents per month. Orders m sent by mail or telephone Main 5000, Collection is made by carrier at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday....1 yr. $8.40: 1 mo.. Daily only .. ¢ 1578610011 mo! Sunday only 1yr. i 1 mo. All Other States. Baily and Sunday...1vr.$10.00: 1 md.. Daily only 13t 1 mo Sunday only 1 i1mo. Mermber of the Associated Pres The Associated Press is exclusively enti 1o the use for republication of all news a Patches credited 1o it or not Gtherwiss crod- ited in this paper and also the local news Dihlished herein. Al rights of publication of ved. America’s Foreign Investments. The United States and fts people are bound by chains of gold to the Test of the world. Investments of private American capital abroad in 1924 amounted to $9,090,000,000, ac- cording to data collected and made public by the National Industrial Con- ference Board. Foreign investments in the United States amount to about one-half of our investments abroad. Tn addition to the investments of pri- vate American capital in foreign countries are the huge war debts owed | the United States the allied na tions totaling in principal and accrued interest some $11,000,000,000. ! With these huge investments abroad ’ the interest of Americans in political | conditions by in foreign countries has grown. They are interested on the | material side as well as the moral. War, with its attendant ruin and de- struction of property, in some of the nations where American capital is most heavily invested could not fail to have its effect the Amerfcan pocketbook. This explaims the very considerable interest which the so- called group of American international bankers has in European affairs and in the stabilization of the world. It may explain also some of the desire to have this country enter the League | of Nations. Loans to foreign governments con- Stitute a Jarge part of the investments of private American capital in for- eign countries. For example, private capital invested by United Statee citi- zens in Europe amounts to about $1,900,000,000, the National Indus- trial Conference Board maintains, and on could not be so neglectful of social obligations as not to keep thelr aloha- bet up-to-date. There are a few persons in Wash- ington who purposely carry visiting cards engraved in an old-fashioned way. The purposes are economy—& most unfashionable thing—and the de- sire to show that they have owned a card plate for more than one year. Everybody of any consequence is sup- posed to have a card plate that has been in the family for generations. For a woman to go calling with cards |engraved in the 1884 style ought to be thought as bad form as to walk along ¥ street with a Floradora hat trim- med with two.yard feathers. A woman who would go a-calling in 1925 with her card case stuffed with cards of 1924 construction would wear puffed sleeves and high shoes, learry part of her skirt in her hand {to keep from sweeping up germs. | There are some men so inconsiderate of the social graces that they carry printed cards. | One cannot object to an annual style in engraving, but the engravers should be merciful. They should change the style of the letters on visiting cards, but keep the letters enough like the English alphabet that & man who knows the alphabet rea- sonably well can read the card, if you giye him time. ey Another Ship Board Veto. Like true love, the course of the Government's merchant fleet “never | does run smooth.”” The Shipping Board vesterday rejected the recommenda- tion made by President Leigh C. Palmen of the Fleet Corporation that a bid of the Boston Iron and Metal Co. of Baltimore to purchase 200 ships for scrap be accepted, emphasiz- ing again the folly of divided responsi- bility. President Coolidge has strongly urged on the Shipping Board that the disposal of the merchant vessdls be left to the president of the Fleet Cor- poration. Under the law, however, the Shipping Board is supreme. The Fleet Corporation is, in effect, & mere subsidiary of the Shipping Board, where the final authority is lodged by act of Congress. So the Shipping Board retains the power to veto any recommendations that may be made by the head of the Fleet Corporation, whether the recommendations be for sale of ships or for their operation. And yesterday the hoard again used its veto power. The system is wrong. To lodge with a bi-partisan board of seven men the duty of passing upon the operation and disposal of the great merchant fleet built up by the United States during the war emergency was a mis- take. President Coolidge has recog- nized that mistake, and has sought to remedy it, urging strongly that the of this total $1,500,000,000, or nearly four-fitths of our European commit- ments, are loans to governments. Here particularly lies a reason for American intereat in the political af- fairs of Europe. The fall of & govern- ment to which hundreds of millions of dollars have been loaned would cause more than a gasp to the bankers and individuals whose money made up the loan. Of the total of nine billions of dol- Jars plus invested abroad 44.4 per cent is invested in Latin American coun- tries, indicating the growth of busi- ness and trade between the United States and other American republics. While the loans to the governments| of the Latin American countries are not so large in comparison to the total investment in those countries with the loans to European govern- ments, they are still considerable, totaling $840,000,000. American capital has been gener- ously invested in the Dominion of | Canada, where the loans to the Canadian governments total $1,060,- 600,000, which is 43 per cent of the total American capital invested in the Dominion. The Far East still beckons for Amer- ican capital. Our total investments in Asia and Oceania are set down at the trifling sum of $690,000,000, or only 7.6 per cent of the total foregin investments made by Americans. Even here the loans to governments represent 64 per cent of the whole, serving to emphasize again the inter- est which America has in the mainte- nance of stability and peace in the world. The amazing change from the early days of the Republic, when the na- tions of Europe were lending America about a million dollars a year, and America was using what wealth it possessed for its own development, has come about in little more than a hundred years. The United States has become the banker of the world with tremendous power. B — { Col. Bryan is almost as bitter to. ward the chimpanzee as he would be if the alleged ancestral ape were, in disdain of the Commoner’s indorse ment, seeking nomination on the Democratic ticket. Syt An arrangement to keep Congress in session through the Summer might result in more legislative enthusiasm for bathing beaches. —— e Styles in Engraving. A proposal comes from engravers for a change in the style of the alphabet once a year. One object, and a praiseworthy one, is to stimulate the art of engraving, but there are other advantages. For one thing, it| would give persons of fashion another met of styles to keep up with. No cor- rectly dressed man, wife and daughter would want to hand to the butler or drop on a silver platter & visiting card of last vear’s model. They would for- felt their position in society, and per- sons who have not the discretion and noble feeling to keep their visiting cards up-to-date ought to be chased out of the social register. A woman avho would send invitations to a luncheon, bridge, tea or phonograph musical on stationery engraved with last vear's style of letters and figures is impossible. Every gentleman ex- pects to observe the latest style in neckties, walking stick$§, hat bands and trousers, and every woman of social importance observes the latest thing | nomic operation and disposal of the fleet be turned over entirely to the Fleet Cor- poration. The board has passed reso- lutions seemingly in accordance with the recommendations of the President. But for a considerable period the board handled the operation of the ships, and it has been reluctant to relinquish its powers. Testifying be- fore a House committee, President Palmer frankly stated that the board continued to interfere, and gave in- stances of such interference. Comparatively recently President saying that he believed it would be to the best interests of the Government if the negotiations for and sale of ships were left to the president of the Fleet Corporation. In accordance with this latest request of the President the board has turned over this work to the Fleet Corporation. But it re- tains the veto power under the law. The only way this situation can be remedied, apparently, is to change the law. That course may be followed when Congress reconvenes. The President, the Congress and the people generally are desirous that the United States shall have a permanent cverseas merchant marine for national defense and for the spread of our commerce. They are desirous, too, that the Government-owned fleet shali be transferred as speedily as possible to private American operation, and that such vessels as are not needed or are not fitted for such operation shall be scrapped. But the difficulties faced by prospective purchasers under the present system are, to say the least, discouraging. ———————————— Darwin would have died a much richer man if this evolution con- troversy could have taken place dur- ing his lifetime. The revenues on h: writings are only beginning to m terialize. eriousness with which eco- conditions in Europe are re- garded depends on whether the Ameri- The | can observer establishes his viewpoint at Deauville or Berlin. oo Overhead Trolley Lines. Announcement is made that the mid- street poles will be removed from Con- necticut avenue from the Calvert Street Bridge to the Klingle Ford Bridge, and that all overhead wiring save for street car propulsion will be caried underground. This will be a great aid in clearing that important highway of obstructions. 1t would be far better if the overhead conduction system were abandoned in favor of the underground construc- tion. Objection, however, is raised to that, that this would entail a prohibi- tive expense upon the street railway company. Just at present there is railed traction service. Some doubt is felt on the score of extensions and changes in view of the possibility of the replacement of track lines with bus routes. But it is plainly incumbent upon the Utilities Commission to con- sider the wisdom of displacing the overhead wire in the urban area, and especially on streets of heavy traffic. overhead trolley lines related to the space within the “city limits.” Since that prohibition was written into the law the urban area has extended far beyond the old boundaries on the north and from time to time the “plow pits” marking the ends of underground con- struction have been moved outward. in skirts, shoes, pearl necklaces and hair cuts. It is believed that they and would! Coolidge wrote a letter to the board, | some question as to the economy of { 'THE EVENING - STAR, WASHINGTON, D, the increase in street use. On Connec- ticut avenue this is particularly true. Connecticut avenue north of Calvert street is for a long distance strictly urban in condition and carries a very heavy traffic. The objection to overhead trolley lines is not alone due to the presence of poles in the streets. The presence of the wires themselves, charged with high tension currents, is a menace. In case of a fire they are dangerous, im- peding the work of firemen. Whether the wires are suspended from poles in the middle of the street or from sup- ports on the sides, they remain men- acing elements. 8o it is to be hoped that.eventually all overhead trolley construction will be eliminated from the thoroughfares of the urban area, as long as transpor- tation is maintained on a traction basis. R No Fool-Proof Grade Crossing. A typical grade-crossing accident occurred yesterday in New Jersey. A man driving a car containing his wife and mother-in-law appsoached an in- tersection with an express train in plain sight down the track. A warn- ing bell was ringing at the crossing and the siren of the express locomo- tive was blowing. The engineer of the train had seen the motor car ap- proaching the tracks and blew his whistle to attract the driver’s atten- tion. Realizing that the motorist was bent on crossing in front of him he began applying his brakes. The motor- ist rushed upon the tracks,-his ma- chine was hit and all three occupants were killed. This is plainky a case of foclhardy attempt to beat the train. The man was familiar with the country. He knew the crossing, and he must have seen the train approaching. Yet he ’lonk a chance for which there was no need. He was not bent upon an emergency errand. There was no occa sion for haste. Yet he speeded up to cross the tracks ahead of the train, whereas if he had halted he would have been delayed only a few seconds. Most of the grade-crossing accidents are due to this insensate desire to speed, to “beat the train.” As long as tracks remain at grade motorists will continue to do it and will continue to get hit, end they and their pas- sengers to be killed. There is no “fool- proof” crossing. The only safe inter- section of tracks and road is at dif- ferent levels. While waiting for this cure of the grade-crossing evil, which will take a long time and an enor- mous expenditure, the praver of all those who are driven on the road must be that the man at the wheel will not be guilty of this homicidal folly. e DT — Foreign markets threaten to boycott American motion pictures, not because of any charge of unfair competition, but because of their superior quality. At last American art is recognized. Europe should be strong enough in the spirit of fair play to accept with grace her films from America, as we 80 many years accepted our fashions from Paris and our musical comedies from Vienna ———— | Reports indicate that while Ger- many may not immediately reassert herself in dominance of chemical science, mathematics and political philosophy, she will soon be in a posi- tion to take charge of the Christmas toy market, as usual. —— e The Senate will have a number of investigations on ite hands, and in- cidentally its presiding officer, Mr. Dawes, is immutable in his determina- tion to insist on a rules revision, even if it becomes necessary to investigate the Senate. ot The assertion that President Cool- idge can have another term if he wants it seems to imply the rather absurd inference that he may not de- sire the most coveted place that the world has to offer. — oo Scientists respect religion seeking to understand the ways in which the Creator wrought. A few of our eminent religionists positively refuse to show any reciprocal respect for science. R A bathing costume is considered complete if there is enough of it to be clearly discernible in a photograph. ———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Influence in July. Goin’ fishin'! Fare you well Where the waves are swishin® For a little while we'll dwell In a calm condition. Goin' fishing’! 1f you seek Favor or position You must wait another week; Boss has gone a-fishin'. The Political Ring. “Why don't you make one of those old-fashionéd speeches that made the welkin ring?” “If you want votes now,” answered Senator Sorghum, “you've got to seek them from house to house. Politics is not so much & matter of ringing the welkin as of ringing door bells.” * Jud Tunkins says money talks, but in the case of a large international indebtedness it mostly listens. Saplent Slence. Though evolution now has@tirred Our intellects to dizziness, The monkey never says a word In all this monkey business. Concealment. “Women never talk of masks in a parade. “We wouldn’t have to put on masks to conceal our features,” said Miss Cayenne. “All we'd have to do would wearing j The original prohibition against|p.'s, wear our cloche hats.” Law of Averages. On Fashion still we frown ¥ _ And bitter is life's cup. ' Girls roll their stockings down; The bootleg still goes up. “De world is gettin’ better,” said Yet these changes have not kept pace|Uncle Eben, “but some o' de people th the development of the city and|in it is gettin’ wuss,” while } THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES L. TRACEWELL. Did Marcus Aurelius, Emperor, of Rome nearly 2,000 years ago, foresee this column? In all modesty I submit this ques- tion to the readers of This and That during this week, which marks the first anniversary of this column. Marcus Aurelius said, in the third book of his ‘Meditation: ““A man should use himself to think of those things only about, which if one should suddenly ask, What hast thou now in thy thoughts? with per- fect openness thou mighest immedi- ately answer: This or that.” 8o there you have a marvelous in- stance of prophecy; and it pleases me a great deal to feel that in the words following Marcus described the read- ers of this column: “From thy words it should be plain that everything in thee is simple and benevolent, and such as befits a social animal, and one that cares not for thoughts about pleasure or sensual enjoyments at all, nor has any rivalry or envy and suspicion, or anything else for which thou wouldst blush if thou shouldst say that thou hadst it in thy mind. “For the man who is such and no longer delays being among the num- ber of the best, is like a priest and minister of the gods, using, too, the deity which is planted within him, which makes the man uncontaminat- ed by pleasure, unharmed by any pain, untouched by any insult, feeling no wrong, a fighter in the noblest fight.” To Marcus Aurelius, over the years, let us send greetings; for we, too, have tried to be fighters in the noblest fight. We have written of people (especially in the home), of animals (particularly cats and dogs), of books and literature in general, ethical pleces, of places (notably streets, parks, etc.), of gardens, Estey alley. conditions, reviews of bogks old and new, in praise of WashinBton, D. C., | our home tow; storfes from old rec ords and stores of manners. In this work we have tried to hold fast to the best, and the hundreds of kind letters in the letter box make us feel that we have succeeded, to some | extent, at least. * X % % | Aurelius, in his third book, gives a | plece of advice that was old when he | wrote it, but is always worth while “A man must stand erect, not be kept erect by others."” The whole trend of education, both in the home and schools, is to furnish out the child 8o he may stand erect. on his own feet, as the saying is, and not be dependent upon others. The ability to take care of one's self is something that many have natural- 1y, whereas others have to learn it by | painful degrees, some in the so-called school of hard knocks, others in the ordinary evolution of the personal life. Here is one place where there can be no doubt of evolution at all. Every life is an evolution, a beginning, a go- ing forward, an evolution of some- thing, a resolution into something. olution, in this sense, does not necessarily mean improvement. It simply implies something evolving | from one thing into another. There Is many a splendid little boy of today whose evolution will be downward in the days to come. It is too bad, of course, but the| years will show that to be the case. | On the other hand, let us consider a more hopeful example, that of some ugly duckling, who is regarded with more or less secret chagrin by his| parents. His will be an evolution worth while! By easy stages—so easy, some- times, he himself will not be able to note them—he will progress until he “big man,” a man who does things, and who does them because he thinks them first. He stands erect * %A% “If thou findest in human life any- thing better than justice, truth, tem- perance, fortitude, and, in a word, anything better than thy own mind’s self-satisfaction in the things which it enables thee to do according to right reason; if, I say, thou seest anything better than this, turn to it with all thy soul, and enjoy that which thou hast found to be the best.” So says Marcus Aurelius, continuing: “But if nothing appears to be better than the deity (the best) which Is plant- ed in thee; * * * if thou findest everything else smafer and of less value than this, give place to nothing else, for if thou dost once diverge and incline to it, thou wilt no longer with- out distraction be able to give the pref- erence to that good thing which is thy proper possession and thy own.” These words constitute, of course, counsel of perfection, which perhaps no one in this world can live up to: but it is worth while, now and then, to stop in the midst of our daily life and to consider them. All the preaching is not done from the pulpit. Many a man gets a better sermon from some chance remark of his little child than from all the ministers he ever heard, with all due respect to them and their holy calling. Sometimes the searching question of a little one strikes deep into the heart and a man gets a lesson that sticks. Vever value anything as profitable to thyself which shall compel thee to break thy promise, to lose thy self-re. spect, to hate any man, to suspect, to curse, to act the hypocrite, to desire anything which needs walls and cur- taf " says our old Roman hou hast embarked, thou hast made the voyage, thou art come to shore; get out,” he says, succinctly describing the life of man. He warns us not to spend ch time in thoughts about others, 'hat is such a person doing, and why, and what is he sayving, and what is he thinking of, and what is he contriving, and whatever else of the kind makes us wander away from the observation of our own ruling power.” The preceding paragraph shows the intense practical nature of this dreamer. The great ancient writers had what I call innate brains; their thinking powers were not due to the piling of century upon century, but came to them naturally, in astonish- ing force, sufficient to compel us to admiration after a lapse of thousands of vears. Marcus tells us plainly to cease poking into other folks' business, and to_mind our own a little better. Tt is good advice still “First aid” was familiar to him, but not exactly in the modern sense. “Come to thy own aid,” he said, paraphrasing the later, “Heaven helps those who helps themselves.” No matter what virtues or vices men share, our author says, conclud- ing the third book, “there remains that which is peculiar to the good man, to be pleased and content with what happens, and with the thread which is spun for him; and not to defile the divinity which is planted In his breast, nor disturb it by a crowd of images, but to preserve it tranquil. “And if all men refuse to believe that he lives a_simple, modest and contented life, he is neither angry with any of them, nor does he devi- ate from the way which leads to the end of life, to which a man ought to come pure, tranquil, ready to depart, becomes the pride of his community, a BY PAUL ¥ “Where doctors disagree, who shall | decide?’ The redecoration of the| ‘White House, by authority of an act | of Congress appropriating $50,000 for the same and the authorizing of the President to accept donations of early American furniture looms in impor- tance almost with the great issues of economics and statecraft. The situa- tion has potentialities equal to the in- citing cause of the Trojan War, which war would never have been justified by modern standards of beauty. Art- ists concede that beauty is a matter of taste, and “there is no accounting for taste.” e In the early days of the United States the people were sharply divided between the French party and the English party, and the lines of de- marcation applied not merely to poli- tics, but to every phase of life. Prior to the Revolution practically all im- ports of furniture came from England, but the bitterness of the war stopped English trade for a quarter of a cen- tury and the enthusiasm for the coun- try of Lafayette stimulated admira- tion for everything French. The continued war between England land France made commerce almost im- possible, so that Americans were forced to rely upon American-made turniture. With English models and patterns American cabinetmakers gradually developed a style in furni- ture not English, but heavier and stronger than the graceful but weak English Sheraton. It was this Ameri- can furniture which first furnished the White House—largely, but not wholl; the property of the successive Presi- dents. * ok K K The impression that all furniture in the White House was private prop- erty until Monroe's administration is erroneous. in 1797 Congress appropriated $14,000 for White House furniture, and au- thorized President Washington to sell lsuch pleces already in the White ! House which, In his judgment, were unfit. Hence, the old furniture to be discarded must have been public prop- erty. 3 In 1800 an appropriation of $15,000 was made for similar use; in 1805, $14,000; in 1809, $14,000, and with each term of the presidency appropriations for refurnishing ranged from $6,000 to $20,000. In the years 1833 to 1837 the furniture appropriations amounted to $46,000, and thereafter up to the days of Lincoin, each administration fresh- ened the furnishings with appropria- tions usualy about $14,000. In 1866 Congress gave $24,000 for the purpose: in 1867, $35,000, and 1869, | $25,000—a total of $84,000 in three | years. The total appropriations for | White House furniture up -to 1873 amounted to $529,641.76. The signifi- cant incident in the Monroe adminis- tration was the radical change from { English to French style, for Monroe had been Ambassador to France before his presidency, and upon his return home he brought a great shipment of furniture, which he put into the Whité House as his private property, and later sold to the Government. This produced a mixture of English, Amer- jcan modification of English models, and French, from which, it is now contended, the Executive Mansion never recovered until the general overhauling in the Roosevelt adminis- tration, 23 years ago. Sk ok ok % According to the standard history of the White House, by Esther Single- ton, “during President Roosevelt's ad- ministration, the historic mansion has undergone complete repair and resto- ration—so complete, in fact, that the ed question of an appropriate-home A BACKGROUND OF EVENTS Official records show that | and without any compulsion perfectly reconciled to his lot.” . COLLINS. for the President of the United Stat is. in all probability, settled forever." That restoration was made under the direction of McKim, the leading architect of his day. Mr. McKim de- ferred, naturally, to the first lady of the land, Mrs. Roosevelt, who was “to the manner born,” and according to a member of the Fine Arts Com- mission, was “‘more famillar with standards of taste than any other oc- cupant of the White House in the history of the country.” It is charged by critics that the state dining room is marred by many Rooseveltian heads of animals he had met—including that of a bull moose— and that it resembles a museum. Also that the President’s bedroom and Mrs. Coolldge’s room are spoiled by massive rococo cornices over the windows. *If it was so, it were & grievous fault,” which the new committee of dis tinguished artists will aid Col. Sherrill, superintendent of public buildings and parks, in eliminating. Also, the colors of the red room, the blue room and the green room are too vivid: they will be toned down, as present decora- tive tendencies turn toward pastel tints. No actual detafls of any general scheme have yet been worked out, for all plans must be submitted to the general committee next October, * o ok % In general, it is hoped by the ex- Derts to restore the furnishings to the style in vogue about 1800, so that they will be in keeping with the archi- tecture of the bullding, and with the historic traditions of early America. That, too, was the thought in 1902 when the Roosevelt restoration was made at a cost for repairs and re- furnishing of $475,445. The official re- port of the architects stated: “The first aim, therefore, was to discover the design and intention of the original builders and to adhere strictly thereto so far as the public or state portions of the house were con- cerned, and then to make the apart- ments reserved for the private or family uses comfortable, according t modern requirements and standards. * Kk k% A member of the Fine Arts Com- mission says: “It would certainly be the acme of foolhardiness for any one to attenipt to define what must be the eternal principle of beauty, whether in furniture, in paintings or in architecture, but few would dispute that suitableness for the purpose fi tended s a prime test. An Eskimo's iglog would not be good architecture in Panama, nor a Victorian cottage, with its whirligigs, accepted as a substitute for the Parthenon in Greece.” Pompous Roman style without mod- ern baths might not please a mod- ern mistress of the White House. In the century and a quarter since the White House was first furnished, what changes have come in taste! Are all to be condemned which are not “early American?” As time goes on, will there be no worthy suc- cessors to the styles which now bring scorn but which in their times were lauded? In the garrets of Time are the Victorian and the mission relics. No one would dust them off today, but how old must a period be before it _becomes _classically “antique?” Within 25 years after the Declara- tion of Independence American cab- inet makers had evolved an excellent style of ‘furniture, so that even that great protectionist, Alexander Ham- ilton, told Congress that our_cabinet work was equal to any in England and needed no protective tariff. Did American genius petrify a century ago, so that only what was accepted in 1800 is worthy today? Is Amer- ican art dead? f 100 | C., FRIDAY, JULY 10, 1925 Jail Sentence the Best Cure for Recklessness To the Rditor of The Star More than ordinary care is required of a raflroad company to avold in Jury to persons and animals. More than ordinary care should be required of drivers of automobiles on account of the greater danger. It is| not sufficient that the driver avoid ex- ceeding the speed limit. He should drive slowly unless he can see a long distance ahead and to the sidewalks and cross streets. He should never drive at anything like full speed near a row of parked cars. But many drivers will not use such precaution unless under fear of a jail sentence for colliding. Nearly every case of collision should be followed by a Jjail sentence. Fines will not materially diminish the number of accidents. THOMAS W. GILMER. ——————— Frenchmen Are Shaving As Never in History Among Frenchmen the fashion is coming to be to follow the example of American men and have beards and mustaches shaved off. In government offices, banks and shops_foreigners now meet the new type of Frenchmen, clean-shaved young men, wearing ! horn-rimmed spectacles. Irench ar- tists and writers, however, do not fol- low this fashion. They continue to wear waved, short beards and pointed mustaches. ' “The tradition of French literature demands it,” says Tristan Bernard, one of the most popular French playwrights. “All our prede- cessors have cultivated long hair on their faces. Can you imagine Victor Hugo, Verlaine, Zola, Jules Verne, Alphonso Daudet and all the other great writers of the last cen- tury without their manes or their beards’ Modern French writers want to keep the tradition and look as much as possible like their famous predecessors, Long-Covered Beauties of London Revealed Experiments carrled out by an archi- tect have restored to light long-cov- ered beautjes in London’s oldest build- ings. many of which have become sad specimens in their drab coverings of stucco or plaster. Lincoln’s Inn Hall was stripped of its sheath of dirty gray stucco by an architect who was seaking a new method of exterior adornment. To his delight, the archi- tect found the warm red brickwork underneath as fresh and colorful as It was hundreds of vears ago. The| same method was adopied with the famous old gatehouse of Lambeth Falace, believed by antiquaries to be the oldest specimen of red brick in London. Its rich color had been hid- den for more than 300 years under a thick covering of plaster, which, when removed, left the gate as it was de- signed by Archbishop Morton in 1490. Main Street Joy-riders Bother Towa Observers Down in Shenandoah two repre- sentatives of the older generation ob- served young couples riding up and down Main street on Saturday and Sunday evenings and came to the con- | clusion that much of the motor traffic was as purposeless as a ride on thel merry-go-round. They decided to re- duce their findings to figures and a | count was made. In 42 minutes one | car passed them 27 times, another 17| times. From this report comes the SuUgges- tion that a limit be established for aimless. joy-riding, but this hardly seems feasible. Pleasure riding on the whole is one of the real valu made generally and frequently avail- able by the automobile and it would | be an awkward thing to have to| designate officers to keep tabs on the | young folks who thus innocently make nuisances of themselves. It should be sufficient to urge the youthful automobile merry-go-rounders to widen their circle, to zo occasion- ally on side streets. It might be well to repeat in their hearing the words of the public speaker, who complained of people who ride 5,000 miles a year without ever going anywhere. Per- haps they will take the hint. go to the parson and then settle down.— Des Moines Tribune-News. Mind Versus Adipose. Marshal Joffre of France, whose name during the World War was on many tongues that could not pro- nounce it, has his own method—or is | it Coue's—of getting thin. The method is simple and should not be ignored by the fat people of Canada —of whom there are quite a few. Marshal Joffre at one time weighed 225 pounds. Too much, thought he. Then he proceeded to reduce. The process is not a secret. “I'm growing thin; I'm growing thin.” It requires a character and a suppression of na- tural risible faculties for a man to stand up, and tell himself that he is growing thin. But the distinguished French gentleman and soldier did not laugh himself into growing fatter, or perhaps to death. Instead he con- tinued the method for a considerable time. Every day he would repeat: “I'm growing thin; I'm growing thin.” And he is. It is truth, not legend. From 224 pounds hé is down to 180—, and 180 from 224 means that 44 pounds have been sloughed off. The fascinating feature of this great soldier's process of reducing is that it requires no physical effort, no fasting, no dieting. It is a clear enough case of the triumph of mind over embonpoint.—Vancouver Prov- “uce. ————— The Left-Hand Furrow. From the Manufacturers’ Journal. The cover of the Department of Agriculture’s new vear book shows a plowman turning up a left-hand fur- row. This brings up the desk farmer’s old-time problem, which end of a cow arises first. Buried Under Debt. From the Detroit Free Press. Archeologists are finding many sunken cities. Many modern cities, sizing up their outstanding bonds and lamenting their present tax rate, also feel considerably sunken. Speculation That Scores. From the San Francisco Chronicle. Very often a sound investment is Just a bit of speculation that turned out all right. they express the attitude of the American Society of Architects, which accepted the admonition of President Roosevelt that it protect the White House in the restoration accomplished under Mr. McKim, wherein the ideal was expressed ex- actly as it is today, for simplicity and chasteness of standards. Suita- bility to the purpose intended is the prime test, but that purpose changes with the decades, as customs change. Nevertheless, the greatest mark of bravery seen since the war is shown by the superintendent of public buildings and his committee in facing the avalanche of second-hand high- boys or “whatnots,” which one may reasonably expect soon to be drayed into the front yard of the White House, in response to the congres- sional invitation. The unsuitable Q. How tall Is the highest mooring | | mast for airships?”—W. W. A. The highest one In the world is | nearing_completion at the Ford air- port. The steel work for this 210-| foot mast is already In place. | Q. How many buffalo and elk are | there in Yellowstone Park?—E. H. L.| A. There are 780 tame buffalo and | 76 wild buffalo in Yellowstone Park., The number of wild elk is about 2,000. | Q. When did Prince Henry visit this country?—J. S. A. He visited the United February, 1902. es in| | e | Q. When was the present style of | home plate introduced into base ball? | . . 8. A. The present style of home plate | was introduced into base ball in 1300, Q. What is wood wool?—G. G A. Excelsior is graded according to the thickness and width of the strand, | the kind and color of the wood. The | thinnest grades are often called wood wool and bring the highest prices on | the market if they bear other neces-| sary qualifications. The finished prod- | uct is baled in a power press such as is used for baling hay, and reaches the market in this form. The best grades of excelsior are made from basswood, but on account of scarcity it is not the leading wood in the industry. Q. What portrait of George Wash- ington fs it that is reproduced on one-dollar bills?—S. B. A. There is no authoritative state- ment concerning this, but it is thought to be an engraving of the painting called “the Boston At por- trait of Washington by Gilbert Stuart Q. When lightning strikes a house protected by lightning cables and rods is the charge carried into the ground or is it discharged through the points on the rods?—O. P. L. A. The function of u lightning-rod system is two-fold, the first function being 1o relieve the earth and the building, keeping the buflding in discharged condition, the accumulat ing electricity being passed off silently from the points. However, it ien't ulways possible for a lightning-rod system to take care of the situation in this way. When a congested con charge will take place, in that case the stroke as a rule is from the cloud follow the line of least resistance, striking one or more of the points and being carried off into the earth Q. How long has Texas been a cat tle-raising State?—A. N A. Cattle raising has been an im portant industry in Texas ever sincs her admission” in 1845, but great changes have taken place in the busi- ness. Texas cattle raising in its pres ent form dates from about 1880, when barbed wire was introduced into the State and the days of free grass came to an end. Q. What kind of grapes are used for grape juice’—M. H. T. A. The Concord grapes are used more in manufacturing grape juice than any other variety. The Salem grape is probably the best variets This variety is not self-fertile, how- jever, and must be planted with an- other variety such as the Concord. The Concord grapes will produce ap- proximately two tons to an acre, the Salem a little less. They will grow well in sandy soils, provided the soil is fertilized often. Q. In colonial times were woman shopkeepers?—(C. T. T A. Throughout the Northern Colo- Coal Strike Th there Threats of a coal strike in both an. thracite and bituminous fields havi turned public attention to the ques. tion of wages and to competition be- tween union and non-union mines. Some observers believe that there are t00 many mines for the good of the industry, and that better conditions for the miners and for the public would be made possible by diverting a certain proportion to other indus- tries. “As if it were not enough that a world-wide coal slump faces the an- thracite field,”" says the Philadelphia Bulletin, “the demands of the mine workers for 10 per cent increase of of wages that any industry in Amer- ica has enjoyed as a result of the war, come very close to being reckless. The leadership of the United Mine Work. ers is strangely blind to the eeonomic conditions significant to their indus try. Persistence in the demand for higher wages is simply courting dis- aster.” A Doubt as to the purpose of the union leaders to force a strike is ex- pressed by the New York Journal of Commerce, which declares: “‘Certainly there is not the slightest warrant for any such action. In the first place, the men are already receiving hand- some wages. Rates are so high, in point of fact, that they have materi- ally helped to curtail consumption and render employment, even in the an- thracite field, none too abundant. And fully as important in the second place is the fact that employment condi- tions in the soft-coal mines are such that the unions there are tending to disintegrate seriously, and that the union leaders, accordingly, are hav ing their hands full to deal wtih the situation as it stands. A more chari table interpretation of the words of the union officials would be that the workers suspected planning a drive for lower wages.” AR the anthracite fields,” declares the Baltimore Evening Sun, ‘“is enough to arouse such nervousness among consumers as will insure accelerated movement of the stocks on hand. But this sort of galvanism may or may not be beneficial to the industry in the long run. A certain proportion of the consumers will hasten to fill their bins, but others will take steps to substitute some other fuel, and if the substituts proves satisfactory, they will never again become customers of the anthra- cite producers. either side disregards its responsibil- ity, “all of the forceful agencies through which public opinion makes itself heard ought to be marshaled in defense of the interest of the con sumer” is made by the Providence Journal, which also remarks: ‘‘The public demands that both operators and miners ghall keep in mind through- out their negotiations that the anthra- cite industry is essentlally a public lenterprise. A suggestion that there are too many mines and too many miners is made by the Lynchburg News, which asks: “Since the Federal Government has been able to dissolve trusts, should it not have the equal right to compel amalgamations?”’ Some such action, the News believes, might offer the solution of the troubles of the coal business. * K kK Another phase is emphasized by the Morgantown New Dominion. “It is significant,” says this paper, “that no other large union whose members produce a commodity attempts to im- will be refused. While Col. Sherrill speaks softly, does he carry a big stick for the junk man? These are not idle questions, but. @Qopyright, 1925, by Paul V, Collins.) pose a Nation-wide scale. The United Mine Workers' leaders steadfastly re- tuse this local autonomy. The largest coal-preducing .companies in.the coun- ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. ts | dition comes about a disruptive dis-| to the earth and the discharge will| for the manufacture of grape juice.| wages, on top of the biggest increase | the operators of | “The mere suggestion of a strike in | A demand that if| nies there were many keepers. chants. woman shop- They were called “she mer Q. Will you kindly tell me how the Christian Endeavor differs from the Spworth League’—F. R. P A. The object of the Christian En deavor and the Epworth League the same, namely, promotion of the interests of the church and Christian use by the voung people affiliated with the church. Members of the Christian Endeavor Society belong to any or all Protestant sects. The Fp- worth League was founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church, and fix membership is confined to those af fillated with that denomination Q. What is the average life of rail road ties?—R. %, A. The average life of a railroad tie is 15 years. Q. What animals ar ere of em the idae family?—W. F. W . The animals comprising the fam fly Canidae are as follow Fox coyote, dog, fennec and jackal Q. What are the necessary cations to become an Army —C. N, | A.1In order to qualify as an Arms |nurse one must be a graduate from an accredited nursing school and be | registered and enrolled in the Ameri |can Red Cross Nurse Service. appointment is for three years. Q. If a lady is seated when she re- ceives an introduction to a gentle | man, should she rise’—L. E. § A. When a man is introduced to a |woman she remains seated if she pre- | fers to do so Some women regard it as more cordial to rise under thess circumstances. 1f the man wh introduced is elderly, a young womar always rises when he is presented qualif nurse? | Q. What is the largest painting | the world?—H. T. B A. The “Last Judgment. hy M chelangelo, in the Sistine Chape | Rome, is said to he the largest | Q. When was the firat Safery | Conterence held?—R. K The first Co-operative Safet: gress was held in Milwaukee | September 30 to October 5, 1913 Q. Iz Harry Lauder the | comedian’s real name?—Ss. D. | A. Harry Lauder's real name facLennan. Firat from Scoteh f R. I B H | Q. What was the meaning o Stevenson’'s Samoan name ’"— A. His native friends called | venson “Tusitala which “teller of tales means Q. When was anized >—C. E. B A. While the Marine | playing in Chicago in 1892, Day | Blakely said to Sousa: “If you car | create this enormous success for the | Washington Marine Band, why a Sousa Band? T will see that financed.” The band was orgar | that season. Sousa's Band or | ¢Stop @ minute and think about this | fact. You can ask The Star Inforn | tion Burcau any question of fact and get the answer back in a personal let- ter. It is a great educational idca in | troduced into the tives of the most in- | telligent people in the world—Ameri- | can_mewspaper readers. It is a part | of that vest purpose of a newspaper | service. There is mo charge except | 2 cents in_stamps for return postage Get the habit of asking questions Address your letter to The Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin | director. Twenty-first and € streets | northwest.) reat Laid To Expansion of Industry try, which have been loyalisis in op rating union, are among those that have been forced to return to the open |shop or independent union plan | The Pittsburgh Gazette Times savs of | that situation: “The Pittsburgh opera tors, faithful to their agreement with the union, stand by the Jacksonville scale, but they capnot meet the coar petition of the non-union product and i their mines are closed. If n | cerned address themselves 4 | ately to studying the problem. | factory solution should be forih coming. * % % * | ‘““There is, properly speakin no uch thing the ‘industry”’ | ganic unit.”” explains the Rock Island |Argus. “There are many separate | operators, many separate miners When the weak brethren are out and their miners have found other em ployment—when, in short, the defl | tion process is done—we may have an {industry which can run itselt em | cientl Viewing this situation, the | Detroit News 'The people had |an idea that something in the nature | of a solution would come from all the | palaver that has gone on, and they are likely to feel quite disgusted if the same old unremedied causes bring | on another tie-up of a basic industry { They will place the .responsibility | squarely where it belongs—on the cos | owners, who have not tried to solve the problem of mining dnd distribu tion, and on Congress, which failed to igi\'e the President powers he re- quested.” ——t—— Rome Beggars Rich; Own Valuable Property Beggars in Rome are few, at least {in comparison with the number 30 vears ago. But despite the excellent |work of the municipality of Rome. { begging remains a business and sometimes profitable. A friend re- cently missed his “pet” beggar at the | corner where for vears he had givex him a penny a day. Later he met the old man by chance on the street. “Why don’t I see you any more?" *“Oh, hadn’t you heard? I have retired from business. I have just bought a villa at Frascatl. Do come out some Sunday and dine with me.” There is a certain famous cripple | who occupies the post at the entrance to the Missionary exhibition. Doubt less he has some special permission to occupy his lucrat®e post. Anywav. | no other beggar gets there. Tt is said on credible authority that he is owner of three apartment houses. | _ The successful beggar in Italy reaps the rewards that the present economic system awards to superior brains. He works the market scientifically. He does the Summer resorts in Summer and the Winter resorts in Winter, and the holy city in the holy year. He even presents himself at the office of the central committee of the anna santo to learn the dates of arrival of the American pilgrims, who some times give a dollar at a single throw i Superlative Faith. From the Ohio State Journal. Our idea of faith to remove moun tains is thinking that a suit brought by the Government to break up monopolistic practices will do any good. ——— Worse to Come. From the Philadelphia Inquirer We wonder what that chap whe fainted three times while he was heing married will do when the first month's bills come. In.