Evening Star Newspaper, July 14, 1925, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. +...July 14, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: . 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Offica: 110 Eagt $2nd St. hicage Offics. Tower Bulldine. Buropean Office: 18 Regent St. London, England The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- tng edition. ts delivered by curriors within the city at' 80 cents per month 5 cenls per month: Sunday per month. Orders may be telephone Main 5000 Collec carrier at the end of each mon Rate D{ Maryland and Virginia. Dally and s < .$840: 1 mo., 70¢ Dally nly ooy Ve 3890 0 Sunday only . 157, $2.40 All Other States. Daily and Sunday...1yr. $10.00 Daily only ... 1yr. §7.00 Sunday only . [1yr. $3.00 Mail—Payable in Advance. Member of the Assoclated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled o the use for republication of all news dis patches credited to it or not otherwiss ered. ited in this paper and also the local news publighed herein. All rights of publication 1 special dispatches herein are also reserved. Patronage and Law Enforcement. Friction is developing in the re- organization of the Federal prohibition enforcement establishment on the score of patronage. The elimination of State lines as boundaries for the en- forcement divisions has added an ele- ment of complication. Dispensers of Federal patronage are challenging the new method as interfering with their prerogatives. Patronage is one of the worst evils from which the public service in this country suffers. It lessens efficiency and it handicaps loyalty and merit. In the case of the prohibition enforce- ment work of the Government it is particularly mischievous. The stand- ard of the service is lowered to the point of partisanship, whereas par- tisanship should have no part what- ever in the equation. The fundamental need in the en- forcement work is honesty. Dishonest men have heretofore gained places in this organization and have betrayed their trusts. An honest enforcement organization can stamp out the liquor traffic, if the courts will co-operate and apply the law properly. A small per- centage of dishonest men in the or- ganization handicaps it to the point of virtual failure. The temptations to which enforce. ment operatives are subjected are great and incessant. The stoutest character is required for this service. The introduction of the patronage ele- ment militates against the selection of only those who are proof against se- duction by bribe givers and profit sharers. It matters nothing whether the en- forcement agents are Republicans or Democrats, or are followers of one Re- publican faction or another, so long as they are stanchly true to their re- sponsibility to pursue violators to the imit, to show no favors and to do thelr utmost to put an end to the traf- fic thet is menacing the prestige of the law in the United States. One of the chief faults of the police organi- zations of the large cities is that they are recruited by patronage. It does not, of course, follow that because an enforcement agent or di- rector is named at the instance of a political leader or patronage dispenser he is likely to be of dublous fidelity to the law. But it is perfectly well known that such a person is divided in his allegiance. He owes his job to one who is not his official superior, and that obligation may cause him to waver in the discharge of his duty, may lead him into paths of negligence. A public official cannot honestly serve two masters. ———— The Boston Building Collapse. Boston is acting speedily in the mat- ter of the fatal building collapse of the night of July 3, in which forty-four people were killed. A grand jury re turned indictments against nine per- sons, charging them with manslaught- They are officlals of the club oc- cupying the bullding, contracters, architects and two employes of the city building department. They have been already arraigned and trial has been set for Monday next, sixteen days from the date of the accident. It was evident from the circum- stances of the collapse of the structure that it could not reasonably be accept- ed as unpreventable. The building was old and frail, and was being used for a purpose which severely strained it. It developed during the first inquiry that it had been officially inspected only a short time before the collapse. Yet it was permitted to continde in wse for public dancing. There was either of- ficial incompetence on the part of the inspectors or indifference to the public security. This trial will be watched with in- terest by the country. In other cities structures have collapsed with loss of life in circumstances to suggest in- capacity or corruption on the part of officials and criminal cupidity on the part of owners and occupants. Pun- ishments for these faults have rarely been imposed. It remains now to be seen whether in Bostorf the negligence of duty on the part of officials and the willingness on the part of owners and lessees leading to disaster will again escape penalty. . ‘Payton, Tenn., values its present publicity in spite of the fact that it may cause parents to pause and question the reliability of its educational ad- vantages. e Amend, the Trolley Pole Law! The fact that permission has been given for the erection of trolley poles in the middle of Wisconsin avenue while steps are being taken to effect the removal of such poles from a por- tion of Connecticut avenue is evidence of the need of an amendment of the law on the subject of overhead wires in Washington. It is pointed out that conditions on Wisconsin avenue are such as to make the removal of the poles to one side much more difficult than on Connecticut avenue, and that there is even greater danger in the ex- isting conditions on Georgia avenue. where the center-pole system prevalls. The fact is that there should 0 center poles and no overhead jension wires on any of the thoroughfares. The prohibition against such poles and wires, now applying to the former strictly urban area, within the old ‘“city limits,” should be ex- tended to cover the entire District. This matter should be carried to Congress next Winter for considera. tion. The law might well be amended to provide that after a certain date, five or maybe ten years later, no overhead trolley conductors will be allowed. By granting a period for the elimination of these deadly nuisances, repeatedly proved to be such by accidents in the streets, opportunity will be given for the development of the transit factl- ities and the determination of the question, now evident, whether rail lines will be replaced by bus lines. Certainly the present situation is anomalous. Overhead trolleys are now barred by law out to certain limits, which have been from time to time extended by the voluntary or persuaded action of the traction com- panies. Beyond those limits condl- tions are precisely similar to those within the non-trolley area. Street congestion s as great, danger from collision with poles as great, and dan- ger from electrocution and fire as great there as within the area of pro- hibition. Amendment of the law is required by the public safety, and it should be sought promptly, whatever period of time may be granted by Congress be- fore the District-wide prohibition takes effect. e —y——————— Coolidge and China. President Coolidge, with entire pro- priety, is Insisting that the terms of the Washington Conference treaties and resolutions relating to China be adhered to by the nations signatory thereto. Of what avall further con- ferences on China and the Chinese situation if the agreements already made by the powers especially inter- ested in that country are not: ob- served? The treaties have at length been ratified by the nine powers which a tended the Wasbington Conference, including China. Now that France has given her approval, the ratifica- tions will be exchanged in Washing- ton, and the treatles will be in full force. President Coolidge is reported to be strongly opposed to modification of the terms of these treaties before they have even become effective. The Washington Conference pointed the way to improvement in China's condi- tion. China has been like a h\}l! giant tied down by chains of her own forg- ing and by others which the indus- trious natlons of the world have placed upon her. Since the world be- gan the stronger nation has preyed upon the weaker, and China has been one of the sufferers. Today the feel- ing is growing that greater considera- tion by the nations for each other after all is the more advantageous policy, and efforts are being made to establish better relations among the family of nations. China is one of the world's sore spots. The Washington Conference sought to amellorate China’s condition. The pity is that the final ratification of the agreements reached there should have been so long delayed. One of the treaties for which Mr. Coolidge is now contending relates to the principles and policies to be fol- lowed in matters concerning China. In it the contracting powers agree (1) to respect the sovereignty of China, (2) to provide an opportunity to China to develop and maintain a stable gov- ernment, (3) to maintain the “open door” in China, and (4) to refrain from taking advantage of conditions in China to seek special privileges which would abridge the rights of other friendly states This is a pragram to which the President believes the nations should adhere. Of great importance also is the treaty between the nine powers relating to the Chinese customs tariff. In effect this treaty proposes to give China a greater governmental income, a revenue which may be used to build up a strong and stable government, capable of maintaining order within the borders of the country and pro- tecting the nationals of other nations and their property. A conference of the powers to carry out the plan of customs tariff revision is provided for, and it 1s imperative that such a con- ference now be held. Nothing could more impress the Chinese than the scrupulous fulfillment of the promises made by the powers in her interest at the Washington Conference A great source of irritation to the Chinese has been the extraterritorial courts maintained by foreign govern- ments in China for the trial of cases for and against the nationals of those nations within Chinese territory. A resolution adopted by the Washington Conference provides for the appoint- ment of a commission to inquire into the whole matter with a view to aiding China to the administration of justice within her own borders. In view of the disturbed conditions in China and lack of a strong central government, some of the nations are opposing any change in the extraterritorial courts at present. But there seems no good reason why the study of the matter should not be begun, with the promise to China that eventually these courts shall give way to China's own ad- ministration of justice. e If such en arrangement had been possible, Clarence Darrow would probably have been in favor of hav- ing the jury psycho-analyzed, man by man. . ‘Washington’s Speedy Firemen. Washington's comparative immunity trom great fires, causing enormous damage and loss, has been attributed to several factors, the broad streets, the absence of entangling overhead wires, the lack of densely congested areas of business with comcentrated values, and, in large degree, the exist- ence here of a highly efficient Fire Department. It has often been said that one of the main reasons for the Capital's freedom from heavy fire losses is that the fire apparatus is more promptly on the scene than elsewhere, due in part to the breadth of the streets, but in the main to the agility and team- work of the firemen. Now this superiority on the part of Distric, firelighters in. poipl of THE apeed of response has been challenged. The Fire Departments of other citiss have made some ‘“records” in answer- ing alarms. Detroit and Baltimore claim to have speedier ‘‘smoke-eaters” than Washington. The Star does not belleve that there are any quicker- acting firemen anywhere in the coun- try, and in order to test the matter it has offered a trophy to the District fire company that makes the quickest response, to be held by that company for a year, with renewed tests in later years. The measurenient consists of & count of seconds from the first stroke of the alarm to the emérgence of the 4dpparatus over the sill of the engine house. Baltimore and Detroit claim a record of ten seconds. One of the ‘Washington fire comnanies has just made a nine-second get-away in a trial. Every man in the local department is alert to cut down the time. It is an old saying that the first minute at a fire counts more than the last ten minutes. The standard of promptness is now being measured in terms of seconds. 5o while the fire companies are striving to ecut down the seconds in getting clear of the house, the public should co-operate by clearing the way for the apparatus after it gets out and starts the run for the scene of the alarm. A fire engine that gets out in nine seconds and is held up half a minute on the way by foollsh or inconsiderate motorists is handicapped despite the good work of the crew. ———————— Praises for California as a State of surpassing climate and extraordinary commercial opportunity are so uni- versal and sincere that the expectation is only reasonable that many Call- fornians will eventually decide to lo- cate their homes ané business offices on the Pacific instea. of the Atlantic coast. ——— Labor arganivations desire some ac- tion on the part of this country to prevent the expleitation of the Chinese by people of other countries. This is a magnanimous attitude, especially in view of the fact the “Chinese cheap labor” was once regarded as the great menace to the United States working- man. ————t e The price of rubber rises. England controls the rubber market, and Amer- ica is the leading consumer of automo- bile tires. Uncle 8am is not only an easy creditor, but a good customer, who helpe to provide the funds for paying what may be owing him. ———————— A great deal of criticlsm has been directed against the United States Sen- ate. Nevertheless competition for seats in that eminent assemblage was never keener than it will bs in the immediate future. ————. The coal consumer pays without pro- test every time the miner strikes and the operator increases the price. But there comes an inevitable wish that they would rehearse something new. ———— Californians properly insist that their State should be judged by the climate, which is constant, and not by the earthquakes, which are only occa- sional. ——e— Capitalists in this country show a willingness to make loans for legiti- mate industrial purposes, but no de. sire to figure as financial backers for any kind of e fight. —_———— The proceedings at Dayton, Tenn., show what may happen to men who insist on worrying over abstruse mat- ters the year ‘round instead of play- ing golf or going fishing. ——— The fact that Mussolini has written = play suggests that it is likely to be 2 rough year for dramatic critics in Italy. r———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Unsatisfaction. In fierce July we wonder why The Sun, a torrid ember, Should not keep cool and mind the ryle That holds it in December. In Winter's chill we murmur still; And life each year grows glummer, We long to meet a spell of heat Like that we had last Summer. Tlluminations. “You don’t believe in hiding your light under a bushel.” ' “No,” answered the evolution agita- tor. “I don't intend to hide it under anything, even if my light is nothing more than a monkeyshine.” Drawing a Distinction. “What 1s_your opinion of filibuster- ing?” s “Like everything else in politics,” answered Senator Sorghum, “it's per- fectly proper it done by a friend, byt bighly reprehensible when conducted by an antagonist. On With the Dance! When grandma danced the minuet, She thought she was fiirtatious. And when a waltz the paces set, She murmured, “Goodness gracious!” New fashions constantly turn loose A further consternation. & & ‘What dances will they introduce In one more generation. Jud Tunkins says he used to say his prayers after reading the Bible, but now he gets ready for a red-hot debate. Lack of Influence. ““I understand you are going to run for the Legislature.” “It seems so0,” answered Farmer Corntossel. “Of course, they had to pick.on somebody, and it 'pears like I didn’t have Influence enough to keep my name off the ticket.” No Influence Whatever. The chimpanzee we all reject, ‘While orators we quote. Old Darwin might find more respect It monkeys had a vote. “De man dat tries to start a fight between science and religion,” said e he ain’ EVENING STAR, WASHINGTO C., TUESDAY, JULY 14, 1925. - THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. “One thing here is worth a great deal, to pass thy life in truth and Justice, with a benevolent disposition even to liars and unjust men.” So says Marcus Aurelius Antoninus in the sixth book of his "‘Meditations.” The latter half of the sentence will be most interesting to most persons. It is one thing to attempt to pass one's life according to the highest truth and ideas of justice one pos- sesses; it is distinctly another to have a benevolent disposition toward liars and unjust men. Yet that is the jdeal of conduct held out to us by all the great teachers of the world, with Jesus of Nazareth standing at the pinnacle, and he who takes life at all seriously must make some trial of the method. It is easy enough to be benevolent when life flows smoothly. In the presence of great men most are ex- tremely good natured. The very rich affect us much the same way. Most men go out of their way to be good natured toward other men who can help them onward, and overlook much that ought to be condemned. It is amusing to listen to a group praising such a one. The man is without fault! Toward the lowly, on the other hand, the attitude of benevolence is not so easily assumed nor so per- sistently held. We have a grudge against liars of all sorts, also against unjust men. The latter term, translated into modern language, probably means simply “mean fellows.” The world is full of these “nasty actors,” as slang has It, men who delight in poking fun, tormenting others, resorting to downright cruelty. From this tribe is recruited the gentleman, seen at every beach this time of the year, who delights in “ducking" his innocent offspring be- neath the waves, frightening it per- haps forever. ¥ % x % “Accustom thyself to attend care- fully to what is said by another and, | as much as possible, be in the speaker's mind.” This i{s a worth-while admonition, for the number of those who are only interested in their own thoughts and sctions has increased since 180 A.D. Certainly there are far too many poor listeners. Once it was esteemned a mark of ordinary good breeding to listen to what another had to say. Today, all too often, we speak to those who give plain evidence of being absolutely uninterested in what we are telling them. Often they merely tolerate vour speech. Sometimes they do not listen at «ll, and if you were to ask them what you had just sald, they could not tell you for love or money. Those who are offenders in this way often are unaware of their fault, be- cause they are so engrossed with their own precious thoughts they do not hear you at all. Such ought to be regarded with a benevolent mind, as the product of an age which places more accent upon physical than upon mental health They, in turn, should at least make an attempt “to be in the speaker's mind,” if they value in the least their reputation for courtesy. ok ok % “We are all working together to one end, some with knowledge and design, and others without knowing what they do; as men also when they are asleep, of whom it is Heraclitus, I think, who says that they are laborers and co-operators in the things which take place in the universe. “But men co-operate after different . TRACEWELL. fashions; and even those co-operate abundantly who find fault with what happens and those who try to oppose it and to hinder it; for the universe has need of even such men as these.” Thus the Roman Emperor admitted the ‘kickers,” the ‘knockers” and the carpers to a place in soclety, de- claring that the great universe has need of such brakes on universal progress. Today on every hand we see such men, always ready to find fault, men of insincerity who never do anything without some hidden motive of their own behind even the most benevolent seeming actions; gentlemen Wwho thwart legislation as a parlor pastime; those who refuse to “play” if they are not “it." * ok kK Marcus Aurelius’ consideration of Deity is interesting, ending as it does with one of the most quotable sen- tences in the “Meditation: He says: “If the gods have determined about me and about the things which must happen to me, they have determined well, for it is not easy even to imagine a Deity without forethought. “And to doing me harm, why should they have any desire toward that? for what advantage would re- sult to them from this or to the whole, which is the special object of their providence,"” It must be remembered here that the writer knew nothing of the Christian conception of God as the Father; many of the pagan gods were creatures of malice and evil; it re- quired tremendous nerve for a mere man to declare they could haye no desire to do him harm. “But if they have not determined about me individually, they have cer- tainly determined about the whole at least, and the things which happen by way of sequence in this general arrangement I ought to accept with pleasure and to be content with them.” This is a forerunner of Christian resignation. “But if they determine about noth- ing—which it is wicked to believe, or if we do believe it, let us neither sacrifice nor pray nor swear by them, nor do anything else as if the gods were present and lived with us—but, if, however (he continues) the gods determine about none of the things which concern us, I am able to deter- mine about myselt."” There you have the triumphant declaration to be embodied hundreds of years later by Henley in his ring- ing lines: Tam the master of my fate. I am the captaln of my soul! “I can inquire about that which is useful,” Marcus Aurelius consoles himself, “and that is useful to every man which is conformable to his own constitution and nature. But my na- ture is rational and soclal.” Then comes the outstanding state- ment “And my city and country, so far as I am Antoninus, is Rome, but so far as I am a man, it is the world.” Spirit of Woodrow Wilson, and of all those who have dreamed dreams of universal peace, rejoice in the time- less realms where you now are! Here was a brother, one of the first of men, along with Isafah, to de- clare that & man has not only an allegiance to his country, but also to_the world at large. Marcus Antoninus was his name, and as such he was loyal to Rome; but as & man, a being nameless as we all are, in time and space, his citv was the world. Is not this just another way of say- ing that we are all children of God? Widow in Congress Seat Subject of New Debate How much sentiment was involved in the election of Mrs. Edith Nourse Rogers of Lowell, Mass., as New Eng- land's first woman Representative in Congress? Was it merely a coinci dence that her husband, the late Rep- resentative John Jacob Rogers, was an efcient and popular official” Was her overwhelnging victory an indorsement of her! own personal qualities? These questions are now being debated in a revived discussion of the growing tendency to elect widows as successors to their hus bands in public office. “This is a spectacle,” says the Duluth Herald, “that was but lately Seen for the first time. Who shall say that this country will not vet see “not now, perhaps, but some time— the crowning spectacle of a woman President? The vote in the fifth Massachusetts may mean one or all of several things—that the Republic- an party is very strong now and the Democratic party very weak; that Mrs. Rogers has great personal strength or Mr. Foss great personal weakness. And one other thing one would llke to know. The vote repre sents something less than half the vote cast last November. Where were the rest of the men and women who should have been taking part? * ok Rk No political meaning is seen by the Canton News in the election of Mrs. Rogers. She not only "made a senti- mental appeal as the widow of a for- mer Representative,” declares the News, “but the district s overwhelm- ingly Republican. Besides, ex-Gov. Foss, originally & Republican, then & Democrat when elected chief execu- tive, more recently has been a mug- wump, and Massachusetts Democrats have recently shown a liking for tak- ing their politica straight.” Referring to the elections of Mrs. Ross in Wyoming, Mrs. Ferguson in Texas and Mrs. John Roach as sheriff in Kentucky, the Louisville Post finds a new element involved. “The tend- ency to console in this way,” the Post remarks, “is proof that “what every woman Knows every man now knows, too. It is recognition of the part the wife played in the achieve- ments of her husband. Capable. of inspiring deeds, she is also likely to be capable of performing them. The percentage of fine service from this source is apt to run as high as in officers selected on any other basis. A highly discriminating choice based on qualifications alone is seldom made in this democracy.” Taking the same point of view, the Hartford Times sug- gests that “‘Mrs. Rogers is rated as a woman of character and ability and is expected by her friends to prove her fitness for the pos! * % K % That Mrs. Rogers is “a force to be reckoned with in Conress,” is the opin- jon of the Brooklyn Eagle, which enumerates as her qualifications: “She is regarded as a capable thinker, she went overseas with the Red Cross and she has personally represented Presi- dent Coolidge in the investigation of veterans’ hospitals.” The new Representative's services to the veterans are lauded by the Providence Bulletin. “She has not re- ceived much public --aise for the work which she has done,” the Bul- letin explains, ‘‘but the veterans them- selves know about it and have recog- nized her fine service. She has been a tireless worker in the interest of the’ men whose claims have been held up.” Criticizing the idea of sentiment in filling the office, the St. Paul Dispatch declares that ;;u. & lic °'.-'}°°‘i" not regarded. as private property in this country, with any dower rights foo the widow or inheritance by tfig" eidest son.” In similar vein, the Fargo Forum contends thut “it is to be hoped that it was pot merely bemugn of | however, sentiment” and that “the country will be delighted if Mrs. Rogers shows that the fifth Massachusetts district gave all due thought to qualifications.” * % ok ok The Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph, is definitely of the opin’ fon that “her election is not due merely to the sympathy of her late husband's constituents and respect for his memory and service” The Pittsburgh paper recognizes her serv- ices in “many good causes,” participa- tion in “discussion of public ques- tions” and “promotion of civic move- ment.” The Lafayette Journal and Courler, further, calls attention to the fact that she “received a larger majority, in proportion to the vote cast, than her late husband had ever been able to develop in the district.” “Obviously she was elected on merits which, in a man, would have been as readily recognized and as generously rewarded,” continues the St. Joseph News-Press. “The people have whom and what they voted for, and apparently they are intensely satisfled,” states the Cincinnati Times- Star. Surprise is expressed by the Kula- mazoo Gazette at “New England's break with the hoary traditions of three centuries, a sudden departure manifested in its readiness to follow the example of the newer Western States,” while the Pueblo Star-Jour- nal says “it is a distinct sign of the trend in politics when staid New Eng- land elects a woma nto a seat in the House.” The Missoula Sentinel also remarks: “We have held the habit of electing women to succeed their hus- bands as another instance of the amazing sentiment of the American people, but we never expected it to happen in New England.” The Helpless Ones. To the Editor of The Etar: One afternoon recently I saw a very young nursemaid wheeling a carriage it. which was a tiny baby. The car- riage top was so adjusted that the blazing sun was streaming into the eyes of the helpless little child and the nursemaid was entirely uncon- cerned about it. I remonstrated with her and explained the dampger of total blindness being the result of such carelessness, and asked her to look up at the sun herself and see how painful it would be. This is just one case out of thou- sands in this city where innocent, helpless babies have to suffer torture because the mother is either pititully ignorant or entirely indifferent to the care of God's greatest gift, a little child. ‘Wake up, mothers of Washington, and find out what happens to your babies when you intrust them to young, ignorant, careless.nursemaids. E. H. GILLIS. Ibanez Will Learn. “And I learned about women from her,”” sang Kipling in one of his im- mortal barracks room ballads, and the same may be said of Ibanez, the Snanish novelist, who has posed as the greatest interpreter of feminine folbles and fancies since Anatole France, albeit he always ='»-s his themes in a major key. For Ibanez has went and gone and married a ‘widow. And it was another famous portrayer of feminine characters who made one of his masculine figures say: “‘Samivel, bevare of the vidders.” We shall watch ‘with interest for the forthcoming novels the newly mar- ried author.—Har rg Telegraph. NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM L. G. M. THE _ADVENTURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND. Vilhjalmur Stefansson. The Macmillan Company. To Stefansson himself this adven. ture is, in its ultimate purpose, iden- tical with those which, 400 years ago and thereabout, sent European ex- plorers out to find a way to the East shorter than the one around the southern point of Africa. His final ob- jective is, too, a shorter route to the Far East—a still shorter route. North- west was the general course of those eariler explorers. The plan of Stef- ansson projects a north-and-south course—over the top of the world and down again, so to speak—with the Arctic Island of Wrangel as flying buse along a greatly reduced mileag between many points in the Northern Hemisphere. By the plan Northern Eu- rope and America are to be brought relatively close to Northern and Cen- tral Asia. A vision? Oh, yes, certainly that— much the same sort of vision as fill the days of Elizabeth with action that turned the great dreams of that time to many of the realities of the present. Here we have the same challenge to man's daring in the face of a far un- known, such as came out to meet those venturing men of the sixteenth century. Here, besides, a region whose deepest nature is all enmity to man. A menace, this, that serves only as invitation and urge to the diminishing order of pioneers hasten- ing to catch up with the last of a rapidly vanishing frontier. A clear Elizabethan quality of sea-faring ex- plorations lies in this adventure of Wrangel Island. * * ¥ ¥ Your atlas, unless it be of too an- clent a vintage, shows you Wrangel Island lying about 100 miles off the northeast coast of Siberia, between that country and Alaska. Its name stands in honor of a Russian explorer, Baron Wrangel. _ The {mmediate adventure—the one in hand—includes hardly a mention of Stefansson's dream of the place which is that some day—the air routes of the Northern Hemisphere all charted and brought into practical use—Wrangel Island will stand as a fiyer's way-station between, say, Lon- don and Tokio, or Paris and Peking. No, this s an adventure of fact and not of dreams, even though under- taken by a company of five dreamers who “would not believe what some told us that the romance of territorial expansion by discovery and coloniza- tion is now a century out of date. So we planned exploits like those of Drake and John Smith and Capt. Cook. We saw no reason why such adventures should cease, for the world still has an uncolonized fringe in the North, and beyond it lies the last remnant of the geographically un- known." * o ow o This particular adventure, then, is in the nature of ‘“spying out the land.” It is the first step in a project whose second phase is to be the plant. ing of a colony on Wrangel Island. According to the calculations of these adventurers, this is a place of good economic promise, of clear political significance and of high strategic im- portance in that day when Arctic land and sea obstacles may be, to a degree, discounted by way of a well developed system of air travel. “The Adventure of Wrangel lsland” is a literal record of that initial expedi- tion—that going on ahead to make a way for settlers to follow. In large part the story is Stefansson's own. In other part it is sourced in the per- sonal experiences of one or another of the little company—the journals of two of them, the torn and weather- worn diary of Lorne Knight, who from Wrangel Island went out upon the longest of all journeys. A story of hardship throughout— rigors of the climate, i tion, lone- liness, scarcity of proper food, sick- ness, death. All this part of a gal- lant effort to explore for coming set- tlers the resources and promises of Wrangel Island. A poignant story whose gloom is relieved only by the allant spirit of these herolc men. “A glorious adventure,” Stefansson still calls it, though it became a tragic one for some of the little band and “may easily become one of failure on my part.” A vivid chapter in the long story of Arctic exploration, in the longer story of man’'s unconquerable will to tame the wild places of the earth, to bring these to hand an offering to the substance of civilization itself. A pathetic personal story of pure tragedy. And a glimpse, besides, of that gift of vision without which ne progress can be made. * % ox ¥ MY TRIP AROUND THE WORLD. Dorothy Dix. The Penn Publish- ing Co. A ghastly day a mildewed court a near ‘wall on its other side whose rows of windows were so many dull and vacant eyes . . . boredom . “sick of the great city, sl of my work, sickest of all of myself.” And, “being a sudden lady”"—Dorothy Dix still talking— “with so little mind it never takes me more than a quarter of a minute to make it up on any subject, I made a frantic raid on my closet for hat and raincoat and umbrella, and in 10 minutes I was virtually on the first lap of my joy ride around the world, for within an hour I had bought my ticket for great adventure.” Then follows a fairly bulky account —311 pages make a sizable book— which ends as suddenly es the jaunt itself commenced, Colombo, where silence falls upon Dorothy Dix, being not more than half of her circum- navigatory adventure. The other half crowds into a littlé paragraph running to the effect that ‘“‘we sailed through the Suez Canal - past Suez, through the Mediterranean, by frowning Gibraltar, all without pause, until at last we swung into the dock at Boston and my long joy-ride was over.” Hawaii, Japan, Korea, then up to Manchuria and Peking. down to Hongkong and over to Manila, then for Java and Singapore and Calcutta. A breathless transit of seemingly er- ratic pattern, but fitted, one may be sure, by the practiced hand of a tourist agency to the art of getting out of a minimum of time the most and best of the sights to be seen. A kind of journey and a kind of traveler that appear to have been made for each other since a skimming off the top of things is the only method per- mitted by the conditions set for this enterprise and since this particular traveler is trained in the catch-and-go demands upon the writer of current stuff. Ready sight, prompt under- standing, discrimination, good sense and good humor serve here to turn a well worn theme into a delightfully fresh and individual outlook upon the East and with many a shrewd com- ment upon the appearances that are rooted on the one hand in immemorial custom and on the other are tenta- tive advances toward the spirit of innovation and modernity. A long journey of laughter and seriousness combined, out of which one gets a decidedly bright and originafl outlook upon the other side of the world. 'to support them. Refreshment, rather than schooling, is the intent and the effect of this memorable “joy-ride” undertaken and carried through in a genuine gusto by Dorothy Dix. \ The Depressing Thought. From the Baltimore Sun. The smutty magazines are not so depressing as the knowledge that there are enough people of that king d | reason it is falling out so rapidly is ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN Q. What is Walter Johnson's style of pitching—overhand or from the side?—H. LaC. A. Walter Johnson is a half side arm pitche: . Were any other frigates bullt at the same time as “Old Ironsides”? E. H. A. The five other frigates laid down at the same time as the Consti- tution, or Old Ironsides, were the Constellation, the United Statt the President, the Chesapeake and the Congress. Q. What gave rise to the saying, “I am from Missouri?"—M. M. A. The phrase, “I am_from Mis- | sourl,” was first used by W. D. Van- | diver, Representative from Missouri in | Congress, in the sense "' nii not easily taken in" or “You will have to show me.” Q. Will you please tell me the right | time to cut my hair. Some say the because I cut it at the wrong time. | —F. K. K. | A. Hair may be cut at any time. The statement that it should be cut at a particular time n order to insure growth is an old belief having no sclentific basis. Q. 1s there any speci does not lay eggs?—C. G. A. The Bureau of Fisheries says that black perch or the so-called surf| fish is viviparous. In other words, it produces living young. Some other viviparous fish are the top. minnow and severz! species of the tropical fish. | Such fish are not considered as pala- table at spawning or producing sea-| sons as otherwise. However, it is pe fectly safe to eat them. Q. What is the increase in the number of women in business since 18807—J. M. A. According to a report of the United States Bureau of the Census, | in 1880 there were 2,647,137 women | employed in gainful occupations as | compared with 8,548,511 in 1020. Q. Which is the proper way to eat a club sandwich?—F, C. 8. A. A club sandwich should always be eaten with a knife and fork. It is never proper to eat this type of sandwich with the fingers. | of fish which | Q. By whom and when was King Solomon’s temple finally destroyed” What now occuples the site where it stood?—R. W. N. A. Solomon's temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. On the temple area, Abd el Melek erected & splendid mosque, the Dome of the Rock, commonly known as the Mosque of Omar. Q. When was electricity first used as a motive power to propel cars’— E. R A. The first electric motor was that made by Abbe Salvatore del Negro in | Italy in 1830. Robert Davidson of | Aberdeen began experimenting about | 1838 with the electric motor as a means of traction and constructed a | powerful engine carrying a battery of 40 cells. The beginning of modern electric traction dates from 1878 when | ana | functions and one | tion of p into operation the first electric rail- way at the industrial exposition in Berlin. The following year Thomas A. Edison operated his experimental , line in Menlo Park, New Jerse: Q. What are the Government fees in ‘connection with a United States patent for an invention, and what is required in order to keep a patent in force in the United States and in the foreign country in which a patent may have been granted?—W. G. F. A. A first Government fee of $2 has to be paid on the filing of an ap. plication for a United States patents as a part of the application, and it the application is allowed a final Gov- ernment fee of $20 has to be paid in order to secure the grant of a patent. No further fees are required, and the patent runs its term of 17 years with. out anything more being required of the patentees. In most foreign coun-. tries, however, in addition to the gov- ernment fees which by law have to be paid with the application, and in order to secure the grant of the patent, renewal fees or annuities have to be paid regularly, and the laws re- quire the invention that is covered by the patent to be actually worked, as by beine manufactured, sold, etc., in the country of the patent. Q. Did any of the Presidents of the United States ever celebrate thelr golden wedding anniversaries?— €A B, A. The Presidents who livi : ried life of 50 ars ur“mzd?mr John Adams and John Quinc The former was married in - Mre, Adams died in 1 1826. John Quincy Adams was ried In 1797. His wife dled {: he in 1845, We fin 0 record that the golden wedding anniversaries were formally celebrated. Q. How are the different fu ing powers distributed forms of life>—R. McC A. his O, says. lowest npetent nd orga to pe: topla take on the fun; ing or reproduc organisms, on the contra number of parts combine to perform eacll function, each part doing fts allotted share of the work with : accurady s efficiency, but useless for any other purpose. Q. At Oxford how “college” used?’—R. C. A. Dr. David Starr Jordan says in Oxford and Cambridge it is very defi- nitely used for one of the resid halls, the alliance of which tutes the university, is the word (Frederic J. Haskin is employed by The Star to handle the inquiries of our readers, and you are invited to call upon him as freely and as often as you please. Ask anything that is a matter of fact and the authority will be quoted you. There is no charge for this service. Ask what you want, sign your mame and address and in- close 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Address The Star Informa- tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, the firm of Slemens & Halske puti director, Twenty-first and O streets northwest.) BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. 1t ever there was a topic which had | a “background,” it is China. That an- | clent land “has nothing else but background, according to the concep- tion of the most Occidental ‘“bar- barians,’—Americans included. Today, however, China has stepped out of the background directly into the spotlight, in the center of the| world stage. One may well wonder | what is to develop out of the renais sance of the Orient which is looming so0 ominously against the sunset. Half the world’s population is in Asia, and half of Asia is in China, while, inspir ing China to attack all foreign in vaders and defy thelr governments, stands Soviet Russia, with its 170 000,000 ignorant communists eager | for the coming of the revolution | which shall overturn all “capitalistic | nations” and make Sovietism the mas ter of power and wealth. * ¥ % ¥ The menace is not merely, a rebel- | lion of one Chinese faction against an- other; it is voiced in the cry: “Kill all foreigners, Kill" That cry is not the fanaticism of the Boxer rebellion of a quarter of a century ago; it is led by Young China, the educated product of the protocol resulting from the set tlement of the Boxer rebellion Young China is mot in control of the government; it has not yet won the confidence of the masses, whose traditions of the centuries—of the mil- lenniums—have imbred in them un- limited respect for their rulers who have gained power through classic tests, in knowledge of the precepts of Confuctus rather than knowledge of Occidental science and history. The officlals in power may be likened to our fundamentalists, but the progres- sive Young China is the man of to- day—alert, vociferous, insistent and | radical in his nationalism. * ok ok ok ‘When the civilized nations negoti- ated the settlement of the Boxer re- bellion, one of the conditions of the protocol was that the old system of education for the civil service exam- inations was to be suspended for five years. Under that system there had never been any public schools nor any general education. The ambitious young man had a private tutor, who drilled him only In the teachings of Confucius and the classic poetry. In due time the student so prepared went {nto an official stall and took an examination. If he could pass the tests he was qualified to become a public official. | By the terms of the protocol that system was suspended (1901) and it has never been revived. In its stead, | the country undertook to build up a public school system, based upon the state-controlled systems of Sweden or Prussia. Students were put in uni- forms indicating their particular school, and they assembled in contact with hundreds of their class; the class student instinct quickly developed, which now, after 20 or 25 years of growth, has become important. The chief element of the student instinct is its_intense nationalism—"China for the Chinese.” * ¥ % ¥ ‘The attitude of the United States has always been to encourage na- tionalism in China and protect Chi- nese autonomy. But for Amgrican protection, Chinese territory would long ago have been partitioned among imperialistic encroachers, coun- tries of Europe which upon various pretexts have assumed rights over certain areas. The demand of Secretary of State John Hay and Secretary Philander Knox that the ‘“‘open door”” be recog- nized, so that all nations should have equal rights to trade there, saved the Celestial Empire—now the Chinese Republic—when other nations were willing to further selfish advantages, or even the ultimate dissolution of the nation. The American gift of our entire in- demnity arising out of the Boxer re- bellion, for furthering her new edu- cation, demonstrated not mere liber- ality on the part of America, but a far-flung statesmanship which pro- tected a jgreat people destined to be- come even greater in the future than ever in the ‘Rt.l‘! Today’; itude of President Cool- . 1dge un(\ ecretary of State Kellogg |as the friend of China }to Contucius, her in asking that the nine nations which signed the pact of our 1921 peace conference should now stand by the agreement and e China true auto- nomy, relinquish extraterritorialty and authorize the central governmentf of the republic to levy a tariff on imports high enough to provide a revenue adequate for a strong govern. ment—all this is not a new departure from America's past policles toward China, but a fulfillment of inter. national pledges. In the light of this fact, two things are notable: (1) The inadequate differ- entiation by the Chinese agitators be. tween the friendly American record, to protect the American missionaries, officials and travelers, as cc ted with the peoples who have shown such unselfish friendliness toward them: (2) The unreadiness of certain nations —Great Britain in the lead—to join with the other powers of the nine. power pact in bullding up a strong China, through a conference supporte ing Chinese independence and an ade. quate freedom to 1 her own revenues, whereby she could suppress rebellion and brigandage. President Coolidge is frankly cony cerned over the attitude of England and Japan, but the conference will be called for the nine nations to consider carrying out theiy agreement made in the disarmament conference. * % not Until the revolution in 1912, China had been ruled for o thousand years (except from 1368 to 1644) by con- querors from the north—the Tartars and the Manchus. The Emperor reigned, absolutely, under the claim of “divine right,” as the son of heaven. When an Emperor died, he was belleved to ascend to heaven in a dragon chariot, to be a guest on high. All other nations of the world were to pay him tribute and must send missions every few years to recognize him as their supreme rul It was with no “inferior complex therefore, that China first came into contact with the outside world, when the Portuguese forced trade in early part of the sixteenth century Yet, with all that subjection to aj foreign Manchu conqueror, the Chi- nese have maintained their capacity for self-rule, as demonstrated by their local governments in their inces, each with almost as mu pendence locally as have our 48 States The population of some of these pre inces amounts to 50,000,000—near half that of the United States. This institution of local self-rule dates back e is inbred into the Chinese character. e In October, 1911, at Wuchang, a revolution- broke out for the purpose of overturning the Manchu dynasty, which dated back to 1644. It developed into @ revolution to overturn the monarchy and establish a republic. This resulted in the surrender of the throne to Yuan, former Governor of Shantung, who became president of the council of ministers ,and finally, in 1912, President of the republic under a provisional republican constitution. Yuan plotted to restore the throne, with himself as Emperor. He dis- solved Parliament and attempted to mount the throne in 1915, under a new dictated constitution, but he died in 1916, without having achieved his aim. The action of Yuan left as a legacy , to his country two constitutions—the one legally adopted after the pro-. visional constitution of 1912 and the one he attempted to' supersede it in 1915, Bach constitution has been sup- ported by a Parliament—one at Pe- king, backed by the military party and northern provinces, and one at Canton (revived in 1920 after a period of oblivion) backed by President Sun Yat Sen, with the support of the southern provinces. This conflict of the sections compli- cates the situation, and makes it particularly difficult for outside powers to intervene. Neither section advo. cates secession; both claim jurisdiction over all China. Now, to that sectional or constitutional rivalry there is add- ed the growing spirit of Young China, educated in Western lore through th public schools, demanding free and in' dependent China—"'China for the Chi- nese.” (Copyright, 1688, by Paul ¥, Collinal