Evening Star Newspaper, July 23, 1925, Page 6

16 ! THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. s WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY.......July 23, 1025 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave New York Office: 110 Fast d2nd St. 3 cago Office: Tower Bu . Barofeds Lo U indon. i s The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- g edition. is delivered by carrigrs within the city at 60 cents per month: Jaily only. 45 cents per month: Sunday only. 20 cents r month Orders may be sent by mail or lephone Main 5000, Collection is made by --earrier at the end of each menth. ‘Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday....1yr. S840: 1 mo., aily ony oo 00 1 mo. unday only " 151, $2.40: 1 mo.. 70¢ 50c 20¢ All Other States. aily and Sunday $10.00 aily only Bunday only 85c 800 25¢ 1 mo. 1 mo. :1mo. Member of the Assoclated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled 20 the use for republication of all news dis. Patches crecited 1o it or not otherwise ored- ited in this paper and also the local news published herein Al rights of publication 0f epecial dispatches herein are also v Ly 15t No “Monkey Trial” Here. It is difficult to take seriously the euit brought before Justice Siddons ,to restrain payment of salaries to District school officials on the ground that th have been guilty of teach- ings cal ed to inculcate “disrespect for the Holy Bible.” Perhaps the suit »,™28 not intende to be taken seri- pusly. Some items in the bill of par- ticulars so absurd as to suggest M that the whole thing is intended to be a burlesque on the late proceed- ings at Dayton, Tenn. It is hardly possible that even Mr. Bryan would ,contend that it is disrespectful to the Bible to teach that the earth is round. i But, whether brought seriously or %facetiously, or merely through desire for notoriety, it is mnot likely the action will be sustained when the respondents come into court and move its dismissal. Another “monkey trial” 4s not wanted in the courts of the +District of Columbia. One such spec- ‘facle in a generation s quite suf- ficient. A courtroom in the National Capital is not the place to stage a vaudeville show, nor should there be buffoonery at the expense of the Bible -and its teachings. That it ‘was possible for such a suit to be brought shows how unwise it is to attempt to write any sort of sreligious creed into statute law. Action is had under a provision of an ap- propriation bill which apparently was adopted without debate and without attracting any serious notice. It stip- ulates that no part of the sums ap- propriated shall be available for the payment of the salary of “any su- perintendent who permits the teach- ing or any teacher who teaches dis- respect for the Holy Bible.” Naturally, no one would object to that. Even people who cannot accept the Bible as literally the word of God do not want disrespect for it taught in our public schools. But when it is as- serted that disrespect for the Bible -i8 involved in teaching that the earth is round absurdity is carried to a ‘superlative degree. According to a statement by one of the attorneys fdr the plaintiff, it ap- +parently is hoped to have here what nwvas denied at Daytom, a trial of the case of the Bible versus science, with expert witnesses whose testimony would prove nothing and lawyers who would be more intent on self-adver- tising than on any searching for truth end justice. If the National Capital has any sins for which it must be punished let it have a plague of locusts rather than an evolution trial. ey o The Fugitive Keg. #. There f8 a message from Winchester, Va., that after a sheriff's raid on a moonshine plant one keg of liquor got away from the raiders, fell into a stream and fled. The writer of the message sald: “A five-gallon keg of _moonshine liquor, sald to be more than a year old, is being carried down the Shenandoah River on its way to the open sea.” It is a long way to the “open sea” _or even to the sea from Winchester, «and the escaping keg has many perils to meet. Will it rise superior to the ‘@angers that line its path and find i_'.s way to the Atlantic? It is a hard question. Fugitive kegs of moonshine, eruising down a river headed for the ®ea, are not common, and it is not known that many kegs have escaped “In this way before. The Shenandoah has many tricky bends and cruel rocky shoals where the keg may come Xo grief. The news of its flight will urge some men to action as rescuers. Even should the runaway get as far “as Harpers Ferry ft must overcome many dangers. Some men along the winding, narrow river will want to retake it, some of them, perhaps, be- cause it is a fugitive from justice and *others for another purpose. There are men on the upper Potomac who will have their eyes open for the escaping keg. There are miles of inhospitable shore on which the fugitive may be thrown. There are long, poollike Stretches of river where the fleeing \cmv!c! will be exposed to view, and - where keen and eager eves may spot it. If it passes Great Falls and Little Falls—but why speculate further? The ‘writer of the message, “A five-gallon “keg of moonshine on its way to the sea from Winchester, Va.,” wasa hope- ful end romantic scribe. Many per- 'sons’ there are, perhaps, who hope that the fugitive keg will outwit its friends and enemfes and find freedom in the sea, but the betting odds are -that the poor keg will not get as far as Washington, e e Traffic Violations. The traffic director learns that about 700 motorists have failed to appear in court for traffic violations during “the two months that the present code has been effective, and he thas said “that “‘on some of the downtcwn streets ‘where cards are placed in machines for overtime parking it is not ‘un- .usual to find the notices torn up.” “Whe traMc director and acting su- perintendent of police have conferred -#to devise a way to compel the over- “Hme parkers to go to court. Mr. ¥ e is quoted: “It is a courtesy ' on the part of the policemen when they give & man notice to meet Lhm‘ in court at a convenient time, and it people are going to ignore such notice the police will have to abandon the courtesy and take the offenders to court as the violations occur.” There is no reason for excitement. That 700 persons failed to obey the notices is quite surprising. It is a large number, but the proportion of non-appearances to appearances is not given. Many of the accused could not be found at their addresses record- ed in the Automobile License Bureau. Traffic rules should be enforced and delinquents be compelled to answer charges made against them, but it might not be reasonable to take all offenders to court “as the violations occur” because some have ignored the card notification plan and cannot be found at the addresses which the Dis- trict government has of automobile licenses. An effort might be made to keep the addresses of automobilists more nearly up to date. It appears from the director's statement that when the 1925 tags were issued last December the license office prepared the application blanks from the 1924 list of addresses and that is the ad- dress list which police consult when they want to find an automobilist who has failed to appear in court. The city directory is perhaps a better guide than the 1924 list. Nearly all the delinquents com- plained of seem to be overtime park- ers. A large number of men make mistakes as to parking regulations and many overstay the limit through accident. It {s important that the parking regulations be observed, but it is more important that the traffic violators who endanger life shall be | caught. The overtime parker should be looked to, but police should give special attention to the traffic vio- lators who drive faster than the law allows, who cut corners and cut them fast, who drive carelessly, who drive on the wrong side of the street and who will not obey regulations giving pedestrians right of way at crossings. Australia’s Welcome. There was something deeper than formal courtesy, something more sig- nificant even than the fellowship of kindred blood, in the welcome extend- ed the American fleet yesterday by the government and people of Aus- tralia. Prime Minister Bruce said to Admiral Coontz and the officers and men of the fleet: “The great republic of the United States and the com- monwealth of Australia stand for the same ideals and the same traditions. Facing similar problems under vastly different circumstances, both desire maintenance of the world's peace and the limitation of the burden of arma- ments."” The prime minister went on to say that the future peace and prosperity of all countries bordering the Pacific is best assured by mutual intercourse, understanding and sympathy, which is a sentiment to which all will sub- scribe; but the real kernel of his re- marks was that Australia and the United States are “facing similar problems.” Recognition of this fact al- ready has profoundly affected the course of world diplomacy and is bound to be a more potent factor in coming years. More than any other thing it was the similarity of the problems faced by Australia and the United States that resulted in the scrapping of the proposed Geneva protocol, because of the Japanese reservation, and the same fact is exert- ing an ever increasing influence on the forelgn policy of the British gov- ernment. Nor is the British government the only one whose foreign policies are and must continue to be influenced by the similarity of problems faced by Australia and the United States. The American people join with the Aus- tralian people in hoping for the peace and prosperity of all countries bor- dering the Pacific and believe with them that this peace and prosperity is best assured by mutual intercourse, understanding and sympathy. Amer- ica will not willingly do anything to disturb the peace and is anxious to understand and sympathize with the problems of other peoples. It asks in return only that other peoples try to understand the problems with which we are confronted, some of them mutually with the people of Australia, and if a little sympathy goes along with understanding it will be well for the world. The people of the United States reciprocate the sentiments expressed by the prime minister of Australia and send assur- ances that continued friendship with the great Pacific commonwealth is a part of our national policy. ————— ‘Whether it finds, as other places have found, that a temporary distinc- tion does not result in commercial advantage, Dayton, Tenn., has at least the satisfaction of being pointed out to tourists as one of the world's great intellectual battle grounds. ———— France and Germany aere on terms which permit courteous and sincere official interchange; which fact repre- sents a long step in world progress. ) ——————————— A movement is on foot to make the subject of instruction in sclence something more for the D. C. School Board to worry about. City and Farm Populations. A survey of 25,000 representative farms {n this country, recently con- ducted by the Department of Agricul- ture, discloses a net loss of farm pop- ulation during the year 1924 of ap- proximately 182,000. The movement of people from farms to villages, towns and cities is estimated at 2,075, 000, and the movement to farms at 1,396,000, a met movement from the farms of 679,000. But in partial offset to this loss was an excess of births over deaths on the farms of 497,000, which lowered the net loss to the farms to the flgure named, 182,000. In 1922, however, the loss of popula- tion in the strictly agricultural areas was 460,000. Thus it would appear that there is & slowing of the tide of urban movsment. Simultaneously with the announce- ment of the agricultural survey come Census Bureau estimates of certain yrban populations. The populations 54 cities as of July 1 have been computed on the basis of the 1920 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. 0, THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1925 THIS AND THAT censug enumeration and such later known factors as are available. The population of New York is placed at 6,103,384 and that of Chicago, the second largest city in the United States, at 2,995,289. Philadelphia, once the second city, is given third rank, with 1,979,394. Thesé census estimates are not com- plete, comprising, as stated, only 54 cities, and not all of the larger rank. Thus, Detroit, which aspires to the million rank, and which had 993,678 according to the 1920 census, is not “quoted.” That it has passed into the million ranks along with New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, 15 alto- gether probable. It had gained about 530,000 during the 1910-20 decade and it may now be crowding Philadelphia. These two sets of figures, showing a diminishing farm and an increasing city population, have their signifi- cance, which, however, cannot be fully measured until complete enumerations are had. The census of 1930, five years hence, will throw an instructive {llumination upon this question of the distribution of the population. If the reduction of the loss from the farms continues at the rate shown between 1922 and 1924 an actual gain may be recorded by 1930. Foolproof Airplane. There i3 some talk of the invention of a foolproof airplane. Fools may fly it, but wise men will go up in a machine flown by a pilot who is licensed or qualified or who has some card to show that he knows what he is doing. By a foolproof airplane is probably meant a machine that will not fall 2,000 feet, or if it does fall will hit the earth with an easy, gentle motion that will not ulsturb the pas- sengers. There are still estimable per- sons who would keep their feet on the ground and who believe that a rock- ing-chair is safer than a parachute. Notwithstanding dangers of the street, they would rather take their chances here than in skimming through the sky and turning fiip-flops two miles from earth. They know that fiylng has made a mighty progress and that some aviators may live to have gray beards. They know that the element of safety is increasing, that aviation is a growing art and that some time machines will be passing through the sky as trucks and taxis through the streets, but there is no urge in them to take part in the exercises. There are still a great many persons who “would like very much to fly"” but who are not standing in line to get a front seat In a plane. The foolproof air- plane is a little hard on one's bellef. Nobody has yet invented a foolproof automobile, a foolproof rowboat, a fool- proof shotgun or a foolproof gas jet. It seems a little previous to talk about a foolproof airplane. ——————— New lawyers will appear In the Scopes case before a higher court. There is no reason for allowing any small group to monopolize the spot- light in connection with a toplc which so many people feel perfectly compe- tent to discuss. A revival of the old waltz and quad- rille is advocated, but an element of interest is lacking. With the present costumes there would be no chance whatever for the display of graceful adroitness necessary to avold treading on a lady’s train. ————— It is naturally annoying to the traffic director to find that motorists recelving cards of invitation to attend court do not even take the trouble to send regrets. ) ——————t———— Germany’s creditors, like all other creditors, have to study, not only a debtor’s willingness to pay, but also how he Is going to get the money. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Superficiality. It's fine to go floating in sclence Where the waves of eternity flow And feel a grest sense of reliance On the wonderful things that we know. But it brings me a sense of depression And even deprives me of sleep To find I must make this confession; I'm getting in rather too deep. Of Einstein I speak very boldly In an easy and jocular way, And Darwin I mention quite coldly, And Freud brings a sentiment gay. But when I look out on creation In wonder; and silence I keep. I do not attempt conversation. T ¥how that I'm getting in deep. Speech Solely for Its Own Sake. “Did you notice the long statements they read, which did not pertain pre- cisely to the poeint to be decided?” “Yes,"” enswered Senator Sorghum, “and they had a sort of familiar ring to ’em. They almost sounded as if somebody was filibustering.” Education. Teach each small boy in the schools Carefully the traffic rules. He will find the teacher dear Than e cop far less severe. Jud Tunkins says getting back to ‘where you started from is at least luckier than getting nowhere at all. Dances and Dresses. “I see there is a movement to re- vive the old-fashioned waltz and quadrille.” . “We may go back to the old dances,” sald Miss Cayenne, “but not to the old costumes. The modérn ballroom reminds me of the frivolous song, ‘We may get over it, but we'll never look the same.’ " After the Battle. They nearly broke the courthouse down. They trampled on the lawn. ‘With flerce attacks they filled the town; And we are gled they're gone, When at the fountain next I wait For harmless, fizzy drink, I'll never join in a debate On what I ought to think. “Dey hed to quit carryin’ licker in bootlegs,” said Uncle Eben, “owin* to de risk of destroyin' it in . bottle broke." PR S BY CHARLES E. The world today generally agrees that an epicure is “a fellow who eats too much,” and a stolc “a bird who pretends indifference to pain.” As usual, the world has taken the easlest way to arrive at these handy definitions. 1t is less work to lump matters off so than to study from old books just what an epicurean or a stole really was. Webster's big dictionary defines “epicure’” as follows: “From Latin, Eplcurus, famous Greek_philosopher, who has been re- garded, but erroncously, as teaching a doctrine of refined voluptuousness. Follower of Epicurus. One devoted to daint urious sensual enjoyments, to the luxuries of the tabl Stoic” Webster defin s follows: Member of school of philosophy fonnded by Zeno about 308 B.C. “2. Fence, one not easily e one apparently or professedly ferent to pleasure or pain. The secondary definition, in each case, is the one generally held, al- though the average person is apt to forget today that the Stolc was in- different to pleasure as well as to pain—or at least tried to be. It will be noted that even the dic- tionary s fair to Epicurus, in stating that he has been erroneously regarded as teaching “a doctrine of refined voluptuousness.” This error arose from the easy twisting of some of his ideas by those opposed to his way of thinkin Modern politics glives rise to much tF same thing. ited; indif- * e win There are today many unconscious Epicureans and many Stoics who are unaware of themselves. It should be pointed out that the holding of such doctrines s in no way incompatible with Christianity. The founders of these old sects were pagan ‘‘seekers after God as Canon Farrar expressed it. They did their best to arrive at a just con- ception of the universe, which is no more than Darwin tried to do, or Mr. Bryan is trying to do. Eplcurus remains today a much- maligned figure, whom it shall be our pleasure some day, we hope, to pre sent in popular fashion in his true light. Today we will devote this space to a consideration of Epictetus, one of | the three great Stoics, the other two | being Marcus Aurelius, previousiy treated in this column, and Seneca, tutor of Nero. | Eplctetus, born in Phrygia about 60 AD., became a slave of one Epaphroditus, a freedman of Nero, but later was freed. If it were not for the slave, no one ever would have heard of Epaphroditus. | The Emperor Domitian, a terrible| bruiser, could not stand the eternal preaching of Epictetus about being a decent man, so banished him. Epictetus’ then settled at Eplrus, | where he had for a pupil, among others, one worthy of him, Arrfan who later wrote a history ‘of Alex-| ander. 4 It was Arrian who collec “Enchiridion,” or “Handbook. tetus, as well as the various his “Discourses.” Epictetus never bothered to write them down. * ok ox x Eplctetus is much harder reading than Marcus Aurelius, lacking much of the sweet g/gnity of that great and | good man. His work, however, is eminently practical, setting forth virtue as the art of right livin Stoics never compromised with evil 1n this they were very near to Chris- tianity. The Stocs, such as Zeno him self, taught that we must lead a life | according to nature, and they figured | out that nature le a man use his head to find out what is right, and hat is wrong, and then try to live up | | ted the | teliow. TRACEWELL. to the best as to see it. Not a bad doctrine, eh? The Stoics taught that the funda- mental laws of nature are those of human nature. Today we often are so interested In gravity and other so-called “laws of nature” that we are apt to forget the laws of human nature are also “laws of nature.” The Stoles were the original teach- ers of the modern maxim, “I am an old man, and have had many troubles —most of which never happened.” In other words, they said that a man is more or less what he thinks. They taught, therefore, freedom of the will, and a certain amount of healthy resignation. They would not have subscribed to Omar's wish tg tear the world to bits and mold it rearer to the heart's desire. It satisfled them. The Stoles taught, in fact, the uni- versal brotherhood of man, essentially a Christian doctrine. They arrived at this conclusion by the process of de- claring that reason is the essential basis of soclety, and that the minds of all men think more or less alike, no matter where found, therefore all are related. Here is a_sample of the wisdom of Epictetus, taken Handbook: Men are disturbed not by the things which happen, but by the opinions about the things. “For example, death is nothing ter- rible, for if it were it would have seemed so to Socrates (Socrates did not fear death, it will be remembered), for the opinion about death, that it is terrible, is the terrible thing. “When, then, we are impeded, or disturbed, or grieved, let us never blame others, but ourselves—that is, our opinjons. “It i3 the act of an fllinstructed man to blame others for his own bad condition. “It is the act of one who has begun to be instructed to lay the blame on himself. “It is the act of one whose instruc- tion {s completed nefther to blame another or himself.” %% % Epicurus says, amplifying the above thought, “Another will not damage you unless you choose, but you will be damaged when you shall think that you are damaged. In still another section of the Hand- book he says: “Remember that it is not he who reviles vou or strikes you who in- sults you, but it is your opinion about these things as being insulting. “When, then, a man irritates you, ou must know that it is your own opinion which has irritated you. ““Therefore especially try not to be carried away by the appearance. if you once gain time and v will more easily master he was given the light ractical rom his phrase, “too proud to fight,” but its seeds were in Eplictetus. Recently in a local restaurant a man, wishing to tln two companions at a small table, ytarted to remove a chair from one side of another table. “Hey!” roared a would-be diner, coming up. “Where you going with that chalr?” “Do you want two chalrs?” calmly asked the other. “Yes,” said the second, Indicating a com: nion. “Oh, all righ answered the other, looking for another chair, and find- ing Inwardly, however, he much resent- ed the tone of voice of the boorish He gained time, he delayed, through the simple expedient of eat- | inz his lunch; by the end of the meal he hod lost his desire to get up and tell the fellow what he thought of him. You must expect to meet people like that, even in this place,” he said to himself. Country Likes an American Interior for White Hous Refitting of the White House go ahead without interruption, just though there had been no argument | over the fitness of substituting Colonial furnishings for the traditional style of the French empire period. And, while the American Institute of Architects has its supporters in criti- cizing the change, the country gen- erally seems to like the idea of a real American Interior for the Executive! Mansion. “No doubt,” remarks the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “President Coolidge has carefully’ weighed the merits of the two sides of the contro- versy, in which case the Coolidge firmness would indicate that the changes will be carried out. The American Institute of Architects may object—for some reason unexplained— but the majority of American people will approve.” Since impressions of American tradition are obtained from the Executive Mansion by travelers, the St. Paul Pioneer Press believes that “if the means of reclaiming the ‘White House as a shrine for Ameri- can taste has been provided, no one should dare to thwart the effort.” ok Kok “It seems appropriate.” in the judg- ment of the Butte Daily Post, “that the White House should be distinc- tively American, outside and inside, and should suggest the great period in which the Nation was born.” Simi- larly declaring that “the residence of the American President ought to be decorated and furnished in a manner both dignified and simple,” the Hart- ford Times holds that “no style lends itself better to that purpose than the Colonfal.” In fact, declares the Provi- dence Journal, “it will be surprising if the American people agree with the critics that it would be a monstrous sacrilege to permit a room in the White House to be furnished in Ameri- can style.” The Buffalo News also thinks “the purpose of the President to adopt a typical American motif will be gen- erally approved,” and the New York World adds: “Tt is hard to see, when we developed & singularly beautiful domestic art ourselves, why we should have gone to Burope for a decorative plan for our leading American home.” * Kk k¥ Considering the other side of the question, the Newark News suggests that “the clamor for a revival of the Colonial tradition ought at least to recognize the French tradition of the Republic’'s infancy. ‘Whether the ‘White House can be converted suc- cessfully into a Colonial mansion may well be left to the architectural ex- perts.” The Philadelphia Public Ledger is more positive in the statement that “if the aim is to restore the White House as it used to be, the purpose will not be achieved by Colonial ‘pe- riod’ rooms with museum pieces.” Desecration is seen by the Canton News, which asserts: “It is not so much, perhaps, that President Cool- idge has desired a change from the French Empire style of decoration as that he thoughtlessly has approved the suggestion of some one else. Now that the matter has been brought to his notice so emphatically, it is hoped he will see the point, which is that to remodel the White House is a desecra- tion. Tradition should make it invio- late.” Satisfaction is expressed by the Adrian Telegraph that “the stir that has been aroused by the contemplated repairs indicate a marked growth of interest on the part of the country in | New always that they will have to move,” says the Tribune. ‘“Some one else, a whole string of notables, will follow to sit on the davenports and listen to the talking machine. Doubtless with this controversy going on the Coolidges have occasion to reflect that the lot of | the ordinary householder, who can move his piano from the living room into the dining room any time he wishes, is one to be envied.” A touch of humor is seen by the Brooklyn gle in the “suggestion that the widows of Presidents Cleve- land and Roosevelt have been asked to use their influence against the change from Empire to Colonial.” The Eagle doubts if there can be any “coercion of the Coolidges by any influence, in Washington or elsewhere.” “It all goes to show what so often happens when one goes on a holiday and strangers are allowed to get into the house,” concludes the San Fran- cisco Bulletin. “There. are certain drawbacks to living in-the White House when strangers can come in and make rude remarks."” Canadian Church Union Shames United States ‘With the consummation of an or- ganic union of the Methodist, Presby- terian and Congregational denomina- tions of Canada in Toronto, the Do- minion will be definitely more ad- vanced, religiously, than the United States. 'The constituent congrega- tions of the “United Church” will ad- here to the denominational rituals they have always practiced, but candi- dates for ordination and confirmation will not be required to subscribe to any formal creed. A simple affirma- tion of faith in the Christian gospels will be accepted {nstead. The con- solidation promises to be complete throughout the Dominion except among the Presbyterians. Approxi- mately 700 of their congregations have declined to approve it. Gradually a uniform system of church government is to be introduced for all the con- stituent congregations. The participants in this religlous merger may be called fundamentalists because they have acknowledged that the fundamental purpose of all of them is to promote the authentic spirit of Christianity the world over.— Waterbury Republican. Whole German Village Is Absorbed by (;Zhess Stroebeck is a village in Germany where, according to the French Chess Player, a monthly magazine, the game of chess has been the traditional pas- time since the eleventh century. In medieval times a certain Baron Gun- nelin, imprisoned in the castle of Stroebeck, made a chessboard and carved a set of chessmen with the as- sistance of his jailers, to whom he taught the game. The jallers found the game interesting and taught it to the villagers, and up to this day everybody in the village plays chess. The schoolmaster teaches young chil- dren the rules of the game, which is played every afternoon when school is over. The main inn of the village g called the Chessboard Inn. Still mhoqk has never given a chess plon to the world. —_— A snake bite serum 1s to be supplied York campers. Enforcement look HUMOR and DIPLOMACY BY ROBERT UNDERWOOD JOHNSON, Former Amerlcan Ambassador to Italy. " The general opinion is not Hkely to place the sense of humor among the requisites for a diplomat, but any one who has had occasion to observe “the career” {s not likely to be indifferent to that quality as part of the equip- ment of an embassy or a legation. It would be a rash historlan who would undertake to compare in usefulness those of our representatives at fér- elgn courts who had humor—Irving, Lowell, Hay or Choate, for instance— with those who were intent upon playing their serfous game in serious fashion, such as John Quincy Adams Humor Is a keen critic and a pretty safe guide, and may be of great use by indicating when one may employ the light touch and when the firm grasp. The too scantily recorded social history of American diplomacy would doubtless reveal the value of both methods. The retort courteous of Charles Francis Adams to Lord Russell when the British government had given permission to the Confed- erate cruisers to sall from English harbors—"It would be superfluous for me to point out to your lordship that this is war’—is a fine example of the dignity and resoluteness of a clear- sighted man in a crisis. Charles Sumner’s Humor. Even Charles Sumner, who was a man of little humor, could not escape its pervasiveness when, pleading with an English judge for the abolition of primogeniture, he was asked what we should do in America if a rich man should leave his whole estate to his eldest son, and responded: “Break the will on the ground of insanity.” Doubtless many a serious compli- cation has been solved—or, what is better, prevented—by a jest that fore- shadowed a nation's policy. A wink is often as good as a nod, and a deli- cate wit, with a bit of instinct, may go farther than a sedate expression of opinion buttressed by erudition. Mr. Lloyd George's humor got him out of many a scrape, where Lord Curzon’s serfous and documented zeal came badly off. One recalls the difference in this respect between Lincoln and Seward, the President’s “one war at a time tempering the diplomacy of the Sec- retary of State; and throughout the war how often did the humor of the Western lawyer dispel the White House atmosphere of gloom? And what _would have happened to Theo- dore Roosevelt if his strenuous ethical career had not been permeated with a surpassing sense of humor? It was this aquality, too, which sustained Maurice Francis Egan in his long and at last successful campaign as Min- ister to Denmark to compass the pur- chase of the Virgin Islands. Lacking in Some. A number of cotemporary statesmen seem to be lacking in this wholesome and protective quality, though it must be admitted that great leaders have succeeded in spite of the defect. If Mussolini, after a brilliant record, shall some day come to grief, it is like- ly to be for lack of this sixth sense, that perceives one’s own incongruities as well as those of others. He gave an example of “dead seriousness” when he said, soon after his accession tp power, that Malta should become an Ttallan possession and the Mediter- ranean an Italian lake; but this was S0 preposterous a suggestion that the London clubs simply guffawed. Mus- solini had the good sense to abandon the idea. We have in our own borders two examples of public men who, had some good fairy bestowed upon them the gift of humer, might have risen from distinction to eminence—both scrupulously honest and acknowledged to be sincere—Mr. Bryan and Mr. Borah. They are both products of the debating school type of education and of the ambition to set things right, which, a fine purpose in itself, so often makes lopsided characters. Mr. Bryan's literalness can see noth- ing In the hypothesis of evolution but a simian inheritance. Mr. Borah’s hard-and-fast logic closes his eyes to the peril to our institutions of the bolshevist idea. Each in his way is a patriot and has “done the state some service.” But even in this trifling world of ours one could wish that their activities were tempered by the gentler ministrations of a less avful look at life. (Copyright, 1925.) e 6,000 Made Homeless By Fire Set by Boy According to legend a cow and a lantern started the Chicago fire. A boy and a match started at Ryki, Po- land, a blaze and made 6,000 persons homeless. He was a small boy, scarce- ly 5 years old. With other youngsters of about the same age he was playing in a barn. He lit a match and threw it in the hay. In a few minutes the barn was blazing merrily. Frightened by what he had done the boy rushed to tell his parents, but it was too late. The blaze soon caught the nearby house. A high wind carrfed brands to other houses. Fire apparatus was brought from all the surrounding lo- calities, but their combined efforts could not extinguish the flames. Vir- tually the entire town was destroyed. In one of two old churches that were saved was buried the father of Po- land’s last king. Only six of the houses were insured. The loss on the others was complete. And all because of a small boy and a match. 2 Wilhelm Is Old. The former Kaiser, cablegrams say, is showing great activity, motoring about Holland, meeting people in num- bérs and signing himself “King.” The correspondents hastily presume that ‘Wilhelm is about to make a serious at- tempt to regain control in Germany. Most likely that’s what the dethroned one has in his mind—but it i3 more likely his sudden burst of energy is the last fling of an energetic spirit be- fore old age gets in its final work. Wilhelm is far more apt to suifer a mental or physical breakdown than he is to win back the seat of power. Medical records are full of such ex- amples. If Wilhelm would shave off his whiskers and take a good look at himself in the mirror he would ob- serve that, so far as he is concerned, more significant things have happened since 1918 than the election of Von denburg.—Harrisburg Telegraph. A Buried Hoodoo. Down at Daytona, Fla., a group of town boosters E&a big ceremony on the beach and resolyed thenceforth to devete their every 'effort to promote the welfare of their town and country. They decided never to neglect a civic responsibility, whether that of voting, making true tax returns, supporting the best man for the public job or giving whole-hearted encouragement to the officials Who are elected. In token of this they brought out am effigy of the ramiliar American alibi of “Let George Do It,” and after mauling the figure all over the beach, buried it in a grave 'most wide and deep. It remains to be seen how long this conversion to a ter manner of lures, the to ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Is there a snake called the joint- ed snake, which when hit or disturbed will break in pieces?—W. A. J. A. The glass, or jointed, snake is a limbless snakelike lizard, a large spe- cles occurring in the Southeastern States. It takes Its name from the brittleness of the tail, which is o slightly connected with the rest of the body that it will easily break off. The species fouhd in this country is usu- ally a greenish gray. This lizard eats great numbers of ground insects and crayfish. Q. 'To settle an argument will you please tell me if Al Jolson is white or colored?—E. R. J. A. Al Jolson 18 a white man. He is an American Jew born in Washington D ¢ Q. How are bananas classed as a food?—G. W. § A. Bananas are classed as a fruit The pulp of the banana is nutritious and constitutes an important food. In some of the Pacific Islands it forms almost the staple diet of the natives. Bananas do not agree with every one, however, and may cause indigestion. Q. Was there really a Betty Zane, and did she run the gantlet of In dians for powder?—A. B. A. Elizabeth Zane was one of the most famous young heroines of the Revolutionary ~period. She dashed from an inclosure where the Ameri- can colonists were fighting to a log hut, where she secured gunpowder and | returned with the ammunition under fire from the Indians. Q. Is there such a thing as heat lightning?—J. M. L. A. vivid and extensive flashes of electric light, without thunder, seen near the horizon, especially at the close of a hot d: It ascribed to far-off lightning flashes reflected from the higher strata of clouds. Q. What is the meaning of the terms “a la carte” and “table d’hote”? —H. B. K. , A. The terms “a la carte” and “table d'hote” are both French. The torm:;-g the This means | literally means “according card” or “bill of fare.” that any dish listed on the bill of fare may be selected at the given price. ““Table d'hote” literally means “table of the landlord.” It implies a meal of several courses which is served at a fixed price. to Q. T should very much like to know the significance of acacia blossoms. Can you give me this information?— iz A. Acacla blossoms symbolize triendship or platonic love. Rose or white acacia blossoms symbolize ele- gance, while the yellow symbolize secret love. Q. Where are Edward Baker Lin- coln, “Tad” and “Willle” Lincoln, sons of Abraham Lincoln, buried? F. C. . A. The bodies of these three sons of Lincoln are buried, with those of their father and mother, in Spring- fleld, Il Q. How much money has been spent by the Federal Government in enforc ing prohibition?—J. R. A. A. The Federal prohibition commis- sioner says that the amounts appro- Heat lightning is more or less | priated by Congress for prohibition en- forcement up to date are as followst . $3,750,000; 1921, $6,274,000; 1922, $7.500,000; 1923, $9,250,000; 1924, §9,500,~ 000; 1925, $11,000,000, and a further estimated cost ‘of $20,000,000 for the service of revenue cutters to prevent filictt smuggling of liquor. Q. Has Jack Dempsey ever been knocked out?—J, M. A. Jack Dempsey was knocked out by Jim Flynn in onse round in 1917, This is the only time on record that Dempsey has been kpocked out. Q. Were there any nickels mads in the year 1013 with the Liberty head?—O. S. F. A. There were no Liberty nickels coined in 1913 Th all buffalo nickels head y wers Q. In a bridge game, if a person bids one no-trump and the opponents take 12 tricks, do they score 50 points for a little slam?—J. W. H. A. It ‘the declarer fails to make £00d his bid, his adversaries score 50 points in the honor column for every trick by which he fafls. If they take 12 tr they score 50 for m a little slam. Q. Why is clabber so called?—Ls “White Cargo” made?—W. F. B. A. In spite of allegations to the con- trary, Federal Judge John C. Knox handed down a decision February 17, 1925, that the play is based on lda Vera Simonton's novel “Hell's Play ground.” Q. Why is clabber so-called?—La C. E. 2 » is derived from the I meaning thick mud. An provincial name for milk in this pr of souring was “bonnyclabbe tation of 1 Q. How many_ bonded warehouses are there now’—H. M. B. A. The number in the United tates has been reduced from 286 to 5. Twenty-eight of these contain all b 8,500,000 gallons of lonis of liquor, eriginal gauge, in bon ed warehouses available for medicinal use. Q. Are ‘there two Cornell Univer- sities>—S. A. T. A. There are two Cornells, b is a university at Ithaca, N. Y., the other a college at Mount Vernon, lowa. Q. How long ago was the House of Seven Gables built?—H. 14 A T house was bullt in 1669 by John Turner. In 1782 the Turner family sold it to Capt. Samuel inger- 1L Mrs. Ingersoll-was a cousin of Nathanie] Hawthorne's father. Q. What is the present area of forest land in the United States?— L E I A. Tt is approximately 469,500,000 acres, consisting of 138,100,000 acres of virgin forest and 331,400,000. acres of outdoor and burned-over forest. Q. How does the wealth of the United States compare for the 10-year period 1912 to 19227—D. L. K census figures show that h alth of the country increased from $186,269,664,000 at the close of 1912 to $320,803,862,000 at the close of 1922, a rise of 72.2 per cent BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. “There is nothing new under the sun”—not even new ideas about cheap postage and its effect upon the rev- enues of the Post Office Department and the welfare of the people. Congress is ever seeking the opin- fons of experts—as it is doing today— concerning how to make the postage rate the most advantageous, and there are always divergent theorfes. One party stands for high rates, fear- ing that if the postage is less than the cost of carriage the advantage will accrue to “big business” at the ex- pense of the general taxpayery the other, ever declaring that cheap post- age makes for more abundant mails and actual net profits, besides adding to the prosperity of the masses, the intimate correspondence of individuals and the “solidarite” of the Nation. In the midst of the congressional hear- ings on the subject at the Capitol, let us “listen {n” to what was said 80 years ago by our forefathers on the same problem. * * * Until 1835 no statesman or econ- omist _seriously advocated cheap post- age, but the whole effort was to charge high enough rates to make each letter pay the cost of handling. This was the theory both in England and the United States. A movement for cheap postage was inaugurated in England by a member of Parliament, Rowland Hill. which resulted in the passage of the first law on_that basis n 1839. Some time after the lowered rates had been in effect a London committee, which had in charge a national testimonial to Mr. Hill, wrote of his measure that it was “the greatest boon conferred in modern times on all the social inter- ests of the civilized world.” Parliament did not expect that the increase in volume would be sufficient to offset the lower rate, but voted for the reduction on the ground that the “government ought to make a sacri- fice for the purpose of facilitating communication.” Also, as expressed by the postmaster general, the Earl of Lichfield, “The demand for it was universal. So obnoxious was the tax on letters that he was entitled to say that ‘the people had declared their readiness to submit to any impost that might be substituted in its stead.’” * ok K X In spite of the fact that cheap post- age demonstrated its success and pop- ularity in England, Americans hesi- tated to follow the English lead for eight years, arguing that, on account of the long distances and sparse pop- ulation here, conditions were very dif- ferent from those in England, and re- quired higher postage. But in those days there was much “bootlegging”’ of mail by private com- petitors of the Post Office Department. The private and unlawful carrying of mail was greater than the volume car- ried by the postal service. This form of smuggling was prevalent also in England, but the English never had the courage to make it a criminal of- fense; they tried to meet it only by reducing rates and giving better serv- ice, thereby driving out the private competitors. In the United States a report of a House committee, May 15, 1844, said: “Events are in progress of fatal tend- ency to the Post Office Department, and . its has commenced. ¢ ® * This {llicit business has been some time struggling through its incipient stages; for it was not un- til the year commencing the 1st of July, 1840, that it appears to have made a serious impression upon the revenues of the department. It has now assumed a bold and determined front, and dropped its disguises: opened offices for the reception of let- ters and advertised the terms on which they will be dispatched out of the mail. * * * The number of chargeable letters in circulation, ex- clusive of dead letters, during the year ending June 30, 1840, may be assumed at 27,535,664. The annual number year | publishers Lo 3 ww is mqmmbix‘gé“:u Tevenue are th by priv spoils tal te cupidit * ¥ from the mails * * d_today about the “private cupldity” which would under- take to carry letters. in competition with the maiis of the Government, but in recent vears the competition has been mainly in the transportation of second-class matter—newspapers and periodicals. It is a statutory offense for a pri- vate individual or company to carry letters, but a few years ago, when were paying a cent a pound for all second-class mail, no matter what the distance, there were advocates of increasing the rate, and a Post Office audit claimed that the actual cost to the Government for all such second-class mail was 7 cents a pound. Then rose the express com- panies with an offer to carry papers, in units not less than 10 pounds, a distance not greater than 500 miles for half a cent a pound. The express companies called at the pressroom and hauled the mail to the trains, and at point of destination delivered to the news agent or subscriber—for half of what the Post Office was charging and for one-fourteenth of what the Post Office auditors claimed to be the cost of handling. 'The express com- panies have not yet been classed as eleemosynary institutions. When in 1844 it was proposed in Congress to reduce the postage on let- ters from 10 or 12 cents to 5 cents, the Postmaster General supported the reduction, but in his report covering the first quarter he predicted that the deficfency for the' vear would be $1,256,000. The actual deficiency was only $589,837, and for the second year there was a surplus of $213,951. We have had “cheap pestage” on letters throughout thé present genera- tion, and business practices today are based upon liberal mse of the malls. A comparison of the volume of mail in 1845 and that of today, together with the respective papulations of the country, in periods 80 years apart, is interesting as a study of the effect of development of the mails under cheap rates. In 1844 the report of the Senate committee was urging a reduction from 10 to 20 cents down to an av- er:dge of 7% cents per letter, and it sald: “It seems to the committes to be impossible to believe that thers are but 24,000,000 to 27,000,000 letters per year .forwarded to distant friends and correspondents in the United States, by a population of 20,000,000 souls, while at the same time there are 204,- 000,000 and upward of letters passing annually through the mails of Great Britain and Ireland, with a population of only 27,000,000." The point of comparison of the com- mittee was that in proportion with the respective populations, there should have been in the United States nearly seven-ninths the mail of Great Britain—about 150,000,000 letters in place of only 27,000,000—the shortage representing what were being carried by private parties, against' the law— mail “bootleggers."” A more modern comparison may be made between the volume of mail car- ried in the United States in 1845 and in 1926. Our population today s about 110,000,000—flve and a half times the population of 1840. If our mail of to- day were in proportion to that of 1845, there would pass through the post office about 143,000,000 letters in a year. Postmaster General New, in his re- port tc the congressional committee this week, says there were 1,168,000, 000 letters handled in last May alone, That is more than eight times as many letters per month, per capita of population, as were mailed in a year in, the age before cheap postage. It would have been 5 per cent greater cl::' ul:hy, but for the decrease v.:“ to er postage adopted at the last session_of Congress. The difference in the volume of sec- ond-class mail of 80 years ago and to- day would shew vastly greater in- crease than is shown above in letters, for this is an age of the printing press and of general reading. The malil is the very life blood of our civilization, (Copyright, 1925, by Paul V, Collins.) Not much is s