Evening Star Newspaper, September 6, 1925, Page 24

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition WASHINGTON, D. C. September 6, 1925 Editor THEODORE W. NOYES. The Evening Star Newspaper Company Hulln}:!s OH}N‘ b & ] vivania Ave. e Fork (z"m« ,'3':'%' Bt :‘;.:‘..S st. Chicago. C ower Building Buropesn Dmee »:iu Becent Si.. London. ngland. The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- Ing edition, s delivered by carriers within the eity ‘at’ 60 ‘cents per month: daily ouly. 45 cents per month: Sunday only, 20 centd per month. Orders may be sent by mail or telephone Main 5000. Collection is made by carrier at the end of each moath. % Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and Sunday....15r., Daily only 1yr Sunday nly 5§ 70¢ 1 1 All Other States. Daily and Sunday...1yr. $10.00: 1 Daily only o011 r. $7.00:1 Eyndas only . 1yr: 330001 Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the ‘use for repubiication of all news dis patches credited to it or not otherwise cred ited in this puper and aleo the local new Dublisghed herain All rights of publication of apecial dispatehes herein are also reserved. The Bathing Beach Need. The survey of the Potomac River water by the Public Health Service, which has resulted in a report show- ing a heavy degree of poflution, was undertaken for the purpose of ascer- taining whether it would be safe to establish public ‘bathing beaches on the banks of the Potomac or the Ana- costia River to replace those in the Tidal Basin which Congress ordered closed. At the time of the move to prevent the construction of a beach for colored persons in the Tidal Basin, which was heeded. it was proposed that beaches for both white and col- ored people should be located on the river banks. Particular sites were suggested. It was then questioned | whether the waters of the rivers were sufficiently free of harmful contents to permit bathing. It was known that sewage flowed into, the Potomac and the Anacostta above the proposed bathing places. 1t is now evident from the Public Health Service report that bathing beaches cannot be established on the Tiver bgnks unless a complete system of sewage disposal in the District and in the States of Maryland and Vir- ginia, costing an enormous sum of money, is developed. Even if_such a sewage disposal system were imme- diately undertaken to free the Poto. mac waters from pollution, it would take several years to complete it. During this past Summer the need of public bathing beaches has been felt. Many lives have been lost be- cause of the lack of a proper place of this kind. Is Washington to remain indefinitely without safe and sanitary public bathing facilities? it has been proposed that bathing pools be established in East Potomac | Park. These pools, it is clear from | the repart just published, could not be safely supplied with water from the river. It would be necessary to use the filtered water from the city's reservoirs. There would, therefore, be no advantage in locating the pools in Potomac Park. They might be just as well placed elsewhere. This question demands thorough study by the Commissioners and by Congress when the matter is laid be- fore that body. It should not be treat- ed as negligible, as something that can be settled any time later.| Lives are at stake. Another season is certain to cost heavily, if bathing facilities are not provided, in accidents and in deaths from disease through bathing in the river water at any | place. | It may be possible to make the | Potomac water clean. It is certainly possible to provide safe and sanitar bathing beaches or pools. Both should | be undertaken, but while waiting for the former the latter should surely be provided. ——— Going Up! New York's latest building project promises to be a veritable self-con- tained city. A wealthy realtor of Man- hattan announces that he proposes to erect @ structure of 65 stories, 800 feet in height, § feet higher than the Woolworth Building, which will con- tain a 4,500-room hotel, with a dining room seating 2.000 persous, a church, a bank, stores, a hospital and 12 roof gardens. It will thus embrace all the needs of man. A person can subsist and be supplied with all physi- | cal requirements and spiritual guid- | ance without leaving the walls. Its population when fully occupied will be at least 8,000 people. This building is to be erected as an expression of gratitude for the recovery from a dan- gerous illness of the projector’s son. ‘Ten per cent af the profits of the en- terprise will be devoted to missionary work. The son himself, who has fully recovered, is now studying to become & medical missionary. The building will be virtually independent of all outside service, as within it will be generated the power for illumination, refrigeration and elevation. Nothing quite like it has ever been proposed, even in that city of extraordinary structures. It will not add to the towering sky line of the lower middle Manhattan, the site being located on One Hundred and Twenty-second treet, in what used to be generally Xnown as Harlem. Thus does the big town grow upward. ———————— Weather forecasting for the guid- ance of aviators, it is evident, must be on a more explicit scale than the *probably fair” plan, e Dirigibles to Continue. No disposition appears in official elrcles to abandon the dirigible form of airship because of the disaster which caused the total loss of the Shenandoah. Whether recommenda- tions will be made for appropriation at the coming session for the replace- ment of the Shenandoah is in ques- tion, but there is little doubt that eventually, possibly at this session, Congress will be asked for funds for this purpose. The dirigible, in short, with all its deficlencies, is rated as a wvaluable supplement to the air fight- ing force of the Nation. Dirigibles possess certain advan- tages in warfare. They can carry large crews, can, indeed, probably In their later development, be used for trans- port. They command a wide range of vision for observation and scouting. They have tremendous power of at- tack in bombing, with an extensive radius of action. However, they of- fer a wide mark for enemy missiles and their chief means of defense lies in their ability to attain and maintain high altitudes in which an attacking plane force is subjected to extreme hazard. But the dirigible is susceptible to the menace of the storm. Its very size | and consequent superiority in range and altitude attainment is its chief weakness. The more it is developed in dimensions the greater the risk of loss through air stress. Many planes can be constructed for the cost of one dirigible. It is con- tended by some that the dirigible therefore, a poor investment as com- pared with the cheaper, more mobile and, clent heavier-than-air machines. Yet all the nations that are developing their aviation defense equipments are clinging to the dirigibles as at least a supplement, if not a major item. In the use of hellum the United States has a marked advantage over other nations in dirigible construction and use. For the source of that gas lies mainly, if not exclusively, within this country. This fact alone would seem to warrant, if not compel, the continued use and development of the dirigible in preparation for defensive operations, which may be required hereafter, It is possible that the dirigible of the future, perhaps the Shenandoah’s suc- cessor, will be stout enough to with- stand the severest storm stresses. Study of this disaster is, therefore, imperative to determine precisely the cause of the collapse, and hence the cure of any weakness that contributed to it. This is a research quite apart from determination of responsibility for exposing the Shenandoah to the chance of encounter with a dangerous storm. Give the Guard an Armory! Returning from two weeks of field training, the National Guard of the District of Columbia is in a position to “point with pride” to an augmented recerd of efficiency and achievement. The 121st Regiment of Engineers, the | 29th Military Police Company and local officers of the 29th Division staff were under canvas on the Virginia | Beach rifle range. the 260th Regiment af Coast Artillery trained at Monroe and Company A, Ist Separate Battalion, at Saunder’s range near Baltimore, Fresh from the valuable tactical ex- perience of repelling amr invading “‘enemy,” the troops of the organized militia return to their home station, the Nutional Capital, to face a most discouraging situation. Living condi- tions for the Guard have been woeful- ly lacking heretofare, but now have apparently reached the limit of in- adequacy. Without lull or vacation, the citizen soldiery is required to re- sume “armory drill” instruction with “armory drill” facilities entirely lack- ing. Until the beginning of Summer, Convention Hall was available on Tuesday evenings for drill purposes when not otherwise in use for fai carnivals, shows, dances and other forms of entertainment. Now, it pointed out, Convention Hall is not at the disposal of the Guard, and there is likelihood that the rented building now occupied as an armory may be put to other use. If the National Guard of the Dis- trict of Columbia ever needed an ade quate armory the time is now. In spite of the most serious handicaps since 1889, the Guard has lived and is flourished. It has participated in two [ 280 wars, with honor to itself and credit to the Capital City it represented. It has trained thousands of young men in time of peace, for service in war. Surely of its own. It is understood to be the desire of the Militia Bureau of the War Depart- ment that the District National Guard, located at the seat of government, should be a model for the citizen sol- diery of the entire counmtry. It could, and undoubtedly would, be, if encour- agement were extended in the way of a building equipped to house properly, not only the officers and men, but the valuable Government property issued to the command. For comparison, one company of the Maryland National Guard, at Hyattsville, has a stone armory for its exclusive use, erected by the State of Maryland. Renewed and determined effort will | be made to’ induce Congress at the coming session to authorize an armory here that will be a credit to the Na- tional Capital and an inspiration to its long suffering troops. The officers and men give freely and unstintedly of their time and energy. Surely they should not be compelled to drill dur- ing the cold of the coming Winter on poorly lighted and traffic-laden city streets. The situation does not reflect credit on the city, or the Nation. Congress should correct it. The District of Co- lumbia will gladly bear its pro rata share of the cost. e It seems a long time ago wheh, at this season, the Washington base ball management used to talk encouraging- 1y about better results next year. b e Bail Bonds and Crime. According to the report of a com- mittee of the National Jewelers' Board of Trade which recently investigated crime in this country as affecting that line of business, of each 42 criminals convicted 41 escaped punishment. This finding was based upon testimony given by Police Commissioner Enright of New York, who has promised active co-operation with an intensive drive by the jewelers against crime for the in certain conditions, more effi- Fort | it at least deserves a home | THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €., SEPTEMBER 6, ' 1925—PART 2. EVERYDAY RELIGION BY THE RIGRT REV. JAMES E. FREEMAN, D. D., Bishop of Washington. started a new procedure in. treating prisoners arraigned for serious crimes by fixing their bail bonds at prohtbitive figures. He did this in view of the fact that in Chicago, as in other cities, the | bailing of persons accused of crime 1leads to repetitions and to a vicious teircle of criminality. ‘The only justification for the release of persons accused of crime on bond is that owing to the congestion in the courts and the slow processes of trial { months may elapse before a hearing. But the community suffers by the re- lease of habitual and professional criminals far more than do the ac- | cused through detention while await- ing trial. | In the past persons indicted for homicide were never admitted to bail. | Nowadays, save for the very gravest crimes, accused persons are allowed to go free. Months, even years, may | elapse before they are brought into court. (Their bonds are given by pro- { fessionals for a consideration. They suffer no humiliation, and meanwhile | witnesses are lost to the court through jdeaths and removals, sometimes through improper influence. Back of the great prevalence of |crime in this country lies as one of the major causes the slowness and uncertainty of judicial proceeding. When, as in New York, as Commis- sioner Enright says, scores of men re- leased on bail commit additional crimes while at liberty, it is evident that the courts themselves are con- tributing to the prevatence of law- breaking. ey A possibly useful purpose of tax publicity is suggested in that it may guide the courts in fixing alimony payments. The mere proposal is likely to scare certain persons into still further evasions and camouflaging deductions in making returns. ———— Synthetic beefsteaks are now fore- o probably to accompany Henry Ford's proposed artificial milk. Thus both members of the bovine family are apparently doomed to extinction. et The Ohio farmer who charged ad- mission to see the Shenandoah wreck | was evidently bent on getting some compensation for the unauthorized use of his field by the Government. ———————————— ‘These warm September days are ideal for the conduct of negotiations for the settlement of the hard-coal strike in time to let the consumer fill | his cellar. s S Inadequate weather forecasting is | blamed for' the loss of the Shenan- doah. Old Probabilities must keep up to the times, even if he has to fiy to do it. ~ —_— e = The pedestrian who stands com. placently and confidently within a “safety zone” is putting a great deal | of reliance in the moral force of white paint. — ——————— Maybe the naval airplanes will have to carry balloons and gas-making devices if they are to go off on long hops across the sea. e e Pittsburgh is at present holding the attention of the golfing world, even as it hopes soon to center the notice of the base ball public. e | The Labor day holiday maker often finds that the day is, after all, a most toilsome one. ———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON Restraint. ] “A man should be master in his | own house,” said the old-fashioned “Ye: replied Mr. Cumrox, with ir- | ritation, “you're sufficiently poor to i\rb able to talk that way. You don't have to ask a chef what you shall eat, a valet what you shall wear and a I social secretary how you shall spend | your evenings.” Evidences. “Do you Americans really appre- ciate the beauties of nature?” asked the foreigner. “Sure, we do,” replied the patriotio citizen. “Can’t you see evidences of our appreciation in the sardine cans and pickle jars that picnic parties scatter over every good plece of scenery?” - The Habitual Adviser. T wonder, as my mind with counsel teems For every class of man the world has known, Just why another’s business always seems Much easier to master than my own! Memory. “I'm afraid Mrs. Kylmer hasn't a very good memory for faces. “Oh,” replied Miss Cayenne, “she must have. Otherwise she couldn't be sure about whom to snub.” Recalling 0ld Times. “I knew that fellow when he didn't have a dollar,” exclaimea the envious man. l “That may explain why he is not more genial toward you now. You evidently didn't lend him one.” The Capitol. How strange is the spot where excur- sionists wander To mingle with shades of the past. A feeling of sadness is theirs as they ponder On words and on deeds of the past. O'er still, stony pavements the sun- beams are gliding ‘Where echoes triumphant stirred. The big marble statues in shadows are hiding And no one is saying a word. BEHIND THE MAN, St. John, xix.5: “Behold the Man." Giving a_judicial decision concern- ing Jesus Christ, Pilate declared, as he presented him to the multitude that elamored for His death, “Behold the Man.” It was with reluctance and ~embarrassment that he con- demned one in whom he could find-no fault Having committed Christ to the will of an angry mob, he sought to relieve himself of his unjust de- cision, saying as he washed his hands, “I am innocent of the blood of this Just person, see ye to it.” The sheer manliness of Christ and the evident high purpose of His life made their appeal to the callouséd heart of the proud Roman governor. ‘Without the remotest conception of the high character of Him who stood before him, he could not fail to see in Him the sublimest conception of man- hood. The Master, who on that memorable day stood before the multitude adjudged guiltless, has been standing before the tribunal of each man’s conscience through the long centuries of time. Possibly in no period of the Christan era has this sublime personality so arrested the at- tention and reflection of men as dur- ing these recent years. Seeking the Real Christ. Two books that have come frorm outstanding laymen within the past year illustrate in a striking way the compelling_and irresistible power of the man, Christ Jesus. Confused and bewildered by conflicting creeds and church doctrines, one of these authors sought to discover for himself the real essence of the Christian faith. After long study of the Gospels, he wrote his splendid book entitled, “Chaos and a Creed.” The book is an earnest and honest endeavor on the part of ag exceedingly reflective man to make clear to his vision and understanding the real meaning of Christ's life and ministry. He would behold the man, and beholding Him appropriate to j himself the mighty truths He came to teach. His study brought with it a peace that the confusions of a hectic age could neither arrest nor dispel. The conclusions are those of one who, with an open mind and reverent vision, would seek to understand the {man of the ages. With different motives another out- | standing layman sought to discover in Christ those qualities of manliness, courage and understanding sympathy that would bring Him within the range of his own thinking and living. Disillusioned in early life through mis- conceptions of Christ's life and pur- pose, with a feeling of His remoteness s of every- day experien 3 le a fresh and first-band study of the Gospels which resulted in the writing of a book en- titled, “The Man Whom Nobody Knows.” Gladly and reverently ac- knowledging His djvinity, he sought to find in the man Christ Jesus those elements of strength that are most appealivg to one who feels the need of guidance and support in life's struggle. His delineation of what he understands Christ to be comes within the range of our commeon experience and observation. He makes Him real, he reveals the chivalry and heroism of His nature. For the pale Nazarene he substitutes the aggressive re- former, the defender of the defense- less, the uplifter of the fallen, the sym- pathetic understanding of one who, knowing what was in man, was able to support him in the hour of his confusion and trial. The tragic thing about this book is that the writer be- lieves Christ to be the most misunder- stood and misinterpreted figure in bhuman history. Accepted Too Lightly. Both of thesd books but serve to indicate the growing and absorbing in- terest that centers In the life of Him who declared Himself to be “The Son of Man.” One obvious reason why our religious faith plays so inconspicuous a part in our daily thought and habit is that we weigh it less carefully and practice it less seriously than we do those matters that seem more impor- tant and that have to do with the cominon concerns of everyday living. Too many of us hold a faith that has never been seriously and re- flectively considered. It is too much @ thing accepted as auxiliary to those concerns that constitute our everyday thought and practice. Jesus, Himself, declared, “If any man wills to do My will, he shall know of My teaching.” In a world that is filled with con- flicting ideals and purposes, where the emphasis is too frequently laid upon that which vepresents the point of view of some exclusive and insular group, there is supreme need to study afresh the life and teachings of the Man of Galilee. It is not enough that we consider Him the foremost relig- ious teacher of the world, remote in time and place, but that we bring Him within the sphere of our every- day lMving and gelate Him to the vex- ing problems that embarrass and hinder us in our upward climb. Some- times He would seem ot be “the man whom nobody knows.” He may be reverenced, His sublime person and teaching may be made evident through the medium of art and architecture and music, as well as in the refinements of an ornate service. He must be brought into -closer touch with life's common interests and its common concerns. We must come to see in Him the sympathetic and understanding companion of the thinker and the scholar, of the worker at his toil and the man at his leisure; the lightener of life’s burdens and the, interpreter of its problems. at 1 do believe. but whom! ho walks beside me inthe Koy o irden who 214 dim " Way ot ihume And bids me look beyond the to: The larger Tite 10 lives . '° 0= (Copyright. 1925.) PROGRESS IN TRANSPORTATION BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN The Smithsonian Institution is con- tinually adding to its already impor- tant exhibit of models showing the evolution of methods of transporta- tion. At the present time there are shown methods of transporting goods from the time of the earliest burden bearers to the latest and most highly developed motor trucks. In one case are models of four ani- mals used for bearing burdens—man, represented by an old Chinese bent under the weight of his burden, the elephant, the camel and the horse. We, of course, in this country are not so familiar with the human burden bearers, if one excepts the Southern darky who totes the family wash atop her head. While these burden bearers are not now so prevalent, even in China, they are still found there and may be hired for a few cents a day. It has been estimated, however, that even with the very low rate of pay for these unfortunates the cost of hauling a ton a mile is much greater than it is in the United States with its costly trucks and well paid drivers. The evolution of the wagon and the |cart wheel is brought out in a most interesting fashion. The first con- trivance shown for hauling is that used for drageing the load. This was made from the crotch of a tree. Next came two logs placed on a sledge. This was propelled on unattached rol lers. When the back roller came completely from under the sledge it was carried around and placed under the front. In this tedious fashion it s slow progress. The fi ‘wheels shown were made of a solid piece of wood taken from a circular section of a tree. It was found that these one-piece wheels were apt to crack, so a composite wheel was made, composed of two sections, in such fashion that the grains crossed, or of several pieces held together with a peg. First Puncture-Proof Tire. Mention of the last named brings to mind a tale told by one of the officials of the museum. It appears that the barker on the sightseeing busses before turning their patrons loose into the museum give them a harangue in much the following fashion: “Inside this building you will find the first automobile, the first locomotive, the first airplane,” et. etc., always emphasizing the first.” One day a wag pinned on the wheel of an’ original crude Mex- ican cart, having a solid hand-hewn wheel, a tag bearing the inscription, “The first puncture-proof tire.” Finally was evolved the wheel hav- ing spokes. The early ones had from four to six. More and more were added until the most highly devel- oped wagon wheel contained from 18 to 24, while the most usual num- ber in automobile wheels and those of present-day wagons is 12. The wire wheel has also been much used. This differs from the wooden wheel in method of transporting a load, in that it carries it by tension from the top of the wheel, while the former carries the load by compres- sion of the spokes from the hub to the ground. s There is a model of an ancient chariot, the edges of the wheels of which are wrapped with hide. This was done when the hide was green, and then after it dried it shrunk and held firmly. It has been said.that during the. Santa Barbara earth- quake, which destroyed so many mil- lions of dollars’ worth of property, an_old mission the joints of which had been wrapped in this fashion re- mained firm. This goes to show that our forefathers did know a thing or two, for all our vaunted progress and much ~ advertised modery improve- ments. 1t is interesting to note that in the modern disc wheel used on so many smart passenger automobiles, there s a tendency to revert in a measu to the orikinal idea of making wheel: The Conestoga wagon has a very protection of the lives and property of | Mysterjous temple of loftiest learning! | important place in American history. the members of the organization. In his statement before the jewelers’ committee Commissioner Enright said that 134 men released on bail in New York City in 1924 commitfed addi- tional crimes while at liberty under bail bond, and during the first five months of the present year additional crimes wera committed by 169 men at liberty under bail. The other day in Chicggo a judge ‘What mighty ‘were wrought Beneath yon great dome, world kept on turning To light or to darkness of thought. In spite of the various manifestations Of which we have breathlessly heard, 3 This thing is most likely to astonish the nations: ‘There's nobody saying a word! surprises as the This was named for the locality oc- cupied by the Conestoga Indians in Pennsylvania, in which section this type of wagon reached its highest de- velopment. To it has been attributed much of Philadelphia’s commercial rominence. It was the/freight-carry- ng wagon used by those hardy ploneers who opened up the West, the covered :xvn b""fi sed only for fnm‘m ‘housel s. In 813, d,n‘r!nt the battle of Lake HErie, it was S ] | tile Ttalian. alone they are accorded a special niche in the esteem of all Americans. At the present time the Smithsonian Institution shops are working on all types of transportation models and mechanical development. There is a comprehensjve exhibit of sail and steam boats, and with the addition of models of power boats the exhibit demonstrating the evolution of water transportation will be complete. The aeronautical exhibit is being constantly added to, When completed it will include all' important epoch- making features of airplane develop- ment since the earliest conception, which was about 200 B. C. This work, of course, will probably continue indefinitely, as only the surface of aerial development has been scratched. Three models of early conceptions have been completed. It is explained that these were ideas rather than actual demonstrations, since none was completed by the inventor for one reason or another. There have been received also many originals from out- side sources which render the series more complete. The first model to be completed was one made from the idea conceived in 1450 by Leonardo da Vinel, the versa- The machine itself much resembles a large bat and was intend- ed to be propelled and operated by a man in a reclining position. The second is the Henson machine, which was the first conception of an air liner. The design called for a span of 150 feet and a steam engine to drive two propellers. This machine is sald to contain many features which are today recognized as necessary. The Cayley model has a birdlike body with a head similar to that of an eagle, except that it has @ crest. This machine was also intended to carry a steam englna driving two ex- tended fans, the theory being that the rotation of the fans would create enough downward pressure to lift the machine. Making the Models. These models have all been made by Paul Edward Garber, assistant curator. Mr. Garber is a young man formerly attached to the Alr Mall Service as a pilot. Some time ago he crashed, and owing to injuries re- celved was unable to continue in that line of work. His interest and expe- rience in aeronautics fit him excel- lently for the work he is doing. He explains that while he has several as- sistants in his shop. he is exceedingly Jjealous of the airplane models and likes to do this work himself. When asked of what materials most of the models were made he laughed and said: “Everything! Wood, cardboard, adhesive, per—anything that will lend itself to the task in hand. In this iine we must be resourceful. It may be that a discarded egg beater will prove just the thing we need.” All of which may prove something of a surprise to the unthinking visitor who goes through the museums look- ing casually at the uniform of George | Washington or the ball gown of Mrs. ‘Weodrow Wilson. Smithsonian Does Not Forecast Weather ¢ To the Editor of The Star: My attention is drawn to statements by your Paris correspondent, in your issue of August 30, to the effect that the Smithsonian Institution predicts exceptional weather in the years 1926 and 1927. This {s erroneous. So far as I know no one while connected with the Smithsonian Institution has made any public forecasts of weather con- ditions whatsoever since the Weather Bureau was established, many years 0. uNo only this, but, although we are interested in our private experiments to test the possible usefulness of the variation of the sun as an hitherto un- recognized factor in foreeasting de- partures from normal temperatures, there is no one connected with the Smithsonian Institution who knows of any sound basis for such forecasts a geason or more in advance. 1f the prognostications of others for VEita; the' Srmitheonian Instiation e son; could claim no part v in 3 fore- Caowiad a"c"&"‘"i"v,‘u,nw Evading Taxes By David Lawrence. Perusal of the income tax lists as published in various cities has in- variably aroused curigsity as to why persons known to be wealthy have paid relatively small if not negligible sums to the Government. The Treasury Department doesn't favor publicity of income tax returns, but on this phase of it the Govern- ment would like to have people pon- der carefully the statistics as re- vealed in the lists being printed by the newspapers. Every wealthy person who is pay- ing a trifiing sum or nothing at all represents a potential source of rev- enue to the Government. The fact that such an individual is not bear- ing his share of the tax burden is not blamed on the wealthy person, for the process is wholly legitimate and permitted by law. There are plenty. of ways to aveld taxation without violating the law. One of the principal methods is to put funds in securities of States and cities, which, of course, cannot be taxed as the Federal Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court as guaranteeing the States and m\lmk:lpclltlea against Federal tax- ation. Twelve Billions Tied Up. It is estimated that there are at least $12,000,000,000 in tax-exempt bonds in existence. Most of them are known to be in the hands of people of wealth. Just as soon as Congress imposed a burdensome surtax, the wealthy people promptly figured it out that even though tax-exempt in- vestments yielded only-around 4 per cent still that entire per cent was free from tax, whereas an ordinary 6 or 7 per cent investment meant glving the Government sometimes a half or even more of the income, de- pending on the amount of total in- come. For as incomes increase the surtax rates go higher. Some tax- payers have found that on every ad- ditional $10,000 they receive in income they have to give the Government nearly $5,000. So 4n considering in- vestments many persons of means have gobbled up the tax-exempt se- curities and the Government has been that much poorer every year There is no way of estimating ex- actly what the Federal Government might have received if there were no tax-exempts, but it would have been such a substantial sum as to enable persons of small income to pay lower taxes. As it is today, the Govern- ment has decided on a policy which will extract more revenue from per- sons of wealth simply by making taxable securities more attractive than they have been before and com- peting with tax-exempts. Always in Demand. This is not calculated to hurt State and municipal securities, as it is felt that there always will be a market for them among people who want a silt-edged security. Most of the peo- ple of wealth who own tax-exempts can afford to take chances on invest- ments that pay a high rate of inter- est and in which there is risk in- volved. Capital, in other words, is in large part dormant at present, absorbing & 4 per cent income when it could be making a return much larger than that. Business development is not being assisted as it should be by the available capital. Foreign countries which need American funds to help build them up are not getting what they should because even if they offer § and 7 per cent they cannot attract the people of large wealth, who promptly figure out that 6 per cent really means 3 or less when Federal taxes are deducted. The Treasury hopes to make it pos- sible for the surtax rate to be dimin. ished to such an extent: that it will not make the deduction for taxes more than 2 per cent, so that a § per cent investment when the tax is paid will be equivalent to a 4 per cent tax- exempt, and so that a 7 and 8 per cent investment will have something of the same appeal it used to have to people of wealth who could afford to risk their money in new enterprises. Do You Know That— A wave of enthusiasm for tobacco cultivation passed over the Holy Land last year, and as a result thousands of acres were devoted to it in Arab and Jewish villages, vielding a crop which indicated that it may become one of the chief sources of agricultural wealth in the future. The distance around a cylinder in- creases six and one-quarter inches for every inch of thickness of a layer of material placed on it, regardless of the original diameter. Russian seientists have decided to organize additional observations at weather bureau stations in order to study the sun’s rays. Rods of clear fused quartz are now being used to carry light to micro- scopes and so avoid heating the speci- mens by working too close to the light sourae. Rain going up instead of down is the interesting spectacle witnessed by a man in a balloon tethered in the midst of a Summer thunderstorm. Experiments are now being conduct- ed by the United States Army to pro- duce cloth maps stiff enough for easy reading to replace the easily worn-out paper strip maps now used by Army aviators. Within the past five year: missionaries have aided agi science in this country by sending nearly 500 shipments of seed and oth- er plant material to the United States Department of Agriculture. Negro criminals closely resemble white criminals in that those who commit crimes against property are mentally superior to those who com- mit crimes against persons. The giant mastodon which lived in the prehistoric forests of Bastern North America is thought to be the descendant of a dwarf animal which lived on the banks of the Nile. Floods are of common oecurrence at Leningrad; in fact, they are as famfiliar to the inhabitants as eruptions of Ve- suvius are to the population of Na- ples. The legendary lotus, the fruit of which made Ulysses' sailors forget their homes, is supposed to have been the same plant now used by natives of Northern Africa to make sun-dried cakes which taste like gingerbread. e Grasshoppers have been found at an altitude of 18,000 feet in Tibet. The Indian elephant seen in trained animal acts in circuses probably origi- nated in the plains of Northern Asia. More than 1,600 samples of beans were recently analyzed by the United States Department of iculture in an effort to form standard bean grades. Capt. George Wilkins, British polar explorer, plans to use airplanes in ex- ploration of the Antarctic next year. There is a spider in Tibet that lives at such great altitudes that there is apparently nothing for him to feed on except his father. Americans apparently had their t Weaker this fisca] vear, for the amouni imported was only 92,841,333 pound: ed with 104,494,743 pounds MEN AND United States Treasury officials, as well as internal revenue collectors the country over, have made no secret the past few days of their fears as to the effect of the publicity of the income tax returns. One of the greatest fears is that the returns may induce to fraud or to a general attempt to “cover up” on the part of thousands of persons who feel they are bearing an unjust burden when compared to rich nefghbors who have managed so to invest their money or so to manipu- late their returns as to contribute virtually nothing to the support of the Government and to paying the cost of America’s participation in the World War. It is disconcerting, to say the least, for & man who has struggled hard to make $4,000 or $3.000 a year to find that he has contributed what to him is a rather large sum and | that some nationally known million- aires are to be found on the “non-| taxable” list, not paying 1 penny of income tax to that dear Uncle Sam. It is just as disconcerting for the| man with an income of $25,000 a| year to find that he has paid an equal sum to a Midwest statesman- millionaire, who is known to be! worth between $45,000,000 and $50,- 000,000, It is easy enough to explain these discrepancies. The man at $25,000 a year receives a salary. The man with the $50,000,000 invests his money in tax-exemipt securities and, although his income may actually amout to $3.000,000 a year, he does not pay anything on that sum to the Treas- ury. The salaried man must pay— because he works and his money is earned. The multi-millionaire does not have to pay—because his money is unearned. As said before, this sort of thing Is easy to explain, but it is mighty difficult to justify to the man in the street. The tax-exempt securities are, generally speaking, State, county and city bonds. The interest that they earn- is made tax exempt as| an inducement for capitalists to in- vest in them. Andrew Mellon, Sec- retary of the Treasury, is against the tax-exempt securities and his ancient feud with Senator Couzens of Mich- igan on tax matters has been based largely on this issue. What the Treasury officials and collectors fear is that the average tax- payer will argue to himself that if the really rich men find ways amd means to evade paying their proper proportion of the income tax he is Justified in doing all he can to write down his own returns and to “charge off”" every possible penny. This does not imply the belief that any tax- payer is willfully dishonest, but the | returns published certainly indicate there are means in which the wealthy can escape, while the man in the street is lined up against the wall and shot at sunrise; shot squarely in the pocketbook. 2% %% Out of the mountains and from the lakes and seashores are coming the usual run of Summer vacation stories. Here is one perhaps a little out of the ordinary and a little better than the average run. It is the story of a mother and two sons who were rough- ing it in a mountain shack. The two | cently | services | by Mr. | of the AFFAIRS T. SMALL. sons had a pal visiting them. In the shack, however, there were chairs m the dining room for only three. This meant that one of the boys had to sit on a box at meal time. The mother, busy in the kitchen one day, heard a terrible commotion in the dining room. She rushed in to find the three boys in a free-for-all fight, trying to determine the ques. tion as to which one of them at the next meal would have to sit on the box. The mother stopped the hostil- ity, and, being of a religious turn of mind, began to lecture the boys on the errors of their ways and the par ticular evils of the hness which had engendered the scrap The fond mother concluded by tell ing the lads something of the story of Jesus, and said that when He was their age the little Jesus would have practiced self-denial and would glad ly have accepted the box as His chair The boys seemed much impressed, and the mother returned to her work Scarcely two minutes had passed however, when the battle was re newed. The mother sighed deeply Evidently her little sermon had not been taken to heart. But when she entered the dining room this time she found the fight proceeding along entirely different lines. The three boys were fizhting over Wwhich one of them should emulate the little Jesus. %% % R While this country and much of Europe are going crazy over the pep plest of ail the modern 2z dances the “Charleston,” there still pers much speculation as to where the i sidious thing got its birth and being A Long Island lady, with all the modesty inherent in a New Yorker, or near New Yorker, avows that hi daughter some two years ago, watch ing some negroes dancing on the Charleston water front, caught the tempo of the new dance and intro duced it to New York City. She re suggested that the City of Charleston, S. C., should present her daughter with some recognition of her in bringing so much fame to_the ancient municipality. The Charleston Evening Post, edited Thomas R. Waring, has i vestigated the claim and discovers that the dance is generally supposed to have come into the dance halls of Broad from the negro cafes Harlem ‘and to have been brough to those resorts by the Charleston negroes who had migrated to the col ored section of New York. Continu ing, thé Evening Post sa “It is a nice bit of irony, showing that fame is no respecter of o munities, that ‘the most civilized towr in America,’ as William Allen White has aptly characterized Charleston should be celebrated as the pregenitor Jjazziest of jazz in a highl Jazzed period, but that fact only goes to show that Charleston is, in all ages, the leader and pattern in social customs and measures. What adept of the Charleston, or observer of its performance, would believe otherwise than that the city from which it takes its name and in which it originated is the iiveliest and most advanced com. munity of its day and time and as sprightly in its two hundred and fifty ngcund year as Methuselah was at, sav 600." (Cogyright. 1925.) This and That By Charles E. Tracewell. Blackie, from the next alley, had invaded Jack Spratt's territory Cats, as their friends know, are jealous, solitary creatures. They tol- erate man because it is to their ad- vantage to do €9, and also because they have worked up a kind of affec- tion for him, after all these centuries. No cat, however, has any use for any other cat. Wherefore, the tom that goes into another tom'’s precinct, does so at his own risk. He takes his life, as it were, in his paw, and his blood is upon his own head. So when Blackie left his alley to prowl in Spratt’s alley, he knew ex- actly what he was doing. He has seen Spratt before, the tiger-striped Spratt, the green-eved Spratt with the well fed body and strong limbs and super-sharp claws. Was not this the terrible Spratt that boasted of eating nothing but the choisest veal cutlet, round steak and real cream, and all these foodstuffs in !the most enormous quantities? this was he, a ublicity | if there ever was one, a striped son-of-a-gun who dared any other cat to set ome foot within his alley! o Blackie, therefore, was determined that Jack Spratt should not see hair or hide of him, not even the white mask of his face, gleaming with snow- ‘white whiskers. Blackie was a lean fellow, who got along on scraps and a bowl of milk every day. Perhaps, in Spratt's alley, he might find a few pieces of veal ly ing around loose. He had never tast. ed veal. Stealthily down the alley slunk Blackie, going ever so softly on the velvet pads of his feet, his claws re- tracted to their full depth. ‘This alley was interesting. Blackie sniffed at a delicious garbage can sit- ting by the fence, and recotled sharp- Iy from the too pungent odor of a rose that nodded over a gate. The purposes of roses was a mys- tery to Blackie. They were not good to eat, had an intensely strong odor that was almost suffocating, and in addition were surrounded by claws. Roses, as far as Blackie could see, are distinctly good for nothing. A cat with ordinary cat sense lets them strictly alone. Whist! What was that? Blackie sank down into the grass, only the tips of his black ears show- ing. Ah! It was omly a bit of paper blowing down the alley. If it had been the Cat o' the Alley Blackie knew he would have been in for it. The adventure was fascinating. The old haunts are good, but sallying forth to new fields has its charm, as Blackie was finding out. In this alley everything was new, there were many new sights and many things to sniff. A white butterfly came winging along. With a wide sweep of his long right foreleg, Blackle swung for the butterfly, and missed it by a quarter of an inch. The insect fluttered away. “Shucks!”’ meowed Blackle, his low eyes gleaming. ‘With the infinite grace of his tribe, the cat continued across a yard, down a walk, across a fence, his ears stand- ing up, somewhat pointed forward. “Kitty, kitty, kitty,” called a Wom- an, standing in a doorway. o ‘She means me, 1 righ said Blackie, to himself. “Shall I go “Kittie, kittie, kittie, kittie,” called the Woman, rolling out the universal cat call. Blackie started forward, then stop- ped. Something warned him- “Kittie, kittie, kittie,” the Woman continued to call. “What a pretty kittie!" “Not so bad, Lady,” - meowed \ Blackie, boldly starting up the steps. ‘Woman called to some one. “He is all black except his face. Here, kitty,| kittle, kittie.” ‘The Woman opened the screen door, Fifty Years Ago In The Star When fifty years ago Washington was visited by an unusually heavy rain AL 1 storm, the sewer s: of the Capital proved in adequate for carrying off Deluge. 4 e e of August 30, 1875, is an account of such a happening, which cost a large amount of money and damages to property and goods: “Yesterday one of the heaviest storms which has ever visited this section of the country prevailed here. and from about seven and a half o'clock in the morn ing until four and a half o'clock in the afternoon the rain poured down, with but brief intervals, in torrents, the total amount falling being about 2 inches. This had the effect at first of' thoroughly washing and cleansing the alleys and streets. It was not long however, before it became evident that the sewers would not suffice to carr: off the amount of rain fallin 11 o'clock a.m. the water high grounds made its way throu the openings of the sewers, and soon the streets in many portions of the city were flooded “From Seventh street to the Capitol grounds, and from Pennsylvania ave nue to Mafne avenue the most damage appears to have been done, most mer chants having the goods in their cel lars damaged. Even the lower floors, in some instances, were submerged The open space between Four and a Half and Sixth streets and Maine and Missouri avenues, the old propagat- ing gardens, was covered with water this morning, and B and Sixth streets for a time appeared to the residents as if the old canal ran along that point | The Baltimore and Potomac Raflroadt depot was almost inaccessible to pedes trians. “In Purdys court, between Penn sylvania avenue and B and First and Second streets northwest, the lower stories of the houses were completely submerged. and the occupants, those caught at home, were compelled to put their bedchambers to the uses of par- lor, dining room and kiichen. The neighborhood .of O and P and North Capitol streets were submerged, and many persons were forced to go up- stairs to keep out of the wet. On Massachusetts avenue between Fourth and Fifth streets, where the present grade is considerably above the old, the lower floors and cellars were sub- merged. In the bottom land on North Capitol street between O and P there was a lake, from whence only the second stories of houses were visible, At the corner of L and’Seventeenth streets the water boiled up through the manholes, and there was a lake! covering two or three squares. “The rain was not confined to the immediate city, but here it appeared to be the heaviest. About 3 o'clock this morning there was a very heavy thunderstorm about 10 miles north of the city, and the streams in that sec- tion rose over the banks, and in some cases damage was done by the sweep- ing away of hay stacked in the meadow: “Good judges believe that the rains of yesterday clearly demonstrated that the B street sewer has not the capan- ity to éarry off the water on such ex- traordi; occasions. This is more clearly onstrated from the fact that there was no tide obstruction to interfere with the discharge of wat vesterday. The water lifted the lr:§ caps from the manholes the ful length of the sewer, and water spout- ed up through them two or three feet high for two hours at least.” Floods on Pennsylvania avenue have occurred on several occasions, and were not prevented, indeed, until the removal of the old Long Bridge. rom “Oh, come see the pretty cat,” the | Black Cat daring to come into hiy house! Right Spratt's house. Noses 2 inches apart, Jack Spratt square into Jack and just as Blackle started across the threshold— n ea cut- let in the kitchen. As he finished the last crumb something warned him to [turned tall—and ran for dear life,| turn around. Would you belleve it—there was 2 and Blackie looked at each other for seconds that seemed ages. Jack's eyes got greener and green- er, his fur puffed out, his tail swelled—— Then Blackie shivered, drew bac lea: Jack Spratt in proud posses- slon. his house and alley. H stem ¢ \