Evening Star Newspaper, November 5, 1925, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR)| ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY . ..November 5, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Businass Off 11th St. and Pennsy] New York Office Chicago Office European Oftice Ave ond’St. Building. Rk ndon. 16 Rexent St.. Lo England. The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- ing edition. is delivered by carriers within the city at 60 cents per month: daily only. 45 cents per month: Sunday only. 20 cents par month_ Orders may be sent by mail or telephona Main 5000. Collection is made by carrier at the end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Datly and Sunday....1yr. $8.40: 1 mo. Dally only . ........1yr. $8.00: 1mo. Sunday only. 136082400 1 mo All Other States. Daily and Sunday Daily only .. Sunday only.". 1 £7.00: 1 mo. yr.. $3.00:1mo.; Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dis- patehes credited 10 1t Or not otherwise cred- ited In’ this paver and also the local news published heremn. Al rights of publication f sprcial dispatches herein are also reserved. Claims of Comfort. The politicians in both the big national parties are secking comfort out of the returns from Tuesday's elections. On the Democratic side, Representa- tive William A. Oldfield of Arkansas, genial and able minority whip of the House and chairman of the Demo- cratic congressional committee, fore- sees the election of a Democratic Con- gress next year, and claims that the election results provide a mirror in which to find such a pleasant reflec- tion. On the Republican side, the friends of Senator William M. Butler of Massachusetts, chairman of the Re- publican national committee, Wwho must stand for re-election next year, are rejoicing because of the election of & Republican mayor in Boston, the Bay State's largest city. . Politics is a great game, and it is as natural and @s pleasing for politicians to make claims and to dream dreams as it is for a cat to nip catnip. With regard to the coming congres- sional elections, and Mr. Oldfield’s hopeful claim, it may be pointed out that only two members of the House were chpsen at the polls Tuesday, one in New Jersey and the other in Ken- tucky; that the Republicans elected in New Jersey and the Democrats in Kentucky. These seats have been held by the same political parties that will continue to hold them. There has been no reversal there. The Democratic sweep in New York City is nothing new. A Democratic mayor has ruled in the metropolis for many years, and Mr. Walker succeeds a Democrat. New Jersey elected a Democratic gov- ernor. But had Mr. Moore, the Demo- crat, been the “dry” candidate and Mr. Whitney, the Republican, a “wet” candidate, who would deny that the results would have been reversed in this gubernatorial fight? New Jersey, by the way, returns a Republican Leg- tslature. The Republican claims with regard to the Boston election appear to be almost as loosely knit as the Demo- cratic hopes-alluded to. Boston has voted Democratic often and early. It doubtless would have gone Democratic again had it not been that the Demo- crats fell out among themselves, and a regular Donnybrook fair fight en- sued, with seven Democrats insisting upon making the race for mayor. But politicians are expected to make claims. If they do not, they are for- gotten. Zoning Restrictions. Public opinion is strongly behind the Zoning Commission in its evident determination to hold rigidly to re- strictions in the development of the city. In a recent decisfon the commission denied the application for the erection of rows of houses in an “A” restricted zone. Granting of this petition would have automatically dropped the zone from “A” to “B,” to the detriment of owners of property who bought land in that zone on the assumption that it would remain in the “A" class. Zoning has come to be the progres- sive manner of assuring the uniform development of clties. Zones, when beginning tomorrow morning. Dr. Wil- liam A. Taylor, chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry, has sald that this 18 to be the best chrysanthemum show ever held in the United States. More than 1,200 of the big Japanese mums and 800 of the feathery, pompom and single varieties have been entered in the show. The annual Washington chrysan- themum show has become a popular entertainment. Each year a very large number of visitors go to the greenhouses to stroll among the blooms, gaze at them, and stimulate or satisty a liking for flowers. Thou- sands of persons get one of those ser- mons on the wonders of nature which mums and all other plants teach. Washington has its rose, dahlia, am- aryllis and chrysanthemum shows, and the attendance at these exhibitions is evidence of the popularity of flowers. We shall probably hear a good deal about what breeding and culture have done to raise the chrysanthemum from a somewhat humble yellow flower to a lofty bloom with long and remark- ably conspicuous petals. The proud chrysanthemum is. much more distin- gulshed, more expensive and more praised than its lowly ancestors, but many flowers have made a similar progress. It is believed that when Congress makes an adequate appro- priation for the construction of a building for the Department of Agri- culture there will also be constructed a greenhouse of such splendor that it will be called a conservatory, and that there will be held the future flower shows of the department. Making the Best Goods. One of the best investments ever made by American industry is dis- closed in a bulletin just issued by the United States Chamber of Commerce, which states that manufacturers in this country on an expenditure of $35,000,000 & year in research work are saving fully $500,000,000 annually in the conduct of their business. These laboratory researches are con- ducted by all lines of business. They are seeking better raw materials, more efficient methods of treatment, more economical processes of han- dling. They are “cutting the corners” of cost in all stages of fabrication and marketing. They range from chemi- cal analyses of mineral materials to the study of packing boxes. Notonly are these researches conducted by in- dividual manufacturers, but the trade assoclations, composed of groups of producers and merchandizing compa- nies, are prosecuting their own co- operative researches, the majority of these organizations spending more than $20,000 each annually. The National Canners’ Association has re- ported an item of $120,000 as its an- nual research budget, while the Port- land Cement and Natlonal Lime As- sociations each accounts for $100,000. The consumers of manufactured goods are getting the benefit of these improvements resulting from indus- trial research work. As costs are cut prices are cut to correspond. The savings from improved methods of treatment and handling do not all go to profits. Competition prevalls to give the consumer the benefit of his share of the reductions. Furthermore, better goods are produced. It is the alm of the American manufacturer to- day to make the best possible product, once determined, should be perma- nent, unless conditions arise which make It apparent that a change would be advantageous to the majority of those concerned. Buyers of property depend upon zoning restrictions to keep up the value of their land. They should not be penalized by a relaxa- tion of these restrictions. In the working out of the local zon- ing law hardships have unquestion- ably been placed on varlous interests. The Zoning Commission, however, has steadfastly held to the principle of the greatest zood for the greatest number, and its decisions have acted as a brake 10 *hodge-podge” city development. The commission realizes that if re- strictions are relaxed in one case there will be no good reason for turning down other applications. Therefore, the precedent set in its most recent decision will, in the future, result in the protection of the interests of the property owner in restricted zones and contribute to the steady develop- ment of the National Capital. e The fact that the United States Senate was not in session enabled the President’s Thanksgiving message to get by without threat of a veto. ———— *Annual Chrysanthemum Show. In the procession of the seasons we come to the time of the chrysanthe- mum. There have been a number of reminders of the progress of Autumn, the almanac, the thermometer, the changing color of leaves and thelr falling, but here we have the twenty- fourth annual chrysanthemum show eponsored by the Department of Agri- culture in the greenhouses at Four- teenth and B. Part of the published announcement is that M Jardine, wife of the Secretary of Agriculture, has sent invitations to more than & hundred persons, including Mrs. Cool- idge and the women of the cabinet, to come to the greenhouses for a non- public look at the flowers. For a week or ten days the show will be epen to the public, 9 am. to § pm., 4 the most durable and dependable, most strictly standardized in quality. 1 Co-operation in research work by | = trade associations is a gratifying sign of a wholesome condition in American industry. Certain trade secrets are, of courss, preserved. Patents are safeguarded. But processes where not of a proprietary or patented character are being, by mutual research, brought up to higher standard for the good of the trade. American trade, indeed, is to be measured in terms of its appeal to forelgn markets. The better American goods are made the more surely will they sell abroad. It is the hope of the progressive manu- facturers of this country that Ameri- can trade marks will, through per- sistent research work and improve- ment of factory methods, come to mean to all buyers the world over the best goods made. JE—— Political activities are expected on the part of Charles Evans Hughes. It is hardly reasonable to expect that a man who resigned from the Supreme Court to engage in active campaign- ing would be content to remain in a state of perpetual quiescence. ———— The election of a Republican mayor in Boston and of a Democratic mayor in New York indicate the safety of the principle of a two-party govern- ment. — Law Officers and Enforcement. Not long ago in Chicago a bootleg gang was raided and the headquarters, when searched, vielded a small black book. That little volume has shown some interesting items. It appears from it that more than 250 city po- licemen were on the pay roll of the Gennas at monthly “salaries” rang- ing from $10 to $125. The lower rate, it appears, was paid for “dumb patrol- men” and the higher rate for a few shrewd sergeants. It also appears from the book that a squad from the state's attorney’s office collected regu- larly, and three squads from the de- tective bureau were on the pay roll at from $400 to $800 a month apiece. The pay roll for May, 1925, was $6,916. This little black book is a type of one of the reasons why prohibi- tion enforcement is difficult in this country. Venality on the part of law j forces has checked the capture and the prosecution of violators. Un- doubtedly it paid the Gennas well to lay out nearly $7,000 a month in bribes ranging from $10 to $800 & man. Their operations were in such volume as to make it profitable. A ‘“‘dumb patrolman”—probably deaf and blind as to transactions at close range— was an elementary safeguard. Bt of more importance were the detectives and the district attorney’'s men, who got the real evidence whenever ar- rests were made. As a result of this investment cases failed on prosecu- tion. Perhaps the little black book also contains the record of the sums paid to bondsmen for securing the free- dom of accused persons. Prohibition enforcement is possible it law officers are not corrupted. The i THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1925. enormous profits in the boofla:dnt' business, however, put a premium on dishonesty. The problem is to secure an enforcement organization of strict integrity. Local police forces may re- main doubtful, but if there is rigid prosecution involving punishment and disgrace whenever a law officer is caught taking a bribe from a rum runner, this graft will be discouraged and the enforcement of the law strengthened. Prison terms are nec- essary to break up this illicit connec- tion. Amendment of the enforcement act may be necessary to increase the penalties for bootlegging and for con- nivance, with fewer privileges of de- lay and appeal and an increase in the scale of bond rates to make it more difficult for offenders to secure liberty while awaiting trial. S R The Fourth Degree. ioldstein, a student at Colum- bia University, already holds the de- grees of bachelor and master of arts, bachelor and master of sclence from his alma mater. He is still plugging along, and, unless the Columbia foot ball team beats the Cornell foot ball team In the near future, he will be- come Columbla’s most highly educated alumnus, with as many real, honestly earned sheepskins as any big butter and egg man can boast honorary ones. Back in 1921 Mr. Goldstein made a bet with a Cornell enemy that he would remain at Columbla until its team defeated the Ithaca aggregation. He was then a senior, with his A. B. degree In sight. Now he is a sopho- more in the law school. One or two more unfortunate days for the Blue and White on the gridiron and he can hang out his shingle. Here was a real bet, immeasurably more Impressive than the staking of thousands by owners of millions, or bizarre guarantees to let whiskers grow or propel peanuts along boule- vards with toothpicks. Putting one's self in Sophomore Goldstein's place, it is difficult to decide whether to hope Columbia gets it in the neck again or not. One would have to be acquaint- ed with his finances, his preferences and his capacity for assimilating pun- ishment. But it looks as if the last- named item were of A-number-one grade. Some day Mr. Goldstein may count the members of six or seven losing Columbia teams as among his best benefactors. In the meantime, hats may be lifted to him as a good, game guy. —_———— It was tactless of a Detroit mob to throw stones at a Ku Klux buflding. Detroit’s philanthropy and poetry have been stressing the idea that we ought to be gentle and kind toward one an- other, regardless of differences of opinion. —————— Friends and admirers of Charles Evans Hughes are stressing the well known principle that being out of of- fice does not by any means imply being out of politics, ————— Literary art is such that a foot ball game has to be a wonder to convey as many thrills as the sports writer's description of it. —————— The Prince of Wales is not a fortu- nate horseman, but he is always ready to mount and try again. Eventually the right horse will surely be found. —————— California is a wonderful State, influence, Manhattan finds, reaches all the way across the conti- nent, both in pictures and politics. —————————— One of the grand moments in an Arctic explorer’s life is that in which he rediscovers the temperate zone. ————— The French cabinet is in a state of perpetual suspense. It {s even harder to stabilize than the franc itself. New York has a new mayor to face the same old troubles. ———————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Ideal and the Real. Moonshine over the hill— Moonshine over the fleld— It brings us a wonderful thrill Of beauty in silence revealed. Moonshine down {n the glen— A doubtful and dangerous bluff. It causes embarrassment when A moonshiner barrels the stuff, Retirement. “Do you ever intend to retire to pri- vate life?" “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum; “if the opposition ever succeeds in making it perfectly plain to me that they have me whipped for keeps." Edenville. Adam and Eve, your fate was sad, And reckless was your act. Rich you'd have been, if sense you'd had, To subdivide your tract! Jud Tunkins says children don't mind their parents like they used to owin’ to the fact that it's the young- sters that are qualified to give lessons in the Charleston and such like. A Plea for the Weed. “Don’t you know that nicotine is a deadly poison?” “Yes,” answered Uncle Bill Bottle- top. ‘““But so's licker. When I’ smokin’ a cigar I ain't dfraid a gov- er'ment agent will climb on the run- nin’ board and threaten me with a gun. Nicotine is sure a poison, but, anyways, it's slower in its effects than alcohol.” Aviation Contrast, The aviator finds strange contrast nigh ‘When busily engaged in tempting Fate. One moment he explores the bound- less sky. The next he's in a courtroom, twelve by eight. “Dar ain't no ta Claus,” said Uncle Eben; “so you an’ me's got to work all de harder to make life cheer- ful 'round de holidays.” Come On, Judge! From the Philadelphia Bulletin. Erle Court has ruled that man is boss in his own home. Question s, will the court enforce ita decree? D l Shaving Uncle Sam’s Dollars And Saving His Dimes BY WILLIAM P. HELM, JR. ARTICLE IIL By the introduction of more than 100 individual economies the Federal Government has reduced the cost of operating its mammoth printing plant at Washington by nearly two-thirds— 64 per cent to be exact—within five vears. Budget Bureau figures, com- piled to show actual savings In minor establishments during this period, dis- close a drop from $8,316,000 for the fiscal year 1921 to an estimated $2,- 918,000 during the present fiscal year, which began July 1 last. Here Coolidge economy has wrought with a vengeance. But for the cease- less flow of oratory in House and Sen- ate, reported by expert stenographers and rushed at high epeed into type, and thence daily in the form of the Congressional Record to an eager and waliting public, the showing would be much greater. As a matter of fact, the estimated cost of operation during the present fiscal year is about $435,- 000 more than the actual cost during the past fiscal year. This is explained by the fact that during the past fiscal year there was but a short session of Congress, ex- piring March 4, whereas during the present fiscal year the country faces the prospect of unlimited oratory and debate, running in all likelihood far past March 4, under the dome of the Capltol. * & ok % The Government Printing Office is the largest print shop in the world. It | works at high speed day and night during the better part of the year. Here come not only the words of wis dom from House and Senate, but countless publications of every char acter from the army of sages em ployed by the executive departments. Thousands of tons of Government bul- letins are shot through its presses an- nually. Authors if these more or less valuable publications are numbered by the thousand. Weekly and monthly periodicals supplied by the Government on almost every subject under the sun, from ponderous statistical reviews to the lightest of frothy reading matter, number close to 100. These and count’ less other publications, including rdy reports made annually by the heads of departments and independent offices, are all turned out by the Gov ernment printing office. Until the past few vears there v little check, if any, upon this polyg output. Gover authors tushed into print on every ivable subject, and in literally thousands of cases wholly or partially revised their writings in proof. The demand for this weighty matter seldom equaled the supply, taking the writings whole. As a result, acres of shelve: in the Government Printing were loaded down with printed bulle- tins elther obsolete or unwanted. In addition, tons of metal were waiting, In some cases for years, in rac atlable for reprints if desired. Within the past fiscal year the pub- lic printer, increase of dead matter on his shelves, took {nventory of old publications, un: wanted by the public. He has advised the Bureau of the Budget that as a result of this step he has been able to rid his shelves of 1874650 printed publications during the vea “Of this number,” reads his report, 1,226,093 were onepage pamphlets of “the Department of Agriculture. which were disposed of as waste paper, with the approval of that de- partment.” * ok ok * Evidently somebody in the past had blundered. One and a quarter mil- lions of pamphlets, written at the taxpayers' expense, printed at his cost on paper purchased with his money, by aid of employes whose sal- arfes were paid by him, sold as waste paper! One cannot estimate the loss. Even so, that was the story only for the fiscal year 19 During the pre- ceding fiscal year, the public printer as- serts, “more than 2,000,000 worthless publications were disposed of to pro- vide room for new publications.” The report continues: “The greatest space (In 1925) was made available by the action of the Department of Commerce in releas- Memories of Bitter Fight Aroused by the Lodge Book Publication of Senator Lodge's posthumous book, “The Senate and the League of Nations,” revived memories of the bitter struggle in which the Massachusetts Senator and Woodrow _ Wilson were the chiet figures. To the great satisfactlon of champlons of the league, the book ap- peared almost simultaneously with the Locarno treaties by which the nations of Europe pledged themselves against war, and was followed by announce- ment of the league's success in sup- pressing a Balkan conflict. To the Wichita Beacon (Independent Republican) it seems that “Lodge's own book will clear up the situation and go far toward vindicating the course of men who were conscientious in their opposition” to the Versailles treaty and the league. But the New York Times (independent Democratic), pointing out that “the great ironist, Fate,” contrived to bring out the book on the morrow of the Locarno treatles, remarks: ‘At any other time during the past five years his indictment of the league, though manifestly par- tisan and highly uncritical, would have had a certain force for all and would have carrled conviction to many.” It was “the existence of the League of Nations, and that alone,” asserts the Omaha World-Herald (independ- ent), “which made good the conclu- slons and agreements of the Locarno conference, stabilizing the peace of Western Europe,” and the Omaha paper adds that it was “the existence of the League of Nations that made it possible for the world to look upon the criminal folly of Greece and Bul- garla with disgust and resentment rather than with great alarm.” * ¥ Xk X “Through hatred of Woodrow Wil- son, which he could not conceal, how- ever much he might protest in his deathbed memories,” says the Lynch- burg Advance (Democratic), “Mr. Lodge passionately antagonized every movement that was in agreement with his own previous declarations. He lterally spat in the face of his own avowed principles. And upon him will rest through the ages the largest share of the culpability for the failure of the United States to make one single contribution toward the peace which the world now enjoys or toward any peace which may hereafter en- dure.” The New York World (Independent Democratic) declares that the book “‘as an effort to prove that Mr. Lodge’s course in 1919-20 was marked by deep sincerity or real statesmanship is a failure; as a demonstration of the fact that Mr. Lodge was an adroit and able politiclan—and nothing more—it is quite successful.” “‘Mr. Wilson was not a great man, " quotes the Knoxville Sentinel (independent Democratic). *Mr. Lodge could not trust to history to determine this and so he dedicated his last days to writing down the man for the guid- ance of posterity. And, unless our judgment is at fault, he has left a pro- duction that will be read with amaze- ment by many now liylog, whether it | they hav Office | kept | alarmed at the growing | |more than the entire expense of put- | type. ' pe diferent,” ing 93,038 large publications and by the Department of the Interfor in taking similar action um to 632,948 obsolete Interfor publication: A short time prior to disposing of this costly rubbish, the public printer went over his stock of useless elec- trotype and stereotype platen clutter- ing up his shelves and taking up valuable space. Aw n result of that little excursion Into the realm of un- wanted Government literature, the public printer found 624,000 pounds of metal kept standing unnecessarily. That metal was remelted and saved the Government $68,000, which it would have spent otherwise for new metal. * ok ok Individual instances by the score have marked the progress of Coolldge economy in the Government Printing Office. The following instances of economy are taken from a specially prepared report of George H. Carter, the public printer, to the Federal Bu- reau of the Budget, describing a few of the economies effected in the fiscal year 1925: “The time-honored but useless pub- lication known as ‘The Abridgment of Messages and Documents,’ which cost from $3,000 to $8,000 annually for pub- lcation, has been abolished. The Abridgment was a wasteful duplica- tion of the annual reports of various executive departments. “Another publication permanently discontinued was the Navy Year Book, which likewise served no useful pur- pose. ‘"he expense of printing the Year Book was approximately ear. Reduction in the size of annual re- ports by eliminating matter of minor importance and unnecessary details is especlally pleasing. Reports of the various "departments for the fiscal year 1924 totaled 18,836 pages, as com- pared with 58,940 pages contained in the reports for 1920. Printing and binding the reports for 1920 cost $360,437, while the expense for 1924 $194,395, a saving of $166,045. “The permanent conference on print- ing has co-operated with the requisi- review board fin its effort to re- printing and binding expend!- . The sum saved during the ac- tivities of the review board was he demand for rush work at extra cost is another generally unnecessary expenditure that the conference has been endeavoring to reduce. A num- ber of persons in certain departments are prone to delay preparation of copy for their publications until the last minute and then demand that the printer shall make up for all the time lost by procrastinating. It | zing to observe, however, that expenditures for rush work hav 55, as compared with 26 for 1921.” ok o ox Of the Government author who changes his mind about what he has to say and his copy in proof—one of the most extravagant pests known to the Government Printing Office—Mr. Carter has this to say: “The corrections made by the au- thors of two publications recently sub- mitted to the Government Printing Office cost several thousand dollars, or ting the original manuscripts into This is a gross waste of public funds due to the carelessness or in- efficiency of the persons who prepare the manuscripts “The expenditure of $970,000 in the last five years for the correction of authors’ alterations after their mam- scripts had been printed in proof form is somewhat startling and shows clearly that there is still much work to be done by the conference to rem- edy this evil.” These savings are typlcal. They could be matched in tiresome detall to the extent of many columns of print. Suffice it to say, however, that the sum total of all the individual econo- mies in this one minor branch of the Government service Is shown by its comparative drain on the Treasury— $8.316,000 in 1921 and $2,918,000 for the current fiscal year. (Copyright. 1925.) survives to enlighten posterity after the humor of it has palled or not." “So much has been sald of Senator Lodge as opponent of the league,” the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin (inde- pendent Republican) reminds its read- ers, “that it is somewhat important to be reminded that he was in favor of the ratification of the treaty, including the covenant of the League of Nations, with certain reservations. Experience of later years had convinced the Mas- sachusetts Senator of the wisdom of the ultimate rejection of the league, but at the time the reservations were offered he would have been content had ratification been accomplished. In this opinion Senator Lodge was in har- mony with a very considerable and po. tetial opinion throughout the United States.” * Kk % X Commenting on Senator Lodge's criticism of Wilson, the Ghicago Trib- une (independent Republican) says: “Wilson would not consult, yield or conciliate. His play was to be pro- duced as written. It was to be taken as was or not at all. It was to be taken without a cut, change of scene or word. And it was not produced. And we think that the United States gained in this failure, caused by a President who would not have any one share in his authorship and dis- tinction.” Declaring that there is more or less truth in Lodge's statement that “Wil- son’s unbending attitude was respon- sible” for the outcome, the Waterloo Tribune (independent) asserts that “Mr. Wilson’s attitude was no more ‘unbending’ than was that of some men in the Senate, Lodge included.” The New Haven Register (Independ- ent) adds its bellef that “the book leaves an undefinable feeling in the reader that, after all, there were two stubborn minds, each imbued with the highést sense of honor and duty, each striving for the ideal held, each intol- erant of the other's ideal, each feeling that the other was motivated by per. sonal feelings as against patriotic im- pulse.” The Waterbury Republican (inde- pendent) finds “evidence of pettiness of the Wilson personality in some of its phases,” and “new conviction to one’s sense of the puniness of Lodge's statesmanship.” * Kk k ox “Mr. Lodge tells the world how un- willing he himself was to lend co. operation when it was asked of him, the Kalamazoo Gazette (independent) observes, citing “Senator Lodge's own statement that President Wilson did seek the advice and suggestions of at least one prominent Senator of the opposite political party, and that one Senator was no one else than Henry Cabot Lodge."” The St. Paul Dispatch (independent) takes the position that “the fact that Senator Lodge refused to take any part in the drafting of the covenant throws part of the blame on him, with- out, however, excusing President Wil- son for what happened later. Had Senator Lodge pursued throughout the same Ifberal course he expected of the President, the record today might B . THE NORTH WINDOW By Leila Mechlin. There {8 no subject connected with art more fraught with perplexity than that which has to do with authenti- cation. To say whether a painting 18 good or poor—that is, whether it is well done or not—is a simple mat- ter as compared with establishing the identity of its painter. The impres- slon prevails that if one knows any- thing about art one should be abie to state with authority at a glance by whom a picture is painted and whether or not it is an original or & copy. In fact, however, these are questions about which the leading ex- perts disagree, and when this is the case, as with the proverbial doctors, who shall decide? * ok K K It s true that every painter has a style of his own. With some this is more markedly individual than with others, and as one recognizes at a glance the handwriting of a friend, 80 the works of these painters of more pronounced personality are read- fly distinguishable. But there have been very many painters in the world, and the works of those living about the same time frequently show strik- ing similarity. For instance, witness the so-called school of Rembrandt, and the commotion that was caused in the art world a year or more ago when Prof. John Van Dyke declared that the majority of the paintings attributed for generations to the great master himself were works of cotem- poraries—pupils, apprentices in his workshop. Prof. Van Dyke came to this conclusion after years of very care- ful study, examining again and again not only the canvases attributed to Rembrandt, but those of known mas- ters of his school, comparing the brush strokes and taking into con- sideration not merely the style of the painting, but the use of certain col- ors—innumerable technical features about which the layman 1is totally ignorant. There are only a few persons in this country and abroad who have made such” an intensive study of technique in painting that they can v with any authority whether or not a work is an original, and to whom, in the matter of production, it belong: Even among these experts there is now and then disagreement, as between Prof. Van Dyke and some of the European authorities in regard to the Rembrandt paintings. But even in this instance there is no dis- agreement as regards the school. * x ¥ * When it comes to a matter of the original or a copy the problem is sim- pler, for seldom is a copyist able to equal the original master; but not in- ¢, particularly in the case of made, pressumably, with few years of the original, he may approximate it so closely that it Is difficult to distinguish. Some painters, furthermore, made a habit of copying . Gilbert Stuart, for In- stance, as is well known, made many replicas of his Washington portraits. Rembrandt _was never known to re- peat himself, therefore, when a copy of a Rembrandt is shown it is safe to conclude that it is not by the hand of the master. v ox % % Another difficult point for the lay- man to understand with reference to the valuation of works of art is that an old painting is not, of necessity, a good painting. There poor paint- ers even back in the days of the Ital- ian Renaissance, as there are today. and the works of many of these have been preserved and handed down from generation to generation, as have those of their more distingulshed co- temporaries. Perhaps in those days these less worthy works sold mere cheaply, as they do today: perbaps they were preferred by the uninitiated. Persons who had the opportunity of having their portraits painted by Cop ley, and, in this later day, by Sargent and Cecilia Beaux, have been known to choose feebler painters because their works were more to their liking; con sequently, to have had a palnting handed down in one’s family for 100 years or more does not mean that it is a masterpiece. Every time publicity is given to the discovery of a work by a great paint- er, a European old master, in an old attic or an antique shop, & painting valued at a fabulous sum, every one who has an unnamed old painting is stirred with excitement and the eager hope that thelr possession may prove equally valuable and rare. There is a lure about such discoveries, but alas, they are so few. To meet the need for expert advice in such matters, the Pennsylvania Museum has lately established a de- partment to pass upon and v 'e such works of art. Needless to s, many have applied for this proffered assist- ance. * x ok X That mistakes are sometimes made in the attribution of paintings, even in the best museums, is a fact, and one which goes far to shake the public faith in expert authority. Not long ago the attribution of a portrait in the Metropolitan Museum was changed and created thereby consid- erable notice. It was a portrait of Henry Clay, a very well known por- trait, glven to the museum in 1909 and labeled the work of Samuel F. B. Morse, an attribution which, curlous- Iy encugh, was never challenged; in fact, one of the leading authorities on early American painting had pub- lished it as an example of Morse's vork. It was signed, supposedly, “Morse, Jan'y. 1842." But one day some one who had known the por- trait in the early days before its first publication, recognized it as the work of another artist. Re-examination of the signature showed it plainly to be “Moise,” and upon careful inquiry it was found that it was painted by Theodore Sidney Moise, who was born in Charleston in 1806 and who paint- ed chiefly in the South. The painting in question was done in New Orleans from life for John Freeland, and hung for many years in the house of his son-in-law, Col. John Redmon Saxe Lewls, in Lexington, Va. The “i” in the painter's name had two dots over it and it was these that gave the misleading appearance of an “r.” After all, the only way absolutely to authenticate a work of art is to have its pedigree. * ok ok K Referring to this re-attribution, Mr. ‘Wehle of the Metropolitan Museum staff, In an article in the bulletin of the museum says: “The history of museums and collecting is en- livened by a multitude of classic tales of blindness and blundering, and spe- clalists in any branch of the history of painting would be the last to be surprised on learning of such a case in our museum. Each of these stu- dents could call to mind, not without a pitying smile, perhaps, a pet case or two or three in his own particular field, in which he would disagree with the museum’s labeling. And then he adds most wisely: “Against the practice of labeling plctures at all something may indeed be said by the esthete pure and simple. Even granting that all labels speak the truth, he might say that pictures do better to speak for themselves. “Form and color should be allowed to act directly on the emotions, whereas the label serves to induce a distract- ing intellectual activity. * * * And the appreciation of a good painting is a complex process. Color and form in a picture act upon our rods and cones and nerve centers in mysterious ways which science has thus far been unable to explain satisfactorily. and into this complexity enters also the mind, with its more or less rich hin- terland of ideas and images and its in- sistent simian curiosity. * * * As for the inistent simian curiosity, except in so far n; lltot r:ufzuum nlluus the appropriate n of images, it ap- pears to be nothing less than a curse 10 its possessor so long as he occuples ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Is honey sugar?—J. R. B. A. Dr. Harvey Wiley says that honey and sugar in equivalent amounts have the same fattening roperties. As honey contalns about Dper cent of water, or a little more, it would require 20 per cent more honey to have the same fattening properties as an equivalent amount of sugar. Honey is more wholesome than sugar, because it has vitamins and mineral substance gathered by the bee, while refined sugar has neither minerals nor vitamins. It is more wholesome to eat honey than it is to eat an equivalent amount of sugar, but both are fattening. less fattening than Q. Why are some roses called tea roses?—H. B. G. A. They are 8o called because their | odor is like the aroma of tea. Q. What part of a measuring cup is an ounce of water?—P. P. A. It is one-eighth of a cup or two tablespoons. Q. What per cent of the national income is produced by people who are paid salaries—N. B, A. Total salaries and wages in the United States furnish 68 per cent of the national income. In 1921 the total income amounted to $34,769,362,000. Q. When was the Venus de Milo found?—W. O. H. A. It was recovered in 1820. Q. What does “Thanatopsis” mean? —8.G. A A. This Greek word means “view of death. Q. Does Canada produce much to- bacco?—A. T. A. Tobacco production in Canada during the past amounted to 17,710,740 pounds. The farm value of this pro- duction was $3.358,898. The area under crop in 1924 was 21,317 acres, situated in the provinces of Ontaric and Quebec. Q. Has a bridge ever actually col- lapsed when a body of soldiers was crossing?—A. H. A. In 18350 a suspension bridge at Angers, France, gave way when 487 soldiers were marching over it, and 226 were killed. Q. What are the dimensions of the | Coliseum?—J. K. A. The greatest length of the Coli- seum of Rome is about 615 feet; the length of the shorter axis of the ellipse, 510 feet; the height is about 160 feet. The seating capacity was 87,000 people. The dimensions of the arena were 281 feet by 177 feet. Q. Why are white clothes cooler than black?—F. G. C. A. White reflects the sun rays while black absorbs them. For this reason people living in the tropics wear white rather than dark colors or black. Q. Why is a girl kissed when caught under the mistletoe?—R. C. O. | A. Authorities differ somewhat con- cerning the origin of the custom of kissing under the mistletoe. Walsh is of the opinion that it is an in- nocent survival from the Saturpalia of the ancients when riot and license ran loose. Other authorities claim that it is a survival of the ancient Druilds of Britain. The mistletoe is belleved to have been given to the goddess of love to keep, and every one who passed under it received a kiss to show it was the emblem of love. The Druids cut the sacred mistletoe and hung it over the door- ways to propitiate the woodland sqirits. According to myth, oniy hap piness could enter under the mistle toe, hence the tradition of the kiss. Q. Are more man or woman pedes- ga::s injured by automobiles?—M. A. In a report for September which included 84 cities it is disclosed that the ratio was two men to one woman run down by automobiles. Almost as many pedestrians were injured on crosswalks as between them. Q. Is rain water chemically purs? —R. N. A. Ordinary rain jater containe appreciable amounts of dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, ammonia and car- bonic acid gas, and in special cases it is found to contain nitric acid, sul- phuric acid and other components of the fmpure alr of citles. The acid and alkaline impurities increase the power of the rain water to dissolve the mineral constituents of the earth’s crust, the gases make it poe- sible for plants and animals to live in rivers and ponds which would not support life if the water were chemically pure. Q. Which is the oldest flag in the world’—R. E. W. A. The flag of Denmark is said to be the oldest unaltered flag. Its cross dates back to 1219. The Itallan fla dates back to 1310. The United States flag was esmblished in 17 Q. When did Lenin adopt his “nom de revolution"?—C. T. B. A. F. A. MacKenzie says that the Russian leader adopted the name Lenin after his return from exile on the Lena goldfields. Q. When were the diplomatic and consular services combined?—C. W. M. A. The act of May 24, 1924, com- bined the diplomatic and consular services, provided for the reorganiza- tion and fmprovement of the foreign | service for the purpose of securing |benefits of economy and efficiency | through a em of combined ad | ministration, and a more effective co- | ordination of the political and econ- omic branches of the services. | Q. What s mean dead 1ice M.H. A. The term is applled to glacial fce which has lost its motion, because the | whole ice movement has been checked or because the part become de- tached from the main ice sheet. (Any reader can get the answer to any question by writing The Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Has kin, director, Washington, D. C. This offer applies strictly to information. The bureau cannot give advice on legal, medical and financial matters. It does not attempt to settle domestic troubles, mor undertake erhaustive research on any subject. Write your question plainly and briefly. Give full name and address and inclose 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Al replies arc sent direct to the in- quirer. Address The Star Informa- tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, di- rector,. Twenty-first and C streets northwest, Washington, D. C.) BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL ¥. COLLINS. Antony lost an empire because he basked in the smiles of Cleopatra. Ahmad Kejar has lost his throne partly through the alluring beauties of Nice, Paris, Biarritz and Deau- ville. Ahmad was the Shah of Persia. Today he is a wealthy Persian gentleman with a far greater life expectancy than he had while a monarch. This young man hs‘s been pictured as colorless and “soft”; whose head has been turned by art- ful adulation at French resorts. He is described as having voluntarily spent his time In idleness among the gayeties of Europe, while his prime minister and cabinet in Teheran were urging him to return to his responsibilities as Shah of Persia. Nevertheless, the fate of the de- posed monarch has its ameliorations, among which is the continuance of his monthly stipend of $40,000. But that is not all he has with which to eke out a living. Not long ago he cornered the grain market of Persia and cleared several millions for him- 1. = * x x % Ahmad Kejar is the last Shah of a_dynasty which began to relgn in 1794 with absolute power. In 1906 Persla insisted upon a constitution limiting the power of absolutism. The Shah, who was then on the throne, died the following year and was succeeded by his son, Mohammed Ali, who delayed taking the oath to support the constitution untll late in 1807. Ignoring the oath, after sub- scribing to it, he ruled in violation of the constitution until he was de- posed in 1909. The succession fell to Ahmad Kejar, then about 11 years of age, and the government was held by a regent, with Russia and Great Britain holding “zones of influence” in the North and South. In 1810 Great Britain threatened to_police her zone at the expense of Persian customs receipts, and Russia, was equally insistent in encroachments upon Persian autonomy. Persian finances were chaotic and were rapidly approaching bank- ruptcy, when, in that same year (1910), the Parliament (called the Merdjliss) appealed to President Taft to send American financial experts to bring order out of chaos. This resulted in the appointment by Persia of W. Morgan Shuster as treasurer-general, and a staff of American experts in charge of col- lection of all taxation. ‘The American financial control was fast straightening out the tangled finances, when in 1914 the young Shah, Ahmad, was crowned, and the regency ended—also the American financial administration—at the dicta- tion of Russia. Persia declared neutrality in the ‘World War, but her territory became the battleground of Turkey and Rus- sia. Her province of Azarbaijan was ravaged, and massacres of her Ar- him with the enjoyment of art. To quiet the troublesome craving the best move is to satisfy it on the spot, and a label is the obvious way to do T * ¥ % % This question of authenticity and label is carried far and extends to the fleld of industrial art today. A spe- clalist on furniture, writing on the subject of early furniture makers of Pennsylvania, in a recent magazine declares himself capable of dis- Nnguishing the maker by the style of his work; thus, he avers, it is possi- ble to say with authority: “This chair was the work of so and so also was this table, this sofa.’ In like manner an engraver of 50 years ago was noted for his ability to dis- tinguish and fix authoritatively even a fragment of an engraving by any ot his conferes, because of a differ- ence in style. How significant in- deed, though sometimes misleading, is this matter of individuality!. A menian population were committed by the Invading Turks. Finally, in 1916, the Shah appointedl a proally cabinet, and, with British leadership, a Persian army drove out the invaders from South Persia. In Northern Persia the Russian forces had maintained fairly good control until Russia collapsed, after which British troops from India protected the whole kingdom, with such ald as native Cossacks could give. * k% % At the Versailles peace conference Persia demanded independence and complete autonomy, free from British dominance. This was not granted. In 1920 bolsheviks invaded Northern Persia and occupled Resht, which place was recaptured by Persian Coe. sacks the following year, and a treaty was made between Soviet Russia and Persia. In the meantime, Perslan finances had gone back to the confusion which had occasioned the appeal for Mr. Shuster, and in 1921 another appeal came for American aid. Dr. A. C. Millspaugh of our Department of State was then loaned to that dis- tracted country: he is still In charge. Under his administration the finances have been regulated and administered with shining success. o In the meantime the political weak- ling upon the throne was forced, against his own fears, to appoint & strong man—Reza Khan—prime min- ister and actual ruler. So fearful was the Shah of the trend of events manifested by the prestige of his prime minister that he felt discretion to be the better part of roval valor, and he fled to Europe—not merely for its social gayeties, but for the safety of his own life. All reports that Reza Khan and the Medjliss were begging the Shah to return to his royal responsibilities were propaganda. The Nationalists, headed by Reza Khan, have been plotting since January, 1924, to de- pose the Shah and set up a republic, or to let the Shah’s minor brother become his successor, with Reza Khan {as regent. The movement toward a republic was defeated by the Medjliss in 1924, but at last the Shah has been officially deposed by a vote of 80 out of 85 members of the Medjliss, and Reza Khan has been named tempo- rary “governor.” He is in dictatorial command until further action which is expected to make him Shah and founder of a new dynasty. ki Reza Khan is a Perslan Mussolini— a strong character and a leader. Shah Ahmad might well have dreaded to defy him by refusing to make him prime minister. He was born in 1875 of peasant parentage—a Turkish 'molher and Persian father. When he became old enough he joined the Cossack “Brigade” as a private. This was an organized bodvguard of the Shah. He gradually rose from the ranks, by valor and ability, and when, in 1917, Russia fell out of control and the British took command, Reza was a colonel of the Cossacks. ‘With 800 Cossacks he captured ‘Teheran, the capital of Persia—a city as large as Washington. He deposed the regent and set’ up Seyid Zia-ed Din as dictator of Persia, with him- self as minister of war. Within a year he quarreled with Seyid and overthrew him, restoring authority to the Shah, with himself as prime min.- ister. He made a treaty with Great Britain, by which Persla would have gotten a loan in consideration of a British protectorate; but the Medjliss refused to ratify it. Reza is now strong enough to derg both the Shah and the Medjliss, and it is predicted that he will practically ignore or defy both, and rule with an abso- lutism not known for a generation. The former Persian Minister to the United States, Hussien Khan Alai, well liked in Washington society and diplomatic circles, has returned to Persia and become a member of Par- liament—the Medjliss—and the lega- tion here is under a charge d'affaires. (Goprright. 1035. by Paul V, Colliasd