Evening Star Newspaper, November 14, 1925, Page 6

6 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C SATURDAY..November 14, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office 11¢h st W Penmedivania Ave rk Office: 110 Eaat 42nd St. Ch o Office Tower Building. Furcpian Ot 14 estat St London. 1 the Sunday morn 1 by earriers within tha ity at A0 cents per month: daily only 5 @ ner month day only. 20 cents pee month, rs may b sent by matl t . v R000 Collection 18 made by he end of each month. The Evening Star. Ine edition. is —Payable in Advance. and and Virginia. S8 40:1mo. S6.00: 1 mo. $7.40% 1 mo. All Other States. 1mo 1mo 1 Daily and Sunday Paily only unday on 1yr 1vr. e Press. v entitled \ssociated Pross Member of t} o The Acan Datohes frad T ox this ot otherw s aver and also the loca ANl riehts of vl A Substitute Fuel. asmuch as both sides in the an thracite strik ind miners de [ 1 clsewhere that 11 to a finish, public here a anthracite fe bitu of are behooves t seves INStIttes for domesti notably oil and n nous. Oil-burning Many are special tyjx them bei topted. howeve who coul vd to many s prefor ar install them, pre el expect te Tong it « t 1 therefore wish to retain their fl They will use bituminous if they can who cannot aff new heating nts ferring anthracite as a continue its use be had al-burning however, naces, 1 how to burn onomical The retail s show Star, in 11 dealer them with the , is planning to have been fers can be how to use tr made shown demonstration withou mnoyane u coal merchants have a mduct these dem d c \ s will be used for this pu hand and at ap) ters can be the trimmin n will this ftuminous as d rtoor excess But this ined from t for anthracite. on a public supply, which will 18 to be g v a The substitute h large s he anth 1pon t the and suspensions acite have a very wholesome ef at trade and render recurrence of stubborn of production strike the publ When wages are readjuste upward, as is invariably the case, differen the bill. A igher scale higher cost of produc retail umer’s means n, and cc e goes into con h wage a rate aff for weeks in order wage advances, w until ti quently a higher miners t they can lia idl several n ti ceeded by owny permanent on their afford they can to suspend pro- they will in wages on to the that duction hecaus: know ass the difference umers, with a percenta that diffe: crers from a strike cost based upon past conditions of heating olized effect. If bitu- introduced as a sub- that monopoly with n in minous &titute will b com Such The - us especially ail wider constantly. substitution practicable, with the aid of the Wash- ington coal rchants, about how this subs offected, and the monopoly of anthra- broken, and of current use a is Star is to show ition can be ite in consequence, anthracite strikes averted or allayed. It is up to the this city to take advantage chance to relleve themselves »d upon them by nness of the contenders in nnial anthracite contest. he evils T or is to people of of of a y this burden fmpos the stubi the pe ——— King Tut came to light a little too late to reall fame. What a magnificent comic opera conld have been written around him had his tomb been explored when kind of entertainment was in vogue. e r—e——— Italy’s candid al attitude contention are nece na practical interna- again contradicts the that musicians and sarily bad financiers. ——————— School Congestion. Crowded conditions in Washing- ton's public schools continue, despite the passage of the five:y by Congri the School officials predict that of the first year’s appro- priation will not be felt until the beginning of the next school year, although building operations are heing carried on with the utmost dis- patch. Definite relief from congestion in the entire school system will not be apparent for three years. Congress waited too long. Building leglslation for the District schools should not have been disregarded until the ldst It was a paramount fssne in the Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congress it had been acted upon at that time the National Cap- jtal would now be well on its way to Tecovery. It is but another example of con- gressional delay of needful improve ments for the District. Portable schools and “staggered hours” have heen some of the measures adopted 1y school authorities to care for the overflow of the students of the city. Yet for year after year Congress has old artis program session. the results session. ¥ figure | domestic | anthracite has been a monop- | the full possibilities of | ar building | last | allowed this condition to exist 4n the Nation's Capital. If the five-year building program is strictly carried out, and if appro- priations are promptly made, the schools of Washington will rank fa- vorably with those of any city com- parable in size. In the meaniime, however, the population of the Dis. trict is growing rapidly and it is evi- dent that completion of the program will find only to meet the Congestign enough school needs. such as that faced by in the last five relieved. Con- gidin facilities reach this low level, and completion of this program should mark the passage of another in order to care adequately for the education of young District room the schoof system not easily gress should never ing on’s educational Europe Reacts. The reaction in Europe and the United States toward the Italian debt settlement with the United States is one of general satisfaction, though on different grounds. The most significant and fact, hailed on all sides, is that a settlement has been made. In the the international war debts with the United States, be cause of the circumsta which n associates in the World find themsel most sat- isfactory settlement of es in " es, it has been | 1 to settle the obli or to make full | payment interest plus the prin cipal. 1t is undeniably true that in making these settlements the United t much as it would like to get or is entitled to get, the same time the debtor na- to pay more than they gations immediately is States does not as us and at ns agree nt to pay. In Italy the announcement of the debt settlement has been hatled with according to dispatches from ‘The blanket cancellation of bout §1.713,000,000 in interest by the United States is no small concession. Ttaly, moreover, has felt the pinch of of lack of credit, of instabil- litv of currency. Her people are | hopeful that with the settlement now | made with the United States and with la settn to be made with Great the financial situation will A and that they pro ke use of their re: Rome. poverty, | | Britain {he improv can cd to {and t m ources ir labor to the utmost capacity | | i benetit as well as Ital pa S for the henetit of French < creditors. proper | ently take it ttling with Tt the U ters States wi e see enriy negotiations | | between France and this country to | of France to the United which when M. resumy States, nezoutations weeks ago minister of finance, in an efforr his matter of some $4,000,000,000 | From American viewpoint, | however, the French debt occuples a it position from that of Italy, | hecause the wity of Italy to pay | vastly less than that of France. Such is the opinion of experts who have examined conditions abroad. The United es is not a usurer. But it is entitled to be pald for the advances which it made. That 1s all America has cver asked. If there have been conc debtor, it is because the debts were not just debts, but beca: debtors were not in a position to pay in full without distr Italy's sources admittedly vastly 1 those of Britain | France, Italy is a proud &t Yet Italy's debt to the United States and her debt to Britain to approx- imately the debt of Great Britain to the United States. When the differ- ence between her resources and those of Britain re taken into con- sideration, it appears that, in view of the tremendous size of her debts, she should not be expected to pay on the same terms as Great Britain. The United States Government has from the first insisted upon consider- ing settlement with the debtors separately and without con nection with German reparations. is not likely that this policy will now abandoned. The settlement with France will be made after full con- sideration of all the facts, irrespective of the settlement with Italy. D afternoon concert program a song, “Send Me a Lover, 3t. Valentine.” Some of the myths graciously persist, even though the world is compelled to admit there is no Santa Claus. then Vashingtc to n arrange | the erent not re. Tes and are i 3 Great although and country Great amount Great each be A recent containe! R War in China would not be quite so bad if the people could have clung to some features of their anclent civiliza- tion and fought out their troubles to some extent by means of firecrackers and malodorous bombs. B When a terrific raflway wreck oe- curs, there is no chance whatever of shifting tne blame to the shoulders of the patient and much-abused Jjay- walker. ——e—s. Literary Readings. A serfes of “poetry matinees,” with readings and recitations by noted actors, will be given at a New York theater weekly during the Winter to help the fund for building the Cathe- aral of St. John the Divine. The plan of these readings will follow that of the “matinees poetiques” of the Comedie Francaise, at -Paris, where distinguished actors and ac- tresses read from manuscript and memory. In the New York experl- ment professors of literature in the leading universitles will be asked to suggest programs of traglc and comic verse, and Prof. Brander Matthews has accepted the chairmanship for the first matinee. Walter Hampden has loaned his theater for the series and a.few of the notable persons who will read are Mr. Sothern, Miss Marlowe, Otis Skinner, Cyril Maude, Harry Davenport, Brandon Tynan and Mary Shaw. What degree of success will attend these matinees is doubtful, but it is encouraging that the experiment will be made. Listening to great litera- let Wash | | Automotive Engineers at Chicago. | in $400,000,000. | people. fons to this or that | se the | war | It | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, lture reaa by accompiished readers | seems not to be the kind of enter- { talnment liked by a large number of persons. Popular taste surely lleans to jazz and to moving pictures and spoken plays whose appeal is to persons of @ very ordinary measure of intellect and who, not conceiving their deficlency, are not eager to ex- ert themselves to become appreciative of intellectual entertainment. There are persons who are anxious to keex fresh In memory the good things they have learned or heard and ambitious to learn new things which ought to make for higher understanding and enrichment of the mind. Many of { these persons will probably be Inter- ested in the “poetry matinees,” in which, no doubt, the readings will {not be exclusively of verse. With the popular interest in education, it seems strange that more persons do not turn to great books and other lit- erary works rather than frivol with those that cannot stimulate the mind and form the habit of high thinking. We shall see how well these New York poetry matinees “take” with the public. s Automobile Waste. “People neglect their automobiles,” sald a speaker before the Soclety of ile made an estimate that the annual waste in the United States and Can- 1da because of neglect of antooblles It is true that some men neglect their cars. One sees in the streets cars which show the effect | of vears of wear, and it may be that their appearance is partly due to neg- lect. Cars stand at the curb all day whether the weather is fair or foul, and some—the police have the fig- | ures—Ilet their cars stand in the street all night elther to save garage rent or hecause they cannot find a garage, or to spare the trouble of putting up the car for the night. One might class that as neglect of an auto. How general is the neglect of cars one cannot say, but there are many motor owners who use all their indus- try, spare time, intelligence and me- chanical skill in taking care of thelr cars. They spend much of their time polishing, ofling and taking their cars apart and putting them togther again, | and sometimes after putting them to | gether they take them to a machine ! <hop o that they will run. Some men are so interested in th8ir cars that ! they are lavish with advice to friends 15 how to get more miles from a gal- | of gas and make the tires last| longer. | lon | ness was not If we are wasting $400,000,000 h'v‘ neglecting our cars the fault should be corrected. We are an extravagant | but we cannot afford to spend | as much as we do in buyving cars, | running them and taking motor trips, and then waste $400,000,000 by neg- lecting to give the car the attention | it expects. How the automobile ex- | pert got the round figure $400,000,000 | the extent of car neglect is not known. He does not put the figure | at $416,153,719, nor at $305,987,216, but at $400,000,000 flat, which sug- gests speculation. —————————— The recognition of Trotsky Rusglan dlctator may be regarded as an @vidence of personal prestige or, on the other hand, of a greatly con- fused condition of public opinion which welcomes almost anybody will- | ing to assert leadersht ——————— | A practical set of trafiic regulations must go into detail in expressing what, after all, is only a systemi of courtesy {and common sense applied to every- | day experience | o | To some of the Senators the Mitchell | trial must begin to look like another | of those investigations full of surprise possibilites. e It is vaguely understood that Trot- sky has been dictating, but the ste- nographer has not vet had time to type the notes. | e | A atsarmament program forbidding | dirigibles and submarines might go far toward saving life in time of peace. o 18 as a | SHOOTING STARS. 1 BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. More Important. Footprints in the sands bf time— ‘We recall the good old rhyme ‘With respectful sentiment— Yet just now men are intent On lite's more important things { Than the thriil ambition brings. Footprints may be fine, indeed, But they fill no present need. So, my hat T doff today To the men Who go thelr way | Painting, in a style so neat, | Traffic signals on the street. | A Gentle, Childlike Attitude. “Which side of this momentous question do you intend to favor?” “It's too early for me to determine,” answered Senator Sorghum. “At this point of the procedure it is better to assume a thoughtful expression and be visible, but not audible.” Night Travelers. Again a grief I'm struggling with ‘Which will not be forgot. 0ld Santa Claus is but a myth. The Bootleg . Bandit's not. Jud Tunkins says the way a saxo- phone sounds it’s hard to believe that playing it is painless. Strange Coutrasts. ‘“‘Aren’t you going to get your hair cut today?" asked the solicitous wife, “Not today, nor any other day,” an- swered the resolute man. “You girls have gone so far with the bobbing style that I'm going to let my locks flutter in the breeze. It's getting so that short hair looks positively ef- feminate.” Conservatism. Though Scientists labor so hard, Old-fashioned machines claim at- tentlon. The Snow Shovel soon we'll regard As the world’s most important in- vention. “If one bite of an apple could make so much trouble in de Garden of | £100,000 D. C, SATURDAY Tax Publicity And Everybody’s Business BY WILLIAM ARTICLE VI Rail transportation, next to agri- culture, probably is the poorest pa: ing investment, taking it as a whole, in the United States. Possibly, the statement should be changed to put transportation on the bottom. The Government's figures indicate that the railroads of the United States, taking them as u whole and including elec. tric lines, returned net profits of not to exceed 1': per cent on the invest. ment during the prosperous year of Four subdivistons are made in the Government's presentation of net earn ings by the transportation agencies of the country which are linked, in the showing, with other public utilities. ‘The first of these subdivisions, cover- Ing rall transportation, covers returns of 1,643 corporations. Of these 642 were steam railrouds, reporting net in-. come of $526,172,263 for 336 companies and deflcits totaling $36,831,748 for 306 companies. The steam railroad, from that show- ing, stood an average chance of little better than 60 per cent to make money. Electric_railroads reported to the number of 396, but less than half of the number, or 175, made a_profit. Their net income totaled $30,59%,878. The 221 electric raflroud lines that lost money reported deficits running to an aggregate of $19,668,845 All other railroads, whose main busi- precisely defined and which, for that reason, were mot in cluded with either steam or electric lines, numbered 605. Of them about two out of three, or 402, made net in- come totaling §$82.362,730, while 203 lost a total of $5.5 * ¥ Taking rail transportation as a whole, the net income totaled $638,- 133,871 while deficits aggregated $62 012,943, striking a net of about $572 000,000 for the entire group of 1,643 compunles. When one considers the investment—Class 1 carriers alone having & total investment of approxi- mately $23,000,000,000-the utter in- adequacy of the return is strikingly shown. The foregolng companies are closely regulated by at least three different governmental units, Federal, State and city. The figures would tend to indi cate that there is a decided brake on earning capacity when the Govern- ment steps in to the extent it has done in the case of rail transportation. In dicated returns on investment are far below those indicated for certain other groups of ent ise not so regulated. ke ) wing to the second group classi inder the general heading « one finds the water The utter stagnation of Ame shipping in 1923 when almost other kind of business was g good profits, Is disclosed by ory examination of the figures > oceafi lines, transoceanic and for instance. Sixty-five cor- tions reported. Of them only 18 le any showing whatever of net in- nd their total profits ran to $1,901,550, or little more than for company. On the other hand, 47 such companies ran up a deficlt totaling $3,520,163 Lake, sound, bay and river fared somewhat better, 104 reporting a profit out of a total of 157 corpol tions. The profits totaled $13.685.5 Fifty-three such corporations operated at a loss, their combined losses mount- ing_to $957.981. Light marine salvage and wrecking corporations out of 15 made money, fied every maki por m: come only lines | count: P. HELM, JR. income being unprofitable thelr combined net $1,056,415. The seven com ing, Engaged in water transportation also were 1,68% other corporations not | included in the foregoing classifica: tions. Of them, 907 reported net in- come totaling $24,785,438 and 680 r ported deficits which aggregated $21,- | 486,224, * w ok All told, water transportation, as conducted by American corporations, made net income—profits of one group less losses of another—of almost exactly $10,000,000 during the year, this sum being divided among 1,037 profit making concerns, while 787 op- erated at a loss. Under the third heading, local trans- portation, etc., the government ha grouped the money-making corpor tions as follows: 2,347 corporations engaged in storage and cartage or warehouse and pack- fng for transportation MAAS ..coueenconnsnnn-- $18,825,884 1,345 cab, livery, taxicab. Jitney bus companies and garages made . . 508 special food stor and packers for trans portation, etc., made 232 other local transporta- tion corpo 12,863,838 how that 4,432 corpora- tions in those c ses made net income aggregating $45,585,986. llere, as in other cases, there were other corpo tions that lost money during the vear They numbered 2,292, or about one out of every three, and thelr losses ran to $11,085,735. * ¥ ¥ * Here s the showing fourth classification: Electric light and power companies —Three out of four, or 1,551 out of 2,002, made money. th net income aggregating $120,853.9. The 451 losing companies reported deficits of $7.303,044 Gas companies—Of 443 made net income and 160 losy $1,005 848 Telephone and telegraph ¢ Again three out of four ¢ profit, net income of $14 JT11 ported by 3,152 corporations, 931 reported deficits totaling The figures under the 603 reporting, of $39.719,354 pantes a Water works—Of 1,540 1,197 made net Income of and 243 lost $1,488,031 Mutual public utilities t twice as large us profits corporations, 397 made money, & an aggregat >, while 474, or ak grand total of bublic utilities porting, Losses were Out ey s of $147.6 cent, An lost ot $207,2 1 1,147 corporations number ing §9.719 Of the four classifications, the pub utilities appear to have the b chances for making a profit heir total net income (1,837 corporations) was reported at $3 097, with off setting losses on the part of corporations totaling $21,375,655. This sort of tax publicity, it would seem, is of genuine henefit to some of the agencies conducting transpo tion. It shows unmistakably fhe im poverishment of investors who have risked their funds to upbuliding of the it st learly ap) can see it. (Conrright. 1025.) (The End) arent that even the bl Critics Believe “Congress Will Aect on Crop Reports Varlations during the past growing season In estimates of the " ulti-| mate size of the cotton crop have | resulted in severe criticlsm of the p-reporting machinery of the Gov- ernment. While some who comment | believe that the practice should be discontinued by the Government, oth. ers see no substitute for the present method. The question of holding the staple for prices that may be desired also is debated. Taking up the general question as to whether or not any official esti- mate ought to be made of the crop, the Charleston Iivening Post calls attention to the purpose of such re- ports, which §s to protect the farm- | ers against the dangers of estimates | from private agencics, and then sug- gests: “It ought to be possible to de termine whether the Government es; timates have had, in the main, a beneticial influence on the market and improved the return to the farm- er for his toil, or have caused loss. It is also easy to ascertain to what extent the estimates have accorded with the facts. With these figures fn hand, the cotton-planting industry should find some way to a pronouncement on the sub- * % m ok Convinced, however, “that if the present system {8 wrong. private en- terprise would be infinitely worse, the Lynchburg News feels that “the | very fact that the Government esti-| mates are criticized may be the best possible indication that they are not blased.” The News continues: “Any forecast must at best he Somewhat inaccurate, being based upon acreage and weather conditions. The latter | being unstable, it follows that the outlook for production on June 25 of any year might be decidedly changed, even by a million bales, on October 17, and this fluctuation does not seem to be very indicative of anything save the non-dependability of the weather.” “Apparently the public,” the Wall Street Journal suggests, has been disposed to hold the crop reporting board responsible for all the fluctua- tions in the cotton crop and_price occasioned by the weather. Would it not be more businesslike to find fault with the law compelling the making of the reports as at present and to seek the best way of amend- ing it? It is time to change the practice, to tackle the source of the trouble itself, and that source is Con- gress.” More emphatic is the decla- ration of the Fort Worth Record- Telegram that “this season’s di creditable record has convicted the Bureau of Bstimates of the worst fault that can be charged against an economic service of its class—that of inaccuracy.” * K K K “The reports have done more than any single agency, including the deadly boll weevil,” the New York Herald-Tribune belleves, ‘‘to disor- ganize the machinery of the great primary markets for cotton, markets in which supply and demand have been harmonized as completely as in- genuity and experience can harmo- nige them. The remedy lies in'the repeal of the congressional mandate under which the Department of Agriculture is now compelled to guess 8o early and 8o often on the size of the crop.” A promise by Senator Caraway that he will introduce a bill in Con- gress to “make the penalty for gamb- ling in all farm products so severe that none will have the temerity to violate it” is cited by the Little Rock Arkan- sas Democrat together with a state- ment by the Senator that “the cotton Eden,” said Uncle Eben, “I can't help wonderin' what a jug of hard cider would have done." reports this year had cost the cotton growers of America a quarter of a blllion dollars, which is accepted as only approximately correct by the prest dent of the New Orleans Cotton Ex- change.” The Arkan Democrat, however, opposing the talk s ing cotton futures gam “If such a practice s abolished will repluce it?”" Senator Ransdell's opposition to the semimonthly cot ton crop estimate is emphasized by the Memphls NewsSchmitar, which says that early predictions of a small crop had the effect of increasing “‘the price of labor and all the things the farmer had to purchase in cennection with crop gathering,” and as the “size of the crop went up on the Government ates the price went down and money went out of the farmer’s pocket.” * % ¥ “The bureau figures,” it is argued by the Charlotte Observer, “are sur- rounded by the atmosphere of author- what ity, because they come from govern-| mental_souftes, and are backed by painstaking research and fnvestiga- tion. The chjef trouble lies In the fear of political reprisal in case the statis- ticians overeatimate the crop, thus laying the basis for losses to the cot- ton grower.” The Durham Sun an- ticipates action to meet the situation in the form of an “investigation by Congress,” while the Spartanburg Sun takes note of the fact that ‘“not the cotton farmers but the grain growers of the West are deeply concerned.” These arguments, how- ever, are opposed by the New York Evening World, which, admitting that “a short crop at high prices vields & larger return than a large crap at low prices,” contends that the “difterence is very small” and “it is likely to be better than made good through a larger and more certain market for cotton goods.” * ok x x A remedy is suggested by the An- niston Star, which upholds an appeal by the Cotton States Leagme. “If the farnmier can get 30 cents a pound for what cotton he has on hand by hold- ing it for some weeks,” declares the Star, “the holding will be profitable. Evidently the farmer has very little to lose, if anything, by holding for @ time.” The policy of “watchful waiting” also is indorsed by the Bir- mingham News. “The part of wis- dom,” it says, “for the cotton sales agencles and the individual farmers would seem to be that of marketing their stuft very gradually.” On the other hand, the Savannah Press says: “Experience has shown that it is bet- ter to market the crop right off and case up the financial situation all around. Very few farmers can afford to hold their crop. ——b————— Can’t We Lock These Up? From the Cleveland News. A Long Island apostle of doom is going to move 300 miles inland to escape the impending destruction of the metropolis. He predicted last Win- ter that the world would end on Feb- ruary 6. These perennial predictors of perdi- tlon deserve the professional attention of competent psychiatrists and police officers. There is no virtue, under the cloak of free &peech, in eternally giv- ing simple-minded folks the right to lead dozens and even hundreds of their own mental caliber into actions which are distinctly harmful to their own welfare and that of the community at large. Patience ceases to become & virtue with these barnyard philoso- phers. They may have deserved Pe- spectful attention in the eleventh cen- tury, when the world was believed to be flat, but in the year 1925 thelr in- tellectual processes might be stimu- lated by 30 days on the rock pile. ¢ ated at | 099 was reported on | And it points to a moral ~u; nd NOVEMBER 14 THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Bookiover. ummer” is the title of the second volume in Romain Rolland's long bio- graphical novel called “The Soul Fn- chanted.” " As “Jean-Christophe” was the story of the development of a man's character while he passed through the periods of his life from youth to old age, o “The Soul En- chanted” is the story of & woraan’s de- velopment. In the first volume, “An nete and Bylvia,” Annette is a young {girl, adoring a brilliant but dissolute {father who dies just us she is enter ing womanhood. She finds comfort and a vivid interest in life in heg illegitimate hal(-sister Sylvie. Be tween the two girls there §rows up an intense devotion, marred at times by jealousy that amounts to hatred. At the end of “Annette and Sylvie,” An- nette’s interest in ylvie lessens be- cause of a new and absorbing interest in her own infant son. * Ak Annette, through the pert is forced into hard and greedy world from which she must wrest a living for herself and her son, who has no acknowledged father. Her life be |comes for a long period an epic of {work, with the one touch of romance her love for her son. Marc, as he grows older, shows an increasing re semblance to his grandfather, the ele gant, selfish Riviere. His mother & ternately bores him by her affection and puzzles him by her reserves After a time she ceases to hope for love from him and then her nature fundamentally a_passionate one, be gins to resent the monotony of her life, filled with hard work and destitute {or all emotional values. As she reaches the age of 40, the clever, brutal physi clan Philippe Villard, comes into her life. Her association with him is {brief and turbulent. As “Summer” closes she has just emancipated her. self from his demination and s again free free to work and be lonely. But she is supremely happy because she knows the joy of self-possession and self-dependence, after being enslaved, first to her son then to Philippe. She had a feeling of velief, as if « knot, a link of the chain, had just heen broken. And in a flash she vision of the chain of servitudes from which, one by one, the soul slowly frees itself through a series of existences, its own and those of others (they are all the same).” Now the World War begins and Annette goes forward with renewed courage to meet it “War? Well so be it! War peace, it's all life, all t the game. T'll take my shar * kK % In “Summ loss of her conflict with of Two of the younger and more radi ong modern English critics are Middleton Murry and Rebecca . Most of us are likely to think Middieton Murry the husband Katherine Mansfield, whose power is a shortetory writer was becoming of her death, but dependent position as | tie. He was editor of from 1019 until hix own Much of his best| d in these two ! Times literary He always has the keen in Russian fiction, es- of Dostoevsky and 1 writers and newer appeal to him in gen- than the classicals and the He does not accept unques- tablished forms new ¢ is cr! ) spectacula asoned, free £ an and ¢ Ather 192 mag: periodicals the nterest in literar eral more ac s nothing of abe it. It is careful, entricity. It is animation The Judge' 5 crested the read- o sed a remark- an barely 30 to all been ever since, Iucking e wrote ublic. a novel for 1 ooking for nother one ! but it has not come. Instead Rebecca s been devoting her energles xpress on her belief. The howed s a curious bination of and mystic, and very much of an Intuitionist. Sh ns to combine Scoteh sense with Irish | he is of Scotch and Irish paren Both th appear in her statement visit to the United Stat gards the country in general, wouldn't pretend for a moment any uthoritativ knowledge ¢ One couldn’t hope for the truth about America from a few months' visit. It} is too big a_proposition altogther for | that.” As far as 1 can remember Rebecca West is the only British critic | ! who has felt so modest about attempt ing to interpret the United States after a short visit. In all her criticism thera is evident the purpose to be fair and open minded. The utmost freedom of the Individual, both in living and in the production of literature, is her gospel. Her manher of writing is per- {sonal and original. With her gifts, it is to be hoped that she will not settle down definitely in the role of critic, but will again take up creative work. ok is ation Paris, with the Seine, which is an almost daily accomplice in_ suicides. its famous morgue and its haunts of Bohemianism and of crime in the Latin Quarter and Montmartre, is a most desirable setting for a mystery story. Cleveland Moffett has chosen | it for his novel, “The Selne Mystery.” A crime committed early in'life by the novelist, Pierre Launay, darkened his whole life to such an extent that he finally decides to give up the strug- gle. He disappears. What has be- come of him? What influence has he | had on a number of other people who come into the story? What does his | wife think about it all? How does it | all end? These are some of the ques- tions answered in the course of the unravelling of the my: o The autobiography of Forbes-Rob- ertson, Plaver Under Three Reigns.” is the record of an unusually rich artistic life. The famous actor came of an artistic family. His father | was for many years art critic on the | London Times. Sir Johnston Forbes- Robertson himself in early life was much more interested in painting than in acting, but, as the eldest of 11 children, he felt that he must get to the business of earning a living as soon as possible and so he took a theatrical engagement which was of- fered him at the Princess Theater in London. His success om the stage was rapid. Forbes-Robertson's first tour in the United States was made in 1885, his last in 1915. All his life he has found his chief recreation in landscape and portrait painting and has painted portraits of Modjeska, Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, Mrs. Ken- dall and the Duchess of Westminster. Some of Forbes-Robertson’s leading parts were those in “Hamlet,” Passing of the Third Floor Back’ “The Light That Failed.” * ok ¥k ¥ Of the three Benson brothers, all writers, Arthur Christopher has until recently written only essays and poetry. He is best known through his volumes of reflective essays, such as “Through a College Window.” He has now followed the example of his brothers and has written a_novel, “The House of Menerdue.” It is 4 quiet novel with a slight plot, of two men and two women, but as one might expect is gracefully written. x k% % Willlam Lyon Phelps of Yale has been writing a trilogy on the Bible. The first volume was called “Reading the Bible,” the second, “Human Na- ture in the Bible,” and the thurd, “Ilu- man Nature and the Goepel.” The second deals chiefly with the Old Tes- tament. Prof. Phelps says that the short stories told by Jesz. are su- perior to those of De Maupassant, O. Henry, Kipling or any of the other medern masters of the art. | ronment. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. TN, S, A. Dr. L. A. Hausman says that it is because of the failure of the little cells which form the cortex of the hajr down in the base of the hair fol- licle and around the papilla to deposit pigment material He asserts, there- fore, that gray hair is never produced overnight. Why does halr turn gray? is the proper length of a man 5 feet 9 inches Q. What golf clubs fo tall’—RB. H. A. The wooden clul midiron, 38 inches, and inches, 43 inches; for mashie, 37 o In 1t true that Queen Isabelln's cwels aro to be brought t ica”—11. A, R. Seen e A. It is reported that the famous Jewel casket and its contents, which Queen lesabella pawned in order to provide the funds which enabled Co. lumbus to discover America, will be sent to the sesquicentennial exposi. tion at Philadelphia by Spain. Q e Is the autumnal equinox colder than the vernai vhy? than nal, and, If 8o, why?— A The autumnal equinox =l warmer, not colder, than qlhn v rn:‘xl 0 practically all of the continental nited States and other places of mid ',l)]’l.ll »ll][,’h latitudes. The reason for s ag At the temperature condi- is 1y Jocality always lag be hind the changing amounts of heat v 1.1\0:1 by the locality from the sun in the course of its annual journey from in solstice ummer solstice and return. In w_Jersey, for ex ample, the heating effect of the sun. shin at minimum on the 22d of December each year, hut the loweat temperature of the Winter occurs fully a month later, on January 25 he greatest solar heating oceurs at the Summer sol June 22, but t highest average nperatures f; about the end of July. The autumr €quinox, September 21, occurs, thare fore, only about five days after the high st temperatures of the year, whereas the vernal equinox, March 21, is sep. tll'éll(v'd from the time of highest by fully 130 days, and s eeparated onlv about 50 days from the coldest period f the year. 1 Q. How many fmmigrants came to the United States during July, and how were they distributed throughout the United States”—G. G. \. Of the 18500 immigrant alfens admitted during July, 4,226 were com ing to reside permanently in the State of New York, 1215 in California, 203 Illinois, 1,692 in Massachu setts, 1,975 in Michigan. 1.080 in Penn sylvania and 1,793 in Texas. Over 46 per cent of the allens ir side permanently in Texas were Mext Q. How biz do locusts grow to he?— T. B, A.In certain pa custs attain a ler feed on mice. Q. Is there any wood used Eiffel Tower?—D. K. C. A. Wood was not used in the con- of Africa the lo- of 4 inches and in the ending to re. | | table occurs in 1351 1n & lis | natural wild state struction of the Eiffel Tower. It { built entirely of iron and rests o; masonry foundations. Glass 13 used to inclose certain rooms reserved fo special purposes. Q. How many Greece?7—G. B. A. The population of Greece tn 1920 was 5,447,077, inhabitants has Q. Was Bert Willlams white or col- ored, and when did he dle?—W. R, 0 A. Bert Williams, negro comedian died Saturday, March 4, 192 . Q. Where was spinach first used a+ a food in Europe?—P. S. B A. Spinach appears to have heen introduced into Europe through Spain by the Mauro-Spaniards. The first notice of its use as an edtble vege- of vego- tables used by monks on fast das Q. What does “Tone” mean” A. The name “Ione" is probab] rived from the Greek “Ion a violet. Q. What effect does the cag wild lion have on its being?—M. McC. A. The Natlonal Zoological says It is generally rezarded that | live longer in captivity than in The voung hindered by physica ever, are somewhat ing while the older anfmals prosit it. As these anir s grow older the are often attacked by stronger hea of the wild and are killed Q. Can you tell me about the new discovered rays and what ca hen —T. M. T A, Science has established istence of new ravs ultra X-rays and 1.000 time in frequency, with jonizati at all times of the day or 1 10,000.000-volt varfety. The described by Dr. | M alifornia Institute of Tec) emy of Sclences in Madlsor has studled them since th beginning where German leftoff. Millikan won the Nobel prize for first measure the ele The rays, are due to passing ¢ w 1 the a ughout space, 1l directions have extraordinary than sreate same Eandioe partl: of 11 1iWa lentiat oms h th ion bomba s absor g powe (Any reader can get the apswer t any question by writing The Star In formation Bureau. Frederic J. Haskir director, Washington, D. . This offer applics strictly to informatio The bureau cannot give advice on legal nedical and financial m 1t does not attempt to settie domestic troub nor undertake ehaustive research ¢ any subject. Write uyour queatio plainly and briefly. Give full name and address and inclose 2 cents i stamps for return postage are sent direct to the inquirer. A dress The Star Information Burequ Frederic J. Haskin, director, Twenty first and C streets morthwest.) BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. Some one has defined the Red Cross the t pl gn of civili tion.” Sometimes it xeems that it more than “addition,” it is “muitiplica tion,” judging from the multifarious urposes it serves From Armistice day to Thanksgiv ing day, all over the country, there is a drive to enroll every red-blooded American as a member of the Ameri- can Red Cross Socte 1t is not so much a drive for mor it i members, for the very clety is its democracy It might induce millionaires great employers of labor to contr large sums to its budget, but perhaps future years the great contribu- tions might be given to other causes, and, without the continuing member: the Red Cross cause would suf- It might ask for congressional opriations a great national ent insurance, but such appro- priations might involve political in- fluences. If the miltions of dollars jed to make “soft” the muscles of organization nd weaker h stress for renewal of member: would be the policy of the society reject the dollars and stimulate enroliment of members. There is an endowment fund 335,716.06, which stabilizes the . but the society’s chief asset is .103,870 members. It is the largest adult organization in America, if not in the world, yet it r < less than 3 per cent bf the population of continental United States In addition to the adult organiza- tion, there fs a Junior Red Cross Socfety, with a finer showing than that of their seniors. In continental United States it has a membership of 4,551,5676—185 per cent of school enroliment and in_our insular possessions there are 1,187,072 juniors —S8.2 per cent of total school en- The total Junior Cross number 5,788,648 boys and girls What a fine example do the boys and girls give older folke. especially the children of our islands! * ox ok % as + - to the of “But, now that the war is over, why should Americans continue to support the ‘war organization'? Will it not help the mlilitarists? Have we not a pacifist oath in which cer- tain men and women who ‘do mot believe in war’ swear never to assist a soldier directly nor indirectly, lest he be encouraged to offer his life for his country? Down with the Red Cross in these piping times of peace! What good can it do between wars? ok The Bible tells us that the wind bloweth where it listeth. Last Spring a hurricane blew across several Western States and within a few minutes it wiped out cities and vil- lages, killing 796 victims and injuring 2239 others, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless, foodless and lacking clothes and shelter. astated nearly as great an area as the Huns devastated in France and Belgium. When the news of that hurricane came over the wires there was the Red Cross Society, with its hundreds of chapters in the immediate neigh- borhood of the wind's wreckage. It was already organized; it already had its depots of supplies planted in ever part of the country close to the storm area, as well as in more distant regions; it already had its bank balances available for instant use. Thus it saved lives and ameliorated suffering: it took care of 33,435 sufferers. The storm had killed and wounded more than many a battle on which hung the fate of nations. Within 12 hours after the earth- quake wrought havoc in Santa Bar- bara, Calif, the Red Cross had a fully organized relief system func- tioning. Last vear it was efficient to meet crises in 29 great fires, 16 floods, 7 typhoons, 5 hurricanes, 3 earthquakes, 3 famines, 3 mine disasters, 2 vol- canic eruptions, a typhoid epidemic and 2 accidental “entombments." There is never a day which has not its call for emergency relief such as could not be handled without organi- zation. * ok ok The rk of the National American Red ss is affiliated with similar 1t dev- | Tor | I all | Red | | States | sn | catastrophe, | churches there will be Red Cross countries and the wor tional. It works in harmony operation with the Near E: in Mohummedan communities. When the great ea 1ake Japan occurred the President of t United States appealed to the publ to contribute £5,000,000 for Japanese relief to be administered by the Red Cro Society. The public’ quickly more tha: doubled what the President had est mated wouid be a generous sum, and save $11,722,678.67, all of which (with not one cent deducted for administra tion) went to the sufferers, our Reid Cross Society sending supplies bough ¢ this fund to the Red Cross Soc wpan. Aid has been sent to Bulgaria—not in the rece: but in the destitution exchange of popula Relief has been given famin stricken China. It has gone to di tressed refugees of Persia, both Ch tlan and Moslem; to flood sufferers Peru; to hurricane vict in land, Philippine Islands other regions. * * x In addition to relief with sudden disasters Red Cross includes many activities of permanent value. For example$ thousands of its woman members are nitting sweaters for veterans of the World War who are still patients in hospitals. It maintains a liaison with the Veterans' Bureau, assisting thou sands of veterans in making their for mal claims, according to law, and pushing the merits of the claims. Its soldier relief last fisca year was 16. It contributes thousands of dollars toward the support of the American Legion Rehabilitation Office whose fgnctions are also linison be tween v@erans and the bureau. I carries on educational work in “first aid,” in life-saving and in health and sanitation. Its budget for work in the Unitec last year was $6,750,733, and for forelgn work, §404,477, and it is clear that in its altruistic interna- tionalism it remembers first the pri- ority claims of the of America. These figures refer to its regular budget. They do not include cial funds, such as $11,000,000 for Japanese earthquake victims, nor the $3,000,000 specially raised for the re lief of the “Murfreesboro hurricane’ referred to extending States last Spring. X ok ok ok organizations in othe inter: and ¢ Rel of Greeca and t hostilities ent to the Turkey in connectior the wor over several The Red Cross is incorporated by Congress, with the President of the United States its ex-officio president, and with auditors of the War Depart nient checking its financial affairs. Under the articles of incorporation, aside from its war duties, it is re- quired to ‘“continue and carry on a system of national and international relief in time of peace, and to apply the same in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods and other great national calami tles, and to devise and carry on meas. ures for preventing the same.” . The active chairman, under the pres ident, is Jutlge John Barton Payne. The vice presidents are Chief Justic of the Supreme Court William Howard Taft, together with Mr. Robert W. Forest. Miss Mabel Boardman is its secretary. Both Judge Payne and Miss Boardman give thefr whole time to the work, without salary, and pay_thetr own traveling expenses. Eliot Wads- worth, former Assistant Secretary of the United States Treasury, is treas- urer, also without pay. There are 3,500 local chapters. At the head of the District of Columbia Chapter is Maj. Gen. George Barnett, with Gen. John A. Johnston chairman of the roll call work now being carried on in Washington. Gen. Barnett is en- thustastic in his praise of the co-opera tion of all public service corporations in assisting in the roll call. Tomorrow and next Sunday in all ted Cross rep- resentatives at the doorways with “buttons” and membership cards, ready ot accept, but not to urge, the Joining of all who desire to help. All pulpits will indorse the cause. There is no distinction of sect; the work is supported by Christians and Jews, by Protestants and Catholics, alike. (Oopyright. 10£5. by Paul V. Colllang