Evening Star Newspaper, December 17, 1925, Page 6

W Sun Mor: 2 Edition. WASHINGTON,. D. C. THURSDAY. . .December 17, 1925 'HEODORE W. NOYES. . . . Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company {is s Ditincss Office . 13h St and Pennsylvania Ave | oNes York Oftice: 110 East 4nd St Chicazo Ofice. Tower Building Eugepcan Oftice: 14 Regent St.. London, Enxland. | that among the very few public bulld- lings which could not be replaced to ze. if a cataclysm of nature were to level everything here except | the tre “perhaps the Pan-American Union,” pronounced by eminent au- ! thorities as a perfect combination of utility of purpose and beauty of de- sign. w that the only | certuin ones are the White House, the | Courthouse, the Treasury Department. | the Freer Gallery and the “palace” of !the Academy of Sciences. That is a | advanta be included ening Star. with the Sunday m ! - '8 Uelivered by cartiers wit hort list and will bear thinking over. & ity R0 e, REE month 22 Semta | This author inaicates the excellence of t by mail or Lo manti Orders may he is made by cinuhypn Stain SO0 vollec carnigtlnt the end of each m Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. ' Maryland and Virginia. Daitv and Sunday. .. .1 yr. $9.00: 1 mo.. Dailv onls . 1¥r $8.000 1 mol Einday only 1 ¥ 232000 1 mo AN Other States and Canada. Dals ‘ahd Sunday..1yr_$12.00: 1 mo. S100 Ut 13 Sndiim Member of {he Associated Press. <t s exclusively entitled fieation of all news The Associated T the uee for ren: patphes credited o it or mot otherwise cred tod in this paper and also the local news published herein. Al rights of publication ©f special dispatches herein are also reserved The Capital Punishment Bills. The District Commissioners have re turned to the Touse District commit tee with th artain bills for the abolition of capital punishment in the District. They say that the object of thiese bills “is in harmony with the Progressive and humanitarian thousht of the present da From this juds ment and this recommendation there will probably be dissent when the bills n crestion are considered by the com niittee. The Commissioners have not sounded public sentiment on the sub- { by means of a hearing and their mendation is somewhat of » sur- Phere is undoubtedly » very decided gentiment for amelior#<ion of penal- ties for crime. There s specifically a yronounced fe W the part of Iany against any f2#m of capital pun- f:hment. On the other hand, there is @ decided feeling that penalties have been within recent years unwisely lightened and the present prevalence of crime which is costing the country enormously in life and property is re garded as the consequence. On the question of capital punish e opinions differ sha 1y, and if this measure is made the subject of @ hearing by the District committee dinmetrically opposed views will be expressed. The latest action of Con- ress on this subject was the substitu tion of electrocution for hanging in the District This would indicate an @ proval of capital punishment. When that bill was under consideration op- position to the death penalty was Torcibly manifested, but it did not pre- | Vail Unless there has heen a very dec 1 change of sentiment in Con. giess on the subject the bills which have heen returned by the Com: missio will hardly have chance of Yo sage Buy the Health Seals! It is stated that over 1,300,000 of ¥ “health seals” are yet to be s0ld in order to assure the funds need- ed for the 1926 campaign of the Wash- ington Tuberculosis Association. This is @ big order if the sale is to be com pleted by Christmas, but it can be done if everybody will piteh in with a will and with ognition of the urgeney of this vitally important work These little seals re sent insur- Bnce. They are typical of « campaign ©f prevention against a disease that ©€osts the community enormo every scason. Tuberculosis can be checked. It can be prevented. The work of the | Tuberculosis Association is luca tional to the end of relieving Wash- nzton of this menace, and it should Ve supported in the fullest measure by 1 he annual sale of these little tokens which are to be used on the backs of letters and on pa is simply a means of securing subsc tions to | the anti-tuberculosis work. Many gen- €rous persons give the m without taking the seals. It is really better to take the seals and use them, for every one that appears on an envelope or a package is an advertisement of the wholesome enterprise of the associa- gion. Thirteen hundred thousand Christ- | tias seals 1o be disposed of within a Sweek may sound like a big order, but the transaction is feasible. The money i+ needed. benefits from the work which it permits to be done for the welfare of Washington. No Pody is to the danger. Buy the seals—and use them! Everybody immune A cabinet crisis is not likely to dis- #urb Paris nearly so much as a crisis ovolving the value of the franc. It is Pasy to secure new statesmen to Biodel policies anew, but money is the &reat political sphinx whose latest rid- gie is particularly dif r———— A Painful Pen Let Loose. Jane, small sister of Willie Baxter, hero of Tarkington's classic “Seven- teen.” described her adolescent brother ms “not liking hardly anything.” H. G Drwight, contributor of an article in the current number of Harper's Maga- 2ine. entitled “The Horrors of Wash- nston,” is in Willie's class, but with- out his excuse. Were it not for th fact that “Who's Who in America Bnnounces that Mr. Dwight is an au- thor, that he graduated from Amherst 1 1888, and that he holds a Govern- ynent position, one might be tempted 4o think that he viewed the streets &nd structures of this city with the gaundiced eve of the disappointed. Some of the statements made in his e le will be most heartily concurred i by most Washingtonians and most Americans. On the other hand, it is hard to believe that tured and understanding people are zenerally wrong and that Mr. Dwight | js rizht in estimating this town. It is Goubly hard to read with equanimity guch a sweeping denunciation of near- 3 everything in the Capital City when ibat city is one’s home town. Wash- snzton is far, far, from perfect, as every one from President Coolldge on down knows, but all, except perhaps Mr. Dwight, admit it has a good many good points It will be difficult te most residents millions of cul- | the appearance of buildings in inverse {ratio by asterisks. Of these the De- partment of Agriculture holds the rec ord with five; not much quarrel with Lis opinion here: but the Libra < has three. this article one ¢ In n learn that the Capltol is monstrous cast-iron extinguisher’; | that the Washington Monument is ~imply “the most visible monument in the town™; that the late Gov. Shep- was “a local functionary who created some commotion in the seven- | ties,” and other brief and breezy char- | scterizations of a like nature. When | hera it comes to ecriticizing loeal outdoor | statuary—and heaven knows some is | bad and some is splendid!—the authc idea who know what they are talking about have attended briskly and ad- equately to Mr. Dwight in other media Joshes professions, personalities, in seript and locations, but comes forward with little, 'if any. genuine irtistie eriticism Near the end of the article the read er s told plainly that a cavillon tower it the invention of a nonmusical peo ple and “poisons the day and harrows | the night.” Without here going into | the advisability of the crection of such | # tower in the District, it may be men- | tioned that those proponents of the | i |of publicity This sensitive observer announces | that 10 make a complete catalogue of he horrors of Washington would, in the = of Sir Thomas Browne, need | “a painful man with his pen,” and that the hospitality of Harper's can | be subjected to no such strain. The strain is not limited to that hospital- ity. The phrase “a painful man with his pen” seems to have been most [ happily selected By the way, Mr. | Dwight approves of the Lincoln Me- morial. wor e No Wide-Open Town. Ever since the mayoralty election in New York, which insured an all-Tam- many municipal administration of the big town, there has been a decided drift of undesirables toward the region of the white lights. Evidently the word has quietly passed around that Manhattan would be “wide open” for | the conduct of certain nefarious enter- prises after the first of January. Last evening, however, Mayor-elect Walker, in a dinner speech, gave notice that | there is nothing doing in that line. | He declared in emphatic terms that certain forms of ‘“pernicious vice," which have come within the city pre- cincts during the past two months, will be ruthlessly rooted out when he takes charge of City Hall. The mayor-elect’s statement is un- derstood to apply particularly to an influx of gamblers that has taken place since his election, a number of establishments having been opened in the last two months, and all efforts to et the police to take action against them have so far failed. 1f Mr. Walker means all that he says and Is really in earnest there will Le some lively times in New York within a few weeks. That city s a »py bunting ground for the “nefa- ous interests” that prey upon the cullible, the weak and the sportively In former times the gam- | bling dives were the most secure of 1l forms of business. Dr. Parkhurst did a great deal toward breaking up that condition, and in the course ot the investigations which followed his personally conducted tours through the Tenderloin the unholy alliance be- tween Tammany and the exponents of | “pernicious vice” was fully exposed. Since then there has been fla- grancy of law flouting. Now Mayor-elect Walker serves no- tice that Tammany is no longer to be regarded as the patron of viclous liv- ing. There will be no wide-open town under his regime. He makes his pledge very explicit and New York is now waiting to see whether he really | inclined that tax reduction is the most promi- nent question in the public mind, and, apparently, the easiest to handle. e — Patriotic observers of the dance may | be inclined to admit that, after all, tie Charleston is no more foolish and e | travagant than a Russian ballet. P French financlers are justified in complaining that, while money talks, the franc refuses to listen to an argu- ment. e A Forty-Four-Mile Jaunt. Completion of the forty-four mile walk between Providence and Boston in slightly more than eleven hours is the truly remarkable feat credited to | Miss Eleonora Sears, Boston soclety woman and athlete. Starting from the homs of Howard Sturgls in Providence at 1 o'clock in the morning, Miss Sears, with two male companions, trudged on through the night at a rate of better than four miles an hour. Seemingly as fresh as when she started, although the two men were reported almost “all in.” Miss Sears tripped daintily up the | steps of her home on Beacon street lat 12:05 o'clock, just in time for a hearty lunch Long noted as a sportswoman, Miss | Sears at one time was finalist in both | woman's singles and woman'’s doubles tennis national championships. She is an excellent swimmer, can handle a vacht, shoot with rifie or revolver, skate, and was the first American woman to fly over water. Given fifteen hours to make the walk by Mr. Sturgls, with whom she had 2 wager, Miss Sears’ actual “running they | 5 time” as say in automobile means it. It he does, the early days of his administration will be replete with excitement. Much will depend | upon his choice of police commis- sioner. lie is reported to be still look- ing for the right man for this big job. | - r——— Congress is fortunate in the fact THE EVENING STAR ;nml visitors to credit the statement!races, was about ten hours and twenty- A ! minutes, as the party stopped at Ded- ham for breakfast, forty-minute delay. A striking illustration of the results of careful, moderate physical training is shown in the accomplishment of Miss Sears. ‘Although ' supposedly reaching the height of her athletic prowess more than ten years ago, Miss Sears, by her feat, proved conclusively jthat a well trained body retains its youth even when put through such a grueling test. Tt algo refutes lief that a man necessitating a } { | | the widely spread be- has more vigor than a woman. Miss Sears was constantly urging the “boys” with her to show a | “little speed” and chatting with them | throughout the journe: They. how- plodded wearlly along, prefer- to save thelr energies for the ring final lap. The forty-four-mile walk was, indeed, a remarkable accomplishment and is a lesson te both men and women of the value of sustained physical training. sointasis 5 ) Battling Siki. The other morning the dead body of Louis Phal, known the world over as | “Battling SIki,” a pugllist of remark- i in able prowess when ining, v found in a gutter in New York. He had been shot twice in the back. | There is at present no clue to his {staver. Tt is belleved that he wa | Killed as a result of a drunken brawl, Jter perhaps a disagreement over pay Lment for liquor. | This man, twenty-eight years ‘old, had a remarkable career. Born in French West Africa, he began profes sional boxing in 1913. When the war broke he enlisted in the French colontal service and was conspicuous for bis bravery, being decorated by the government. After the war he re- sumed his “professional” career and won fight after fight, defeating Georges Carpentier in 1922 and there- by saining renown. His success de- moralized him and he became a noto- rious character in Parls, appearing in public with strange pets, including u lion cub. and engaging in disgracen public_quarrels and escapade With the ferocity of a tiger in his fight ing, he had the mind of a child. He was in America on suffrance and had been ordered to quit the country on the first of February. Lately he l!.:i(l been conducting himself with “omplete indifference to all rules of behavior, and It is not surprising that he has fallen a victim to the shots of a slayer. Thus passes a man who has puzzled {many by his strange contraditions. He was capable of nothing better than high skill in pugilism, but if he had borne himself decently, as do most professionals, he would have risen to the top. This unfortunate barbarian brought into contact with a civilized soctety on & low plane, has passed out, a wretched failure, despite a tempo- {rary success. He brought disgrace upon the so-called art of seif-defense. — After being held up to attention as a4 man of silences, President Coolldge does not hesitate to send along com- munications from time to time which indicate his readiness to meet any sit- uations which happen to call for long speeches, i N — Political unrest in France hints at governmental change of a radical nature. However, France survives much agitatlon, and the threatened “dictator” looks like the same old “man on horseback.” e If Henry Ford succeeds in reviving the placid old-time dances, he will have achteved a great object. The violent rhythmic agitations of the fliv- ver need contradiction. — Dry agents are accused of obstruet- ing “Christmas cheer” when as a mat. ter of fact their activities are intend- ted to prevent headaches on the morn- ing of December 26. e ot R There is a strong sentiment in favor of protecting American oratory, which is able to eover all points, from alien competition. | SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Political Expression. The heights of eloquence to reach I surely would be proud. I could not make a proper speech To sway the listening crowd. But folks of late have turned their care Unto artistic lore And influence is brought to bear By music, more and more. . when I have a mighty thought Upon affairs of state - I shall not heed the lessons taught By rhetoricians great. Attention I can surely win To humble themes or proud. I'll learn to play the violin And so entrance the crowd. Sprinting for the Spotlight. “Are you studying how to reduce the income tax?” “That'll be attended to all right,” said Senator Sorghum. “What I am studying now is how to impress my constituents with the idea that T am entltled to most of the credit for the job.” Benefactions. ‘The nations brightly smile because They're happy as a clam. There isn’t any Santa Claus, But there’s an Uncle Sam. Jud Tunkine says a man who can say “No” has character; but it's just a8 important to know exactly when to say “Yes.” Stunning. Your gown is stunning. ‘“‘Something like that,”” answered Miss Cayenne. “When he first saw it father nearly fainted. Inflammable Christmas Tree. Remember that on Christmas day The merriment is not so strong If, after Santa and his sleigh, The fire department comes along. “Even if yoh heart ain't so light,” sald Uncle Eben, “say ‘Merry Christ- mas’ an’ éncourage people to help you forget your troubles.” ] You!” gasped Mary Roque, looking squarely into the slinky eyes of the King of I Street (whose real name was George Roddin). “A pleasure to see you again, Miss Roque,” grinned Roddin. “I thought I would run across you in Olotkeye sooner or later.” The man looked a great deal better here in Southern habiliments than he had tn Washington, where his huge gray overcoat, crossed with checks of light blue, had been the predominat- ing feature of his costume. Actually, thought Mary to herself, he does not look half bad. Then, re- i membering that he had acted much like a boor, she mentally kicked her- self for being imposed upon by a neat sult of white and a gray felt hat. At least it seemed that way to her They stood in the poorly lighted street a few doors from the cheap restaurant that Roddin had left so precipitately after Bill, the “pug,” had taken his girl of the moment, Maisie Hennick, away from him. “You seemed to leave in somewhat of a hurry.” coolly said Mary, her hands folded placidly in front of her. The tall fellow looked down at her and blushed—she saw him blush, de spite the fact that his back was to uch little light as there was along <ide a shop that had been closed up tight. “Wasn't any nse me staying there, was there?’ iimbled the erstwhile | King of I Street | “No, Mr.—Mr. E | “Roddin, George Roddin, Miss | | Roque. | The man seemed to he somewhat humbled. but Mary did not give hin | much credit for hix more respectful attitude. Perhaps the swift kick ad ministered to him by Col. Ball in Washington had played a large part in his chastening. * k¥ % “I would like to have a little talk with you, Mr. Roddin,” suggested Mary. “Charmed, T am sure, Miss Roque. Where shall we go—not back to that place, of course?” ““That does you credit,” smiled Mary. “Let’s go to the park, where we can talk under cover of the music.” It was light in the park, with hun- dreds of persons scattered around, many of them white-haired, all listen ing to the big band. There was a | { noticeable absence of screaming chil dren | Mary vemarked it | “Back in Washington,” she said, “the children would be playing tag | all over this park, so that you couldn't hear a note of the music. But we didn’t come here to talk music, did we! What T want with you din,” she continued, with way she had, “is to find that girl you were with.” “Maisie, eh?" Yes. Maisic. is she? Roddin smoothed his light mustache. “You saw her,” he said, inspired by Mary's directness, to something of the same order of his own Then, with an oblique look, in which his old self cropped out, he murmured Mr. Rod- the direct out ahout What sort of a girl absurd, small Some Kid Mary | Roque was not exactly sure BY PAUL V. If the plans of David Lloyd George materfalize, England will become the greatest landlord in the world. e advocates the “nationalization” of all agricultural land in England, Scot- land and Wales, and the renting of <mall holdings to farmers. If this be Socialism, King George may make the most of it. On the face of the proposal it appears to be a govern- ment enterprise to break up large ilsnded, estates and distribute the acres in small plots to actual pro- ducers of farm crops. There ma be other features of the plan which will put a different face on the matter. In Mexico the government fs con- fiscating (or “expropriating”) the large ates, 10 per cent above the tax valuation. paying for the acres in bonds running a long period. It sells the land in small allotments 1o the peons, or small farmers, and gives easy terms for payment. Eng- lund would not sell its land at all, but rent it and inspect the farm methods of the sitting tenants, so that if they fail to produce the aver- age yields, they will be displaced by other and better farmers. It Is not land speculation but crops of food that England has in mind, for England is dependent for food upon its imports. She realizes, after her bitter experience during the World War, that she is at the mercy of besiegers in time of war, and, therefore, she hopes to increase home production of necessarles of life, Economists differ as to the effec- tiveness of the Lloyd George plan to meet the food crisis. Some deny that it is golng to stimulate farming, and allege that, on the contrary, it Is calculated to benefit the capitalist far more than it can the tenant farmer. L Land holdings in England are on a very different basis from farm owner- ship in the United States. Immense acreage lies tied up in family estates, which are entailed and which have Leen in the same familles for cen- turles. Sport plays a much larger part in England than in America. What farmer in the United States “‘rides to hounds” or counts his pheas- ants and foxes as important items of his farm holdings? Yet, in England, the sporting rights are more highly considered upon many an estate than the potatoes or corn. Food production is at so low an ebb in England that most land pays its owner a rental not netting 1 per cent on its investment. England is a land of ldle estates, with mansions closed and broad fields in grass, in place of food crops. Since the adop- tlon of the free trade polley as to foed, under the Manchester plan re- pealing the “Corn laws,” in 1846, sald to have been for the purpose of driv- ing farmers into industry to supply hands for the factories, farming has not prospered. Now that the indus- tries are depressed, by loss of the Eurepean export markets since the World War, there are milllons of un- employed in England, and it is argued that if they could be encouraged to 20 back to the land, they could raise thefr own food and add to the gen- eral supply. * % % % I it be true that tenants are today getting the use of the land at a rate which pays the owner only 1 per cent net, it is quite conceivable that the Lloyd George project may receive stronger support from land owners desirous of unloading their land hold- ings than from tenants who would be expected to buy the land at a rate which will pay 5 per cent on the bonds which the government proposes to give the former owners. In many cases the rents to the same tenants have not been raised since the great depression in the nineties. So long as the tenant could continue the use of the land at a net rental of 1 per cent he was not de- sirous of purchasing, but when, in 1923, Sir_Philip Snowden introduced a bill In Parliament to nationalize all land, there was a perlod of uncer- tainty, and some tenants, rather than THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS {the former owner an annual whether he was referring to Malsie Hennick or to herself, but she chose to think he meant Col. Ball's daugh- ter. She went on: * “T will be perfectly frank with you. I am here to get that girl to return to her husband, so that her old father will not think she s just what she s. Do you think it can be done, Mr. Rod- din? The uncrowned king dug his feet into the deep Southern turf. “1 do not, Miss Roque." * ok Kk % Mary looked her regret. “Don't worry, Miss Roque,” con- tinued Roddin. “I have tried my best to get the girl to go back to her old man, but she won't.” “You have!" eald Mary, surprised despite herself. “Yes,” retorted the man. What do you know case?"” Iiverything.” “Your assurance is refreshing.” Not assurance, Miss Mary Roque, simply knowledge. She looked at him. Surely the fellow was not such a boor as he had been back home. Maybe the genial climate has softened him. May I give you a tip, Miss Roque?" “A tip?” “Yes, a tip—vou investigator: ways like to get tips, don't you Surely, if they are straight one Well, when vou go back to Wash- ington, have that mail slot removed from your office do Mary gasped—then vealized “You--you listened!” “1 did-you can't blame me either. after being kicked out by that old codger. He did it so fast, 1 didn’t have time to realize what he was doing.” “A swift worker,” smiled Mary in the night The band struck up selections from “Il Trovatore.” But I don't think it was exactly fair for you to eavesdrop, you Know. It isn’t done by the best people.” ‘No," smoothly said Roddin. “But I,don’t belong to the best people. What did you come to Florida for?” “To get even.” “With whom?” “First, I thought 1 would get even with both of you, but then I decided to concentrate on the old man.” “Thank you,” said Mary. “You shouldn’t feel ill toward Col. Ball just hecause he did something I told him ‘I didn't blame you a bit, Miss Roque. 1 had & drop of liquor, and acted a bit rough, 1'll admit. When 1 got down here, 1 tried to figure out a way to hurt the old man, and make some money out of him, but that gal of his is one too many for me.” One t “Several t She simply is satis- fied to never see her old man again. If she knew he was here she would beat it for Mexico, or some place far- about the al ther South Maybe I can talk her around.” You might try.” May T tell vou, Mr. Roddin, I like you a great deal better this time than at ir first meeting?"" Thank you, Miss Roque. is an open book “With some uncut pages Mary. My life " smiled . COLLINS. be ousted by a new purchaser, did tuy —to their own loss. It is understood that Llovd George's plan follows the lines of the Snowden bill. That would have abolished all private property in land and trans ferred all land not already the prop- erty of the crown to a ministry of land, functioning with certain advisory councils. Payment to former owners would be made in “National Land Stock,” bearing 5 per cent interest and maturing in 30 years. The amount of the stock would be such as would gi income equal to the present net renting value, such value to be calculated on the rea. ble rent of the land for the pur- es for which it Is used at the time of the transter to the board. There has been great divergence of judgment as to what that “reasonable rent” really amounts to, for some con- tend that it means the theoretical rea- sonable income on the estimated value the land, while others point to the actual condition of the rentals received during the depressed state of farm in- dustry. Tenants under the Snowden- Lloyd George plan would enjoy se- curity of tenure, but could not become owners of any land. Their permanency would always be conditional upon their making good agricultural use of the acres. A farmer who neglected to pro- duce a reasonable food crop would be liable at any time to lose his holdings. * k% x In a recent political campaign, Pre- mier Baldwin proposed a measure which would provide 3 acres and 4 coW to every wageearner—not to induce him to become a 3-acre farmer, but to supplement his indus- trial job with a cottage and garden plot, so that he could ralse some of his_food. England has subsidized unemploy- ment, and the question of financial aid to food production does not appall Eng- lish Jawmakers, as does any socialistic plan in the United States for Govern- ment aid to agriculture. The Economist of London, with characteristic conservatism, argues against the land natlonalization plans. 1t says: “We do not have any faith in its possibilities. We do not attach very great importance to agricultural re- form as a means of avoiding depend- ence on foreign food supplies, short of: an economical revolution, which would involve a drastic reduction in the standard of living, and ultimately of the population of Great Britain. It does not seem practicable to modify, except in a minor way, the system under which we exchange our man- ufactures and services for food. Nor do we Delieve that urban life is in- compatible with health and physical efficiency, and that it is necessary to increase the number of people doing manual labor in the fields for the sake of preserving the British stock.” Lloyd George retorts that British agriculture is far behind European continental agriculture, but he frank- ly admits that there may be a ques- tion as to whether the state will make a better landlord for the farmer than the private landlord has been. The London Times reports that_the ministers will undertake to put through a bill to purchase all land at a price 15 times the present rental, which, it is estimated, will cost 20 million pounds sterling. This new act corresponds to the land legislation of Poland and Czechoslavakia recent- 1y enacted. It is alleged that Lloyd George in- tends to make the land question and prohibition of liquor the leading issues in his coming political plans, hoping a return to the premiership. While he is identified with the Liberal party, and holds possession of the party funds, it is explained that he repre- sents one wing of the party and not the entire body of liberals. It is not assured that nationalization of the land will win all votes of tenants nor the opposition of all landlords. (Copyright. 1025, by Paul V. Collins.) A Heavy Penalty. From the Waterbury Demoerat. The really painful feature of fail- ure is the effort to win back friends You outgrew on the way up, THE NORTH WINDOW By Leila Mechlin. Appreciation of an artist's work, as some one has said, does not obviously require that one khould meet him face to face, but such meeting is sometimes a help toward understanding. This fact has been brought strongly to mind recently by the visits of two distinguished artists to Washington, and the opportunity, not only of meet- irg them face to face, but of talking with them about thelr art. Both are men of international reputation. Philip de Laszlo, formerly of Buda- pest, now of London, a group of whose portraits is on exhibition in the Cor- coran Gallery of Art, aiter being shown at the Knoedler Gallery, New York, Is sald to have painted more kings and queens than any painter living today. Were he an author one would say that he had the pen of a ready writer. As it is. one could truly say that he has the brush of a ready painter. He produces portraits with lightning-like speed and amazing facility. Possessing the polish which not only birth and breeding but long as- soclatfon in high soctal circles gives he s at the same time keenly alive and sensitive to fmpressions, with a mentality which is both penetrating and nimble. Nothing escapes his quick perception. At the Arts Club one evening dur- ing his recent visit to Washington he was the guest of honor and con- snted to speak briefly on the sub ject of portrait painting. He plained then that his method was to register a definite impression, to com: plete a work, if possible, in a single setting. Sometimes, he said, he made as many as five beginnings before he g0t what he wanted. If it did not g0 right he would stop and begin again, and in this way sometimes it would be the fifth canvas that was used before the result was attained. Men whom he paints he poses in a way which brings out force of character. In painting women, how- ever, he avoids, he says, heav shadows, and he takes the utmost pains in the choice of dress and in the placement of the figure on the anvas. Every one does not know what style {8 most becoming, there- fore he ventures now and then to advise his feminine sitters, to supply them with costumes which increase the charm and heighten the artistic effect. eat as is his his experience, before a blank without the hope ti which goes thereon will be the best he has vet achieved. It is that hope, that eazer desire for stll higher at tainment, which leads him on and which constitutes the fascination of his work. It is difficult, as every one knows, to be unspoiled by success, and those who have artistic facility, the clever, ure in great danger of back sliding in art. Philip de Laszlo is not only a successful painter but a genuine artist. It is this that con- tact with him makes evident. skill and vast as is never does he stand canvas, he insists, Emil Fuchs, whose etchings are now on view in the Corcoran Gallery of Art and who has paid Washington two fiving visits lately, is also a na tive of Central Europe. He, tou, as a painter, has found royal favor. Go ing to London some years azo, he won the approval and patronage of the King and Queen. He, too, has painted portraits of the great and the near great. but he has always had beyvond a definite goal “It has always seemed to me,” he said, talking with one interested in his work lately, “as though I was go ing through a’ tunnel, leading I did not know just where. Now I feel as if T had come out: that all of the work and all of the effort and all of the experience in painting and sculp- ture were in order that I might know how to etch.” To him etching is the highest artistic achievement. “One must know everything,” he says, “in order to etch.” When told that his etchings were very unlike his draw. ings, he exclaimed, “I am glad of that. Etching is not just drawing- it §s an art to itself. Zorn's etchings, great as they were and are, were like pen and ink drawings, but Rem brandt’s etchings—how different! And Rembrandt was the great master.” He owns more than one etching by Rem- brandt. “I am so fortunate,” he say “and I look at them every morning. It is a great privilege, a_ great jo ived & lonely life; I have had to fight my way. Art Is not Jjust a God-glven power, it has to be learned. It means hard work. But I am now accomplishing what 1 have striven for.” He laments that he is not younger Le might have more life to zive to his art, vet he is still in his prime. Talent. he claims, is a loan from a higher power, and one is bound to see that it vields interest. No one could doubt, talking with Emil Fuchs, that he is a man with strong emotion, with deep conviction, completely wrapped up in his art, and with life dedicated to its perfection. To meet such artists face to face in- clines not only to a better apprecia- tion of their work but to the works of others. * ok ok Perhaps it is this contact with the makers of art today that is most need- ed in order to promote a better ap- preciation of art values. Reading the letters of Isabella d'Este, that great patren of art in the days of the Ren- aissance, one finds that the artists whose works she owned were personal friends. When she commissioned a painting she talked it over with the rtist; she shared thelr enthusiasms. ow the tendency is not to commi. sion, but to buy, and to buy through a dealer. Said a newspaper man from Florida the other day to a Washington ac- quaintance, “I am beginning to collect paintings. I have bought two works by Mr. ——. You know he spends his Winters In Florida; he is a delightful person. Through him I have become interested in art.” t was Joseph Pennell.” sald & wealthy collector to a group of friends one day, ‘“who first made me see the real beauty in our American skyscrapers. One Sunday morning In New York I took a walk with him way down town, and what he ehowed me during that walk I shall never forget. It was a beauty which T had not previously dreamed * ok % % It has been discovered, furthermor that when artists accompany their e: hibitions, albeit that they are not al- ways good salesmen, there are almost invariably more sales. One notable instance was of an exhibition compris- ing works by three well known Ameri- can Jandscape painters which startad on a circuit of citles beginning in New York State and extending to the Middle West. Before the end of the circuit was reached most of the paint- ings had been purchased and the re- mainder of places on the circuit had to content themselves with some other show. When the Grand Central Gal- leries, New York, take their exhibi. tions to Atlanta, Ga., or Aurora, IIl., or Nashville, Tenn., they induce a number of well known painters whose works are included in the collection to ®o along and meet the people who come to the exhibition. to speak at the din- ner which 1s made a special occasion. and in this way arouse interest and secure sales. The layman is much more interested in owning a work by a painter known to him or to her than an impersonal work, even by a celebrity. This speaks pretty well for the painters, and it should help to do away, to some ex- tent, with the shyness of the public, for, after all, it is the layman more often than the painter who hesitates to make the contact. And it should, fur- thermore, encourage more frequent meetings and closer assoclations be- the painting | | Q. Do fish sleep?—M. J. A. The Bureau of Fisheries says thal fish do not aleep. They rest and remain quiet in nooks of streams, but never close their eyes. Q. What will keep lugs and worms from eating lumber?—P. G. H. A. The Forest Service rocommends the following treatment: Peel the bark off after the lumber is well sea- soned. Use Lot creosote, from 165 de- grees to 185 degrees. Heat the creo- sote in a large kettle and apply with a big brush while still hot. If the lumber fs to be used for rustic work with the bark on, wash the lumber in ereosote. Q. Is there any difference in utility hetween an argon-filled and nitrogen- filled lamp?—F. L. F. A. The Bureau of Standards says that there are no differences between argon-filled and nitrogen-filled incan- descent lamps, 8o far as candle power or life is concerncd, for ordinary use. Gas-filled lamps can be operated at higher filament temperatures than vacuum lamps. Q. What good argument is there against making paper money smaller? —T. McS. A. The inftial cost of such a change is one argument. It would involve an almost entire change of machinery in the Bureau of Lngraving and Printing. State produces the most ?7—A. G. 8. leads, with a. produc 4,452,000.,000 cubic feet o was second and West Vi ginia third. The total consumption of natural gas in the United States in 1924 was 1,141,482,000,000 cuble feet. The estimated value at the wells was $105,779,000; at points of consumption, $253,830,000. Q. In typleal negro melodies are the major or minor keys used?— i A. The tunes have as a rule a range of only a few notes and the major key predominates. In some songs both major and minor keys are used. The weird effect often pro- duced In their cadences i due to the employment of the pentatonic scale and the major scale with the flat seventh. Q. What {¢ the meaning of the number designating the sizes of shot zuns and rifles?™J. T. 8 A. The National Rifle Association s that the measurement of the or gauge of shotguns was based dard of 10 balls to the 2 balls to bor upon the sta pound for a 10-gauge gun; the pound for a 1Z-gauge gun and 2 balls to the pound for a 20-gauge gun. Q. Who is called “the keeper of the king's consclence”?—E. F. A. The term “keeper of the king's conscience” is applied in England to members of the privy council, notably the prime minlster. Q. What was West Virginia called before it was separated from Virginia? M. A known as the trans- Ailegh region of Virginia and was wimitted to the Union as a separate State June 20, 1563 Q. How can chestnuts be ugh the Winter?—H. F. M. The Rureau of Plant Industry says that the only successful way to keep chestnuts, or, in fact, any nuts, is to put them in a cold storage plant kept th at a temperature of 32 degrees, or s cool as possible without freezing. Dry the chestnuts well and put them in a clean white sack inside of a bur- lap bag before packing away in cold ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKI storage. Manufacturers put thém in vacuum packs, but this requires spe cial machinery and fs not practical for small quantities. Q. What is meant by the statement nu{; all watches are compasses’ A. It refers to the fact that the directions are easily ascertainable with the aid of a watch. Let the watch lie flat in the hand, with the hour hand pointing toward the sun and the point on the circle half way between the hour hand and XIT, will be directly south in the Northern Hemisphere and directly north in the uthern Hemispher ambulances Q How been used? long have A. A. V. A. The French wars following the Revolution of 1789 Lrought the ambu lance service along with other mili tary innovations. An organized svsten for the transportation of wounded was first_introduced by Baron Lar- rey, the French military surgeon ir the'Army of the Rhine in 1792. It was not until the latter part of the Civil War that the ambulance obtained proper recognition and development in the introduction of a uniform sys tem by an act of Congress in March 1864, Q. Who eaid “A man's home iz h! castle”?—C', E, A. The exact quotation is “For a | man's house is his castle,” from S Bdward Cole's Institutes. Q. T< it not true that rubber tree grow in Fiorida?-G. M. § A. Most of the popular accousls o rubber trees in Florida relate to Ficus clastica, or the so-called “Astam rubber tree, the same species that is often grown as a house plant in the North. In Florida and also in Cali i 1+ this species grows in the oper air and attains a large size, thougi not alwaye contafning rubber. Mar: experimental plantings of Ficus have been made in troplcal countries, but the results have not been favorable ir comparison with the Para rubber tree of Brazil, to which all commercial plantings are now confined. Q. Is the Amphitheater at Arling ton a memorial to the Unknown Sol dier? A A. The Memorial Amphitheater of Arlington is erected to the memory of 1 the soldler dead of the United States who have died in the service of their country. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is directly in fron of the Amphitheater. Q. Why is copper used for soldering R . O | "A. Copper used for solderi | tools because it is 2 good heat cor ductor, has fairly high specific hea: tins readily with solder, and has no « | loying metals to be sweated out = in the case of brass Q. Is the Mardi Gras celebrated ir Rio de Janeiro?—C. R. A. This city leads South America in its enthusiastic celebration. This year's date is February 13 te 16, ir clusive. During such a period, busi ness is practically at a standstill while gayety and mirth refgn. (Have we had the pleasure of ser ing you through our Washington I formation Bureau® Cam't we be of some help to you in your daily prob- lems? Our business is to furnish you with authoritative information, ani we invite you to ask us any que: of fact in which you_are interestec Nend your inquiry to The Star Infor mation Bureau, Frederic J, Haskiy Director, Twenty-first and C Streds Northwest, Washington, D. C. I close 2 cents in stamps for retur postage.) Political Effect of La Follette Attitude Public_opinion as to the future re- lations between the Republican ma- jority and insurgents in Congress un- der leadership of Senator La Follette covers a wide range, and comment )y newspapers of all shades of opin- fon discloses a general feeling of un- certainty. “When the Wisconsin bloc refuses to be choked into silence.” in the opinfon of the Baltimore Sun (inde- pendent), “it has both precedent and principle behind it. But when it squeals because it was excluded from commit- tees and is not allowed to dictate to the majority in regard to committee assignments 1l is putting itself into an unreasonable attitude. Let it make its fight in the open as repre- sentative of progressive Republican ideas, and leave the country 1o judge how far it is really progressive and how far it is really Republican. Tt will lose nothing, either in political force or in logical appeal to public in- telligence by absolute freedom from machinery and party responsi- * % % % The position taken by the La Fol- lette “irregulars” causes the Chicago Tribune (independent Republican), to conclude that they “intend to remain and be as irregular as possible.” The Tribune calls _attention to the fact that “in the House they did not vote for Nicholas Longworth for Speaker,” and that “they could not have a real ce in a political organization be- use they lack the principles of such nizations.” The Kansas Journal (Republican) also believes that “so long as the insurgents op pose Republican measures in Con gress they ought to be denied com- mittee assignments and other party honors. It is not a matter of kick- ing some one out of the house, but of locking the doors against those who do not belong.” Some papers, however, take the po- ition that it is good party polities to “extend the olive branch” to La Fol- lette. “Certainly,” says the Flint Daily Journal (independent), “a Sen- ate that has chosen as the chairman and vice chairman of its principal committee the two most outright in- urgents in the Senate again: the party policy, cannot raise very much the question of ‘regularity’ against La Follette.® The Philadelphia Bul- tween those who and those who love it. * %k % X If one cannot meet artists face to face the mext best way of becoming acquainted {s by reading a record of their lives, written either by them- selves or by some sympathetic biogra- pher. Within the last month several notable biographies of artists have been published. Mention has already been made in this column of Janet produce art Scudder’s _autobiography, _ entitled Modeling My Life,” and of Joseph Pennell's autobiography, “The Ad- ventures of an Illustrator.” Equally interesting, though not autobiograph- ical, is the book on Sargent, written by William Howe Downes, which is just from the prass. This is a sump- tuous volume wit\ a great many fine reproductions of Saxgent's works. The Phillips Galleries have issued several noteworthy biographivs of American artists, one on J. Alden Weir, another on Arthur B. Davies. Then, of earlier date, but of continuing interest, are Mr. Pennell's “Life of Whistler,” Royal Cortissoz’s “Life of John La Farge” and_Homer Saint-Gaudens’ biography of his Tfather, Augustus Saint-Gaudens. All of these books help to an understanding of the artists’ works and of art in general. City | letin (independent Republican) also suggests: “There is no doubt as to the purpose of President Coolidge to woo and win the West. The Coolidge idea is that it is not necessary to read the La Follette bunch out of the Re. publican party. It is sufficient, even better, for the administration and its majority in Congress to go right along i serving the farmer wisely and well jand convincing him of that service and merely leave the so-called farn bloc out of the party if it desires to remain on the outside.” * ok ok % “The Republican party.” remarks |the Duluth Herald (independent) | “with last year's victory still fresh in | memory, can afford to be magnani | mous. And if mere independent think ing is the 6nly crime cha d agair these men, it cannot afford not to magnanimous. It would not be a good advertisement for any party to have it appear that it will not tolerate m who think and sometimes act fo: themselves.” The Hollywood Citizer (independent) adds that “since there 115 no way of determining who are Republicans and who are not, until it is first @ecreed exactly what a Repub lican is, the Wisconsin voters doubt less have as much right to believe themselves Republicans as do_ the voters of any other State.” The Tren ton Times (independent) also holds that “Ta Follette was elected us Republican, and it is neither fair no usual to punish a man before he committed a crime; political necessity admonishes the Republican leaders t. {adopt a_conciliatory spirit “If Mr. La Foliette do all that he expects from having been elected to the Senate as a Republician observes the Danville Register (Demo cratic), “he needs only to remember that when it comes to politics, the Mosaic injunction, that ‘the sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the children,’ has never been repealed.” Of the insurgent in general the Muncie Star (independent Republican) declares: “These kindred spirits have banded together, sworn to do and die in defense of the sacred privilege of being stubborn. With encouragement from the House, Senator La Follette will have difficulty in casting aside the mantle of insurgency for the plainer habiliments of regularity.” The Springfield Union (Republican) declires “The policy of opening the door to a handful of prodigals becomes worthless when the prodigals scorn to enter. and thus, by their own action, become another party.” In the same vein the Watertown Times (independent) say: ‘‘Assumption of Republicanism in Wisconsin is only an expedient of the moment, and La Follette thinks no more of the part) than he ever did.” Viewing the practical side of the matter, the Akron Beacon-Journal (Republican) remarks that “the Wis consin progressives cannot subsist always on a set of uncompromisin: principles which keep them forev exiled from the pie counter” and t Pueblo Star-Journal thinks that wi the insurgents have been able to very well politically without the he of regular Republicans, ‘their fluence in Congress is practically an end.” The Brooklyn Eagle (independe: Democratic), referring to the lLau Follette group as having adopted middle-of-the-road policy, believes that the ‘“administration will have tu avoid controversy.” The Knoxville { Sentinel (independent Democratic however, asserts that ‘no one will believe that ‘Young Bob’' will chanze any of his views or de anything that is not meant to ecmphasize his ‘irregularity.