Evening Star Newspaper, December 18, 1925, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY ... December 18, 1925 . Editor THEODORE W. NOYES The Evening Star Newspaper Company 110 East 420d 8 Tower Butlding. i4 Rekent St., London. England. th (he Sunday morn- § by earriers within p daily only, Sunday .20 cents s may be sent by mail or per month is made by telephone Main carrier at the ead of each month Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginla. Daily and sSunday 170, $9.00: 1 mo Daily only 13 S mo. Sunday only i 1 mo.. 50 All Othe# States and Canada. Daily a 19r. 81 1 mo.. $1.00 Dasly 150 PER00: 1 me Sundas 135 $1.00: 1 mo ! Sunday Member of the Assoe Tho Arsociated Prese is cxclusivels entitled to the e for repubiication of all news s redited f0 1t or not oiherwlse ered R $alio the focal ne T (s of publication redlgo Teserved ted Press The Mitchell Verdict and Sentence. Col Mitchell, former stant chief of the Army Air Service, i guiity of violating the ninetyv-sixth article of ind sen tenced to suspension from rank and with for- owances. This wartial, which al weeks in but the what the public Mitchell insuberdina Wilitam has been fou w five ; and court command for years, feiture of all p verdict sen- tence | expected technica That ( was guilty of was evident from the indeed from the moment expressions in critictsm of the Ar y | e outset proceedin i of his public of the chiefs Navy But that his punishment would take the form of auspension from rank and pay for 2 period of vears rather than dismissal at one extreme of severity, or rep » extreme of mercy, nuch a sentence s five the rimand at the oth was not expected recedented This it public Col of crit pelicies and practic been befogged in the public mind nee of that In e question be and that has been specifically vered, thoush after u protraction of proceedings that was not in the least required for an adequate consideration of the gutlt ot the accused officer. iat issue s one of discipline and subordination. In permitting Col. Mitchell to en deavor to prove his charges agajnst the avlation administration of the Army and Navy, the court-martial Meparted from precedent, perhaps by direction, In order that the trial should not have the semblance of a $bottling” or gasging procedure. He was afforded the amplest opporturity to demonstrate the truth of his crit- icfsms, even though it was of no mo- ment technicsily and legally whether he d prove them or not. His atlt rested solely upon the question whether a subordinate officer of ‘he Army, in pudlic statement, ul tered words prejudiclal to good order and discipline. The truth or falsity of his words had, In fact, nothing to do with the casc, but the court-mar- al, in consideration of the intense interest of the people of this country in questions incidentally raised by bis sweeping indictment, allowed a wide range of testimony. In finding Col. Mitchell guilty of violation of the ninety-sixth article of war the court-martial does not pass upon the merits of the dispute regard- ing the afrcraft policles and practices of this Government. Another body has made inquiry into those matters and already has reported in general refutation of Col. Mitchell's sweeping charges, with some confirmation in certain details and recommendation | of correction of the defects disclosed. The questions involved in his broad- cast of eritictsm will doubtless be in- vestigated and discussed by Congress. That phase of the matter is, of course, not settled by yesterday's verdict. It could not be settled. What the court- martlal has determined is that an officer of the Army cannot impugn in personal utterances the motives of his superiors !n terms prejudicial to discipline. That question has bLeen, in fact, settled long ago. It is ceter- mined by the very fundamentals of military organization, That Col. Mitchell was bidding for martyrdom has been the prevalent bellet since he made his daring utter- ances in September. He has not been accommodated by the court-martial to the extent of dismissal. ife has been awarded a falr and just punishment, which takes considerate account of his admirable record as a soldler, his past service and his patriotic motives in his deliberate violation of the ar- ticles of war which he has sworn as &n officer faithfully to respect. ——— n intense | wathy with self assumed role iment’s aviation The real issue ase est thro itchell in his mpathy. When Senator Jim Reed discusses nternational finances he displays & determination to show that the audi- tor is entitled to a share ‘¢ public Interest. ——ee— A decision handed down by the League of Nations has at least the force of a sincere and helpful sug- gestion. ———s. The Dangerous Starlings. What have the starlings done that the Commissioners should call out fire- men to drive the birds from their roost by drenching them with'water et night? A flock seems to have picked out certain trees on the Avenue es places to spend the night. In the code of birds there is nothing wrong about that and most men believe that when birds pick out a tree to roost in they do a proper thing. They honor the tree and they show regard for, or at least, confidence in, men by decid- ing to spend the night so near a man's houss. It cannot be that the starlings stick around all day, because flocks of them are seen in the suburbs and coun- try hustling for food and they have something of a struggle to find it. It \ { resent [ts strange that atter working and scratching and grubbing in the pleas- anter parts of the town all day the birds would want to come down to the | Avenue to spend the night, but if they find the lodging to their liking | that is their affair. For the Commis- | | stoners to call out bands of firemen to squirt water on them. at night seems cruel. And it may not have occurred | i to the Commissioners that to a great Imun taxpayers it seems ridiculous. At late accounts the birds have not been driven off. Perhaps the authort- ties might call out the police with riot zuns and slay the starlings in a way that is most attractive to some men. ere ure u thousand home ownera [in Washington who are ready to in- !Vite the starlings to spend the night their nelghborhood, but if the | for some reason men cannot understand prefer to lodge on the ! Avenue, there are ten thousand citi- zens who would ask the District au- ties to Iet them roost and rest in Of course, it is heard that the i 1gs are pests. Let a poor crea- ! ture be denounced us u pest and the | crueity in mob-people gets busy. Peo- ! ple whose hearts are sound and kind that the rling be called a pest. 1f the pest business is not given short shrift pot-hunters, bean-shooters and the public authorities may de- nounce the cardinals, bluebirds and goldtinches as pests. ———— The Fort Dupont Tract. Washington's park system, under nee of the Natfonal Capital i is being rapidly de- veloped. Purchase of eighty acres of lund comprising the historie Fort Du- pont site, in the southeast section of the city but another step to add to the beauties of the “City of Parks.” One-sixteenth the size of Rock Park, this recently acquired tract will develop Into a magnificent natural park, and will give the resi dents of that portion of the Natlonal | Capital a recreational playground which will take its place with the best in the country. v Thoroughly harmonizing with the broad plan of District development the Fort Dupont Park will eventually | be linked by a driveway with other historic forts in and around the Dis- tri In the southeast section alone | Davis and Fort Stanton will be | Joined to the chain which will com- | pletely encirele the city. Preliminary development of the new tract is now in the hands of the divi-; slon of trees and parking of the Dis- ' trict government. Improvement has already been effected, and further beautification will be undertaken while it remains with this department | Washington has been aptly called ty of Parks.” Potomac and eek parks are perfect models | systematic and thoughtful devel- | opment of land for park purposes. They serve as a pattern to the rest of the world, and it is doubtful whether their beautfes can ever be equaled elsewhere. In addition to these tracts Washing- ton is dotted with tiny parks ‘*hich break up the monotony of streets and houses. These small sites add immeas- urably to the beauties of the city, and serve to spread the benefits of park development throughout the entire community. Great progress has been made, and this progress will continue. Appoint- ment of the park commdssion has given impetus to the work, so that ‘Washington, under its guldance, may look forward to the culmination of the broad scheme of park development which has long been the ideal of resi- dents of the National Capital. —————————— Weather prophets who said this would be the hardest Winter in a hundred and fifty years are being lined up to receive congratulations on being wrong thus far. in bird fon Creek The bobbed-haired bandits are no longer mentioned. Bobbing has be- come 8o common that it provides no approximate means of identification. 1t looks as if Mr. Nye of North Da- kota would have to be content with a lberal line of publicity which may prove valuable in the future. Letters to Santa. ‘The post office reports that Santa Claus’ mail is heavy. Young Ameri- cans—very young Americans—in the usual and seasonal number are open- ing correspondence with the master toymaker and the patron of good chil- dren. In some cases the first letter a child writes is to Santa. The corre- spondents differ as to the situation of the gift plant or Santa’s home ad- dress, and some envelopes are marked for Santa Claus in Greenland, Iceland and the North Pole. It is not neces- sary that the town and street number be put on the envelope, because the toymaker is such a widely known man. Really, a letter addressed ‘‘Santa Claus,” or even “Santa,” will find out the old chap as surely and swiftly as though it were addressed ‘“‘Santa Claus, 90 Degrees Lat., N.” It would seem that the postal people might be confused over the two names, Santa and Kris, but many of these postal people were children at one time and understand that the white-whiskered chauffeur of a reindeer team answers to both names. A great many children are to be congratulated on their knowledge of Santa Claus. Really many of them know more about the subject than some upgrowing boys and girls who seem inclined to withdraw their pat- ronage from Santa Claus and pelt mother and their particular old man with demands for sleds, skates, auto- ,!o be noted that he gives his goods | which was conveying him back to las long 1 di | menace organized soclety. | manufacturers, he seems to keep up with the demands of his trade. It is quite remarkable that this man, who was a white-haired old man when grandma was a little girl, does | not seem to grow a day or night older, and that he keeps at his work as briskly as in other years. It s also away, notwithstanding the rise in pro- duction costs and the difficulty of house-to-house delivery. There are a good many things about Santa Claus that are mysteries to the very old among us, but which are perfectly clear to little children. o Mistaken Meroy. Another illustration of the weak- ness of the criminal laws of the United States is furnished in the es- cape of “Bum"” Rogers, a notorious gunman, robber and desperado, from the custody of his keeper in New York. g Alded by confederates, who knocked his guardian senseless as the train prison pulled into the One Hun- dred and Twenty-fifth strect station, Rogers made a flying leap from the platform and accomplished a clean getaway. Looking back over the criminal record of this man, it can be seen that the parole system in this case, as fn many others, does mnothing but thrust back on soclety the presence of an exceedingly dangerous char- acter. Despite the fact that Rogers’ crimi nal proclivities manifested themselves when he was 1 vears old in 1903 and thut he was sent to the protectory for juvenile delinquency: that between 1906 and 1912 hesserved four terms n the House of Refuge, and shortly | after that sentenced to Sing Sing for carrying concealed weapons Gov. Smith, i 1920, paroled him from a twenty-year term for robbery. Since then he has continually been sought by the police and arrested several times. When he made his escape he was fuclng an aggregate of forty vears in jail, but that ia not as appalling as it sounds, because he probably would have been paroled again in a couple of years and al- lowed to continue his depredations against soctet Abuse of the parole system is one of the greatest breeders of crime. Crime can never be effectlvely checked | s paroles are dealt out in- | tely, and inmates of prisons pempered and petted. Stern res are necessary, and this spirlt of mistaken mercy should no longer was crim are meas: o Young Mr. La Follette will accept | formal cominittes assignments and allow the G. O. P to form its own conclusions as to how far environment is likely to modify heredity. e Women have been advanced to new responsibilities Turkish politics, without, as yet, being able to exert a gentle influence sufficient to suppress the nationalistic customs pertaining to atrocities S In contemplating arrangements for disarmament the fact must Inevitably be considered that no nation in the world can refer to the late war as an absolute success. o Tax reduction is progressing so rapidly that it must soon be possible to convince every man and woman in the country that the war is really aver. in e Prohibition as yet’lays no emphatic claim to credit for having put an end to the annual demand for New Year resolutions. —— e ‘When comparing Col. Mitchell to| Catiline Maj. Gullion succeeds in giv- ing a very fair imitation of Cicero. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Glorifiration. Everybody stands in pride, Waiting to be “glorified.” Beauty contest! Foot ball game! “Stars” of motion picture fame! Country lassie, so demure, Small-town “comic” insecure All await the mighty thrill Of press agents and thelr skill. Talent lingers, far and wide. Waliting to be “glorified.” Muslcal Mystification. “Every man should have a musical educatio: “I agree with you,” answered Sen- ator Sorghum. “I am always willing to stand up when a patriotic tune is played, and I have been terribly em- barrassed because I don't know the difference between ‘Star Spangled Banner’ and ‘Pop Goes the Weasel.’ " Always Interesting. Money talks. What does it say In this most enlightened day? Money always makes a hit. Interest is linked with it. Jud Tunkins says a lazy man is a valuable influence inasmuch as he calls on others for a demonstration of faith, hope and charity. In.the Lead. “Who is the leading citizen of Crimson Gulch?” “Mesa Bill,” answered Cactus Joe. “Bill led a mob of forty citizens bus- {ly engaged in chasing him out of town."” Barring the B. L. We are striving for cheer in the old- mobiles or one of the innumerable toys that are in shop windows. When a boy grows to the age when he pooh- pooh’s or pouf-pouf’s Santa Claus he regards direct action on his own old man as most profitable. And, of course, he gets part of what he wants, | because the old man has a soft spot Genius Recognized. in his heart about December 25. But! “King Tut was buried amid ines- the littler children who supplicate |timable treasure!” Santa Claus got as good results from | “He was too young to be much of their pleas as anybody else, which a king,” remarked the excavator. “But tends to prove that Santa Claus is as |he certainly was a wizard of fashioned way. We are joining in pleasure's pur- suit. 8o, hang up your stocking—but here let me sav, Don’t hang up the leg of a boot. |burgh_publisher and husl 1 Mary's luck held good. Leaving George Roddin in the park, she hur- |ried back to the little restaurant in |the hope that she would find Malsie Hennick still there. Peering through the dirty window, Mary gave a sigh of rellef. At a far table, and alone, sat Col. Ball's daugh- ter, Bill Hennick’s wayward wife. The restaurant was deserted now, with the exception of the flashy figure bowed over u cup of coffee, and the gray-faced counterman, who was read- ll‘r;'e‘: @ newspaper spread out before . Where the bruised-eared battler had gone did not worry Mary a bit, for 8he was interested only in the super- flapper who sat in there, moodily drinking another cup of vile coffee. “What shall I say to her?" Mary asked herself, in momentary panie. The thing appeared hopeless to her alre: How was she to touch the heart of this woman? Waus there any- thing she could say to her that would induce her to return to Washington? Then Mary realized that she had stood in the light of the window long enough. She opened the door, which creaked dismally. The counterman looked up from his paper, and Maisie from her cup. The slight figure strode in with assured step, crossed the room without a sin- gle glance at Malsle, and breasted the “ounter. “'Give me a cup of coffee, please,” Mary said. The ccol music of her volce radiated out from her as sound does from & good radio speaker, filling the entire air space. Her voice was at once soft and carryin Without a word th visage drew her a thick mug of steam- ing dark liquor, and set it down be- fore her with a thud that would have smashed a lighter cup to bits “Thank you,” sald Mary, giving him w smile with Ler coin * She turned toward the tahl and started to pass to an empt one, then, as if on impulse, sat down across from Matste, facing b The counterman stirred with terest. “Sisters?” he mused to himselt. Cer- talnly they looked something altke, both blonds, both possessed of some. what the same type of face. They sat therc, looking at each other, and the counterman continued to stare at them. The new one, he said to himself, must be the stster of the big one. Even his thick brain ap- preciated the difference in the two girls The girl who had ditched Roddin for the drunken pugilist, and later had been deserted hy him, was famillar in the restaurant, whereas the thin girl with “class” written all over her was a newcomer. He watched them from behind his paper. in- covertly finally said Maisie, in o loud, volce, gliring across the tub) color seemed to mount naturally, for once, bencath the layers of rough sho had There was a disagreeable orange tinge to her face that did not look well even in the land of oranges. Mary smfied plactdly, stpped her b, then put it down I did not mean to stare Maisie,” she answered. The girl started, spilling coffee on the table. Finally she asked you?" ity Her t vou “Who—tho are Mary longed for wcient Greek od in the machine” to appear sud nly to handle this matter. “Malsie the “deity would say, “go home. Not since Julius Kahn, Republican, pecame the advocate of the draft law in the House has Capitol Hill wit- nessed the spectacls presented on Da. cember 17, when Claude A. Swanson, Democrat, fired the opening gun in the World Court figsht. Kahn was { chief protagonist of a Democratic ad- ministration measure. Swanson es- rayed that role in behalf of a Repub- tican administration proposal. There was peculiar appropriateness in the chain of circumstances that flung the Virginia Senator into the breach as spokesman for a Calvin Coolidge pro- gram. No man in Congress was clos- er to Woodrow Wilson than the sen- ior Senator from the Old Dominion. They were fellow Virginians. They were close friends. They saw eye to eye on the war President’s foreign policies, especlally the League of Na- tions. Swanson has had a long and meritorious career in the service of his State. He sat in the House of Representatives for six terms, was governor for four vears, and has been in the Senate continuously since 1911. In the election of November, 1916, Vir- ginia re-elected Swanson without op- position. Some of the Woodrow Wilson old guard are indignant over the reluc- tance of Senate Democrats to concede even a blood relationship between the World Court and the league. The Wilsonlans think it would be a far more dignified spectacle for league Democrats to go down fighting for a “league court” than to gain the day by the strategy of disavowing the court's parentage. Their argument is that even if the World Court should temporarily be rejected as the crea- ture and ward of the covenant, the day is dawning when the United States will join the league and. auto- matically, the court, too. So the guardians of Woodrow Wilson's tra- ditions _deplore that Senator Swan- son and his brother Democrats have not nailed league colors to the mast trankly and unafraid, and determined to rise or fall with them during the court fight. Any other tactics—aver the Wilsonians—are hypocritical. 3 * ok Kk Ok In the President’s nomination of Charles W. Hunt of Iowa to be a fhll- term member of the Federal Trade Commission -there is more than meets the eye. To many politicians it savors of a throwing down of the gauntlet by Calvin Coolidge to his opponents in the American Farm Bureau Federa- tion. When given a recess appoint- ment last Spring, Mr. Hunt was secre- tary of the Iowa Farm Bureau Fed- eration. He ranks as an ultra-con- servative in the farm movement and an enemy of the ‘“radical” school which_wants McNary-Haugen legisla- tion. It is said to be within the range of possibilities that Senator Norris of Nebraska, Republican progressive, who is chafrman of the Senate com- mittee on agriculture, will scrutinize Hunt's confirmation with some care. Since he joined the Federal Trade Commission the Jowan has gone along with the majority ‘stand-patters” against the ‘‘go-getters” of the mili- tant Thompson-Nugent minority. * k ok X The King and Queen of Spain are likely to lodge a protest at Washing- ton against the retirement of Alex- ander P. Moo“du'l#\me;‘?mnemmzm rid. The sador in Madri EAIE late Lillian Russell is immensely popular at Alfonso’s court. No one ever “threw” such gorgeous parties satisfactory a giver as anybody else.|finance!” Notwithstanding the growth of his business during the past centuries or ‘A bootlegger,” said Uncle Eben, 80, and notwithstanding that he is|“don’t care how many laws he breaks without the terminal, switching and [so long as he doesn’t go broke his- railroad facilities allowed many other !self.” . in their honor as ‘Moore organizes periodically for their Spanish majes- ties. Famed jazz orchestras and Amer- fcan dancers from smart Paris cab- arets are among the star features of the festivities when royalty is the Am- bassador’s guest. Moore also special- izes at Madrid and San Sebastlan (the “Well, what you staring at me for?” | WA‘?SHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. D. | | BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. And Malgie would go. The god out of the machine would say, much as if he had been speaking to a favorite| dog, “Go home, Maisie,” and Maisie would go. Unfortunately for Mary, the only god In Florida was realty, and she knew it would not help her much in the present situation. She sat fac- ing the inevitable, in the shape of a &irl who had a will of her own. “Well, speak up—who are you?" snapped the bedizened ome. ‘“‘What did you sit down here for? How do you know my name?” “1 have been told I look like you, Mrs. Hennick." The girl turned purple beneath her orange and red. “Say,” she said, half rising. you doing: Sit still,” breathed Mary, softly. “I ara try{ng to be your friend.” “Well, then, what's the good of all this mystery stuff? Why don't you Malsie sank back in . “You seem to know all about me. Mavbe you could tell me something about you,” she sneered. “Yes, T can. 1 want to tell you about vour fither- “What's happened to paw “Nothing. He's just looking for you, that's all.” “What you so Interested in me and Paw for?" “He hired me to find you.” “Well, you done it, all right. What do you get out of 2, you female bull?” Malsie's use of the slang phrase for police officer rubbed Mary Roque the wrong way, but what could she say? She had put herself into a po- sitlon where she might expect iny- thing “What * o ox Is my dear husband helping to our expenses, too?” went on ) o, he is not.” I knew that—he ain't got dough " “Your father loves you want you back with him “And you thought I would go?" “I hope you will.” Malste: Hennick, nee Ball, said nothing at all to that, but sat staring oodily at Mary. At last she said: You do look like me, you cute little thing—1like I looked cnce, anyway. You wouldn't belleve that I was 4 fat as a match once, myself, would you? Say, how much did that dress set you hack?” “Fifty-five dollars, but—" thought so. Say, I ought hate vou, but somehow I don't. Gue You ot to earn a living some wi “Aren’t you coming back to Wa | Ington with me i | Mury used her softest, most per- suusive tones, with the accompani- {ment of the wonderful smile that |endeared her to most people. RBut | voice and her smile rolled off this | giri like water off a duck's back. | o Nothing dotng, dearte,” grinned Maisie. “I ain't going back. I raw | @ show once—maybe vou saw it, too, | ‘Lilac Dominoe,’ or some such name Had one of those lovely ladies sing- ing u song about “What You Do, 1 | Never C TUndo." I never forgo {that song What you do, hummed Come and go back to vour oid| father, who loves you, and who never | | heard 'that sonz.” They could hear the big clock ck lon the wall. Tick-tick-tick-tick—— | | Maisie Ball laughed. “I won't gol back,” she satd. ! ‘You can't.” said Mary Roaue sud- | {denly. with a catch in her voice. “You | tean't | | | the nough to o o | u never can undo,” | ambassadorial Summer lavish hospitality to American com.- | patriots. The United States is in the | throes of delicate commercial trea negotiations with Spain. Ticklish mat- ters are at issue. Secretary Kellogg | Wwants to intrust them to an ambassa- | dor, probably a career diplomat, who | can carry the negotiations to 4 suc cessful conclusion. Our embargo on ! Spanish grapes is a sore point with | the Madrid authorities. | ko ¥ ! When Frederick A. Delano goes to | Persia to preside over the League of | Nations' opium commission inquiry | he'll be closer to the land of his birth | than he’s been for nearly a lifetime. | Col. Delano was born in Hong Kong. | His father, a Massachusetts seafaring | man, eventually settled down in China | with a bride from his native State, and | several members of their large family | of children were born there. Col Delano’s boyhood was spent at New- burgh, N. Y., and, after taking his A. B. at Harvard, he became an apprentice machinist in railroad shops. Today | he is one of the couniry's recognized transportation authorities. In France Delano was Gen. Atterbury's deputy director general of military transpor- tation. Col. Delano's task in Persla, in co-operation with an Italian and a Frenchman, will be to advise the Per- sians how to compensate themselves for the loss of the optum crop. The league commission was created mainly through the efforts of an American woman, Mrs. Hamilton Wright, of Washington. She is the world’s most persistent anti-opium crusader. * % ¥ Chief Justice Taft, while a professor of law at Yale, ate breakfast frequent- ly at the Grand Central Station lunch counter en route to and from New Haven and New York. One ham-and- eggs nymph came to serve him regu- larly, though not aware of his identity. Not long ago Mr. Taft pdtrogized her for the first time in several years. “You ain't with them New Haven people no more?” she observed. “No, the former President of the United States rejoined, with one of his cele- brated chuckles. “I'm down at Wash- ington now, working for the people” ‘The waltress said: “Well, 1 hope you gotta good job.” The Chief Justice ‘lowed it was the job he'd always wanted, anyhow. * ok k% ‘Washington soclety has been quietly and somewhat amusedly observing the subtle operations of a young Eu- ropean nobleman of distinguished lineage, who has cast a covetous eye in the direction of the Capital’s richest girl. He is about to leave the field, vanquished. Had his advances been smiled upon, one of the most eminent names in world history would have been united with that of one of Amer- ica’s most colossal fortunes. But the melon remains uncarved, so far as the visiting fortune hunter is concerned. ‘The dollar princess failed to capitu- late to his charms, which included, in addition to a glittering title, an agree- able personality, good, looks, spacious estates and a promising poiitical ca- reer in his own country. But before he pressed his suit the girl of the golden West had already been wooed by the heir to an Imperial throne. So her recent experience lacked the charm of novelty. * ok ok X Intending tenants, beware. Man walked into a bird store on Twelfth street the other day and said he wanted to buy 20,000 cockroaches. ‘When the shopkeeper recovered con- sciousness and asked the why and wherefore of such a demand, the cus- tomer explained: “My lawyer just told me I had to leave my a nt in the same condition I found it{” (Copyright, 1928.) capital) in ling would do 1o permar | on this errand are not Theosophists or C., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1925 Salvation Army and | Its Christmas Kettles To the Editor of The Star: In a recent issue of vour paper I was dismayed to read that the Salva- tion Army has been refused the privi- lege of sollciting with kettles on the streets of Washington for the benefit ot its poor and needy. What is the Salvation Army? A religious body that reaches where other aid societies cannot. It seeks to rescue and aid in time of need, working at times for poor families where there is illness, and not recelving any compensation. In France during the World War it was the Salvation Army that was the first to feed our hungry soldier boys as they returned home from battle. ‘These men and women, with their gas masks on, made doughnuts and coffee to serve the boys after their day's work. My son, my only one, a mem- ber of Company G, 105th Regiment, 27th Division, was severely gassed September 29, 1918, in battle, breaking of the Hindenburg line. He returned to the United States, but suffered for five vears, passing away September 25, 1923, at Mount Alto Hosbital. Whenever refercnce was made to the Salvation Army he would say. “Never pass them by,” and I find writ- ten in his “Soldier’s Record” this statement. “I cannot praise the Sal vation Army enough for what they did for us over there.” And now, in the Capital City of the Nation, they have been refused standing on the streets with their kettles at Christmas time. They don't ask you for anything; they don’t have to; you know what the ket- tles are there for and you willingly drop in a coin. Others are daifly soliciting, doorbells constantly ringing, and in the north cast it is a common thing to be accost- ed on the street by children asking you to take « chance on something for certain churches, and at the entrance to the different Government buildings on pay days it will be noticed there those, other than the Salvation -, who solicit alms. Does this rder affect them? Or is it just the Salvation Army? For shame, Washington! You are the first city to deny them a privilege which has been theirs for years. EDYTH CAMPBELL HARVEY. Spare the Sparrows From the Fire Hose! To the Editor of The Star: 1 £hould ltke to be permitted to say through the columns of your excel- lent paper that I consider the order, Wty given by Commissioner Fen- have the birds roosting in } ces on the nue between Thirteenth Fourteenth streets, doused with water trom fire hose in | order »m their perch, { iman one, and | sentiment | od, es | the | de-, other birds wo places stroyed, driven from the cowardly onslaught is Dlice after dark when the poor, help- | less creatures cannot see to find/ er quarters. they would either bel drowned by the flow of water or dropping to the ground in thefr blind | confusion and terror. be trodden un- | der f the pedestrian or run! ov vehicles. If Commissioner “enninz has one iota of humanity | in his makeup, he will certainly re-| scind this cold-blooded mandate. { ANNE H. CULLEN. | ———— trees, but as the lanned to take Those Journeying E Are Not Theosophists { To the Editor of The Star | Permit me to correct a misleading | statement which appeared in Tues- | day’s Star, quoted from the New York | Tribune. It is stated that “thousands of Theosophists are journeying to In- dia in anticipation of the ‘second com- ing of Christ.’ " Those who are journeving to India tudents of Theosophy, but members f the Order of the Star in the East which is not a Theosophienl organiz: tlon. There is nothing in the teaching of Theosophy to substantlate any such | claim as is put forward in the inter- view quoted. Theosophy s not a belief or dogma f a knowledge of the laws which govern the evolution of the physical, astral, psychical and intellectual constituents, of nature and of man. Theosophy is the term given to Mme. Blav: Ky's restatement of unchanging truth, and | nothing in conflict with that teaching | is entitled to the name Theosophy. ELEANOR M. HOUGH. —————— Let the Salvation i Army Kettles Boil To the Editor of The Star: Capt. Peyser's letter asking the po- lice commissioners to give the Salva- tion Army permission to solicit funds for the poor by placing their kettles on the street corners is very much ap- preclated. Unless this privilege is re- stored many little hungry children will be unhappy at Christmas. It is the “Kettle” reminding every one of the good work done by the Salvation Army, that appeals to so many, and they happily contribute their share, even though the amount is small. MRS. F. B. AUSTIN. Better Books. From the Wisconsin State Journal. The information disclosed by a book seller as to the kind of books which ate most in demand for Christmas presents will be gratifying to all who desire to see good taste cultivated in popular literature. It is said that the best sellers are not trashy novels of the type which formerly led in sales, and that the beautifully bound and printed, but rather empty “gift books" which once were popular are not wanted now; customers instead are calling for thoughtful fiction of the better sort, for works on travel, and especially for books dealing with his- tory and biography. Less attention is being given to binding and more to contents. Sev- eral reasons are advanced for the change. One is that books cost so much more now than they used to that people no longer feel ashamed to { | v would not only bel} | Calvin Coolidge is fitted. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. Q. What was the date of the fire which destroyed some of the buildings of Maryland Agricultural College, at College Park, Md.”—H. L. S. A. The Administration Buflding and dormitory of the Maryland Agricul- tural College were destroyed by fire on November 29, 1012. This school is now known as the University of Mary- land. Q. What 1s the membership of the Stock Exchange?—N. P. A. A. On October 28, 19: the mem- bership was Increased from 1,100 to 1,125. In 1869 there were only 633 members. Q. How does the seating capacity of all the theaters in Chicago com- pare with that of New York City? —M. C. P. A. In Chicago there are 361 the aters, with a total seating capacity of 285,020. In New York City there are 741 theaters, seating 747,567. Q. Do monkeys have to be quar- antined when brought to this coun- try?—M. A. A A. They are detained in quarantine. Q. When was Indian Territory set aside?—W. O. H. A. Indian Territory was erected Sep- tember 30, 1799, and set apart exclu- sively for Indians June 30, 1834. Q. 1Is it possible for the crew of a submarine to escape from the vessel while submerged by opening the con- ning tower?—D. H. W A. The Navy Department says that 48 a means of escape from a subma- rine, the crew climbs into the conning tower and lets in air 1o an amount which creates a pressure greater than that outside. The conning tower is *hen opened from the sea pressure s so great that it shoo crew out of the conning tower. Q. rile mosaic M. A vrile glass is a varlety of iri- descent enameled glass, so-called by Loufs Tiffany, its inventor, in 1894. As beautiful an example of favrile glass a8 can be found is the screen in the lobby of the building occupled by the Curtis Publishing Co., Independe: Square, Philadelphia. Maxfield Par-| rish executed the design. The Tiffany | Studios executed the screen. | Q. What was the welght of the shell uged in Big Berth ) A. The length of the gun was about | 50 calibers, und its bore 210 millimeters diameter. he shell welghe t 330 pounds, and had a of 33 pounds, placed in t separated by The gun h 626 feet pe \ Please tell komething ahout fav pictures, and name on a striking of 2 Please mething _about k Beard, the pi J. R. C A. “Black Beard" was the nickname given to Edward Teach. He was born in Bristol. The date is not r le probably started out as saflor and took was called length and thickness of his beard was killed by an expedition sent ocut under Lieut. Robert Maynard. Q. What material {s best for trav- eling dresses, especially for ocean travel>—T. W. A. If the material chosen by the ma- jority of travelers is also the best, the palm goes to balbriggan or fine jorsey. Q. When was the big Baltimore fire?—R. B. G. A. It took place February 7, 1904. Q. Who wrote “In Flanders® Fleld"? —A. J. H. A. Col. John McCras. Q. How were the Knights Templar started?—W, J. M. A. At the beginning of the twelfth century nine French knights bound themselves together to protect pligrims on thelr way to the Holy Land. They received the name “Templars.” In England thelr first house was bullt {n London about 1121 Q. How many generations passed from the time God gave the promise to Abraham to the birth of Christ’— D C. A. According to Scriptural chro nology, from Abraham to David there were 14 generations; from David to the captivity, 14 from Q. Who s the author of the quota. tlon, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow's ear”?—W. G. C. A. This is an adaptation of the quo- tation, “You cannot make, my lord, T fear, a velvet purse of a sow's ear,” by Peter Pindar in “Lord B. and His tions.” Q. Is the heads a lost art?—\W, A. The Burean of g vs that th. of filnt ¥ American Ett art of making t is not lost, but 1in > places by the , the process is to chip piece of bone held h is accomplish ure, not a blow arrow « 11 co is & India the flint wit against the filu ed by a quick pre: knocking Q. What s tnsulator for eie ductor of heat” A. The diamond, which s an fneu lator for electri; is probably the best conductor heat. Crystalline quartz proba considered next but has uctivity of only one-tenth tk of a diamond. is the best con- (Life is but a serics of questions and answers wonder and_we learn re answered. Some learn sthers because they wonder ask more. Some are t cd and stay in whatever umstan « 1 t tar is one of a group of mews- that maintains in Washington au that iz in reality the hool of information. It remove life’s Guestion marks for It is free to all. Rend your ques- tion with 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Address The Star Informa- | Rureau, Frederic J. Haskin, di- | rector, Twenty-first and C streets | northiwest, Waskington, D. C.) \a arcat you Country Echoes Satisfaction To Coolidg The “all is well” spirit of President | Coolidge’s message to Congress awak ened echoes of s h the country general Some observ-| ers agree with the Oklahoma City! Oklahoman (Democratic) that the Pres- | ident's attitude toward the farmer's! problem {s “purely negative,” and from Alabama and Tennessee comes cri cism of his reference to Muscle | Shoals. But the message as a whol is widely applauded, many leadin: Democratic papers commending pa ticularly the strong stand for the World Court Mr. Coolidge's “instinct for order, for economy, for faithful and vigorous execution of the law lies revealed in almost every section of the m i declares the New York Times pendent-Democratic), and of the Worl Court reference the New York pa says: “This part of his message was certainly written without the fear of | Senator Borah before his eyt All| 0ld, the President puts his influence ormulated or invénted by man, but is | behind the World Court project in a | tue—or way that must greatl tion.! It _is a _sensible document,” the New York World (independent-Demo- cratic) tells its readers, “which suits the present needs and temper of the country admirably. The time is right for just that sort of light-handed, pas- sive and self-effacing kind of admin- | aid in its adop- ration to which the character of He is the | man of an hour in which careful in- action is about all that anybody asks of the Government in its dealings with Industry.” * X ok ok The Memphis News-Scimitar (inde- pendent) believes the country will “find much to approve and little to criticize in the administration program as he has outlined it,” while the Buf- falo News (Republican) describes the | message as “a business-like document, | free of adornment, clear in thousght. | terse in language and convincing in its | reasoning.” “Perhaps Mr. Coolldge is really go-| ing to lead Congress,” suggests the Roanoke World-News _(Democratic), “with the result that Congress ma sanction some of Mr. Coolidge's more important proposals. We trust so— for Congress needs leadership badly, | and some of Mr. Coolidge's pleas, such | as that for the World Court, and that | for a sane tax bill, are thoroughly commendable.” The San Bernardino Sun (independent) thinks “there can| be no doubt that as the people digest the President’s thoughts their esteem of him will continue to grow,” and the Salt Lake Desert News (independent) calls the message “a clear and sound exposition of the needs, and what he holds should be the policy of the Gov- | ernment In dealing with the problems which concern the Nation."” R After enumerating the outstanding features of the President’s statements as, firstly, opposition to radical depar- tures from policies already adopted; secondly, local self-government, and, thirdly, a declaration that the wealth of the country does not belong to the Government, the Cincinnati Times- Star (Republican) expresses the judg- choose them for ristmas gifts. A few years ago, the® bookseller states, when it was possible to buy a book for about a dollar, there were those who feared they would be consjdered nig- gardly if they spent no more than that on a present; therefore, they de- manded the expensive leather-bound “gift books.” But now that a novel costs $2 and non-fiction as a rule two or three times that much, there is no longer that feeling. on-fiction is selling as well as novels. This may be attributed to the fact that the war and the succeeding events have broadened the average American's outlook on life -and the world; at least, that accounts in some degree for the demand for books treat- ing of general history and the lives of statesmen. ‘Whatever the causes are for the im- provement of popular literary taste, it is to be welcomed as evidence of the spreading of intelligence. Relief in Sight. From the Columbia Missourian. Frayed neckties shotild hold on just a little longer. Christmas will soon be here. ment that “these three things, taken together, constitute the political phi- losophy of one of the most American of all Americans in our history.” The message as a whole indicates to the Albany News (independent-Republic- an) “an assumption of stronger lead- e’s “All Is Well” inless it be by the way of & subnormal infection. To many this will appeal wholly desirable, since to those who are satisfied with conditions as 2, nd content with mani- fest tendencies, anything that would tend to disturb and arouse the public ind is to be avoided.” The Charles- n Evening Post (independent-Dem- ocratie) co; conservative— some Wo reaction and pressure, whether the T oing or coming."” Attacking t Pres; nt’s | toward the farmer tive,” the Oklahoma C (Deroeratic) declare: attitude n dis is the prom hall be do: In sin e that nothing e to relieve the in. ar spirit, the Little Rock Arkansas Democrat (Demo. cratic) says: “The better part of vir alor—apparently is to await the hour of either verification of the Republican leader's claim or the dis illusionment of the voters.” % Kk The President's support of local self-government is widely commended. The Providence Journal (independent) holds that “the next few years ought [to see a heaithy reaction’ in that di- rection, while the Indiznapolis News (independent) finds in the empbasis upon “the dangers of paternalism’ the most important part of the mes- sage. The Worcester Gazette (in- dependent) asserts that “here are views and fears shared by growing numbers of Americans,” and the Hartford Times (independent-Demo cratic) says the President's State's rights doctrine would have “done credit to a Jeffersonian or Jacksonian Democrat.” The statement on State's rights, in the view of the Savannah Press (Democratic), also “is a glitter- ing generality, but it is the truth.” “‘President Coolidge is right,” states the Lynchburg News (Democratic) “in refusing to advocate Government in- terference in the business of farming. even though that attitude is incon- sistent with his political professions.” The Flint Daily Journal (independent) agrees that “even the farmers must agree with the President that agri- culture must in the end take care of itself.” The Lansing State Journal (independent) adds that “we all ought to be very happy in that we are not being pushed into an uncertain future while we wrestle with some fairly weighty problems already here.” R Taking up the President’s advocacy of World Court action, the Dayton Daily News (independent) remarks: “If the message contained mo other proposal, to weaken it in form, this one would give it rank with the great state papers of America, for the reason that it presents a cause in & manner which is both conservative and con vincing.” Quoting the statement that “there is no escape for our country from bearing its share of the world's burdens,” the Milwaukee Journal (independent) says “that is the news in the President’s message.” Further- more, the Charlotte Observer (Demo- cratic) is convinced that the issue is one “back of which there is irresist- ible pressure,” and the Atlanta Jour- nal (Democratic), advising that “it is time for the Senate to act,” refers to “the deliberate and well-nigh unani- ership by the President,” and that|mous judgment, so far as public ex paper finds that it “is reassuring to|pression reveals, that America ought business, to industry and to agricul-|to adhere to the protocol establishing ture.” The New York Herald-Tribune |the court.” (Republican) also belleves that “it| “Friends of the court will be much should be exceptlonally influential in |gratified at this indication that the shaping legislation in the months to | President proposes to make a deter- | come.” mined fight for American adherence “Affirmation .that all is well,” the [at this session,” states the Baltimore Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Independ- | Sun (independent), and the bellef that ent-Democratic) hafls as the out-|he “probably has pleased the great standing statement of the message, | majority of voters” is expressed by and it continues: “Truly President!the Rock Island Argus (independent). Coolidge can say that what is required | The further judgment of the Youngs- is simply continuation of present Na-|town Vindicator (Democratic) is that tional governmental policies, with nec- | “all of his arguments in favor of essary clearing up behind the advance | joining the court are equally appli- lines in order that the ground we have |cable to our joining the league.” won may be better established as| Criticism of the President’s attitude olars.” in Muscle Shoals is offered by the * X k¥ Birmingham News (independent-Dem- “There is little in the message,” ac- |ocratic) and the Knoxville Sentinel cording to the Omaha World-Herald |(independent-Democratic), which be- (independent), however, “to arouse ex- lieve the President has failed to citement or increase the public blood the issue in this fmportant matter.