Evening Star Newspaper, December 25, 1925, Page 6

6 THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY......December 25, 1925 THEODORE W. NOYES. . . . Editor ewspaper Company ivening Star ) Bu . with the Sundav morn- iivered by car month: da at the end o month Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 1 7., $0.00: 1 Mo, 13 $6.00: 1 mo. 1y $3.00% 1 mo. 4 Sunday Tac All Other States and Canada. 1 +r.$12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 1 SK.00: 1 mol,” 15 13, $40051mol the local T AN rishte of publication stihes herein are also reserved The Day That Means Peace. “Peace, peace on earth!” So sang the 1 when Christ was born. cried the followers of Christ ituries since His birth in love of mankind, o spirit of Him whose g marked a new era in the h the world, the spirit of loving d good will. t vet “peace on earth.’ smolder flame. . peoples groups attack others, all whe ness There i: Watreds engage yesistance to and deflance of the laws n men are manifested on An evil spirit still persists, espite the teachings that have con- ited a great religion, embracing a t of the human family. ress is being steadil. and nw e made when men accept cherish it and de- + Advance is being made to e goal of peaceful understand- Despite the aw- ter and destrue- rs ago, in the full 1 understanding there is today a closer ap. the concept of peace of heralds of the birth of nineteen and a quarter ard th ideal, etween nations. example of slav of a few ye of Christi and ing ch lich rist the sang 1t step was taken toward that end in the effecting of a pact between the powers of Eu- which, in their political situa- re the most likely of all the mbers of the great family of ions to come to blows. There is this time forming a meeting of on the subject of the limitation rmaments, which, if success- will probably be, in pre- smaller fighting potency, ) far toward insuring the world 1st war, n th rope tior or m the nations, particularly one. the spirit of lawless- 1 to be fought, drastically nd correctively, to bring about the al of “peace on earth.” The ma- er, the robber, the assailant, the enger of the law on every plane, 1 arms against mankind, in de- tiance ot the Christian injunction. So- ciety is plagued with rebels against individual challengers of the of Christ. The church, the law id T cha is f and the community through that { ire fighting for peace. A righteous sade is under way, gathering force e menace grows, confident of vie- ristmas should bring to all a meaning of more than the speaking of words of happy greeting, of the iving of tokens of love and regard. Ji should bring the thought of peace, in all relationships, in all matters, the peace which binds mankind into the * which was the purpose of the ng at Bethlehem that today is ated throughout the world. = s le residing in the northern sub- urbs of Washington have to do busi- ness with the motor vehicles offices cf Baltimore. This fact offers an excuse sk that has been run in try- 3 to operate under D. C. license tags. — e President Coolidge has the con fidence of the American people and Tus won it by his extraordinary gift bl refraining from talking too much. o \ Christmas on Friday makes Santa the champion promoter of the end holiday. . The Rubber Situation. Secretary Toover urges American conserve tires as one 1S of combating the foreign rub- niotorists to combination, which, he says, is| taking $700.000,000 more than a fair profit from the American public for 1he present year's rubber supply. Sec- tetary Hoover calls for public co- operation in saving tires, consumption ©f which can be reduced twenty-five per cent “without decreasing the use of cars a single mile.” Car owners will be glad to co-operate in such a plan, but it will need some explana- tion to show drivers how they can save 25 per cent on tires without re- ducing the number of miles they travel. One part of Secretary Hoover's de- fense against forelgn extortion in rub- ber wonld be the legalizing of com- bined American buying, and he hopes that congressional investigation of methods by which East India rubber growers have put up prices will make So | ! srowing for the American market be | extensively entered on in the Philip- | pines and parts of tropical America. | This would take time, but the pros- 1 pect of it might serve a warning !to a foreign rubber combine that the { American nation cannot be held up. Ixtension of rubber culture in the | Philippines and South America would | operate against a planters’ combine to | practice extortion. The development substitute for rubber, cheaper than rubber and giving as good serv- ice, is one of the world's needs. It is reported that several English papers and part of the English | public are amused at the American | Protest against rubber prices, and are making ungracious charges. There is no reason for either side to become | heated on this question, but, if rubber | planters having a pract monopoly of rubber production are bent on ex- tortion, the United States, by far the largest consumer of rubber among nations, will find a way to protect { itselt against the practice. -— ———— A Welcome Christmas Gift. A “Christmas gift” more welcome than any other that could have been received comes tod ment that as a result of swiftly de veloping changes in the anthracite strike situation negotiations the | resumption of mining will be opened Tuesday in New York, with It prospect of success, To the miners in the hard-coal dis trict this word comes as tidings of jareat bles: To a al it comes as promise of relief from an lanxiety that has been heavily weigh- ing upon them for many in- creasing daily as the Winter advances. Just what brought about the change {of view on the part of the mine union {leaders to cause them to accede to the | proposition of a meeting without stipu- as to methods of settlement 1ins to be disclosed. The mayor {of Scranton seems to have had a hand in the matter. The clergy of the an- thracite district have undoubtedly en part in the case. The Governor of Pennsylvania has been for some time seeking to bring the opposing together. Public opinion has been increasingly applied. It would appear that back of the rather sudden change of position by the union chief regarding the resump. tion of negotiations is the fact th the miners themselves are desirous of ending the strike on whatever terms can be obtained through arbitration. They have had their “holiday,” and a costly one it has proved. They have been idle for nearly four months, and their savings are all spent for neces- sities, their strike doles have not suf- ficed to maintain them and their fami- their credit is exhausted and have come to realize that what- ever gain they may make in the pay scale will hardly compensate them for the loss of a third of a vear's wages. So the prospect is today that peace will come in the anthracite field very shortly. Of course, the negotations may fail. Another tangle may de- velop. But the long step has been taken in the agreement to meet with- out stipulations or restrictions, and if “nature takes its course” that meet- ing will probably result in a settle- ment, if not immediately, surely soon. So it is, indeed, a “merry Christmas” in the hard-coal district and wherever anthracite is used. in the announce- for brig ng. who use | weeks, sides Eight Permits Revoked. Traffic Director Eldridge gave the great majority of the motorists in Washington a suitable Christmas pres- | ent yesterday when he revoked the permits of eight drivers who have shown themselves to be a menace to the community. X revocations were for driving while drunk; one for leaving the scene of a collision without making identity known and the other for speeding. | Every driver's permit revoked for cause adds to the safety of the streets of the National Capital, and every operator who drives recklessly and drunkenly should be dealt with in the same manner. It is practically the ! only protection that can be given for the great body of conscientious and careful drivers A lesson in the quick justice that may be expected in the District courts in the future was given recently when a habitual traffic offender, driving without a permit, was sent to jail for nineteen months. Automobile drivers { whose permits have been revoked and are still to be seen operating automo- biles about the city should take note of this case. It may save them a |lengthy absence from their accus. | tomed haunts. Under Director Eldridge a rigid | check-up is being kept of these driv. | ers. Before Le took office there were | many ‘who openly boasted that they I | mas THE EVENING BTAR, WASHINGTON, D. T, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1925. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ington Rallway and Electric and the ‘apital Traction use this stretch of track, resulting in four-way turns at Seventh street and Florida avenue. Long conceded to be one of the most congested and hazardous intersections in the city, elimination of this dan- gerous condition will benefit the many thousands of motorists, pedestrians and street car riders who attend games at the park. Congressional action is needed to ef- fect the change, inasmuch as new trackage must be laid, but it is be- lieved that Congress will readily ac- quiesce in such an important and beneficial measure, It has only been in recent years that congestion has reached the acute stage at this point. With Washington the winner of the world championship in 1924 and the pennant in 1923, the size of the crowds attending games at the stadium has increased. With a stadium seating nearly 35,000 persons, it has been a difficult task for the police to handle the huge throng with any degree of dispatch. Passage of the Zihlpan measure, however, will bring about sorely needed relief. By the time “Play ball” echoes out over the sta- dium next Summer all Washingtonians hope that access to the park will be made easier by culmination of the plan Universal Celebration. P'robably never before have there been so many striking celebrations of the Christmas season as this year. | Everywhere organizations and com- munities have combined to mark the day in the spirit of good will and bounty. Funds have poured into charitable hands for dispensing among the poor and needy and to provide Christmas remembrances for the help- less ones. Community Christmas trees have been raised and decorated, and been made the scene of musical services in praise of the coming of the day of Yuletide. Singers have been trained to render the carols of olden time. Prosperity prevails throughout this save in a single section, unfortunate labor dispute persists, with consequent distres »ng the miners and privation for others who are affected by the suspen sion of the major business of the re- gion. This prosperity is reflected in the exceptional observance of Christ- in both the general manifesta- tions and in the individual exchange of gifts in token of the season. Community observance is always to be fostered. The getting together of the people on such an occasion is pro- ductive of the best spirit of good. The true meaning of the time is more defi- nitely emphasized by such gatherings. Last night Washington lighted own great “Christmas tree the Treasury, and it blazoned the advent of the Day of Days inspiringly ———— country, where an The holy alliance of earlier days is { not admitted as an example of their theories by the League of Nations ad- vocates. Ideals were then less power- ful in asserting themselves as above diplomacies. oo As a statesman and a strategist Hindenburg is evidently inclined to sive the people the kind of govern- ment they want, regardless of the feel- ings of the Hohenzollern dynasty. e If young Mr. Bob La Follette is in carnest in declaring himself as a gen- uine Republican. he would be justified in reviving the slogan, “There are only a few of us left.” S The desire of Henry Ford to revive the old dances is reasonable and de- corous. An effort on the part of Mr. Ford to do the Charleston is inconceiv- able. ————. So many monarchs have met with perilous embarrassment that the King of Italy is more or less justified in a willingness to retire to private life. ———. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSOX. Authority. This i the day when Santa Claus Bids every occupation pause! The artisan, the sage, the clerk, Are called upon to cease thelr work. 'Tis marvelous to see the way ‘We halt, his signal to obey. Should Sant decide old plans to drop, He'd make a splendid traffic cop! Clearing the Stage. “What are you going to do when you are next called on for a speech?” I'll say nothing,” answered Senator Sorghum. “There are g0 many peoplo anxious to talk that the only chance of popularity is to remain silent and keep out of the way.” had no permit, and, although often arrested, paid the $40 collateral with 4 sneer and went back to their cars. With stiff penalties now being infii ed, and with the police and the di- rector doing all in their power to break up the practice, steady improve- ment in the traffic conduct of Wash. ington motoriste may be expected. ——e—. And still a doubt survives in hearts warm with Christmas sentiment as to whether there is no Santa Claus at all, or millions of him. v In order to shop early today, it was necessary to be an early riser. —————— Ball Park Congestion. A bill designed to eliminate the dan- gerous congestion near the Washing- To a Dry Agent. It you should roam Into my home, Some hospitality you'll see. 1 hope you'll stay, Free from dismay And join me in a cup of tea. In days gone by Tea made men sigh, A beverage with perils great. But customs change In manner strange, Now, tea is harmless and sedate, Jud Tunkins says & man who ac- cepts an office is liable to find he was better off in private life when he told his troubles to a policeman instead of to the public. Ancient Lore. “What is the occupation of that it possible for American rubber buy-|ton American League Ball Park will gentleman who works so hard to en: ers to combine their through a single agency which could unter the efforts of the producing |chairman of the House District com- |;ngwered Miss Cayenne, group. Americans will accept as 1rue Mr. Hoover's statement that the ordinary increase in rubber Representative Zihlman of Maryland. mittee. Sponsored by the District Commis- sioners, the measure will provide for purchasing | soon be introdyced in the House by |tertain “Judging from the stories he tells,” “I should say he is an archeologist.” The Shadow. s is artificial and due to the legal- | new railway trackage north on Ninth | Amid the salutations glad ized restriction placed on exports by the Bri years ago at the request of the East India planters. There is congressional snvestigation of the workings of the rubber combine as well “as the con- 2rol of coffee prices in Brazil and of [will be eliminated and Capital Trac-|Uncle Eben. street from Florida avenue, with an so that the new line can join the regular trackage on Seventh street north of the base ball park. Tracks in front of the entrance to the park This thought will gravely stray; sh government two or three |extension between Seventh and Ninth, | Some hearts there are that must be sad, Even on Christmas day. “Dar ain't no Santa Claus,” sald “I cpeck he resigned other foreign monopoliex & !mportant | tion street cars will be the only users |{'um business when he found he was faw materials, together with the Ca- nadian pulpwood situation.” It has been proposed that rubber of trackage between Seventh and Ninth on Florida avenue. At the present time both the Wash- expected to carry grand planos an’' automobiles an’ Florida real estate around in one little old sleigh.” its | There are very few books with tables of contents interesting enough to stand by themselves. Usually read- ing over such a list is one of the dull- est of occupations. Ordinarily it re- quires the amplification of the writer to clothe the mere skeleton. “The Story of the World's Litera- ture,” by John Macy, reviewed in this column yesterday, is one volume with an_interesting “Contents.” This book might have been reviewed by the simple expedient of reprinting verbatim the table, and by so doing we would have achieved a unique book review, letting the review tell the story exactly as the writer wrote it. Here is one work in which such a mothod would be of interest, for the table of contents is largely a list of the names of the world’s greatest authors. There are few living in America who are not familiar with many of the names, even if only as names. There are thousands upon thousands who are well acquainted not only with the names, per se, but also with some of the works for which they stand. One cannot read through such a list without having a flood of memories jcome over him. There is also interest attached to checking one's knowledge of great lit- erary figures with the list of names included in the table of contents of “The History of the World's Litera- tur A chance is thus given, easily and pleasantly, for every reader to mar himself in a fascinating subject. It is largely for thils reason that I am reprinting below the chapter headings and “table of contents” of this book. * %k % % The contents of the 49 chapters, di- vided into four parts, follow: Part I—The Anclent World. Chapter 1, The Making of Books— The Printing Press, Paper, Parchment, Papyrus, Stone and Brick, Rosetta Stone, Alphabet, Wood. Chapter 2—The Beginnings of Lit- erature — Oral Language Precedes Written, Poetry and Prose. Chapter 3, The Mysterious East— Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Arabic, Per- sian, Chapter 4, Jewish Literature—Bible, Talmud Chapter 5. Greek History and His torians— Herodotus, Thucydides, Xeno- phon, Polybius, Plutarch, Modern His- torians of Greece. Chapter 6, Greek Epic Poetry—Ilo. mer, Hesiod. Chapter 7, Greek Lyric Poetry—Al- caeus, Sappho, Theognls, Archilochus, Anacreon. Simonides, = Bacchylides, Theocritus, the Pastoral, the Anthol- OgY. Chapter s, lus, Sophocle: anes, Meander. Chapter 9, Greek Philosophy tory and Other Prose—Heraclitus, vedocles, Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Stolcs, Epicureans, Lysias: Isocrates, Desmosthenes, Lucian, Longus, Origen. Chapter 10, Roman History and His- torians—Caesar, Sallust, Livy, Tacl- tus. Chapter 11, Latin Epic Poetry—] nius, Virgil. Chapter 12, Latin Dramatic. Philo- ophic and Lyric Poetry — Plautus, errence, Seneca, Lucretius. Catullus, Horace, 'Propertius. Tibullus, Ovid Lucan, Stati Martial, Juvenal, Latin Antholog Chapter 13, Latin Prose — Cicero, Petronius, Apuleius, Quintilian, Pliny ugustian, Jerome, Thomas Acquinas, tin a Living Language. * ok x x Part IL—The Middle Ages. Chapter 14, Germanic, Celtic Romance Origins—What Were Greek Drama Euripides, Aeschy- Aristoph- and the Middle Ages? Romance and Chivalry, Celtic Romances, The Arthurian Cycle, Anglo-Saxon, Caedmon, Cynewulf, Mid- dle English Poems. Chapter 15, Medleval French Liter- ature—Provencal, Troubadours, Trou- veers, Chansons de Geste, Chanson de Roland, Marie de France, Chretien de Troyes, Fables, Romance of the Rose, Frolssart, Spanish Romance, The Cid. Chapter 16, Early German and Scan- dinavian Literature—The Minnesinger, Walter von der Vogelweide, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Gottfried von Strass- burg, Nibelingenlied, Icelandic Ro- mance. . Chapter 17—Dante. Part 11.—Modern Literature Before the Nineteenth Century. Chapter 18, The Italian Renaissance —Petrarch, Boccaclo, Machiavelli, Ari- osto, Tasso, Bruno, Galileo, Chapter 19, French Prose Before the Nineteenth Century—Rabelals, Mon- taigne, Calvin, J.L. Balzac, Descartes, Pascal, Bossuet, Fenelon, La Buyere, La Rochefoucauld, Mme. de Sevigne, Mme. de Maintenon, Mme. de Lafay- ette, Le Sage, Prevost, Montesquieu, Diderot, Buffon, Voltaire, Rousseau. Chapter 20, French Poetry and Drama Before the Nineteenth Century ‘harles D'Orleans, Villon, Marot, Pletade, du Bellay, Rons: herbe, Boileau, Corneille, Tt oliere. La Fontaine, Marivaux, Beaumar- chais. Chapter 21, Modern German Before the Classical Period—Luther, The Meistersinger, Hans Sachs. Chapter 22, Spanish and Portuguese Literature—Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Calderon, Camoens. Chapter 23, English Literature Be- fore the Age of Elizabeth—Chaucer, Langland, The Scottish Poets, 3 urrey, Gascolgne, y. Caxton, More, .atimer, Ascham. Chapter 24, The Age of Ellzabeth, Literature Other Than Dramati: Drayton, Daniel, Lodge, Lyl . Puttenham, The Miscellanie Campion, Jonson, Drummond, Spen- ser, Raleigh, Bacon; Translations— North's Plutarch, Chapman’s Homer, Florio’s Montaigne. Chapter 25, Elizabethan Drama Be- fore Shakespeare—The Forerunners, Mysteries, Moralities, Ralph Roister Doister, Gammer Gurton’s Needle, Gordubue, Lyly, Pecle, Greene, Lodge, Kyd, Marlowe. Chapter Shakespeare. Chapter 27, Other Elifgbethan and Jacobean Dramatists—Chapman, Jon- n, Dekk Heywood. Webster, Beau- mont_and Fletcher, Marston, Middle- ton. ) ord, Shirle: Chapter 2§, English Lyric Poetry of the Seventeenth Century — Donne, Herbert, Vaughan, ng, Lovelace, Marvell, Denham, Waller. - Chapter 29, Milton. Chapter 30, English Prose of the Seventeenth Century — Burton Browne, Fuller, Taylor, Walton, Hobbes, Clarendon. Chapter 31, English Literature of the Restoration—Dryden, John Locke, The New Drama, Congreve, Bunyan, Pepys. Chapter 32, English Prose of the Eighteenth Century—Swift, Addison, Steele, Berkeiey, Defoe, Richardson, Iielding, Smollette. Sterne, Johnson, Goldsmith, Burke, Gibbon, Hume. Chapter’ 33, English Poetry of the Eighteenth _ Century—Pope, Prior, Gay, Gray. Collins, Cowper, Thomson, Burns, Blake, Crabb The fourth part, ‘‘The eteenth Century and Tofay,” will be printed with comments following. the reader has a neat little check list, against which he may mark himself in “Lit.*I, II and IIL” Do not be alarmed if thers are many strange names in the list. No owe man knows them all! WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WIL Dr. William M of Agriculture. McNary-Haugen On January 21 . annual meeting of the Ilinois Agri- cultural Association at Champaign, 1. It is the head of that militant farm organization, “Sam" H. Thomp- son, who was recently elected presi- dent of the American Farm Bureau “ederation at Chicago. Thompson was elevated to office a few hours after President Coolidge addressed the embittered and embattled federation- ists on December 7. His election was an expression of the radical sentiment among Western farmers and of their determination to secure legislation along McNary-Haugen export corpo- ration lines. Secretary Jardine is an uncompromising opponent of price- fixing panaceas for the farmer. But, s his latest utterance on the subject indicates, he is conscious of the neces- sity of doing something to appease agricultural sentiment in that direc- tion. Jardine has been through a hundred “farm fights” in his day. He is expected to calm some of the troubled agricultural waters when he wades into President Thompson's bailiwick next month. ko Longworth and McNary—House and Senate—East and West—all aboard for the presidential campaign of 1928! Those are the colors fust nalled to the G. O. P. mast by Senator Robert N. Stanfield of Oregon. He put them up in_New York the other day on the way West, and made Man- hattan Island believe there's a “‘con- certed movement” afoot in Washing- ton to put Speaker “Nick” in the White House and Senator McNary in Dawes' shoes after March 4, 1929. Stanfield deposes and says that among the “many prominent members of Congress” who are already aboard the McNary-for-Vice-President bandwagon are Senators Watson, Gooding and Shortridge. Senator Stanfleld, who has been called “the greatest shepherd since Abraham,” is up for re-election in Oregon next year. If Coolidge sup- port is worth anything in the Co- lumbia_ River country—and this ob- server found it standing at high-water mark last Summer—Senator Stanfleld would better watch his step. There have been suggestions that *“Cal himself may be a_candidate for re- election in 1928. Now would seem to be the time for all good men to come to the aid of the Coolidge party. * ok k * New York City during the last fort- night of January will be the scene of a “drive” on behalf of Washington Cathedral. It will be eloquently con- ducted, for Bishop Freeman will be on the pulpiteering firing line in behalf of his pet project. The campaign will be waged under the chairmanship of former Ambassador Henry White, a member of the Cathedral Chapter. The “drive” will in no way seek to cross the path of Bishop Manning's campaign for New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The glories of the Washington enterprise will be sounded in sermons at several leading Episcopal churches of the metropolis and at a limited number of small so- cial gatherings. Bishop Freeman will be aided by Canon Anson Phelps Stokes, Bishop Rhinelander and Maj. Gen. Grote Hutcheson. * % % % One of the things which Calvin Coolidge is fond of pushing lies en- tirely outside the domain of politics. He's become a convert to the idea of better pay for Washington writers. ‘Whenever he has the opportunity of expounding his views to editors and publishers, the President loses no op- portunity of saying that the fourth lions in~ their den. he will address the | Jardine, Secretary |estate at the National Capital is an will shortly beard the | integral part of the machinery of gov- crnment. And Mr. Coolidge thinks newspaper employers ought to keep it well greased! The fraternity hopes that the President’s ardor for fatter pay envelopes will not be cooled b; the fact that the Tatest addition to the Washington journalistic colony drives to and from his work in the newest Rolla Royce to reach the Dis- trict of Columbia! * ok % % . Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas is the baby Republican member of the foreign rélations committee. To pre- pare for hitherto unfamiliar duties, Capper went abroad last Summer. He’s enthusiastic over the results otf winable from even a cursory inspec- tion of Old World conditions. Senator Borah's friends are constantly urging him to cross the seas, even for a fleet. ing visit. The foreign relations chair- man has never left American soil. as Tennyson, or somebody, who once poetically inquired: “What knows he of England who only England know: The whole world is anxious for a look at the colossus of Congre: In common with a lot of his fellow countrymen, the world thinks Borah might have a better opinion of it if he once took the trouble to look it over, Now and then he threatens to do so. * ok % % Antonius Piip, Esthonian Minister to the United States since December 31, 1923, is retiring from that post at the end of the year. He returns to his home capital, “Tallinn, better known by its old name of Reval, to become foreign minister of Esthonia. Mr. Piip's principal mission at Washing- ton was to fund the Esthonian debt of $17,000,000, and now he will resume the cabinet portfolio he has filled twice before. Overseas governments are be- ginning to look upon diplomatic serv- ice in America as an excellent train- ing for foreign ministers. Baron Shi- dehara became forelgn secretary of Japan immediately after his ambassa- dorship to the United States. Several countries, especially Latin American republics, promote statesmen to diplo- matic posts at Washington after terms of service in their respective forelgn offices. Baron Maltzan, Ger- man Ambassador, was vice minister of forelgn affairs at Berlin just before coming here in March, 1925. * K ok K To date the World Court debate in the Senate has been dullish, a.!tethe English would say. “‘High spots” have been few and far between. Fireworks have been shot off not at all. Neither Borah nor Walsh approached his nor- mal level of forensic skill. Probably the “fight” is dull because everybody knows the President has the votes for the protocol resolution whenever the ayes and noes can be called for. The opposition is pretty definitely con- vinced it is battling for a hopelessly lost cause. Another month or more of talk is in prospect. Perhaps some of the anti-court party’'s reservations, which are still to be trotted out, stir up something resembling strife. (Copyright. 1925.) A Long Term the Remed: From the Muncie Star. The only way France can get any- thing like a steady finance minister will be to elect one for four years. Deficient. From the Springfield Republican. England gets the oil and Turkey the can. Unfortunately, the Turks have no sense of humor. wili | A Christmas Story LG. The eonclave is more solemn even than usual. Plain that weighty mat- ters are afoot this Winter day in the Capital of the Nation. The great civic triumvirate knits composite brow in a single aeepening groove of profound thought, in a single portentous frown of responsibility and determination. What can it be that 80 stirs this ruling body at the near Christmas time? Has the daily toll of motor murders and maimings mounted at last to the measure of the holocaust ftself? Has the wily rum- runner for the thousand-and-first time proved his superior intelligence and wit and daring and execution? Have streets of midnight gloom given once again the chance not to be refused by thief and thug? If not one or another of these oft-flaunted gibes upon the wit and will of constituted authority— what can it be, more dire, that so stirs this leadership to its depths? The council chamber is a tomb of secrecy and silence. The very lamps, abashed, give out a twilight, impressive and solemn. It is clear that somewhere, somehow, at last, a momentous con- cert is about to free the great city of George Washington of its most ma- lignant shame. One steals respectful and ex- pectant, from this grave burgeoning of purpose before the clalms of the Capital for its right to a safe and { blameless life. * Christmas is just around the corner. And all the Washington world is out to meet, in joy and happiness and £ood-will, the ‘birthday of the Rlessed Friend of all the world. Youth and age, wealth and poverty and all in between the two, strangers a moment before, now meet and greet one an other in friendship and understanding. The shops shine with fresh and blooni- ing faces. The lights begin early to cke out a longer daytime. Laughter and play—these tinkle like temple bells to the singing heart of the world. So, day after day, joy has its vay on the tide of good-will that is Christmas. o Now the dusk is coming an. In a single impulse the great current turns homeward—a dinner, a bit of rest and out again into the glowing Christmas streets. And what is this particular turmoil lof homecoming that centers around that friendly tree, near enough to the ood folks swarming beneath it to give the feeling of safety and companion ship to these homing hundreds? A noisy throng, to be sure, tremendously busy getting settled for the night where from this loft they may look down with bright eyes upon thelr friends below. wondering, maybe, what all the extra joy is about just now—since they themselves must, every day and all the time, hold a happy trust in the Good Friend to Everything. And they push and chat- ter and settle themselves—and unset- tle themselves—till all are placed in comfort and quietude. And the easing moment of sleepiness comes with only a contented twitter here and there to | supplant the hubbub of getting to bed. | They have no notion that they are| noisy—and even if they did have, they are sure that all the people understand. | ¥k % % The fire wagons and their shrieking {alarm. A bird nods drowsily and| twitters, “Fire somewhere—keep every- body safe, Good Friend.” And all the half-waked little birds go to sleep again. The great fire wagon, and the splen did_firemen, and the full panoply of authority draw up beside that home tree of those safe and sleeping birds. And then— ——e— Monuments to Heroes I Should Be Practical | i To the Editor of The Sta: In the December 21 issue of vour paper appears an article head ed “Legends Are Written in Sands of Time,” to which I lend my most | carnest and congratulatory assent, In this day of silly sayings em balmed in chronic folly Such articles are | valuable, for although she but touched the borderland of vital, fundamental truths, vet her terse dissertation re- garding the lack of wisdom displayed in the attempt to procure a congres- sional appropriation in the amount of s rect a monument to the Unknown Soldier was refreshingly sen- sible. When, upon referring to me- morials to the dead, she said, "“Their memorials will survive by merit, and require no ostentatious display,” she succinctly stated a great philosophip truth. The whole scope and tenor of that article indicated its construction was the work of clear thinking. The logi- cal conclusion to be reached appears to be that its author would dissent | from the opinion of a certain class of so-called thinkers who contend that the rule laid down in the Latin axiom ‘De Mortuis nil nisi bonum’—say nothing but good of the dead—should be strictly followed. The everlasting, transcendent beauty of good character possessed by “‘the little old man who lived around the corner,” whose daily walk the great Voltaire admitted he could not understand, is a something which, after the temple of clay has crumpled in death, the pure soul, be- fore its winged journey home, leaves as a memoir to this withered vale of tears, and which shines amid the splendor of a gala day and illuminates the dark ravines of mortal's ken. Lessons are properly to be derived from the lives of the departed. The doctrine of contrast is necessarily in- volved but the merits and demerits should be adjusted in love, the time, vlace and purpose to be served con- stituting vital factors. T am quite sure the writer who so well enunciated a thoroughly sound doctrine would concur in the judg- ment that, in exceptiona merito- rious cases, memorials consistent with the life work of the departed, which are capable of and likely to produce good—for example, schools, endow- ments, etc.—are compatible with cor- rect action. All non-productive monu- ments are the acme of folly. You can- not ald the perpetuation of a good thing with a useless thing. Proper memorials aid in that they more wise ly disseminate the truths for which the departed fought. WM. K: YATES. Another Word in Behalf of the Birds To the Editor of The Star: T notice in the editorial column of { the player i Baltimore™ your paper of Friday a protest against the Commissioner's order to turn the fire hose on the birds in the trees along certain parts of the Avenue. I wish to voice the same protest, not only for myself, but for many others who love and try to protect the birds. It is very evident from the way the people feed and care for the birds in and eround the parks that Washing- ton is full of bird lovers, who nat- urally disapprove of any crueity to- ward them. The trees certainly be- long to the birds, and I cannot see why these little harmless creatures should be deprived of their natural right to live in them. I ‘hope the Commissioner will re- scind this cruel order. MARY E. NORTH. True Neutrality. From the Duluth Herald. ‘True neutrality is the feeling you have when one part of the Balkans is swatting another part. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. When did astronomers first take pictures of the stars and other heavenly bodies?—C. M. E. A. The exact date is not available, but Gernsback says that there were no photographs of the .ieavens taken more than 60 or 70 years ago. Q. How many bells are there In the new carlllon of the Park Avenue Baptist Church in New YorK, and kow do they range in size?—P. D. L: A. There are 53 bells in the caril- lon. The smallest weighs 15 pounds and has a dlameter of 7 inches. The largest weighs approximately 91 tons and has a diameter of 93 inches. Q. Did we have an unsinkable ship during the World War?—A. D. S. A. Willlam T. Donnelly, a member of the war time Government commis- sion that considered various plans for making ships unsinkable, devised a scheme that was tried out on a number of vessels, including one that crossed the Atlantic. This ship was torpedoed and sunk, but it was claimed that this was due to the manner in which it was loaded. It |t-ml:lh|(>(l afloat for 23 hours before it sank. Q. How long has the organ been in use?—R. N. W. A. Organs have been extant since the fifth century. It is probable that the instruments then consisted of a small number of pipes—not more than 10 or 12—and the organ was held on lap. As early as about 500 A.D. an organ conslsting of about 400 pipes was erected at Canterbury. Q. Where was “The Raven™ ten?—M. B. K. A. Edwin Markham says that “The Raven™ had been composed some time before 1845 at a country homestead whose site is now occupied by a fa on Eighty-fourth street between Amsterdam _avenue and Broadway, New York. The homestead was owned by Patrick Brennan, who in the Sum- mer of 1843 received as guests Poe and his wife and his mother-in-law. Q. grow?’—B. S A. The live cak is a tree of rapid growth. One foot to 18 inches a vear is considered rapid growing. Q. W “Abdul’ writ- a lve oak tree QW the extent of the dam. age done by the Charleston earth- quake?—I. N. D. The carthau C., occurred on ke of Charleston, August 31, 1886, ven-eighths of the houses were ren- | dered unfit for habitation. Many per- sons were killed anddproperty valued at over $5.000,000 was destroyed. Q. Why is 4 bulldog so called?— A. The bulldog derived its name from the fact that he was used in the old-time sport of bull-baiting. which was popular among certain classes in England for at least 700 years. until it was made illegal in 1835. The ob- ject of the dog was to seize the bull's nose in his teeth, pin it to the ground and not leave it. He was bred with an undershot jaw and a retreating nose, that he might hang on to the bull and breathe casily at the same time. Q. Why was Lord Baltimore given his name? MW A. Sir George Calvert bore the title of Lord Baltimere. He was created Baron Baltimore of Baltimore, Febru- ary 12, 18 He was called “Lord for his v estate in Ireland. Q. At what age should children be taught to swim?>—R. P. H. Al The age at which children can be taught to swim varies with the indi- vidual child, the instructor and the pool. A number of children 3 years of age have been taught to swim, though 1.5 and 6 vears are generally better | ages. It has been found that teaching youngsters at an early age is more sily a omplished at a seashore or watering place, inasmuch as very few pools have places shallow enough to touch the botton Q. What is necessary in order to join the D. A. R.2—M. F. A. It is necessary to submit proof of a direct ancestor who rendered pa- triotic service during the American Revolution. % Q. Where ley?—G. A. 1. A. It is in Riverside County, on the is the Chuckwalla Val- banks of the Colorado River, some 200 miles from tha county seat. The val- ley is reported to contain hundreds of thousands of fertile acres merely avralting the application of water to inake them produce. Q. What produces the gloss on mo hair?—R. A. A. The gloss on some mohalr is sometimes due to the process of man ufacture. As goats grow older the hair becomes coarser and gradually loses its luster. The best wrades of mohair are obtained from kids, voung ‘wethers and does. Q. When was Christmas first cele brated?—J. A. A. Tt is not definitely known Christmas was first celebrated. The institution of the festival is attributed to Telesphorus, who flourished in the reign of Antininus Pius (131-161 A.D.). This, however, {s not historical. It has often been objected that Decembe: 25 cannot be the true date of the birth of Christ, for it is then the rain: season in Palestine and shepherd: would scarcely have been watc! their sheep by night in the fields reason for the final choice of Decen: ber 25 cannot now be determined. A widespread feast of the Great Mothe may have influenced the dec the desire to place a Christlan f in opposition to the Roman fe “Sol invectus” at the Winter At the Winter solstice the held their great Yule feast in memoration of the return of ti sun, and many of the beliefs usages of the old Germans and mans relating to this matter p from heathenism to Christianit have survived to the present da: Christianity spread, the feast of Winter solstice, the time when t day begins to increase and Hght tc triumph over darkness, was chang into the Feast of Christ, the Light ¢ Life. and He and How do we get the name Santu Claus?—N. O. A. Saint Nicholas, a bishop Myra, Asia Minor, about 300 A.D. the patron saint of sailor: and children. His name has been cor rupted to Santa Claus, the bearer o gifts to Children on Christmas eve. refers to the evening of De: 4. The wor “eve” in general means the eveni before, from the Jewish mode of re: oning the day as beginning at sunset Q. What does K M. B.W. Originally it m It is from the German form Christkindel. Tt is used now as Santa Claus Q . LA. The American a corruption of holas. G. H. McHughes s anta Claus, the name derived fron Saint Nicholas thro' the fami of children in Teutonic countries crossed to America. The direct rout: | followed by him is somewhat ope | to question. On the way he traded his_gray horse for a reindeer and made changes in his appearance.” Q. Is it true that dance is_performed in Spain?—J. H. K. A. One beav Kringle mean ant Christ Child diminutive comm Who originated Santa Claus a Christmas a church i iful feature of S dance or the choir fore the high altar. T dance, which is given but twice a vear, is marked by the chanting of the choir boys, who c tall light ed candles as they cross and recross up and down the wide choir steps. One of the occasions is the celebration of midnight mass on Christmas eve. boys, verent How much money is spent yea: 1y for Christmas trees’—H. K. A. It is estimated that about 500,000 is spent annually for ever green trees at Christmas time (Only a few of the gurstions handled | by The Star Information Burcau are | printed. All replies go direct to thr inquirers. Whenever a question of general interest is used in the paper the identity of the inquirer is not re vealed. This service is free to the pub- lic. Ask any question of fact you may want to know and the answer will veach you promptly. Write pisinly and briefly and inclosc 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Address The Star Information Bureau, Fred- eric J. Haskin, directot, Washing- ton, D. 0.) Muscle Shoals Renewed public interest in Muscle Shoals is inspired by the majority report of President Coolidge's com- mission, which favors using °the project’s vast water power for nitrate production. A statement by Gen. Taylor, chief of Army engineers, that four of the great turbines at Muscle Shoals stand idle, ready to be put to work, is quoted by the Bfrmingham News, with the comment that over in the Carolinas there has not been suf- ficient rainfall to restore normal water conditions, resulting in an acute shortage of waterpower, which furnishes the supply of electricity to operate the cotton mills and other industrials. “Why are not those idle turbines put to work?" asks the Bir- mingham paper. “They might just as well be running as standing still. Wilson Lake is full to capacity and water is wasting over the spillway— power that could be used to feed and clothe thousands of employes of the Carolina mills. Power that could be used to manufacture raw cotton and help sustain the market for the grow- ers. Power that is transmuted Into payments on modest homes; into savings accounts, into profits for thousands of stockholders. Instead of doing these beneficial things that have so great an effect upon the prosperity and business life of a tre- mendous area, that water flows down the spillways of Wilson Dam while the red tape and hocus-pocus of bureaucracy dodders along! * ok k% “Apparent helplessness of Congress" is regretted by the Springfield Repub- lican, which paints a picture of “tre- mendous industrial development in this region, making ancient hopes from a_prospective Henry Ford city about Muscle Shoals look small in- deed.” The Repgblican adds that meanwhile “simflar _developments, creating similar hopes and bearing the possibilities of social change and new problems of government, are un- der way or in prospect in the North- west, the Northeast and the South- west. More statesmanship and less ‘practical politics’ are what is need- ed if democracy is to be equal to its task:"” The political phase also impresses the Anniston Star, which says: “In full operation the Muscle Shoals plant would have abundant power for South- ern needs during any drought period. What the South asks and the country as a_whole demands is that Muscle Shoals shall cease to be a political plaything in Congress and that speedy and final action be taken toward utiliz- ing the power of the big project and the great plants erected there by the Government.” Quoting President Coolidge's board Controversy Keeps Before the Public to the effect “that the huge property should be leased to private enterprise and if this cannot be done that the Government begin operation of the plant within 90 days,” the Salt Lake Desert News observes: “Efforts to lease the property have failed and there appears to be no good reason why the Government should not begin the operation of the gigantic plant and supply the farmers of the coun try with cheap fertilizers.” The Charleston Evening Post adds that “if a lease to private parties which shall be satisfactory cannot be a ranged for within a reasonable tim: surely there is nothing radical in the recommendation that the Government operate the plant.” In the opinion of the Bristol Herald Courier, “but for the infirmities in- herent in Government operation the question whether the shoals propert: shall be operated by the Governmen: or by private parties would alreads have been settled in favor of Govern ment operation The Port Huron Times Herald recognizes that the President, in selecting his commis- sion, “tried to get the best judgment of a representative group of morc or less expert minds,” and that “the people of the United States'are frank- ly puzzled, as welpas considerably an- noyed, by the failure of any section or group of men in legislative or ex ecutive authority to agree upon some proposition for control and operation.” e * K “The fertilizer obsession almost gave the shoals to Ford,” remarks the Grand Rapids Press, which calls at- tention to the estimate that “Muscle Shoals could not possibly supply over 2 per cent of the fertilizer require- ments of the United States,” and con- cludes that “it could, however, if en tirely or partially turned from fer tilizer production, bulld up a remar able industrial development throug out the part of the South served by it.” But Congress, according to the ‘Warren Tribune, “seems as far aw: as ever from a majority decision on elther question”—nitrate production or private ownership—and the Tii bune suggests that “such muddlin: indecision doesn’t attest to efficienc: and business acumen.” The Columbus Evening Dispatch states that “the President himself is apparently on the verge of serious impatience with the halting way in which Congress has dealt with the problem so far.” The Springfleld Daily News believes that, in view of the commission’s ma Jority report in favor of fertilizer de velopment, “the essential thing has been established, which is that re search agents of the Government and those working for private corpora- tions have finally solved the secret of fixed nitrogen.”