Evening Star Newspaper, February 13, 1926, Page 6

'8 THE EVENING STAR ‘“‘llh Slrlndxlk.\lflrnrlnl Fd"}«fl WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY. THEODORE W. NOYES. . The Evening Star Newspaper Company inese Office 211, st Tand Pennevivania Ave ‘f-g York g'r‘i_i- n ant 40 hicagn Office. To European Office’ 14 Regent St. London. Encland. The Franine Star. with the Sunday mor- e eaiiion. 1a aelivered ' leaerices within B0 (0 (rnta ner 1 fe only. { H oy 20 conts mail or ade by | A one ) ma, 0 e 1 ma €100 1 mo ¥ v 1w per and slen fhe Joeal new Yersin. Al richts of punlieation Afanatehes herein are aleo reserved A Half-Billion-Dollar Failure. Analysls of the agreement yester- day entered nto between the anthra. cita operators and the miners’ union to end the coal strike affords little #round for the claim that the strike was successful. In fact, it would Plainly appear that it was a lamen table and costly fallure, from the point of view of the miners. ader the agreement the men are to resume work at once at the old scale of wages and are to work until Beptember 1, 1930, at that scale, un- less it should meanwhile be revised by & board of adjustment. It cannot be changed until January 1, 1927, a little less than u vear hence, in any case. ‘There Is no assured gain there. The new contract provides for a set- tlement of wage questions arising dur- ing the perfod until September 1. 3 a board of two men, who may, in thelr discretion, add to their number to permit a mafority vote in decision. These two men are to be chosen from six, three named by each side, none of whom Is to be connected with the union or the business of mining coal. They are obligated to render a decision within ninety days after appointment. One of the con- tentions of the union was that there should be no ‘“arbitration.” Just where the difference lies between “arbitration” and the method which is now agreed upon is not apparent to the public The union contended for the adop- tion of the “check-off " system, where- By the emplovers collect the union dues from the workers. The agree- ment provides t the demands of the operators and” the mine workers on the Guestion of “co-operation and efficiency” referred to the board of conciliation—«n organization pro- Vided for by previous agreement— which shall work out a reciprocal pro- gram. It is stated that the union leaders expect that this will Fesult in the adoption of some form of check- off. Perhaps thie constitutes the suc- cess which {s claimed by them as the vesult of the strike. It 15, however, a remote contingency. This strike, 1t has been estimated, has cost the miners $170,000,000 in wages during the five and a half months of idleness. They will get no increase of pay for at least ten and a half months. They may get none after that. If they got a 10 per cent advance then, operative for the re- mainder of the contract period, forty- three months, they could not posstbly recoup the losses already suffered. The plain truth of the case is that these men. 135,000 of them, have been forced into costly idleness for the sake of a questionable privilege, that of belng taxed sby their employers in the collection of their union dues, which may or may not be accorded by the board of conciliation in the new code of “efficiency and co-operation” yet to be adopted. All this might have been secured directly if it had been the will of the ieaders to negotiate on such a basis. But the leaders sought an assured in- crease of wages, avoidance of the word ‘“arbitration” and an assured adoption of the check-off as an estab- lished feature of the future relations Between the operators and the work- ers. They get a possible increase at the hands of u “board” of two, per- baps three, disinterested persons, after nearly a year has elapsed from February 13, 1826, rate, and Indlcatlons are that many more thousands of people will bulld their homes in the south and south- east parts of the District as years go by. For fifty years there has been | complaint in that section that public improvements have lagged vears be- hind the growth of population, and that the District government has never been energetic in making im- provements to which the people of the south and southeastern Distr are entitled. The old villiges beyond the Eastern Branch have expanded, sc of new villages have come’upon the map, and there is steady division of farms into small lots, and the building of houses goes on rapldly. The people whose homes are south 1d east of the Eastern Branch ask for a reservolr to fmprove the pres- o of the water system, and urge hat this is needed to meet the fire hazard. They ask the bufiding of @ unk sewer through the valley of on Run to the Potomac, which vould gerve a number of towns. They iak that the East Anacostin inter aptor rewer be completed. A number f Important avenues and roals which wre heavily traveled should be paved \nd the built-up streets and autome- hle throughways should be better ighted. They believe that reclama- tfon of the Eastern Branch above Benning and to the District line should he completed In six years; that the sroposed munieipal stadium should be bullt fn Anacostia Park, and that Civil War fort sites should be transformed into parks. The improvements sought by the “eople of the south und southeast Dis ‘rict, such as the paving and lighting it streets, reclamation of the marsh above Benning and the taking over of the Clvil War fort sites, are meusures which are part of the plan for the betterment of Washington, but even if these measures were to benefit only the population of the south and south- east District they should be carried *hrough. ——————————— The Tax Bill in Conference. Now the tax bill goes into confer- ence with a wide difference between the reductions effected by the House and those voted by the Senate. The bill a8 it passed the House carried cuts in the Federal revenue amounting to 327,161,000. The Senate committee ~hanged it to effect reductions total- ing $352.661,000. The bill as it goes into conference provides for a total re- duction estimated at between $436,- 261,000 and $463.761,000. In other words, the bill goes back to the House and thence into conference with a cut of approximately $130,000,000 more than its final House form. Treasury estimates indicate that such a, cut will not only wipe out the surplus, but will cause a deficit in revenues. Had the Senate commit- tee’s bill been passed in substantially the form in which it was reported no deficit would have been caused by the cuts provided. In an orgy of tax re- duction, however, the Senate has pro- ceeded to slash the measure, and it is now the task of the conferees virtually to redraft it to conform to the esti- matea of the Treasury’s ability to stard revenue reduction. Should those who In the Senate voted for these further reductions in- sist upon their cuts and force them into enactment, appropriations will have to be curfalled unless the Gov- ernment deliberately invites a deficit of revenue.. The principle upon which the Federal administration is operating is a balanced budget. The principle upon which tax reductions are being effected is that the revenues are in excess of needs. On these two prin- ciples there cannot be both tax reduc tion beyond the Treasury estimates and liberal appropriations for large projects for public improvements. It is to be expected that the confer- ence will not require much time. The representatives of the Senate on the conference committee are in sympathy with the position of the finance com- mittee of that body, and it is there- fore likely that the conference agree- ment will be along the lines of a rea- sonable compromise between the ouse bill and the Senate committee’s dratt. The question will then come as to whether those majofities that were cast for further reductions in the Sen- ate will be held to insist obstinately to any agreement short of their proposi- tions. —_———— As history repeats itself, Lincoln is now eulogized by many men who date. They avold the hated word *arbitration,” and they may yet some form of check-off in the readjustment of the “cfficlency and co-operation’ yelations. And all this has cost the saen $170,000,000 in wages, the union some $8,000,000 in strike funds, the business community of the anthracite region countless millions in lost trade, and the coal-consuming public enor- mously in excessive prices for anthra- cite and substitutes. It is estimated that the total cost of ihe strike—to miners, to operators, to business and to consumers—has been at least $300,000,000. Can such a strike by any possibility be called success- ful? Can it by any possibility be re- garded as justified? ———————— ‘The unsafe bridge is easily detected by experts, whose advice, like so much good advice, goes unheeded until dis- aster occurs. Southeast Improvements. Representatives of citizens’ associa- tions south and east of the Anacostia River have agreed on a five-year devel- spment plan for the trans-Anacostia section whigh would call for an ex- penditure of $10,000,000, and which they hope Congress will authorize. They make the point that their part of the District has been slighted in the matter of public improvements, and representatives of six citizens’ asso- clations have pledged that those asso- ciations will work diligently to secure’| approval by the District Commission- crs, the Bureau of the Budget and Congress of a long list of improve- ments needed beyond the Eastern Branch. The growth of population on the southerly side of the Eastern Branch has kept pace with that in many other sections of the District outside the boundary of old Washington. Popula- fion {s increastng at sn eDCOUTASIng would not have supported him had they lived in his time. ————————— An impartial city government is rigid In enforcing the rules against parking overtime for snow drifts. The Pioneers’ Worthy Successors. Pick up a copy of the handbook of the Boy Scouts of America and run through the requirements for the va- rious merit badges which Scouts can wear until yoy come to your favorite outdoor, or, for that matter, indoor diversions. These may include several of a list which comprises archery, an- gling, automobiling, bird study, carpen- try, camp cookery, woodcraft and many more. Perhaps you have acquired skill or knowledge pertaining thereto through trips and outings during a good many yeats, picking up the fine points more or less Baphazard from fellow vacationists, pald guides and other experts. Decide whether or not you could pass offhand the examination entitling you to a merit badge for that par- ticular subject. It is the reluctant admission of many grown men that they could not. Yet hundreds of Boy Scouts, ranging in age from a little over twelve upward, have passed such tests to the number of twenty-one, en- titling them to wear on their sleeves corresponding insignia, of which any man might be proud, and which au- thorize for them the term ‘“Eagle Scouts.” - The ordinary, enthusiastic Scout, of whom there are thousands, may lack a good many of the accom- plishments of which these badges are the symbol, but at that he is better fitted to get the most out of life than is the average man. He gets along more easily in time of peace, and still better in time of war, which, deplor- able as the fact is, still persists, and which places a premium on loyalty, ‘nfl.mumuu terial fob an argumsnt,” Imentlon practical accomplishments, such as campceraft, marksmanship and first ald. He has been instructed by men who know and who can impart knowledge; he learned while he was young and while learning was fun. The sixteenth birthday of the Boy Scoutw of America was celebrated by |the District Council last night with approprinte and impressive exercises In Centrnl High School auditorium. { The Brittsh Ambassador, diplomatic representative of a land where the Scout movement is highly popular and efficacious, was the guest of honor and the principnl speaker. Congratula- tions on thi« birthday are in order from the community and from the Na- tion at large. It vou yourself are not fortunate enough to have benefited by the train- ing and companionship offered by this organization, yoy may have sons whom you can enroll. If you lack them, you surely know a boy or two Wwho will be all the better for having Joined in response to your persuasive recommendntion. The organization’s history during the past aixteen years makes it snfe to say that the more Scouts there are the better country to live in the United States will be. —————————— “Esthetic” Motoring. Despite the lack of automobile traf- fic, compared to the lurger cities of the United States, Rome has gone this country one better in the enactment of motor car laws. According to a dis- patch from the Itallan city, a motorist has been arrested and fined for his lack of “esthetic sense.”” It seemn ihat a Roman chauffeur, desiring to Drotect his radiator from freezing In the chilly Winter blasts, covered it with A thick layer of newspaper. He was promptly taken in hand by the police, fined and suffered a reprimand by the judge, who said that the news- paper covering was “a most undecora. tive ornament and should not be al- lowed on the streets.” This “eathetic misdemeanor” was in direct violation of an erdinance which reads as follows: “If apecial condi. tions render necessary the covering of the radiator, this should be effected by the proper technical means and ap- pliances.” Ko Washington is not the only city in the world where traffic regulations, both good and bad, are being discussed. Roman chauffeurs would probably estéem It a great privilege to drive in this city, despite the “many regula. tions,” about which some of the citi- zens are complaining so bitterly. One thirg is evident, however. An “es- [thetic” law for the-National Capital would not lust for five minutes, and it is a certainty that trafic officials have not even given it a thought, so Washingtonians can still use paper to cover their radiators without fear of prosecution. ————s A protracted coal controversy {s not altogether without its benefits, since it permits the disposal of any accumu- lations of undesirable fuel at very favorable prices. . Perhaps Mussolini made a mistake In muzzling the press. Old “Vox Popull” and “Taxpayer” are fre. quently unflattering. Yet they often present some valuable advice, o “Pre-war” has come to have a sound that is considerably admired. A num- ber of Senators are almost inclined to provide a rate of taxation to which the term will apply ——e—s When Income taxes ate properly re- duced, a motion might be in order to make the returns easier to fill out for people who have not the fortune to be either expert decountants ot lightning calculators. Philadelphia sees no objection to putting Presldent Coolidge's likeness on some gold and silver cutrency, in spite of the fact that money talks. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Big Valentine. Here comes a mighty Valentine ‘Which must rejoice the heart, Though not decked out with pictures fine Of Cupid and his dart. Its pictures are of stubborn men In altercation caught. Though writ by no poetic pen, Most welcome is its thought. No tender message I'd prefer To this which now I view: “The Old Antagonists Concur. At Last the Coal Strike's Through!” Senatorial Impulse. “Qf course you are joining in the general rejoicing over the settlement of the coal strike?” “Of course,” sald Benator Sorghum. “Every patriotic and philanthropic citizen must feel that way about it. And yet- & “Why the tinge of regret?"’ ““The settlement does tend to spoil a wonderfully interesting investigation.” Reward of Merit. Oh, is it not a Joy to know The strike has lost control! We've done quite well at shoveling snow, Now we may shovel coal. Jud Tunkins says by the time the average man gets through putting in windows to shut out the air, a sleep- ing porch begins to look like a New Year resolution. Obscure Propriety. ““There are many conservative and law-abiding people in New York." “Undoubtedly,” rejoined Miss Cayenne. “But they don’t hire pfess agents.” To the Tune of “Perfect Day.” My hands I have washed 10 times today. I fear they'll begin to shrink. I see with a feeling of dull dismay How the water still turns to ink. But I know I may soon be washing less And burning what coal I Hke, 8o I'm singing in fervent thankfulness, “It's the end of an awful strike!” “Readin’ de Bible,” said Uncle Eben, *ig a comfort, unless you's gittin' ma- A THE EVENING BTAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. SAT THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Most persons need some solitude. This Is a necessity of the human spirit often overlooked, but social workers will tell you the troubles that lte in wait for those who do not moet it. It Is true that there are certain individuals who never seem to want to be alone. Soclety and yet more society {5 what they demund. They are never xo happy as when some one else is around. ‘These peopls are but the exception that proves the rule. The vast majority of thinking wneople are so constituted that they must have perfods of solitude in which to “rest up” from the friction of human con- tacts. Nor does the phrase “thinking peo- ple” mean any particular intelligence. All of us are thinking persons, in the sense meant by Descartes when he sald, “I think, therefore I am." The dog thinks, too, but not self- consclously, therefore he cannot utter that triumphant sentence. He is not, as far as thinking consciously is coa- cerned, a thinking béing. If one thinks, then, he must have Some time during the day slone with himselt. Such a period need not necessarily be spent In thinking, though. The greatést gain from it simply is in freedom from others. The perpetual wenr and tear of the surge of human- ity against the Individual ceases for a time. The human organism rests. * k¥ % To have no place to go where one may be by oneself fs one of the worst things that may happen to a child, or | any one eise, for that matter. There is more and more a disposi- tion on the part of those who delve into social problems to hold physical lack of quarters responsible for many 1lln of the body politic. These need not necessarily mean physical flls, although they may be, too. There are larger f{lls than infections—blights of the human spirit. Reatlessness, for instance, sometimes blamed on the automobile, or “the modern spirit,” {s often due simply to crowded quarters at home. Where is a young person to go in & home in which every room is filled at all times? The parlor holds sister and her beau, the dining room perhaps sees maw holding a gossip fest with a neighbor, the kitchen contains the cook, the rooms upstairs are filled with other members of the household There Is no place the boy read alone, or to buill a radio set, or_stmply to be by himself. Conditions are not nearly so bad, of course, as they are in a tenement, where perhaps two or more families live and sleep in the same smail room, but basically they are exactly the same. There is no place to go! There i3 no place to go save away, some place else, out of the house, downtown, to the movles, out on the corner, with the gang, any old place, 40 that one may get aw: Thousands, at all ages of life, spond-to this urge to get away escape from the constant cor with known persons It will be readily realized that strangers do not weigh heavily upon the spirit of man. One may walk in the midst of thou- sands of fellow human beings, and vet may go to re- to acts be more alone than in the Sahara Desert. There is no more lonely place in the world than a crowd, unless one is attuned to it. The boy from the country finds the bustling city quite the most lonesome place he was ever in. kven so much of a philosopher as Ralph Waldo Emerson, when a young man, wrote one of his best poems upon this very theme, lambasting the proud city folk in a number of stanzas. * x % ¥ Thousands run away from the com- paratively thinly populated home to the densely populated theaters, be- cause the solitude they find in the latter is lacking in the former. Every home, then, in order actu- ally to fulflll its mission, ought to have enough room in it eo that the varfous members might retire at will into the solitude of their own spirits Some philosophically inclined per- #ons may be able to realize this ideal in the midst of many, but most of us are not so happily constituted. We need actual solitude. When we want to be alone we want to be strictly by ourselves. Even the house cat feels this need and often may be seen by himself sun- ning himself on a window sill, soli- tary. seemingly selfish, but actually pointing us a great lesson. Much of the quarreling in daily life, which goes on everywhere, is due to this lack of the ability to be alone, although it is blamed onto every other cause in the world. from the general “cussedness” of mankind in_general to the meanness of the | other fellow in particular. | Although men und women may he | clussed as gregarious animals, the fact remains that man has a soli- tary soul. The literature of the world is full of it. am the master of my fate. am the captain of my soul That is the ringing cry of hu- manity—and how in the thunder can any one be master of his fate, let alone captain of his soul, if the baby is squalling in the next room. little Johnny is hitting Betty over the head with a stick, mother and father are fighting like cats and dogs and aunts and uncles are surging all over the place? It simply cannot be done! * X X % Man was not made to said the Bible, but that to fit a particular In general. n g made alone some tir other. When a fellow is by himself he can cecuperate from the buffets of hu- manity. en the physical strain all dressed up” has to bhe c ered. Wherefore witness the merable silk dressing gowns, rolt «lippers and other like articles with which mankind supplies ftself When one is by himself. he does not have to be “on parade” and so may dress as he pleases Then he may be free from the sixht of Uncle Jim eating a soft-boil or little Susie zumming herself ul up with an all-day sucker, euphoni ously called a lollypop. Even 1 usie ease wou 2 to b disapproving eves lons her lollypop, and ought to be be was alone, said to be be ir r hours of - from corded the privileze w.n our bless- ing. ery one of us necls rorme soli- tude, now and then, every dav. Public Doesn’t Like Mixing Of Trade and Philanthropy The billion-dollar merger of Ameri- can bakeries formed by Willlam B Ward with a proposal to give surplus profit to philanthropy, especially for children, makes no hit with the coun- try's editors. The welfare side of the organization has aroused emphatic eriticlsm that such work for the gen- eral public has no place as a part of the business world's transactions. “The consumers of bread can at- tend to their own philanthrophy with- out Mr. Ward's assistance,” in the opinion .of the Wall Street Journal. “Payperization s not service. Philan- thropy and business do not mix, al- though he would be a poor thing, in- deed, who did not recognize what the enerosity of great business men has one for their fellow citizen The Indlanapolis News also raises the ob- jection that while “Mr. ‘Ward hl'l:nflelf has a reputation for being fair,” vet, unless “he retains all the commen stock and lives forever, difficulties may arise; there can be no guaranty that benevolent business despots al- ways will have control.” The New York World adds that “the linking of philanthropic work with the enter- prise comes in quite naturally for spe- olal denunciation 8s an attempt to camoufiage a monopoly in the necessi- ties of life by giving it a veneer of benevolence.” * ok k¥ “There is not any reason to ques- tion the honest intent,” says the Day- ton Daily News, but this paper be- lleves it would be “much better to limit profits by providing for lessened costs of food necessities as profits ac- cumulate” and that “the plan ‘which Mr. Ward entertains smacks too much of the story of a certain rich man who would feed the poor Wwith t.he crumbs which fell fros his groanizg te e Christian Sclence Monitor also finds that a disposition fs manitested “to inquire whether this announced willingness to share profits which are as yet purely speculative will quiet the apprehension of many thoughttul persons who have claimed to_see in the abllity of a single indtvidual or set of individuals to control so vital an industry as that which supplies the bulk of the bread to rich and poor allke, a menace to the right of the consumer to buy in a competitive market.” Although it is conceded that the bread merger may not be fllegal, the Milwaukee Journal remarks that “if it is, a proposal to help needy children does not make nlll;;l 80. ntm ..qlg': tion of public policy,” co Journal, ‘“cannot be affected. We could not justify a beef merger be- cause it proposed to relieve the aged, or a clothing combine to assist the feeble-minded, even though these com- binations should volunteer to assume a definite responsibility, and not merely suggest that they might give some share of profits to c‘harlnn The l)llockford Star adds !‘l‘;a;e‘a;l:ler;; ing that the money woul lgunt, it is abhorrent to have public philanthropies financed by an indus- trial combine, particularly one which may fix the price of bread,” and the kane Spol -Review declares: “That is not the proper way to carry on the philanthropies of this country —sugar-coating a proposed monopoly. * kK X The idea appeals to the New York Times as “a striking and significunt recognition of the truth announced 20 centuries ago that man shall not live by bread alone; there is here a very explicit provision for making every ounce of bread contribute to a de- velopment in human beings of what bread alone cannot sustain.” The Times suggests further that “if this beneficence _is planned out of pure and high purpose, it should be as & im over every loaf, a prayer for de- petition for daily bread. and a re minder to every eater that man does not live by bread alone.” The Peoria Transcript interprets this purpose a: indicating that “blg business is find ing in sentiment a valuable ally,” and that long as the masses think ir terms of getting something for noth ing, American cartels will boom, and incidentally Eugene V. Debs and hi: weather-beaten comrades will smile.’ “The people are entitled to know,” observes the Danville Register, “upon what grounds these monopolies and mergers are permitted. As vet there a8 been no evidence given to the pub ic that such mergers, stifiing compe- tition, have reduced the high cost of living. If prices have increased, then there is need for the Department of | Justice to proceed at once to ascertain whether or not the Sherman or Clay- ton law has been violated.” The New- ark Evening News savs as to the pol- icles involved: “If combination and economy make break making less costly, what is saved after a fair profit should go into reducing the price of bread. That would not be philanthrop —a fancier word, after all, for cha ity—but sound business and equally sound Justice to the consumer.” * x ok The public is not so much interested in the price of bread, however, ac cording to the Utlca Observer-Dis- patch. “No family need suffer from exactions by a big baking concern, if there are any, for there is always a bakery around the corner,” says the Observer-Dispatch. “If that will not do, most stoves still are equipped with ovens. For the modern girl, cook books may be obtained at a low price.” The ‘l?alllmore Evening Sun, also, finds it ‘cannot get excited over the baking combine,” and adds: “If the combine can make bread cheaply and sell it cheaply, it deserves to succeed. If it cemd, it will fail, and all the elee- mosyyary clauses in its charter won't keep It alive. Bread can be made in the home without difficulty. What| with gas and electric ranges, its mak- ing is a much simpler matter now than it was a few years back. The housewife, in brief, has an ace up, her sleeve and knows it.” : Lower Taxes, Greater Yield. From the Philadelphia Bulletin. Internal revenue returns for the calendar year 1926 constitute the most significant demonstration that has yet been given of the astonishing pro- clivity of sclentifically reduced income taxes to increase the yield. It was difficult to convince Congress and a large section of the public that such a result could follow the slash in supertax rates proposed by Secretary Mellon and supported by Treasury experts and such advanced students of taxation as Senator Reed Smoot. Yet here is the Irrefragable proof that the proponents of the administration policy were not mistaken in their theories and calculations, the gain from income levies exceeding $24,500,- 000 over the calendar year 1924. Total payments on incomes in 1925 were $1,825,704,135, and the surplus over the preceding year not only ab- sorbed the loss of $18,388,098 in the repeal or reduction of miscellaneous taxes, but showed a net increase of $6,211,625 in the total receipts from internal revenue. The result is due to the diversion of large incomes from reinvestment in tax-exempt securities to the channels of industry and commerce. This tendency will continue on a much larger scale in the present year, and be stimulated by the further easing of surtaxes in the higher brackets under the pending bill. New York leads with payments ag- gregating $703,481,184, or more than a quarter of the total collections. Penn- sylvania is second among the States, with $247,439,903, while Michigan still leads Illinois with $207,786,942 against $206,138,985, the two States having URDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1926. THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Booklover. In October of 1785 John Wesley, founder of Methodism, safled from Gravesend, England, for Georgia, for the purpose of taking charge of a mission in the Oglethorpe colony. Secondarily, he hoped to convert the Indians of all that terrfrory. His work in Georgla was not very suc- cessful, and lusted only a year, for he became involved in legal proceedings on account of having excluded one of his congregation from the com- munion. and found it best to return to England. The record of his short stay In Georgla forms one of the most interesting chapters of his Jour- nal, & sincere piece of autobiography which deserves more readers. It is @ record of a life of extreme self- denial and zealous plety; of personal fasting and prayer and continual pub- lic services and ministrations. Be- fore leaving Georgia, John Wesley found time to write a description of the colony and its settlement. His observations included the climate, the soil, the vegetation, both wild and cultivated; the animal life, the In dians and the settlers. * ok ¥ ¥ He says: “Thunder and lightning are expected almost every day In May, June, July and August. They are very terrible, especlally to a stranger, During those months, from ten {n the morning to four in the after- noon, the sun is extremely scorching: but the sea breeze generally blows from ten till three or four. . The land fs of four sorts, pine-barren, oak- land, swamp and marsh. The pine land is of far the greatest extent, espectally near the seacoasts. . . But here and there is a little of better kind, especially in the savan- A laborfous man may in vear clear and plant four or five of this land. it will produce, the first year, from two to four bush. els of Indian corn and from four to eight of Indian pease per acre. The second yvear it usually bears half as much; the third, less: the fourth, nothing.” Things would have been different it the Georgin colony had had modern fertilizers and a Depart- ment of Agriculture. Wesley con- Vines, mulberries and peach- it bears well. Oak-land commonly lies in narrow stresks be- tween pineland and some swamp. creek or river. . In the moistest part of this land some porsimmon- trees grow, (which bear a sort of yellow, clear, luscious plumb,) and a few mulberry and cherry-trees. 5 A swamp is any low, watery place, vhich is covered with tree or canes. They are here of three sorts, cypress, river, and cane swamps. . . he marshes are of two sorts: soft marsh which is all quagmire, and absolutely zood for nothing: and hard marsh, which is a firm, but barren sand, bear- iniz only sower rushes.” * ok X X John Weeley's opinion of Georgian Indians was not very fa- vorable, though he confesses in the Journal that he had little personal contact with them and gained his information chiefly from traders. lle say “They have no religion, no no civil government. i are likewise 1, haps) the Choctaws, gluttons, rds, thieves, dissemblers, Hars ire implacable, unme murderers of fathers, murderers of mothers, irderers of their own children, it ing & common thing for a_son to hoot his father or mother, because are old and past labour.” The s are a shade worse than the Choctaws, Chicagaws, Cherikees and Uchees. “Yet neither age, wisdom, nor reputation can restrain him (the Creek) from drunkenness. Indeed, all the Creeks, havin been most con- versant with white men, are most nfected with ingatiable love of drink, ! as well as other European vices. They | are more exquisite dissemblers than the rest of their countrymen; that ! know not what friendship or g tude means: they show no inclination learn thing, but least of all & nity; being -full as opiniated of their own parts and wisdom as ) either modern Chinese or ancient Romans.” the iful ¥ ¥ X ¥ Kutzburg, one of Helen R. Martin's Pennsylvania Dutch towns, is the scene of another of the satiric com- edies of the thrifty, petty. narrowly pious and self-righteous people whom she loves to portray. “Ye That Judge” | is the t: applicable title. Bishop Ammerman has married an attractive widow, with whom he is so much in love that he is jealous of her dead husband and dislikes little 4-year-old { Penelope Lee because she is the daughter of that dead husband. venelope grows up in due course of time, as does the bishop's orphan nephew, Peter Ammerman. Peter and Penny have, through a series of acci- lents weil planned by the author, not wen each other since childhood, but eter has formed a very unfavorable pinion of Penny through his uncle’s prejudiced letters. So, when the bishop dies and Peter is elected to fill_the episcopal vacancy, he comes to Kutzburg with the determination to get rid of the objectionable Penny finmediately. Of course, he does no such thing, but instead proves that a theoretical dislike is a very gocd pre-condition for love. Penny has our sympathy, for all the signs ind! cate that Peter will be as odious ug most of Mrs. Martin's Pennsylvani/ Dutch husbands are. * %k x % An_interesting contribution to the literature of evolution is the recent book “Animals Looking Into the Fu- ture,” by Willlam A. Kempner, pro- fessor of biology in the University of Virginia. The book gives example: of the prescience not only of the so- called higher animals, but also and especially of lower forms of animal life, of insects, of plants and even of amoebae and bacteria. Theauthor re- counts one case where the prescience .f solitary insects has large results for man. Darwin was able to make conspicuous use of thig fact when “he pointed out that England is indebted to her spinsters for her soldier boys. At first one is led to infer from this that England's army lieutenants were made through lads entering the army after being jilted by the fair maidens, who remain spinsters. But this is not what Darwin had in mind. He in- AQicated that spinsters keep cats. Cats kill field mice. Field mice kill bumble bees. So with the fleld mice killed off, bumble bees flourish. These bees alone can pollinate the red clover. Hence- when there are many bumble bees there will always be a large crop of clover seed. A large crop of clover seed makes possible a layger crop of clover. Upon this many beef cattle can be fed. And a large supply of beef makes possible a well fed Eng- lish nation, from which England draws recruits for her army. Hence she depends upon her spinsters for her ‘Tommy Atkinses'.” * xfx % A vivid story of South African life, comparable to the novels of Robert Keable, Sir Harry Johnston, Cynthia Stockley and Francis Brett Young, is Sarah Gertrude Millin’s “‘Mary Glenn.” The crude little town of Lebanon, South Africa, is Mary's environment —an environment which does not wel- come her. Five years in England, which produce better manners, bet- ter dressing and an English accent, make Mary’s social value greater. An English husband also helps. But Mary’'s life is not destined to be happy. It is a question, however, whether most readers will be as much interested in the life and psychology i of Mary as in the general life of British Colonials in Africa, so well indicated by Mrs. Millin. Two former books by the same author are “The Dark River” and “God's Stepchil- mmmmmmmmmugnm are” ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. Q. What country is known “l.a‘:m of the Midnight Sun A. Norway. Q. What is the recipe used for Sal- vation Arrhy doughnuts?—H. C. J. A. The Salvation Army says that, contrary to the common bellef, the Salvation Army has no standard for- mula for doughnuts.’ There were as many as four different recipes used in France. Q. Does Parliament set aside a certain sum for the royal family’— C. McK. A. The revenues of the crown in Great Britain have been collected on the public account since 1760, when George II1 surrendered them in re- turn for a fixed annual payment known as the civil list. A certain proportion of the income of the royal family is raised by taxation. The King and Queen of England receive $2,115,000 and, in addition, the reve- nues from the Duchy of Lancaster; the dowager—Queen Alexandra—received $336,000, and the remainder of the royal family $412,800. The Prince of Wales, in_addition, receives revenues from the Duchy of Cornwall. Q. Mow should a drinking glass and a coffee cup be held?—K. C. L: A. A drinking glass is held a little below the center between the thumb and first two fingers. The handle of a coffee cup is grasped by the thumb and first two fingers, the third sn]d fourth being bent toward the palm. Q 1Is in porphy A, silver gether, er and lead oftener found y or lime formation?—T. P. The Bureau of Mines says that nd lead, when occurring to- re more often found in lime formation. Silver, when occurring alone, may be found in many other kinds of rock. Q. Can a tobacco barn be used for storing sweet potatoes?—S. T. A. A flue-heated tobacco barn can be so modified that it will serve a dual purpose. The curing season for tobacco is over before sweet potatoes are harvested, so one building will serve for both’ uses. Q. How long do cats and chickens live?—H. G. . A. Cats, it well cared for, may live to be 10 or 11 years old. Chickens may live to be 6 to 7 years old Q. What was the real name of Roosevelt's Rough Riders>—B. H. A. Roosevelt was licutenant colonel with the Ist United States Volunteer Cavalry, which was commonly known as the Rough Riders. This was a small regiment of about 430 men re- cruited in Texas and vicinity. Q. Over what body of water is the Natural Bridge of Virginia?—M. J. D. A. The celebrated Natural Bridge is over Cedar Creek. The arch is 215 feet high, 50 to 100 feet wide, with a span at its broadest of 80 feet. It has an elevation of 1500 feet. Q. Who holds the one-mile walking record for amateurs’—A. T. B. A. The fastest mile record for an amateur is held by Murray of Austra- lia in 6 minutes 22 4.5 seconds, and by George Goulding, Canada, in Armer- ica, in 6 minutes 2§ seconds. Q. Which of Irving Berlin's songs is the most frequently requested to be sun; A. M. i “The A. Alexander Woollcott, in HASKIN. Story “of Irving Berlin,” says it is When I Lost You.” Q. What wy t 2 7—R. % were the 12 tables?—R. A. The tables of wood on which was engraved or painted the earliest codi fication of the Roman law. Q. Whet is a wave"?—P. R. D. A. A high tidal wave, or succession of two or three, rushing up a narrow estuary or tidal river, as at change of tide. They occur in places where the tides rise and fall a considerable num- ber of feet, as in the Bay of Fundy and various rivers of Europe and other parts of the world. As the tide advances the water s suddeniy thrown in as if in & mass, and then pursues its course up the estuary or river and in opposition to the cur- rent, presenting a volume of water moving with great rapidity and re sistless force and with a height vary ing from 2 to 3 feet to more than 12 feet. In the case of the Tsien-Ta kiang the bore is'said to have a rise of 20 feet and to advance with a loud roar at the rate of 10 miles an hou Q. What will keep brass faucets from looking water spotted’—N. A. After cleaning them little furniture polish. The oil in ti polish prevents chemical action fro the splashing water. bore” or ‘“bore Q. Why was the presidential saluts fixed at 21 guns’—D. M. A. A. In 1818 the first regulation adopting a presidential salute of =1 guns came into effect. At that time there were States in the Union The royal salute of Great Brit and the national salute of Fran were also guns. The choice of might be attributed any one these facts. In 1824 the presidentisl salute was 24 guns and there were 24 States In the Union. In 1841 there was a regulation stating 21 guns 5 the salute, but how long befora 18- the salute was changed to Zl is not known. Q. How s the name of Rittenhouse spelled>—A. T. A. Rijttengh Q. Are silk materials ever starched? I was told they should be. R. A. Silks are redressed with gum arable. If in powdered form, one or two teaspoons of gum arabic should be allowed to stand in a quart of warm water until diseolved, and then this solution str ed for use. If gum is in lump form. boiling wat should be used and the mixture kept hot until the gum dissolves. A doubls boiler may conveniently be used fc the purpose. A quarter of a cup of this solution to a quart of water gives an average stiffness. Philadelphia origins uisen. Gen. Robert E. Lee said: “The thor- ough education of people is the most efficacious means of promoting the prosperity of the Nation.” These words of the distinguished Southern general are mone the less true mow than when he spoke them. Qur Wash ington Information Bureau is one the greatest agencies for the distribu- tion of free information and educa- tional data in the world. Its services are free to readers of this paper. A you need to do is to send in your query together with 2 cents in_stamps for return postage. Address The Lvening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. - BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. The White House spokesman de-, clared yesterday that President Cool-| idge is confident that the differences which have arisen between the United States and Mexico, regarding the retro- active principles alleged to_exist in recent Mexican legislation, which may confiscate the rights of American in- vestors in Mexico, will all be satisfac- torily adjusted in due time There is a total of a billion dollars of American capital invested in Mex- ico, half of which is in oil or mineral property. The new constitution of 1917, with laws passed last December and signed by President Calles, set up the claim that all rights to subsurface property are vested in the national government. While there are certain Steps reserved by which claimants of vested rights may establish their title against all assertion of superior title by the government of Mexico, all ownership, even o protected, will lapse at the death of present holders and will revert to the government. Furthermore, all allen holders of such property must agree to waive the right to protection of their own gov- ernments, and must trust exclusively to Mexican courts for the protection of their rights. PR The note of our State Department which was sent to Mexico January 6 wuxs answered vesterday, but the nature of the reply has not yet been made public. One of the earliest acts of Secre- tary of State Kellnig upon assuming the control of the State Department as to issue a warning to Mexico that since recognition of the present government of that country had been given upon assurances to our com- missfon, Messrs, Warren and Payne. no action would be taken which would jeopardize the vested rights of Amer- icans, established prior to the new constitution of 1917, “This Govern- ment will continue to support the government of Mexico only o long as it protects American lives and American rights, and complies with its international engagements and obligations.” e Mexico assumed an alir of surprised “injury” to its national pride at such language from our “new’” Secretary of State, coming as it did when con- ditions in Mexlco were apparently better than they had been for years. In reply it has been pointed out that the Secretary of State is the voice of the administration, and that not only was President Coolidge not “new” when that message was sent, but that it was in line with previous policles, not only of President Hard- ing, but of President Wilson. All the succeeding Secretaries of State had been equally firm and outspoken in protecting the rights of American investors, according to well estab- lished principles of international law. This position was clearly taken only as to the vested right established prior to the 1917 constitution, under which fundamental law the legisla- tion of last December was adopted. It does not question the right of Mexico, as an independent nation, to pass any laws it sees fit controlling new investments, or even exercising the right of eminent domain and condemning any property for public purposes, provided full and fair com= pensation is made in real money be- fore such condemnation is perfected and property seized. Mexico conceded the contention under the administration of President Carranza. A little over a year ago, Carranza was succeeded by President Calles, the Liberal, and new declara. tions indicate that Calles purposes radical lberalism and nationalism— “Mexico for the Mexicans.” Under these conditions—known better to our State Department than to the general public—there is understood to have been a deeper meaning to Secretary Kellogg's warning, as the expression of firmness from the administration, not merely from “the new Secretary of State." Within the last 48 hours Great Britain has issued a similar warning, in the interest of British Investments in Mexico, amountng to some $800,000,000, . : Not only in asserting nationalism over all mineral property is the Lib eral administration expressing its ir tense determination to develop 1 anti-alien principles, but also in a entirely different direction is the san splrit expressed. It is undertaki rid Mexico of all religious teachers and missionaries, ever sect, who are not native cans. To that end, the soldiers have invaded churches and arrested pries at the altar, hurrying them direct from church ' to exporting ships, with- out letting them change their fro or gather personal property or bag gage. The Liberals are demanding that the state take active possession of all church property, and administer it directly for the aggrandizement of the public treasu This radical action will militat against the American Protestant mis slonaries, as well as against the Roman Catholics, for the cry, “Mex- ico for the Mexicans!” makes no dis- tinction as to sect. In this respect, the situation differs from the earll antagonism of the Mexican republic under Juarez. At that time the Catholic Church owned not only all places of worship, but nearly a quar. ter of all other property in the cour try. The entire church property was then confiscated to the state. and within the first year much of it was sold for the replenishment of the na- tional treasury, to the amount of $5 000.000. Some of it was sold to Protestant missions, with the policy of dividing church allegiance for the weakening of clerical power in the nation. Gradually the government permitted Catholics the use of the church edifices for public worship, under strict regulations, to curb poli- tical activities. Today President Calles and his Liberal party are bent upon renewal of opposition to all clergy not of native birth, thus indicating not so much opposition to religion as to allens; or, as some have put it, rather than as opposition to aliens it is a revived spirit of nationalism in all things, and a strengthening of the federal government. * % % x Nationalism is not confined to Mex- ico. It is rampant under Mussolini in Rome. Italy is a kingdom, but Mus- solini, the dictator, is supreme, and his ambition s to create a Roman emplre greater than that of Augustus Caesar. Gen. Pangalos, the dictator of Greece, is undertaking to enhance national pride and power of the Greek government. France is reported as showing a rising prejudice against foreigners. China, too, is crying, “China for the Chinese!" Japan wants to emphasize her Japanese exclusive- ness. Other countries are voicing nationalism as successor to the last decade’s world-wide spirit of inter- nationalism. Nowhere, however, is the tendency toward nationalism more pronounced than in the Liberal administration of President Calles of Mexico. * * ¥ ¥ The Calles violent antagonism to the Catholic clergy is not unique in Mexican history. It appeared when England forced King John I to grant the Magna Charta;: it appeared when the French revolution drove out the clergy and the nuns; it was mani- fested in Mexico when, in 1857, the Mexican Congress adopted the “Laws of Reform,” the leading items being stated by the secretary of state of the Mexican republic as follows: “Complete separation of church and state. Congress cannot pass laws es- tablishing nor prohibiting religion. Relfgious worship to be observed only inside of churches. Clerical vest- ments not to appear on the streets. Monastic orders abolished, also si ters of charity.” For a few years the Maximilian kingdom intervened, but upon the re- turn to power of Juarez and Diaz, and the succeeding Liberal administra- tions, the old opposition to the church hes revived—now supplemented by opposition to aliens, since most ef the priesthood is of alien birth. (Copyright, 1926, by Paul V. Collloall