Evening Star Newspaper, March 29, 1926, Page 8

HE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY.......March 29, 1926 THEODORE W. NOYES. . YThe Evening Star Newspaper Company Busine h the Synday morn o i v carriere within | ¥ at 60 Qaily only. ts per month t r month. Orders may, be lephone Main 5000 € earrier at the end Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryiand and Virginia. 00: 1 mo.. 7 00° 1 mo. 00: 1 mo. e o #5 cen Sunday o sent by mail or tion s made by month Sunday only All Other States and Cana Rnh ay! Sunday.lyr. $12.00: 1 mo.. aily o3ty 1 SK.00: 1 mo. funday only ... Member of the Associated Press. 1 Prese |s sively entitled el all news dis dited to it or not otherwise cred s paper and also the local news rein rights of publication matches herein are reserved. The Assoria to the Anthracite Coal Prices. Concern is expressed by members of Congress lest the anthracite mine owners have resolved to compel the codl-consuming public to pay the cost of the recent strike, ani it is urged that some legislation is necessary (o gafeguard the people against such a ng. The difficulty is to know rt of legislation would be ef- To the extent that coal en- interstate commerce Con- diction, but the produe- proce what s fective. ters into gress has juri tion of coal business, and prices, as a rule, ¢ fixed at the mines before the pusses into the hands of those who transport it into other States. Be- sides, there is neither desire on Capi- tol Hill nor demand from the public that Congress should attempt by leg- islation to fix the price of coal. Gov- ernment price fixing is abhorrent to the American ide: Hearings on proposed coal legi: tion are to begin tomorrow before the House committee on interstate and foreign commerce and a subcom- mittee of the Senate committee on ed- ucation and labor has held several conferences and collected a consider- able amount of data seeking to deter- mine some practical way to reach the evil. One proposal is that Congress shall now take up the report of the United States Coal Commission, which was headed by John Hays Hammond, and put through its program for full publicity as to the costs of produc- tion, transportation, etc., the theory being that such publicity would tend to keep competition alive ‘and to pre- vent extortion. It Is generally con- ceded that Congress has authority under the interstate commerce clause of the Constitution to require such publicity. There are circumstances which cause one to wonder if there is any real competition in the business of mining and marketing anthracite coal. Only last week an Assoclated Press| dispatch from Scranton, Pa., stated that 1l coal companies” had an nounced that the customary reduc- tion of 50 cents a ton on April 1 would | not be put into effect this year, and that “the present prices of anthracite will likely prevail without change year.” It is difficult to belie 11 coal companies” arrived at decision all at the same time, in- ndently and without consultation. If t did consult to- and agree among themselves make the customary April 1 and that present prices | shall prevail the year it would seem that t have laid themselves opex to prosecution for conspiracy in rest nt of trade. It might well be that if the Department of Justice would bestir itself in this matter some relief could be afforded coal consum- ers without waiting for Congress to enact legislation of doubtful efficacy. previous not to reduction N Explorations in glimpses into a mag: which affairs apparently were admin- istered largely for the benefit of the jewelers and akers. —————————— North and South Freight. Th cgnnection with the alleged need for a beit railroad around the Dis- t of Colufnbia for accommodation orth and South f{reight there are that seem not Yo.have been sed. One might get the“thought all North and South freight must through the Virginia avenue tun- ind across the railroad bridge at Washington. North and South rail trafic is increasing and with the maintenance of present prosperity will continue to grow. Over a long series of years it is reasonably sure that theve will a more or less constant in in the freight tonnage between North and South passing’ through Washington, but the time when the freight yards in Washington and near it can not accommodate the volume of busi- ness and when the bridge and tunnel all the trains is far dis- be se cannot pa tant, Charleston, 8. C.; Brunswick, Ga., and Wilming- ton, N. C. There is boat freight serv- marle and Pamlico Sound territory, and there is boat service from Norfolk through the inland waters to Beaufort. There is growing sea-freight service between Tampa and the west coast of Florida with New Orleans and ports on the northern coast of the Gulf. The shipment of freight from Balti- more to Norfolk by water is increas- ing, and freight shipment from Phila- delphia to Baltimore and Norfolk shows so many signs of increase that the canal between the head of Chesa- peake Bay and the Delaware River is being deepened and widened to pass larger steamboats. It would seem from the increase in water-borne freight between our Northern and Southern ports that the North and South railroads east of the Alleghanies are being given effective competition. What the future holds for the coastwise trade is a guess, but it seems fair to believe that a vast tonnage of North and South freight will pass no nearer Washington than the ship lanes off the Maryland coast. One rail-freight gateway between North and South is Pittsburgh. Freight passing North and South that far to the West is safe against sea- freight competition to which North and South traffic passing through Washington is subject. Not far west of ‘Washington North and South freight ing over the Norfolk and West- ern and crossing the Potomac a few miles above Harpers Ferry. There is another North and South crossing of the Potomac at Williamsport used by the Cumberland Valley and Martins- burg branch of the Pennsylvania sys- tem. It may not be so important as the Norfolk and Western crossing near Shenandoah Junction, but it might be expanded. ——— The Passing of a “Pretender.” Death of Louis Philibpe, Duke of Orleans and “pretender” to the French throne, does not materially affect the political situation in France. It merely removes one indi- vidual from the line of claimants and causes another to take his place. This line, springing from that Duke of Or- leans, cousin of King Louis XVI, who was known in the Revolution as “Egalite,” persists and will doubtless continue indefinitely, and as long as it is in existence there will be a monarchical movement in France. Though an exile from France dur- ing practically all of his life—he was born in England—Louis Philippe, Duke of Orleans, was a consistent ciumant for the throne of France. His great-grandfather was Louis Philippe 1, the last “King of the French,” wno ruled from 1830 to 1848, and was overthrown in one of the frequent readjustments that kept France in turmoil from the outbreak of the revolution in 1789 until the establishment of the republic in 1871, following the Franco-Prussian war. Monarchical movements have per: sisted in France, divided between the Bonapartists and the Bourbons, the latter divided between the Legitimists and the Orleanists. On the eve of the Great War, the Bonapartists having practically run out of candidates and the Legitimists' ranks likewise de- pleted, there was concentration on the part ot the royalists of France upon the Duke of Orleans, he who has just passed in S The mo- men. was deemed propitious for such prop: nda. s French govern- ment's action against the church and disestablishment, the rise of social- ixm and the fear of Germany com- bined o foment royalist sentimept. Mee were held openly in the Spring of 1914 in Paris in favor of the restoration of the monarchy, with the Duke of Orleans hailed “King.” Louis Philippe, however, kept discreetly at a distance. time had not come for his arrival in France to put himself at the head of his forces and by a coup d'etat take vossession of the government. He was being watched closely and would doubtless have been arrested prompt- ly had he crossed the frontier, The monarchist movement was more a “state of mind” than an actual or- ganization. It was freely predicted in Paris in April, 1914, that unless there was a nationally consolidating happening, such as a war with Germany, there would be a’'monarchical revolution in France within two years. The con- solidating influence, however, came quickly, within three months, and no more was heard of monarchism. The Duke of Orleans offered his services to France as a soldier in the Great War, but they were declined. He sought to enroll as a member of th Foreign Legion, but his identity was discovered and he was rejected. France desired no royal pretender in the ranks to gain and hold public at- tention and perhaps become the “man on horseback™ to overturn the pres- ent regime. Now the Duke of Guise, a cousin of the dead Duke of Orleans, becomes the head of thesHouse of France; his only son, Henri, Baron of Boubres, is p: as North and South rail freight is growing, but it is obvious that there 18 a mighty increase in seaborne trafiic between North Atlantic and South At- lantic ports of the United States. There Is news now and then of the organization of a new company for the operation of ships between our North and South ports, and there are frequent items telling of the launching of new, large ships for the older lines. The number, size and business of ships from Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston to the South Atlantic and Gulf ports of the United Stutes is impressive. Within two or three years ships have been built for the run be- tween New York, Baltimore and Miami, giving sea freight service be- tween the North Atlantic Siates and the south half of the east coast of Florida. There has been a large increase in freight-by-sea between our northern ports and Jacksonville, and a few days ago & ship was launched to ply be- tween one of our eastern ports and, Jacksonville and Palatka, the latter a large central point for much of north- ern snd central Florida, more than is -eighteen years of age. Thus the line of succession is preserved. The “House of France” survives all changes. — o The World Court is called upon to mediate differences of opinion within its own circle as preparatory experi- ence for broader endeavors. - ——————————— Jury Trials. Judge Levi Hall's proposal to do away with jury trials for flagrant vio- Jations of some classes of traffic laws, notably driving while drunk and reck- lessness, does not find favor with the motorists. As & means of reélieving court congesticn, delay in trials and small penaities, the Minneapolis jurist would entirely eliminate juries and mete out prompt justice. There is one insurmountable barrier to the carrying out of this plan, and that is the constitutional right of all persons to be tried by juries if their offense is serious enough to send them to jail on conviction. The plan un- questionably would act as a deterrent sixty miles seuth of Jacksonville, 03 to the large number of potential | ice from Norfolk to much of the Alhe-' The | ! the St. Johns River. A heavy volume , killers running through the streets of | of sea frelght is moving in and out of | every community because it means Savannah, Georgetown, | swift, sure and drastic punishment. It would undoubtedly serve to clear up court congestion, an evil from which no court is free. But it is highly improbable that any way can be found to take away this constitu- tional right, and so this move, with its many benefits, is doomed to failure. It is possible, however, that some other method can be carried into ef- fect that will accomplish the same results. Postponements of trials can be minimized by strict scrutiny on the part of the court, and every court can embark immediately on a campaign of speeding up cases. Judge Hall prob- ably suggested his plan after becom- ing chagrined at the small number of convictions, the ease with which vio- lators of the traffic laws secured post- ponements of their trials and the de- lay between arrest and trial. His views on the evils of the sys- tem are shared by law-abiding motor- ists and members of the judiclary throughout the country. Quick justice will do more to discourage crime of all kinds than anything else, and steps looking to elimination of delay should be taken in order that an example of sure punishment may be set for lawbreakers, L —— It was Judge Gary who invented the phrase “gentlemen's agreement.” His influence in American business has been great and beneficlal. 'The application of his ideas to world af- fairs might have a decided advantage. ———————— . So complicated and abstruse are some phases of District of Columbia affairs becoming that an Inquiry into the affairs of the Commissioners’ of- fice is likely to include psychoanalyti- cal features. e — The influence of Brazil in the League of Nations shows that foreign entanglements are just as hard for an international body to handle as for an individual nation. ] The demand for novelty is such that many people having experiment- ed with the corner saloon, and then with prohibition, now want to try something else. —————— Memoirs of the Wilson administra- tion are usually tentative and diffident to a degree which causes them to fall short of the “pitiless publicity” fa- vored by Wilson himself. —————— . According to Senator Smoot, Europe has borrowed more money than she can reps This {s something like what Ponzi did, but, of course, the case is entirely different. ——r————— In his present administration of German affairs Hindenburg does not appear to regard the Hohenzollern family as much of a political asset. ——— The franc is at such a low ebb that a plain American twenty-five-cent plece is regarded as a better tip thun paper money in Paris, e Russian opera reminds the world that, in the face of sovietism, disci- pline and harmony still persist. e A senatorial investigation is re- garded as a success if it retains first- page newspaper prominence after the first four or five d: s Harry Thaw, like many apother farmer, insists on the privilege of en- Joying himself when he goes up to the big town once in awhile. oot SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Business Is Musie. Where are the gentle songs so sweet We caroled long ago? They told how tender lovers meet + Beneath the moonlight glow. The present song our praise receives, As in its nightly toil The radio tells of carpet weaves And of cod liver ofl. It sings of tooth paste and of beans And other products canned. It sings about the type machines That clatter through the land. Although my radio I greet With fond, expectant glee, Somehow I always seem to meet The station ADV. Lines of Development. “What do you think of the so-called ‘belt line’?"” “When the probable damage to property values is considered,” an- swered Senator Sorghum, “it looks more to me like a waste line.” Jud Tunkins says “Home, Sweet Home"” has become the realtor's idea of a national anthem. Music Drama Display. “Did you attend the grand opera?” “Yes,” answered Mr. Cumrox.- “I didn’t enjoy it.” “Your wife and daughter did.” “I should think they would. I paid more than seventeen hundred dollars for their clothes.” Due Deference. The President I much revere. The Governor 1 respect. The Mayor’'s rules, however queer, I never shall neglect. But as I roll along the street 'Mid signals “go” or “stop,” The one inspiring fear complete Is the Boy Traffic Cop. Convenient Oross-Word. “Are you still doing cross-word puz- zles?" “Yes,” answered Miss Cayenne. “It is always a convenience to stop a dull conversation by requesting a word of so many letters which means such and such.” Goodness! The Artist, seeking to be understood, Rejoices when he hears the cry, “That’s Good!"” Rejoicing more if he can hear the same When dallying in a little pokgr game. “Some o' dis jazz music,” Uncle Eben, “don't sound to me like nuffin’ 'ceppin’ an excuse foh stayin’ awake an’ not goin’ home." THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. There ought to be a law to restrain the cheerful whistler. Music we love. \The soul-shaking harmonies of the symphony orchestra, the thrum of guitar, the wall of the saxophone, the waterfall of rippling piano cadenzas, the haunting thrill of fair soprano, the mighty bass of the gentleman who sings “When the Bell in the Light- house Rings—-' These we love, and will continue to do so, despite the protests of those who have no music in their hearts. We have wasted our share of preclous time playing upon the mandolin, mod- ern descendant of the lute, and have Mo apologies to make to anybody. Happiness, too, is a friend of ours. The hearty laugh, whether in smok- ing car, on the street or by one's self, is something to be esteemed. Our sense of humor is precious; we would not willingly part with it. But the young fellow who whistles “Always” with the lung power of six ordinary men every morning beneath our chamber window ought to be stopped. Surely, out of all the laws being passed to right human conduct and make this fair world over nearer to the heart's desire of sundry legisla- tors, enough legal paper could be spared for one small law against the 100, too insistent whistler. Just a very small injunction against the fellow would do. It need not be lengthy, just inclusive. We want to stop him, that is all. * ok ¥ ¥ At first we thought the proper thing to do would be to ask Mr. Berlin not to write a “hit” more than once a year. Then we considered that this would be mainifestly unfair to that well of melody. Despite our suspicion that he had “Celeste Aid: in mind when he turned out “Always” (by reason of its song pattern and basic modulations), we recognize Mr. Berlin as the out- standing composer in the popular vein, and a vein, too, which he is improving right along, One only has to recall “Everybody's Doing It.” ‘The point of attack, therefore, is the unseasonable and unreasonable whistler, the merry young fellow so full of the vim of life that he must project his elan vital in long blasts through the bellows actions of puffed- out cheeks. Our spleen against the merry whis- tler is a new thing, that is why we are so ardent in the matter. Once upon a time (cursed memory!) we, too, indulged in promiscuous whistling. Our greatest joy was to get hold of the latest “sure-fire hit,” and inflict it in a surefire manner upon the entire neighborhood. So we whistled through ‘“Bedelia,” “Arrah Wannah,' Under the Old Apple Tree,” "Sweet Adeline,” “Mandy Lane,” “Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie,” “Under the Bamboo Tree' and countless others. We were not, it is true, much of a whistler. To get to the end of an ordi- nary ballad, we were forced to change the octave several times, so that where the melody took a header for high C, we brought it down an octave to our level. ‘Therefore, to those who suffered then (from us) as we suffer now from the merry whistlers, the melody we were engrossed in must have been a thing of mystery. ‘We recall the last time we whistled in_public. It was long after we had grown to what {s commonly termed man's estate. In the main we had given up whistling, but now and then, urged on by & day when physical ailments were absent, and were replaced by a suffusion of the mind which comes to those who are more or less “‘get- ting on,” we burst forth in whistled song. A handsome gentleman whose force- ful character we admired had a pet “bete noir,"” which was that of whis- tling In the corridors. Often he would issue forth, as Elisha after the mock- ing children (or perhaps better, the bears after the little ones), and would command the offenders to desist. * Upon the occasion noted, we were whistling loudly in the elevator. The gentleman thereupon issued forth and demanded to know ‘‘who it was who was whistling.” In the most innocent tone, we admitted the guiit. “Oh!" he said, and retired. The thing made us think, however. If this sterling business man did not like whistling of the loud variety, undoubtedly there was some good rea- son fo= . Now time has forced us to agree with him entirely. 5 * Kk ok The trouble with the loud whistlers, the merry boys with leather lungs, is that they never whistle in tune. Show us a lad who actually “stays on the key,” and we will present him with our private medal for musical achievement. Then, too, whistlers seldom, if ever, know a song completely. Usually they start off well enough. Some of them even manage to get almost to the last few bars before falling down In the tune. Not one in a thousand, however, gets the ending right. Now, the ending of a properly writ- ten song Is always in character with what has gone before. One of the greatest merits of a Victor Herbert song is the ending. His endings bring his songs to proper musical and es- thetic resting places. “Kiss Me Again” is but one instance. The cheerful whistler, however, never ends his tunes right. He ends them any old way, in defiance of all human right and reason. We, who are forced to listen to him, ought to have rights in the matter. If we cannot throw a brick at him, or get after him with a big whip, surely we have a right to demand that hedknow his song from beginning to end. Then, too, the cheerful whistler is too darn cheerful. Here he goes, in a world filled with misery, sorrow and shame, in the presence of sickness and death, war- bling as if no such things ever ex- isted. He ought to be asharned of himself. On all counts, therefore, we have concluded that the whistler ought to be extinglished, and we accordingly appeal to Congress to pass a law. Surely another little law will not do us any harm. BY-FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. President Coolidge this mnoon re- ceived the nine British trade unionists who are X-raying American labor conditions as the guests of the Lon- don Daily Mail. Tomorrow they will be entertained by James J. Davis, Sec- retary of Labor, whose father was a tinplate worker in Wales, and who himself began lifc as a puddler. The British artisans, who are all in the metal trades, have conferred with the Department of Labor and with Presi- dent Green, Secretary Morrison and other executives of the American Fed- eration of Labor. They came to Amer- ica mainly for light on two points— why our wages are higher and the ef- fect of labor-saving machinery. Secre- tary Davis told the Britons that since 1914 wages have averaged an increase of 125 per cent, while living costs rose only 75 per cent. Almost exactly reverse figures prevall in the British Isles. Notwithstanding that labor is much more strongly organized there than here, the visitors find that American employers believe in high wages as conducive to efficiency, and pay them as a rule without either compulsion or compunction. * kK K Is Washington inicorrigibly anti- President, no matter who wears the crown? That is the conclusion reach- ed by a distinguished foreigner, now resident in the United States, and who until two years ago was domiciled in Washington. “I haven't been back here,” he remarked to this observer, “since the end of 1924. Since then I've traveled up and down the coun- try, east and west, north and south, three or four times. It's the rare ex- ception to hear criticism of Mr. Cool- idge. Political opponents berate him now and then. But, on the whole, when people talk about the President t is in kindly terms. I've been in Washington a week and heard hardly anything but ‘knocks'—from men and women alike, and among both Republicans and Democrats. The stranger in question apparentlx has never realized that “knocking the President has long been the Capi- tal's favorite indoor .sport. Roose- velt and Wilson were its speciai butts. Evidently Coolidge is proving no ex- ception to the rule. * kK K One of the results of the forthéom- ing American visit of Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf of Sweden may be the elevation of his country to ambas- sadorial rank at Washington. Promi- nent Swedish Americans are advocat- ing such action, which would auto- matically convert our diplomatic es- tablishment in Stockholm from a le- gation into an embassy. They claim that Sweden, through its ruling sov- ereign, King Gustavus III, was the first country in the world to recognize the independence of the United States in 1776. From the standpoint of Swe- den's history as a great power, its achievement in remaining neutral during the World War, its popula- tion, its commercial importance and its splendid contribution to American citizenship, Americans of Swedish origin feel there is ample justification for seeking ambassadorial status for their motherland, not only here, but in other world capitals. 3 * K kX Senator Willlam J. Harris, Demo- crat, of Georgia is entitled to credit for the fact that our European debt settlements, now unmder fire in the Senate, were made by a bipartisan commission. As originally formed by President Harding, the World War Forelgn Debt Commission consisted exclusively of Republicans. Senator Harris single-handedly brought about of legislation giving the commission & bipartisan character. Three Dem — Representative . former of Illinofs, former chairman of the United States Shipping Board—even- tually were added to the commission. It now consists of five Republicans (Messrs. Mellon, Kellogg, Hoover, Smoot and m) and_the t.hr: Democrats aforementioned. pal arguments in favor of the Italian and other debt settlements is that they have the approval of a biparti- san commission. Senator ' Harris' wife is a daughter of Gen. ‘“Joe" ‘Wheeler. * ok Kk % Newspapers just received in Wash- ington report an amazing episode a few days ago in Mexico City. Robbers pilfered the home of the naval attache of the Japanese embassy and made way with a small safe containing “copies of the treaties of amity and commerce between our country and the Land of the Rising Sun.” They also bagged 10,000 pesos in gold. The newspapers report that the police tracked the thieves to a suburb of Mexico City and engaged them in a gun duel. One was killed. His companions fled, leaving the safe be- hind. The Mexican press alleges that “a certain foreign diplomat is held responsible for hiring the robbers to commit the outrage for the purpose of finding out just what sort of a treaty exists between our Govern- ment and Japan.” * ok ok K Within a week or two Washington will begin to ring with the dulcet accents of the Spanish language, for 136 Latin scribes are headed for the Potomac to attend the first congress of pan-American journalists. Ever body likely to come in contact with them is busily brushing up on his Spanish. Senator Bingham of Con- necticut will greet the Latin Ameri- can guests in Spanish in the Senate, and Representative Lineberger of California will bid them welcome in their own tongue in the House. A year or two ago, when a delegation of pan-American women was in Washington, a renowned Capital hostess committed an immortal bull. Addressing a senora from Chile, she gald: “I'm so sorry, but I know only two words of Spanish—manana, meaning tomorrow, and pajama, meaning tonight. ‘Washington's champion Spanish linguist is Dr. Leo S. Rowe, director general of the Pan- ‘American Union, who has the aplomb and accent of a grandee. * ok K K Fifty American college professors are to enjoy a $50,000 joy ride in Bu- rope this Summer as the guests of ths Carnegie Endowment for Inter- national Peace. Their principal ob- Jjects will be Paris, The Xague and Geneva. The purpose of this intel- lectual junket is described as a clini- cal study of practical efforts in inter- national co-operation. The profes- sional party will leave New York on July 28 and return on September 20. The Americans will attend ses- sions of the Permanent Court of In- ternational Justice at The Hague, and devote four weeks to a close-up of the League of Nations, including the Autumn_sessions of the Council and Assembly at Geneva. * ok kK ‘With the Senate’s confirmation of Thomas F. Woodlock as an inter- state commerce commissioner, Pres- ident Coolidge's batting average on challenged nominations reaches .500 During the past year he has been de- feated in the case of Charles Beecher ‘Warren, nominated for the attorney generalship, and Wallace McCamant, named for the Federal bench. The two other Coolidge nominations long contested, and then finally confirmed, were Charles W. Hunt, to be a Fed- eral trade commissioner, and now Mr. ‘Woodlock. The President proposes, the Senate opposes and disposes. That is the famed system of “checks and balandes” contemplated by the founding fathers. (Copyright. 1626.) —————————— Parks and Parking. From the Philadelphia Public Ledger. Parking has become as important a matter as park systems in a twentieth century metropolis. | A Typical Case of Annuity Injustice To the Editor of E Star On October 1, 1904, I entered the Forest Service, in my forty-second yeor. On May 12, 1925, date of re- tirement, I had nearly completed 21 years of service—my appointment came in the late Summer as the re- sult of Civil Service examination taken in the Spring. Between Spring and Summer I had buflt up a grow- ing business as public stenographer in Columbia, 8. C., and tock in dur- ing the last month of work as much as my salary in the Government serv- ice ever amounted to until the bonus slightly increased my $100 per month. Not knowing the severe handicap women labored under in the Govern- ment, I followed the lure and gave up the lucrative business I was es- tablishing. In 1908 district offices were estab- lished among the forests in the West, and I was asked to take the work under the forest homestead act of June 11, 1906, in Ogden, Utah. For four years thereafter 1 handled this work, except for the actual sig- nature of letters. I received applica- tions, recorded, platted them in for- est tract books, handled the entire correspondence with the forest su- pervisors and the applicants, listed the lands recommended for settle- ment with the Secretary of the In- terior for opening to entry, and kept the files. I loved my work and put the best 1 had into it; but the high altitude of Ogden, Utah, affected -my healith so seriously that return to a lower al- titude became Imperative. In December, 1912, 1 was trans- ferred back to Washington, where, for a year, I was given even more responsible work. ~ Cases of con- flicting claims and claims against the Government from all the West- ern fice, arranged the data thus secured for the torester’s information, pri pared the letters of instruction to the district foresters for the signature of the forester, typed them, and iu almost every instance the foresie; signed them as thus prepared. Within a year this work was formed into u separate office and a man was given charge. My health was never restored, and for 13 years a pain back of my let. eye grew more and more distressing. My teeth were found to be bad abi séd and otherwise diseased. 1 lost them all, but that pain was no. abated. This suffering grew so acute that my last week's work was torture. “Nerve depletion centering in the retina’ was the pronouncement of the oculist, who recommended that I use my eyes not more than two hours daily, and these hours not to be con secutive. Retirement then became in- evitable. To go back a little, in 1919, my nerves gave out completely, ana 1 was {ll for months. Returning in November for a week, I was again stricken down and did not get baca to work until November, 1920. My year and a half of illness ate up two of the investments I had made, all my cash in bank, besides considerable help from my family In the five years since, I have ex pended almost all I earned in efforts to hold myself in a state of health fit to perform my offielal duties, bu: without success, The present retirement law does not give me credit for full period oi service, nor for the additional rate ol payment after the bonus became a part of the basic salaries. This law bears severely upon all retiring work- ers, but with especial hardship upon those retired on account of disability. These are trebly penalized: 1. By loss of health and earning capacity, presumably in the line of duty 2. By loss of time thereby; 3. By consequent reductions to a minimum compensation because rated in the same class with others serving full time in fair health. ¥ My plea, therefore, is that disabled workers be placed in a distinct class and given a higher compensation in- stead of the cruel condemnation to hopeless, abject poverty they suffer under the present law. I plead with the civil service com- mittee having this matter in charge to deal with us in a new spirit of con- sideration, conspicuously absent from the present law, and that they do it now! To remember the golden rule. To forget they represent our eco- nomical Uncle Sam and become to us our Brother Jonathan! MARY M. CHILDS. No Assembly Hall at Langley Junior High To the Editor of The Star: Recently I was a visitor at the Lang- ley Parent-Teacher Association meet- l‘ng at the Langley Junior High School, but left shortly because 1 valued health above pleasure. The accommodations were filled to capac- ity, showing interest in the work. Owing to the parsimony of Congres this school fs but partly completed, already greatly overcrowded and by next year will be hopelessly inade- quate for the demands on it. The only place for assembly is a long cor- ridor about 10 feet wide, accommodat- ing four Iines (not rows) of chairs, the voices of the speakers, located midway of the 200-foot corridor, being faintly heard by the rear sitters, when every one holds both voice and breath. Ven- tilation is through occasional open- ings of the ends of the corridor, giving a strong draft on the backs of one. half of the audience. The pupils in “‘assembly” must undergo the same experience. So I have at last found out why my daughter gets a cough in the Autumn and keeps it until Spring. For lack of usual school facilities, gymnasium exercises, pre- scribed by rule, must be taken in this same corridor and other unsuitable places used for other school features. So far the coal bin has been preserved for fuel and the furnace for- heating, but the latter is also doing double duty, trylng to keep more children warm than the building was designed for. What kind of patriots does Con- gress expect to graduate from such accommodations? My daughter, for Instance, has already desired to stay at home and do housework. Congress passes laws resulting in sentencing criminals to inadequate Jails and thus pro ing hatred for constituted authority that incarcerates guilty and innocent in indecent and discomforting quarters, as was shown up 20 years ago. passes more laws sentenc- ing children to school In inadequate, poorly equipped buildings, and the child “graduates” with the full, strong appreciation of the stinginess of the Government and contempt for its half- baked school system, which after a century has still to be a beggar for necessities, while the church can erect across the way an ample parochial school of good design. The item of $400,000 for Langley completion ran the gantlet of slash- ers as far as the House, but it seems that $300,000 1s needed for the jail, so | at present only $100,000 is left for cation and finish out lat hi and private schools as uz:lrulw st ‘W. E. ALLEN. Y. ¥ Tooking at ng al read about ANSWERS TO QUE BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Will there be Sesquicentennial coins made?—L. W. B. A. The Sesquicentennial coins which are in honor of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the 4th of July, 1776, are to be coined in 50-cent pleces and $2.50 pleces. They will not be available until late Spring, as the designs have not yet been approved. Q. How many readers are to each newspaper sold?—J. A. Newspaper publishers multiply their circulation by three in arriving at the probable number of people reached by their papers. Magazine publishers arrive at their approximate number of readers by multiplying the circulation by five. Q. What makes a humming bird hum? How large is this bird without its feathers?—R. R. A. The humming bird has powerful muscles which drive the wings in rapid vibrations. These vibrations cause the humming sound. Most of the Hummers have no song, their only notes being querulous squeaks of wrath or fear. A few of the tropic forms, nevertheless, are said to be slightly musical. The humming bird is the smallest' of birds, and when strip- ped of its feathers is not larger than # bumblebee. closed V. H. Q. 1s the Panama Canal to be for one year for repairs Al A. The Panama Canal office says that although repalrs will be made during the year 1326, the canal will not be closed to traffi Q. How long did it take to get the antitoxin to Nome?—G. H. B. A. When the diphtherfa epidemic a, Dr. Curtls r Public reckoned D. T. broke out in Nome, Alask: Welch of the United S Health Service and a few nur: the only persons available to tre disease in a territory containing 11,000 people. The serum was brought nana at the railhead to Nom way of the Bering S vas ried there in five days and a half under adverse conditions, even though this distance had never been made in less than nine days. The men who the serum were Leonard Gunnar Kasson, T kimo Pete Olson,” John m Kalland, Tom Green and Bill Shannon, the first two being t ost important, as they bore the brunt of the journey. Kasson entered Nome on the morning of February Folger, Q. Of what is German silver com- posed?—L. F. L. A. German or nickel silver in the hest grade is 46 per cent copper, 34 er cent zil per cent nickel. For ommon ware it is 55 per cent copper, 5 per cent zine, 20 per cent nickel. Q. Who drew the fir: which the tiger wa: lem of Tammany —M. G. A. The tiger as the symbol of Tam- many Hall, the elephant of the R sublican party, and the donkey whic Republican papers use as emblematic of Democrats are the invention of Thomas Nast. Originally the donke: which came first, was not applied to -he Democratic party. Q. Does the Great Dipper change its position at a given hour during the year?—B. M. A. The motion of the Great Dipper is practically the same in any year as in the preceding, what small diffe ence there is being disco with the aid of astronomical instru- ments. It makes a little more than a revolution in every 24 hours, so that it it is observed every night of the year at the same hour, it is found to “cartoon in be a little further on in the contra. clockwise direction each night than on the preceding, until at the end of the vear it has returned to where it was at the time of the firs vation. Q. What was lencia in Ri Harding Davis’ “Soldlers of Kortune'?—H. D. A. Valencia of the story is Santi- ago da Cuba. Q. How long i —L. 0. B. A. The Bureau of Mines says that the average life of oil wells depends upon the lo fon. Follow! some computations: F Okla., 13 to 15 year: and Louisiana with th those of the Mexia Flelds, eastern _OF Joaquin Valley, Calif., Appalachian _Sections ginia and | Pennsylvs vears, It must be 1 verage life variable. The rate of dey very important; rapid rapid production wi while ‘gradual « production will lengthen th methods of recovery and of enter into it. an oil well good for? exception 1 d t well is quit Q. How does the v ness done by with that of oth A. Chain stor business of about $2,000,000, a little over 8 per cent of trade of the Unitec ber of stores per cent of tk units in the co Q. How tall does be to be termed a 3 A. The word is conventiof ‘ ited to persons over height. Q. What is a “sphere of influence | to acq by or anne tish s gist Persian Gulf and in Arg What is a man" in e Navy ank when he man. was the original name of painting “The Doctor” es in physicians’ offices? 1 by Fildes was first called ** QW iz meant by the Law" in history?—B. E. B. A. The Magna Charta, the charter of English liberty, is often called the “Great Law." “Great Q. What part of the leef is used for dried beef>—W. R. E. | A drying beef the round is | commonly used. It should be cut | lengthwise on the grain of the meat. | The answers to questions printed here each day are specimens picked from the mass of inquiries handled by | the great information bureauw main- | tained by The Evening Star in Wash- ington, D. C. This valuable service is for the free use of the public. Ask any question of fact you may want to know, and you will get an immediate reply. Write plainly, inclose 2 cents in stamps for return postage. and ad- dress The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C, Leagu e Had Close Call, But Will Live, America Believes Majority sentiment in this country is that the League of Nations, at its meeting in Geneva, had a narrow ascape, but belief seems strong in many quarters that it will continue to function as before, and that its difficulties will eventually be straight- ened out. The failure to make Ger- many a member of the council arouses differing opinions. The position of Brazil in blocking the proceedings in the hope of obtaining a similar po- sition is varfously interpreted, some =ditors urging that the South Amer- ican group must have greater recog- nition. i In the opinion of the Springfield Republican, “it would have been worse if fallure had meant a threat of war; to give a relatively harmless outlet for controversy is not the least of the functions of the League of Na- tions.” Favorable termination of the ieadlock is held probable by the Port- and Oregon Journal, because ‘“none of the league signatories underesti- mates the value of the organization. * * “Even some who have in season and out sneered at the league and done verything they could to underm nal states, now_hope for Europe’s sake it will not fail. For the lid of Pandora’s »0x has been tilted enough to let them e what is to come if the quarrel over seating Germany on the council is not ironed out. They find themselves in pad company, these naggers buppet press of Italy openly rejoicing that here may be a chance to sink a stiletto into the back of this organi: tion for peace.” The result of the re- fusal of a single member nation to agree to an action is accepted by the Fort Worth Star Eelegram as illus- trating “how foolish were the fears of our own fearful ones who argued that should the United States enter the league it would Be at the mercy of a majority.”” Similarly the Lynchburg News points to the demonstration of “the ‘utter absurdity of the heated declarations within and without the United States Senate these last few years of the power of the league over its members.” * ok ok * “What seems now to be the period of despair,” in the opinion of the Albany Knickerbocker Press, “will pass. The pendulum will swing for- ward even as it swung backward. Passions will cool. Peoples and gov- ernment will have time to consider and something will be saved from what is widely advertised to be a wreck.” The New York Times also declares: “On some other occasion a single country like Brazil may stand apart from the others in obduracy. Nevertheless the league will continue as the greatest known organ of the public_opinion of civilized mankind." The Knoxville Sentinel adds that “‘gven opponents of membership for the United States could not hope to see the destruction of that body, and so it is hoped that the Summer will bring sanity to the world and this ntention be forgotten.” “After all, it is not a simple matter,” as viewed by the Oakland Tribune, to draw out a chalr and invite the German delegates to be seated, for there are so many others whe wuld draw out other chairs.” Put the Wichita Beacon, speaking in terms of city politics, remarks: “The prema- ture adjournment of the league makes it look like the boys over in the ninth district, after talking the situation over with the third district delegation, have broken the sla¥e that was fixed up b§ Austen Chamberlain and Aris- tide nd, who apparently got to- el room a few weeks ago t everything was fixed. It is safe to say that during the Spring and Summer there will have to be lot of out of situations in yarious and some of the local ne | with the | a vises that the to conciliste this new ini bosses will have to be placated by promises of patronage.” *x % % % All in all.” the Dayton Daily News suggests, “It would seem that the European atmosphere has been cle ed considerably ithout the league, secret understandings would have been more than a suspicion, and Europe would again have been welil on the way toward restoration of the national _groupings from which the World War came.” The Hartford Times finds satisfaction in “the fac which grows more obvious every da: that nobody has ‘put anything over, and that “no nation in Europe dared sponsor the throttiing Locarno.” he Baltimore Sun, zes that ‘“the feeli va exist, an { to have them subjected to the in trol and regulation that m: in an international to have them fe Sioux City Tribuna goes holds that “the fin is convinced that th on to hope tember everything will be that “there between The epinion much_negoti next able th; have alousies’ h time diy : over internati * is expressed by the Cir nati Times Star, while the Louisvills Courier Journal advise th “it is the part of optimism to see in the flasco at Geneva a gesture of discr t a serious international 2 s been avolded for the time * The Om: World Herald, more positive, states that * is not too much to hope that sot | second thought will lead to a | outcome in September.” The Ch: ton Daily Mail also approves of “t for more careful thought as well opportunity for passions to die down. The importance of “time as a healer of wounds and adjuster of difficuities”” is upheld by the Salt Lake Deseret News. * ok x x ‘“‘Nationa! egotism,” says the New Orleans Item Tribune, “is the curse of the league and may cause its downfall. It distorts perspective. These dele- gates attended a ‘world’ conference, but they had only a ‘national’ pe spective.” The deadlock impresses the Morgantown New Dominfon as ‘“‘dis- heartening not so much because of the failure of a program as because of the spirit engerdered,” while the Houston Chronicle is convinced that “Europe today is as near the brink of politic: chaos as she has ever been. Some heroic_and unselfish work must be done before next September,” con- tinues the Chronicle, “if she is to be saved from the abys: The Willlams- port Sun calls conditions “decidedly disturbing,” and the Lansing State Journal feels that “no one knows now what factors to reckon with.” The St. Paul Pioneer FPress, however, ffers the explanation that the league, New York World concludes that “Europe is no worse than it was three months ago, but is simply not so ad- vanced as it was advertised to be. ‘The Providence Journal asserts that “there can be no hope for permanent peace until rivalries and jealousies are peplaced by mutual faith.” The Seattle Daily Times emphasizes the {u:t that the lrrw:;x h:’:‘a'lgnored the imporeance * e ng Hispano- American group of nations,” and ad- it would be good policy ternational group.