Evening Star Newspaper, June 29, 1926, Page 8

# : THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY THEODORE W. NOYES. . .. Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office and Pennevivania Ave ¢ dund St ¢ Building. 2t St London, st Chicaze O Buropean Ofict ¥ th the Sund 1 by carr < m. e Main 5000 Collection at the end of cach month Rate by ) Maryland Daily and Daily oaly wday only inda All Other States and Canada. ©.00- 1 mo.. §100 00 1 mo’" The 00: 1mo.. 3bc patches herein are also reserved The Model Homes. Public response to the invitation to tnspect the model homes which have veen erected recently by a group of operative builders of Washington un der the sponsorship of The Star was 1s to indicate a this enterprise Capital. The constructio to he possibility of artistic complete equipment for the fullest degree of cemfort and con venience in the planning and building of homes of various grades of expense. In ot ;e ght these model homes constructions lish artistic as well as prac- tical standards of attractiveness and completeness within the range of all purs Washington’s urban and suburban development he the past not been cord with ndard that should for a city of this character, a Or late years, how- re thought has been given to this mart designing and emplacement. tsolated examples of truly : dwellings have been afforded liberal ex penditure, beyond the means of the wverage home owner The Star's invitation operative builders and archite co-operate with it in the demonstra- tlon of combined artistry and prac tical utility in a wide range of con ctions was accepted in a spir sincere desire to create models that would serve to set @ stundard for the District and its envi The men and wo who have engaged in this co-operative endeavor, each free to work out individual ideas, have con- tributed richly to Washington's artis- tic and practical welfare, and it is now gratifying to find the public keen- 1y responsive and deeply interested, as the attendance at theé inspections in- dlcates. e Failure of the Primary. With one State after another falling Into the limelight of senatorfal inves tigation regarding primary election expenditures — Illinois to follow Pennsylvania in the probe—{ come more definitely evident ¢ system is failing to jus- s a means of securing the +s nominees for public office. long ago it was recognized that a poor man had no business going in for primary selection. He had to meet the cost of both primary and election, it nominated. Unless he could find an “angel” he would be hopelessly dis- tanced, however pure and incorrupti- bie the electorate, however proper the proceedings of persuasion. Now it develops that the primary is not only the rich man’s game, but the game of groups of rich men Scandals developed from the old methods of nomination, by county and State conventions. They came from the old style of senatorial elections by the Legislatures. Perhaps they are nseparable in full from any manner of popular political choice. But it is plain that the primary method is far J¥rom a satisfactory substitute for the former pr The Senate commitiee of investi tion is doing a good work. proceed check long as there are fields to cover in this in- ¥iry. Perhaps some effective meas- ire of restriction and correction can e developed to meet the country's #lemand for at least approximate hon- sty 1n the selection of candidates and n the elections. This is not a party fnatter. All parties spend money, and hone more scrupulously than others. The national need today is a law, sus- reptible of being enforced, that will fut & premium upon honesty by put- fing-a heavy penalty upon corruption. e a0 general on Sunday een appreciation of the of the rpose of these people word has been ina be set Jf homes, to a s, 18 dure 1t should withou ‘There 1s no suggestion that arises $n Congress which promotes the idea ®f “making it unanimous” like the notion to adjourn. B British and Americen Golfers. As the American golfers were about §o step on the boat train at London Bu the first stage of their trip home # reporter cornered Walter Hagen, ne of the United States star links- tmen, and asked him why America had been able to sweep the field in both the Britilsh amateur and open tournaments. liagen very promptly gave his conclusions, which were in brief that “the English were too gosh- darned lazy”; that “they assumed a don't-care attitude in regard to golf competition,” and that “in order to play a fine game a man must work @s hard at it as he does in business.” Hagen's dingnosis has drawn forth & storm of denial from English golf- ers, who point out that a long tour- nament schedule and not laziness is the cause of their game going stale in the crucial matches. It is impossi- ble, they say, to keep at the top of form for so long a period, and they are unanimous in suggesting that the open tournament be held earlier in the year, when they are fresh and keen for the game. ), This controversy will probably rage “'until next year's championships. Out- June 29, 1926 i ga- i ‘numbered nearly twenty-five to one, the American golfers, in the tourna- ments just completed, dominated the field, but there seems to bé no real reason why the situation should not be reversed when the club wielders | gather again to shoot pars and birdies in major competition. In the mean- ;| time, however, the pill is a bitter one to the English taste and the pros and cons of the matter will be discussed in both countries. There is no question but that Amer- fca takes its game seriously. It is & national trait. With this seriousness, however, is combined the same ethics sportsmanship that actuate the British in their attitude toward the game of golf. Hagen, in his sum- mary, commented on this phase of the matter, and, in conceding the high ideals of sportsmanship of the British, maintained that this very thing was one of the reasons for their failure, inasmuch as they did not seem to won or lost. There has never been a suggestion that the American golfers failed to live up to the ideals of sportsman- On the contrary, they have been lauded for this trait. these recent golf championships, as well as in other athletic competitions, Americans have gone about ‘the busi- ness of winning with serfousness and | preparation. They have refused to accept defeat until “the last man was | out,” and, in the final analysis, this fighting determination has been the deciding factor. of ship. o - { Plagiarism. I Suit has been filed by & man in New | York against one of the most eminent American song writers for an injunc- tion against the continued publication | of one of his recent “song hits,” for nullification of the copyright and for payment of the profits that have ac- crued already from its sale. He claims that this song was “almost identical’” with the lyric of one that he wrote and showed to an agent of the now accused composer. In other words, he charges plagiarism. This is not a unique charge. It has been brought against many another successful pro- ducer of popular literary and musical pabulum. It has been brought against playwrights and motion picture pro- ducers. And for every suit that has been filed on the score of literary, dramatic and musical theft there have been many other accusations. that | have not reached the court Plaglarism is easily charged, but is hard to prove. It is difficult to per- stade a court or a jury that an idea or @ text or a theme has been stolen. For there is such a thing as uncon- scious imitation or plaglarism, inno- cent adoption of & concept. Author- ship is the product of cerebration in | which memory is a large factor. A has read something sometime, somewhere, and later when he is in a creative mood it creeps back into his mind and enters the composition of his product. That is an innocent pro- cedure. Then again there is undoubt- edly much deliberate taking of the brain goods of others. It has been charged repeatedly against scenario { writers attached to the large motion plcture studios. 1t has been charged against dramatists of note. It has been charged against authors of pop- ular works of fiction, and in many cases with reason, though the com- plainants have been denled justice in the courts for the lack of technical proof of actual theft. | Some ideas are universal and can- not be copyrighted in themselves. The particular treatment of an idea, how- ever, 19 property and should be pro- tected. The court should be fealous to protect creative authors in their rights. At the same time, they should be jealous to protect them against the claims of those who imagine re- semblances. In the case in point if there was any likeness between the manuscript submitted to the com- ser's agent, if he was an agent, and the song hit that later appeared, the burden of proof would seem to be on the composer and not on the claimant. i man oo The Hohenzollerns will retain their estates. Soclalism, communism, bol- shevism and various other ‘isms™ melt away when the test is finally sub- mitted to public opinion. ! ] But in| THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. willing to dety convention and suffer the possible indignity of being ex- cluded from the home of opera. Per- haps he will be willing to forego the opera. Perhaps, indeed, the London- ers will themselves defy the mandate at Covent Garden and stick to the dinner coat, even though they obey the prohibition against “plus fours” at the opera, a ban which appeals to Amarican taste as justified. oo Deadly ‘“‘Sparklers. Fourth of July fatalities are occur- ring already, well in advance of In- dependence day. Several deaths have occurred as young children have ex- ploded different kinds of fireworks, in anticipation of the celebration which in former times took such a heavy toll of life. One of these tragedies is re- ported from Atlantlc City, where a little girl was burned to death from the ignition of a “sparkler,” n sup- posedly harmless device to give forth brilliant sparks with a crackling notse. These “sparilers” have cost numer- ous lives in the past, in this city as elsewhere. When the major forms of explosives were made less easily ac- cessible, in order that innocent chil- dren might not be sacrificed, these contrivances became popular with the little folks and enormous quantities of them were used. The danger from ther does not come from the sparks, which are relatively heatless and will not ignite even the lightest fabrics, but from the wire upon which the ex- plosive material is carried. This wire becomes Incandescent for the space of the chemical coating and glows for several seconds after the sparks have ceased flashing. It is then that the danger occurs. If one of these glow- ing wires touches a child's dress it 1s almost certain to cause a flame, which quickly spreads and does deadly dam- age. These ‘“sparklers” can be safely used if the children are careful to drop the wires upon the ground im mediately after the sputtering display has ceased. But children cannot be relied upon to do the wise and proper thing in such cases. They have a keen curlosity which is not to be satiated without experiments. Propositions have been made to ban the production of these devices, which have cost o dearly in lives. It seems impossible, however, to do this and s0 the dangerous little wires are con- stantly in use in enormous numbers at this time of year. Parents should | be especially careful to warn the chil- dren about the risk attending their use et The personal popularity of Gov. Al Smith is extraordinary. Every now and then somebody pauses to shake him by the hand and pat him on the back and remind him that some day he may grow up to be President of |'I|» United States. N— Bandits who are alleged to have abducted Mrs. McPherson are mnow compelled to realize that they bungled the transaction in .a manner which leaves them nothing and which gives their intended victim the advantage of considerable publicity. et - Senatorlal courtesy confers the privilege of delivering unlimited speeches, but does not imply any obli- gation on the part of colleagues to refrain from going to sleep during their progress. oo Will Hays enjoys the title of “dic- tator.” His command of confidence in motion plcture circles would indi- cate that he is rated as an “easy oo SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. ‘The Individual and the State. The statesmen come, the statesmen 80. I do not care. Tt 1s the hour of private woe That brings despair. The pease and cabbage are unboiled And there they sit, ‘While every hope of cheer is spoiled. The cook has quit! The crisis in some cabinet, The purchased vote, The reckless management of debt, London Reverts to Tails. Before the Great War, American visitors to England often found them- selves embarrassed when the time came for them to dress for the eve- ning, and the male members of the party, following the prevalling prac- tice in this country, donned the com- fortable “dinner jackets,”” or tuxedos, with black ties, only to find them- selves in the company of “spiketails’” and white ties. The less formal tail- less coat was looked upon by Britons as a sad departure from customs which had gained the stability of long usage. But the war brought a change. The dinner coat came into favor at I.ondon and its greater degree of com- fort made it popular. The white tle passed, save for the most ceremonfal occaslons, as in this country. The black tie appeared at functions and in places previously sacred to the lawn bow and the white waistcoat. Amer- ican visitors were no longer chagrined by the dissonance of their usual garb and that of the native population. Now the pendulum has swung back. The popularity of the dinner coat and I do not note ‘With the concern that should be due. The stove's unlit And sadly I conflde to you The COOK has QUIT! The Political Seismograph. “That election out your way didn’t look exactly like a landslide.” “No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “Instead of a landslide we had a whole lot of money slipping every which way.” Kidnaping. A kid that’s caught napping may drift far away To some scene of unfriendly duplic- ity. It takes a wise kid to be kidnaped today With a proper reward of publicity. Jud Tunkins says the progress you make depends not so much on your speed as on your caution in avolding collisions that stop you too sudden. Educational. “Is your boy Josh learning to play the ukulele?”” black tie has become so marked and they have appeared in such disregard for anclent and honorable tradition that a reaction has occurred. An an- nouncement has been placed upon the programs at the Covent Garden Opera to the effect that henceforth “it is obligatory for evening dress to be worn in the boxes, the orchestra, stalls and circle seats.” By “eve. ning dress” is meant the full panoply of tails, white tie and starched walst- coat. Thus the “barbaric legacy of the war,” as a leading taflor of Lon- don described the dinner jacket, is to be no longer tolerated at the British garb. Tt is to weep. 'The American visitor must go to England prepared for the worst. He must include a stock of waistcoats and ties of formal mode aiong with his more easily packed and £ more comfortable dinner-jacket tfit—that is to say, unless he is! “I dunno,” answered Farmer Corn- tossel, “whether he’s learning to play it or whether we are learning to stand it rather than have a fuss with him. But They Won't Be. Oh, let's forget the past and make A stand on coal, for pity's sake. What we have paid we'll view with cheer If prices are reduced next year. Zest of Conflict. “We must find some way to pre- vent nations from fighting,” said Mr. Dolan. “We must,” answered Mr. Rafferty. capital's center of style and correct } “But what hope is there of makin’ a couple of highly interested fighters stop in order to listen to a pleasant argument?’ “Crap shoptin’,” said Uncle Eben, ‘“out our way takes de place of de stock exchange foh people wi%uull Yesterday we presented the plan of a “letter shop” to relieve one of the bother of writing to friends il in hos- pital, etc. The shop even offered to “manufacture” letters on interesting topics and send them to one's self, if one s so unfortunate as to have no one in the world to write him a letter now and then. The more we consider the plan, the better we like it. “We make each let- ter individual,” says the circular, “gladly following any line of thought you may suggest. For example, should vou tell us that Miss Jones has a pas- slon for music, we will let music be the keynote of our letter, thus assur- ing her interest as well as her pleas- ure.” What would happen, though, if they got the wrong letters in the wrong envelopes? Imagine poor Miss Jones, “who lives all alone,” and who once was able to negotiate “The Maiden's Prayer” in a hesitating fashion, receiving the lettér destined for the sprightly Miss Maca- roon, who dotes on bulldogs! Picture poor Miss Jones in her lone- some parlor, sittng by the side of the plano she has not touched in 49 yvears, Miss Jones has grown, with the years, 80 testy that neighbors fear to dis- turb her. You, however, hazily recalling that poor Miss Jones once tortured you with “The Malden's Prayer,” sent the “letter shop” a crisp dollar bill, with instructions to compose the lady a letter. “She has a sion for music,” you said. N Susfe Scribble factures the cheery, sits herself down at desk and muses on Beethoven, Mo- zart, Wagner, Irving Berlin. She dashes off a neat letter (“We use plain stationery and write long hand”), gets to thinking a bit of her other theme, bulldogs. for the letter for Miss Macaroon, puts the first let- ter aside because it has a blot o gets her names mixed up, writes, “My dear Miss Jones '--and begins on bull- dogs. Hours pass, and Uncle Sam's nostal service wafts the letter across eoun- try to poor Miss Jones, who waits all alone by the old horsehalr sofu. The mail man knocks ut the door. Miss Jones is all a flutter. “A letter fer ye, Miss Jones. Bam Hicks, the carrier. “A letter for me?" Jones. “Yessum,” gulps Sam, shifting his chew of baccy to the left cheek. Miss Jones closes the door, and holds in her thin. trembling hands the immaculate plain envelope, ad- dressed in an impeachable feminine hand. Who can it be” She opens * the lady who manu happy letters her cozy spinet - says falters Miss the letter, and reads My Dear Miss Jones “Mr. Tom Hicking Percival has told us about vour wonderful bull- dogs, and has asked us to write you some cheery letters to help pass the time away. “How wonderful bulldogs are, to be sure! Personally, we love them all from the bowlegged English fel- lows, with their horribly feroclous to the Ilittle Bostons, cunning with silly tails. “But you are such a dog lover, BACKGROUND OF EVENT e, It s confidently forecast by Repre- sentative Tinkham of Massachusetts that there will be a third interna- tional conference at The Hague in 1928, to be called, or, at least, sug- gested, by President Coolidge, upon the recommendation of Congress. The Tinkham resolution to that effect has been unanimously approved by the foreign relations committee of the House, and the same resolution has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Goff, with the assurance of the hearty support of the chairman of the foreign relations committee, Senator Borah. Furthermore, such a project has the approval of the State Department—which means that it is approved by the President. On May 11 the Secretary of State, Mr. Kellogg, replied to a letter from Rep- resentative Stephen D. Porter, chair- man of the House committee on for- elgn affairs, in which reply Mr. logg stated that the matter had been before the department for a year, upon informal suggestions from the Nether- lands government, and that the United States had expressed approval on con- dftions that all nations be invited to attend, without regard to whether they belonged to the League of Nations; pro- viding also that full account be taken of the preliminary work of the jurists of the Western Hemisphere. These American stipulations have been approved by the Netherlands government. The Tinkham resolu- tion follows the above lines and states that the conference should ‘‘re-estab- lish an association of free nations on an equality and that conferences at The Hague should be conducted direct- ly by the nations, purged of political d militafy character, to reassert the American principle of interna- tional justice by the establishment and extenslon of the dominance of international law.” EE Mr. Tinkham outlines the difference between the two international courts as hinging on two essentials: The League of Nations, he says, does not enable individual nations to deal di- rectly with one another, in settling dif- ferences, but if they bring their case to the league, the league’s council, to- gether with its Permanent Court of Justice, settles the dispute partly according to existing and recognized international law and partly under the court's own creation of ex post facto laws or “precedents,” which are not referred to the member na- tions_for ratification, but are estab- lished by decree of the league and its court. The league undertakes to rest upon compulsory military or commercial force to execute its decrees against recalcitrant governments, says the Songressman, and_he points to the ‘words of President Wilson, in a speech in the early part of January, 1917— prior to our involvement in the war. Referring to his subject of a leagu President Wilson »said: “It will be absolutely necessary that a force be created as a guarantor of the permanency of the settlement, so much greater than the force of any nation now engaged, or any alliance hitherto formed or projected, that no nation or probable combination of na- tions could face or withstand it. If peace, presently to be made, is to en- dure, it must be a peace made secure organized major force of man- d. Commenting on that pronounce- hn'.ofll Prot. Hart the of Yale, said: “If that means anything definite, it means an international police force of not less than 5,000,000, in which the share of the United States would be at least 500,000.” On the other hand, the Congress- man explains, the international con- ference to sit at The Hague will con- sider and formulate laws to be adopt- ed as international ethics, and ratified by the governments before they b come the rule of action to guide its Permanent Court of Arbitration. That oourt will never make its own laws, n, Miss Jones, we know we can't tell you anything you don't know about dogs; that sounds sort of mixed up, doesn't it, Miss Jones, but our heart 18 in the right place. “That last picture of you, taken at the Kennel Club show, was a dandy, my dear; you certainly had your knees crossed in good style. We hand it to kid, yo! 3 “Hoping to see more of you at the next show, we remalin “Happily, cheerd urs, USIE SCRIBBLE."” * ok ¥ oK Miss Macaroon, for whom the above was intended, gets this: “Dear Miss Macaroon: “Poor soul, living alone as you do, vour spirit steeped in the immortal strains of Beethoven, Mozart, Wagner {and Irving Berlin, we hope to bring vou, in this letter, sent to you at the kind instance of your old chum, Dan Deevers—we hope to imbue you, we re- iternte, with some of the classic re- fulgence of Calliope herself. “Think of the Muse of Music, alone on her mountain, whanging away on her lute, rending the hearts of the stony mountains, melting the feathers off Lirds, causing the very lions to turn into bulldogs under the influence of her dulcet strains. We wonder why ‘straing’ always have to be ‘dulcet,” Macaroon? | ou tell us, old dear. “We hope we are not too familiar in_this letter, Miss Macaroon, but we felt that an old party such as vour- self, living only with memories, soothed by the dulcet strains of “The | Matden's Prayer,’ which Mr. Deevers sald you ibutchered once in his hear-| ing. ought to be enlivened a bit, as it | were, and we feel that we are just the one very person to administer a | mental kick, as we might say. Snap out of it, Miss Macaroon. | “Get interested in something else besides musie. Why don't you take up dogs, for Instance? You don't know what vou are missing, think of all the BY PAUL V. COLLINS. darling poodle-odle dogs. and the hor- rible—ugh! Miss Macaroon, if there 18 anything in the world we hate, just between ourselves, it is one of those horrible bulldoge. “We feel, and we are sure you will agree with us, that any person who pets, feeds, takes care of or othei wise harbors a beastly bulldog in any one of its misshapen forms, whether in English, Boston, French, terrier | or other shape, is nothing more nor | less than a degenerate | “We just know vou agree with us, | Miss Macaroon. We can picture vou, | in your chaste parlor, surrounded by lovelv pictures of nunneries and the like, immersed in your spiritual com munion with the higher—oh, very much higher!—things of this world, shuddering in svmpathy with us at | the mention of dogs, in genera!, and | nasty bulldogs in particular. “Would you believe it, we have only | just finished writing a letter—how it stings our soul to do it! ~to an absurd Miss Jones, who dotes on bulldogs. | The only reason we did it was be-| se we were paid to do it. Of course, our work has made it | necessary to keep alert, and in touch with the people who do the big and interesting things. You might like | to order some letters for vourself, 3 | big cheery ones for one doliar. “Yours happily, cheerily, | SCRIBBLE “p. S.—Bulldog: ! ug nor will it be limited to rigid rules in arriving at an arbitration settle- ment. ‘When public opinton is based upon the impartial findings of five inter- | national jurists of unimpeachable | standing, it would be a rash nation | that would defy it, argue the support- ers of The Hague conference. How often, they ask, has the United States Supreme Court found it necessary to enforce its decisions with an army? oK ok K Article 15 of The Hague Convention of 1907 contains this definition of arbi- tration: “International arbitration has for its object the settlement of differences between states by judges of their own choice, on the basis of respect for law. Prof. Borchard of the law school of | Yale University argues that neither | court—that of the league nor that of The Hague conference—will prevent ‘war, since nations restrict their cases to minor issues and reserve to them- selves all such matters as usually | constitute causes or excuses of war. In the league court, the council has eliminated provisions for the compul- sory submission of cases to the court by member nations, unless the nations had agreed in advance to accept obli- gatory submissions. Prof. Borchard, in an article pub- lished in the Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science, says: “While it i{s no criticlsm of the court, the fact must not be overlooked that a judiclal decision is not of neces- sity a guarantee of peace. The student of American history need but be referred to the Dred Scott decision of the Supreme Court to be convinced of this. That decision made the Civil ‘War inevitable.” Citing Senator Borah's contention that entering the league’s court is 3!4:1“& the league, Prof. Borchard “On that question men may well differ. But if that is the issue, it is at least a real one, justifying the most exhaustive examination and dis- cussion in order that the national judgment may be sound and con- sidered. * ok ¥k X There have been but two interna- tional Hague conferences—1899 and 1807 at the call of the Czar of Russia —the first meetings of nations of the world ever held in peace to prevent war. The net results include the birth of the idea of equality of rights of all nations, great or small—the Magna Charta of international free- dom and law. That is similar to our recognition of equality of States in our Senate. The conferences empha- sized also that disputes should be set- tled by fixed laws and that such laws can be enacted only by the govern- ments of the member nations, after being jointly considered at the world conference. Americans are familiar with the Pan-American Union, with its monthly meetings in Washington, where all the official representatives of all American countries meet to discuss their mutual interests, in the light of the agrecments between the nations formulated by the Pan-American Con- ferences and ratified by the respec- ! this true tive governments. The Pan-American Unlon is the executive committee of the Pan-American Conferences, and the union never adopts resolutions of its own. The Hague International Corference and- International Court of Arbitra- tion are likened by their advocates to the Pan-American Conference and Union, the court being in the position of the Pan-American Union in execut- ing such laws as have been formulated by the conference and ratified by the governments. The Pan-American Union’s and the Hague Court’s functions are mainly concil- fatory and executive. Marshal Foch said of the council table of the Pan- American Union, “If Europe had had such a table there would have been no World Wax.” b N . AConwaizht, 1896, bx Fauk.¥o C., TUESDAY, JUNE 29, 1925. NEW BOOKS AT RANDOY THE BOOK OF EARTH. Alfred Noyes. Frederick A. Stokes Co. Under common judgment the poet as producer foots the list of literary purveyors. Above him, in any sort of general acceptance, rank writers of every other class, of every degree of competence—novelist, playwright, historian, biographer, essayist. BY way of his own output the poet never by any chance comes within hailing distance of the now familiar best seller. Before the campalgn for such popular election is even under way the poet is already snowed under in a hopeless foregone defeat. Passing him gayly and triumphantly in this contest is the most hectic and maud- lin of melodramas. Far ahead of him in the race are mystery tales riddled with Inconsistencies and slack in vention, whose secrets, avowedly un- fathomable in depth, stand screaming at the roadside like a huckster with his truck. Mediocre records of travel outstrip in public esteem poems and songs, such as an angelic host might have composed. So in every field of writing the poem stands last in any largely diffused measure of ac- ceptance. So among writers of every class the poet stands least in general favor. Regret it though one may, the fact stands that poetry is a literary form of scant and exclusive appeal. A spe- clous popularity may be claimed for it now and then by advocates who count the quality of readers rather than their numbers. The latter, nevertheless, is agreed upon as the true essence of popularity. And it seems never to have been otherwise. Poetry has never made large appeal. To be sure, Shakespeare in his own day secured a big and enthusiastic following. But Shakespeare was not poet alone. He was, besides, the per- fect play promoter, the master stage manager, the supreme playwright. Promptly and in swift succession he set his own dramas upon the stage for the populace to take them in through eyes and ears and no more thun the fringes of their minds. A tremendous success followed this as- tute and legitimate plan. But this plan of procedure is & far cry from the purely mental absorption of po- etry through exclusive brain proc- esses. And, since Shakespeare. po- etry has been helped out many times in its superficial general appeal by cne artifice or another. A case right at hand is that of Alfred Noyes him self. Let an audience hear him me- lodiously sing-songing, “Come down to Kew in lilac time, in lilac time, in lilac time,” and that audlence goes away happy in the thought that it truly loves poetrs. But~there are lious in the way of love. The great average the foundation of popular es teem. is a literal mind and a lazy one. It is poor in imagination, inept at paralieling the poet's aspirations and soul content with anvthing it 13 able to find within ftself. It is flighty in efforts toward sustained thought and alien to reflection. Moreover, it is an already pre-empted mind, great- ly preoccupied with things, and more things, outside the clolstered twilight of abstract thought. The great at erage mind i3 at home with things mind | that the eyes and ears bring to it— | colors, |1t shapes, sounds, movements. keen to action and shifting scenes and swift changes in the ex- ternal world. In a word, the average mind is out of tune with the mind of the poet. And by virtue of this dissonance the common verdict stands as it has so long stood, that poetry is the possession and pastime of the few; that through no inherent flaw in itself, but through natural limita- tions and defects in its popular sound. ing board, its tones lack a wide and effective carrying power. Yet—the poet keeps on singing. Now and then the chorus is loud and triumphant. Then it sinks to almost indistinguishable murmurs and then again it rises to power and beauty. Those who have the preaching habit exhort us often to love our work for its own sake, not for the material re- wards that it may bring. They en- large upon the joy of effort, upon the soul growth that lies in unrecognized aspiration and achlevement. Now it seems as if the poet is the prime ex- emplar of this doctrine of unrewarded toil. And the poet must in his heart assent to this doctrine, for, despite rebuff and refusal from any consider- able part of the people, he sings on, nevertheless, turning out tnin little volumes that so few read, but ihat represent, nevertheless, the impera- tive and irresistible urge of ‘whole existence. And we, half reluctant, never wholly cordial, feel vaguely, when we stop to feel at all, that a songless world would be—but this is inconceivable and lonely and dreary as a conception even. A e In theme and structure certain of the poems of Alfred Noyes represent definitely today the character and manner of the epic. This fact stands out clearly in “The Watchers of the Sky" and “The Book of Earth, two volumes in the projected trilogy “The Torch-Bearers.” The theme is great, the manner grand—prime es- sentials of the epic poem. This, all told, is the story of man and the uni- verse, of science and human life. The first of the three is the chronicle of the great astronomers. “The Book of Earth"—not quite so happily named as its predecessor—moves to and fro among the leaders in sclence. In Greece and Italy and France, in Germany aand Sweden and England the story moves through the names and by the works of Pythagoras and Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, Pascal, Linnaeus, Darwin, Huxley, Cuvier and another and another. Inspired to this great quest by the spectacle of the Grand Canyon, that astound- ing rock record of the earth, the poet created this splendid story-poem upon a theme of surpassing grandeur. Full, sonorous, rhythmic, here is the pageant of the earth unfolding its deep and momentous secrets under the revealing hand of science. A rich invention out of which rises a spir- itual significance that is profound and beautiful and satistying. * K ok * HARVEST OF YOUTH. , Edward Davison. Harper & Bros. From 1917 to 1925 these poems of true English setting run in the order of their writing. The subjects range from the home soil of England to the universal home of the soul itself. They are cast in sonnet and lyric and ode and little narrative. The imagi- nation that gives them flight is both simple and rich. It is both pictorial and fanciful. And even above all this there is music here, as there must be in all poetry. To the most of us if a poem doesn't sing it is not poetry. These sing, all of them. A book to take up and put down many times for a frequent retasting of the pleasures of its finely poetic concep- tion and sedately musical voice. * ok ok Xk POEMS. Marie Corelli. Doran. % A book of characteristic verse b; Marie Corelll. And no poem in it i}; more like the writer than this one in its trenchant and brilliant attack: God said. “T will God said, T will create a world ere. George H. in the air™ d and answered, “I. t00. will be a. I will make of man a creature ered. "I will destroy Thy splendid T will ordain that thou shalt no ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. What percentage of criminals are old offenders?—H. T. S. Statistics show that a large per- centage of persons convicted of crime are old offenders or recidivists, the percentage varving in different coun- tries and in different parts of the same country. The average is about 40 per cent. Q. What is the term for the prac- tice some people have when puzzled of opening the Bible at random, read- ing a verse, and allowing it to deter- mine the person’s course of action?— N. O'M. A. Divination by means of the Bible 1s called bibliomancy. Use of poetic verses, fixed on by chance, was common in Rome. Vergil was often used for this purpose. As the Bible spread through Europe, devout peo- ple naturally turned to it for direction. The custom still persists, although church dignitarles have frowned upon it. Q.. Tell something of Tristan da Cunha—J. D. K. A. Tristan da Cunha is the name of a group of three small volcanic {s- lands in the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,500 miles south-southwest of St. Helena and nearly midway between Cape Town and Buenos Aires. The total area is 44 square miles. The largest and only inhabited island con- slsts of an extinct volcano, 8,500 feet high. The climate is equable and healthful. The inhabitants numbered 102 in 1914 (latest available statistics). They are chiefly the descendants of the British soldiers stationed there during Napoleon's captivity at St. Helena and of settlers from whaling ships. They are supported by agri- culture and have a considerable numi- ber of cattle. They are also remark- able in having no organized form of government Access to the outer world i maintained by the annual visit of a British warship. Q. Why do mocking birds sing so loud at night this year?—M. H. B. A. The Blological Survey says that mocking birds are night singers, par ticularly on moonlight nights. This is the nesting season for this species, which is probably the reason that they sing more often. Q. Where is there a monument to the apple?—R. A. In Cordella, Ga., a replica of an apple of steel and concrete, 22 feet in circumference and weighing 5.200 pounds, mounted on a base § feet in Leight, was recently placed in public square. Q. Ts it true that a ocean is fresh water? A. There are several es in the different oceans of the world where fresh water may be found. One of the best known of these places is be- vond the coast of Miami. Fla. The cause of this fresh water in the midst of the salt ocean is a spring formed by a subterranean river. Q eves w of the 1s it true that & horse closes his hen he is running away?—C. B. A horse does not close his eyes entirely when running away. but nar- rows them down until they appear to be closed Q. With how many telephones can a subscriber of the Bell system be connected’—G. G. A. There are 16,700,000 telephones interconnected in this system, over 4,000,000 of which are owned by inde- pendent connecting companies. Q. Tell something of H. G. Wells' early writing experience. —J. M. L. A, H. G. Wells was born at Brom- the ley, Kent, September 21, 1886. He was educated at the Royal College of Sclence (London) and followed this by writing for the Pall Mall Gazetts and the Saturday Review and Nature Just after finishing college he wrote a series of works of fiction in which science and mechanics are employed for the account of various wonders narrated in the circumstantial and plausible manner of Verne. In his iater years he has been much more versatile and displays a tendency to discuss mystio and soclal subjects in the form of fiction. Q. Is it correct to say “She bakes griddle cakes,” or “She fries griddle cakes"?—C. M. J. A. Dr. Frank Vizetelly says that griddle cakes are fried, not baked. Q. How many uniforms hes King George of England?>—W, C. K. A. King George has the right td wear more than 100 military end naval uniforms. The number of his civilfan suits varfes. Q. I notice that the name of the Spencer Trask estate is Yaddo. Is this an Indian word’—L. B. B. A The Spencer Trask estate bears as its name a word invented by a child of the family who was searchl for a word to rhyme with “shadow.” Q. Can land be judged by the weeds that grow on it>—N. G. A. The character of their growth indicates the quality of the sofl. Wild carrot and the ox-eye daisy grow only upon poor soils, or soils that have been robbed of their fertility. Sheep sorrel indicates acid land, the neces- sity of applying lime to “sweeten’ the sofl. Bracken, sedge and moas show that the land needs drainage. Darh green foliage and large size of plant and leaf are good indications of abundant nitrogenous food in the soil, while yellowish foliage and sparse stringy growth show lack of this ma- tertal. Q. Who was * B. R. A. John E. Addicks, who amassed & fortune as a gas manufacturer and came into national prominence through a persistent but unsuccess- ful struggle to be elected United States Senator from Delaware, a fight which he waged for 11 years, was sometimes known as “Gas” Addicks. Gas” Addicks?—A. Q. What can be done 10 & Sugar sirup to keep it from going to heavy sugar again’—C. K. A. 'To seven pounds of sugar add two quarts of water. Dissolve with gentle heat, strain and cool. To & small portion of it add the white of an egg. and when thoroughly mixzed, stir it into the sirup. If kept at & normal temperature, this sirup will not “go heavy.” Q. How high does the earth’s atmos phere extend?—W. H. ; A. It does not extend in appreciabie quantities more than 100 iniles above the eartn. At this altitude its denaity ix about one four-hundred-millionth of that at the eart surface. Frederic J. Haskn is employed by this paper to handle the inquiries of our readers, and yow are invited to call upon him as freely and as often as you please. Ask anything that is a matter of fact and the authority will e quoted you. There is mo charge for this service. Ask what you wen?, sign your name and address and in close 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Address The Evening Star Information Bureaw, Frederic J. Has- kin, director, Washington, D. C. rWOman Mayor What wiil not woman, gentle woman, dare, Vhen strong affection surs ber epirit up? The poet Southey. asked this ques- tion nearly a century ago, and the answer then was the same as it is now. Devoted to her city of Seattle, Bertha K. Landes, the newly elected mayor, 18 showing that she dares to attempt to give that Northwestern metropolis a clean city government. She is being encouraged by influen- tial newspapers in her State and is receiving sympathetic tributes from the press of the country. “The administration of Mayor Bertha K. Landes at Seattle takes an auspicious start,” compliments the Spokane Spokesman Review, referring o the mayor's act in inviting ‘“co-op- eration between the law-enforcement authorities of the Federal Govern- ment, the State and county” and in calling upon the people themselves “to assume responsibility in following & policy of law observance!” This paper includes in its favorable comment a mention of “the mayor's new chief of police,” whom {t quotes as saying: “I don't think the mayor and myself are on trial; it is the city that is on trial. What result we obtain will rest with the city and not with its officials,” and of this statement the paper says: “That's a big fact, well stated. For years Seattle has been on trial before the country. Mayor Landes and Chief of Police Searing have declared a de- sire to make Seattle a clean city, but Seattle must come willingly to the bath. They can’t compel it to be clean if it is not clean at heart.” * Kk K K The Aberdeen World calls attention to the notable fact that Mrs. Landes 13 the “first woman mayor of a large city,” and to the further truth that “rightly or wrongly, more will be ex- pected of her than of a man. Her sex is on trial through her. She will be watched to see whether women can be competent Govern- ment administrators.” That the new mayor is not with- out necessary experience, and that she has already had prior proofs of confidence given her, is cited by the Providence Journal, watching her from across the width of the conti- nent. “‘She has been president of the city council and she has made her name known and respected in Seat- tle, in her capacity as presiding of- ficer of the city fathers,” says the Journal. “Mrs. Landes appears to be an excellent exponent of cultured and efficlent womanhood responding to the call of civic duty, not for per- sonal, pyrotechnic display, but pure- ly through conscientious regard for the public service that may be ren- dered. Her progress as Seattle's executive is likely to be well worth ‘watching. The San Antonio Express consid- ers it to the mayor’s credit that in her campaign she avoided the too common error of promising more than she could perform. “She did not promise to make Seattle spotless,” adds the Express, “but pledged her ef- forts to prevent ‘flagrant, open viola- tion of the law.'” But that her words were considered forerunners of deeds among those against whom her re- form efforts were to be directed was shown, as the San Antonio psgn ints out, by the fact that after her nauguration “a general exodus of underworld characters was forced; it ‘was estimated that 3,000 to 5,000 had departed apparently convinced that the climate suddenly had become un- healthy.” * ok % % In the opinion of the Chattanooga News, Mayor Landes has taken hold of her duties in a way to reassure public confidence- because: “She is Inot a stunt law_enforcer. ! not promise ltho town in pappnisq of Seattle Holds Place in Public Eye to maintain the law’s supremacy.” In this connection, the Indianapolis New « remarks with understanding. “Mrs Bertha K. Landes, new mayor of Seattle, in saving she does not promise a model town in 60 days shows that she knows how long it takes to clean house.’” ‘That there is a “new order of things in the Puget Sound city” is the asser- tion of the Spokane Daily Chronicle. and, in its opinion, “Seattle residents will not be alone in watching the ad ministration of their first woman mayor.” That the administration is getting right down to brass tacks in its plans for local enforcement of law is evidenced also, according to this paper, by what “the new chief of police appointed by Mrs. Landes told his officers,” namely, that “if Federal agents or men from the sheriff’s office make frequent raids on & police man's beat, the policeman will be called in to explain why he did not attend to that himself.” On another feature of enforcement plans, the Bellingham Herald com ments as follows: “There appears to be some surprise in Seattle that the new mayor not only has decided to maintain an organization of sleuths. but that she desires a larger appro priation than those of the past to finance her proposed undercover or ganization. Of course, a stool pigeon does not stand high in the estimation of the average person, but experience has shown that, in some form, he is a necessary evil. The woman mayor of Seattle, who has announced that she intends to enforce the laws, knows that she cannot do so exclusively with ‘harness bulls’ who advertise their approach a mila aw: “The success of Mrs. Bertha K Landes in office,” concludes the Seattle Daily Times, “is the unani- mous wish of the press. Her admin- istration of municipal affairs will be watched with unflagging interest, not only by those confident she will achieve what she proposes, but also by those skeptical of the results she has undertaken to accomplish. So far her official actions have been accorded unqualified commendation.” THINK IT OVER What Is Freedom? By William Mather Lewis, [Prosident George Washington University. We are not always as independent as we would like to belleve. Dr. Wal lace Butterick of the General Educa tion Board says thi: ‘Many people who are supposed to have trained minds are slaves to moods. They can only do serious intellect ‘work when they feel like it.” We admit with dramatic self-pity that we can't keep our minds on our work: that our brains just won't act today; that we will have to put that job off until tomorrow. ‘Who is running this machine we call man? Is it under control of will power or won't power? While we are waiting for a bad mood to that we can get down to ‘work, some one else walks away with the destred contract or the coveted order for s. It's better to ride in a slow auto- mobile with a rellable engine than in a speedy one which has the habit of going dead on a railroad track. What some people excuse as artistic temperament is usually just pure selfishness and a desire to dodge labor. ‘There is no use for me to pro claim loudly that T am a free man until T am in control of myself. There is no greater slave than the slave te moods.