Evening Star Newspaper, July 12, 1926, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Mornjng Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. ’ «July 12, 1926 THEODORE W. NOYES, . .. Editor 3 ll.l'unhcsiuhwwh-lln’ g, 20 ) 1 Now The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- jon, is delivered by carciers within cenf lD'll‘ th: & g o mont month. Orde e "uent By mail of home Main 000, ~Collecion 14 made by El‘unth.molemhm Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. 4 Maryland and Virginia. and Sunday. ...1yr. $9.00: 1 mo.. T8¢ only .. 00 g0 1 A Imo. All Other States and Canads. gli:ml Sund 12.00: 1'mo.. $1.00 only .. S8100: 1 mo.. # only $4.00: 1 mo’; nll:mber of the Associated Press. Associs Press 10" the ise 101 FomuAtion o ml'uhll n the B sheciat Beparchedthorels are sl Feeerved. el 2 New Jersey’s Latest Disaster. In terms of property loss the great- | est disaster of its kind, fortunately . the explosion of a Government mu- nition plant in New Jersey Saturday afternoon was destructive of a com- paratively small number of lives. Con- sidering the terrific force of the blast and the long succession of explosions following the initial detonation, the casualties are remarkably few. At the present count there are about ten knéwn dead, with between thirty and forty persons missing. Some of the ‘ latter are probably dead. The final . toll may mount to two score of lives, ' & sad reckoning, but not so great the magnitude of the catastrophe first threatened. Despite the utmost precautions in the location of this great plant, serv- ing as both arsenal and magazine for ' | the Navy and the Army, with the scat- tering of the units over a large area, strictly secluded, a single stroke of | lghtning épread devgstation through- * out the entire zone of occupation and 3 far beyond. Later inquiry, carried as' far as the conditions permit, may : lead to some conclusion as to the suf- ficlency of the safeguards adopted to confine to a small space any acci- dental ignition of a single unit. Evi. dently there was no adequate protec- tion against lightning. Is there, in truth, any assured protection against @ heavy discharge of electricity from the air? Naturally the question arises whether there is need of so great an sssemblage of explosive material in time of peace. Military and naval authorities contend that it is never safe to be without a sufficient stock ‘of ammunition to enable the -de- fensive forces to assume a war basis ‘on short notice. In the Navy target practice is essential to the mainte- nance of high eficiency. The Army likewise has its needs for training purposes. - Here, however, was a ““qump” of great size, containing, it has been estimated, about $100,000,000 worth of munitions, far more than target practice requirements de- manded. Protest against the location of this immense stock of explosives in a thickly settled section was voiced some time ago, and efforts were be- ing made to secure its removal to & * less populous area. A storage depot ~ has already been established in Utah, b % < far away from close habitation, and had an item of $200,000 not been cut from an appropriation bill in con- ference the New Jersey stock would probably by this time have been removed to that Now & strong sentiment against continued use of even the more remote areas of New Jersey has developed and this JIatest disaster may cause a complete change of Government policy in re- spect to the storage of dangerous materials. New Jersey has suffered heavily from these explosions. February 1, 911, thirty persons were killed In a of forty tons of dynamite at the Communipaw terminal of the Jersey Central Railroad. July 30, 1916, prop- . erty damage of $20,000,000 occurred " in the “Black Tom" explosion, much £ the damage occurring in Manhat- “tan. Only two lives were lost. Jan- uary 12, 1917, property worth $10, 000,000 was destroyed, and many cas- ualties were caused, by an explosion at & car and foundry plant at Kings- jand, N. J. October 4, 1918, = blast ecourred at the Gillespie plant at Mdrgans, N. J., near Perth Amboy, . in ‘'which 100 were killed and sixty thousand made homeless. March 1, 1924, twenty were killed in an explo- sion at the Ammonite plant at Nixon, N. J. It is matural that in view of this fong list of disasters the -people of New Jersey, who bhave suffered so | © sorely, should now be protesting i against the continued use of their State as a storage place for dangerous materials of this character. The Government may not dontrol private establishments of this description, but 4t can remove the menace of addi- flonal magazines of its’ own. — o The safety and sanity of the modern _ Fourth of July is the nivre: valued of the enormous perils at- this year to other Summer cxelysivaly :..u:m:] rovers and rowe/s! There 1s in the United States a de- mand and liking for speed., 'We have| auto races, speed boat trials, record flights by planes and fast trips by trains and, ships. . These latest ad: venturers are not out to break speed records. Their trip is likely to be slow and there will be moments, when ‘their brawhy arms are tired. If they carry an awning or umbrellas, and if sed winds blow, thé will miss some of the heat which bears upon ven though we were not to have & Summer this year. Many pebple s|confined at desks and dependent on electric fans for breeze will think of these doughty fellows plowing the Atlantic in a wherry and some may envy them % The rowers expect to travel sixty or seventy miles a day, and on every third day hope to "o ashore and put up at a hotel for rest. ' After that they will carry fresh stores back to o | their wherry and begin the next log of the cruise. The news does mot make plain what the carsmen will do at night. Anchoring a rowboat at sea Is not to be thought of, and if the oars are not kept going the boat may drift no one knows where, but there is no doubt that the oarsmen have thought this out and Jook forward to the trip with hope and satisfaction. Rowing sixty or seventy miles a day ought to give them a good appetite; and two or three weeks at sea in a rowboat should give them a tan which will last till next Summer. hours froni the successive blasts. The entire area of the magazine plant be- | came a Wwar zone, with possible danger for & wide radius around it. The shocks of the- explosions’ themselyes caused some damage, but the fiying shreds of metal made a veritable bat- tlefield"of square miles of terri- Tales of xrrplc deeds performed in those awful . hours of' disaster are numeroys, Men braved thie flmes and flying metal to save others, ‘Without thought of their own safety. Women did couragequs deeds 1o protect thelr children. There was paniz, of course. It is inevitable that when a shocking burst of nofse and i blinding rush of flame and a rain of missiles oceur in @ peaceful territory people should obey an instinctive impulse to flee. But when the story of the happening is winnowed down to exactitude it will be found that in this terrific peril the average of courage was shown and the common behavior was highly cred! able to the victims of this grievoul misadventure. WA A - FRREEEE A0, | The Master Golfer, Nonchalantly holing & fifteen-inch putt for & birdie four on the eenth green at the Scloto Country Club at Columbup, Ohio, Robert Tyre Jones of Atlanta, British open champion,, &nd Aieritan aniateur ~ champlon, wrote golfing history when he added the American open chamijjonship to his long list.of trophies: The first man to hold.three major titles at the same time, *Bobby Jofies, as he is known Capitol Completion Next. In connection with the beginning of ‘work in completing the Capitol-Station plaza, land for which was recently purchased iri completion of e long- delayed projfect, it is stated that at the next session of Congress the sub- Ject of the completion of the Capitol itself will be pressed for action. For' many years it has been the hope of those concerned in the proper housing of the Government at.Washington that the great building which con- tainis the legislative branch should be finished in accordance with plans which were drawn a long time ago. Those plans contemplate the advance ment of the center section of the building to the line of the two wings and the construction of a facade in keeping with the wings, > As it'stands, the, Capitol is & mix- ture of architecture. To the casual eye it appears as a unit. To.the eye of the architect, however, it .appears as the result of after-thought design-|’ ing. Save for the recession of the vergent styles, it is a generally har throughout. this country and Eu. rope, -lacks only one champlouship, the British amateur, to sweep the fleld cleam of all competition. Inasmuth as Jesse Sweetser, an American and a close friend of Jones, won this event, which was played ‘recently in Scot- land, the hew open champion will probably not worry a great deal over his failure to annex it. Jones’ marvelous game is the result of “sticktoitiveness.” Since he was a small boy he has everlastingly kept at it. He has practiced and practiced, and kept on practicing until he has made himself the most. perfect golMing | likely machine the world has ever knowr. His success is the almost inevitable answer to persistence and hard work. Golfers can with benéfit to them- selves heed Jones' example. There may never again be another Jones, but the copying of his methods will result In many a lower score than the imitator ever dreamed about. rease ‘The theory that politics is a. rich man’s game has beeri s0 overworked in Pennsylvania that the famous old State may revert to the historic days when taste, scholarship and forceful expression ranked along with business ity in determining a candi- date's qualifications. % . Mussolini is & bold innovator. - Dic- tators have usually appealed to the general throng by promiking ehorter, b | instead of demanding longer working ing requirements. Office buildings were provided and already the House of Representatives finds that it needs another structure of the same kind. The Supreme Court should have its own home. It should no:longer be forced to occupy restricted and be- grudged space within the Capitol. Its meeting room, the old:time Senate Chamber, is sufficient for the imme- diate purpose of its sessions, though not for the accommodation of' those who have good right to attend. 1Its “chambers,”” however, are insuffislent. The members of the court are huddled into small rooms, difficult of access and lacking in the dignity vested in the highest judicial body of the coun: try. The library, a vitally essential feature of the court, is ballly housed and is choked for space. 1t has not been contemplated, in the execution of the plans for the comple- tion of the Capitol, to allow. for & Supreme Court suite in the central section, but the expectation is that provision will be made at the same time for an adequate courthouse, perhaps to be located near the Capi- tol, in which could be accommodated this great institution of justice, with all its supplementary offices. These two Drojects, thé completion of the Capitol and the erection of a Supreme Court bullding,. will round out a program of government im. provements long needed but happily now within the range of early sccom- plishment. It s still- hinted that the price of automobiles may conie down so as to account in considerable for the msnner in which ‘the of gasoline goes up. . i A Fountain of Death. It 18 stated that if it had .not been that most of the shells that were ex- ploded by the, lghtning-caused fire at the Government magazine in New Jersey Saturday were standing on their bases the destruction that fol- ‘| 1owed would have been much greate: . Two men are about to set out from Boston for Norfolk im a wherty, which is & long, light rowboat, sharp &t both ends.' Thelr plan. is to row ‘whole way. This is an Wnusualef: and will call for endurance and unnec . becauss it would be _easler and quicker to mike the trip & sail or motor boat, but if these g want to row between 500 miles it is, their: affair. r they will keep close to the ‘‘and - take ugh Long Island Sound, the Del River and Chesspeake ‘Bay 4 \in the dlspatch; but the As it was, these shells were.f the air and the debris was scattered nwnemwhflvdymll_uu.m they been piled horizontally the would have been Mfinitely : The shells wgre Wred by the of the flames that followed the f inside. passages days. | The Ttallans have a strong|- poetic sense and may be won to ap- plause by the very audacity of this s pretiy ehia bt peared. in this scolumn four articles on the gladiolus in two m Burely it is time for another L » In that time we have treated sepa- rately the tulip, the rose, the iris, the lu{iv the calycanthus, the holly- hock, kochia, the lilac, the dande. lion, the Ismene and ors. We love all the flowers, but could not appreciate them half so0 much loved we jgot the gladiolus more! There {s.something about this king of*Summer-blooming bulbs that quite wins our heart. The reader may find some other blopm exerting a llml‘:“r || fascination upon him, but, it so, beable to appreciate,the effect of the * " upon us. The thing cannot be explained, sole- 1y by the beauty of the flower, or its interesting habits, or lean growth, or its upright sword-shaped leaves, or, indeed, by any one of its com- mendable features. § A ‘We suspect, if there is any one rea- son for our preference for the gladl- olug, it is the manner of growth, the Larrangement, of the flowers on ‘the splk b:;hll “illur'n’é.dgub‘tedly ‘onl otm l;h: mos utitul upings in nature, one which, is shared, it is true, with the ihollyhock and others, but no other plant quite so effectively ag in the gladiolus. * ok % x Now that the flawers are opening, the husiasm of gladiolus, *fans' opens ott afresh. There comes a time in all occupations, fn all sports, in all enthusiasms, when one & ‘“stale,” as the expression is. TUsually this results from too much contempiation, too much concentra- tion upon the work in hand, whether it be one’s work, sport or . He is the unusual man never tires, never gets slightly bored. Most of us suffer, now and then, from ennul. We suspect that we shall be a bit bored even in Heaven. The gladiolus fancier faces this period of 'depression Heom” “Some ti loom. me time to wonder what all his excite ment s about.’ ‘Maybe this “blue” streak will come ‘when the flower spikes'are just begin- to show. He recalls that last this was the most exciting time all;. but mow it is an old story; and he craves action. . B He wants flowers. ‘Well, now he has them, Glorious and-fresh they stand in the beds, or along the border, wonderful flowers in ent, colorings, shape. The gladiolus is a better lily than most lilles, more beloved than the rose, more attractive in than the orchid, sturdier than the ‘wane even in this flower, he tells not be just for an hour, or a day, or a year, but always, as Mr. Berlin ' likes y. | although’ it will we | of In| method is because it does A o do its wonderful ‘without it, to the very limit of its ability. $7 5 Neglected, it shames the gardener with & burst of . & hw.{l t:uul, ¢ e fii‘v&n&. its floral intellect; ou Jove r‘d-. ‘who l[k:; to "m:: “Anunfi" with can’ do tore sort 1 m”m‘ gladiohis than with Unless you:are willing.to take & rather large chance with yourflowers, the sensible thirig to do is to stake them up after the flower spike shows. e, STt =t choose to .make mu ‘dividends of pleasure to the ardent practitioner. £ Slender bamboo stakes cah be pur- chased cheaply enot from seed- houses. _These usually ,are -stained £ Sp b o h it to 'y A foot or 80 w{n stuck into the earth. Some advocate the placing of the stake u:fi- time of planting. so that there will be no chance of le%uu stake into the ing_ bulb, ile this sounds fair enough, in practice it does not Work out. The. reason we frown upon into_account the growth of the gladi- olus. * iy x: ..No human being can tell, when a bulb is planted, exactly how far and ‘which way the flower spike will leap after it is up, P ‘The fun o¥ staking comes in judg- ing the pull and lean of the spike against the chances of wind and rain, In other words, one makes a sort’of calcylation of the stress and strain, and ties up the spike accordingly, 3 ‘watch -'fiulohu-m plac- ing stakes, you see that he does it in much the same way that a bil- ulates his shots. ‘—or'2 inclies lower? - Gravely he siders. He gontly' taps the spike, heavy with blossoms, to see if & strong wind would bend ‘it at this point or that. . it responds attontion, 8 it 1| confiden thi not uk’: e itnelf America. His name stands. for love) of learning, for simplicity of life, for enmity to the spirit of caste dnd class, plain Am all his great services none Touis Tor vetig B fraciany o teg for Uy and for complete separation of church and state. His name stands like a beacon to wafn us against all forms of m try, intolerance and discriminat against men because of their religious ‘beliefs, The foolish charge that he was {ndifferent to religion is refuted both by his life and by his writings. His religious: conyictions were and ‘real, but he knew that prej and intolerance . contradict’ the spirit of religion. - ‘We need in these days to recall the words which he wrote into the statute of v‘:fl:}‘l‘ bt:r'nllxtou; freedom, "e’n men ree_to profess, srgument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge or affect their civil capacities.” * kK ¥ Let us -rejoice that, in spite of some weird movements and rever- alons, ‘the spirit of intolerance and judice is breaking down among us. This does not mean that 'we are throwh.k 5 uildc our nl“lg‘i;ul faith “l;f ‘Wweakening in our rel us o tions. That mumthlumo{ progress. It means an infinitely bet- ter thing than that. - It,means that while holding our own faith strongly and cléarly, we are learning to re-|be spect, to appreciate and to love those whose faith differs from our own. A true personal freedom must be built not upon weak self-pleasing and exaggerated individualism, uj the foundation of duty; respo and seif-control. = A true tolerance does not spring from lack of convic- indiff to ity Then, deciding upon the point of |'Washingto: P of gravity tend to How much play. given? So the stake is put in, and the rain falls a more beautiful than gladioll nod- says. \ One can have more petting parties [ Some of the details of his financial| than the policy will be kept secret for awhile by Minister Caillaux, who may need o little time to study them in order mmflmtmnhmsotuu.mm probable effect absolutely clear in his e S e ‘The death of so many due to an explosion, in time of peace, legves the line of demarcation between thé end of the latest war-and the beginning of| the next only a technical distinction. The terrific destruction goes on in the interim. ¢ i —— American politics announces very| few “coalitions” in definite terms, al- though & number of statesmen are liable to find passing prevocation to vote with the ‘opposition at almost any moment. o 2 Mg SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER, JOHNSON. P, bR s 4 Trouble Time. No use to g0 into detail’ A8 to how the misfortune was made. Our projects will fail 5 And we'll grope and turn pale X When it's ninety degrees in the shade. ‘We strive for a jest or a song, Detying the evils arrayed. But disaster comes strong ‘Ang our hopes will g0 wrong ¢ ' ‘When it's ninety degrees in the shade. It's useless our wrath to proclaim ‘When' tumiult has left us dismayed. Life is always the same .~ « - ‘When the skies are aflame i And it’s ninety degrees in the shade. “I suppose you will make a thorough study of the subject -on which¥you. 1% to engage in debete?’ ' “I haven't decided,” answered Sena- tor ‘Sorghum. ‘“‘What x.fi n need is self-confidence’ an dualified opinion. If I get to- studdluig too far; T may get to debating in-my own mind instead 'of with my voice.” WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY PREDBRIC WILLLAM. WILE. 1 ik iy o o T g 5 1l & id i E ; £ i ‘ BRI 5 & 1 | rdicute on EHESG ' gésng’ e i§§e§ LR *EEE; depends on | Mot ANSWERS BY FREDERIG J. HASKIN. 3 may protected by covering them with a|m mosquito netting. 'Q. How ' is ordinary bread. soda ?—B. B. G. A. Formerly most of the sodium catbonate, of commerce was derived of certain ors. " Ordinarily’ the flag should, be @s plain. as possible and without dec- m(u’. 2 Q. 1Is 4t true fthit some canned meat ismide of horse flesh in the United States?—C. A. W. A, The American Canners’ Jssocia- tion says that in America no canned meat is made of horse flesh. Q. What 1 the origin of the say- l;. Qrunr as Dick’s hatband'?— A. We have traced it as far back 'as 1785, when the ‘was “As queer as Dick's hatband that wént nine tines round and wouldn't e ‘The origin of the phrase was not known. Q. Who is known as the Gospel Prophet?—T. M. A. Isalah is known as the great Gospel Prophet, since he is spoken of , | 80 often in the gospels and because man; és Bible. of his prophecies are recorded ifilled in these books of tHe 2| _ Q. How deep do tree roofs grow?— B. T. NI Ising iten gaun on a, commercial scale: Leblanc process is regarded as most it discovery in the en- tire of chemical manufactures, and has furnished about' aone-half of the world’s supply of soda. f merit, and, being it in 1791, he Q. How long do animals live?— W. D. "A.'As a rough estimate it might said that the average length of R. life of domestic animals is five times the time from their birth to their data cohcerning wild ani- mals, it would be hard to say whether|, the above rule would apply to them or not. It is not.always known when wild animals reach maturity.- Much ‘Itl‘l“ llu"cl t':l mfi,mfll. large animals live for a longer. period of time than smaller animals. Q. Does the use of gold fringe on t:umk;vulrunhr‘? W. C. C. . The War Department says gold fringe may be used on renmnm‘:ol- ing -| tree -of the Eucalypt: known ‘A Some trees do not have deen roots, while others burrow a surpris- distance into the ground. One family is to, have a root least 120 P. Q. Is there any money value to & Confederatepaper bill?—W. A. H. A. Confederate money has no value_except for collection purposes. Q. Why is ermine considered the royal fur?—C. C. M. A. Its beauty caused it to be worn by royalty and King Edward IIL made it a punishable offense for any persons except those of royal birth to wear it. This restriction has long been removed, but the fur still enjoys of | royal favor. Hove we hod the pleasure of ser ing you through our Washington I formation ameu‘r Can’t we be of some help to you in your daily prod- lems? Our dusiness is to furnish you with authoritative information, and we invite you to ask any guestion of fact in which you are interested. Send your inquiry to The Evening Star In- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Hask: Director, Washington, D. C. Inclose 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Why Europe Dislikes America BY SIR PHILIP GIBBS. hln to t tween the United States their country is the most unpopular Europe today. and and doas. there l-‘ no 10648, in the American in Great Britain has actually canieled ,forelgn war debts—someth There would have been more belief American idealism if the United made a generous gesture the world by canceling some of her own debts at a time when her. pros- was prodigious and partly due, , to ‘profits made during the e increased industrial activ- ity and export trade. * k% ought always {:rkl in:the gun to pay. ‘Ther¢ is no Frenchman I have met