Evening Star Newspaper, September 2, 1926, Page 8

8 THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1926. THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning ‘Edition WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY . . .September 2, 1928 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. . Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Basiness Office 11th St and Pennavlvania Ave New Vork Office: 110 F: d St Chirago Office: Tower Building Furopean Office: 14 Regent St.. London. England. The Fvening Star_with the Sundas fne mition” 18 Gellvered 'y A mry At 60 onth o AR Bl o ey month. Oriers may be [enhone "Stamn 300 “Coller carmier 8 +nd of each month morn- w Rate by Mail—Payable In Advance. Maryland and Virginia. aily and § $0.00: 1 mo.. atly oniy $8.00° 1 mo Bunday only £3.00. 1 mo 750 0 15 A3 All Other States and Canada. flv and Sunday $12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 a1y only SR00: 1 mo. unday only $4.00: 1 mo Member of the Associated Press. e Aseociated Pr is exclusively entit'ed to the b on of all news dis- atches 1o it or not otherwise cred. ted 'in (his Daper ana also the Jocal news blished hereini Al rizhts of publication snatches heren are also reserved A Bit of 0ld Junk. Search for a solution of the problem of farm relief carrles statesmanship into remote corners Senator Norris of Nebraska has found what he believes to be a remedy for the flls that beset the agriculturists of the country and proclaims it in an article in a current periodical. He states it thus ‘When the farmer begins to realize how directly the freight questton af- fects his business and how it helps to bring about a loss where there should be a gain in his operations, there will be a united demand for a solution of the railroad problem: and when the consumers of the country awake to the fact that the rallroad: are now in politics, and have alwa; been in po'itics, and that the best way to take them out of polities is to operate a Ciovernment-owned system, public sentiment in favor of a final solution will be irresistible. Only a cursory examination of this “find” iIs necessary to show that it is an old bit of scrap loft in that par- ticular corner a long time ago. If recollection serves aright, it was pro- claimed as a find by the late, Willlam Jennings Bryan about a quarter of a century ago on his return from abroad in a speech in Madison Square Garden, New York. But somehow it did not appeal to the American public as an honest-to-goodness solu- tion of the economic problems of the country. It has been “discovered” two or three times since then, but always with a return to the scrapheap of unacceptable theories. Now Sena- tor Norris has dug it out again. In one respect Mr. Norris’ procla- mation, however, arrests attention, even though it is familiar. Note the remark: “The railroads are now in politics, apd have always been in poli- tics, and the best way to take them out of politics is to operate a Govern- ment-owned system.” It has always, been felt that the surest way of putting the railroads of this country into politics squarely and completely would be to take them over as a Government organization. This country has had an experience in Government railroad management within a few years, during the war. It was not appy experience. It was not particularly conducive to con- fidence that Government ownership would work out at all satisfactorily if ever tried. Although the ownership of the lines remained with the corpora- igns: and to some cxtent the manage- atlon of the roads ment, the national for war purposes left them in poorest conditicn that ever has been known in the history of transporta- tion in ti country Railroads in politics? ernment ownership of tha Why, Gov- ines would put them so deeply into politics, so fully into the current of political ma ment and maneuvering that the present ills from which the serv- fce-buying public of this country suf- brief, trifiing fers would seemi as but t bit of old junk will have to go rap pile. Lieut. Cyrus X. Bettis. In the de h of Lieut. Cyrus K. is the United & Army loses one of its pre irmen. Holder of the world's speed mark, the dead r had created an cavinble record his service with Uncle Sam more than @ week s Philadelphia to ut. Bettis crashed into a moun- tain side in a heavy foz. Although & leg and both juws were broken he crawled to n traveled highway. where be was found and rushed to i hos- pital. He recuperated so well from his harrowing experience that it was thou, best to transfer him to the Waiter Peed Hospital here for treat- ment. and accordinzly an ambulance plane was dispatched to Bellefonte to bring him here. An examination * at Walter Reed convinced physicians that hix injuries, w serfous, were not likely to prove He was re ported as resting comfortably. Night befor st neningitis - set noand sed | away Aftectionately known as . i shout the service, Lieut. Bettis' death 1s @ severe loss, both 1o his many frien and the science of f to which he Lad contributed an skiil for manipulation of i sensitive machines. His sing comes as dded shock Le- cause of the fac t complete ected. recovery was confidently e Prohibition 1l regarded as a great success by those who take the physicul benefit of total abstinence rather than affront the law. ———— California's Primaries. the California pri- ouraging to Sen- Returns fron marfes must be di ator Hiram Johnson. Against Sen- ator Shortridge, a World Court sup- porter and candidate for renomina- tion, he threw all of his strength of | opposition. He stumped the State for Mr. Shortridge’s chief opponent, who was running on a platform of World Court opposition. According to late reports the incumbent is far ahead of the field with a plurality ~ | tribunal. of the field. | the | of 86,500, which is increasing as the returns accumulate. 3, Some consolation s being derived { by Senator Johnson and his sup- |porters from the fact that the | Shortridge vote is not a majority thus far, though it may prove to be |2 majority when the returns are complete. A third candidate is in the field, likewise an anti-courter, | but ‘particularly running as a “dry.” Tt is claimed by opponents of the court that his vote added to that for Clarke, the Johnson-supported candidate, is evidence of a majority tate against Amer- entry into the international But that does not neces- | sarily follow. The vote for Line- berger, this third candidate, may {have gone to him not as an anti- | courter, but as a dry. The court issue was definitely between Short- | ridge ana Clarke. At the same time Senator John- {son has some present ground for | satisfaction in the apparent success of his candidate for the governor- ican ship. Lieut. Gov. Young. Gov. Richardson, running for renomina- tion, is trailing, but according to late returns is closing the gap be- tween him and Young. This is a six-cornered race and Young's vole is certain to be considerably less than a majority, if a plurality. It |would seem therefore that the John- son Influence has not swept the State. It failed in the case of Short- ridge and it certainly failed in the case of Young, so far as a majority is concerned. Analysis of the primary figures must be disheartening to the senior Senator, who will himself be up for renomination two years hence. There have been evidences for some time of a weakening of the old John- son machine, which once was so potent in California politics. The renomination of Senator Shortridge jand the nomination, if at all, of Young for governor by only a small plurality forecast a strenuous time for Hiram in 19 e et * Two-Way Passing. The special traffic committee of the | Washington Board of Trade in a well considered, carefully prepared and in- telligent report of traffic conditions in the National Capital suggests that two-way passing of automobiles be permitted, to overcome the ever- present and never-controlled menace of the slow-moving middle-of-the- street driver. Pointing out that in New York, Philadelphia and other large cities, where traffic administra- tion is in an advanced stage, the prac- tice of passing on either side when overtaking a vehicle is allowed, the committee earnestly requests that consideration be given to this plan with the view of speeding up traffic in Washington by this method. With the steady Increase in the number of automobiles drastic meas- ures are required to keep traffic mov- ing and to prevent a hopeless jumble of congestion. Under the present regulations one slow-moving vehicle can tie up twenty others behind it it the driver of the leading car keeps to the middle of the street. With two-way passing there would be no tie-up at all. Overtaking automobiles would simply pass on the right. It puts.no additional driving strain upon the motorist. He must drive a straight line on the street, and should never, without making sure that he |is not interfering with other strect | traMe, divert his course from the | straight line. When he pulls into the curb to stop he must look before he turns, because a car may at that | moment be overtaking him. It is per- stly simple and is just as foolproof the present system of one-way ng. | The Board of Trade plan has been | urged by The Star for many years as | a solution to a traffic evil that can be {cured in no other way. The middle- slow-moving motorist be a menacing factor in of the-stre always | the city’s traffic, and the only way to | reduce the menace is to allow two- | way passing If it has worked satisfactorily in such cities as New York and Philadel- | phia, where traffic is heavier and the | difficulties of control are greater, it | certainly appears that it is worth at |least a trial in Washington. | The present theory of traftic con- | trol is to “keep moving” to avold | congestion. And in the carrying out of this theory it is evident that every e | inch of the roadway should be used [to best advantage. Two-way passing | uses all the roadway, and is the most | modern method moving dense | volumes of traffic It is very clearly a matter that | should receive the serious thought of | trafiic officials and citizens of the bital. tional " | ot asie (a debt. bu hope for respectful | any such idea by hi oo ¢ to suggest forgiveness of no French official would landlord or his | grocer. ! B Tom Taggart Threatens Suit. Tom Taggart very much an- | noyed. He 1s so greatly annoyed, in- | qeed. that he is talking of entering for libel. A popular novellst in |a recent tssue from her pen mentions | him Ly name in connection with gam- | bling at West Baden, Ind., and the [ sage of French Lick Springs has de- | manded that the paragraphs in which | this reference occurs mustsall be re- | moved from the volumes now in the | hands of the publishers, their agents lor the booksellers, and eliminated | from all future editions, under penalty | of suit for $100,000. Nothing has been said thus far of what is to be | done with the 135,000 coples that it is | reported have already been sold. A representative of Ex-Senator Taggart says that it has been repeat- edly proved that he and the company with which his name is associated | have no interest whatever in the gam- |vling at West Baden or at French | Lick, and that the association of his name with the games of chance car- ried on at those resorts are wholly unjustified. On the other hand, the author of the book declares that there is no intention at the present time to stop the sale of the book or to delete it or amend it in any way. ‘nu 1s a subject on which Mr. Tag- | is | sui | consideration of | gart is particularly sensitive. His establishment at French Lick Springs is a health resort. The gambling places there and . thereabouts have glven him great annoyance in the past, and he has vigorously resisted every effort to connect them with him. It looks as if a merry war were in prospect over this. bit of literary in- diseretion. ——r—t—— Warning Cards. Warning cards for fourteen minor offenses against the traffic regulations will be issued by the Police Depart- ment. The recipient of one of these {cards must correct the fault within ! forty-eight hours and report for in- spection at the Traffic Bureau. Fail- ure to report will result in the fs- suance of a warrant and the arrest of the motorist. Because of the large number of arrests fbr minor violations and the crowded condition of the court it has been decided to experiment with this plan. It is patterned after the prac- tices in other large citles and is held to be just as effective as court appearance. Washington motorists will welcome the inauguration of the new system. It will save time, trouble and annoy- ance and is likely to result in a better spirit of co-operation between the po- lice and the residents of the city. It is necessary. however, that the check-up, after a person has been warned that he is violating the regu- lations, be rigid or the benefits of the plan will be lost. Some of the offenses listed to be dealt with by warning cards can create an exceedingly men- acing condition if persisted in and every effort should be made to im- press upon the motorist the fact that the issuance of cards is not an indi- cation of lenlency toward violations by the police, hut is merely an effort to secure efficiency in the administra- tion of the traffic regulations. e me o “Woman 1§ fickle” says the song. So is the public, influenced more than ever before by woman. The death of Caruso brought international mourn- ing. Yet even so soon as now his song is forgotten. Valentino, the idol of the films, Is the subject of scarcely less lamentation. Will he be remem- bered six months hence? —ae, Chicago tried to enforce an old “curfew law,” but the police were con- fused by the fact that the costuming and make-up of the old girls made them look precisely like the young ones. The law will evidently have to be modified in order to permit its application not only to first but to second childhood. ———————— Great possibilities are suggested for governmental economy in read- justing the work of bureaus so as to avoid duplication and red tape. ' The saving thus effected would provide the means of increasing the wages of many underpaid Government workers e It might be a diplomatic move to persuade the genial Prince of Wales to fall off a horse once more to re- lieve the tension between nations. The situation needs a touch of comedy relief. S It was old Polonius who advised against being either a borrower or a llender. Polonius had his silly mo- ments in family matters, but he also had some good ideas applicable to in- ternational finan Territorial po: ons arise as matters of dispute in the councils of European nations. The spirit of the alert realtor is everywhere. B SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Crossing the Channel. Did you ever cross the Channel In a wibble-wobble craft, Where the liquid canton flannel Swept the vessel fore and aft; And the séasick friends lay moaning In the cabin smal and dim? “or neglect we were atoning, ‘We had not learned how to swim. Hereafter when we're crossing ‘Where the angry billows roar, ‘We'll disdain the steamboat tossing As it rides from shore to shore; We will join the general movement That defies old Neptune grim, Methods show a great improvement, When you cross the Channel—swim! That Old Copy Book. “When I was a youngster,” mused Senator Sorghum, ‘“we wrote ‘Hon- esty is the best policy’ in our copy books over and over again.” “There could be no better motto for a statesman.” “Yes, but we had to write it so often, I'm afraid some of us got kind 1o tired of it.” Labor Day. With sentiment serenely gay, Wherein no grief shall lurk, 1l gather ‘round on Labor day And we'll All Quit Work. Jud Tunkins says a man who is thoroughly satisfied with himself is never entirely influenced by his wife's opinions in this particular matter. Domestic Concerns. “What do you think of these ques- tions concerning foreign relations?” “Haven't time to take 'em up for consideration just now,"” protested Farmer Corntossel. “My own family relations are giving me all I can at- tend to.” Prints. Footprints on the sands of time Once we gazed upon as hints Of lofty fame. We've turned to crime. Now we look for fingerprints. Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, says antiquity is not always a sign of merit. In his native land eggs have been successfully preserved for twenty or thirty years. But they were not so good. “History ain’ gineter repeat itse’f in my case,” said Uncle Eben. “I los’ nineteen dollars in de las’ crap game, an’ I ain’ gineter shoot no mo’ crap.” ' J “Pipe smoking, it seems to us, is the most romantic form of tobacco consumption. “A good cigar is a smoke,” some one said, but a pipe is all that, and something else besides. When you see a man smoking a briar, you may be sure that you are gazing upon one in whose soul re- pose not only the instincts of a gentleman, but tendencies toward poetry, sentiment and romance, as well. All this, despite the undeniable fact that cigars and cigarettes far outsell pipes, and that years ago the popular novels (mostly written by women) invariably pictured the manly hero puffing away on a per- fecto. § Yet there remains a charm about a pipe not found in either cigar or cigarette. The latter owes its huge sale to its convenience, while the cigar is the smoke of the blunted taste. When you get so that you need large amounts of salt and pep- per on your food, you are ripe for cigars, with more “kick” than either cigarette or pipe affords. Cigars, too, are ‘convenient, easily carried and easily thrown away. Each one is complete in itself. A large majority of prosaic souls in- dulge in these two forms of smoking. He in whom romance still holds sway, however, finds an undeniable satisfaction in a pipe, a species of af- fection which no cigar, however much it cost, or any cigarette whatsoever, can evolve in a man. * k ok K This feeling undoubtedly goes back, for its basis, to the sense of owner- ship which one has in a favorite pipe. It is not something to be lightly taken up, and then cast aside, as some have been known to do with an old horse, or dog that has outworn its welcome, but is an instrument that grows old along with its owner. We cannot, if we would, get away from pride of ownership and a cer- tain satisfaction in it, whether it bhe possession of a house and lot, an au- tomobile, a radio or a 5-inch pipe. Then, too, the pipe owner has passed through trials and tribulations with his pipe. He has put a great deal into it, in the form of persistent smoking, when it burnt his tongue, and made his lips raw, and as one re- sult he has a fondness for the thing which he could not possibly have for a cigar which is here today and gone into the gutter tomorrow. ‘This is his pipe. Maybe you have seen an old colored mammy smoking away on her clay, as she sat, hands clasped over her ample stomach, before her stand in the market place. She was a simple, elemental, emo- tional soul, one who found solace in her pipe, although all the gentle white ladies shrank with wonder and some disdain from her strong tobacco. Perhaps it is not strange that the daughters of these same gentlewomen, when they took up smoking in the jazz age, “went in” for cigarette: rather than pipes. have made a mistake, however Take up pipe smoking, ladies, and know the pleasure that old Aunt Eliza had! Ask Aunt Eliza—she knows. * %k %% There is romance in the very his- tory of the pipe. the by Solemn peace pipe the native Americans, came their nearest to love Recall smoked when the: and amity. Smoking with them was a sacred rite, and he who wishes to get the most from a pipe today must nece: THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. We believe they | sarily approach it in. somewhat the same spirit. Generally he does. If you have ever watched a man fill his pipe with a favorite mixture, you will realize that there is much ceremony to it. It is curious to recall that although pipe smoking originated in America, it was Europe that gave the United States its pipes until about the be- ginning of the Civil War. Much the same thing happened with pipes as occurred with the flower known today as the Clarkia. This flower, discovered by Lewis and Clark on their great expedition, was named after the latter. Being native American, flower grow- ers of the United States never seemed to think much’of it. English hybrid- izers, however, evolved larger and bet- ter flowers, and now all the catalogues list the plant. The Clarkia, however, had to cross the ocean to get any prestige. The pipe, a pure American inven- tion, had to go to England and Ger- many and Austria before it had any particular standing in the United States. Before 1860, a man by the name of Edward Hen was the only importer, being known as “the pipe man of the United States.” At that time his business amounted to less than $50,000 a year. Some little manufacturing had been done, howev far as we can dis. ver, by a gentleman with the good name of Thomas Smith, as early as 1847, but Americans with money pre- ferred to buy the imported pipes. The Civil War, however, cut off im- portations, and the United States w thrown on its own, far as fanc pipes were concerned. Clay and corn- cob pipes were smoked in the country, of course, but never made much of hit in the cities. Ex oy Pipes, as far as the consumer is concerned, are divided into two class- es, those that break and those that do not. In the former classes are the briars and corncobs, and in the latter the meerschaums, cla; porcelains, etc. The Indians had stone pipes. and some made of copper. Wonder how a copper-bottomed pipe would taste? In- i the I"alls of St. Anthony ad a sacred bed of red soap- tone, which they used in ‘Vi]\f‘ making, and which they jealously guarded for many years from white invaders. The only really new idea introduced ! in pipes since Columbus discovered America is the Eastern hookah, or Turkish water pipe, and as this is more trouble to operate than a stor age battery, it has never bden very | popular in America, despite many at- | tempts to put it on the market in a large way. For one thing, you can't carr: water pipe around in your coat pocket, as one can do with the hummy pipes of less complicated de- sign. Here we will let the ladies in on secret. ( pieked a pipe-smoking man, ads advise, you may be interested in knowing why he carries it with him all_the time. The real reason is that it puts him at ease when meeting other men. Two men with not much in common, vet trying to be friends, are terribly bored - have nothing in their hands. in hand, they find the em- ment _gone he same thin | holds true of all forms of “smokes.” but particularly of the pipe. The pipe is just a little more so, every way, if you ask us. An unparalleled record of service is credited to Dr. Charles W. Eliot, president emeritus of Harvard, whose death has been followed by universal tributes of regard and admiration. His rank among the immorta at- tested by the press, which lauds his culture, intellectual courage and de- votion to public welfare. He is de- clared to have put American educa- tion upon a high plane. The unusual circumstauce that in the death of Dr. Eliot and that of Rudolph Valentino within 24 hours of each other there arose a situation in which a preponderance of space was given by newspapers to the lat- ter has been a subject of much com- ment. Numerous editorials empha- size the contrast between these two examples of success. “One has consecrated his life,” ex- plains the Fort Worth Record-Tele- gram, “to the advancement of educa- tion. The other was i ‘movie idol’ The name of the latter was blazoned on the billboards of the world. The name of the former went deeper into the hearts and souls of that vas; human throng which reads that it may study. * * * In years one of the names will have been en- graved on the tablets of the immor- tals. The other will have been for- gotten even by those who worshiped at his shrine. EEEE Assuming that “a majority of the human race is still moved more by primitive emotions than by the_tri- umphs of intellect,” the New York Sun pictures the “million of young men and women who were attracted by Valentino,” then turns to “other milllons of young men and women who read from Dr. Eliot's five-foot shelf of books. But these calmer folk, much as they admired the sage of Harvard,” the Sun adds, “would never jam the streets in agitation over his illness or death.” Declaring that “it is to the crefit of his country that it recognized Dr. Eliot's ability, followed his leader- ship in education and knew him, long before his day ended, for the man he was,” the Philadelphia Public Ledger proclaims that “a once mighty man in education’s Israel has fallen, leav- ing his mark forever on his times.” The St. Louis Post- Dispatch also says that “America honors itself in the iribute of affection and esteem that it pays to his memory,” for, a; cording to that paper, ‘“he prophet and sage, citizen and patriot, teacher and guide.” o “It is not given to every one,” re- marks the Christian Science Monitor, “to engrave his or her name upon the tablets of time, nor has every re- former lived to see his ideals in defl- nite realization. Dr. Eliot was suc- cesstul in both of these dchievements. { Universally honored, he will long be remembered, not alone for what he did, but also for what he was.” The Utica Observer-Dispatch recognizes in him “one of the great figures of the age,” whose clear mind an rageous will were always put at the service of the public, ' and who “never hesitated to say what he believed, and to urge on others the good causes to which he gave loyalty.” The Canton ca's leading educators, scholars and thinkers"—one who ‘‘merits the rich reward that will always be his—a place in the memory of his fellow men for generations to come.” * ok X ¥ “He poured his life out,” says the Portland Oregon Journal, “like the flood of the Nile, which spreads across its valley and leaves fertility and pro- ductive life when the waters recede,” while In_the New York Times' judg- ment: . “Time taRes that stately and beloved presence; vet, for all his full- ness of years, his spirit and his intel- lect were 8o strong, his interest in all things human so ardent, that it was hard to think of him as old, save in cou- | Daily News places him aniong “Ameri-| Dr. Eliot, Citizen of World, Is Placed Among Immortals wisdom. Tn him the Nation loses an aceumulator «f its imponderable and nobler wealth. “To valor of intellect Dr. Fligt added an openness of mind which none but genial, as well as loy: friends of truth attain,” states the At- lanta Journal, with the added estimate that “he was in truth what Lord Bacon called ‘a citizen of the world. a whose heart, as well as mind, was ‘no island cut off from other lands, but a continent joined to them.' " The Newark Evening News adds: “His language was compelling. His thought commanded equally thoughtful atten- tion. When he spoke he made every one listen and think; for he spoke fearles although with the courte and tolerance of the opinions and feel- ings of others that distinguished the genuine liberal.' The Long Beach Press-Telegram holds that “America mourns a wise_counselor and an in- spiring example™ The New York Her- ald Tribune recalls that ** ‘the durable atisfactions of life’ was one of his orite phrases,” and believes that in the American career is to the cou durable satisfaction ‘The Psalmist’s melancholy ('harm‘l‘ terization of threescore years and ten was not for him,” ohserves the Provi- dence Journal; ‘“rather he went for- ward in the temper of Longfellow's ‘Morituri Salutamus’: “*Age is an opportunity no less Than youth itself, though in another one of those the evening twilight fades away The skv is filled with stars, invisible by day.’ " ——— A Sensible Mo From the Racine Journal-News. A recent news report declares that 17 Protestant denominations in Ohio have combined to secure adequate church equipment for places where the population is under 1,000, and, on the other hand, to unite. if possible, several churches where there are too many. It has long been recognized as an economic waste, to say nothing of the spiritual side of the matter, to have three or four churches where one would suffice: such a condition works a hardship on the pastors, who are compelled to serve at a salary ar below enough to support them- selves and families. Overcrowding of churches also means that the con- gregations are small, whereas if there | were only enough churches for the ! population - each” parish would be {large enough to support the one or |two churches deemed necessary for ithe village. | In the past it has been impossible to get anywhere in such a co-opera- |tive movement, because each denomi- | nation felt that it must by all means {have its own pastor—that even va- rious divisions of the Baptists, Meth- odists, etc., could not unite and meet | under one roof. Happily ‘the world !is progressing along more tolerant |and wider lines, and the plan of the | Ohio churches will be watched with | great interest. |” The report says that over 1,000 |e*~ndoned churches have been, found {in this one State alone; this is taken | to fndicate that there are too many ‘c' urches in proportion to the number t people able to support them. A man and wife who give their lives to the ministry are certainly entitled to a decent living, and too many congre- | gations simply means that many min- |isters and their families are eking out a bare existence. An Endless Chain. From the Omaha World-Herald. Life in Texas apparently 18 just one primary after another, 3 nted that you have | s the | + | where they may sit on their own ve- estimate his own | Co-operative Loans for U. S. Employes To the Editor of The Star: Speaking as one who has passed “through the mill” as a borrower on| real estate at Washington, D. C. I} would like to add my word to that] of L. S. Perkins in regard to moder- ate priced homes for Government em- ployes. When I moved to Washing- ton from New York a few years ago, having traveled largely through dif- ferent countries of the world, I was impressed by the superior class of men_and women who are working for Uncle Sam. I suppose the Civil Service :equire- ments demand a_higher grade of in- telligence, and while Government of- ficfals and clerks are the most poorly paid class of people in this country, they seem to take a certain pride in their work,. to feel that back of them after all is the unfailing strength of the Government of the greatest nation on earth. For this reason they should not be exploited by unscrupulous money lenders and pay extortionate com- mission and interest, if they are struggling to own their home. The longing for a place to call home is deep in most people’s hearts. In order to have one they listen to the siren song of the real estate salesman, who only wants his commission and who tells them how easily it can be done: Just a small payment down, $500 or $1,000; the rest can all be ar- ranged; a first trust at 6 per cent, sometimes more, on a $10,000 house, which means only $600 per vear, $50 a month. That looks easy and one thinks he is paying on a home, in place of giving it to a landlord. But, in addition to a $6,000 first trust and a cash payment of $1,000, there is a $4,000 second trust. That is where the trick is played. A second trust of $4,000 may be paid in pavments of° sav, $45 per month, at 7, sometimes 8, per cent interest, but there must be a commis- sion or honus of from 10 to 40 per cent, which is divided between the seller and money lender. They well know this is illegal gnd it does not appear in the final papers, but they | Will tell you that is the way it is done. The interest on $4,000 at 7 per cent is $280 per year. Add this o the $600 interest on the first trust and you are paying $880 per vear, a fair rent for elght-room house. But the taxes and water rent must be added, which, with the commission or bonus, will make your home cost vou ten or twelve hundred dollars a {vear. How much are you paving on | the principal at $45 per month? But | this is not all. | The first trust may run for two or | three years, then it must be renewed | and n commission of from 2 to 10 per - [ cent paid for the renewal. | Your second trust may run for only | one year, the idea being to make the buyer pay another bonus of from 10 to 40 per cent for renewal. When | this is done, all that you may think vou have been paying off in the prin- cipal is eaten up in the bonus. It is not intended that you are to come out | ahead. . | Itis a vicious practice and not used | anywhere, to my knowledge, except l'at the Capital of the United States. | Sometimes there is a third trust, for which much more must be paid, and | God help any one who is trying to buy o home under these conditions! Their hard-earned money is being swallowed, hook and line, by money lend: nd this allowed to go on. | While the administration is look- | ing into other illegal conditions at fw ington, why should this crime against Government employes not be looked into, also? Mr. Pefkins has explained things | pretty well. “Barracks” is the right word. It is humiliating to independ- | ent Americans to feel that they must be compelled to live, cook and eat in one or two rooms, when the whole wide, beautiful country lies waste— lling to little children to come and play away from the city streets. Tiome means a haven, a place of rest and privacy. which is never to he found while cooped in a tiny tene- ment. The plan of a co-operative loan | company, owned by the Federal em- | ployes, whereby one may borrow at {5 per cent without having to pay a | “bonus” and see their way toward | finally owning a place of their own, randa after the work of the day Is | done, breathe pure, free air, have | some flowers and a little garden if | they like, will be a greater thing for |the family and make life really worth | living, not merely a_hopeless exist- lence. MARY REID UMSTEAD. '[THINK IT OVER What Is Practical Arithmetic? By William Mather Lewis, President George Washington University Some one has referred to America as a Nation of economic illiterates. This fs undoubtedly an extravagant state- ment, but the success of all sorts of honest financial organizations dem- onstrates that it is not without some foundation in fact. One of the most effective ways of re- ducing economie illiteracy and check- mating the gold brick purveyor is found in.the proper teaching of math- ematics, particularly arithmetic. Here is a subject to which our schools give more time than to any other with the exception of language. Says Aley: “In mathematics, con- clusions are not made because they are pleasing and desirable, but be- cause they are inevitable. The na- ture of mathematics Is such as to train the students away from the for- mation of conclusions to buy gold bricks of any style. If the mathe- matical type of thinking were more common, the get-rich-quick concerns would be less common. The delusion of 50 per cent dividends on stock that cost 10 per cent cannot long remain in the mind of the man who thinks, mathematically.” That appears to be a rather opti- mistic statement in view of the fact that school teachers are considered among the easiest prey for fake in- vestment promoters. The statement is true if the mathematical thinking is done along practical rather than abstract lines. For instance, percent- age in arithmetic can be taught in such a way that the pupil is perma- nently impressed with the fact that when one is offered more than a cer- tain rate of interest for his money, he is probably gambling with the cards stacked against him, and not investing. In most instances, how- ever, the subject is not so handled as to stress this point. Again, in percentage knowledge of merchandising can be imparted. A so-called “Practical Arithmetic” has in it this problem: “If a merchant purchases a hammer for 25 cents and sells it for 50 cents, what per cent does he make on the transaction?” The answer given is 100 per cent. No consideration is given to the over- head of the business, to rent, clerk hire, advertising and all the other elements that enter into the sale of that hammer. What we need is to have the sub- ject of arithmetic vitalized and drama- tized by those who know both mathe- matical technique and the operations of actual business. Some one has defined technique in arithmetic as “facility and accuracy in fundamental operations.” All of us need facility and accuracy along this line. (Copyright. 1926.) Utopia. From the Wall Street Journal. ‘What a country this would be if everybody who gets mad at misgov- ernment would register and vote! ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERI Q. How much money is received in royalties for films shown abroad, and what is paid for foreign films?— C. M. A. In the last six years motion picture rovalties have amounted to at least $300,000,000, while foreign films have cost $1,000,000 for exhibi- tion here. Last year Europe paid the most, $52,000,000; Latin _America next, $7,500,000; Canada, $3,500,000; Asia’ and rest of world, $12,000,000; making a total for 1925 of $75,000,000. Q. How many people are killed at grade crossings?—L. D. A. During the last 10 years, more than 19,000 persons have been killed and over 52,000 injured on grade crossings. Q. Does the forest land of the Northwest yleld more lumber to the acre than the Eastern forests did?— H. J. A. In the East, 5000 or 6,000 feet per acre was considered a normal yield. The forests of the West Coast average nearly 40,000 feet an acre, and some yleld as high as 150,000 feet. Q. What is the rug of skin that a native black in South Africa wears called?>—N. A. F. A. The square of cloth or skin is called a “karo Q. When was the recall first prac- ticed in American politics>—B. T. L. A. Contrary to general opinion, the recall is not an innovation of modern politics, but has been known since revolutionary times. Pennsylvania’ delegates to the Continental Congress who refused to sign the Declaration of Independence were recalled and others sent in their places. Los Angeles was the first city to adopt the recall, the amendment to its charter in 1903 being modeled after the cantonal law of Schaffhausen, Switzerland. Q. What are the fat-forming and non-fat-forming foods?>—C. S. A. The fat-forming concentrated C J. HASKIN. foods are of several classes and con- sist of such substances as, first, hut- ter, cream, fatty portions of meat, salad oil and nuts; second, starchy foods, such as bread and pastry, the bread being taken as a rule with butter, giving a very concentrated fat and starch combination, while pastry has both fat. in the form of butter, and sugar: third, sweets and sugars, Sugars are used largely to add to the palatability of certain foods. The non-fat-forming foods con- sist in general of the bulky vegets lean meat and fish without fat bles, Q. Does a steam piston come to a'stop at the end of its strokes?— M. H. S. A. ‘At the end of each stroke the piston Is statfonary for.a fraction of a second. Q. When were italics first used”— . ‘A. Manutius, a_Venetian printer, first used them about 1500 A.D. Q. Did the gas mask provided the soldiers during the war protect them against flluminating gas”—S. D. M. A. The Army mask which afforded protection against the gases used in warfare would not be effectual against common minating gases Q. Where is the.longest stone arch bridge in the world?—R. D. E. A. Harrisburg. Pa., claims this record for the bridge built there over the Susquehanna. The keynote of the times is efficient service. In supplying its readers with a free information bureau in Wash- lington The Evening star is living up to this principle in decd and fact. | We are paying for this service in order that it may be free to the pub- lie. Submit your queries to the ‘staff of experts whose services are put at vour disposal. Inclose 2 cents in stamps to cover the return postage. Address The Evening Star Informa- tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Di- rector, Washington, D. €. BY PAUL V. COLLINS. 1t is reported that Eve first tasted the japple, but history fails to tell us who first smelled the rose or touched up cheeks and lips with the colorful juices now of Nature. All we can declare with certainty is that Amers womankind have answered the chal lenge of Shakespeare by “ridiculou exce: painting of the lilies of their countenances, besides scenting their toilets with synthetic perfumes, such as the spices of Araby never equaled. The special student in natural his- tory helps to trace the story of thi addiction to cosmetics and scents b: showing that, even before the preacl had discovered the vanity box and de- clared that vanity was the whole thing, birds and monkeys and other ancestors of our unwinged flappers had used the same methods for bil- lions of years, either to escape their enemies by camouflage or att mates, with tints added to thelr natural rainbows. So it comes genealogically. x % %k % The Census Bureau announces that, last vear, Americans used of creams, rouges, etc., what cost manufacturers tomake, nolessthan $34,178,000; talcum and other toilet powders, $21.423.000; perfumery. and toilet waters, $2° 000: other cosmetics and perfumes, $2 1.000—making a total manufacturing cost of $104,896,000. That does not in- clude dentifrices, hair tonics nor hair dves—which the preacher might have included in his animadversion on van- ity. Nor does it account for what per- fumes and cosmetics were imported from foreign makers—perfumes, bay rums and toilet waters, $2,053,000, and cosmetics, powders, creams, etc., $734,- 193. Furthermore, none of these fizures measure what the ultimate consumer paid, at retail, for her beauty and aroma—estimated at three or four times the above manufacturing costs. Also, if ona were statistically inclined, one might add the cost of all the little mirrors and gold vanity cases. “Vanity of vanities, all is vanit. for, with such bills for camouflage, it is no won- der that there is left so little for dry goods—mere “‘unconsidered trifle: Wik The important thing to study is not what vanity costs today for blush or odor, but whither runs the trend. Including all the smells, cheek paints, lipsticks, hair bleaches and dyes, plus the tooth powders, hair tonics, po- mades and permanent billows, the total today for looking pretty is $141.- 488,000 a season. Maybe the end justl- fies the means. What man is to set himself up as judge? It must be stated in full justice that in 1914 a dollar hought twice as much beauty stuff as it does today “but again we recall that some of us men were a dozen years younger then, and maybe it only seemed so. However that may be, in order to make a conservative comparison we would count the quantity used in 1914, if estimated on today’s costs, as double what it actually t then— say $50,000,000 worth at present rates, contrasted with our $141,458,000 In 1914 our population was 9 ;= 000, while today it is 115,378,000. Hence in 1914 the per capita—or “per heeka '—consumption at today’s rates was 51 cents' worth, now it is §1.22 worth. Or to be more accurate in bald or uncolored facts, since the population is only half female, we must double that “per cheeka.” That shows the high cost of hushands to- day, compared with the good old times before the war. Besldes, look at the kind of husbands we are now! * kK K In 1898 the Department of Agri- culture advocated perfumery farms, where they would sprout two roses where but ope sprouts today, for even then the demand for scents suggested dollars. ~ Nothing came of the recom- mendation beyond a few civet farms, and the whole field of roses, violets, jasmines and geranfums and other sweet-scented vegetation was given over to civet cats! Now the Coolidge administration wants to help the farm. ers and stand well with the ladies, so it is considering a plank for the next platform, “Fewer civets and more at- ar of roses!” or “More polls and fewer poles! * ok K ok Reverting to Mother Eve and her apple orchard and the snakes in the grass, it is declared by natural his- torians that that first snake which gave her the first ripe apple was the one which brought her the idea of coloration camouflage, supple- mental to the rolled fig leaf. Ever since then, birds and snakes, chame- leons and many beasts and insects have been trying out lipsticks, rouge and other disguises. They all camou- flage! why not our womenfolks? Mr. W. P. Pycraft, author of the book, “Camouflage in Nature,” says: “The coloration of animals is regarded as presenting four main types—pro- tective, warning, mimicry and sexual coloration. Protective coloration is generally described as having been evolved for the purpose of conceal- ment.” Galton, a naturalist of 75 years ago, pointed out: “No more conspicuous animal can well be conceived, according to the common idea, than a zebra; but on a bright starlight night the breathing of one may be heard close to you, and yet you will positively be unable to see the animal. If the black stripes were more numerous, he would seem like a black mass; if the white, as & white one: hut their proportion is such as exactly to match the pale tint which the arid ground possesses when seen by moonlight. Thus | maske#. he escapes the eye of the prowling lion, so long as he remains | motionless.” That principle, discovered by Gal- ir [ton, was not applied generally by the Waorld War brought the camoufl s and buildings and feminine faces. It is significant that about the time we entered the war arose the practice of painting ladies’ cheeks brilliant ved, which, like the color of the flamingo, when thrown against the growing sunset, makes the rouged one invisible—or \lmost so—to the passing crowds. It { has its advantages. | Sir Walter Scott, while not knowing the scientific terms of modern lore, set forth his warning of this pro- tective coloration “The deadliest snakes are those which, twined 'mongst flowers, Blend their bright coloring with varied blossoms, Their fierce eyes glittering like the sparkled dewdrop; In all so like what Nature has most harmless, | man until .| That sportive innocence, which dreads no danger, 1s poisoned unawares w ok kK Rash men, beware! It is ne generation ago—as runs the v since the public was alarmed Wleged discovery of the sting ing “kissing bug.” It frightened all but the brave, and so revivéd the cation of eligible man, but the brave deserve the fui Who knows but that ihat dis ery accounts for the more recent « mand for lipstick, either as prote tive coloration or as the coloration classified as “mimfery”? Thus some butterflies resemble the flowers on whose nectar they feed, and some deadly spiders look like harmless ants What flowery transformations are only of lipstick pufacture! The market demand for lipsticks is grow ing by leaps and hounds as the census proves, for man is growing more and more wary. * Kk ¥ ¥ While the sudden increase in 1l use of cosmeties and perfumes-— esy clally in pr us America- is significant 1 station of onr ex travagance and luxury, the custom is not altogether modern. The tomh of Tutankh-Amen contained jars of cosmetic. In “The Lamentations of Jeremiah,” the ancient eritle of his 1 against the same sort ‘Thou clothest thyself with crim son, thou deckest thyself with orna- ments of gold, thou rentest thy face bewailed Jeremiah That last accusiation even goes he yond Wi our ladies now are re proached for doing- renti the faces. So we note that the wors is yet to come, if rents go much higher. The 1l Hebrew lan guage of that verse makes hrw'ftr race only to “ey “thou rentest thine eyes.' in dicates the use of the e pen cil, at least in marl out the hound. arfes, preliminary to sign, r rent or sale! miah concludes with this “With painting, In vain, shalt thou make thyself fair.” Does not that sound just like a grouchy modern woman hater? Critl cizing rouge, the lipstick and eyebrow pencil, indeed! In olden times, vanity was not all confined to the ladies—as today. There was Absalom, who refused to bob his hair and smeared it “with ointment and perfume.” And there was Samson, who did hob! See what happened to them! There was also Queen Cleopatra, who lured Caesar and Antony with Orlental creams, perfiumes and Maybe she, too, “rented her € But she was stung. There wi went out to v it her Jezehel, who, when she ake an impressi King Jehu, “painted her face,” as the Hebrew record expressed fit, “put her eyes In painting.” History leaves us to guess whether she simply penciled her eyebrows and lashes or powdered, rouged and lipsticked, and had permanent waves. Finally, Isaiah could stand it no longer, and he broke out berailing and bewraying: “Be se the daughters of Zlon are haughty and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes, walking and | mincing as they go, and making a | tinkling with their feet, the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head, and will take away the bravery of the tinkling ornaments about their feet * ¢ ¢ and instead of sweet smell (perfumery) there shall be a stink, and, instead of a girdl rent, and, Instead of a well set halr, baldness, and, instead of a stomacher, a girdle of sackcloth; a burning in- stead of beauty.” And now, in spite of Jeremiah and Isalah—in spite of Absalom, who was hung, pomade on his unbobbed hair— in spite of the Queen of Egypt, who is dead, Ameritan girls are using treble the perfumes and cosmetics used by their own mothers, a decade ago! To what are we coming? Minc- ing as they go, making a tinkling with their féet,” and with rolled tops, “we view with alarm.” (Copyright, 1026, by Paul V. Oslllng)