Evening Star Newspaper, October 17, 1926, Page 58

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SUNDAY ....October 17, 1926 THEODORE W. NOYES. . .. Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Offe 11th St and Pennacivania A Now Y. Office: 110 Fast 4 Chicago Office: Tower Build European Office. 14 Rerent St.. Fngiand, the’ 0 centa ner month: onth: Sundays Per month_ Ordare may ba. ae felanhone Main 5000 Collaction carrier at end of each month. . London. Evening Star. with the Sundar morn fion. {a deliverad b carrers within by mail or is made by Rate by Mail—Payahle in Advance. Maryland and V' ails and Sunday E" B Alls only .. nday only .. 1wl &30 All Other States and Canada Paile and Sundar..] vr. $12.00: 1 mn Dailv onls 1er’ €R00: 1 mn’ Eundar only 1w 40071 mo Member of the Associated Press. The Assoriated Proge ‘e pxelis vals antitied 10 the nes fof rennhliceation of patches cradited 1o it or nnt o i1ad in thia naper and also the Duhlishat hersin. ATl rights of of anecal dapatch - The Call to Arms. Guarding the mails from handits hy the use of the military will not cure the evils though it prevent re. currence of the erime. The entire Army of the United States, with the Marine Corps as a supplement, might he so employed to furnish a guard for every mail truck and mail train in the service and thus literally at the point of the pistdl the post would he made secure. Rut there would remain the criminal Inclination to attack, for plunde-, the property of citizens and corporations unable to provide the guards requisite for security. The criminal element in this coun- try now at war against the lsw. The nation is at peace with all other na- tlons, but eivil war is raging in the form of raids against property with A heavy loss of life. The police forces of the cities and the States are un equal to the task “of resisting these guerilas. They may eatch a few of them after the fact, hut many escape and every eseape is an encouragement to the thieving fraternity. The danger lies that contage of escapes and the additional percentage of captures followed flow. uncertain judicial procedure in trial and punishment. The chance of by rea- ness of may real in per- hy evading penalties is so great gon of the mistaken human modern punitive measures and the technicalities which may be invoked by lawbreakers to delay trials, con- victions and executions, that even though double the number of crimi- nals now caught were placed under arrest there would remain a loophole of escape sufficient to tempt the thisves and marauders to continue their warfare. Postmaster General New has de- clared in favor of making any attack upen the postal transport equipment A capital crime, whether or not life 18 taken. Indeed highway rebhery of the madern sort, whatever the ohject of attack, should be so classed and so punished. And with such reclassifica- tion of crime thers shonld he a swifter procesding. Participation in any de- gree in a criminal hold-up, whether the ohjective be puplic or private property, should he a capital offense. 1f life is taken presumably only person is actually guilty of homicide, though there may be a dozen 4n the gang. Rut every member of that gang ix & potential murderer and should be treated as an accessory and subject to the same penalty as the one who actually fired the shot that took a life. Mobilization of the forces of law and order is necessary to combat this evil. The actual ranks of police and mili- tary used for safeguarding property and lives and for the pursuit of crimi- nals must he reinforced by speedy, effective jndicial attack. When caught thesa belligerents ghould be given the shortest shrift compatible with ele- mentary justice and that ultimate pen- alty which society, after all that can mald In favor of mercy, finds to be its only raal safeguard. B one Senate rules and the system of di- rect primaries are two subjects of great import, Involving controversial difficulties. Vice President Dawes may prudently decide to tackle them one at a time. —————— The Pukwana. Indians have tried to stop the Gov. ernment from using the famed “Pipe- | stone Quarries” of Minnesota for building construetion purposes. Tn olden times when the Redman tried to stop Uncle Sam from doing some- thing he used flint-tipped arrows or a Sharp's carbine or a Springfield rifle. This time he used a court injunction | intended to restrain the Secretary of the Interior. The injunction idea did not work. Chief Justice McCoy of the District! Court dismissed the suit, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Suprema brought by T. Bonnin, Yanktonais Sioux Indians. | The plaintiffs had invoked a treaty datine from 1858 which, they claimed, contained a provision prohihiting the industrialization of the quarries. It has been the case usually in the | Past that pretty nearly evervthing that the Indian had and the white man-wanted was eventually lost’to the aborigine. Of course there are ex- ceptions, like the rich oil lands he longing to the Osages, although the whites have never ceased to gaze greedlly at that wealth-producing real | eatate. A Caucasian eving something owned by an original American about as easily discouraged agd di- werted as a Winter wolf. Tt Is regrettable, however, that these quarries, famed in fable for centuries and bound up, to a certain extent. with the spiritual life of the Indian, should be treated like ordinary granite | or marble or sandstone deposits. Their semi-sacred status was recognized in' the old treaty. No one knows for hoew many centuries the Indian quar- ried out this peculiar rock to make the bowis for his pipes, and traded it to tribes residing hundreds and even thousands of miles away. The story of the origin at that very | second. epot of the Pukwana. the peace-pipe, [ well with the v is “Hiawatha From the red stone of | the quarry,” sang the poet, “‘with his hand he (Gitche Manito, the Great Spirit) broke a fragment, moulded it into a pipehead from the margin of the river took a long reed for a pipe- stem filled the pipe with bark | of willow; breathed upon the neighbor- (Ing forest, made its great boughs | chafe together till in flame they burst | and kindled and. erect upon the moun- talns, smoked the calumet, the peace pipe.” Following his inspirational example the concourse of trihes washed their war paint away in the |river, made themselves pipes and became, temporarily, a prehistoric T.ea Ever afterward ue of Nations, the in certain ceremonial fashion, denoted peace and good will, just as the briar does among those who followed after. By one way or another, small cash payments, bribes, diplomacy., intrigues, powder and ball and, above all, by jirresistible economie pressure, the whites obtained nearly all the Indian owned, his cattle ranges, his minerals, his waters and forests. No one can deny that, taking everything inte con- sideration, it was all for the” best In the long run. The Indian has changed. or s fast changing. just as the coun try has. The champion bricklayer of the world is a redskin. At the inter- national plowing matches recently held in Ontario the Indians held their Own with their white neighbors. Probably the utilization of the quar- ries is necessary and reasonable. The wheels of progress easily grind up flesh and blood, and sandstone pipes; sometimes, while bringing ideas, crush ideals. Persons with a streak of romance in them. ,no matter whether they he white or copper-hued, regret the future statement, Here once were the quarries from which, sinee tima Immemorial, the savages cut their pipe bowls." oo The Water Front Project. A project for the improvement of the water front of Washington has received the approval of the National Capital Park and Planning Commis- sion. It contemplates a complete re- vision of conditiops along the river, with the establishment of broad read- ways. It will, when accomplished, transform an unsightly stretch into.a scene of dignity and heauty. This question of the river frontage of the Capital has been troublesome for many years. In former times, he- fore the reclamation of the “flats” which have heen developed into Poto. mae Park, the Washington Channel, which formed the harbor, was a source of constant annoyance and indeed was an insanitary menace. When the Government completed the great proj- ect of river improvement and zained title to the shores, under decision of the Suprems Court in a case Involving the ownership of the reclaimed areas, it was hoped that advance would be made toward the redemption of the city's water front. A few improve. ments were made there, some of the unsightly, erumbling wharves were re- placed with more substantial struc- tures, a fixsh market was established. Rut this was only a atart, and it. was not in accordance with a broad defi- nite plan. While the water front problem has heen allowed to remain unsolved Po- tomac Park has hecome the scene of constant visitation. It attracts multi- tudes of people. Practically eve coming to Washington takes the cele- brated drive around the reservation. On the return trip, after circling the east- ern section of the park, these guests of the city see Washington in it least agreeable aspect. Directly across the channel stretch the wharves, from the boundary of the Washington Barracks to the tidal outlet bridge, a drab scene of neglect and dishevelment. 1f it were possible to drive along the water front on the city side the view across the channel would b one of loveli- ness. As it i, the only river-edge course hrings the traveler in confront- ation with a stretch of untidiness of which the average resident of the Capital is ashamed, and for which he is apologetic. The changes contemplated In the profect which has just heen approved by the park and planning commission will redeem this section of the city and not only present an appropriate aspect of Washington to the visitor to Potomac Park, hut will permit a river- edge drive on the city side from which the loveliness of the park may be viewed. This work cannot he too soon under- taken. It is the most urgent feature !of the capital-development plans. Whatever may he the future of the water traffic for the supply of ma- terlals for local consumption, the Cap- ital should he given this belated at- tentlon in respect to Its mogt con- eplcuous arrears. Eventually %he en- tire park system will be linked to- gether. The work of uniting Potomac tand Rock Creek parks is in progress, | slowly but surely. Anacostia Park is in { the making, soon to be completed. It <hould likewise be linked with Poto- mae Park, by driveways and bridges on the south, and with other drives and bridges or canusewa on the north united with the other reservations of the Capital. This southern link will be assured with the water-front improve. ment which is happily now so well ad- vanced toward final approval and au- | thorization. { 1 . Many an important case has hag to be terminated hecause of the simple. human demand on the part of the jury for an honest night's rest. The Champion Foods. It is credibly reported from an un- known and unbelieved source that pie and angel cake lead all other foods in popularity in the United States. The verdict is based on a questionnaire, which gives only a fraction of public opinion. and peopie do net always tell the truth about themselves in ques- {tionnaires or elsewhere. The vote for angel cake will be disputed by the partisans of devil cake, sponge cake, ginger bread, ginger snaps, cookies, pound cake, layer cake and bride’s cake. It may he that angel cake won its victory because of its name, though devil cake must have been a close Bride's cake probably ran young voters. It 1 | is beautifully told in Longfellow's is not believed thaiihe sponge cakers, 1 s Tagrant implement, when smoked | - one | ginger snappers and others will rest ;mmned with the result. | Some persons will dispute the pre- { miership of pie. Potato, Cabbage, I('nrn-d Reef, Bacon and Ham and ! Eggs have issued statements that { scorn Pie. grel dish that is not bread, frult or meat, and that ax a_cheap lunch and a dessert. Pie got a big vote because there are many kinds of pie and the followers partisans of pumpkin ple, numerous in an old and remote’ part United States, voted for pie. Down this way the sweet potato pie vote turned opt strong. The apple pie peo- ple got out their full vote with no more than the usual bribery, and the mince pie, custard pie. peach. pie and cherry pie voters held many torchlight parades, barbacues and speakings and put up an active campaign. Tt is not strange that Pie got a large vote. If all the, cake boosters had got together on one camdidate Cake might have beaten Pie. . B Charles B. Hanford. ‘The death of Charles B. Hanford closed a ecareer extraordinary in many respects. In spite of brilliant successes in the theater, he was chiefly con- cerned with the friendships and' the home life involved In a useful citizen- ship. His life was a happy one indeed. He hid ne need of the rivalrous vigl- lance which envies the attainments of others. What he most prized he al- ways had: the respectful love of all Who came into contact with him. His Ioss of volca was one of the most cruel tricks that fate ever played on an ar- tist. He met the misfortune, bravely and resourcefully and rejoiced In teaching others In whispers the ac- complishments with which he had charmed so many listeners. A man of intense idealism, Hanford permitted himself no hatreds. Thers- fore, he invited nene. In welcoming a neweomer in the world of drama he was no l+:s enthuslastic than in ac cording praise to the veterans of the theater with whom he had heen ass ciated with =0 much distinction, yvet with so little self-assertion. He held the mirror up fo Nature, reflecting with elean accuracy the figures of nglish dramatic poetry. He was the hetter able to do this hecause he Kkept the mirror of the mind unsullied by foolish vanity or selfish deceit. The public knows him as a great player. He more than this: a loyal, helpful fellowman and a devoted triend. The unstinting plaudits of the crowd were his. He held them but lightly and gained what few men in his professfon can earn, the tribute of memory, affectionate and sincere from all who knew him. SRS, was Ttaly is now a thriving industrial nation, thanks to Mussolini, who suc- ceeded in asserting himself as a po- litical hoss with a real mission in-lite. —————— It is now the opinion of Thomas A. { Edison that the preponderance of evi- dence indicates an existence of future life. Science is exact and farreach- ing. But there are things that have to be learned ountside the laboratory. B — The former Kaiser of Germany will retain his old estates. Next to heing an emperor, it is desirable to be a well fortified realtor. [ The presidential Thanksglving proc- lamation will soon bé due. A number of Congressmen are already display- ing the usual inclination to pay no serious attention to it. et Instead of publishing a “help want- ed” advertisement, Henry Ford at- tracts labor by an announcement of philanthropic methods looking to short hours and large pay. Old-fash- ioned fiddlers are right enough in their way. New-fashioned methods of pub- licity are more effectual. A new standard has heen set by Su- sanne Lenglen. Tennis becomes a per- sonal exhibition rather than a game. oo " SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JORNSON, The Old and the New. A bird on the telegraph wire Is singing Its own little song, Regardless of messages happy or dire Traversing the distances long. He gings of the sun and the skyv, In tones that are sturdy and tru The message, scarce heeded, will swift- Iy pass by, But the song i eternally new. An Established Commodity. ur constituents have stood by you for many years.” “They hav agreed Senator Sor- ghum. “There may be better states- men available than T am, but T have been well advertised and am sort of regarded as a household article.” Unsafety First, A traffic cop has much to do, He bids us halt or hurry: The recklsss motorist breaks through And murmurs, “He sheuld worry!" Talk it not cheap. It has made the fortune of many an orator. Jud Tunkine saye erime waves make it look as if the underworld were now on top. The magnificent wrappings of a mummy again remind us that the clothes do not make the man. Immunity. “Your boy Josh is a player.” “I'm glad of it." answered Farmer Corntossel. "So long as he Kkeeps playin’ the banjo he can't mix up in none o' them foolish dances.” Having the Stuff Analyzed. fine banjo The pleasures onee deemed trivial Now puzzle the biologist, The citizen convivial Employs a toxicologist. Ri Ho, the sage of Chinatown, savs love of money makes many a man the melancholy victim of unrequited af- tection. “A man dat thinks he works too hard,” said Uncle Eben, “i1s mes’ gen- erally thinkin' harder dan he works.” They denounce it as a mon- | makes. its living only | of every kind voted the pie ticket. The | of the| [ 'EVERYDAY | \ BY THE RIGHT REV. JAME “CRITERION OF JUDGMENT.” | Inasmuck as ye did it not. | &t Matthew. rrv.45. The twenty-fifth chapter of St. Mat- thew’s gospel.contains one of the most | serfous and solemn of Christ's state. ments. In it He sets forth the stand. ards of divine judgment. Two para- bles or stories He presents for the pur. poses of illustration. The first. com- monly called the parable of the ten I'virgine, is designed to emphasize fhe peril of neglect. The five foolish gins, who made no adequate provision to meet an emergency, were judged ynworthy to be admitted into the pres- ence of their master. “Theirs was the sin of omission. They regarded light- Iy and inconsiderately their responsi- bility. They saw no necessity for making ready and their foolishness | cost them dearly. The second. or| more significant of these two stories which Christ toid, has to do with the use of talents or gifts. Tt is a story illustrative of their use and misu It is irresistibly logical and the f: of it is unchallenged. It is the . of one who &ave to his servants a fair proportion of gifts or talents. | He gave to each one “according 1o his sexeral abilit To one he gave five, | to another, two, and to the third, one, with the admonition that they were to he used with a view to their increase. ‘The story does net involve so much the question of the volume of the gifts as it does the question of their use The reckoning is made when the ma. ter returns. The man with the five talents has made good use of them and they have increased in value: like- wise the man with two. Both receive hearty approval and an adequate re- ward. The man with the one talent, seemingly unconsclous of Its value and ure, returns it unimproved. Upon him condemnation is passed and The one talent given to him that had 10. The rewards are apportioned with due re- gard for the consistency with which life's service is rendered. 'We are prone to think of life and the results of its attainments in terms of volume or quantity: Jesus thinks of it in terms of assumed respohsibility and the quality of service. We emphasize possession. He the ability and will 1o use, with intelligence ‘and fidelity life's gifts. \We give large place o tie profession of the lips, He to what | demonstration we give of the value of | what we say. In fine, the criterion of | ultimate judgment is based upon the | use we make of the zifts and oppor tunities that are ours. ‘This expres | " The number of mine accidents dur- ing the present year has led to in- quiries as to whether or not such disasters are on the increase. At | the United States Burean of Mines | no answer can he secured to this | question, for the very good reason that the statistics for the vear have not been compiled as yet and no comparigons can he made or con- clusions drawn. Unofficially, it is stated, however, that when the fig- ures for the 12 months are available | it i not in the least likely they will show that mine accidents are increasing in number or in serious- ness. The reasons for this belief are that under State laws and regulations mining operations are carried on more carefully than ever hefore, more is known about how to prevent mine explosions, emergeney relief equip- ment and crews are more generally available, and heth miners and operators have heen trained in acci: dent prevention and first-aid work through extensive education cam- paigns carried on by the [ederal Government and by varions States. | When 43 miners were entombed in | a Michigan iron mine last month a rescue car of the Uniteg States Bu- rean of Mines was at ®he scene in short order and the rescue work was carried on with a celerity and with an efficiency that would have heen impossible a few vears ago. It took five days to get the men out, but when their release was effected they were in remarkably good physical | condition. thanka to the training 2 few of them had had In taking care of themselves and thelr companions in emergencies of that character. In one month—December, 1907 serfes of disastrous explosions in coal mines cost the lives of more than 800 men and the serious injury of many others. This directed public attention to mining conditions and Congress was finally compelled to take some action after having failed to do anything time and again since 1865, when the firat bill was offered to create a mining bureau. In 1908 however, Congress merely directed the (ieological Survey to make an investigation of the causes of mine explosions and it was not until two ears later that the Bureau of Mines was established. Many Miners Instructed. In the 16 vears that have since elapsed the bureau has given instruc- tions in first aid and mine rescue methods to more than 200,000 miners and to many of thelr wives and chil- dren. This educational work is car- ried on through motion pictures, literature, lectures and demonstra- tione. The bureau has 10 safety sta- Itions and 11 rescue cars that are lo- cated at strategic points throughout the country and the crews of these cars ard constantly spreading the| gospel of safety when they are not called upon to assist in rescue work at some disaster. This Federal agency has no au- thority to regulate mining operations. It can merely advise and recommend and all the regulating that can be done must come through State laws, | but there has bheen noteworthy har- mony and co-operation in the rela- tions of the bureau with the various State boards and commisaions. In order to conduct the mine safety work to best advantage the mining fields of the country have been grouped within nine districts which are defined with reference to railroad facilities and the distribution of mines “that is. to rendering the most) speedy ald possible by both car and | station persennel in event of a mine | accident. + In its efforte to arouse and main- | tain a general interest in safety, the| bureau has co-operated actively in the ! holding of district and State, national | and international, first-aid and mine rescue meets. In the first national | meet held in Pittsburgh in 1911. 30/ first-ald teams competed: in the last | International meet, held in Salt Lake | City, in 1923. 60 teams participated. Through the co.operation of oper: ators and State officials the Bureau of Mines issues reports monthly and | annually, giving, by causes and States. | the fatalities at coal mines and thé | fatal and non-fatal accidents at Bishop ef Washington. | conconance with Yhe methods or stand. | | ards by which we appraise the worth | To a world that is crowded with men. MINE RESC BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. agent of destruction in many terrible | | ress. | fled commitment to it before it metal mines. quarries,+ coke ovens and metallurgical works other than | iron and steel plants. The purpose | in publishing these data, it is stated, | is not to fix responsibility for dis- | asters, or to preserve a historic rec- | ord of past experiences. but to make | available a body of reliable informa- tion from which legisiative hodi2s and safety engineers can determine what | the hazards are that should receive | chief attention. U For a long time it was a matter of controversy as to whether bitumi- nous coal dust was explosive, many D. C., OCTOBER 17, 1926— l [ ) | RELIGION E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL.D., sion of divine judgment Is in perfect or worthlessness of human service. Henri Amiel. brilliant of mind. gifted with rare intellectual qualities. lived so selfish and insular a life that he produced nothing saving his fragmen- tary “Journal.” The hook ls the wit- ness not so much to mental poverty as to the misuse of Gpd's gifts. Hugo. on the, contrary. wrought with his| magic pen in behalf of the oppressed and forgotten. and enriched the world with one of the noblest pieces of lit erature it contains. Every community has in it men and women who amply illustrate the stos Christ told. On the one hand, we have those who make high profession of their ideals and devotion to the mighty principles of life that Christ set forth, but thelr volubility has no adequate witness in deeds of generous and selfless service. They take their talent or gift as something which is largely for themselves. What they hold of faith in devetion to Christ is to them a matter of self-interest and self-enrichment. They may be con spicuous in their puisuit of the things of worship. they may seem ardent in their personal devotion o the church, bhut here their ardor and devotion end. Avomen and little children, who are desperately in need of what they have to give, they are coldly unresponsive. To them God's blessings are largely for self-consumption. They literally bury what they have in their self-sat- isfled and selfish lives. The poet well said, 1t our virtue did not go forth of us. “Twere all the same as if we had it not. “Inasmuch as ye did it not,” though a stern, is a just judgment. In the concluding portion of Christ's story He speaks of the surp of those to whom the judgmént is meted. They seem wholly unconscious of their neg- lected opportunities. With wonder- ment they ask. “When saw we the/ hungry or' thiraty or sick or in prison. | and did not minister unto them?" That their allegiance to Him should he disclosed in deeds of beneficent service to humanity they had never sensed. The seemingly poorest life. consist- ently lived, must come ultimately to outvie the life of another whose gifts and talents were used solely for self- ish purposes. How finely Lowell ex. presses the Master's thought in his lines, Who gives himself with his gift. feeds three, Himself. his hungrs neighhor and Me UE WORK mining men that it was| not. and the Federal Bureau nnder- took to settle the question. It con- ducted tests in a steel gallery and | large scale tests in its experimental mine near Bruceton, Pa.. and hy 1911 it_had convinced all who had doubt- ed that coal dust had been the chief contending explosions. Later it demonstrated that the best method of averting coal dust explosions is to coat the walls, roof and floor of mine passages with rock dust. As a result several hundred mines are now heing rock-dusted. one State —Utah—requires that rock dust be | used in all coal mines, and several other States specify its use as an al- ternate to sprinkling. Rritish investigatol of coal dust and as a likewise first to initlate experiments in rock-| potency mine explosions, dusting as a preventive measure. In 1923, the British government formally | proposed that its department of mines and the United States Bureau of | Mines should co-operate in efforts ta prevent mine accidents, thisx co-opera- | tion to he directed more immediateky toward research on the betterment of | coal mine explosives, the use of elec-| trical equipment in mines, and the best methods of preventing the propa- gation of explosions. This proposal was accepted by the American Gov- ernment. Under the terms of the co- operation there is an interchange of Investigators and of the results of | testr, and duplication of work fs avoided. Other .preventive measures devel- oped by the Bureau of Mines that have done much toward saving the lives of miners include the establish- | ment of standards for electrical equip- ment that should he used in mines and what are known as permissible explo- sives. Manufacturers of _electrical equipment have found it highly ex- pedient to comply with the apecifica- | tions of the Federal agency, and there | are few mines now where explosives | are heing used that are not of the type that the bureau approves. YOUR CHILD IN SCHOOL By Dr. Frank W. Ballou, Superintandent of Sehools. Washington No. 5—Educational Fads and Fancles. It 1& not surprising that education, like other branches of the arts and avi- | ences, has heen subject to the whims and eccentricities of thinkers from time immemorial. Opinions of educators will differ as opinions do in other professions. It is the educator who keeps himself firmly grounded in the fundamental principles that are drawn from child- study as well as from the views of the theorist that will perform a real professional service. To understand how unusual theories in education originate. one need only to listen to certain adults, who may or may not be parents, and hear them state thelr views on rearing and edu cating children. Their views will range all the way from intense cod dling and exclusive home-keeping t« complete institutional supervision dver our hoys and girls. 1 Is anvthing wrong? Has mankind suddenly taken to mental wanderings” Or is there no ground for concern? It may safely be said that the situa- tion is normal and natural. Tn a large measure. fads and fancies are not only to be tolerated hut welcomed in edu cation. Fade are useful and they can he made sensible, but they must be held within bounds. Fads cannot be per mitted to outlive their usefulness anc to run to the point of absurdity. In. general. a fad stands for prog ! It represents an endeavor t. try a mew thing or a new method in an old practice. Either is commend- able in any field. It is not the fad| that is reprehensible, but the unquali | is tried out. To many. vocational education un. questionably was faddish when it was first stressed as a definite trend, but to view it as such now would in itself bhe absurd. One might now look upon the use of motion pictures in the schools as a fad, vet it is apparent” many that they are likely to become not only extremely useful but a vir- tual necessity in school equipment. Frequently what we term a “fad" i =0 called only because of its nov- elty. Virtually all the greatest inven- tions were a0 characterized when first introduced to,a world that was little janswer. | the brilliant president of George Wash- {ington University and apostle of na- | ingtonians the other day. PART 2. Capital Sidelights Uncle Sam, although he is running the biggest workshop in the world, although he is spending about $5.000.- | 000,000 a year, although he owns some hundreds of millions in real property. doesn’t know and never has known since the Declaration of Independence | just what he is worth. That's because he never has had a real balance sheet, | without which no private business concern would be able to keep going. | Of course. Uncle Sam knows what | his expenses are—how much nroney flows out each vear and what comes in—but until the fiscal vear 1923 he couldn’t tell you on a bet how much of that golden flow vear after year has gone into real property, which repr sents capital invested Instead of mons merely spent. All this is being corrected so that Congress and the public can be sup- plied with the first real balance sheet ever prepared for the United States Government to show the whole picture of the fiscal affairs of this Nation. Under the leadership of Controller General McCarl a uniform system of accounting is being installed whereby financial data will be collected so that the consolidated balance sheet will show how the Government stands as a Roing business concern. * ok ok ¥ The Temple of the Oracle, now in the southern shadow of the Capitol, is about to he moved into the new $10.- 000.000 Department of Commerce Bullding to be erected on Fifteenth street between Pennsylvania avenue and B street. This oracle foretells the tides years in advance for the use of r_\arln- . fishermen and bathing beau- ies. These tides. be It understood, are the waters of the ocean set in motion by that subtle force exerted by méon and sun. Members of Congress have in recent yvears acquired the habit of taking their constituents who live near the shore on a visit to this Tem- ple of the Oracle to see thé ingenious tide tablas. These tahles did not, like Topsy, just happen. they are the re- sult of vears of study by experts. One of the results of this delving by the scientiste is the “brass soothsayer.” It is responsible for the prediction of fu ture tides, which are supplied to the public in handy hooklet form by the Coast and Geodetic Survey, whether the call comes from mariner, fisher- man or mermaid. This machine, which i= 11 fest long, 2.feet wide and & feet high. was de- signed and built in the office of the Coast and Geodetic Survey. As vou read this the machine & busy making predictions of the tides for 1929, The tide tables of the ["nited States as now published contain full predictions of each high and low water for 8 prin- cipal ports in all parts of the world and some 3,500 subsidiary ports. ‘The question has heen asked: many mathematicians would quired to do the work of this ma- chine. and what saving is made to the Government by its use?’ Both questions are impossible of exact | It may he that a hundred mathematiclans might do the work if it were possible to he done by the mathematicians. but the human brain is not a summing machine, so still the qustion is unanswered. While the ‘“‘brass soothsayer is the child of the hrain of the tidal mathematician and the mechanical engineer, it easily performs a work which would be difficult for the par- ent. The machine saves the Gqvern- ment anywhere from $100,000 to $500,000 a year. Who can sa But the making’of this mechanical predictor was all in the day's work of a group of Government workers who are passing to the ‘“great be- yond,” far removed from the tides of men, “unheralded and unsung."” * ok ko “My great-grandfather, a hundred years ago, huilt the first water works in Detroit.” Willlam Mather Lewi | “How he re- tional representation for the disen- franchised people of the Nation's Cap- ital, told a group of leading Wash- The mains were tamarack logs, which had been floated down the river and mortised together,” he explained “The reservoir was a tank ralsed the water was v through the mains. high enough so that rried by gra the cellars of the users. At the end of the service pipes were plugs, which were removed when water was de- sired. It is a far ery from that crude ystem to the high-pressure water sys- tem of Detroit today, capable of throw- ing tons of water each minute upon a fire in the business distric Dr. Lewis with amusement recalls that he might have been a millionaire only that in those early days of plumb- ing, as in these later days of that pro- fession, there was no such thing as a fool-proof plug. The net result was that one consumer, after drawing a supply of water, oftentimes neglected to properly shut off the flow, and some time later would find he had a nice swimming pool in his cellar, while all along the line other house- holders were bitterly complaining be- cause they couldn’t get “service.” * x ok % Vice President Dawes is proud of the picturesque war record of his grandfather, who made thé famous ride with Paul Revere on the mern- ing of April 19, 1775. to warn the patriota of Concord and Lexington that the “Red Coats" were coming. He is equally proud of the Civil War record of his father, Rufus Republic Dawes, who started in whén only 22 and participated in most of the major engagements to put down the ‘“re. bellion,” including Bull Run, which is the nearest battlefield to Wagh- ington. Washington “the Beautiful.” which the Vice President, with other admin- istration leaders, is bringing to a ma- ture development, was not then a city to fill the soldiar's hreast with patriotic reverence. Says Col. Dawes: “There was gambling, that ever-pres. ent curse of camp life: but the strict orders of Col. Cutler against this vice and his vigorous discipline greatly reatricted the evil in Camp Arliagton. It was well the regiment had so reso- lute a commander. He gave almost no passes to the city. Thieves, specu- lators, gamblers and vile characters of all kinds had flocked to Washing- ton to prey upon the Army. This enemy In the rear was now more dan- gerous than the enemy in front. “The great thoroughfare, Pennsyl- vania avenue, was constantly thronged with a surging crowd. The street was =0 muddy that it could not be crossed, and the western side only was used. In spite of the constant marching of the armed patrols, our soldiers were onstantly made vietima by the harpies. Washington was a very sink- hole of infquity in other ways of evil. The unfinishd dome of the Iinited States Capitol and the half-built Wash- ington Monument well typified the uncertainty of a continued national existence.” It took time for persons to hecone accustomed to the electric ligh'. the telephone and the prepared for them. automobil., but now all these acces- sories of modern life are accepted a commonplace and necessary. It is but a short time ago that radio was looked upon as a fad. Now it is 50 well established as a reliable means of communication, instruction and en- tertainment that mankind would suf fer a distinct loss to be without jt. Fducation never will suffer from occasional fads if those to whom its { delphia. { had never rvice pipes led from the mains into | BY ROBERT : THE SUNDAY STAR. WASHINGTON. : M MEN AND AFFAIRS T. SMALL. It was decidedly an odd spectacle. British government during the wi that of ex-soldiers of the World War cheering for poison gas at the conven- tion of the American Legion in Phila- It seemed that the cheers| must have emanated from those who | come in contact with the deadly fumes or had never Leen com- pelled to wear a gas mask for any “length of time. Neither is a very pleasant experience. And also it seemed that it was only a vear or two ago that the clvilized | world was horrified by the news that the Germans had used poison gas against_the British on the western | front. Even those who were trying to he neutral in those earlier days of the world conflict denounced this “bar- bari and ecould find no excuse for it whatsoever. Yet the gas of that first attack was a simple vapor compared to the lethal creations which later came into general use on both sides of the line. The British excused their adoption of gas as an expedient of “fighting the devil with fire.”” When the United States entered the war gas was an accepted weapon of of- fense. Just now it is heing hailed in some quarters as a “humane weapon." The theory of this humanity is that gas sither puts a soldier out of action and does not kill him, or else it kills him so quickly and painlessly that it is much to be desired to the bullet of a machine gun or the splinter of a high explosive shell. Just as one is about to be convinced of the humanity of gas along will come some advocate of aviation and promise that with a sizable fleet of airplanes and plenty of bombs filled with the newest of the most deadly gases it would be an easy matter to kill every human being on Manhattan Island in less than half an hour. This expression of humanity must be on the theory that war ftself is a humane institution, much to be admired. Naturally the argument of the gas advocates is thar war is inevitable and. being g0, each nation must look to the use of the most formidable weapons at its command, once. the fs- sue is joined. In any avent it {s quite evident that a big ight will be made in the Senate to keep the United States out of the treaty of Geneva harring the use of gases in all future wars. Prohably this fight will be led by Senator David Reed of Pennsylvania. himsell a veteran of the World War. It will he argued in the Senate, as it was at the American Legion convention. that this treaty would in effect rob the | United States of its most potent weapon, hased upon the helief that | the chemists of this couniry, when | put te the test, can turn out more terrible forms of gas than the chemists of any other land. Recently there was a thorough dis- cussion of the subjeat at the Institute of Polities, held at Williamstown, <. One of the speakers there was | James Irvine, eminent Scottish educator and scientist, whe was in charge of chemical research for the | one which spread and prevailed or during the large portion of the ws which followed the first gas attack ac Ypres. Sir James took issue with the American chemists that the pra- duction of poison gas is essential ana called the making of these lethal vapors a ‘prostitution of science. He furthermore advocated an agres ment among the chemists of world themselves not to produce gas for the destruction of humankind. Sir James agreed with those who contended that in time of war preb ably no nation could he depended upon to keep a treal forbidding the use of gas. He also recognized the fact that in devising a defense against gas it was necessary to consider always the offensive properties of this new weapon and he agreed that both offensive and defensive gas research was bound to go ahead. Asked for a logical solution then of the world problem, Sir James replied: “All warfare is hatefy Speaking of ethe American Leglon convention, it is not generally known—for it was not generally re- ported In the public prints—that & serious riot narrowly was averted one evening when the revelry was at fits height on that section of South Broad street in Philadelphia roped off for the divertisements of the delegates and visitors. This riot nearly occurred when some unhappy individual rvecalled the fact that during the early stages of our participation in the World War an effort was made by certain elements in this country to paste the label of “Sammies” on the American troops in France. The men of the ranke hated that name worse than they hated the enemy across the line. Tt was {llfitting. ill-sounding and just about as popular as the {tch or w = ever caused the itch. It was an all but-forgotten memory when some one recalied it in a group of doughhovs wearing their overseas caps. They hooted and yelled and vowed helated vengeance upon the hapless persos whoever suggested pinning “Sammy" to a fighter for the U. 8. A All sorte of names were suggested in those early dayvs to take rank with the “Tomm! of England, the “Poilus” of France. but the old in fantry title of “Doughboy” was the The men liked it. They wanted none of the highfaluting or sentimentat stuff. Another add thing about the Legion convention was the fact that the nld rongs of France appeared to have heen forgotten. It was the rarest necur rence to hear a band burst forth with “Madelon™ or “Mademoiselle of Bar le-due,” or event the “Marseillaise.” There was a return to the old march ing tunes of the American Army and Navy. a renaissance of Sousa and an intermingling of modern jazz. Per haps when the Legionnaires invade France next September the old tunes & will come back te them and there may he another revival in this country. (Copyright. 19761 Fifty Years Ag;) In The Star | Under the Constitution the day on which the people cast their hallots | for presidential electors must he the same throughout the United Stat and this day has come October n course of yvears to| E]ection!. he a general election Aay for the cholee of | members of the House of Repre-| sentatives and the Senate, 1 with few exceptions, for officer of the various States. Fifty year ago, however, there was still a diver gence from the fixed date for con- gressional elections and several of the States voted in the early Autumn. In 1876 these early elections were r and garded as of special significance inas- | | much as it was recognized that the country-wide vote in November for President would probably he close State and congressional elections were held in Ohio. Indiana and West Virginia on the 10th of October. On that day The Star, discussing the gen- eral question of early elections, sajd: “One thing iz apparent from the experiences of this presidential cam- paign, and that is the necessity. in the interests of the fairness of the franchise and the purity of national politics, that there shall he one uni- form day of election in all the States. U'nder the present system of Fall elec tions in some of the Statea prior to the presidential election, two or three States virtually decide in advance who shall he President. Thizx not only glves undue preponderance to the| States so voting, but affords a direct bid for all sorts of fraud and corrup- tion to he concentrated to carry these States at all hazards. In this cam paign it i= conceded that if Ohio and Indiana hoth geo Democratic today, Mr. Tilden will he elected President: if these States go Republican, Mr, Hayes will be elected. ow, where such tremendons fa- sues are at stake on the result in two States of the thirty-eight in the Union. it is neot strange that charzes are made Bf andless devices hy the party managers on each side to achieve suc ceas by foul meang, if fair means fail. At the same time the whole popu Llation of these States are worked up into a condition of abnormal feverish ness by the high pressure of a can-| vass where there is so much at stake.| “The evils of the Fall election svs. tem have been =o apparent that a na tional attempt to reform it was made in 1872 through the passage of an act by Congress requiring all mem- bers of the Forty-fifth and every stc- | ceeding Congress to be chosen on the Tuesday following the flrst Monday in November. No little progress has been made toward uniformity within the last four vears. but its full achieve- ment has been retarded by an act of Congress passed March 13, 1875, modi- | fying the law of 1872, ‘so ag& not fo| apply to any State that has not vet | changed its day of election and wh constitution must he changed in or der to effect a change in the day of election. of State officers In sald It is: not doubted, howev that before the presidential electi of 1880 all the States will choose their membars of Congress and State officars on the same dat “Pennsvivania, which only a few ars ago was virtually the deciding State in the presidential election. through her Fall electiong has made a voluntary surrender of her own | position by a conatitutional amend- ment changing her State election from October to Novemher. New Hamp- shire, which was not bound hy consti- tutional restrictions. changed the da: of her® State election at the last se | slon of her Legislaturé. Since 1872 North Carolina. Connecticut and Nebraska “have also amended their constitutions and fixed their State elections on the same day when all the presidential electors are re- quired to be chosen. Ohio also at- tempted the same reform in the amended constitution which was suh- mitted to the vote of her people in August, 1874. That constitution was rejected for purely local reasons, but it is helieved that the people of that State are sufficiently impressed now destiny is confided will Always remem- ber that the worth of any-method i unproved until it is tried and tested in the classroom and that, also, its worth is proportionate only to the actual ed- ucational results it can prodnes. (Capyright. 1926.) with the dangers and annoyances trom an_October election in the presidential year to be willing to em- brace _the first epportunity te join with the other States in making this Aay uniform. Vérmont. Maine and Indiana will also without doubt come | that | et a drink on | ta This and That By Charles Tracewell. animal to MeN: the w The cat the he mentfoned Graham in the *hroadcasting of series base hall games was only mee 14 hy Upon two oceasions, once in St Louis and once in New rk (during that thrilling last game), Me poke of a player pouneing upon the all “like A particularly effective ught forth the exclamation. What a ecateh!™ riends of cats. listening in. felt McNamee had suddenly turned Eevptian and was recalling from his theonseions mind the days whaen cats were regarded as sacred animals. There has been a great deal writ ten about the popular announcer of station WEAF, but in all of it we do not recall ever reading that Me Namee fancied cats, Judging from his unpremeditated 1se of them in comparisons. as stated during the heat of the great hall games, we would say that he is very fond of them. McNamee fs am artist, an actor, hy nature. and no doubt finds artistie satisfaction in the grace and dignity of the cat. Writers, singers. paint- ers, the great and near great in world's history, have fancied this animal. b a eat! cateh “Haly L B Nor I8 it necessary to glve nup ane's affection for the dog 1o like the ecat. Fach of these friends of man has its right place, each its duty, each it peculiarities that distingnish fi. e dog Is faithful, noisy. a com- panion in home and field: the cat is An ornament fo a house. the protec tor of granaries, the symbol of Indi idualism and lfherty Those wha like cats find them selves stopping 10 pet every ane thes meet. We imagine McNames doss ii Large policemen who to all appear- ances are entirely “hard-hoiled " have heen known to stop traffie to allow stray tomeats a safe passage ¥ e have heen seen to turn on hydrants in ovder that Tabhy may 2 hot Summer's dav Washington strest Motormen on | cars often put on the brakes in order avold hitting a cat. Wa recall night when a motorman on the Wisconsin avenue line brouzht his | car to a grinding stop a vard in front of A hewildered eat. ‘Tales have come to us of narrow escapes of cate. One feline. so the narrative went. was in imminent dan- ger of heing run over hy an auto- mobile. hut had the sense to leap upon the spokes, ride around with he wheel and then hop off when It wae again upright. Neat work, if true. and probahly so. Those who like rals are always interested in them. Their friends will erane their necks out of street cars and husses tn get a hetter view of some cat npon a window sill One gentleman got off his hus to run hack when he thought a strange cat wae in danger from a dox. Small hoye, eommonly thanzhtless in this respect, will climh tress to resciie kittens who were ahle to climb up but for some strange rea son Ao nat feel capahle of making the downward journey. e » A dispateh from Berlin shows that friends of cats are active there. ip the emergency faced hy the feline population of the capital of Germanv. A “milk line" for cats would be order, Ali that any cat asks is an oppor- tunity. Given it he will wax sleek and healthy and be an ornament to the home and a friend to man in Pis own distinctive way. into 1 ine to make the change com- plete.” As to the prediction that the man- ner in which Ohio and Indiana voted in Oectoher would determine the presidential result in November, It may be noted that Ohio went Re- publican by a small majority and Indiana Democratic hy a still small er one. This “30-30" result thus forecast the close returns of the Hayes-Ti'den contest. which was net declded for many weeka after slec- tion day.