Evening Star Newspaper, December 6, 1926, Page 8

- h i overcome the reproach in some meas- | the throat and drag him down ana! THE EVENING STAR ‘With Sanday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SMONDAY......December 6, 1926 HEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company Bustness Office: 11t} St u&ni'rn Trasiis Ave Neg York Office: T8 Baat Agnd. st Chicago ower Building Fxcrean Ofce: 14 Rege o Hagl Tegeat 8t.. London, Lok e Evering Gigr. with the Sundar morn- edition. is delivared by hoee within Zity at 60 cente per month: dally oniy. te X ndare only. 20 cents, o st by wall or i Fa00, “Collection i made id of eacs month. itate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virgini, s Al Other States and Canada. 5.1 37, 312.00: 1 mo.. 81,00 et X 7Be a2 i and Sun, oniy . 00% 1 mo, day only L15T. $4.00i1me. ‘Member of the Associated Pres: Associated Pre 2 use for repul ' s credited to T p frls paper aiss the 15> Serein, Ail rights of pub es here 130 reserv o are Public Building Legislation. The ghort sesston ot Congress whick | wsons today will be one of importanct ¥ trw District & many respects. Much icsislation of élrect comearn to the wuopie of the Capltal will be unde wsideration. Perhaps the firs order of signliranc~ will be the pro 193l of the Public Buildings Commis “on 10 ac mediately all of the ine 1y ranin av i = betw - doperds i ? the rehabllitation o ington's chief tLoroughtare ane 16 ostablish of Government bus) ness upon deflnite lnes for all time. In ths selection of sites for public hatldings heretofore thers has been ~-de renge lcuding to departures from » central plan. causing numerous loca re out of harmony witt *-5 capital-malting deslgn. Structure: ave beeu placed not in accordance ith a sy stem, dut i nsonance witk cdlate es. Now ft 15 proposed to concentratt 1he bufldings that ure required for vublic uses, to place them with rela on to one another and to existin, lagislative und executive offices. Thi- * 11l consummate u long contemplate pian. It will aveid difficulties in are. Tt will utilize to the best ad antage an ares that has for man’ ears lain under the “dead hand” ot 1 oasibie nt pre-emption. Wasiington - interested ir tuds matter though Governwen busiuess. TIts icipal equip wment {s inwvolved e accommoda tions are requirs gotvern mer activities. An annex buliding i needed. It may be placed lmmediatel® south of the present District Build ing or east of {. It has been ul Pproposed to create u munieipal center on the site now occupied by Center Marker. The deotails of the emplace- wents with the atex e taker Temair for luter The that at ing done years ¢ entire area eutted to thi In the wd @ con- reet af- ters. ampiacenent carn beyond its iz fscting the annicl the miarket 1 locattui. e e} 1S cou s Let must be 1 sideration for «bly with ‘et. The cu now cent ea. | n-tand it will be arudied for o make th ugs as ear wae that of { 8 4 | i Tuere are Buropean stitesmen who | ~stuee to admit that the economles of | woaca permit aving whieh more taan balances the possible profits of war B Virginia’s Good Road Plan. 3o0d naw3 came to Washington yos-| terday trom Richiond fu a 15 The Star t 1roved for an ¢xtan nfles ¢ deteloped w cstimated will be $6; rave g tton the Old Do, of caverns stalac- rears one i the | ured wonders in the for n and beauty For wuany ed throu rough the , and {* has been tra milions of paople. But unfor +ypataly it Mnked up with other partal f the State only through rare and| -ough highwaye. Recently some &d- tons. ances heve Been made toward estab-) (o his help the dog and hae sald to|"is good advice, shing tromk laos wnd Vieginta hae { made JA:A’. this s nc L { viewpotnt of the de s ure that lay against it as a State of bogs and bumps forbldding to the motorist. In the North-and-South tourist traf- fic of the past few years Virginia has been regarded generally as a State through which it was desirable to pass as quickly as possible and not to tarry. Five years hence if the pres- ent plans are effected it will be itself 2 travel objective and its reads will earn for it a rich return in the devel- opment of Jocal interests and in en- couragement of settlement. The $65,- 000,000 which it is proposed to epend on the States highways will ey a largo and {ncreasing finterest which will advance the welfare of all Vir- ginlans. e e O e o Snow Removal. Thirty-slx States within the snow area of this country hate made elab- orate plans to Leep the highways clear for trafic during the Winter, and will endezvor to break the en- lable record made last Winter, when an aggregate of more than three hun- dred and thirty thousand miles of ?l-0ad was opened. Charts have been irawn, enowdrift areas marked, snow- drift fences erected and equipment ready. Testerday in States where the fall was heavy trucks and men were promptiy at work to keep srunsportation moving. the various cities of the Unlted States plans for fighting the Winter's snows hLave llkew!se been formulated, and the value of such foresight w shown in New York yes s, when sightecn thousand men and seven aundred trucks wers called out to the strecty for travel soon after 2 orm began. The snow in Washington vesterday wae not heuvy enough to warrant the uso of plows, but the tocsin has been jounded for the National Capital to e “on the alert.” Unfortunately the strict cannot be espectally proud of ‘ts gnow-removal record. During the agt two years traffic has been prac- fcally paralyzed by Winter snows. Removal has been inefiiclent and ardy, and many millions of dollars jave been sacrificed to luck of pre- sarednees and slip-shod execution. W gtoniu are hopeful that he Winter of 1925-26 marked the end »f this period of waste; that no longer will the Capital of the Natlon be “orced to bow to snowfalls such as are easily and quickly handled in sther citles, and that city officials have come to the realization that ‘ransportution must move regardless W the elements. Washington should never again be ~otipelled to face the conditions that have obtalned here in the last few cears. It should be a matter of not el {only civic pride but clvie duty and necessity that the streets be kept slear for travel. When an aggregate of three hun- dred and thirty thousand mlles, & great deal of this mileage being in the spursely settled portlons of the coun- try, can be opened for traffic, it is & national dlegraee that the small area 5¢ the District of Columbia cunnot be cleared of Winter's storms. Conse quently cvery Distri~t restdent will eagerly the results of the cam- wiil begin with the first gnow in this section. s at————— Proper Names and Pronunciation. 1t is somewhat of a coincidence that the two latest appointees to the office 5f District Commissloner have had ¢+ required wome degree of sidatlon as to thelr proper pro- IL was seme timoe arter Mr. Dougherty took cfiice before the becawme fully aware that tha llable ¢f his name rhymed - t differentiation estab- wlong comes Mr. Tallaferro, = needs to be introduced ration of three syllables e that are super- Tre nome Talla- - D> tterro fn of cld Lnglish orlgin, und|As we assemble, once agatn, from that soil have come many oddl- ties of nomen: which suggests that some day ¢ trict may have + Commissiorer ramed Cholmondeley cessury to introduce him to Washingtor as Mr. “Chumley.” mate that the talifications for tor or that his new Commie: {offic 2f administratio ny less happy and efficlent b-owuse of oocasiomal lapscs in addresstug him. ) It is the duty of a Prince of Walee ts emphasize the human and demo- cratic side of his nature, even to the Virginla will mean all parts of the to visit shrines ve often in. Dogs and Deer. dogs fall the deet may It 19 related that a 2 two deer In the s, N. T., and ou reaching a lake, into which the deer jumped, he Jogs f to quarreling and the escaped. They t and beautiful and lfe were sweet to them. are not classed as eports- liope that the two deer i lead a lappy, peaceful life and y not again be troubled the v of hounds. men will escapad, o understand the ‘The business of m doge 18 to hunt. To be & famoue huntar {2 te be Jistinguished among dogs and to be sure of the favor of men A deg might s3y: “A dog withoeu Sition and excel- lence {n hunting {s a poor beaet and will never get on In the world. He- doge will snap at him and she-doge will not emile at himi. Men will say that the dog that does not hunt and or that does rot hunt that a k411, is not worth his keep.” 1 slant of a dog has been encouraged by man. Not having th ebility to run down a deer himself, he has had the shrewdness to call p “Preck that deer, get him b 2.2 I will give you a small piece of the 1 plunder—a plece I cannot use mysels. I will also make ycu fathous by tell- ing my friends that you ure a good 1 dog.” In this affair in the Croton Hills in Westchester County not far out- side the City of New York, the dogs aid not think of the question of fair play. There were five of them and two deer. If there had been vne decr and ten dogs in the chase it would have gone on just the same. In their bringing up it may be doubted that not one of those dogs had learned the words “fair play.” Let this not be read as a reflection on the courage of the dogs. If there had been but one dog he would have gone after the two deer just the same, and if the deer had been catamounts he would not have hesitated. There are dogs that will chase a war-cat or any cat and will let out shouts of victory and glory unkil the warcat changes his mind. Then, the dog may change his exuitant song. Who Owns the Ring? A moot question which has caused untold distress to both men and wom- en has apparently been settled by a Jamaica, L. I., police court judge. Itir this: May a man righttully claimanen- gagement ring given to his prospec- tive bride If the engagement is k- an? "Yes” would appear to be the un. equivocal answer. At least this was the deciston of the judge, who re. leased the erstwhile fiance who had been charged with grand larceny by *he bride-to-bs because he recovered his ring by subterfuge. There have been many arguments about this subject. Some of them %ave been quite heated. It is un- Iikely that even the learned judge's ruling in this case will settle the mat- ter for al! t!me. There will still be women who refuse to give up the ring, holding that it was a gift based on no contingencies, and there will still be men who insist that it was presented for the sole purpose of mar- riage and that when that purpose was not fulfilled they are entitled to their property. The gizt of the Long 1sland decision seems to be that the man {s perfectly justified, by law, in recovering the ring by any meane he selects, except, of course, by brutality. In spite of-it, however, the aggrieved ex-bride-to-be announces that she intends to sue in the civil courts for $1,600, the value of the engagement symbol. So what have you? B The ceremonies in connection with the installation of the new Commls. sloner were slmple. Commissioner Cuno Rudolph will no doubt agree that it is best for a man to receive more bouquete when he is leaving an office than when he first assumes ita dutes. et s Congress finds an immense amount of unfinished business on hand. This Is absolutaly true to tradition. Not all the oldtime customs have been dropped. Without unfinished business the sense of innovation would be so strong as to startle the most up-to- date hustler. B — Hunters continue to shoot one an- other. No student of optical {llusions has yet explained how a hunter in. advertently manages so frequently to disguise himself s a deer. ————av— Control of the Benate is expertly discussed {n hopeful contradiction of o gathering impression that the Senate prides itself on belng uncontrollable ) SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHXNSOX W . lering around Washington at | nighttime has been a favorite occu- patios of the great, the near-great and the not-great-at-all. Roaming the streets of great cities in the dark has ever heen found inter- osting by men of imagination. Dickens 8o saw his London, De Mau- passant his Paris, O. Henry his New York. There was, some years ago, in Wash- ington an Army officer who spent many late hours simply walking about when he could not sieep. In this way he relieved the tedium of insomnia and got exercise and fresh air into the in. There is a pressure in a great city at night that is not felt in the day- time. The mantle of the dark seems to be pressing close. The primal in- stincts are more unleaghed, the var- nish of clivilization dimmed by dark- ness. One walks warily where during sunny houre he trod without thought. Police, lights, people, seem farther away now than then. Especially if one walks in the early hours of the morning, say, between midnight and 3 or 4 o'clock, does he feel the differ- ance. How still everything is by compari- son! Sounds that mereiy mingled in the general uproar of the city dur- ing the daylight now stand out dis- tinctly. The grind of car wheels on :fl, track two blocks away is distinctly elt. The nolse of a dynamo, heard some- where, whirs without ceasing. Far down the block comes the banging of a front door. Night, the mysterious, 18 exclusive as well as inclusive. * ok ok X out again. This circle of light is, indeed, a sort of stage, quickly changed, & theater of passing hopes and fears, in which the drama of life is briefly enacted. Hush! A small car moves into the circle. A man and woman are there, he at the wheel, she by his side. Just as they start to move into the shadow again, he takes his left hand from the wheel, and shoots his arm around in a left hook. The thud of the impact is distinctly heard, as his fist meets his com- panion’s jaw. She crumples up against the door, and her sobs flood backward out of the darkness. Out of nothing, back into nothing— so has the life of man been described, with its joy, its sorrow, its striving, its fallure, its success. There s an aspect of grandeur to the bare trees, with their limbs and boughs standing grotesquely up into the night. Yet what strange, im- passive things trees are! How could .he poet have written so in praise of them? “Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.” The trees he praised were leaf-clad trees, bright in their panoply of Sum- mer. 'Trees, viewed abstractly in Winter, are nothing but two systems, root and branch, gnarled, loved for their promise rather than perform- ance. =% ® ¥ Drifting by shop windows, on a street only recently business-ized, the night walker comes to static gowns, furniture, hats, curios and a multitude of other articles in demand by hu- are intriguing. How like, and yet how unlike, women they are! Here is one dressed in a curious gown; surely any lady would present a snappy appearance therein, if her With almost complete unanimity, the press reflects national approval of the Supreme Court decision upholding the legality of city “zoning” for the protection of residentlal sections. Thus a policy doubtfully practiced by many cities becomes safely established, and it is predicted that a general move- ment toward orderly expansion and beautification will follow. “Jurists of other days must have turned in their graves,’” declares the Loulsville Courier-Journal, “‘when the United States Supreme Court sus- tained the constitutionallty of the Euclid (Ohio) ordinance. The court itself was not insenstble to this radical departure in the trend of American jurisprudence. Fifty, perhaps twenty- five years ago, it admitted, such an ordinance ‘would have been rejected as arbitrary and oppressive,’ but consti- tutional provisions must be interpreted in harmony with changing condi- tlons. Zoning laws are given their place with trafic regulations within the elastic scope of inherent police wers.” “When,” says the Manchester Lead- er, “the highest tribural of the land states that the segregation of residen- tial, business and industrial buildings noreases the safety and security of home life, tends to prevent street acci- dents, decreases noise and other condl- tions which produce or intensify nerv- ous disorders and preserves a more favorable environment for the young, the court has by inference advised the public to adopt means to effect these 80 destrable ends, and becomes an ad. vocate of the system which would bring them about—zoning.” The Abi- lene Reporter pronounces the declsion ‘“a great victory for the cities n their fight for civic developmert along sane lines,” and recalls that “for years the cities which were progressive enoush to set {n motion machinery for the purpose of controlling and directing thelr growth have been handicapped for lack of definite court rulings on the subject.” Y A Glad New Year. “Happy New Year's” glad refrain This world ere long will caro! In holiday apparel. In Congress there may be & row. We can't be all {n clover. Life must have cares—but, anyhow, The Mall-M!lls case {s over! There may be homicides anew To puzzle the detectives; {Queer demonstrations we may view By morons and defectives. But just the same we'll make a bow ‘With pleasure undiminished. It's “Happy New Year!” anyhow. The Hall-Mills case is finished! Looking for Gifts. “There are no doubt many people who still belleve in Santa Claus.” “No cdoubt,” rejoined the weary statesman. “Some of my constituents seem 60 misty on that point that they don’t know whether to address re- quests for favers to Senatoer Claus or Santa Sorghum.” . Go It, Kid! Go it, Kid! You've got your way. Granddad has no more to say; Let the flivver speed along Rattling to the rag-time song. iFill us with surprise anew At the things you say or do. Granddad says, ‘‘Where are we at?" 014 folks always talk llke that, Have your fing and start the band Wildly playing through the land. Line up at the smartest shows— What they'll teach vou, goodness Kknows! | Stil the eye of youth ie bright. | Honegt is Ambition's fight. {No use clamping down the li¢. | 3tignt as well sar, “Go it, Kid!” | t | i H ¥ % It {8 pointed out by the Santa Bar- bara News that the justices of the court “take the view that these regu- lations are the natural and logical re- sult of the complex developments of the timea"; that “in effect the decision is a reiteration of the principle of the rule of reason,” and that it “takes the question of zoning out of tha realm of debate.” The Indianapolis News holds that “zoning, if not a social necessity, has become a great social advantage,” and that “the decision will make for well arranged citles.” The Atlanta Journal believes that “the effects, most likely, will be far-reaching and properly result in revival of the agita- tion for zoning restrictions in many communities that have been diecour- ag>d by real or jmagined legal ob- stacles.” “Aside from the general good of the community which zoning seeks,” the Flint Dally Journal sees “an actual economic benefit that probably offsets all price reductions. The purchaser of property under the zening system knows exactly what that property and the property next to it can be used for. ~ Buyers are protected, and the maljority of them prefer this protec- tion to surrendering their rights to real estate boosters who may suffer temporarily from zoning restrictions.” ‘The Asbury Park Press predicts as a result “community organization, com- | Jud Tynkins says he has already done his Christmas shoppirg, but he'll have to go aheéad and do eome more because he didn’t succeed in hid- ing the presents from the family. “A foolish ome,” sald H! Ho, the sage of Chinatown, ‘‘covets great wealth. If he finds it his purse will often gpeak eéven more foolishly than his Ype.” Christmas Cheer. The *liquid cheer” once used on |result “commu s 9 munity effiel IcY, commuyn) prosper- S ity, when the planning is dono wisely Becomes a bluff. By fardghtel pamors who tacof- nizé the economie, soclal and artistic needs of their citfes.” “The court ruling,” says the Jack- son Citizen-Patriot, ‘'squares with the contention that city propert: ted life; that many An honest Sants never With bootleg stuff. *‘gatety first, " eald Uncle Eben, but ‘tan’ no proper ! loaded dice” . his sleigh excuee fok ~arryin’ This anclent gas lamp here, in the! middle of the block, casts a clrcle of | light, into which from the darkness! rapidly pass cars, and as rapidly pess| | i, a BY CHARLES E. TRAcSPZva.. back were pretty enough. sort . . more i.aportance than what is put in. This {1 an exemplification of the art of making nothing do a great deal. Here {8 a store with birds in the window. There is a fellow with gray wings and bright red head. He sits there, blinking in the bright electric light, and suddenly we wonder if he will be forced to roost in that glare all night long? ‘We are put in mind of an envelope in our pocket, and we pull it out, and there, in the cold, read again a let- ter from John P. Heap, secretary of the Washington Humane Society, in which he says, in part: “I am inclosing a letter from & prominent lady of this city, who does not wish her name mentioned, decrying the use of canary birds in theaters and hotels, which she asks be sent to you for use in any way you choose. “This society has received numer- ous complaints by letter and tele- phone, protesting against this prac- tice, and it seems to me that the prac. tice {8 foolish and unnecessary and does the theaters more harm than good, to say nothing of the manifest crueity tnvolved.” The inclosure is headed, “To Those Who Love Them,” and reads: “Will those who have real love in their hearts for the animal creation piease think of the matter I am piac ing before them in this communica tion, and take some steps toward the overcoming of the practice to which I refer? “I visited a theater in this clty, a few days ago, and I saw, in a dismally lighted corridor on the second floor, four bird cages hanging—placed there for ornamentation, and for the enter tainmesit given by the little canaries therein held, as from time to time the; break forth into song. “They never see the light of day— these prisoners—except, perhaps, while thelr cages are being cleaned. They are deprived of the light—the light they so much need and which was intended for them, as for you and me—and for all that live in this world. “Hundreds pass them by—these helpless little creatures—Ileaving them to their fate, and never think of them again. We pass them by and go out fnto the blessed sunshine. We could not think of remaining forever in darkness—that would be too cruel to bear—but we leave them where it is always dismal, and never lift our voice in’ their behalf. “We, the fortunate ones, free to enjoy the light of day, may, it we will, do something for thesc helpless birds, for we can ask for a law—until it be glven—that will rescue them and pro- them. ‘But,’ says one, ‘they sing” Yes, they sing; I admit it. The speaker may belleve that because these ca- naries sing they are happy, and that it may be right, therefore, to keep them in darkness. “Canary birds that have had their eyes burned out sing on. It is their nature to slng—as it is for them to breathe. In the dismal corridors of theaters throughout the land, day and night, these little creatures are held in darkness. They are not, as pets in a household, sharing the sunshine and the joys of a home, with a scrap of lettuce every day and many a dainty lovingly offered, and often a change of food. They have nothing but a dis- mal light, seed and water. No change, nothing! It is heartless and needless and cruel in us to permit them to be treated so. . . . If those who really love these songsters will make some effort to prevent the cruelties to which 1 refer, it can be accomplished. . Wil every one who cares please try to do something? “ONE WHO LOVES THEM." New Era for Cities Is Opened By Court Approval of Zoning and that {ndividuals cannot convert community benefit to their own profit without regard for the city as a whole,” while the Waterloo Tribune asserts that “where a person is part of a community he is not privileged to do as he likeg, but as the commu- nity—where there {s community inter- est—allows him to do.” The Portland Evening Express directs attention to the fact that “there have been re- peated instances where land in resi- dential sections has been purchased and home owners compelled to pay ex- travagant prices for it in order to save thelr own propertv.” The Express emphasizes the view that “they should be protected from such threats and from construction that will make the sections where they live lesa desirable for residential purposes.” R I A poeition even more advanced {s taken by the Portsmouth Sun, which states: A well considered zoning sys- tem is worth while, as well as an ordinance further defining the size of lots, the location of buildings in rela- tlon to each other, distance from the street, and the many other things which go to make the city beautiful, sanitary and comfortable. The evolu- tlon of a slum district especlally should be prevented.” The Asheville Citizen makes the further point that “it is short-sighted policy which would complain because the owner of a property is not allowed to erect a store in a residence section-~he benefits only 50 long as the residents stay, and they wiil not stay.” The Lansing State Tournal, admitting that the system “may hold curtaflment of profits for the few,” avere that ‘communities and property owners that do not hold their property speculatively will be the gainers. It is a sorry day for any city when all its advantageous sites are held speculatively rather than for use. “Even those types of business which are subject to most stringent regula- tlon by zoning ordinances are in the end benefited,” says the Harrisburg Telegraph, “bscause, in the present state of confusion, no man knows just what type of industry he may estab- lish anywhere without danger of bo. ing ha‘ed into court for maintaining & nuisance.” These Clingin, ¢ H Habits, Prom the London Anawers. Irate Husband—Why is it that con- founded new maid never answers when we ring the bell? His Wife (placidly}—1 don't think ' we'd better bs too exacting at first, Horace. The girl tells me she used te be emploved at a telephone ex- chang No Lack of “Issues,” From the Anaconds Standard. P Still, the shelving of the World Court issue will make no difference. ‘There are plenty of other things for '2: ‘Unued States fenate to scrap about. { Sweetening the Meal. From the Boston Herald Tt must be hard for a White House breakfast guest to be cantankerc over pausages and wheat cakes swim- ming in Vermont maple sirup. HEAS D S — l;ef ore and After y is cre- |rmm the Boston Herald. wisest marriage annuiment is ik er ¢o make a ¢ity, Pefcre the wedding ~ MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1926 e —— iWuhington Should ) Held Tts Exposition Ny 2l Zznor ¢ Mie Star: In a recent issue of your newspaper I notéd that a resolution had been honor of the 200th anniversary of the brth of George Washington. The proponent argued that recent exposi- tions had not patd. I do not mean to be a critic of the publicity department of the Sesquicentennial held in Phila- delphia this year. The impression got | abroad that the exposition was not to be held and many people who makc plans ahead aid not plan to visit the expos_tion. Here in Washington, I believe that a permanent set of exposition build- ings should be erected and this expo- sition should be heid. Arlington County, Va., has an éx- tensive section of vacant land, much of it of little value right now—some old clay fields that have been worked out—other land now being filled in. This land includes the National Horse Show Park and extends from the south end of Highway Bridge to Arlington National Cemetery. It is close to downtown Washington hotels and the business section. This land should all come under the control of the Federal Government for perma- nent improvement along with the ap- proaches to the new Memor al Bridge and the Mount Vernon Boulevard. Clear out the old shacks that extend from the south end of H ghway Bridge to Arlington Cemetery. There are many advantages offered aere for the location of the proposed George Washington Exposition, in- cluding convenience to rallroads, steam and electric. An exposition located at this site, 1f given proper publicity and, above all, finished and ready for opening on the day specified, would not fall. Tardl-} ness was one of the causes of fallures of recent expositions. The one at Norfolk, the Jamestown Exposition, was not ready to open, neither was the Sesqui at Philadelphia. If Washington is to hold an expo- sition, it should have this as a motto: Build it now. Let us forget about taliure; let us think more of success. THOMAS R. MECHEM. Lauds Flying Squirrel. Observer Says Their Grace Sur- passes Dancers’. To the Editor of The Star: We are fascinated by the grace and charm displayed by skilled Jancers, but their best efforts appear awkward in comparison with the natural move- ments of the flying squirrel, which is scarcely larger than a goodsized mouse. It is quite common in ®ome portions of the wooded sections about Washington, though few people have taken troubie to find this out, as they are nocturnal in their habits and sel- dom seen during the day. I have seen them skim from tree to tree in the light of a big silvery moon, and became entranced as I silently watched them sail through the afr in a flight perpetrated with- out any visible indication of effort. They scramble up a tree like a streak of lightning, poise, and then leap, gliding to another tree fully 50 feet away with a slight undulating motion, as light as a featner and true as an arrow. A slow motion picture would reveal a co-ordination of tiny muscles as perfect as the sway of palm leaves under a tropical moon. The rays of light from the moon re- flect scintillating sparks of silver as the fur of their backs literally flut- ters in the breeze. To fit them for night life nature has given them large, lustrous eves with an expression in them which is soft and extremely appealing. Their domestic life is irreproachable. They unite in building a home, usually in a small hollow of a dead limb, and will die gallantly in protecting thelr young, the father and mother, side by side, fighting In the defense of their preclous little family. I am grateful to have been fortu- nate enough to see these little crea- tures in thelr natural habitat and I am sorry that more people do not take the trouble to learn something about these and other inhabitants of our fast dwindling woodlands. They are a moral example in their domestic fidelity and a revelation of physical rfection and beauty. e WM. T. W. GRAVES, Jr. | | l Finds Easy Solution of “Is” and ““Are” Problem To the Editor of The Star: Some space s given today in both morning and evening papers to a question of “is” or “are” in connec- tion with a railroad advertisement purporting to read: “Produced two- +nirds the oats, more than half the corn, etc.,” opinlon being ~ery " mixed. The question appears easy of solu- tlon. ““Two-thirds” (hyphenized) 18 a single quantity and takes “is.”” “Two thirds” (without a hyphen) being plural (two individual thirds) would take “are.” But it appears that there are no less than three items referred to, viz: (1) “two-thirds the oats,” (2) ‘“‘more than halt the corn’” and (3) “etc., which last implies at least one more. If you reverse the sentence or change its tense, the requisite verb 1s obvious, viz: Two-thirds of the oats, more than half of the corn, etc., in the United States, are produced along its right of way. “Etc.” stands for “and so forth,” In English (et cetera in a forelgn language), so you have three items properly separated by a comma and a copjunction in theory and three items (a schoolboy can tell you) will require a plu=al verb. Sup- pose “etc.” stood for “barieys.” One oat, one corn and one barleycorn are enough to require a plural verb, small as thev may be in quantity. orn, grow, not “grows," nows."” W. E. ALLEN ——— Sees-ilealth Menac:; | Bv R. O. T. C. Uniform| To the Editor of The Star: 1 have noticed a discusslon in vour puper recently regarding military training in the schools and colieges. Whether for good or evil, it must be granted that it takes quite a little of | the student’s tlme while at school at his parents’ expense. But, to my mind, there is-a far greater menace to life and health in this system than that of tnculcat- ing mlli*aristic ideals or in noo~'hia future wars, and that is in the Re serve Officers’ Tralning' Corps uni- form. Thiee certain days a week, regard- less of weather, the student is fore o himself in a very heavy wo en shirt, reinforced at the points of strain with more wool; heavy Army breechea tight-fitting below the knes, 2lso reinforced with more wool. and| for additional warmth, he must wrap | more wool around his legs, then dorn | the heavy Army coat. The remaining day this uniform, but changes again citizens' clothes, What i3 going to be the effect of these abrupt and oft-repeated change on the health of our country’s young manhood? Besldes, v could “stud ' on a warm day while being put | through the rd degree” in this| {fashion? If we treated our horres in this way the Humane Society would soon be taking action. Why not “have @ heart” for our boys? MRS O E. ITAINES (-;i Q. How long should In this offered befors the Advertistng Club in | be worn afrer the husband nas dieds thing, what is left out 8 of | \oation to a proposed exposition/in | —R. F. M. A. A widow continues to wear the wedding rine during her lifetime un- less she becomes engaged to marry a second time. Following the an- nouncement of her engagement, she ceases to wear her first wedding ring. Q. What do the stars sometimes placed before the serial numbers on paper money mean?—l. A. P. C. A. The stars are used on notes which take the place of defective notes. When a star is found on a note, it means that that note has re placed a defective note in circulation. Q. Will you please explain the dif- ferences in meaning, if there are any, between the ~words ‘“sanitarium,” Osagmorlum" and “sanitorium?”— A. The words “sanitarium” “sanatorfum” are generally used in- terchangeably, although “sanitarium’ is sometimes restricted to a place where hygienic conditions are prophy- lactic as distinguished from one where | therapeutic agencies are employed. “Sanitorium” is a corrupt form ot “ganitarium.” Q. What is the difference between evaporated and condensed milk?— W. H. N. A. There is a difference of sugar content and miethod of preparation be- tween condensed and evaporated milk. Condensed milk is preserved by add- ing sugar before evaporating. BEvap- orated milk is made by evaporating part of the water and preserving by heat after the product is in the final w@ ntriner. Q. Where, at the Ames Monument?—A. C. J. A. The Ames Monument is a monu- ment erected to Oakes Ames at Sher- man, Wvo.. the highest point reached by the Union Pacific Railroad, 8,550 feet above the sea. Q. What does “momme” mean when applied to the welght of imported Japanese ponget silk’—H. P. O. A. Momme, the Japanese measure, s equivalent to 0.1325 ounces avoir- dupols. Q. How long has the American Leglon been in existence?—H. L. C. A. It was incorporated by act of Congress September 16, 1919, and or- ganized November 8, 1919. Q. What does it cost to broadcast from some of the larger radio sta- tions?—H. H. A. The rate over station WEAF, New York, has been stated by the American Telephone and Telegraph Co. as about $400 an hour; station WCAP, Washington, was about $230 an hour. Q. Who is the President of Swit- zerland?—D. H. A. The President of Switzerland for the year 1926 is Henrl Haeberlin. The Swiss President is elected every year. Q. How fast do fir trees used for Christmas trees grow?—C. T. A. The average age of a Christmas tree is from 5 to 10 years, and the growth of the average Christmas tree is about -0 inches per year. This varies with the different specles. Q. When did Diogenes live?—O. N. A. He was born in 412 B.C. and dled in 823 B.C. Q. How are airplane engines lubri- cated?—II. L. P, A. They are lubricated on what is known as the “dry sump” principle. Pumps of capacity greater than that of the ofl supply pump draw the oil ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. and | from the crankcase and return it to an external tank. These pumps are so arranged as to prevent accumulation of the oil during any maneuver of the alrplune except continuous upside down flight. The duration and fre quency of upsidedown flight do v~ warrant the provision of especic means for withdrawing the oll wher in this position. Q. How many chrysanthemums e shown {n the annual show of the D¢ partment of Agriculture M. 8. A. This year thers wera ©,000 blossom. Q. What are the freezing and boll ing points of mercury? R.P. o A. Mercury freezes at 7 degree: below zero and boils or gives off gas at 357 degrees above zero Fahrenhelt Q. Whoee idea was the Tournamesr Roses in 'asadena’?—A. F. B. originator of the idea of the tournament was the late Prof. Charles Frederick Holder. The first tourna- ment was held January 1, 1890, and it has been held the 1st of January ever since. Q. May a certified public accountant take tax cases on a percentage basis and maintain »i« standing before the department at V. .shington?—D. H. W. A. A certified public accountant must be enrolled with the Treasury Department In order to practice befors that department. In order to be en rolled he must file an application in nte settine farth the tee basis on which he is bhandling the business in questi This fee basis muet be ir accordance with the specimen on page 13 of the circular No. 230. A numbe+ of public accountants take tax case: on a percentage basis as well as on » fee basis. The reason for the prov! | ston made by the department in re | gard to enrollment of accountants and their afidavits is for consideration as to whether the percentage basis {y & reasonable one. Q. Why does some popcorn fall to pop well?—M. E. D. A. It may be too dry and it m not be dry enough. If it is this year's corn, it may not be dry enough. Keep ing in a warm place for a week or tw¢ will fmprove it. If the corn is o'l 1t s probably too dry. Putting it p paper eack, on a sheltered porch where it will not get wet but absorh some molsture from the alr, vill help. Q. What material Is the sticklest?- H. C. of A. Pine resin, at the right stage of hardening, {s one of the sticklest ma terfals known. Q. How much of the potash pro duced is used for agriculture?—J. § A. About 90 per ceyt is used for agriculture. A verv smail percentage is used for munitions during peace time, but its use increases during war time. The remaining per cent s used in the manufacture of glass, lquid soap, safety matches, ete. Ask Uncle Bam about it through the Washington Information Bur 6 of The Evening Star. All knowledg: the Government is gaining throug’ research and investigation is aveil able to you. Don’t hesitate to make your 1wants known. A two-cent stamp will bring you the informatio you need. This service is for all read ers of The Evening Star and {a de signed to be helpful to all wko avai! themselves of it. An effective clear ing house between the Governmen: and the people will aid you, and hely is yours for the asking. Address your wants to The Evening Star Informa tion, Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, D/ recror, Washington, D. C. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Before the session of Congreas just opened is many hours old. the “Scan- dals of 1926"—the Pennsylvanla and Illinofs primary affairs—will hold the boards on the Senate stage. Just how the curtain is to be raised and the na- ture of the first act have not been determined. Much depends on the views of Senator “Jim" Reed, Demo- crat, of Missouri, chief of the cam- palgn investigating committee. Dem- ocratic and Republican progressive leaders are bent upon bringing the Vare and Smith cases to consideration with the mirimum of delay. There's a good deal of head-scratching among Senators as to the jurisdiction of the present body. Has the existing Sen- ate any constitutional authority to decide the qualifications of a man elected to the next Senate? That's the problem vexing even the experts on procedure. Under the law, a Sen- ator-elect may present his credentials any time after election day, and, after the ensuing March 4, is entitled to the rank, perquisites, pay and status of a full-fledged solon, even though he does not actually sit until nine months later. * % w % Sir Alan Cobham, who flew the 14,000 miles that separate Great Brit- ain from Australia, and an equal di tance returning. told the Natlonal Geographic Soclety In Washington some thrilling things about the imme- diate possibilities of air transport. What particularly stirred the {mag- ination of his hearers was Sir Alan's statement that the day has dawned when Britons can travel to India by plane or afrship within nine days, in- stead of the three weeks ordinarily required by the steamship route. Cob- hem's knighthood. conferred by King George In honor of the aviator's globe-girdling flight, typifies the' Erit- ish custom of handsomely and promptly rewarding men who accom- plish outstanding achievements. It has been said that in England people who do things are “nighted, and in America they are knifed. ERE At the Natlona clety’s luncheon in Geographic So- ir Alun Cobham's honor a distinguished officer of the Army Air rvice told this observer of a strange experience that befell him. Recently he delivered o few re- marks at the dedication of a new Army aerodrome adjacent to tue Ca- nadian border. The proceedings were broadeast, and nany listenersn across the line heard them. The other day the American officer had = caller at the War Department. nadian. “My husband was very much upset,” the woman narrated, “by that speech of yours at —-—. ile insists the Yankees are putting up aerodromes along the border for the sole purpos of bombing Canada some day!” was easy to reassure the lady from Ontario that just as Unecle Sam had never dreamt of fortifying tne border with long-range guns. 86 is nothing further from his mind than to line it with aerodromes for the purpose of attacking the Dominion from the sky. = T The United States has a live inter-| est in another conference to be as- Nations auspices on January 5. 1927 > will deal with the vex tion of double taxation— for instance, s concern operat- ing in Relg t pav taxes not only to the Belgian government, but to the United States Government as well. America has been a pioneer in the movement to eliminate double tax- ation. Its ovils come home to our business men in increasing degrea o ear ¢ ar. because of the Le., an American mt She said. she was the American wife of a Ca-, It| ever-widening extent of American for eign trade. In the Revenue Act of 1921, Congress initiated the prinelpl. of reciprocal exemption of shipping profits. Great Britaln, Germany Italy, Japan and other countrie: meantime have adopted the same sy= tem. President Coolidge, Secretar; Mellon, Secretary Hoover and eco nomic authorities throughout the country are said to favor American co-operation in waye and means fo! abolishing double taxation. But some of our irreconcilable isolationists on Caplitol Hill shy at the idea of “en tanglements” with the League of Na tions. LY By special authority of the Wur Department the name of Jullus Kahn war-time chairman of the House com mittee on military affairs, is now at tached to a playground built by th- city of San Francisco on the Presidic Military Reservation. The playgrouu« has just been dedicated with militar: ceremonial and amid warm eulogy of the late “member for the Golder Gate” in the House of Representa tives. “With his country's welfare always at heart,” said Col. Frank ¢ Bolles, commander of the 30th Infan try, In_an address of dedlcation “Julius Kahn was a stanch advocatr of adequate national defense and the loyal friend of the Army, by whon he was most beloved.” * o ok W Robert M. Washburn of Bostor Coolidge biographer, columnist, wit cynic and president of the Roosevel Club of Massachusetts, ineerts the fo lowing “ad” in th2 Boston Herald i1 the guise of a letter to the editor: LOST, STRAYED OR STOLEN. Lost, strayed or stolen, . kindl: and experfenced statesman, a Sen ator of the United States. Answers to the name of Gillett. Was elect ed to the Senato In 1924, pre.eml nently because of the fervid and symphonic chorus of a great quar tet, made up of Calvin Cool.dge Frank Stearns, William Butier and Channing Cox. Then did these al yodel in unison that the presence i of the said Gillett in the Senate as the presidential Spokesman, wa: vital, because of which perform ance was he thereupon elected. And for the return of the above described Gillett to tho Senate, as the presidential spokesman. for which purpose he was elected and where, by his long years of serviee and high talents, he belonge, y questions will be asked—that i by those who have faith In Masea chusetts, * ¥ ¥ % Emma Goldman, deported from th: United States as an ansrchist eeve lor elght vears ago, 18 now at Mor real, casting wistful looks across tae border and hoping. somehow, some day, to be readmitted to this countrs JAccording to the Department ~* {Labor, Emma haen't a chance. As - |denorted anarchist she ia denied t! iright of even applving for the pri [fleze of coming hack. If she co: trived to get back. by hook or crool i#he would be subfect to prosecution Not lonz ago. probably with an to Secretarv “JIm" Davis’ svmpath | Emma took unto herself a Welsh hta of the week he does not wear | sembled at Geneva under League of |band named James Colton, a mim, As Mrs. Colton. a British subject, s%¥ is now hibernating in frigid Quebe- I'm anxious 1o show the American neaple.” Mrs. Go'dman-Colton i que ed as saving, “that I'm no long: ‘Emma, the soan-box aenarchist.’ 1 would Uke to deliver a series of le tures in the 1'nited States denouncirs {Boviet Russta.” Emma once h. faith in Bolshevism aa the hope of th werld. But she came out of her Aream nfter & few months at Mossew perizhf. 1936,