Evening Star Newspaper, December 24, 1926, Page 8

8 ¥ THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1926 THE EVENING STAR)|rortation engineers. And this new|to clear the banks before Christmas With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY......December 24, 1926 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company 110 6 Tand Pepnarisania Ave, n Neg Fork fim. .}_"11'\’!‘ s nd st Chicago Office: Tower 3 European Office: 14 Regent St.. London, England. The Evenin ith the Sunday morn- e Sefcered by carriere’ within edition. J wt €0 cents per month: ceni undays o onth_ Orders m: month: ay he sent by mail or one Main 5000. Collection is made by ler at end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. 18 26 Maryland and Virginia. pally and Sunday....1yr. 38.00: 1mo. Ally oni: 13 86.00: 1 mo Sunday only 157, $3.00: 1 mo.. All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday..]yr. $12.00:1 Ir. 880011 Daily only .. " Sunday only (151 $4.00:1mo. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press fs exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all news dis- and also the loc: All rights of of apecial dispatches in are al news ion Single Track, Eighteen Dead. A shocking reminder that heavy traffic is still running over one-track raflroad lines is given by the col- Mslon at Rockmart, Ga., where two trains met head-on at a switch and eighteen persons were killed and many more were injured. These were express trains, of the kind known as “fiyers” both heavily loaded, and both rumning on fast schedule. One of them had reached the station and had taken a siding to allow the other to pass. The approaching train, it seems, failed to take the through track but went into the siding and crashed into the standing train. All the casualties occurred on the moving train, bound north. So rarely does a head-on collision occur in these times that the case demands special attention and study. 38c| reserved. | 110-story bullding is the latest stride forward by the former. A vehicular tunnel is about to be opened between New York and Jersey City, but it is’ already discounted by the accumulat- ed growth upward of the years that have elapsed since it was projected. The Hudson River Bridge project is on the point of actual starting, but by the time it has been completed, unless present signs fail, midtown New York will be spiring higher than even the latest marvel of architecture. So no wonder New Yorkers who look for- .| ward see crowded times ahead. R Five-Cent-Fare Politics. All is not serene in Greater New York in respect to its relations with Albany. Governor Smith, idol of the State Democracy as well as of the Tammany organization, is not as popular below the Bronx as he wa a few weeks ago, when he rolled up an enormous majority-and was re- turned to the State House and set up definitely as the favorite son of | the party for 1928. A change has come to pass, and it all hiuges upon the question of street railway fare When Mayor Walker was elected in November, 1925, to succeed Mayor Hylan, it was considered likely that he would push plans for a better- ment of the transit situation in the Greater City. But for the first year of his term he has been chiefly occupied in heading reception com: mittees, and paying honors to the various grades of greatness that have been landed on these shores. Even his warm supporters have be- 8un to grumble at the failure of the City Hall to step out and do some- thing to relieve the congestion and to ease the burden. The other day Governor Smith proposed that the Public Service Commission of Great- er New York, which has to do with the local transit situation, should be merged with the State Transit Com- mission. Immediately an outcry arose in the boroughs. Higher fares, it was urged, would be the result of such a blend of authority and re- sponsibility. The mayor proclaimed A railroad operating on a one-track basis, as a few still do in this coun- try, must of necessity A maintain sidings and switches to allow the trafic to pass. Upon the depend- ability of the switches rests the burden of safety. It would seem that the switch in this case had been left open, or sprang open upon the ap- proach of the speeding train, It was not dependable, for either a human or a mechanical cause. The sacri- fice of eighteen lives resulted. It seems archaic to operate heavy traffic on a one-track basis. The double-tracking of railroads has been in progress for a §ood pany years. The southern travel has increased greatly during the past decade and there has surely been time to put all of the lines serving it in shape to handle the volume of business on a double-track basis. The Florida lines, until recently all one-tracked, have been double-tracked ~almost throughout their length. It remains to be determined, if -possible, how the switch was left open at this point. It must be assumed that the apparatus was of the most reliable character. A one- track line, carrying heavy traffic, must be equipped with the securest means of preventing accident. How a switch could be left open, or could spring open upon the approach of a train, is a mystery that may or may net be solved. Inquests and investi- getions do not always reach “the e3act and specific causes of rallroad accidents. Grade crossing accidents teach their lesson of prevention, and the cure of that evil is progressing. Rear-end collisions teach their les- mon, and the cure for them is on the way to adoption. Head-on col- lisions in turn teach their lesson, which was in fact taught years ago, and the cure for them should have been adopted long since. Of all the forms of railroad disasters this seems to be the least excusable. The Rock- mart tragedy is certainly preceded by a long enough perspective of warnings to have been rendered im- possible by a double-tracking to conform to the modern conditions of travel, or, pending double-track- ing, by a safer mode of train handling. ——atee Prohibition agents must assist in enforcing the law regardless of the temptations of a private thirst. The individual is expected to sacrifice his own inclinations for the good af the state. S Spain has lotteries as well as-a de- mand for tickets to bullfights. The Spanish Santa Claus is obliged to be something of a sport. o Skyscrapers and Traffic. Constderable anxiety has heen ex- pressed in New York on the score of the proposed new 110-story building projected for a mid-city site, not with reference to its stabllity or practical egenomy, but with regard to its effect upon the local transportation prob- lem. In itself it will not add materially to the congestion. As an example of what may occur later if it should suc- ceed as a business venture, however, it is “viewed with alarm.” Already New York is serlously congested, with its six million people crowded into a comparatively narrow area, and at least four million of them packed into a very restrictad space during busi- ness hours. The “skyscrapers” of the past twenty-five years have added heavily to this load. 1f now they are 10 run wp to 110-story heights, and peraps higher, the concentration will be increased, and the problem of moy- ing the people who occupy them for business purposes morning and eve- ning will become one of the gravest loudly against such a move. Yester- day George W. Olvany, leader of Tammany Hall, declared flatly that that erganization would stand back of thé'mayor in his fight to prevent ap Increase of fare. Of course this breach will be closed. It is not the custom of Tam- many to allow any schisms to de- velop. Governor Smith will probably recognize that he is trespassing upon ground sacred to Tammany and, although he is the foremost individ- ual figure in that organization, and holds his office largely because of its favor and support, he is likely to withdraw = his suggestion. ‘Then comes the mayor into the limelight as the man who defied the mighty one up the river. His term has three dawn so that every message and gift will have been delivered in season. No expression of thanks for this re- markably efficient service is adequate. The sorters and carriers are reward- ed by a feeling that the public appre- ciates the magnitude of the task which they have performed so ef- | ficiently. Those who ring the door bells have not time to wait for a word of gratitude. They are in too much of a hurry. But just the same they should be met with a smile and a mes- sage of cheer for the Christmas sea- son. Their own stockings may be lean | tomorrow morning, but those smiles will warm their hearts and cause them to realize that what they have done to make this a truly “Merry | Christmas' for millions of people is {acknowledged. R Meet the Call by Morning! Washington will have to move speedily if it closes all the Opportuni- y Christmas morning. The 10 report today showed that of ! 2 necessary to care for all of the fourteen family groups during <[ the next vear, only $9,112 had been | subscribed, leaving $6,5640 yet to come. | Of the Fourteen Opportunities only {eleven had been *closed.” It is of moment that all these chances for direct-aid charity should be grasped. If these family groups are not provided for by specific bud- get they will be dependent upon the general funds for their sustenance during the year. In some cases the homes must be broken up, the chil- dren dispersed and cared for'in insti- tutions, the parents sent to hospitals. The home ties will be broken. ‘Washington has the money to meet this call upon its purse. There is enough “loose change” left over from Christmas shopping at this hour to fill all of these needs to overflowing. Let all of the Opportuni¥ies be closed before the bells ring on Christmas morning! -t Fall and Doheny jurors sang sweet- Iv before the acquittal. The Fall- Sinclair trial may call for men who are unprejudiced by knowledge of the facts, but who have taken courses in voice culture. — e It requires a gun to maké a gun- man. The ease with which weapons are obtained by irresponsible people remains one of the points of weak- ness in the efforts to secure universal peace. —o—t Opponents of capital punishment may find relief of mind in contem- plating the number of killers who remain undetected in addition to those who are freed after trial. - A snowless Christmas is predicted. years more to run. Another gov- ernorship campaign will be on in 1928. Governor Smith is not likely to be again “drafted” for service at Alpany. He is more likely to be pushed into the arena of the National Democratic convention eighteen months hence. Will Mayor Walker be his successor in the State House? Will there be as hearty and whole- souled support of the favorite son at the presidential convention as though he had not made this shock- ing suggestion about a merger of the transit and utilities commissions? Five-cent-fare politics prevails in Greater New York to the exclusion of most othér questions, and the gov- ernor has shown a somewhat ques- tionable judgment in venturing to make his proposal, which has so swiftly been resented and has brought such an emphatic rebuke from Tammany. B A Tough Break. With murders, hold-ups and bank robberies on the increase and with long hours and small pay the rule, there seems to be little joy in the life of a policeman. But for pure hard luck and downright injustice nothing in the ordinary life of a police officer can exceed the situation faced by the guardians of the law in Haverstraw, New Jersey. Asked by a reporter as to the lack Even the Weather Bureau is permit- ted to break into the picture with a bit of holiday cheer. et A carelessly lighted Christmas tree makes the visit of the Fire Depart- ment more welcome than that of Santa Claus himself. e The Chinese, instead of avoiding forelgn entanglements, continue to look for them, regardless of risk. ——e—a— Judge Landis, hailed originally as a “czar” In base ball, finds himself in the position of an umpire. —— Those who “shopped early” in the steel market are now enjoying excep- tional prospects of a merry Christmas. R While “watching the old year out,” a number of night club patrons will also watch for the police. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Absent Santa Clau: Good, old Santa, going strong, Gayly drove the deer. Some folks say he brought along A load o' Christmas cheer. Carefully, good Santa Claus At stockings took a peek. Sald he, “I can't use these, because of policemen on_the streets the other day, the mayor of the town sald: “Our eight policemen are out shoot- ifg in the woods. Their pay checks have been held up and they are try- ing to bag some rabbits for the Christmas dinners. They have no money and it looks as if that is their last chance to prepare for the Yule- tide meal.” Political strife {s the cause of this situation and it looks very much as it the policemen were distinctly out of luck. The recalcitrant aldermen, who are holding back the pay of municipal officers, will have hardy consclences, indeed, if they can come through the Christmas season with- out a twinge or two about the plight of the unfortunate guardians of the law. o As a dictator Mussolini enjoys the privilege of selecting his own regalia. But what he most values in the way of attire is his little old bullet-proof set of step-ins. oo Uncle Sam’s Christmas Givers. As the door bells continue to ring today, and even late tonight, give thought to the faithful ones who are working so hard to serve as Santa Claus, the postmen. For days they have been carrying double and treble burdens. Back of them a well organ- ized augmented force of collectors and sorters has been tolling to keep abreast of the flood of cards, letters and parcels pouring in upon every office in the country. The ‘“letter car- rier,” as he is known; is the only one whom the public meets. The men, that ever was faced by any city. ‘When the buildings began to grow high thirty years ago—and twenty- five stories was a sensational height— New York had one bridge and no tun- nels. It had no subways. It was served by two elevated railway lines, in addition to the surface roads. The huildings grew faster than the trans- portation facilities, for by the time the first subway was built thirty-story hufldings were in existence. Through- out the veare the structural engineers have kept a step ahead of the trans. | faithful servers of the people, hoping ) ‘women and boys and girls who are be- hind the screens are never identified, but upon them depends the swift movement of the malls and the ac- curate sorting. ‘With all the “shop early” and “mail early” admonitions given to the pub- lic there is a last:minute rush of postal matter. Cards and parcels by the millions are mailed, and the Post Office Department works without re- gard to hours or schedules to deliver them. Rack and forth they go, these They're almost sure to leak.” Good old Santa paused awhile, A round and ruddy elf, And murmured, with a genial smile, “I'll taste this stuff myself!” If Santy misses us this year It's due to that carouse. They doubtless have him and his deer Locked in the station house. Forgetting Father. “You smust admit that George ‘Washington was the father of his country.” “Yes,” rejoined Senator Sorghum. “But how many people nowadays obey their parents?” The Sufferers. Now, Justice has peculiar ways, ‘Which frequently we see. They lock the jury up for days, ‘While prisoners stay free. Jud Tunkins says one way to be sure of getting good news is to be lib- eral with tips to a fortune teller. Christmas Gifts. “Them Snake Ridgers have armed themselves and are comin’ to shoot up the town!” “We need some guns here in the Gulch,” sald Cactus Joe, “and it'll be 80 easy to take 'em away from them fellers that it'll seem jes’ lke a visit from Santy Claus.” Procrastination. “Shop early!” With a restless frown He started on a search forlorn To find some shopping place down- town At 6 a.m. on Christmas morn. Taking to the Road. “Do you enjoy the fiveday working week?” “Yes,” answered Mr. Chuggins. “But it holds no pecuniary advantage. I have to spend more than the value of the off-time in buying gas and keep- ing the fiivver in repair.” “A fiveday workin' week," said Uncle Eben, “ain’ gineter be no in- couragement to some o' de folks around dis settlement -dat has got deirse'ts used to a six-day fn’ week." THIS AND THAT ‘Well, here it is Christmas eve—and what are we all thinking about ? Surely, about all those nice pres- ents we are going to get tomorrow. Those persons who have opened their parcels, despite the “Do Not Open Till Christmas” seals, already have paid the price. There will be no surprise for them tomorrow. & They are like the children who can- not wait until the Fourth of July, but must shoot off firecrackers days, even weeks, in advance. ‘When the big day comes they are tired of the sport before it begins. All of us good boys and girls, how- ever, who wait patiently for Santa Claus shall have our reward. We have seen the parcels in the closet, and can almost swear as to what is In each one of them. More than once we have been tempted to declare Christmas eve Christmas, and let it go at that. There are some good arguments in favor of such a course, especially for the grown-ups. The first reason is the simple one that so many persons do, undoubtedly, open their presents on Christmas eve. This is, of course, a purely personal matter. Every one has a right to do as he pleases, and if he wants to have his Christmas on Christmas eve, that is his own business. The second reason is like unto the first—perhaps it might not be a bad thing, if one cannot walt, to lump Christmas eve and Christmas all in one and put it on the former. * oK ok X This would please the children, and allow Christmas day to be given over wholly to religlous observances, un- spoiled by thoughts of mundane gifts. Probably there would be more festivity in the celehration of Christ- mas in the evening than in the cold of the morning. But the great argument against this, of course, is the very nature of the celebration and the religious significa- tion. No, we will not push our plan to have Christmas on Christmas eve. Surely Christmas eve is enough in itself. This is the evening of expectation. ‘We will not allow the material side of our Christmas (modern) to obscure the ancient aspects, nor to sway us for a second from the true relation- ship of the gift to the giver. Despite the worry of Christmas shopping, now happily over, the hundred @and one petty detalls, the sending of gifts to those who do not deserve them, and the not sending to some who do, we will cling fast to the ancient tradition, to the happy thought of giving, out of the fullness of what one has, to others. This, after all, is the true signifi- cancé of Christmas, which combines a pagan plenty with a Christian spirit, and does so as deftly as holly and mistletoe are wreathed together in our front windows. : 'k k0w Even those who make life a per- petual Christmas, and give freely to others a 1l times, may make to- morrow a special day, in the sense of special gifts. It 1s by no means certain that Pres- ident Coolidge will identify himself with Col. Carmi A. Thompson's view that Gen. Leonard Wood has over- militarized the government of the Philippines. The President has long been aware of the stubborn fight the governor general has had to wage at Manila against the ever-advancing pretensions of the native “politicos.” Wood not only has had to resist in- creasing encroachment on American executive authority, but struggle, step by step, to regain the ground forfeited to the Filipino independence party by his predecessor, Francis Bur- ton Harrison. Many of Gen. Wood's friends in Washington think Col. Thompson's report damns the gover- nor general with faint praise. They declare that the soldier-statesman has remained at the post of duty in the Philipnines through a lofty sense of public service. But some of them would not be surprised any day to hear that weariness of the flesh, in the presence of heart-breaking condi- tions, had determined Wood to lay down the burdens he has carried un- Interruptedly for more than five years. = P L Boris Skvirsky, sometimes called the Russian Soviet Ambassador to the United States—ofcially head of the “Russian Information Bureau” at Washington—has recenily returned from a protracted visit to Moscow. M. Skvirsky, Communigt though he be, comes antt gwww =rily through the supposedly barred and bolted gates of America, which no Bolshevist may He carries a Russian pass- port, but it is, of course, not honoredy| by United States immigration authori- ties. What does give him right of ontry, apparently, is the American visa on his application to land on our shores. This formality is attended to on the other side—at whatever port the Bolshevist emissary embarks. When M. Skvirsky left for Russia earlier in the year there was a sug- gestion that his return to this coun- try would pave the way to far-reach- ing changes in our relations with the Red government. But this observer is authoritatively informed there's no ground for such expectations. * K K K ‘W. 8. McCormack, lieuten: gqver- nor of Montana, was a visitor to Washington this week. As presiding officer of the Montana State Senate, g how Vice Presi- dent Dawes the $senatorial body over which the latter holds par- llamentary sway. Mr. McCormack was a guest on the Vice Presidential rostrum during a session of the Sen- ate. He expressed the view that proceedings there aren't so very dif- ferent from those in the Senate at Helena. *By keeping my ears wide open,” the lieutenant governor of. Montana remarked, “I'can usually tell what our fellows are talking about, after a few minutes. What's been your experience, Mr. Vice Presi- dent?” According to an ear-witness, Dawes replied: “Sometimes I listen to ‘em three days without getting the hang of it.” : * K kX Three warships of the United States Navy are spending merry Christhas holidays the fashionable port of Villefranche, in the salubrious south of France, midway between Nice and Monte Carlo. The squadron consists of the cruiser flagship Memphis, fly- ing the pennant of Vice Admiral Guy Hamliton Burrage, and the two de- stroyers Isherwood and Case, the former being the divisional flagship of Capt. W. W. Galbraith. Capt. Gal- braith is well remembered in Wash- ington as the late chief of the Naval Intelligence Bureau at the Navy De- partment. The Riviera, now at the greets eagerly the advent of a foreign squadron. Our officers and bluejack- ets are especially welcome. They have the reputation of presenting the best-looking ships and the smartest personal appearance of any men-of- war and sailormen that put into the tavorite haven of Europe’s idle rich. * * % % ‘The very newest thing under the agricultural sun {s the suggestion that what the farmers mainly need is a Will Hays,'a Judge Landis or an Augustus Thomas, What those three BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Tomorrow is the day for the re. membrances which one would ot or- dinarily make, since but a few of us can be giving at all times. Christmas s, indeed, such a happy thought modern conditions cannot change its essence. It will not do to be driven from the cheer of the day by the ramifications of the weeks be- ore. {OF" there has been abuse of Christ- mas, well, there has been similar abuse of everything else, and still those who have the ability to see be- neath the encumbrances can get down to the hidden meanings. Tonight is Christmas eve, plenty of time in which to put ourselves in tune with Christmas, if one has not done so_before. 1f gentlemen are grouchy, let them think on this and right their minds while there is yet time. If ladies are “all worn out” by Christmas shopping, let them take it easy, for a few hours, and become happy again. ER¥istmas eve can atill be an eve- ning of miracles. * kX % Spend this evening, if you are alone. with Dickens' “Christmas Carol,” and surely its spirit of Christmas present will sink into your heart and allow you to wake up tomorrow in the right frame of mind. Whoever you are, or wherever you are, greet Christmas with a sense of humor, for Christmas was designed as a happy day, and humor plays its part in happiness. If circumstances make it impossible for one to be happy, then may the grace of God come to him and help him in his trou- ble. For this is His evening, tomorrow is His day, even as all days are in His hand, “Who saith, ‘A whole 1 plan- ned, see all, nor be afraid.’ The commonsense of humanity has happlly divested Christmas of too much solemnity; for we are such stuff as dreams are made of, as Shake- speare sald, and as such can endure solemnity only at times. The solemn moments of our lives are but made the greater by the general frivolity of our conduct. Without this essential .contrast life would lose something of its meaning. Hence the wisest churches have al- lowed some spirit of good humor, and the happlest people have been those who could make their Christmas the merriest. It is not for nothing that the uni- versal greeting is simply: “Merry Christmas!” Tomorrow is the day when every one may be merry without offense. And it is a hopeful note in our eiv- {lization that the proper place for this merriment is in the home. The home still stands secure, as long as there is Christmas. Though Christmas comes but once a year, its spirit abides forever in the real home. Even the most warlike, this eve- ning and tomorrow, will be lovers of peace. Shall they not have shame that out of 365 days in the year® and after 1,926 vears, they can give but one day to “peace on earth”? WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Czars have done, respectively, for the movies, base ball and the stage, it is now argued, some bucolic autocrat can achieve for the down-trodden and horny-handed tlllers of the soil. To a New York paper a Tennessee farmer has just written: “The trouble is that the farmers today are depending on ! politicians, who feed them year after year on promises. Thirteen yearsago T Informed one of the leading farm journals that I would be one of 200 to pledge themselves to give 9500 a year each to make up a $100,000 salary for some man who would make it his whole-time job to see what's wrong with agriculture, from month to month, and advise honest, unselfish, practical methods for righting it." The patentee of this scheme for farm rellef admits that the trouble with it is that there probably aren't 50 farmers in the country who think any man is worth $25,000 a year! * ¥ % ¥ America’s new Minister to Greece, Robert Peet Skinner, quoted Presi- dent Montoe and Daniel Webster in presenting his credentlals to Admiral Condouriotis, President of the Hel- lenic republic, the other day. Mr. Skinner recalled that in the same year he proclaimed the Monroe doc- trine, President Monroe (in 1823) sent Congress a message expressing an ardent wish that Greece should take its place among the great modern tes of the world. A few days 'terward, Minister Skinner narrated, ‘Webster made one of his famous speeches, in support of. a resolution to send an envoy to Athens bearing America’s good wishes in Greece's struggle for freedom. Mr. Skinner, who was our blue ribbon consul gen- eral until the time of his transfer to the diplomatio branch of the foreign service this year, used to be a report- er in Massillon, Ohio. As a “cub” he was press agent for “Gen.” Coxey's immortal hobo march on Washington. * K Kk There'll be no dearth of choices if the President and Mrs. Coolidge should decide to pitch the 1927 Sum- mer White House somewhere in the open spaces of the West. Three dis- tinct propositions have.now been trot- ted out. Representative Dickinson, Republican corn-belter of Iowa, has introduced a bill providing for erec- tion of a permanent Summer White House somewhere between the Missis- sippl and the Rocky Mountains. South Dakota would like Mr. and Mrs. Cool- idge to rusticate next year in the Black Hills. Spencer Penrose of Col- orado Springs, Colo.,, has invited the President to make use of the Pen- rose estate at that point. Mr. Pen- rose i{s a brother of the late Senator Boies Penrose of Pennsylvania. But his latter-day claim to fame is that he is the militant leader of Colorado wets and commanded their forces in the recent effort to have the State de- clare by referendum for light wines and Beer. (Copyright. 1926.) — vt Washington as the Soul of America From the Philadelphia Inquirer. ‘Tucked away in a corner of Presi- dent Coolidge's message to Congress is an interesting little paragraph con- cerning the Capital City. He speaks of what has been done there and tells of the program far néw buildings and of the general beautification of the District of Columbia. These buildings will be of permanent nature and he feels that into them should go the as- pirations of the Nation, its ideals ex- pressed in forms of beauty. He in- sists that if our country wishes to compete with others it should be not in the support of armaments, but in the making of a beautiful Capital City. “Let it,"” says the President, ‘“ex- press the soul of America.” He tells us that whenever an American goes to the seat of the Government, no mat- ter how cultured or traveled he may be, he should find there the best in architecture to arouse his imagination and his pride. If Mr. Coolidge has his way, Washington, in the coming years, will not only be the art center of our own country, but of the world. He would have in it the best in science, in tearnihg, in letters and in art. “These,” he insists, “are the results Injustice Is Charged. | Parents Resent Published State- !mems As to Rule Shooting Case. To the Editor of The Star In view of the misleading fac's| which have appeared in certain newspapers regarding the Rule shooting case, for which the young man is now awaiting sentence at Rockville; of certain misstatements from the beginning as to the nature of the ‘“‘cottage” where the. accident took place, and the recent outburst against the laxity of parents in the training of their children, and, finally. | in the comment in an editorial of a| morning paper of Saturday, the 11th, wherein it is suggested that the party held at the camp on Hallow- een night was a wild party. we, the undersigned, parents of the hoys who rented the ‘cottage.” all Boy Scouts, and of the girls, their guests of the evening, feel it is time to pro- test against being held up as an ex- ample of parental incompetence or negligence. We know our children; we know them to be generally ohe- dient; the boys rented the “shack™ with our consent; we helped them to furnish it; most of us have visited it weekly and have spent some de- lightful hours there, and we were quite conversant wtih the arrange- ments for the party, all of the girls being present with the consent of their parents. We all know Dick Rule, and trust him implicitly, and have no reason whatever to change our faith in him, in spite of what has occurred. Do you think, in view of these statements, which we, as parents, know cannot be controverted, that a fair presentation of facts has been given? The ‘Washington news- papers, with the exception of The Star, which has throughout given what we consider to be a fair and impartial statement of the facts in the case, have pictured the camp as a roadhouse, a cabaret, where Dick Rule was the manager, instead of a small cottdge rented by boys who love the out-of-doors and took this means of innocent enjoyment. All in all, we feel that there has been too much emphasis in the press, The Star al vs excepted, on hear- say evidence, and we ask that con- sideration be given to parents who are striving to fit their children to be good citizens, among whom we count ourselves. (Signed) Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Cribbs, Illinois avenue northwest. Mr. and Mrs. C. A. Vanderlip, 707 Randolph street northwest. Mr. and Mrs. R. A. I'Anson, 3800 14th street northwest. Mr. and Mrs. H. V. B. Garver, 415 4105 ! Kahanamoku {other vitamins be discovered?—D. ANSWERS TO' QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Do Weismuller and Duke use the Australian or v\r:‘ericl!l\ crawl stroke in swimming? —F. 8. L. A. Both use the American crawl. Q. Who will B. A. Vitamins is a term proposed by €. Funk to include the peculiar health- giving and disease-preventing element in the rice grain. Tt is probable that other vitamins will be discovered by future investigations. named vitamins? Q. Are there parts of the country where there are not enough doctors? —M. G. D. A. The Public Health Service says that rural districts, especially in the South, are badly in need of physicians. There are a number of counties in Kentucky that have no dactors. Q. What languages are spoken in Switzerland?—D. E. McL. - In Switzerland German is spokén ¢ 71 per cent of the people; French, 21 per cent; Italian, 6 per cent, and Romansch, 115 per cent. All but six cantons have a German.speaking ma- jority. French prevails in Fribours, Vand, Valais, Neuchatel and Geneva; Italian in the Ticino. Q. Are there catacombs in Paris? A. The term has been applied to certain subterranean quarries in Paris Wwhich' have been used since 1786 as burial places. It is said that 6,000,000 bodies lie in these catacombs, where the bones are arranged in fanciful de- =igns along the sides of the passages. Q. Does-Great Britain fix the price of cotton in‘the empire?—G. W. C. A. The British- government.. makes no. attempt. to fix a definite price on cotton. It is undorstood. however, that the British government offers en- couragement in ‘the form of bounties, etc,, for cotton growers throughout the empire. Q. In ying a hand of cribbage, do the cards 2,4, 3, 5 constitute a run? Will the addition of a 4 make a run of 57—C. P. A. Tt'is not necessary for the cards 10 fall in regular order to make a run, and any sequenca may be pegggd. pro- vided it is'not broken intc ¥ duphi- cates or intervening cards. Two, 4. 3, 5 form a run. Two, 4, 3, 5, 4ido not form a run of 5, since the 4 18 a duplicate. However, the player of the a period the glacial waters of Lake Agassiz covered the greater parts of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, North Da- kota and Minnesota. The lake, from its earliest measurements, appears fo have been 110,000 square miles, with a length of 700 miles, width of 250 miles and a depth of 700 feet. Besides the reclaimed land now known as the Red River Valley there remains still of Lake Agassiz the shrunken rem- nants constituting Lakes Winnipeg. Manitoba, Rainy Lake, Lake of the Woods and Red Lake. Q. In irrigation projects, how can the water be measured out, =o that a man can get two fest of water?—B. L, A. The water is measured by means of weirs. Q. Why did some men get bronze buttons and others get silver ones at the close of the World War?—V. R. 8. A. The silver discharge buttons were given to men who_had been wounded during the war. Bronze dis- charge buttons were given to all others. Q. What are balloons used for?—O. A. Some of the uses of balloons are freight service, aerial photography, sport and pleasure, survey and na- tional defense. Q. How long <has the “Passion Play% been given at Oberammergau? —P. M. B. . It was performed every 10 years from 1634 to 1674. It was then de- cided to give the next performance in 1680, 80 as to have the accepted dec- ade date. Performances continued up to 1910; the war caused interrup- tion, and they were suspended until Q. We have heard that it costs thou- sands of dollars to open the doors of the hangar of the Los Angeles. TIs this true?—J. W. A. A. The cost of opening the doors of the hangar of the Los Angeles at Lakehurst, N. J., has been greatly exaggerated. The doors are the coun- terbalanced, sliding-leat type, approxi- mately 180 feet high and 135 feet wide. Each of the four leaves welghs about 300 tons. In order to open, each door must travel approximately 136 feet. They are operated by electric motors of about 200 horsepower or alternately by hand. By use of mo- tors each door is opened in about five second 4 pegs a run of 3. Q. What is the oldest kind of wind instrument still in use?—G. G. A. The Jewish shophar, a ram’s horn usually straightened and flat- Shepherd street northwest. Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Williams, ‘Woodside, Md. Mrs. J. A. Taggart, 4602 northwest. Mr. and Mrs. D. C. Dow, 555 Ran- dolph street northwest. Mr. and Mrs. F. 6th street northwest. g s————— Sees Law Violated. 4th street Benham, 4128 Writer Cites Disregard of Regu- lation for Lights on Autos. To the Bditor of The Star: Article VIIT, section 10 (b), of the traffic regulations requires that "mo- tor vehicles other than motor cycles shall be equipped‘with and have light- ed at least two head lamps,” etc. Last evening in traveling north on Sixteenth street from Newton street to the entrance to Rock Creek Park just beyond the reservoir I passed two south-bound autos each with one light and one with no lights. Turning in and going through the park, I passed dnother auto with one headlight at the police booth near tened, is the only anclent musical in- strument actually preserved in _the Mosaio ritual and the oldest wind in- strument known to be retained in present use in the world. It is still sounded by the Jews on the New Year and on the Day of Atonement. It is first named in the Bible as sounding when the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai. Q. Where is the hub of the uni- verse? I am not referring to the city of Boston.—W. D. M. minutes. The cost is probably that of the electric power, and is not more than a few dollars. Q. Why are there volcanoes in the Pacific and none In the Atlantic Ocean?—S. O. A. You are mistaken in thinking that there are ho volcanoes in the Atlantic. They do oceur, though not in such numbers as in the Pacific Basin. Vol- canoes are limited to certain regions in the earth. Probably the most im- portant belt of volcanoes is that bor- dering the Pacific Ocean. Amnother broad belt, however, borders the Med- iterranean Sea and extends westward into the Atlantic Ocean. Narrower belts are found in both the northern and southern portions of the Atlantic A. The expression, “hub of the universe,” has been variously em- ployed. In ancient history, Delphi and Delos were each described as the middle point of the whole world. Jerusalem has also been so described. The London Daily News of 1886 re- fers to Calcutta as the “hub of the world.” The diameter of the earth is approximately 8,000 miles, conse- quently the “hub” would be the cen- ter of a sphere of that diameter. Q. How much money is deposited in the. postal savings?—J. R. K. A.'At the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 1926, the outstanding pringi- Pal to the credit of the postal savi depositors amounted - to $134.178, the bridge. Before 1 had reached Chevy Chase Circle I passed two'more one-headlight cars, making a total of five violations of this regulation with- in a distance of 5 miles. T take this route practically every have noted two or three such viola- tions every time. I have also noted numerous instances of lenses or re- flectors turned at an angle. The num- ber of headlights improperly focused and tilted in improper manner is too large to be noted. Such violations may be hard to detect, but there is no difficulty in seeing that a car is dis- playing only one headlight, and there is no difculty In detecting a lens or reflector which has been turned 45 degrees. It is evident from the number of cars which can be counted on any street and on any night traveling with only one headlight that little, if any, attention is being paid to them by the police. That they are a seri- ous menace to traffic is beyond ques- tion. Untll approached near enough for the driver's own headlights to overcome the one light of the ap- proaching car it iIs impossible to tell whether it is an auto or a motor cy- cle, and if an auto, to determine whether the right or the left head- light is the one seen. Many of these drivers of such defectively equipped cars drive In the middle of the road instead of to the right, as required by the regulations, drive on the left of the center on curves where the view is obstructed, and otherwise in- crease the danger due to the defective equipment. -~ This regulation as to lights should be enforced not sporadically but all the time. It should not be possible to drive a car with only one headlight for any distance without being stop- ped. It is highly improbable that so many drivers are unaware that their lights are defective, but so long as they are permitted to operate with such equipment they will do so. The enforcement of this regulation should be continuous. Tt does little good to conduct a vigorous campaign for a week and then ‘“‘forget it" for six_months. day. and in many weeks of driving T! an increase of $2,005.347 over the amount for June 30, 1925. Q. Who was the first American miilionaire>—I. M. C, ' “"A. Brazil Gordon of Falmouth, Va., who is said to have made a fortune by the sudden rise in the price of tobaceo when the war of 1812 threat- ened to cut off Europe's supply, of Virginia tobacco. Gordon is credit- ed with the possession of the first million dollars in cash, although sev- eral earlier Americans were worth more than that amount in lands or merchandise. Q. How ‘long did the glacial Lake on the margins of the Caribbean Sea. Bands of active volcanoes are found wherever mountain ranges are paral- leled by deeps on the neighboring ocean floor. These are the zones of the earth’s crust which are under- going the most rapid change of level at the present time. Q. My daughter says that fish have lungs. Her father says not. Who is right?—A. W. A. A. The Bureau of Fisheries says that some fish have modifled lungs in the form of an air bladder, which acts as a lung structurally, but not funotionally. Most fish breathe through their gills. Q. ‘May & vetefan botrow on his duplicate compensation?—E. M. F. A. The fact that a certificate Is stamped “Duplicate” does not destroy its value as security for s logn. £ This is a special department de- voted solely to the handling of queries. This paper puts at your dis- posal the fervices of an extensive organization in Washington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This aservice is free. Failure to make use of'it degprives you of benefits to which you are en- titled. Your obligation is only % cents in stamps, inclosed with your inquiry, for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic P. Agassiz cover the land?—J. J. N. A. It is Impossible to say how long Coffee drinking as a competitive sport admittedly has its drawbacks, but the country seems mildly interest- ed in the recent 62-cup performance of a Minnesota man and the rival claims to fame advanced by champion guz- zlers in other parts of the country. “The Fergus-Falls man,” in the opin- ion of the Seattle Daily Times, ‘should be an object of interest to the scien- tific world. A person who apparently is immune to the effects of caffeine. the alkaloid found in coffee, should be an eighth wonder of the world. It is popularly believed to be dangerous in large doses, and 62 cups of coffee should be sufficient to sink an ele- phant. If Fergus Falls put on a cof- fee-drinking tournament, it would do the rest of the country a favor by saying nothing about it. The country has been surfeited with pie-eating contests, hog-calling tournaments and corn-husking bees. Let's not make things worse by drinking coffee to ex- cess.” The question of fame interests the Abilene Reporter, which takes note of the fact that “because he drank at one sitting some 62 cups of coffee, a Very truly yours, F. L. PITTMAN. The Happy Home. From the Long Beach Press-Telegram. Happy is the home where there is & baby grand and a grand baby. Gone Are the Days! From the Baltimore Sun. Children are being made the subject of a great deal of study—that is, if there are any children, Applies to Everybody. From the St. Paul Dispateh. Good blood isn’t everything. The child of & king must be taught which spoon to use. which justify the creation of our na- tional resources with which we have been favored.” - | spiration, certain male ‘broke into fame.' as people would say.” But that paper insists that he didn't break into fame. “His plcture was printed and his name printed in several thousand papers. But how about it? Can you Haskin, director, Washington, D. . Editors Hold Pleasant Debate On Coffee Championship Issue over, and along comes an editor of Corpus Christi, Tex., hurling & defl at the champ In behalf of a lad of that city. On top of the challenge of the blue-eyed molder of publie opinion comes another from Akron, Ohio. And then there is the man from Newark. But Gus ain't going to be rushed off'n his feet by no fly- by-nighte ‘The Percolator Prince of Fergus Falls sa: ‘I ain't dis- paragin’ their styles; if they want contest let 'em chalk up a recors All of which is fair enough. 1If the hero of the squared circle, adhering 0 custom, can lie back for a year or more between battles, reaping the royalties that are his by right of con- quest, why should the champion of the coffee urn be denled similar privilege?” * Kok % “But before the contest for the ma- tional championship comes off,” de- clares the New York Herald Tribune, “there are detalls upon which the public will want to be informed. What sized cups does Mr. Comstock use? And what is the prescribed strength of the brew? ‘It looks like rain,’ said the cheerful boarder as he sat down to breakfast. ‘Yes,' sald his gloomy companion, eyeing his cup, “but it smells like coffee.’ Is Mr. Com- stock’s brew so attenuated or is it a real bracer? And must it be black? tell teacher, bright and snappily, the name of the man who is the world's champ coffee drinker? Neither can we. Nor can we name the world’s champ oyster-on-the-shell gulper, corn on-the-cob eater, or the man with 'tho reddest hair and the biggest feet. h * ok ok X Still the query comes from the New Orleans Tribune as to whether its own city, “which is one of the big coftee import cities of the world,” is going to “let an interior town like Fergus Falls get away with the coffee-drinking championship. What are the New Orleans coffee drinkers doing?” it asks. “In a city where the oyster gives so much gastronomic in- it seems ridiculous that there is not at least one cupman more capaclous than the Minnesota cham- pion. What's a_measly 62 cups of coffee anyway? Especially Minnesota Here we have a side of President Coolidge which has not been so well known to the mass of the American people. We have praised him for the simplicity of, his character, for his executive ability and for his sanity in litics. But he makes it clear that aving attained material prosperity we should ryly attention to the finer things of life. He has his ideals, and 80 have many of the people. The pioneers of America were too busily engaged in fighting with nature to pay much tion to art and beauty. But in most of us is the yearning for fine thingg and the time has come when we n‘ expreas these desires, particula; the Capital of the country. coffee? Who would not drink a hun- dred to save the immortal reputation of New Orleans? Up and &t 'em, men! Put coffee in thy cups!" “Sad-eyed moralists who insist that the refinements of civilization are sap- ping the virile fiber, are requested,” says the Harrisburg Telegraph, “to wipe their weeping optics and direct a hopeful glance in the direction of Fergus Falls, home of Gus Comstock, the world’s champlon coffee drinker. Gus qualifies as Mocha Monarch, kick- , ing Voltaire's record of 50 cups into | the discard and sending the free verse architects of Greenwich Vil back to their draughty attics in 3 The' word g forth naturally has attracted coffe? hounds the country ‘A cup of coffee with cream,’ ordered the customer in the quick-lunch reom. ‘Spotted cow!’ bellowed the counter man. Does Mr. Comstock permit spotted cow? And what of sugar? All these details the public must have it it is to form any accurate notlon of the champion's prowess. Lastly, a public made cynical by accusatory gossip about the prize ring will want an impartial investigation to deter- mine whether or not Mr. Comstock is subsidized by the Brazillan coffee interests. This business of drinking a cup of coffes every 10 minutes for ¥ hours can pe the appear. ance of propa The Los Angeles Times welcomes the addition to the list of “Winter in- * with the.appearance of champion marathon eof- fee drinker,” and is impelled to re- mark: “That he is a champion is evi- denced by the fact that he insists that his challengers get a reputation be- fore he will take them on. How did the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial come to miss this attraction?”” The Daily Times adds its com- ment on the fame that has been brought within the prattle a great deal these days about the power. of printer’s ink. We often say that it's not what a person is or what a person does that counts, but that it's getting his name In the paper about any old thing, ;’:Ifln all _the ldW(‘lrld sipgs t praises 3 tl the tale of the cham \ ‘whose namé nn ohe 1s ndleates this eynicism is unwarranted.”