Evening Star Newspaper, January 1, 1927, Page 6

EVENING ST AR eral commission of sports unless it | For such a man must be a good po- With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. EWA ««eo.January 1, 1887 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor {'he Evening Star Newspaper Company A Busi) oo : O SR A, o A L e, The Evenins , with the Sunday morn- % Qelfvered by catriers, within 90 cents per month, daily only, it peguieh: Denfion o, 88 one Main 5000 Collection is made by at end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. .78e } :g. B80c and Sunday 7 1mo.. 26¢ inday "only " All Other States and Cnnn(h.s d 12.00 Balip suy e i ol only ! Member of the Associated Press. Associated Press is exclusivoly entitied s Ao o sepublication of ‘all news die- s credited 1o it or not otherwiss cred aper and also e iahod heatne. AT rikhts ‘of publication #pecial dispatches herein are also reserve 1y 1yr. ‘. Another Year. A new year is at hand, a. new pe- flod dawns, a new number gppears Pn the calendar. The lapse of time is r noted quite so markedly as on mom day of each year. With the Passing of a single solar period at any other time comes no such change of ghought. As the old calendar is thrown away and the new one is in- gtalled in its place even more dis- ginctly than when the monthly sheet §s torn off the tablet to disclose its fuccessor, a feeling arises that a grisis has been reached. It is all wymbolical. Man'’s span of life is measured by frears, those changes of the seasons Avhich form cycles of alternating cli- jnatic conditions. The earth swings mround the sun once in a twelve $nenth, and with each completion of the great circle, as with each daily revolution upon its own axis, the in- ‘habitants of this planet move forward Few give thought on New Year day %o the great marvel of the seasons, fhe unsolved phenomenon of the nat- ‘ural law which holds in suspense in a wast void an orb of matter which re- * wolves immutably above a greater orb mnd completes its circuit exactly “on time.” When the whistles blow at twelve o'clock on the 31st of Decem- er to usher in the New Year, no heed {§s given to the fact that once more the great drama of the spheres has been enacted. The selection. of this particular day s the one on which the year begins s arbitrary. It has no astronomical gignificance. The Winter solstice oo purs about ten days preceding. The shortest day of the year, as it is call- ed, does not coincide with the change of date. Nevertheless, it is a fixed fact with not all the peoples of the world, but all who recognize the tian faith. To those of other faiths the year begins at different times. ~ The spirit of New Year is forward- Yooking. ‘Whet will the twelvemonth hold for mankind? What for the in- @ividual? The spirit of prophecy is xife on such an ooccasion. Just now in this land the question born of the experience of the past few years is, Wil America’s prosperity continue? JMere important is the question, Will JAmerica grow better during this next _ eyele of the earth's orbit around the sun? Will 1927 bring bhappiness through enlightenment and righteous- . pess rather than through mere mate- . il progress and enjoyment? The good resolution has its proper € not determination, to conquer their to eschew their indul- b mvmom their faults. Few oaintain these high resolves through- out the year, and few, indeed, retain them for many weeks. But the effort §s worthy. It bespeaks a sense of re- ‘wponsibility. [ — The New Year astrologer who pre- \icts froiible during 1927 at Herrin, JiL, must bo credited with the ability o make a pretty safe bet. e e WNo Federal Base Ball Law Needed. Consideration is now being given o the preparation of a bill to be in- troduced -in Congress providing for the creation of a Federal commission on sports, with particular jurisdiction bver the so-called national game of pase ball. The inspiration of this fneasure is the recent development pt scandal regarding a certain game £ ball played over seven years ago the consequent dropping from thelr managerial positions of two jnen who are high in the esteem of the people. There is no more occa- n now for making this move than ore except for the emotional out- purst’ of sympathy for two players who have scored high marks in the game and whose names are inscribed on the sport's tablets of fame. 2 Action on such a measure by Con- gress is to be seriously doubted. If discretion prevalls at the Capitol it ‘will not be pushed for consideration. Indeed there is some reason to think that the only motive for its presenta- tion is to afford an opportunity for a hearing at which the “scandal of 1919” will be aired, with opportunity for the chief sufferers to clear them- selves before the public. Though time is precious at the short session of Congress a few hours may be found for such a demonstration at the public expense. Organized base ball has its own commission which is serving to keep the game as clean as possible and as free as may be of questionable prac- tices. It was created after the dis- closing of a shameful condition in 1919, when the world series for that year was tainted with corruption promoted by professional gamblers. ‘The sport has never been upon as bigh a plane as it has been since that innovation. The players have never ‘been 8o well cared for or their rights as individuals so faithfully protected. The public has never been assured is intended to create a government bureau having to do with recreation, amateur and professional. But the Question arises whether base ball is & recreation in the sense justifying an expensive Federal supervision. It is primarily a business, an entertain- ment for the public. It is run just as the theaters are run, as a means of public diversion. Its promoters have invested sums in playing flelds, in buildings, in franchises and in contracts with players. It is one of the leading industries of this coun- try. It must be assumed that those engaged in it as a business realize that thelr hold upon the public favor depends in great measure upon the integrity of the sport, and cer- tainly all the happenings of the past seven years, and perticularly this re- cent development, indicate that the club owners are fully aware that their best interests demand scrupu- lous honesty of performance. ———ret— e Co-operation Needed. As long as the Traffic Court refuses to co-operate with the traffic director to enforce sane regulations for the benefit of the public there is little hope that conditions in Washington will show the improvement that good administration and an efficient police force demand. A case in point has just occurred. A motorist was haled to court for parking between two signs erected by the traffic director with the ap- proval of the Commissioners to des- ignate a shipping entrance to an F street store. Challenging the right of the director to allow merchants exclusive parking spaces for the con- duct of their business, the court took the personal bonds of the defendant and announced that it is a serious question whether such signs are legal. Taking this angle of the case under advisement the court stated that a decision would be rendered in the near future. The far-reaching effects of a ruling which holds that shipping entrances for business firms are not legal can- not be exaggerated. It would mean a literal paralysis of the business enterprise of this city. Shipping entrances are essential in present-day traffic. They are the one means of ingress and egress from business houses. With cars lining the streets without a break in the downtown section there is no other possible way than by keeping spaces open in front of stores to move the goods for shoppers in a retail trade which constitutes the biggest indus: try of Washington. Coupled with a constant defiance of all traffic regulations on the part of a certain portion of the public the decisions of the court are nullitying all chance of decent conditions in Washington. Co-operation should replace these obstructive tactics. —rar—————— “I Am Immune.” Diplomatic immunity has again triumphed over the rights of mere citizens on the streets of the National Capital. And peculiarly enough the latest victim of the game, “I am im- mune,” is the traffic director of the City of Washington, the man who has been most persistent in his ef- forts to secure control over the auto- mobiles of diplomats and, failing in that, at least co-operation. This latest incident in the perennial war between immunity and reason- able traffic regulation for the benefit of the entire public did not involve a serious accident. In fact, the com- batants were singularly lucky in that only the temper was ruffied. But it did involve the ethics and. principles of obedience to regulations of a diplo- mat and courtesy, indirectly, to the country in which all diplomats are guests. In other cases Washingtonians have seen their new cars irreparably smashed, have felt the sting of broken windshields cutting the face, and in one notable instance have seen a loved one killed in an automo- bile accldent with another car bear- ing the magic insignia “diplomatic. And there is yet to be a case in- scribed on the ledger which shows that any move has been made to assume blame for an accident by a diplomat. On the contrary, the atti- tude toward possible adjustment has been one of indifference and one which expresses itself in three words, “I am immune.” It is perfectly obvious that in these days of heavy traffic there should be no exempt class. Every one driving on the streets of the city must as. sume responsibility for his acts and if he falls to realize this responsibil- ity he should be barred from the further privilege of operating a motor car. This problem has been allowed to remain unsolved too long. Serious results will follow if speedy action is not taken go that all classes will be compelléd to assume their share in the burden of life-preservation in the death-dealing traffic of today. e Some time must elapse before a re- liable editicn can be expected of “Who's Who in the Nicaraguan Gov- ernment.” Sergt. Carroll and Dick. Occasionally there comes an in- those who have become somewhat pessimistic regarding the ethical standards of mankind in these rush- ing, ambitious times. The latest case of this kind is reported from Philadel- phia. Police Sergt. Elwoed J. Carroll, 22 years on the force, has just de- clined promotion to the rank of lieu- tenant because such an advancement would require him to leave his mount and become & foot officer. This re- fusal, however, was not due to any disinclination to engage in pedal po- lice work. It was because of the af- fection Sergt. Carroll feels for his horse Dick. He has ridden Dick for nine years. He broke and trained the horse. The two have been virtually inseparable. And so Carroll says to the police board: “I just couldn’t leave Dick, and I ask to be demoted. I'd rather be a sergeant and keep Dick than have all the honors in the ‘more specifically of honest sport. In these circumstances it is alto- r(, eatiesy guperfiuous o propose a Fed- 2ot be promoted and keep Dick also,’mas’ & force.” It i a pity that Sergt. Carroll can. stance of unselfishness that comforts ; liceman and worthy of advancement. Any man who achieves an affection for & faithful animal and is willing to sacrifice promotion and money advan- tage for its sake is evidently of the very quality warranting recognition. He must be a mighty good policeman. —— e For the Children’s Sake. Once a year Washington is asked to enjoy a festive gathering for the sake of one of its most valuable alds to health, one of its most efficient and worthy institutions of succor for the suffering, the Children's Hos- pital. The annual “Charity ball” is held for the purpose of maintaining the funds for the support of this establishment, where hundreds of little ones are cared for, their ail- ments cured, their hurts healed, their health restored, sometimes, pitifully, where their sufferings are ended de- spite the tenderest care and the most faithful attention. 5 . It is well that those who can spare of their substance should heed the appeal thus to assist in the main- tenance of an institution that does so much for the children of Wash- ington. They have in the past generously supported this enterprise. It has an especial significance. It is the only unofficial social event which is attended by the President of the United States. His presence marks it as something more than the usual gathering of people seeking enjoy- ment. The Children’s Hospital has been maintained upon a high plane of efficiency through the self-sacrificing efforts of the women of Washington, aided by the men, who have made the institution their especlal care. It is always in need of more funds, as it is called upon to house and treat a steadily increasing number of patients. It should have more room, a larger staff, additions lo its equipment.” A hospital is an organism that grows in proportion to the growth of the community which .it serves, and this establishment is en- abled to maintain its growth in large measure because of the liberality with which the citizens of the Capital respond to the call to attend the “Charity ball.” On Monday night it will be the privilege of all Wash- ington, to the limit of the capacity of the rooms, to assist in this great work. ——————————— The new Emperor of Japan is de- scribed as a very alert and progres- sive man, taking his officlal duties with great seriousness. He may be a strong influence in curbing the irre- sponsible jingoism which provides sug- gestion for all kinds of startling theories not only in his own land but abroad. P Next to an announcement of reduc- tion in the price of gas, the absence of any notice of increase may be re- garded as the most satisfactory pos- sible holiday demonstration at the filling station. ——e—— A certain amount of peaceful satis- faction comes with the definite assur- ance that the Hall-Mills case will be regarded as strictly limited to the an- nals of 1926. B As 5 czar Judge Landls can dis- cipline ball players, but he cannot con- trol the emotional demonstrations of the fans. ———te “Holiday cheer” f{s discovered in many instances to have a rather close chemical relationship to embalming fluld. SHOOTING STARS, BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, That Flowing Bowl. “Landlord, fill the flowing bowl Until it doth run over!” Let’s shake oft dull Care’s control And think we live in clover, Ladle the wood alcohol Into each yawning flagon. Let libations ne’er be small— And shun the water wagon! F1ll the flowing bowl, good host, And cheer each merrymaker. Let us drink a farewell toast— And call the undertaker! ‘When to Retire. ““When are you golng to retire from public lifte?” “I'm not golng to retire,” replied Senator Sorghum, “until I'm no longer wide awake enough to keep the op- position from catching me napping.” Jud Tunkins says the bootleggers have got to be so snobbish they only notice the rich. Dear Old Days. A pork chop costs a great deal more Than in the “Dear Old Days.” The bread and sausage at the store— Their value will amaze. For everything he eats or drinks A price so large he pays, The citizen grows sad and thinks ‘These are the Dear Old Da The Numerical Drama. “Did you ever see ‘Twelfth Night'?” “No,” replied Misg Blobbles, who was trying to get into“the conversa- tion about ‘g theater. “But mother saw ‘Ten Nights in a Barroom.' “A pleasant kmile,” sald Hi Ho, the sage ‘of Chipatown, “is a fine in- fluence—excepting when it represents only a strategic movement of the faclal muscles.’ No Change in Appearance. We step along with Time's unfalter- ing stride Into a year that's new. In skies above and in the earth so wide, No change is brought to view. Agaln that query, “What is in a name?” Pt Our dates once more we mix, Since Nineteen Twenty-seven looks the same As Nineteen Twenty-six. “One o' ‘dese Winters,” sald Uncle Eben, “mebbe old Santy will come around wif a load o' trees to be plant- ed 80’s to take de places of dem we has been choppln’ down foh.Christ- L SATURDAY, JANUARY 1 THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Persuns who talk right into your face are something of a mystery. Yet this is a too common situation, as all know who have had anything to do with the public, in a large way, and as most know who have no The gentleman who insists on talk- ing into your face—always he is of the male’ persuasion—is one of the most persistent individuals in the world. Insurance men, perhaps, hold pre- mier place for persistency, with salesmen of different sorts running them closely for second and third po- sitions, but the close talker comes next. Most men are advised, as children, to “stick to it"—but surely nothing was ever said about approaching one's faca to within six inches of another individual’'s during ordinary conversation ‘These pests simply cannot converse unless they are close enough to feel your breath on their face. The worst part of it is that you have to feel their breath on your own face. This is what hurts. It would not be so bad, perhaps, if every one in the world had a breath like unto sweet-scented mead- ows, or newmown hay, or apple blos- soms, or violets, or any one of a number of sweet-scented things which come readily to mind. The strange thing about this all too common individual s that his precious breath—it must be precious to him, since he insists on blowing it all over one—is distinctly the an- tithesis to meadow hay, apple blos- soms, violets, roses, sweet-smelling shrub, and so on. Always, There is no need to go into details. He is the man who ought to read that ad about “Your best friends will not tell you.” * ok ok ok One's own breath, of course, is more or less one’s own particular business. But when a social individual insists on approaching his mouth to within six, or five, or four, or even three inches, and sometimes as near as two or one, and talking animatedly in that position, it is distinctly the victim’s business. Generally this close talker is very enthusiastic. Oh, very! That is why he approaches his mug So_near. He wants one to hear everything. To miss a word of what he has to say would be a distinct loss all around—so he thinks. Just why he invariably believes that his audience is deaf has never been explained, and we are unable to .ex- plain it, either. The sound of the human voice will carry much farther than the spray from the oral cavity. The average person {is perfectly able to hear another speaking from the other side of the room, or at least from a dis- tance of six feet, if his voice is weak. ‘There 1is, of course, something chummy about close contact. So much may be admitted in justi- fication of the queer close talker. It is nice to hitch one’s chair for- ward, place a friendly paw upon the other’s freshly pressed trousers at the knee and lean forward confident “Now, this is the picture—' Invariably our close talker has a “picture” which he wants to impress upon his victim, and it seems to re- quire plenty of—well, spit is an hon- est word. 2 This commodity must be spraved at close range directly into the mouth, nose and eyes of the listener. If the polite victim finally offers a timid protest by wiping out an eve with a handkerchief, a brief apology He never knows how to take a hint. Some victims have found it helpful, when seated, to cross the legs, thus sticking one’s foot directly toward the close talker. This maneuver is unusually circum- vented by the talker arising, placing his chair to one side, and then leaning forward an increased distance. If it causes him to stretch his back painfully he willingly puts up with the inconvenience in order to give you the “picture.” Another stratagem of the wise is to be suddenly affected with a bad cold, and to require the constant use of & handkerchief, behind which he may breathe {n more or less freedom. One would think, ofthand, that such a plain hint would be taken by the close talker, but no, he is not a bit sensitive. He is a Man with a Mission. ERCEN His Big Mission, evidently, s to talk as close as he ma. There was a prominent business man of New York who, according to legend, had his guest chair screwed down to the floor, so that these close talkers could not move forward. - The look of consternation which must have come over their maps when the chair would not budge un- doubtedly gave that astute official many moments of innocent pleasure. Close talkers, as a rule, prefer to stand. This allows them to follow the victims up closely, intently, step for el St"l\ w here is a picture of the situ- ation,” he says, spitting into your left eye. yYOu back off a step. He advances his right a foot, and sprays your right cheek, which you have turned to bear the brunt of the assault. Youh(ur;m hl(ett and step backward with the right. He squares off, blows out vigorous- ly and steps in, seizing your lapel with his strong right hand. “Now the thing is like this—"" Then he expectorates squarely into your right eye. ¥ “Oh, I beg your pardon, did I hit And the fool grins delightedly. you?” Now the picture is like “I'm sorry. this e worm turns at last. “Stand still!”” you roar. “You don't have to get right up into my face. I can hear you! Listening to you is worse than eating grapefruit.” Of course, actually, you say no such thing. You just keep trying to back away. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. It ane could look backward some three or four decades, how different would be the manners and practices noted in connection with the observ- ance of New Year day! It the observer were a child in the United States, he would be as eager to awake early and investigate his “New Year presents” as he had been, the week before, his Christmas gifts. He would hail family and neighbors "Wlth the quick cry, “New Year’s gift!” for the one who thus got in the first challenge would be entitled to claim a present from the less alert one. Then, as soon as the first excite- ment subsided, the children v'v_ould frolic with their “firecrackers” or “ghooting crackers,” imported from China and sold for 15 cents a pack. Few children were ~ich enough to have more than one pack for the celebration, and _each separate cracker was fired alone, with accom- panying screams of delight. = Later in the day, the “grown-ups applied themselves diligently lo"New Year calls—the ladles keeping ‘“open house” and the beaux making their rounds from lady to lady. At every home (except those of the ‘‘unco guid”), wine or liquor was served, o that, long before the end, the gallant would be in a state of intoxication, demonstrating his social popularity. ‘Nearly every vestige of the olden customs has disapp within the lgst two decades, but the antiquity of the origin of most of those_ dis- carded practices reaches back through many centuries. and through many vicissitudes. * kK vear is reckoned lr:f!l':et)he time it takes the world to travel around its orbit back to the same point taken as its starting point. Strangely, no European or Occidental astronomer was able to measure the year with as great exactness as did the Toltecs of prehistoric Mexico, for whereas the Toltecs' year came 8o close to the precise solar year that the error was so slight as to require 5,000 years before the discrepancy amount- ed to one day, the nearest to exactness achleved by the scientists of ancient Rome, in the Julian calendar, left an error a little over 11 minutes a year, which accumulated into a whole day 28 vears. G evfi?’cxlm FEgyptians, Phoenicians and Persians began thelr year at the Autumnal equinox, September 21, and the Greeks, until the fifth century B.C., began their year at the Winter solstice, December 21, as did also the Romans, until Julius Caesar adopted the Julian calendar, postponing the beginning of the year to January 1. The Jews always reckoned the year from the first day of Tishra, t.h_e month from September 6 to October 5, though their ecclesfastical year begins March 21. The early Christians count- ed the year from March 25. Anglo- Saxons made New Year the same day as Christmas, December 25, but when ‘William the Conqueror arrived he ohanged the date to January 1, be- cause of the arrangements for his coronation on that date. ~Later, the English went back to March 25 as New Year, so as tg harmonize with it of Christendom. “’;fl:’;: Gregory undertook to correct the errors accumulated in the Julian calendar—aynounting then (1582) to 11 days—by adopting the Gregorian calendar, and he moved New Year back to January 1. The new system was immediately accepted by all Catholic countries; it was adopted by Germany more than a century later (1700) and England in 1751. P For many years it was the custom to use double dates—the “old style” and the “new style"—together, a fact which has caused considerable con- fusion in history, when there was un- certainty as to which calendar was rheant, in case only a single date was recorded. . * Kk * The practice of giving New Year presents s one of the oldest known to history. Tradition has it by astronomy, the | of man” was to accompany the presents with branches of vervain gathered in the sacred grove of Strenua, the Goddess of Strength. Hence the present came to be called ‘“strenua.” In France the day is known now as “le jour d'etrennes,” the day of strenua, in reference to the old Roman day. The Drulds used gifts of sacred mistletoe in place of vervain—and there are maiden “Druids” to this day, persist- ing in the use of mistletoe. e In the centuries before Christ the emperors of Rome demanded from their several colonies a gift of a pound of gold on each New Year day, a cus- tom which grew so burdensome that Claudius reduced the amount re- quired. In England, in later cen- turies, the demand of some present to the throne was made, until Bishop Latimer gave to King Henry a New Testament in vhmfl with a leaf turned down xiii.4, in anticipation of the King's ap- proaching marriage to Anne Boleyn. * ok k% ‘When, about the fifth century, De- cember 25 became fixed as a festival of the Nativity, January 1—the eighth day—became the anniversary of the circumcision. From the first the Catholic Church discouraged the festivitles of both Christmas and New Year day and the first mention of New Year in Christian literature was in Canon 17 of the Council of Tours, in 567 A.D. The English Church prescribed New Year as a day for m tion and charity. In modern American life, no change of customs has been more distinctive than the abandonment of the use of intoxicating liquor as a means of celebrating New_ Year day, since the coming of the Volstead law. While no one assumes that bootleggers’ moonshine has gone into an eclipse, the amount of intoxicants now con- sumed is immensely reduced, as com- pared with what was used prior to the eighteenth amendment. - The cost of Federal enforcement of the Volstead law in 1925 was $9,203,384. The total amount of collections this year by Federal authority, through courts and tax penalties, was $6,158,694.54, so the net cost of enforcement is about $3,000,000 a year. The foremost statistician, Prof Irv- ing Fisher of 'Yale University, states that the increased productivity of Americans, since 1919, when prohibi- tion went into effect, amounts to $6,000,000,000 a year, without count- ing any of the savings in the cost of almshouses, jalls, asylums, etc. He demonstrates that this amount is shown in increase of national in- come and in wages and the products of labor. Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover confirms Prof. Fisher’s fig- ures. Making allowance for increased population since the war, he finds that while population has grown 15 per cent, production has increased 30 per cent—a net per capita increase of 15 per cent, which he attributes to prohibition. In careful experiments, it has been shown that one or two glasses of beer reduced the capacity of Yale students to do mental arithmetic 12 per cent. In Russia, textile mills in- creased productivity 8 per cent after vodka prohibition, and, according to the Russian minister of finance, in mining districts the increased produc- tivity was 30 per cent. Prof. Fisher finds that four glasses of beer a day decreases typesetting 8 per cent, and increases the time required in hard mountain climbing 22 per cent. Since the origin of New Year gifts is traced back to sacrifices to the Goddess of Strength, with branches from the Garden of Strenua, what is more apropos to the ‘discussion of modern development of the custor the “‘strenuosity’ given to all who now discard the de- pressant, alcohol, and again approach the Goddess of Strength, upon le jour dletrennes? For the great French- man, Rousseau, gives us a proverb for le jour d'etrennes, ‘‘Temperance and labor are the two true physicians the first lesson of the New mythical King Tatius instituted it{Year. i @8 far back as 747 B.C, The custom " . (Cosysieht. 1027 by Pau} Ve Collins.) may be offered, but it does not deter )temperament and constantly the earnest talker. it. In fact, Turgeniev's * and Tt simply gives him an opportunity | Gionharov's’ “Oblomo ; 4 to hitch his chair forward a few more | (& herconify the typ 4 inches, thus enabling him to shoot off e L A s e bt R Ernest Poole, having spent some The more one turns one's helpless | ;g i Russia as traveller and mag- head, the moro surely the talker|,;ing riter, has introduced into his comes forward. 1927. THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Booklover. The Russian temperament, theoretl- cal, mystical, unpractical, capable of endless talk, but often incapable of action, has been analyzed in many pleces of fiction. Hugh Walpole, in his two novels of Russlan setting, “The Dark Forest” and “The Secret City,” has treated it in a comprehend- ing and sympathetic manner. The great Russian novelists themselves seem thoroughly to understand the represent latest novel, “With Eastern Eyes,” a cultured Russian scfentist who comes to the United States and finds fas nation, and some distress, in the study of the American temperament from the viewpoint of the Russian tempera- ment. Boganov, a Russian astron- omer, comes, affer the war and the Russian Revolution, to the private observatory of Bert Dana in_the mountains of New Hampshire. Dur- ing the months which he spends in the Dana home, he grows to love the family, but he also feels Intense lone- liness ‘and helplessness because the Americans will ‘not give time to re- flection, will not talk things over, will only act. He sees Bert Dana and his wife Josephine about to shat- ter their lives because they will not talk about what menaces them, and when he tries to help he is frozen by their dreadful “American _privacy.” 80, when he starts back to Petrograd, he knows that he is going to poverty, squalor, disorder, but he looks for- ward with eagerness to many long talks. ood * k * x Dr. Robert A. Milllkan, the dls- tinguished physicist, has written an arresting article on “The Evolution of Religion” for the January number of the Yale Review. He begins by saying that “if the present effort, of which the Scopes trial # an {llustra- tion, to suppress freedom of thought and to return to the spirit and the methods of the Inquisition * * ¢ were to be successful in the United States, it would be the worst setback to civilization in all history.” But he g0es on to say that he is not dis- turbed about the present situation; that indeed the net results of the Scopes trial and the discussion it en- gendered have been good, since mil- lions of people have been set to re- flecting on the basis of their religious conceptions. “Religion itself,” he says, “is one of the most striking pos- sible examples of evolution.” He then traces the changing conceptions of God and of duty from primitive man, dominated by fear of his gods, which were malevolent or at least capricious, to the present stage in the evolution of religion when “the idea that nature is at bottom benevolent has now be- come well-nigh universal” and that the emphasis upon making this world better is the dominant element in the religion of today. Both of these ideas, he claims, are due directly to science. Dr. Millikan says there are but two points of view with respect to the question of religion, one the view- point of the dogmatist, the other that of the open-minded seeker after truth. “The attitude of the dogmatist is the attitude of the closed mind. There are two sorts of dogmatists in the field of religion. One calls himself a fundamentalist; the other calls him- self an athelst. Each has closed his mind to any future truth. Kach has a religion. that is fixed. Each is, I think, irrational and unscientific, There is, thank God, another kind of religion—a. religion which keeps its mind open to new truth. This kind of religion adapts itself to a growing, developing world. It is useful in such a world, while both kinds of dogmatic religion seem to me to be usel 1t the present organizations of religion in the churches can adapt themselves to, and keep pace with, our increasing knowledgé, they will continue to be potent factors in our progress. If they cannot do so, they will be swept aside into the backwash of the cur- rent of progress and some other organization will be found to do their work. ¢ * * Modern science of the real sort is slowly learning to walk humbly with its God, and in learning that lesson it is contributing some- on, thing to reug; e Like Pierre Loti, v~ ise real pame was Julien Viaud, Mgr. Claude Far- rere, whose real name is Bargone, has been an officer in the French navy, but has made his chief career that of a novelist. Like Loti also, he has based most of his novels on experi- ences at sea and in foreign lands, especially the Near and Far East. Some of his best novels are “The Battle,” “Opium Smoke,” “The Men Who Killed,” “Civilized Men” and “The Last God.” His novels are vivid in atmosphere and full of action of a rather subtle and intriguing type. He is especially skillful in character analysis and creates characters which are unusual and complex. Mgr. Far- rere was a winner of the Goncourt prize some years ago. * ok %k K With Shaw in the limelight again it is interesting to turn to Archibald Henderson's_*‘European Dramatists” and read: “It is the custom of those who disagree with Shaw to point out that his brilliant and logical demon- strations of abuses and illusions, it traced back step by step to thelr origin, will bring us merely to some perverse idiosyncrasy of this wayward Irishman. In short, as Mr. Walkley is only too ready to indicate, Shaw is a pure naif, falling into line with the more engaging naifs of imagina- tive literature. ‘He is as naturally benevolent as Mr. Pickwick and as explosively indignant in what he con- siders a just cause as Col. Newcome. With Uncle Toby he conducts a whole plan of campaign on a quiet bowling green and with Don Quixote tilts at windmills, He is as disputatious (though not so learned) as the Abbe Coignard, and when in the vein can borrow the philosophic ataraxy of Prof. Bergeret. This method of dis- posing of Shaw on the ground that he is a thoroughly good fellow, pas- sionately but perversely champloning futile causes which he mistakenly re- gards as just and right, has all the virtus of cleverness without the neces- sary modicum of accuracy. ,Our test American philosopher, ‘Wil- liam James, once said to me: ‘To me, Shaw's great service is the way he brings home to the eyes, as it were, the difference between convention and conscience, and the way he shows that you can tell the truth successfully if you will only keep benignant enough while doing it’” A complete and authentic picture of Shaw is to be found in Archibald Henderson's larger volume, *“George Bernard Shaw: His Life and Works.” * ok ok % As short story writer and profes- sional humorist combined, Irvin Cobb is_well represented by his volume, “Prose and Cons.” It contains six short storles and four humorous ar- ticles. The stories range from Broadway and Harlem to the South, and from negro prize fighters to cow- boys, soclety leaders and a judge. The humorous essays include com- ments on Shakespeare's Seven Ages, Cobb's adventures on a lecture tour and long pants. On the whole, the storfes are more humorous than the essays. Rfitrenchment. From the imore Evening Sun. inly hard to go back g after the feastings Tt is ce bread pudd the holida to of ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Do wild animals kill many cattle sheep in the West?—D. T. Predatory animals kill live worth $12,000,000 yearly, Q. What is the length of an aver- age man’s life, from cradle to grave? —K. L. A. The average span of life in the United States, according to the 1920 census, is 53.61 yea stoc RQ'\\'hat is a combining form?— A S, A. The Merriam Co. says that a form is a word form (as ydro”—from Green “hudor,” mean- ing “water”) used as a prefix or suf- X in forming words in which there is common_fundamental idea t is expressed by the combining form: as in “hydrogen” (so called because water is generated by its combustion), “hydrophobia” (fea: of water); -phyll” (from Greek “phyllon,” leaf), as in_“chlorophyll (green plus leaf), etc. The terms “prefix and “suftt: aro commpnly used of word-forming elements that have become so far reduced from their original function as words that the separate-word idea in_them is completely lost or sub- d. Thus, we should describe -phyll” as combining -nes and “-ship” as Q. How 13 it possible to boll gaso- line without causing a flame?—H. C. A. The Bureau of Standards says that in distillation tests the gasoline is heated, usually by electricity, in a closed flask. Q. How large an area does the City of New Orleans cover?—H. G. A. The city proper occuples a strip of land between the river and Lake Pontchartrain, with the latter of which it is connected by two canals. he corporate limits of the city em- brace the whole parish of Orleans, which includes a. portion of the west bank, where is located the town of Algiers, The officlal boundaries thus inclose an area of almost 200 square miles. However, the inhabited por- tion, located for the most part near the river's bank, covers only about 40 square miles, Q. How much does it cost to ship wheat from Kansas to the Gulf of Mexico?—B. L. M. A. It costs 26.4 cents to ship a bushel of wheat from Wichita, Kans., to the Gulf of Mexico by rail. Q. For how long a time did vestal virgins serve in the temple?—G. S. A. The vows entailed a promise to remain priestesses of the hearth for 30 years. Q. What portion of the raw mate- rials used in manufactured goods comes from the farms?—E. C. A. They furnish 80 per cent of the raw materials. Q. When was the 10-cent air mail stamp first placed on sale?- J. C. A. February 18, 1926. Q. Why called?- . C. A. It is an adaptation of the French ‘hospital ambulant,” valking hospi- £ from the Latin “ambulare,” to is an ‘“ambulance” so - Q. When did Horatio Alger die?— A. Horatio Alger, 2d, was born in 1832 and died in 1899. He was edu- cated at Harvard. He was at one time pastor of a Unitarfan Church. He published about 70 books, of which nearly 800,000 copies were sold. Q. What is meant by a “marriage of convenience” P. M. A. A marriage contracted principally for the advantages arising from it. Usually such marriages are made to keep an estate in the family, for wealth or for social pesition. Q. What is the average composidon of cow's milk?—M. C. W. A. Cow's milk contains 87 per cent water, 3.3 per cent protein, 4 per cent fat, 5 per cent carbohydrates (milk sugar) and .7 per cent mineral matter. The approximate fuel value of an ounce of milk is 22 calories. Q. How many shells are there in the belts used in the American Army? In the German Army?—R. B. A. The belts for the Browning ma- chine gun caliber .30, used in the United States Army, are made of va- rious lengths, containing 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 cartridges. The Maxim type 7.9-mm. machine gun, used in the German Army, took a belt which contained 250 cartridges. Q. Who_ said “Books rule the world’ W. L. A. It is attributed to Voltaire. Q. Do the African natives transmit messages by sound?—R. R. A. The natives of Equatorial Africa have an instrument called tho “gou- dougoudou,” made of wood, upon which they beat with wooden ham- mers tipped with rubber. The sound can be heard from 6 to 10 miles. ‘They seem to send messages by this means that are interpreted by the listeners at a distance. Q. What is a_“lagoon”?—R. T A. It is a shallow sound, channel, pond or lake, especially one near or communicating with the sea. Q. In card play, what is a “vole''? HT. 8. A. It 1s another term for “slam,’ and means that all the tricks have been taken by one side. Q. Are hare food value? I, A. The meat of these two animals Is quite similar: both live entirely upon vegetable mattes The flesh of the former is dark and dry in com parison with the latter, which is i some respects superior, heing more savory and of higher flavor. rabbits alike in Q. When were the Niagara Falls first used for water power?—B. A. The first development of power was for the operation of a mill built by the Freuch in 17 the New York bank of the river the rapids. Augustus Porter built mill on the New York bank in 180: and two years later Porter and Bacon bullt a gristmill in the same locatior Development of the power did not fr crease rapidly and previous to 185 the entire horsepower generated was not much over 100, W& In r;w;‘nng? 14-karat gold ring ow much fine gold would thera be?- C.E.H, by A. The amount of gold obtatne would be 593-10 per cent of fti- welght of the rin Q. What is the percentage of the grade on the Horseshoe Curve on ths Pennsylvania Rallroad?—S. AL . A. The average gradient of th Horseshoe Curve is 1.63 per cent. Tho maximum gradient is 1.13 per cent The total length of the Horseshos Curve Is 5,000 feet. The total eleva tion surmounted by the curve i 84 cet. Q. What denomination are the Old North Church and the Old South Church in Boston”—F. H. W. A. The Old South Church of Bos- ton, located at Dartmouth corner of Boylston street, still maintains serv- fces. It is Congregational in creed. The Old North Church is incorporated in the present Christ Church and is Episcopal. 1t is located at 181 Salem street. by Q. How many farmers United States belong to assoclations?—B. M. E. A. At the end of 1925 assoclations reporting to ment of Agriculture membership rolls 2,700,000 producers. In view of the fact, however, that some farmers belong to more than one association, and allowing for inactive members, it is estimated thut approx. imately 2,000,000 farmers in this coun- try are now engaged in co-operative marketing. The total business of these assoclations for the year 1925 amounted to approximately $2400,- Q. It is true that a copy of the Constitution of the United States was sent to George I117—Q. E. W, A. There are no historical data showing that King George III ever had presented to him a copy of the Constitution of the United Stat That he was conversant with its prc visions and approved of them might ‘be judged from his statement to John Adams, the first Minister to Great Britain from the United States under the Constitution: “I will be very frank with you. 1 was the last to consent to the separation, but the separation having been made and become inevi- table, I have always said, as I suy now, that I would be the first to greet the United States as an independent power.” in the co-operative co-operative the Depart. had on their . Q. Who started counting time from the birth of Christ?—H. E. M. A. The custom of counting the years from the birth of Christ was originated by Dionysius Exiguus, a learned monk of Rome, who lived in the early sixth century. The answers tc questions printed here each day are specimens picked from the mass of inquiries handled by the great information bureau main- tained by The Evening Star in Wash- ington, D. C. This valuable service is for the free use of the public. Ask any question of fact you may want to know and you will get an immedi ate reply. Write plainly, inclose 2 cents in stamps for return postoge and address The Evening Star Infor- mation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Plans for Giant Skyscrapers Stir Comment About Future Detroit's bid for leadership in the height of skyscrapers and New York' answer in the form of plans for a still higher structure cause the rest of the country to wonder about the ultimate in lofty construction. ssisting its readers in an effort to visualize the proposed New York structure, the Omaha World-Herald explains: “A building corporation in York is to erect an office building 08 feet high. If the Washington Monument were to be set atop the great pyramid of Gizeh, the combined height would fall short by 200 feet of reaching the top of this projected structure. It would be necessary to pile the Bunker Hill Monument on the combination to reach an altitude which would permit one to look over the top of it. In a valley of the Him- alayas this building wouldn't look very tall, but set down among the Ozarks. it would overtop some of the minor knobs and come almost within half their height of rivaling the tall- est peaks. On Manhattan Island, which already supports the greatest aggregation of tall buildings in the world, it will stick up like a monolith~ until somebody overshadows it with a taller one.” The country’s interest “in the sug- gested__competition between Detroft and New Yorl is attested by the Terre Haute Star, which thus sym- marizes the status of the race: ‘“‘An- nouncement was made recently of plans for a structure in the automobile city which would exceed materially the height of Gotham’s loftiest. This was soon countered with the state- ment that New York would regain the title with a 110-story skyscraper at Times Square. The country was in- clined to gasp at the thought of a building whose top story could look down on the Eiffel Tower, or make other notables in Gotham's skyline re- semble humble cottages by compari- son. It realizes that the bullding will get some of the tourist business that has formerly been going to the Wool worth Tower."” *i% g “There comes an end to all things,” observes the Nashville h the suggestion that ‘“this in the way of altitude c perhaps marks the end. It the beginning of a builders’ n, continues the Banner, “to lower an more conservative construction. New York real e e is high and all space must be co; ved, but it does appear that we are rdoing the skyscraper type of buildings. The purpose of thy Paris, 1,000 feet higl the Port Hm‘ T iffe] Tower in sightseeing purposes, a ‘feature’ of the Paris exposition, and also as a demou- stration of the possibilities of high building. But there was then no real Xpéctation,” adds the Times-Herald, ‘that actual and practical bulldings ever would be built so high up into the sky. The new building in New York will go 200 feet higher. Thls competition to keep the honor—if it is an honor—of the tallest building looks like skyscraper madness.” That “there is some justification for this new form of intercity rivalry is conceded by the Kalamazoo Gazette, which admits that “a lofty building, it designed with an eye to beauty, is indeed an inspiring sight to behold. To some extent it undoubtedly ex presses a city’s ambitlon, a commu- nity’s pride in building ‘more stately mansions’ than have ever been erected before,” the Gazette continues. “If landholders can multiply their rent value many times over by the simple process of piling on a few more stories, who s to censure them for doing so Yet that paper remark on the other hand: “The traffic conge: tion problem is bad enough in every American ‘city today, and the sky scraper mania is making it harder and harder to solve. Metropolises may soon find it necessary to solve their congestion problem by providing double or triple deck streets.” * ok ok ¥ “A few skyscrapers of similar dl mension: suggests the Manchester Unlon, “would ca'l for a subway of ir ‘own to carry the tenants be- reen the business districts and their omes. That sort of thing, however, is something for New Yorkers to worry ‘about. For the humble out- lander, tarrying briefly in the metrop- olis, the 1,200-foot skyscraper will be chiefly of interest as one of the sights he can’t afford to miss. It probably will be described as ‘mountain high,’ &n‘ which there will be ample author- v The . Seattle Times recalls that “leading American architects have come to the defense of the skyscraper and have d that it is.the cause of traffic congestion. The :rln prob- lem will have to be solved in some way, and it is quite possible that ele- vated streets In multiple decks will be the answer. There is this to be sald i@ favor of the tall buildings—they permit great groups of people to do business with each other, thereby tak- ing the traffic off the streets.” “ The Charlotte Observer also sug-: ts the possibility of higher budld- , and expresses concern over - ture ‘“protection for the mflm chizes in the big cities.” - "