Evening Star Newspaper, January 17, 1927, Page 8

rg™ THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MONDAY, JANUARY 17, 1927. THE EVENING STAR !m the report of a survey conducted|unable to keep it up. He showed no With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. January 17, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor s The Evening Star Newspaper Compan Businese Office 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Offica: 110 st 42nd St Chicago Office: Tower Building. European Office: 11 Regent St.. London The Evenine Star. with the Sunday morn g edition. I8 delivered by carriers within the city al 60 cents per month: dajly onix 45 cenie per month; Sundavs only. 20 cents Tonth Oriers mas ke sent by mail or laphone Main 5000. Collection is made by carrier at end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. ally and Sunday 1 vr. $0.00: 1 mo afly oni: 1Yr. €600 1 mo Sundas only 1 ¥r. $3.00; 1 mo All Other States and Canada. Dafls and Sundas .1 yr. $12.00. 1 mo.. $1.00] Dally only 1vr SRO00: 1 mo. Be | Bundas only 1¥r £4.00: 1 mo. 5e Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the se for republication of all news di atches To 1t or not otherwise cr ted in this paper and also the local newa published herein All richts of publication 0f apecial dispatches herein are aleo reserved Increase Lump-Sum Payment. Since the District bill, now framing. 18 sure to carry a lump-sum contribu tion by the Natlon. the practical task it it can, of the of Washington is to secure, such increases in the lump-sum payment or such alternative amount action as will reduce to a minimum the injustices and injuries resulting from experimenting with the lump. sum payment plan While the lump-sum 15 in operation it gives back Nation its pledge of proportionate con tribution. which seizure of the Capital's power of self taxation, without restoring to the Dis trict this self-taxing power of which it had been deprived and without increas. ing in the slightest Washington's par- ticipation in determining how much it shall be taxed and by whom and for! What purposes its tax money shall be expended. Its practical effect place a maximum limit on the con- tribution of the United States and to remove the limit entirely from the con tribution of the local taxpayers. As a result of this limitation upon the appropriating power where it is not needed and of the absence of any limitation where it is very much need- ed the District has suffered and still suffers from notable and well known cases of the exaction from the local tax money of large sums for finanéing primarily national projects. To prevent obvious injustice Con- gress should either (1) increase equi- tably the basic lumpsum payment, or (2) exclude great national or semi- national projects from the District bill - and finance them on some other sup- ply bill, so wording the items thus ex- cluded as to set forth the exact method of financing in relation to the amounts of contribution by Nation and Capital that is thought te be just, or (3) pro- vide for a lo as well as a national maximum of contribution, or () by referendum or otherwise permit the focal taxpayers to have some effective say in regard to the amount of local taxes and the purposes for which the tax money is to be expended. , This contention is elaborated in ed itorial correspondence printed else- where in todady's Star. —— e “Doctors. Here is a clergyman up in New York who objects to being called “doc- tor.” He says he wants to be like other citizens, and to be addressed as “Mister.” In his particular case he bases his preference on the fact that he in truth holds no doctor's degree, the highest academic title ever grant- ed him being that of “master of arts.” S0 he does not prescribe the “Mister” for all clerzymen, but applies it only to himself. A habit has developed in late years of calling a great many people by the “doctor’s” title. There are doctors of law and doctors of philosophy, doctors | of divinity, doctors of literature, as well az medical doctors, dental doctors, osteopathic plan the payment to ccompanied national is doctors and chiropractic doctors, and there are veterinarians known more familiarly as horse doc tors. In fact, there is hardly a pro fession that has not its doctors. The word has been overused and has lost a great deal of its real significance. A cle man who prefers to be called “Mister” because he is not in fact a doctor may be just as effective a preacher, just as sincere a pastor, just as wholesome an influence as one who has a much longer string of letters after his pame. It is the man rather than the title that counts, in this pro- fession as in any other. e Aimee McPherson is popular with | larger audiences than ever. Many peo- ple who did not know precisely what the case was all about were at least convinced that Aimee is a wonder tully fine orator. iy Low-Standard Education. ‘Washington developing steadily as an educational center It the seat now of several large, flourishing is is and growing universities and colleges. | The academic standard of these insti tutions is high and their graduates are accepted as qualified for scientific and professional work of all kinds. Of this development Washington is proud and it hopes and expects to sge these in stitutions grow even greater and be come more useful with the years. But a condition prevails here, owing which pital and which *n its prestige as to lack of proper law is not to the credit of the ( 1a calculated to le an educational center. In consequence of the liberality of the statute govern- ing the establishment of institutions af learning it is possible to originate ead maintain so-called educational or- ganizations in the name of colleges ‘@904 pniversities which are not in fact worthy of those titles and which do not render useful services. These are commercial enterprises without educa- tienal merit and of doubtful efficiency Yet under the law they can be estab lished and conducted without restraint =0 long as they do net actually offend the statutes with regard to false pre- tenses in the matter of degrees and LH These conditions have been: set-forth: |keep them from falling down, and | recently by the Bureau of Education {which shows that although most of | the larger States have developed more tor less rigid requirements for the « establishment of universities and col- leges, Washington still places prac- tically no restrictions whatsoever upon them, and because of its prominence in the educational world it is a fruit ful field for schools of a very low order. Under the corporation law here all t is necessary to edtablish an institution under the name of the university is that five incorporators file with the recorder of deeds a state- ment of their intentions, the name of the institution, and the number and designation of the professorships. They are then empowered to confer ‘such academic or honorary degrees usually conferred by similar institutions.” In the States that have adopted safe- guards against inadequate educational standards the laws require property qualifications, endowments, mainte nance guarantees or other assurances ntial foundation. Other require supervision over the educational standards by the State hoards of education, In various way the States that have handled this que tion with a view to preventing low- standard commercial educational ven- tures have checked the enterprise of promoters seeking profits from those who wish to prepare themselves, per- haps quickly and cheaply, for profes- sional and scientific, business and lit- er: is are subs States ary careers. Two ways are open for the correc- tion of this condition here: Con- gress may amend the incorpora- tion act, making specific and more rigid requirements for the in- corporation of educational organiza- tions, or it may provide that such in- stitutions will ot be granted *‘char- ters” upon merely filing articles with the recorder of deeds, but must secure special acts of Congress for their es- tablishment. The latter is perhaps the preferable method. Economy Gone Wrong. Today, marking the beginning of a national observance of “Thrift” week, it might be well for responsible Gov- ernment officials and the committees of Congress to do a little reflecting on the difference between real economy and downright parsimony. 1If they have need of object lessons, some of the Army posts might be visited. Nor would it be necessary that they jour- ney far afield. Camp Meade is almost within the shadow of the Capitol's dome. Conditions at that post, as described vesterday in The Star, would be shameful in any nation. In the rich- est Nation in the world they are a downright disgrace.. Enlisted men are housed in barracks in which a farmer who knew the real meaning of “thrift” would not house his cattle. Quarters for officers are so bad that to make them habitable at all the officers have had to pay for repairs out of their already inadequate salaries. Flimsy walls and warped doors and windows afford free entry to wintry blasts; buildings have to be propped up to the fire hazard is present day and night. “We never sleep easy when there is a high wind,” says Col. Esk- ridge, commanding officer at the post. It is true there are some folk who think the United States ought not to have an Army at all. But even if the Army to be abolished, the Camp Meade way is hardly the hu- mane way of abolishing it. If the Army is to be maintained, it ought to be maintained at least within the bounds of common decency. Every- body applauds proper economy in government, but economyat the cost of the health and at the risk of the lives of men who wear the American uni- form, who hold themselves ready for a pittance of pay to make the supreme sacrifice in defense of the Nation, is not economy at all. It is niggardly stinginess. The Nation mourns when men are called upon to lay down their lives on the battlefield. Is the Nation to rejoice at the pennies saved through exposing its defenders to other perils no less deadly? There is disagreement between the administration and Congress and among members of Congress as how best to dispose of a Treasury surplus amounting to some hundreds of mil- lions of dollars. A good way to dis- pose of part of it would be to provide decent housing for the men whrse duty it Is to protect not only the wealth lving idle in the Treasury, but the wealth of all the people. The American people have no desire, for the sake of jingling some small change in their pockets, to weep for a disaster such as is constantly invited at Camp Meade and other Army posts. R While all this channel swimming at one point or another goes on, Ger- trude Ederle should not be forgotten as the girl who showed how easily some things may be done if the “trainer” is not allowed to assert him- self as too much of a handicap. ————— Communists rank in world economy along with inventors who go on try- {ing to discover perpetual motion. RS0 0 A New is Swimming Star. | A new swimming star has been crowned and a new name added to the list of those sturdy men and women who have performed prodigious feats in the water, The new name is George Young, seventean years old, of Toronto, Canada. The darkest of manlike manner. is through forever, and is well on his too seriously. motor cycle to contend as a California swimmer. has a small fortune. Horace Greeley's advice, signs of tiring, however, and at eight minutes after three o'clock in the morning he steod triumphant on the beach of Point Vincente, Calif., the winner of the greatest swimming race in history. Today he ix the proud and deserving possessor of a $25,000 check offered by Mr. Wrigley for the first person, man or woman, to cross the channel. Not only 15 the lad the first to cross, but he is the only one to cross. Swimmers of international repute fell out of the race, tired out by the bat- tle against the cold waters and the swift currents. Norman Ross of Chi- cago, one of the favorites in the list and holder of a score of records. wearily signaled his trainer to haul him aboard the accompanying tug after he had negotiated eighteen miles. Famous woman swimmers likewise gave up after valiant efforts to van- auish the channel. Out of one fiun- dred and two contestants the youns Canadian stands alone as the con- queror of the wicked stretch of water. | George Young's future is assured. | It is said that he rode all the way to California from Toronto on a single- cylindered motor cycle to compete in the race. It is also related that he went broke in Chicago and had to borrow funds to compléte the jour- ney, and that his mother, stricken with illness, was depending on her son to replenish the family exchequer. Be that as it may, the Young family will no longer be concerned with the financial problem of living, and no longer will it be possible for it to re- main cloaked in obscurity. George has attended to that in a very work- I none could Ukulele instruction books always afford us much entertainment, es. pecially those which were written by native Hawailans for American con sumption. When the vogue for the diminutive guitar-shaped instrument first hit the United States, some 13 vears or so ago, there was an immediate demand for means of self-instruction. Tt was but natural that the city of Honolulu, she of the liquid name, <hould_spring to the fore with books on “The Ukulele, and How It's Played,” as one of the best of them was named. We revived old memories one day recently, when in looking over a pile of music, we came ac this hook. in its hrown cover, as written by Ernest K. Kaai, and published in 1916 by the Hawaiian News Company of _Honolulu. There may have been better instru tion books put out since, but certain| be more entertaining, in the best sense of that word. The quaintness of the “uke’” demanded a certatn similar quality in its litera- ture. Here we have it, curious phrase- ology, misspellings and all. together with some of the finest chords and “diminished sevenths” any one could possibly hope to wring out of a little affair with four gut strings. Following the photograph of the author, comes a tribute to him “from a pupil,” which we take pleasure in reprinting here, as it does succeed in glving atmosphere: Creamy surf and sandy beach Where a listless wandering brecze, Warm from languid tropic seas Rids tall palms whisper each to each, Wooing vour spirit till it yeilds (sic), As a dark horse he way to financial rewards that he thoroughly deserves. ————— It was fortunate that Judge Landis found the truth about the suspected ball players very much in their favor. The moral sense of the fans would have been satisfied, no doubt, had con- viction been inevitable, but the lads would have been sadly missed from the games. L ———.— All the Prince of Wales has to do to make himself popular is to fall off a horse now and then, dance with the prettiest girl and chat with the wit- tiest entertainer. A regal existence is not necessarily hard if it is not taken S e George Young left Toronto on a About all he had was the suit of clothes on his back. Now he 'Go West, young man,” is still good. ——————— Every time a piece of impractical, bolshevistic political machinery is de- vised there is a reluctance about send- ing it to the junk heap and an ener- getic effort to peddle it to the United States. ————— The discussion of Senate rules had to be managed with some care. The topic was so interesting that its de- mand for time might easily have proved overwhelming. ———t—————— A family quarrel is often funny on the screen, but it may become serious to a degree involving millions of money when it breaks out in private life. ———————— The manufacturer of bogus clues would be a strong candidate if prizes ‘were being offered for the most use- less discovery of the year. ——oe— All things cannot be foreseen. It must necessarily happen that a Nobel prize goes to a person who does not really need the money. R SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JORNSON. Insect Peril. Life is no longer gay and free. There's trouble going strong: Since every time you buy a tree You bring some pest along. They say the insects will attain A dominance complete As they destroy the fruit and grain The humans have to eat. O foolish insect! Don't you know If food you could efface, Unto starvation you would go Just like the human race. Taking What Comes. “No doubt many untrue things are said about you.” “I don’t make any complaint,” an- swered Senator Sorghum. “‘Some of the extravagant and valuable compli- ments are just as ill-founded as the adverse criticisms.” The Busy Statesman. Some day, perhaps, where willows nod, The angler will be found again. But now he drops the fishing rod And reaches for a fountain pen. Jud Tunkins says the flivver has improved public morals. The automo- bile trader is not near as unscrupu- lous as the old-fashioned horse trader. “He who talks much,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “may prove so generous with his words that they go unvalued.” Seeing and Hearing. “What made you pretend not to see that old friend?” “She is tiresome,” answered Miss dark horses in one of the greatest swimming races ever held, this lad, by his strength and his skill and his courage, paddled his way into the forefront of the world's greatest nata- tors and international remown. In competition with more than one hun- dred of the best swimmers, men and women, who have won honors in the United States and Europe, Young was the only one to breast the chill waters between Willlam Wrigley's Catalina Island and the California mainland, a distance of twenty-two miles. For fifteen hours the yvoung Canadian fought the treacherous cur- rents. Although his competitors dropped out, one by one, he forged steadily ahead with a distance-con- quering stroke, a bast 8o spsedy that even-his tramer belisvedshexrould-be: Cayenne, “and always stops to talk. I shouldn’t mind seeing her, but I don’t want to hear her.” Cold Comfort. The taxes that'we have to pay Occasion much distress. Perhaps we go broke some day And then we'll pay much less, “What tires me,” said Uncle Eben, “is & man dat gits a ukylele an’ sings ‘bout ‘Home, Sweet Home,’ an’ ‘Old Kentucky Home' an’ ‘Swanee River’ when he ain’ begun to pay de rent on where he is actually livin' at.” ——ate— Strictly Up to Date. From the New York Herald Tribune. Eat, drink and be buried the muwummnnmm#.np Blissful to this smiling land That welcomes you with smiling hand: The dawn on misty taro flelds The stars above bare mountain peaks These are the memories you bring From Koa wood and fibre string ‘These are the things thy music speaks And makes them live again for me With all the thoughts I hold s Of old Hawaii, so far In never dying melod, * K Kk ok ““There is no music in all this world,” begins Mr. Kaai, with a rather sweeping gesture. “that hz gained for itself such rapid and favor able popularity as that of the musi of Hawali. ‘“This group of islands, situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, thou- sands of miles away from any musical center, has indeed been a handicap to its“musical inhabitants, entirely de- priving them of the embodiment of :‘d\‘ance progression of musical my: ic: e hailed with delight, after a long period of years, the rediscovery of this gem, and’ thought that by no means ought we to deprive the readers of “This and That” of it. And, let it be added, we believe that writing, in_general, would be but the better for more of this sort of thing. There is a fascination in such a phrase as ‘“the embodiment of ad- vance progression of musical mystics.” _Some crass soul, unable to appre- ciate Kaai, might attempt to trans. late him as follows: “The fact that this group of islands is situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, thousands of miles away ‘from any musical center, has been a handi- cap to it musieally. This isolated situation has set it back centuries in musical progress and has prevented its musicians from embodying in their compositions the highest reaches of ' THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. the musical art as shown forth by such masters as Wagner.” ] Between the two, we unhesitatingly speak in favor of Mr. Kaai and his stirring phrasing, “‘the embodiment of advance progression of musical mys- tics.” Let him continue: “Still we must give credence to its strong and enchanting environment, which must have attributed uncon- sciously to the wonderful construction of pleasing and soothing melodies. The fascination of these plaintive airs, although not entirely original and vet very characteristic, have attracted hundreds and hundreds of musical souls in every land.” Mr. Kaai gives full credit to the Methodist missionaries, thus getting the jump on several bright souls who later declared, with an air of great discovery, that “Aloha Oe" resembled a “hymn tun Our authority says “I §s true that the formation Hawalian melodies dates its ori during the period of the v in of the missionaries.” (“Invasion” good.) “Their hymns were translated into the native language and congre gations were taught to sing them. The native soul, which was instinc- tively full of rythm, was soon inspired and they apprehended these varia- tions of pitch, modulating therefrom the present much heralded melodic construction. Their earlier composi- tions bore a strong similiarity to the early hymns and from this, one can ee how limited are the extent originality in the Hawaiian i Kaai tells us that “prior to the invasion of any set modulation,” the native Hawaiians were already ‘“im- bued” with the knowledge of time and rhythm. They beat on “gords” and primitive drums and chanted in unision to their dances. Intervals were next adopted, then came the study of music, under the missionaries, * ok K Of the ukulele, Mr. Kaai says: “This S‘harmlnx and sweet-toned instrument is one that is dearly beloved by every Hawaiian. 1In their sweetest melodies and hula (dance) music, the ukulele plays an important part, which is used mostly as an accompaniment. “Although solos and selections can be played on them, or fascinating ob- ligatoes and the like, yet the real beauty of the instruments is the gentle strumming across the strings in such a manner as to ring forth the liquid tones clearly and distinctly.” As to the correct manner of holding the “uke,” he gives the following: “Al. low the neck of the ukulele to rest be- tween the thumb and the first joint of the first finger of left hand, and never let it rest in the palm of the hand or even in the cavity between thumb and finger.” This rule is violated by 99 out of 100 players, 5 Of the tremolo, our author says: "To affect a pleasing and most heau- tiful tonal production, also imparting tenderness and expression for a sus. tained tonal effect on the ukulele, the tremolo is used. “This is obtained by placing the hand half way up on the finger board of the instru™ient, while the finger is shaken with energy, following with the motion the direction of the frets.” But what pleases us most, in the whole work, is a sentence to which Time. old worker of magic, has given new meaning. Declaring that the use of various strokes must be left to the performer, Mr. Kaai says that it is not compulsory to use one set stroke throughout a selection. and concludes: “A little Thix and That, inserted in the proper place. makes an exquisitely pleasing effect.” % Thanks, Mr. Kaai! New York-London Radiophone Inaug@ation Hailed by Press America, as one editor puts it, is ‘“‘next door to everybody"” through the radiophone, successfully used recently for a -conversation between London and New York. Far-reaching effects upon international political and com- mercial relations are foreseen by the press generally, the Buffalo Evening News declaring that ‘“History does not record a development in science that has moved as rapidly and as ef- ficiently to aid mankind in making this world small as has radio.” “‘One more tie among the accumula- tion of ties binding the nations into a single economic community has come into being.” says the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “We may well welcome the advance that promises to render use- ful communication between the na- tions easier and more frequent. The world, depleted as it is by the eco- nomic drain of the war, looks with eagerness to all such advances as added means to carry it forward on the way to restoration. “This is not merely something at which to marvel; it is something very significant,” observes the Lynchburg Advance. “Political conditions are dependent upon conditions of trana- portation and communication. The re. lations of one nation with another are largely determined by how close one nation lies to another, not in miles, but in terms of the time it takes to travel from one to the other and in terms of the time it takes for one to communicate with another.” To the Albany Evening News it appears that “‘Radiotelephony may do much for the world; it may ald in stopping wars: heads of nations far apart may talk with one another; world conferences may be held among conferees sepa- rated by thousands of miles. The Cincinnati Times-Star adds its tribute to ‘“the triumph of ex- perimentation and organization con- ducted over a considerable period to the end that the ether might become a highway of commercial communica tion between the Old World and the New. Science and big business,” con- tinues that paper, “have worked to- gether to make the radiophone the servant of commerce. Science and big business, working together, will de- velop its uses and bring its tolls nearer the reach of ordinary pocketbooks." ek “Although Old Man Static, the pest of every radio fan, insisted on ‘doing his stuff,’” according to the Jersey City Journal, “the conversation across the seas was a Success, nevertheless. From now on evervbody who thinks what he has to say is worth $25 a minute can tell it to London, provid he has the price.”” While the rate re- quired is viewed as “a pretty sum for even a lovelorn swain to spend in telling a distant sweetheart how he vearns to be at her side” the Min- neapolis Tribune says there are many gestu‘ that “one must Browing scope of the human voic spreading steadily outward like rip. ples on the surface of a pool disturbed by the splash of a pebble.” The Springfield Union believes that “in & few years a call to London in the average home may excite no more curiosity and interest than a call to a neighboring city does today."” . “This monumental commonplace’ is the term employed by the Kansas City Post. while the Nashville Ban. ner predicts that “there will follow, as a matter of course, similar com: munications with other’ European na- tions.” and the Providence Journal, viewing the achievement as reached With “seeming ease.” proclaims that we have become familiar with so many wonders that we have ver: largely lost the canacity for wonder.' * % % X The Lincoln Star emphasizes t fact that “the wondsrs that ave o rompl_elel revolutionizing social in- stitutions are no I er the result of casual and haphazard experimenta- tion,” hut that “great ‘industrial or- ganizations employ iarge stafts of skilled scientists, who devote their en- tire attention and effort to perfecting new steps in known processes. This accounts for the rapid strides which have been made n transportation Hlumination and communication,” the Lincoln paper adds. “Tnvention has been_shorn 9f jts romance. but its as been 1nade Drostess has been aade more certain “The radiophone with the airship,” declares the Pasa. dena Star.News, which visions -the air within a few years used for swift communication and for swift passen- ger, mail and express transporta- tion.” The Chattanooga News recalls that “it took Columbus many weary months to find this country and to get back home and report,” in con. trast to which, “now the balance of the world watches us almost as the hands of a clock.” The South Bend Tribune remarks that “millions will never talk across the ocean by tele phone, but millions of readers . of newspapers will receive the benefite directly b; having access to the news transmitted by telephone." % That patronage will come to the service is certain,” according to the Fargo Forum, and the Louisville Courier-Journal, adinitting that ‘“‘there are still problems to be solved,” notes with satisfaction ihat “the aim (been accomplished": £ i that “New York has said ‘Hello!" to I, don has replieq.” ~ "°nd°n and Lon. ) Wants District Dump Moved to New Place To the Editor of The Star: survey the is keeping step “who can afford the price of such a luxury, and many other willing and able to pay $25 a minute for a busi- ness talk with London. It is not al- ways possible to distinguish a luxury from a necessity in a country like ours.” Pointing to the fact that “we now have had ships across the sea, airplanes across the sea, cablegrams across the sea, photographs across the sea, radio messages across the sea and voices across the sea,” the Tribune adds: “Metaphorically, we have long had hands across the sea. The one thing that remains'is to see one an- other across the sea as we talk across the sea, and there are scientists bold enough to tell us that accomplishment is only a matter of time.” Described by the Binghamton Press as “one of the greatest victories ever achieved by the human race in its Mr. Willlam McGowan's article re- garding Arlington County is timely and those of us who res; other side of the river nxrgetl'?anl 3:: condition is pathetic. Perhaps, how- ever, Mr. McGowan has failed to sense the extent to which the District of Columbia is responsible for the p.thn'u. So long as the District dump :I‘?th.r:m:;bry" ’:l‘locah!ed at the proach to the Hi, Bridge it can make little mflonfi“g place: a brick yard, coal dump, or abattoir in the vicinage. ' It might even ameliorate the situation. “Similii similibus curantur.” This is a case where an example set by the District would bring joy and inspiration to Arlington County with bright prospects of co-operation. Cannot Mr. McGowan help us move Delays in Pension Office Are Assailed To the Editor of The Star: I am writing you of a matter which 'T hope, by giving it publicity, you may be able to some extent to remedy and so render a service to some poor devils who aye unfortunate enough to be affected by it. The qustion is, What is the matter with the United States Pension Office, or at least that part of it which has charge of the clerks’ retirement fund? Here are some fac After serving the Government for some 40 years and having arrived at the age when the law demanded “‘automatic’ retirement, I was on November 2 last accordingly separated from the service and my salary ceased. A= a party retired is supposed keep on living—for a time at least and as he must have something to live on, it is natural to infer that, as the retirement is “automatic” and the ceasing of the salary “automatic,” the payment of whatever sum is allowed should also be “automatic.” Is it? After waiting more than a month to hear some faint sound of a few nickels knocking together, I wrote the Commissioner of Pensions and asked whether the munificent sum which was to be allowed me by a grateful and generous but painfully economical Congress was to be paid monthly, quarterly, yearly or whether it was to accumulate until 1'd passed in my checks and paid to my heirs. To this (December 17, 1926) 1 received a rubber-stamp reply that my case “was in process of adjudication and would be reached in a short time.” As yet nothing has been done. and the jingle of the nickels still fails to greet the waiting ear. Comment is unnecessary. Now, 1 am not suffering for want of the sum which is supposed to be paid to me, but it s easy to imagine a case where more than two months' delay would work great hardship, and for the sake of others whom the “automatic” may hit I am making the appeal for action and common justice in the adminis- tration of the “retirement fund.” I maintain that more than two monthe is too long a period to keep a retired clerk on the waiting list. Yours for justice, J. F. OERTEL. to Vienna, Va. Factories Opposed Near Highway Bridge To the Editor of The Star 1 note vour editorial in the current issue of The Evening Star on con- ditions around Rosslyn and the ap- proaches to Arlington National Ceme- tery. This editorial fits in with m letter published in The Evening Sta December 6, regarding much of this <ame territory. 1 was at the fire in Rosslyn Monday night as a member of the board of trustees of the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department. ¥ The Arlington-Fairfax Firemen's Association has for the past vear or more been working along lines of better protection in Rosslyn and in the area south of the Virginia end of Highway Bridge, which is in just ahout as deplorable condition as at Rosslyn and is growing worse all the ! time. ATl manner of fire hazards are being erected in this area, and it is proposed to erect an abattoir at Relee. It was only a short time ago a fire occurred at West Bros. Brick Works, and some time previously a number of mysteri- ous fires occurred in some negro shacks at this point. ) Why crowd up this area with fac- tories? The new Memorial Bridge and the proposed Mount Vernon boulevard very near to this area. 1 believe the Federal Government should take over -all the area from Rosslyn down to Highway Bridge, and from the river back beyond the Washington-Virginia Railway, clearing out the shacks and firetraps around the Arlington National Cemetery and Mount Vernon houlevard approach to the Memorial Bridge. I understand there is a movement for a number of State buildings to be erected along the south shore of the Potomac. If we ask the States to spend money over in Arlington County, we certainly must create an vi g atmosphere. inVing ATORAS R MECHEM, Clarendon, Va. o Urges Drive Against All “Jay” Auto Drivers To the Editor of The Star : I read your article on “‘Speeding De- livery Trucks Causing Reign of confine it to light delivery Also include jay drivers of pleasure cars. What you say is true to a large extent, hut more so does it apply to small passenger machines— especially Fords. ; Maritime law requires steam to give right of way to sail, the former being more amenable to management. Such a law ought to apply to commercial vehicles; heavy trucks, such as coal, sand, gravel and brick, are not easly manageable and ought to have right of , vet there is hardly a driver of a small machine that will not cut the right of way from a heavy truck, even though they have to make a circle to do it, and were not such trucks especially well equipped with brakes and expert drivers they would be in wrecks daily, vet, notwithstand- ing every one feels he has the right of way over a heavy truck, in each and every instance where such a truck hits a passenger car the argument is all one-sided—the truck is at fault. Let the writer of vour article spend a day riding on a large and busy coal truck. At the end of the day if he does not require treatment at a sana- torfum for nervous disorders, let him write an article on the lack of brains shown by most drivers, based on his day’s experience. This city has too many fraffic regu- lations. What is needed is a mental examination for each driver. . W. WALLING e Aba;)fi Opposed Across From Capital To the Editor of The Star T quite agree with the correspond ent of The Star who criticizes the proposed erection of an abattoir in Arlington County near the city. Such a place would inevitably be a nuisance to the residents of Virginia Highlands, Mount Vernon boulevard and vieinity, and if fts erection can be prevented by legal means it should be done. Certainly the time has come when the Federal Government and the State of Virginia should take co-operative action to remedy conditions on the Virginia side of the river. I think it has been the general expectation that eventually the State of Virginia would condemn considerable areas for public park purposes, allowing its develop- ment and control by the Federal Gov- ernment. Such action should not be delayed. For the Government to proceed with its splendid program of development directly opposite to and within a short distance of a collection of dump heaps, hot-dog stands, temporary amusement structures, brick factories, oil tanks and slum huts: is absurd. ng:\wly Bridge ought eventually to re- placed by a structure which would be a proper complement to Key Bridge, and it should lead into a park devel- opment. Delay will add to the ex pense and will permit the continuance of a con m which is an affront and an offel to the hundreds of thou- ')l'llnn. asked by this observer to say ipeople of this gasoline-wasting land Q. for the planes making the Pan-Amer- ican flight?—B. D. How much gasoline will it take A. It will take 10,000 gallons of gasoline to serve each one of the five amphibian planes on the Pan Ameri- can flight around South America, ac- cording to recent announcement. Ap- proximately 50,000 gallons of gaso- line, 2,000 gallons of benzol and 5,000 gallons of lubricating.oil have been shipped to the various ports of call to he visited by the Army flyers. Lewis Stone married?— Q. . H, He is married to a sional. non-profes- He has two daughters. Q. Where lands? Are than 1.000—B. E. R A. The Thousand Islands are a col lection of small islands, numbering ahout 1,700, situated in an expansion of the St. Lawrence River, about 40 miles long and from 4 to 7 miles wide, between Ontario, Canada, and Jeffer- son and St. Lawrence counties, New York. They are favorite resorts for Summer tourists on account of their picturesque beauty. Many are private property and contain the Summer homes ‘of wealthy Americans and Canadians. Q. Please tell what causes the eyes in hird's.eye maple. Where is this wood foun N. P. D A. Bird's-eye maple is found from Newfoundland to Georgia and west ward to the northern shores of the Great Lakes, eastern Nebraska and Kansas. When the grain has a pro- nounced wavy appearance the wood is called bird’s-eye maple and is used as a veneer. The Forest Service says that there is a parasitic growth that gets into the wood of the maple and causes a swelling, which when cut off straight by the saw appears as eyes. This does not harm the wood but makes it more valuable. Generally speaking, this wood is scarce. Q. Is it true that a successful toe dancer has to train from childhood?— D. G. Thousand Is reality more are the there in We are informed that toe dan- cers start their careers early in life. It has been stated that the Russian ballet masters would not accept ap- plicants over § years of age. Q. How long before Mussolini came premier of Ttaly was the party_started? . Al The decree of King Victor Em- manuel by virtue of which Mussolini became premier is dated October 31. 1922. The first Fascisti meeting oc- curred March 23, 1919, Q. What became of the statue of Athena, or “Minerva” as she was called?—C. B. A. The celebrated statue of Athena which was in the Parthenon is no longer extant. A statuette not quite 31 feet high, evidently a copy of this Rreat statue, was found in Athens in 1880. So far as we know. it remains in the National Museum in the Greek capital. ¥ what tute?—M. T. A. Horology is the branch of ap plied science which deals with the be. st is the Horological Insti ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. tive, nation-wide organization of thoss who are interested in the art of time. keeping. Q. Can_ether be taken from the ar?—E. J. T. A. It is only assumed to exist, to account for the transmission of lght and heat through space. Q. What salaries do librarians re ceive?—H. T. S. A. Librarians of universities and large public libraries usually receive from $4,000 to $10,000. Q. Among the savage tribes were referendums_held on war, especially among the Indians when the whites first appeared in North America?— T. H. 8. A. The Smithsonian Institutioneays that the holding of a referendum was the accepted method ameng organ ized tribes like the Iroquofan and Muskhogean tribes. This was men tioned by Lafitau in his writings pub- lished in 1724 Q. What stimulants did_tha Ger mans give their soldiers’—T. T. M. A. During the war the German sol diers were supplicd with tea and coffee without milk. Small rations of rum and arrack were furnished to troops in fleld and camp. These rations were given out in the evening to be mixed with the tea. Fifteen to twenty men received one hottle. In times of great physical exertion, the allowance of sugar was increased. ¢ Q. Why does Louisiana use the pell can on her State emblem?— M. E. M A. The librarian of the State His torical Society of Louisiana says that he finds that in 1813 a Nashville notice reads, “Louisiana has chosen a peli can for her seal, because it is said it tears its breast to feed its young.' Q. Please advise the date sprinkling and pouring began substituting for baptism, and why it was begun?—W P The rite of baptism by sprinkling or pouring is supposed to have origi nated either in the second or third century and is alluded to in the writings of Cyprian, who gave his opinion that in the case of those who were sick or unable to endure the rite of immersion it was a lawful baptism. Q. A M AL Tt s not The fuel value pound. Q. What is the motto of Czecho- slovakia?—M. N. A. The motto of the Hussites of the fifteenth century, ‘“Pravada Vitezi (“Truth Wins"), is the motto of the republic. Find out whatever you iwant to knotw. There is no room for ignorance in this busy world. The person 1who loses out is the one who guesses. The person who gets on is always the one who acts upon reliable information This paper employs Frederic J. Has- kin_to conduct an information bureau in Washington for the free use of the public. There is no charge except 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Write to him today for any facts you desire. Address The Evening Star In- Is popped corn fattening?—W. fattening alories per especially is 1,875 measurement of time. The Horological This is Thrift week. Secretary something that would stimulate the to remember the rainy day, produced the following terse essay: Thrift is financial preparedness. It is equally important from the standpoint_of the Nation and of the individual. We found during the war that America’s real finan- cial strength consisted not in a few great fortunes, but in the combined savings of many individuals. In the case of the average man sav- ings may be the means of seizing opportunities which otherwise would be lost. through lack of a small amount of capital. While .saving is not easy and involves acrifices, it is worth while, be- se of the sénse of security which financial independence brings William G. McAdoo is expected to descend upon Washington during !h_e next few days, cast the spell of his imulating presence upon the faithful, il of the “McAdoo-for- President-in-1928" campaign. Though he persuasively denies that he has transferred his allegiance from Me- Adoo to Smith, Daniel C. Roper, com- issi of internal revenue under regime at the Treasury. will be somewhat conspicuously nl)a(-‘v‘\l when his former political playmate is in Washington. Roper. who was one of the field marshals of the McAdoo dr at the Democratic national con- fusion in Madison Square Garden, has gone uth on reclamation and taxa- tion business, he insists, and not to garner Dixie delegates for Smith. This scribe’s most vivid recollection of the national dissension of 1 the near-fisticuffs in which Roper and “Jo Tumulty, booster, indulged. It was at that em- battled moment when frazzled and frenzied delegates were debating the wisdom of inviting McAdoo and Smith to address the convention. Roper and Tumulty were argufying on the steps leading down from the rear of the platform. Their jowls were livid with passion. their language torrid and their fists clenched in each other’s face. But only verbal blows were exchanged. Sk s When Thomas W. Miller, former alien property custodian, goes on trial again in New York on February 7, he will have a new defending counsel— Aaron Sapiro of Chicago. Sapiro is a lawyer, though best known as a co- operative marketing expert. He and Miller are long-time American Legion buddies. Out of their friendship sprang an offer by Sapiro to take charge of Miller's on retrial. The brilliant young agricultural expert will supplant William Rand as Miller's principal lawyer. Sapiro's proudest hoast is that he is the product of a California Jewish orphanage. He was destined for the rabbinical profession and was actuglly graduated at Hebrew Union College at Cincinnati. But he finally preferred the law to the church. Sapiro amassed a_fortune before he was 30 as counsel to producers’ co- operative organizations in the West. He will no sooner be finished with the Miller trial in February than he will take charge of his own $1.000,000 libel case against Henry Ford at Detroit in March, with Senator “Jim" Reed as opposing counsel. o * % ok K ‘While the United States is laying down a blue-print fleet, Germany is quietly re-creating a navy. The bud- get just presented to the Reichstag for 1927 calls for expenditure of roundly $55,000,000, or twice as much as in 1924, The German fleet at pres- ent consists of 10 small battleships and cruisers and some 20 torpedo boats, but for their, upkeep and opera- tion appropriations of more than $6,000,000 are asked. Berlin ~ dis- formation Bureau, Frederic J. Has Institute of America is the authorita- | director, Washington, D. C. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. rine power, with corresponding need of protecting their maritime com- merce. Every new German merchant- man launched in recent times Is Dieselengined and oil-burning—the last word in modern ship construction. x k% % Congress has been requested by the Navy Department to pass legislation raising the status of Edward P. W ner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Aeronautics. The idea is to make it possible for Mr. Warner to function as Acting Secretary of the Nav. as the Assistant Secretary of the ) (Theodore D. Robinson) is authorized to do under existing law. At present the duties of the Secretary of the Navy devolve upon the chief of opera- tions “during the temporary absence of the Secretary of the Navy and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy." ‘What's now proposed is that the As- sistant Secretary for Aaronautics shall rank the chief of operations in the right to act as Secretary of the Navy. e “North Central States’ Agricultural Conference—Executive Committee of 22"—is the imposing and impressive title of the organization now on the congressional firing-line in_ behalf of farm relief legislation. The confer- ence’s home headquarters is Chicage. But it now operates in Washington from a downtown office building. Farm leaders from Illin Indiana, Towa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska. North Dakota, Ohio and South Dakota make up the executive committee, of which George N. Peek of Illinois is admin- istrative chairman. “For a national program to establish agriculture on an economic_ parity with other indus- tries” is the conference’s terse version of its mission in Washington. * k ¥ ¥ Throngs of tourist-patriots pack the Senate gaileries on Dif days” when Borah, “Jim" Reed. Dill, Wheeler, Lenroot, ‘“Tom™ Walsh. “Joe" Robinson and other star per- formers hold forth are always inter- ested in the leather-lunged elocution- ist who calls the rolls and reads the resolutions. He's John C. Crockett. veteran reading clerk of the Senate. Crockett dates from the senatorships of Allison and Dolliver of Iowa. Him- self a Hawkeye, it was Allison who first brought him to the Senate. There was a plenty of competition for the reading clerkship, but Crock- ett, once an actor, bawled every other contestant into the discard after he'd weathered a trial audition before 18 or 20 Senators. Thev had him read a new consular bill with jawbreaking names like Aix-la-Chapelle, iquigue Tegucigalpa, _ Aguascalientes, Cien- fuegos, Ciudad, Villefranche de Rouergue and then some. Crockett rattled 'em off like a linguist. “I'm not satisfied,” he said to Senator Dol- liver, “I don't know whether I pro- nounced half those names right.” Re- joined Doiliver, “Hell. no one clse does, efther!” Crockett learned how to make the Senate chamber ring by driving oxen when a boy. My voice today is the product of velling ‘whoa. ‘haw.’ ‘gee,’ ‘buck’ at oxen on my dad’s lowa farm," says the real Demosthenes of the Senate. * ok k¥ Mrs. Alvin T. Hert of Kentucky, astute vice chairman of the Repuu- lican national committee, was hostess to woman political leaders from 34 States in Washington last week. She sent the G. O. P. sisters home with one parting injunction. They were adjured to see that the sex which achieved suffrage at the cost of so many years and tears hencefo evinces a decent respect for “emanci- pation” by going to the polls on elec- tion days. It's a sad, but incontro- vertible, fact that women have rapid- ly learned to vie with men as vote slackers. About the same number of them—a fraction under half—shirk suffrage duty as men, according to who patches report that members of the Reichstag are in critical and curious ageslong battle for communication,” the new world convenience is seen by the Terre Haute Star as putting Americans “next door to i the District to ' abate its existing nuisance, thereby making the pro- spective annoyance of which he com- platns do ? i T 8.-WARD, sands of citizens who approach the Natlo Capital from the South or proc the Capital en route DEETS PICKETT. mood as to the reasons which make all this naval money ‘The explanation Ger- are raj . as & ‘well be that the re-establishing merchant ma- them- | the- tabulations of the elections since the bobbed-hair fraternity got the vote. Mrs. Hert's right-hand man iz the former Miss Alice Gram, who picket- ed the White House for suffrage in fighting days. ¥ (Covyrigbt. 1937.)