Evening Star Newspaper, February 7, 1927, Page 8

THE EVENING With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY. .....February 7, 1027 wriidoss e e A, THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: The Evening Star. with the S ng edition, is delivered by carr the city at 60 cents per month U8 centa Ber manth: Lundays oniy per month, ~ Orders may be sent hy mail or telephone Main £000_ " Colleetion is made b; carrier at end of each month lay morn- within Iy only cent Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. D d ¥ Paffy aafh Sunday: oo 3r 86 Sunday oniy........1yr. $3. All Other States and Canada. " s 00: 1 mo., $1.00 Bally ol .00 1 mo., Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use fcr republication of all news di atches credited to it or not otherwise cred in ihis paper and also the local new: erein. All riehts of publicatio: spatches hercin are also reserved The Price of Peace? Farmers and bankers have pooled their interests in an effort to obtain action in the Senate on legislation dear to their respective hearts. Con- fronted with a situation—due to the shortness of the session—in which both the McNary- farm relief bill and the Pepper banking bill appeared lost in the legislative jam, the Bast and the West have temporarily joined hands. The bitter-enders in the Sen- ate opposing the banking bill on the one hand and opposing the farm bill on the other have not hailed with much joy the coalition of the two groups. But they are in the minority; 50 far in the minority that they have small chance of preventing final votes on both these measures. Twin petitions invoking the cloture rule of the Senate have been signed by approximately two-thirds of the nators. It is believed that inevit- ably cloture can be invoked if it be- comes necessary on both bills. As a rule, the threat of cloture has been sufficlent to bring about unanimous consent agreements to fix a time to vote. That may yet be the turn events will take in the Senate. Criticism of this “unholy alliance” comes from opponents of the banking bill and similarly from opponents of the farm bill on the ground that maneuvering of this character might cause the parceling out of all the time of the Senate and the enactment | of much legislation that otherwise would fail. But the criticism lacks something of sincerity. It is no secret that for years such alliances have been in effect, though not so openly as that now entered into. The rules of the Senate almost force such tac- tics to obtain legislation at all in a “short” session. The situation, so far as the farm bill is concerned, is filled with political dynamite. If the bill is passed, sent 10 the President and is by him ap- proved, the chances of several presi- dential poseibilities on the Republican side, among them former Gov. Frank O. Lowden and Vi President Dawes, are motably diminished. The Demo- crats also will see the only element of discord in the Republican party about to disappear at a moment when their own party is rent over the wet and dry issue, over Smith and Mec- Adoo. On the other hand, if the bill is passed and the President disap- proves it, then he lays himself open to a severe attack from the agricultural States of the West and Middle West. Is the McNary bill to be the price of peace in the Republican ranks, or will it yet be blocked on Capitol Hill? Much of interest to the 1928 cam- paign hangs on the answer of these questions. e r———— Monument Window Bars. Bars are to be over the windows of the Monument t¢ prevent would-be suicides from climbing through to jump to their death. The Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks has designed a steel frame crossed by four horizontal bars and this at- tachment is to be fitted to the win- dows. Bars of the frame will bend outward and will not interfere with the view. Suicides from the Monument have been rare, but recently two men on successive days took the long drop to eternity. These tragedies and the belief that perhaps the open and unbarred windows were somewhat of an invitation to the per- son bent on self-destruction cause the parks officials to order protecting bars for the memorial, It is a desirable measure and will effectively put an end to this form of suicide. ——————— A contest between Al Smith and ‘Wm. McAdoo for thc Democratic presidential nomination is predicted. It is usually at about this time in political affairs that the dark horse ‘begins to sniff the breeze and caper. Two-Way Passing. To eliminate waste and to make the fullest use of Washington's wide streets traffic officials are considering the rescinding of the present regula- tion requiring automobiles to pass only on the left when overtaking an- other car, and substituting a rule which will allow passing on either wide. Two-way passing is permitted both in Philadelphia and New York, where traffic is congested and where the most modern theories are put into practics in order that the tremendous volume of travel can be moved with the greatest expedition. In pletures and by story The Star yesterday showed that almost a third of the avallable street space is being classed as useless by. the motorists of the oity. Despite the presence in the traffic code of a strict “keep to the right” regulation this wanton waste goes on unabated. Motorists hug the center of the street, traffic is delayed and driving is made extrahazardous by the seemingly instinctive tactics of | tion by a male relative of conservative & large percentage of motor owners. Bnforcement of the drive-to-the-|its use. ST AR |public. With the increase in the num- ber of automobiles the situation has grown progressively worse. The thoughtless driver and the defiant driver with increasing consistency make it impossible for more than one line of trafic to move where three are feasible and necessary. This condition permits of but one alternative. Two-way passing to utilize the wasted space is the only means that can be found to remedy it. The change is comparatively simple to make. Washington motorists must drive in a straight line, veering neither to right nor left without fi looking back to survey the situation. | Parked-car drivers who are about to pull out from the curb must for the | nonce regard themselves as inter- lopers in the traffic stream and be ex- iraordinarily careful not to disrupt that stream. Pedestrians who are in the habit of stepping out from behind standing automobiles will have to give up this practice; they are liable to step directly in front of an oncoming automobile which cannot be stopped. That is all there is to it, and there are few thinking people who will not | agree that every requirement of the _s_\'fltem makes for better traffic condi- jtions, straight-line dri ing, non-inter ference with moving traffic and care on the part of the pedestrian. The National Capital is blessed with extraordinarily wide streets. In com- parison Philadelphia and New York have narrow ones. Yet a much greater volume of travel is moved in those two cities, and there is little or no waste of street space. Washington should by all means try the plan that has worked with such success in com- munities which have battled the traf- fic problem with every available weap- on and have proved or disproved scores of regulations that other citles might benefit from their experience. Washington has arrived at the turn- ing point with its more than one hun- dred thousand automobiles, and it is | time for decisive steps to be taken for the betterment of conditions and the resultant benefit to the city. PRI i The Larger Building Program. The Smoot-Underhill Bill, which has passed the Senate, providing for ap- propriation of $25,000,000 for purchase of all of the privately owned land in the triangle between Pennsylvania avenue and the Mall as sites for an orderly grouping of new buildings for various units of the Government, is under consideration in the House to- THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, a oice! i e T e Pt ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. ferred to an oxwhip or a bullwhip. As the oxwhip used to be made in Mar: land it could be exasperating and cut. ting when used by an expert driver of yoked steers. A horsewhip may have definitions. Most persons think that a horsewhip is a buggywhip, the long, slender thing of whalebone or reeds, with a colored lash or ‘cracker,” which stood upright in the whip socket on the right side of the patent leather e, other kinds of horsewhips. For example, the riding whip, made of | Whitleather, with a half-pound ball of flead in the handle, may also be called horsewhip, and some men have been horsewhipped with it unless they knocked down their adversaries first. | Horsewhipping a man was never really polite. It was better form to cane a man—that is, beat him about the head with a walking stick. One of the most effective whips was | the blacksnake whip, but it was more nearly a bullwhip than a horsewhip. fied in kicking to death a man with that sort of a whip. There {s some merit in Lillle Lang- observation about slander and ewhips. It might seem to have some especial merit in the case of those who slander women and dead It is believed that not one fair be justly said in behalf of ping post for wifebeaters, but slanderers of women and —well, that is another ques- men. word the whiy in the horsew tion, e of 1ips —_— e China has found it impossible to conduct a war as a private demon- stration. Persons from other lands are on hand as innocent bystanders in sufficlent numbers to prevent the “exercises” from being ‘“exclusive. R ok Egyptologists continue to make strange discoveries. None of these discoverles is as wonderful and sig- nificant as those being made daily in modern lahoratories. SRt Argument arises as to whether | Rockefeller is richer than Ford. The | question is too large to be settled by selecting heads or tails and tossing up a thin dime. Tax reduction cannot yet reach a point where an income tax blank presents more serfous perplexities to the unmathematical mind than a cross-word puzzle, Italy earnestly admires Mussolini as the man who has completed the day under suspension of the rules, | { with every indication that it will be | | passed, as it should be. | { It carries the support of President | | Coolidge, of Secretary Mellon, of the | | Budget Bureau, of the Public Build. | ings Commission, the National Capital | Park and Planning Commission, the | Commission of Fine Arts and the House committee on public buildings and grounds. The Reed bill to increase the amount for much needed Post Office buildings all over the country from $115,000,000 to $215,000,000, and increasing the amount available annually for new buildings outside of Washington from 1$10,000,000 to $20,000,000 immediately ! and to $35,000,000 after the fifth year, | will be added as an amendment to the ilr]ang]e purchase bill. Congress-is to be commended for its { businesslike -handling of the public | | building problem. It has cast into the discard that most inefficient practice of parceling out the public buildings known as the old “pork barrel” sys- tem of favoritism and pull. It is act- ing in a businesslike manner to re- lieve as promptly and as fully as pos- sible the most pressing immediate needs of the Government. The action in acquiring all of the triangle south of Pennsylvania avenue | is real economy and looks to a better | co-ordination of the various units of the Government which are to be lo- {cated there, making possible proper | consideration of factors of transporta: jtion and fire protection. Secretary Mellon was really responsible for this business transaction, and out of his testimony before the House committee on public buildings and grounds the broadening of the Post Office building program for the entire country was developed. It was based on his esti- mates of just how much money the supervising architect’s office would be able to spend efficlently. The plan now being carried out is really in the interests of economy be- cause it will promote the efficiency of the Federal service. It also focuses the attention of the whole country on the work of the Government, giving | a physical assurance of Uncle Sam’s interest In each community, making it feel that it is a part of the Gov- ernment. Tt is the most far-reaching and com- prehensive and businesslike public building program ever undertaken by any government in the world's history. 1t gives considerable employment all over the country. It stimulates busi- ness, not only in the structural steel, cement, brick, lumber and hardware lines, but the erection of a Federal bullding fn each community stirs up all local business and industry. Chairman Elliott of the House com- mittee deserves general commendation for his vision and perseverance in de- livering the Government from the old system, and for getting an impressive start made on a buflding program that will eventually cost a half billion dol- lars, where now only the first half of that amount is authorized in the bill that passed last session and the Smoot-Underhill and Reed bills that are expected to be passed today. : et “English-speaking” nations are re- ferred to. Questions of dialect and grammar arise anew. e Horsewhips. The Associated Press cabics from Monte Carlo that Lillie Langtry, com- menting on the recent Gladstone libel case, sald she preferred the days when such affairs were settled with a horse- ‘whip-instead of being aired in courts. The horsewhip handled with discre. most magnificent political prospectus composed a modern statesman e - A war against offensive plays en- counters a difficulty in the fact that s0 many ticket buyers do not, ap- parently, find them objectionable. ——————— Censorship may yet develop a de- mand for a grand jury composed of dramatic critics. ————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON Individual Help. Everybody's tryin’ To wear a pleasant grin Everybody’s sighin’ 'Bout some one else’s sin. Everybody's speakin’ To show a friend's defect And with great patience seckin’ His morals to correct. Everybody's ready To start a grand reform For the folks unsteady ‘Who face the moral storm. Although we all are brothers, ‘We prove unhappy elves. How shall we help the others ‘Who cannot help ourselves. Called. “How did you come enter politics? “The people called me,” Senator Sorghum. “They called you to duty?” “No. They called me so ‘many to answered | rough names that I thought I'd bet- | ter get into the fight and vindicate myself.” Discrepancies. Ten dollars closely you must clutch If poverty brings care. A hundred thousand isn’'t much 1f you're a millionaire. Jud Tunkins seys a man Wwho plays seven-up can usually be relied on to have solemn opinfons on politics. But he seldom has the per- sonal influence of a good golf player. Combat. “Bootleggers evade the law.’ “Out my way,” said Uncle Bill Bottletop, “they've got to a point where agents of the law have to dodge the hijackers.” Snow Birds. The snow bird, once so innocent, Is now bereft of hope. His name, with cruelty, s lent To those who dip the “dope.” “George Washington told the simple truth,” satd Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “He did so In Inno- cent childhood and is now revered as an infant prodigy who managed tairly well to hold his record. “Read yoh Bible,” said Uncle Eben, “an’ try to remember what you read *stid o' gittin’ into an argument ‘bout | what you don’t happen to under- stand. R A Future Nightmare. From the Seattle Daily Times. When we have a practicable tele- vision device, pictures of some indi- viduals not only will sound like static but look like it And Always Will! | From the Los Angeles Daily Times. | Drunkenness may not be altogether | dying out, but drunkards and steady drinkers certainly are. Not Included. From the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. A sermon on the Browning case offers logical opportunity to demand censorship on drama, art, books and publications—everything but ser- mons. o and judicial temperament may have In the hands of a gentleman right regulation has been tried and|ot overrash and touch-and-go temper found wanting. Spasmodic attempts |the horsewhip has been known to lead to eure the evil by this means have |to disagreeable results. There is no met with little co-operation from the ' reason why a horsewhip should be pre ’ A New Line. From the South Bend Tribune, Iz Count and Countess Salm are reconciled some lawyers will have to retrench this vear. s jdash of the buggy. But there are, or | Any horse of spirit felt himself justi- | D €y THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Snap judgments on personalitles are notoriously unsure, | A well known Washingtonian makes |it his rule never to allow an instinctive like or dislike for another to go be- vond his own mind for at least a year. This mode of action, or, rather, non- actlon, is taken simply as a precaution not th ny part - helief in the old out not speaking i1l of anothe There are a great many who really ought 'to be spoken ill of! | | | him_rubs me the Perhaps there is not enough of this | | good speaking Il for the ultimate good of this good old world. Who knows but that if all of us spoke our minds | freely a great reform might be worked in many of the century-old habits of I mankind? | The instinctive likes and dislikes of |our Washingtonian are known in one | form or another to every one. | There is no escaping them. | _Most of us are so constituted that the moment we la upon another { something in us seems to say, ‘I like him,” or “I do not like him,” as the | case may be | So many different factor: each case that it is impo: a finger upon any one t sm, factor, and declare This is it The grea such attempt. They are the snap judgment not eve man, in his own regard, perfect? * K kK Every man is, to himself, the meas- ure of all men. He can look at the | world with no other eyes, seize upon lits appeals with no er senses, | know its wonders with no other mind than his own. Each one of us, strictly | speaking, is the center of the world. Our attempts to think outside our- |selves would be pitiful if they were !not, at the same time, glorious. Pitiful, yet glorious—such is the deseription of man's effort to look upon others as others look upon them- | selves. Robert Burns' task, “to see ourselves as others see us,” is easy in comparison to this. To see others as they see themselves—this is the biggest job in the world, and, as a man succeeds, so he becomes a leader, a helper, a savior, ol | Need it be sald that some are lead- |ers, fewer still helpers, and few, in- {deed, saviors of mankind? |""We are in hondage to those dead |and gone, who, for better or worse, have set the seal of their personali- ties upon us, and force us to-do that which we would not do, and hold us back, also, too often, from doing that | which we' ought. | Yet we are not altogether losers in |this game of the centuries, in which { Father Time plays the leading role, {but are urged forward to the best | we know by two {mmortal factors: The best in those before us and the best in ourselves. If our heritage be poor, on the one hand, it is thus great, on the other; but which shall win out, in the /long run (which i the only run that counts), no one can tell until the finish is reached. * X k ¥ We meet another, and immediately la ‘sort of electric’ bell is punched |some place instde us, informing the enter into ait, positively, isfied wit | is one of the best thin majority of men make no | householder that the one without is or is not to his liking. At the same this is going on in our own mind, a similar flash of electricity is hurtling itself through the smiling gentleman who is shaking our hand. “Glad to meet you!" we eay, smil- ing our best What we are thinking is : ‘Funny-looking d i ks—he oughtn’t het he can't bout but one thing—n find that out soon enou is impossible—somethin wrong v “Charmed, I'm sure ing us the very be repertoire. What ing ist e already maybe he's a_“ves me of old Bill Hicks—by George, that's it, old Bill Hicks—I never did like Bill-—cheated me on a deal once— this sap reminds me of him—why would a man want to wear such gloves —I don't like him—he sure rubs me the wrong way This rubbing one the wrong way (a figure, of speech taken from catdom) some people Some have a positive genfus for ; s :complishment in a lesse who have it in no form w s persons whom “everybody likes. a bozo ace in his lly think- me a pain Appers— reminds do. * * The strange thing is that as likely s not the very man who ‘“rubs o the wrong way” is the man we wil end up by liking! This common occurrence proves that our so-called instinctive dislikes are not entitled to the credence we give them. They are traitors to us, and will be proved such by closer acquaintance with the intended victim. If we are thrown with the man, and really make an attempt to get his viewpoint, often enough we find him not such a bad chap, after all. We forget his mannerisms, and his vellow gloves, and discover that these are merely surface mani- festations. In time of need he may be the kindest neighbor in the world. On the other hand, there are men who please us at frst, but who, upon closer acquaintance, reveal them- +[selves for what they are, and from whom we painfully begin to back away. Oné would think offhand that after a man has had one or two such experiences, in youth, he would begin to realize that it s not safe to make a pronouncement about any one, even to himself, vet experience teaches us that nothing is more common. We go through life the prey to these almost involuntary likes and dis- likes, generally making but little effort to counteract their effects, re- fusing to try to see the best in others, only too glad to harp upon some little fault. We even pride ourselves if we can bring ourselves to proceed upon the old maxim, “Live and let live.” This old maxim, one of the oldest thoughts in the world, marked one of the great advances of man toward genuine civi- lization. But a greater advance is necessary, if the high hopes of hu- manity are to be realized. Brother- hood must be made a fine fact, not just a fine word. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. News that American missionaries in China are remaining courageously at their posts of duty, despite the im- pending clash of arms in the center and north of that war-racked realm, i revives interest in the extent of their activities. | more than 7,000 Christian mission- larfes, chiefly from the United States and Great Britain. Their work has been going on for 120 years, dating from 1807, when Robert Morrison of ‘the London Missionary Society en- | tered upon his ploneering work. It /was not until 1844 that liberty was | glven to preach Christianity in the treaty ports of China, and not until 1860 was it permissible to preach in | the interior. The strength of the | Christian Church in China, authorities say, cannot be estimated today by the number of missionaries. In a growing degree 1t 1s becoming a Chinese Church, with a large number of or- dained 'Chinese ministers who are | steadily becoming independent of for- {eign mission control. No fewer than 16,874 organized Protestant Christlan churches exist, and there are §831 | other places with regular services. The Roman Catholic Church has in its |60 Chinese missionary jurisdictions | nearly 1,000 Chinese priests working | with 1,500 forelgn missionaries. There |are sald to be 2,000,000 Chinese Cath- olics. In 1926 the Pope created six Chinese bishops, who were consecrated in Rome itself. * % X ¥ Democratic 1928 ticket makers are | restlessly on the job. “Reed and Bayard” is the very latest combi- nation. Tt originates in Delaware, where talk of its senior Senator as a vice presidential nominee next year appears to be rife. If the second Thomas Francls Bayard and the fifth member of the Bayard family to sit in the United States Senate should become the Demo- cratic presidential candidate’s run- ning mate, it will be the first time that a Delawarean has ever been on a national ticket. Hardly a week goes by that some Southerner, usually a dry, is not touted as a prospective tail-ender on “the Al Smith ticket.” The Democrats | haven’t a monopoly of the 1928 | ticket business. From the Frank O. Lowden camp emanates the sug- | gestion that a second-place man has already been selected for the darling of the farm gods In the person of Col. , Theodore Roosevelt of New York! | | EIE Albert J. Beveridge, former United States Senator and one-time boy Demosthenes, of Indi- | ana, comes to Washington period- fcally for data for his new life of Lincoln, Recently Beveridge had | access to a remarkable collection of letters from his constituents, which had been carefully filed and Indexed by a pre-Clvil War member of Con- gress. The statesman-author piled through the letters for the purpose of surveying popular sentiment on the eve of the mighty struggle be- tween North and South. Beveridge told friends that he was astounded to discern that up to the very hour of the firing upon Fort Sumter there appears to have been far less popular agitation about slavery among the Northern people than any number of political controversies during the living generation have aroused, * HK ¥ Tardy recognition is proposed in | Congress for ome of the brilliant | officers of the United States Nav | Capt. Reginald Rowan Belknap, r | tired. The House naval affairs com- | mittee has reported favorably a bill | authorizing the President to appoint Capt. Belknap a rear admiral on the retired list of the Navy. The bill was introduced by Representa- tive Burdick, Republican, of Rhode Island. It seeks to honor “the ex- ceptionally meritdrious service of C;rt‘ Belknap while commanding the United States Navay Mine Squadron I during .the mine-laying operations in the North Sea in the late war, and Today there are in China | historian, | | also for his excellent work in con- nection with the equipment of these ships for mine-laying duty.” Capt. Belknap was retired after long and creditable service on Junme 80, 1926. * X Xk %k California is up agalnst another case designed to test the validity of her allen land laws approved by ref- erendum in 1920. Their object was to make virtually impossible any set- tlement of land in the Golden State by Japanese. Now comes a group of Japanese physiclans and business men in Los Angeles, who want to bulld a Japanese hospital and operate it on a commercial basis. California’s secretary of State, Frank Jordan, de- clares the law prohibits corporations from owning or leasing land. The Japanese and their attorneys believe the law will not hold water so far as leasing s concerned. They have begun mandamus proceedings on the ground that the statvtes permit alien corporations, as well as individuals, to lease land for residentiul and business purposes. Probably the controversy will reach the United States Supreme Court, as like causes in California have done in cotemporary times, be- fore it's finally settled. * ok ok w Maj. Julla C. Stimson, superintend- ent of Army nurses, delivered a witty address to a graduating class of nurses at Walter Reed Hospital in Washing- ton the other night. She discovered that some of the eulogistic language that automobile manufacturers are using nowadays about their new mod- els could be quite aptly applied to the modern trained nurse. So Maj. Stim- son took the announcement of the Washington Automobile Show, insert- ed ‘“nurses” where ‘‘cars” were re- ferred to, and found that with only trifling changes in the text it could be turned into a perfectly good gradua- tion speech. Her peroration, which brought down the house, after nu- merous allusions to the trimness of lines, the speed, the endurance, the reliability and beauty of the nurse of the era, concluded as follows: “When better nurses are built, the Army will build them.” * ok ok Kk Pennsylvania continues to demand its place in the Interstate Commerce Commission sun, but President Cool- idge’s experience with the {ill-starred Woods appointment is sald to have determined him to fill the vacancy on the rallway rate-making body with a man wholly outside of “interested ter- ritory.” The idea is reputed to be that the nominee will be a Republican of so eminent reputation that his ap- pointment will add prestige to the commission and pretty well insure speedy confirmation. Some worthy senatorial lame ducks will be states- men out of jobs, as the late John J. Ingalls used to put {t, after March 4. Porhaps the President will dip into thelr pond for a suitable candidate. . (Copyright. 1927.) Declares Contract With Young Illegal To the Editor of The Star: 1 was Interested in reading your editorial Thursday night entitled **An Unfair Contract,” and I think nearly every one will ‘agree that it would be unconsclonable Yor Young's man- ager to get away with 40 per cent of the boy's earnings. But let me suggest that there is a way out. If the boy s only 17 years of uge, as reported in the press, his contract s invalid and unenforceable, as such @ contract ought to be.. I trust the boy will be properly ad- vised of his legal rights. TRWIN R. BLAISDELL. ) So They Say. From the Hamilton Spectator. Dentists in convention in Chicago find that tobacco and alcohol are friendly to the teeth. But what they do to the breath not even our best friends will tell us. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7, doubt | 1927. For The Star’s Policies To the Editor of The Star: At a recent meeting of the Vaughn class of Calvary Baptist Sunday school some one mentioned the influence of the press on righteousness and public morals in our land. With a unanimity that would have sent a wave of deep sratification to your heart one and all voiced a very positive approval of your policies in this respect. The Evening Star has at all times stood for loyalty to the laws of God and man. You have upheld the eight ecenth amendment. You have lent your support to the supression of vice, you have fought indecent literature, you have studiously refrained from pub- lishing the salacious detai certain court actions, At all times The Star has been conspicuous for its high moral tone and for its sympathetic, helpful attitude toward all work mak- ing for right living. It is a paper that a homemaker unhesitatingly places on his library tabl The qualities of The Star were spoken of with such unreserved ap- preciation at the above-mentioned meeting that I, as secretary, am di- rected by the executive committee to convey this sentiment to you. Most of us are quick to condemn, but slow to commend. To the man or men, great or small, who are endeavoring to give the public a pure product commenda- tion must undoubtedly be very wel- come. _ 1 take a sincere pleasure, therefore, in addressing this letter to you and vour assoclates down to the humblest emplove, with the hope that The Star may shine with ever-increasing bright- 1 _trustworthy beacon in the storms of evil that menace our country. RICHARD A. SAUER, Secretary - Ridge Route Preferable for Mount Vernon Boulevard To the Editor of The Star: The objections pointed out by W. R. Chambers in The Star of January 31 in regard to the river route of the proposed Mount Vernon boulevard are indeed timely suggestions of great im- portance and merit careful conside tion by Congress before action i taken. Indeed, to construct such a highway for all time a western route along the highlands overlooking the river has manifold advantages the civer route could never acquire. The direct, most feasible and less expensive route should follow the ridge overlooking the river to & point about one-half mile west of the res- ervoir at Alexandria, crossing the plke and railroads above grade, thence to the schoolhouse on Telegraph road to the Richardson and Collard hom direct to its objective, thus avoiding the many street crossings in Alexan- dria—veritable death traps all. That the surveyors should have so carefully avoided this route is indeed passing strange. DI these gentlemen ever go to a point near the old Collard house, look north to the Washington Monument, then turn and look south right over Mount Vernon? If not, why not? This survey of the eye would have been worth much work with an instrument. Congress should at least require that the merits of this route be looked into. Safety is of first importance, and a direct road is safest. JAMES E.JOHNSTON. Urbana, Ti1. A Tribute to a Veteran Northwestern Journalist To the Editor of The Star: I wish I might call public attention to the career of & country editor in the Pacific Northwest, Idaho, recently died Albert H. Alford, editor of the Lewiston Tribune since 1892, a period of 35 years. He began when Lewiston had about three thou- sand population, which has now in- creased to some ten or twelve thou- sand—although during all the years the commercial importance of the place was much greater than the numbers indicated. There was a considerable outside fleld for the Jjournal, which has been for many years a modestly profitable enter- prise. It has been, however, no ordi- nary small-town daily, for it had no ordinary editor. A Texan by birth and a graduate of Washington and Lee, young Alford was and remained a Jeffersonian Democrat by convic- tion; yet with such amiable serious- ness that in a strongly Republican community no competing journal could survive. He was unswervingly devoted to maintaining the stand- ards of the Tribune, into which the whole energy of his life was poured; and the reputation of his paper for fairness, impartiality and candor is wholly admirable, He was com- pletely self-effacing, his name al- most never appearing. But to those fortunate enough to know the man, as 1 was, the high standing of the paper was simply inevitable. He was one of the great edltors, but he was the most modest of them all. J. M. ALDRICH, Use “Dead” Deposits for Loans to Veterans To the Editor of The Star: Answering Mr. George Lawton's very sensible letter concerning veter- ang’ loans and which is well taken and unanswerable by Mr. Taylor, may I offer a suggestion that most honest people will indorse. In the banks and other financial institutions of the United States there are millions of dollars belonging to dead depositors. Why not lend the veterans this money? The legal heirs of these depositors are unaware of its existence; it does not belong to the bank; so even should the United States Government not pay the loan, the banks would not lose any of their own money or have to make it good. LORENZO G. WARFIELD. ——— Enthusiasm at 80. rkansas Democrat. B o D “Rockefeller danced a jig and whistled merrily when he “broke 50" Wednesday in his daily eight- hole round of golf, we are told in a news story from Ormond Beach, Fla., where America’s first “richest man” is spending his Winter, He beamed at the first hole when his sixth shot was dead to his cup. He whistled gay tunes when he found the lip of the cup with his fourth shot on the second. The jig came, we are told, on the third hole when he made a remarkable recov- ery after overshooting the green and was down in 7 An octogenarian dancing a jig fsn't exactly the “last word” in what might be called senescent dignity, but it carrles an obvious moral les- son. It reminds us that dollars are far from first life's pursuit of worth-while pleasures. This man, whose daily income is far beyond the annual earnings of the average American, finds his keenest joy not in money, but in “breaking 50." And what's more, he 1is able at more than 10 years past the biblical three- score years and ten to dance a Jig to demonstrate that joy. He couldn’t buy those extra strokes he “saved” by playing better golf any more than you could buy enjoyment of a book, or a play or music when vou have reached his age. There may have been a day in America when a man's soclal worth was measured by his bank account, but each year brings us closer the belief ‘that the best “measure” ‘of a man is his enthusiasm at 80. Vhole Truth. - | Q. How many radio sets are there In Canada?—P. 8. M. A. According to a recent estimate there are 300,000 receiving sets in use in Canada. The greater percentage of these are in the rural districts. Q. What is the mass of the sun in cuble miles? S A. The mass of the sun is § 000,000,000 cubic miles Q. Did Robert Fulton ever try any experiments with boats on Rock Creek? 1 have been told that at one time there was a tablet at the point where Piney Branch empties —into Rock Creek which mentioned his name in connection with experiments at that point.— M. G. H. ; A. Robert Fulton spent some time at. the home of Joel Barlow, which was situated on the hanks of Rock Creek. Fulton was Barlow's guest when. on February 9, 1809, he wrote to the President, “I have invited some members of the Senate and House of Representatives to call at Kalorar on Sunday next at 1 the experiment of harpooning and in- vestigate the principle of torpedo at tacks.” These experiments were made in Rock Creek. Q. T would Iike to know the depth of Death Valley.—E. L. A. The lowest point of Death Val- ley, Calif., Is 276 feet below sea level “Polotsk’ A. Polotsk is now a Russian town It was captured by Stephen Bathory in 1579 and became Polish by the treaty of 1582. It was definitely an- nexed to Russia in 1 Q. Should a lightning rod be nected to the soil vent pipe?— A. The Bureau of Standards sa that the lightning rod should be con- nected to the vent pipe. If left dis- connected lightning is likely to jump from the rod to the pipe and damage the roof. If the soil pipe is electrically Russlan or Polish? on- P continuous with leaded joints to moist | earth there will be no appreciable effects inside the house from a lightning stroke. Q. Will you please tell me if the battle scenes in “The Big Pan\(le' were taken in France during the war? —F. B. O'N. A, We are informed that “The Big Parade” did not make use of official photographs, Q. What is the weight of a cubic foot of ice?—G. O. C. A. One cubic foot of ice at 32 de- grees F. welghs 57.50 pounds. Q. Will you tell me why the free use of mails by our congressmen is called “the franking privilege’ ?—M. B. A. The word “frank’ as applied to the franking privilege is from the old French word meaning “free.” For this reason it was adopted with respect to the sending out of mail by -certain officials and privileged persons with- out the usual postal charges. Q. What is the meaning of ‘‘ton miles” and “car miles”? —E. H. D. A. Ton miles is a standard measure of traffic, based on the rate of car-| riage per mile of each passenger or ton of freight. Car miles is the mile- age or aggregate number of miles cov- ered by the entire rolling stock of any system in any given time. Q. Is it better to decorate sheets and pillowcases with lace or use em- broidered initials or monograms?— In Lewiston, | A . M. ‘A. Embroldery is more frequently used at the present time than insert- ings of lace. It is not only always in good taste, but it is more practical. An embroidered monogram is consid- ered sufficiently decorative to make the absence of laces unnoticed. Q. What were the serial numbers of the regiments sent over to France during the first months, up to July 1, of the World War? R. A. The regiments of the 1st Divi- sion, first sent to France during the World War, were the 16th, 15th, 26th and 28th Regiments. Q. Kindly explain what an altim- eter is and its use.—W. W. o'clock to_see | metrica wngles by n or theo purpose t an altim uring gltitudes measuring vertical a_quadrant, sextant When used for this strument is known “te | Q Is a mule 1 tail with the tuft t born with a 1 hors afterward kept clip L. H | A. Mules are born v a smoo i tail, tufted at the end with a the end smou |, A. Duri | bureau n the proc | fect work. Deliver reached a. total of 4% as compared with delive, previous year, 464.864,645 sheets, S r' the preceding year 1 year 1926 the vious records d delivery of per for the year 106 sheets es for t u printe backs and 12 sheets. Q. What is the “seven golden candle: of | say even { lighted candles, we have were introduced by Moses | sentative type of the Gloriou {Ones'—that is, the seven stars of th Little Bear originally in Stella a present time >+ in 1gst the Chri n churches, representing the myst which' are the prototy even Glorious Ones,” lial ticks no Man wit douh a repre Seve | the Q. Does the Government still j vide vocational education for ¢ soldiers’—E. M. . A. The Veterans' Bureau says ti new bill provides for an vocational training for ¢ actually in training June 3 new bill does not provide | who were not in training prior to June 30, 1926. Q. What Is the birthstone for D | cember?—F. P. L. A. Birthstones for authorized b; Association, lapis lazuli. Q. Can vou tell me how mar swords George Washington left whe he died?—J. 8. B. A. The only references we can find to these are in two books on Mount Vernon, one by Minnie Kendall Lowther, and the other by J. E. Jones. The former refers to three swords left to his nephews, while the latter says “There are four swords, three of which Washington presented to hi« nephews.” Q. How tall is Bunker Hill Monu ment?—B. E, December, the American Jewelers e the turquoise ar —~B. ELUA Its height is 221 feet. Q. How many people read the comic strips?—E. B. A. Four-fifths of all Americans be tween the ages of 4 and 24 read the comic cartoons, says Dr. H. C. Leh- | man of the University of Chicago. | Q. What is the motto of North | carolina?—c. E. G. A. It is “Esse quam videre,” mear ing, “To be, rather than to seem. Q. Did Laurence serve in the World A. Stallings was a captain in the Marines during the war, losing a leg in actlon. really There is no other agency in the world that can answer as many legit imate questions as our free informa- tion bureaw in Washington, D. ( This highly organized institution has been built up and is under the per- sonal direction of Frederic J. Haskir By keeping in constant touch with Federal bureaus and other education - |al enterprises it is in a position tu pass on to you authoritative infor mation of the highest order. Submit your queries to the staff of ezperts whose services are put at your frec disposal. There is no charge except cents in stamps for return postage. Address The Evening Star Informa tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, d A. The altimeter is used for meas- rector, Washington, D. C. L. J. Gage Called Alchemist; Changed Patriotism to Dollars The recent death at Point Loma Calif., of Lyman J. Gage, Secretar: of the Treasury under both McKinle: cier’s discovery of the art of turning war-time patriotism into dollars for Uncle Sam. A generation which went through the Liberty Loan drive finds it hard to belleve that Secretary Gage's similarly successful plan of floating a popular loan during the Spanish-American hostilities was first hailed by the bankers of his day as impractical. This achievement, commentators point out, was only one of many of the farsighted statesman’s able acts as head of the Treasury. ““America will remember Mr. Gage,” in the opinion of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “chiefly for his origination of the idea of patriotism as a motive for the buying of United States bonds. For the prosecution of the war with Spain, Congress authorized an issue of $200,- 000,000 at 3 per cent interest. Finan- ciers predicted that these could not be sold save at a discount. Mr. Gage proved them wrong. He succeeded in disposing of the whole issue almost entirely to individual buyers, who took an average of less than $4,000 aplece.” ‘The Eagle concludes: “Lyman J. Gage deserved well of his country. In our financial history he will always have a distinct place and a place of distinct significance.” L Describing him as one who “was looked upon as a level-headed finan- cler,” the Savannah Press states that “the success of Mr. Gage's plan had much to do with convincing the world of the resources of the country.” The Loutsville Courler-Journal speaks with satisfaction of the fact that “he lived to see his plan applied with success to the stupendous task of financing the World War,” and that ‘“the so- called visionary scheme of the earlier | Secretary became the accomplishment that under McAdoo and Houston startled the world. Nothing could demonstrate more forcefully,” contin- ues that paper, “the growth and eco- nomic strength of the United States than a comparison of these two ex- amples of war financing. “He who spoke to the American people in terms of two hundred mil- lions,” remarks the Cincinnati Times- Star, “lived to hear, 20 years later, the American people answer their Govern- ment in terms of twenty billions. Doubtless it was an interesting devel- opment to the great financier as he viewed this Mississippi of dollars roar- ing into the reservoirs of the United States Treasury. He saw vividly that with greater demands our resources had developed almost infinite possibil- ities. What he had regarded as latent in 1898 had become in 1918 an im- pressive actuality and a living force for victory. ““His death marked the passing of one of the outstanding figures in the McKinley and Roosevelt administra- ons,” according to the Philadelphia blic Ledger, while the Hartford and Roosevelt, recalls this able finan- | his career as an office boy, describes | him as a *“Horatio Alger hero,” who aised himself to an important sition in the world” and was “fo years an International authority on banking and finance o Going back to “the great decade in | Chicago's history that closed the nine teenth century,” the Daily News of that city says: “In the notable achieve ments of that time Mr. Gage took leading part. A man of culture and vision, he worked effectively to turn the thoughts of his fellow citizens from mere money-getting and_induce them to give the city true elements |of greatness. It wa ; chance that Mr. Gage became the first presi dent of the board of directors World Columbian Expositi | of men chosen with extreme | among the strongest and | citizens of the community | his service in that high position he led |in the planning of the greatest of world falrs, his influence going fi toward making it the wonderful suc cess it proved to be. But the qualit: of his citizenship was even more ¢ |y disclosed by the leading part whi he took In the revolt against the evi of Chicago's local government.” * ok ok ok “‘One of the strong men of a ve important period in American develop. ment” is the judgment of the Buffalo Evening News, which explains that “it was In his administration that th. struggle between the gold standard and bimetallism was brought to a set tlement, which proved to be perma nent.” The Kansas City Journal com ments upon the close of “a distin guished public career,” with the statc ment that head of the Americ: Bankers' Association for three years he demonstrated his standing in finan {elal circles, and his incumbency of the treasurership was characterized by jmany acts which proved his abilit; 3 a financier.” The Atlanta Constitu tion refers to him as “one of the most outstanding figures in America’s finan- cial and public life for half a century The Bloomington Pantagraph recalls that he s prominent in the finan- cial affairs of Chicago for a genera- tion. The Lansing State Journal looks back upon his cabinet appoint- ment as “a recognition of the rising importance of the Central West.” An important phase of Mr. Gage's career, mentioned by the Rock Island Argus, was “when he left the Roose velt cabinet and went to w York to become president of the United States Trust Co.” The New York Times lauds his services in “the simuitaneous refunding of the public debt, whereh 2 per cent bonds were issued on pri- scribed terms in exchange for out standing 4s and 6s. That ingenious plan,” adds the Times, “reduced the annual interest charges of the Gov- ernment, while it greatly enlarged the use of the bonds as a basis for ban note circulation.” The San Antonio t holds that “he was a financier Express credits him with achievements in Philippine matters, stating that 4 through his advice and in- uence, measures were taken to as- sure the archipelago a stable currency of on a gold basis.”