Evening Star Newspaper, March 4, 1927, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D..C. FRIDAY.........March 4, 1027 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Edltor e e e e e emee—— The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Offion: ' 11th St and ania Ave, | Bl TR A ! Ruropean ouu:n‘ Teegent St., London, The & e ;n'm;:'."" 8" enl — ‘mont] h hele g Star. with the Sunday morn- j8 delivered by carrigrs within at 60 cents per month: dajly only. month: Sundays anly. 20 cents Orders may_be sent by mail or ain 5000. Collection is mi end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. EE‘"’ and Sunday....1 7., 30.00: 1 mo. 780 ! 000 1 mo- goe ndayonly 137 88.00: 1 mol 26 All Other States and Canada. ly and Sund. 00:1mo.. ¢ gflxy iy nday- I SR 00: 1 mo. unday only 1yr. $4.00:1mo. Member of the Assoclated Press. 10308 Associated Preas is exclnstvelr entitled o the use for republication of all news dt patches credited to it or not otherwiss ted in this paper and also the local news Dublished herein. Al rights of publication of apecial dispatches herein are also reserved 1.00 7Be 8be Public Utilities Commission. The Capital community s pro- foundly gratified that after micro- scoplc investigation of qualifications in & blaze of publicity the President has nominated and the Senate has confirmed the two civilian members of the Public Utilities Commission and the people’s counsel. Washington finds guarantee of Judicial impartiality in the commis- slon and of vigorous advocacy of the community interest by the people's counsel in the success of the men appointed in running the gantlet of obstacles and aults, created first by the wording of the law itself and then by searching White House in- vestigation, by minute senatorial in- spection and by the closest scrutiny of the Capital community acting largely, though not exelusively, through organized cltizenry. The law goes to extremes in pro- hibiting even remote affiliations on the part of members of the commis- sion with the public utilities corpora- tlons with which the commission deals. The President, largely through the Attorney General, has painstak- ingly dissected the records of all candidates to ascertain their fitness or unfitness, and the Senate and the organized citizens have poured a blazing light of pitiless publicity upon the appointments to detect the slightest cause for hostile criticism. The Public Utilitles Commission and the people’s counsel will ‘thus senter upon their difficult task, so im- portant to the city’s welfare, as men tested as to fitness by every conceiv- able ordeal; and, having successfully undergone these tests, they deserve and will doubtless receive the com- munity’s confidence and sympathetic support. ———e——————— Ammaunition for Dawes. However much may be regretted the failure of Congress to enact vi- tally important legislation, Vice Presi- dent Dawes has at least one cause to feel gratification. The Senate has provided him with abundant ammuni- tion to be used in his campaign for revision of that body's methods of doing business. It was a sad spec- tacle of impotency which “the great- est deliberative body on earth” pre- sented in the closing days of the ses- sion, an almost continuous sitting with its hands shackled by rules of its own devising. Dickens might well have had the United States Senate in mind when he wrote of the “Office ot Circumlocution,” which had for 1ts motto, “How not to do it.” And it was such a petty matter that the Senate made such a pother over! Neither of the Senators Reed had any vital stake in the question at issue. There is bound to be a thorough inquiry into the Pennsyl- vania primary and election before Mr, Vare is either seated or denied his seat, and it could not possibly matter much whether the inquiry was made during the Summer re- cess or after the convening of Con- gress next December. It was o case of pride and stub- bornness being pitted against impor- tant public business, with pride and stubbornness coming off the victor. But the chances are slim that any worthwhile reform in the Senate rules will result. There is no power which can compel the Senate to re- form itself except the power of public opinion, and public opinion Goes not function either effectively or tenaciously. If this were the first time such an object lesson had been spread before the public there might some excuse for hoping, but it i- not. There have been other con- fonal filibusters, and public in- dignation soon spent itself. The dif- ficulty is that public opinion can make itself felt only at the election of ninety-six individual Senators, and at election time there always will be other issues to make voters forget how they feel about the Senate rules. ———t—————— A good base ball player commands & wage so large that he rapidly be- comes a financier. In many cases the jury imprisoned hour after hour appears to be getting the worst of the transaction. - The Military Millennium, Slowly but surely the United States Army comes into its own. It has had 1ts ups and downs, but, viewed decade by decade, the situation of its compo- nents has steadily improved and more closely approximated the condition of the average prosperous American ci- vilian. ' Once they flogged enlisted men for breaches of discipline. That day fs happily past, although they still suffer more serious penalties for certain of- | fenses than do men in civil life. For a long time a soldier in uniform was deemed so far inferior socially to a civilian that he was barred from many otherwise innocent places of amusement and recreation. That day has happily passed and the soldier's garb now has status as among the most honorable habiliments that American citizen can display. The nfi tation for the return to him of the privilege of wearing a “best suit” has never completely died down since the o0ld blue.dress uniform was indefinitely banished, although not abollshed, about the time of the World War. Just now it has gained renewed vigor, both officers and enlisted men having aligned themeelves whole-heartedly with a campaign for the renewal of the more formal dress for all purposes except fleld and fatigue duty now belleved that the Uress garb for men and the dress, full dress and mess dress for officers will shortly be made optional and later mandato; as it should be. grudge themselves becoming and dura ble changes of clothing, provided the authorities are not too prone to tinker with patterns and accessories. It s the expensive changes that break the shavetall's heart. In years gone by the soldier learned nothing In the Army except purely military duties. If he entered it an ignoramus, he left it one. Now the enlisted man has at his dlsposal edu- cational facilities over and above travel which are of no mean order. Last, and perhaps best of all, he is going to get enough to eat. A recent presidential order increased ‘the ra. tion of the Army from 386 to 60 cents a day. Enlistments during February in the New York district were the largest on record for that particular territory, and by officers who ought to know their increase is attributed directly to the more sub- stantial and more diverse bill of f: thus provided. Every physical condi- tion of a soldler's life ought to be such as will tend to keep filled with Few officers will be- | the best possible type of American youth the ranks of whatever sized Army Congress shall deem necessary for the peace and protection of this greatest of nations. The Fruits of Patience. There are Indications that the American Government’s policy of patience, coupled with firmness, is beginning to bear fruits in Nicara- gua. No formula for solution of the difficulties of that southern republic has yet been completely worked out, but it is represented at the White House that President Coolidge feels the situation today holds promise of peace and that negotiations between the revolutionists and the Diaz gov- ernment may lead to an agreement which will bring warfare to an end. Nicaraguan neutrals are said to be assisting in negotiations between the Diaz and Sacasa forces, with the United States standing by to be help- ful in whatever way it can. It does not appear that the pres- ence of American Marines is in any way proving an obstacle to the hopes of peace. As a matter of fact, it is probable that both factions in Nica- ragua have a good deal better under- standing of why the Marines are there than seems to exist in the United States Senate and elsewhere in this country. It is probable also that both factions are grateful that the Marines have been present to protect the lives and property of Americans and other foreigners. They know that without such outside protection and the establishment of neutral zones there would have been almost inevitable damage to the property of foreigners and possibly loss of life, and that the consequences to their country could be only evil. Dr. Sacasa and his followers made what capital they could in their cam- paign for American sympathy out of the presence of Marines, but no one doubts that had conditions been reversed Sacasa would have been as glad as is Diaz to have United States forces there. The sobering effects of responsibility operate in Central America as effectively as dy do elsewhere in the world. The American Government is pur- suing the same policy of patience, coupled with firmness, in its dealings with Mexico. So far there is lack- ing a like promise of a happy out- come, but that fact would not war- rant abandonment either of the patience or the firmness. If patlence and firmness succeed in solving the Nicaraguan problem, it ought to be an object lesson serving to make the American people a little more patient to await solution of the Mexican problem by like methods. 7 ————a—————— Courageous in his discharge of duty, Gen. Smedley Butler will probably be happler in China, where conditions, however complex, involve no prohibi- tion laws. Py R Chinese conditions are interfering with the boosting efficiency of the Board of Trade at Canton and the Chamber of Commerce of Shanghal. e Publicity. All the ballyhoo is over. Babe Ruth has signed a contract to play base ball again with the New York team. It was a certainty when negotiations were first opened that Ruth would affix his signature as soon as sufficient publicity had been received, but there ‘are undoubtedly many who have be- lleved that all this stage play has been in good faith. In order to make him worth his huge salary, Ruth must club is satisfied and the Babe with $210,000 for three years, win, lose or draw, certainly should be. The turn- stiles will be clicking merrily on April 12 and after as they admit the crowd to see the busting Bambino do his well known stuff. What more can be sald? - —ons The Gladiolus. gospel of the gladiolus has been so widespread during the past ten years that this Spring will see thou sands of these hulbs planted to every one that might heen put Into the ground hefore the World War, The pecriess beauty of the “glads,” combined with thelr of culture and freedom from diseases and insect pests, makes ther the of the Summer-blooming bulbs With these sterling qv favor, 1t not to be wondered at that literally milllons milifons of these bulbs are planted every year The vo nest tios in thelr 1s upon in America > Spri too, thousands of old gardeners, who for one reason or another have nored the gladiolus, taking it up, to yield, in thelr turn, to its fascination. The gladtolus s, in reality, a glo rious form of It {ts name being pure Latin for “little sword,” desig- nating the shape of its rapler-like leaves. It was once called the “sword ny.” Possibly no other flower in com- merce, with the exception of the tullp, has had such an interesting history A native of South Ar and other countries, ths wild specles of this flower during the past 100 years have been crossed and recrossed. Hybridizers of all lands have joined in the breeding of new and better gladioll, so that today it may be truth- fully said that In these flowers, as in some others, what God made man has improved upon. Primeval forests never saw such wonderful blooms as any one may have in his own garden today for a little money wisely expended. Even the form of the flower has been changed. The color combinations are only to be described by the word ex- quisite. There are plain and ruffied specimens and a wholly different type known as “primulinus.” Not to know the modern gladiolus 1s to confess one's self behind the times in the floral kingdom. To miss its beautles in the home garden, and, as a cut flower, in the home itselt, is to deprive one's self of Joy. e e A number of people resent any re- quest for information by Senator Borah. They think he has gotten enough action out of what he already knows. ———————— While a five-day working week s considered, Thomas Edison continues to work with little or no rest. It can- not be that so great a man as Edison is behind the times! e —e—— Having swum the English Channel, Gertrude Ederle is booked for theatri- cal engagements. The Channel takes on new importance as a school for actors. ————— Discoveries in Egyptian tombs dis- play dazzling wealth which makes the royal mummy look like a mere in- cident in a safety deposit vault. seen A filibuster might at least be up to date and introduce a jazz orchestra to while away the hours. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Farm Regulation. Prosperity is everywhere. The are on the way. The orchard and the fleld will make their usual display. Yet, with the fruits and with the grain the times are playing tricks recently, dear Mother Earth went into politics. The gentle agriculturist stands wistful and dismayed As he observes quotations on Chl- cago's Board of Trade. He says the profit must depend upon the sporting.chanc Bince now-a-days dear Mother Earth is dabbling in finance. crops since, Dear Mother Earth, your ways have been 80 simple In the past! You bade the toiler rise in cheer and work while day should last; But now you're digging up the oil. A rapid pace it sets. Dear Mother Earth, you're jazzing it and smoking cigarettes! Personal Viewpoint. “What is your opinion of politics?” “It's all right,” answered Senator Sorghum. “In spite of the arguments I have not yet failed of re-election.” ‘Wonderful Survival, Gunpowder was Invented out in China long ago. We now have TNT and other speci- : mens to show. So many deadly weapons men with cleverness contrive It seems a wonder any of us now are left alive. Jud Tunkins says people waste time do two things: play base ball with his admitted skill and keep himselt in the public eye. If he does not succeed in accomplishing these necessities he would not, in the opinion of the New York club owners, be worth more than an ordinary ball player. Part of the Babe's value, and a good part of it, is in his box office attraction and it, therefore, behooves him to become as much of a public figure as possible, which in itself will draw the paying customer through any gate in the world. Ruth has made his reputation and has a decided flair for the publicity game. In every corner of the United States the long-distanc® messages be- tween Ruth, in California, Ruppert, the owner, in New York, were read. The Babe's astute man- | ager—his own personal manager, it must be understood, had Ruth muke such impossible demands in the way of salary that the newspapers were forced to give space to the negotia- tions, while Ruppert's characteriza- tions of his star ball player were perused with equal Interest by a gullible public. Well, it's all over now. The New York and | and money on dress. Yet the Eskimo, who wears one suit of clothes the year around, hasn't made any great ad- vances Privileged Classes. “Crimson Gulch ought to try to re- form.” “How kin we?” asked Cactus Joe. “Law-abidin’ people can't carry weap- ons, while bootleggers and bandits go ahead an’ take their chances.” said Hi Ho, the sage ‘avoid conflict, and so become servants of strong men, ‘Worth Waiting For. Before the war we did not sce Bobbed halr or stockings to the knee. And Grandma’s comment is severe, “Wise men of Chinatown, But Grandpa says he's glad he's here. “'Size don’t coun aid Uncle Eben. “In music a ukulele is a heap mo’ in- fluential dan de bass fiddle.” — e New Kansas Invention. From thy Yakima Morning Herald, Kansas legislators propose mental tests for persons who have determined to wed. Why not continuy to give them the benefit of the do - THIS AND -THAT BY CHARLES “Teach me to know mankind better than they know themselve the of “The Jones, o Foundiing.” Such must be the secret 1l who set themselves up s, Not merely to know mankind, but to know men and women, in the large, much better than they know themselves. Ho wi 0 write a real novel must nee ily have qualitles of mind and heart which look beyond su ¥ litles, mee hidden motives, welgh and balance with honesty and kindliness of heart Some may he offended nt the result, for they may feel that rancor was the motive of the writer. Those who un derstand, however, will realize that all which was set down wus done as a great experiment in words. There are experfments with words, much as thero are experfments with chemical elements. Varfous combinu tions of the varfous elements result in different compounds. The experiment using words may bo as innocent in intent as the fusing of different chemical elements to make a now whole. The petty indignation of the alements, their bubbling and froth fng, does not count. What 18 wanted i3 a new creation, and the experimenter carries forward his work, not deterred by protesta- tions, not frightened off by the pos- sible outery of offended ones, not lured by the hope of praise of others. These results will be but the bub- bling of his elements in combination What he , in the perfect test tube of his dreams, is a new elixir of life, for that is what every novel worthy of the name really is. * K k% This particular chapter of ‘“Tom Jones” is unique, in that It is modeled entirely after the invocation in the “Nature of Things" of Titus Carus Lu- cretius, the great Roman didactic poet. Flelding invokes love of fame and fortune; then prays to Genius, Hu- manity, Learning and Experience to direct his pen. Tt will be the first, he says, who will teach him to know man- kind better than they know them- selves. “Remove that mist which dims the intellects of mortals and causes them to adore men for their art, or to de. test them for their cunning, in de- celving others, when they are, in real- ity, the objects only of ridicule for de- ceiving themselves. “Strip off the thin disguise of wis- dom from self-conceit, of plenty from avarice and of glory from ambitions.” Experience, he says, 1s necessary, not only in association with the wise, the good, the learned and the polit: “but with every kind of character. Henry Fielding knew them all, and was just a little bit proud of it. He “mixed around,” as some say nowaday: he “knew his stuff,” as others say. This idea he carried forward in the preliminary chapter to the next book, the fourteenth, which he entitles “An ssay to Prove That an Author Will ‘Write the Better for Having Some Knowledge of the Subject on Which He Writes.” As joking as this subject sounds, it has a world of meaning in it for every writer today, especially for those in- numerable and hopeful ones who as- pire to write the short story. Never in the world's -history was there ever such a field for short stories as prevalls today in the magazine publishing business! Any Rook 13 History of Tom ambition of write W E. TRACEWELL. one who can't get a story publiehed now simply must admit’ to himself that h ean't write what the e zines want. Where thousands of 0. Henry famo fall down is in thelr | Inslstence on writing about pluces | they have never seen und abou | actors with whom they are not| sually famillar. Now this 8 i two-ed sd reul genlus, such as Joseph P ssosned, 18 ablo to do just this| thing and make i success of 1t-—but the Joke of It fs such genlus seldom does. Conrad knew his sen and his ships and hiy South Hen Isles It ts when Henry Farmer of Cross Corners, Wis., who never saw o ves- wel o than u rowboat, starts in to describe a storm at we that the editors writhe in thelr seats The writer of this column, In his youthful duys, wrote a South Sea island story, o very long one, replete with waving palms und that sort of thing. It was a good story—we have it yet—but it was turned down, and properly so, because the editors knew that a chap living in an Indiana col- lege town had probably mnot been nearer the South Sea than Indlan- apolls, anpleants to nword: Conrad xR K K “The nimbleness of a dancing master is not at all prejudiced by being taught to move; nor doth any mechanic, I belleve, exercise his tools the worse by having learned to use them.” 3 So says 1ding, in support of his theme. ~ He ®ontinue: > avold a multiplicity of examples in so plain a case and to come at once to my point T am apt to_conceive that one reason why many English writers have totally failed in describing the man ners of upper life may possibly be that in reality they know nothing of it.” Neither books nor the stage, he continues, will give one any idea of it. A true knowledge of the world is gained only by association with It; the manners of every rank must be seen to be known. Fven so great a writer as Charles Dickens was short on this point. His lords and ladies, the few that he por- trays, are admittedly stiff and wooden figureheads. Even In the one or two personages of the so-called ‘“upper classes” whom he manages to make life-like there is something lacking, an.intangible quality which the reader senses ought to be there and is not, Discussing ‘the society of his a: Flelding says: “Now it happens that this higher order of mortals is not to be seen, like all the rest of the human species, for nothing, in the streets, shops and coffea houses; nor are they shown, like the upper ranks of animals, for 80 much apiecs In short, this is a sight to which no persons are ad- mitted without one or the other of these qualifications—viz., either birth or fortune.” He declares in conclusion: “In my humble opinfon, the true characteris- tic of the present beau monde fs rather folly than vice, and the only epithet which it deserves is that of frivolous.” The opening chapter to the fifteenth book of this diverting, though some- what _long-drawn-out, history deals with Flelding’s denlal of the doctrine that virtue is the certain road t6 hap- piness, and vice to misery, in this world. This chapter is rather a quib- ble on words, and we will dismiss it, to conclude, in our next article, this serles of papers on the introductory chapters of “Tom Jones.” WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. It 18 exactly two years ago, almost to the hour, since Vice President Dawes, in an explosive inaugural address, first lambasted the iniquity of unlimited debate in the Senate. On that occaslon he assailed the rules which “place power in the hands of individuals to an extent, at time: subverstve of the fundamental pri ples of free representative govern- ment.”” Dawes is deriving grim satis- faction from recent events in the Nation's principal palace of palaver. He feels that by its filibustering antics the Senate itself has supplied the country will all the proof that's needed to justify reform of business- blocking procedure in that body. At one time Gen. Dawes thought of put- ting in his spare time crusading for a change of Senate methods by taking the cause to the country in public speeches. But the Vice President has now come to the conclusion that the loquacious body over which he pre- sides is doing his talking for him. Confidentially Dawes imparts to his friends that he’s having the time of his life on the Senate rostrum. Two years astride it seem to have rejuve- nated him. * Kk ok Col. Edward L. Clifford of Illinois, former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and now a lawyer in Wash- ington, is the man generally accredited with having put Dawes on the Cool- idge ticket at Cleveland in 1924. That accounts for the fact that Clifford has begun to be besieged by Republican politicians who see in the Vice Presi- dent a logical candidate for the Cool- idge succession in 1929. Clifford assures this observer that Dawes is not aspiring in the direction of the White House. The colonel, who Jearned the game of politics in the schools of the late John W. Weeks of 3 ‘husetts and Senator Willlam MeKinley of Tllinois, deposes and says that he himself is a Coolidge man, as far as 1928 is concerned, and for Dawes' renomination for the vice presidency. * koK K Some cordlal greetings have just been exchanged between the United States Marine Corps and the Royal Welsh Fusiliers of England. Maj. Gen. John A. Lejeune, commandant of the corps, cabled the Fusiliers on February 8 as follows: ‘“American Marines tender you former sea sol- diers on St. David's day greetings as comrades of 1900 in the Boxer cam- aign In _North China.” The com- mander of the British regiment re- plied: “All ranks of the Royal Welsh heartily reciprocate St. David's day s from their gallant comrades- inarms.”” About the time these pleas- antries were sizzling across the At- lantic the Washington branch of the American Association for the Recog- nition of the Irish Republic was pay- ing a different Kind of compliment to the paymaster general of the Marines, Brig. Gen. George Richards. Objec tion was taken to Gen. Richards’ a leged activity in including “God Save the King” in the recent celebration of George Washington's birthday. ‘Whereupon the Irish Republic sym- pathizers passed resolutions -calling for the gallant general's dismissal from the Navy. R Wherever American doughboys are stationed, at home and around the world, they're shouting the praises these days of Representative W. Frank James, Republican, of Michigan. He's the man who finally brought about the increase of the soldier’s ration to 50 cents a day. A bill providing for augmented ‘“chow” was introduced last December by Representative James. He is the ranking member of the House military affairs commit- tee, which, at his instigation, made urgent ‘appeals to the appropriations committee to raise the ration. The War Department heartily approved, and eventually the House did Itke- wise. In the Senate the James bill fell afoul the Coolillge economy pro- gram. But James laid siege to the ‘White House, with the result that an executive order was issued bringing up the ration to approximately the figure contemplated by his bill. The Michigan Congressman comes nat- urally by his interest in the Army. He was a volunteer private in the Spanish-American War and has never lost his enthusiasm for the soldier. I Senator Coleman L. Blease, Demo- crat, of South Carolina, made some amazing statements regarding voting conditions in the FPalmetto State while spellbinding at the all-night session on the Reed slush-fund reso- lution. _Although South Carolina has a possible voting population of 44 000, Blease declared that_hi: league, Senator Ellison D. was re-elected last November a total vote of only 14,000, Blease explained: “Why did this happen? Because the white Democratic pri- mary settles the question. There is never any opposition. There are never any two tickets. Therefore it s not necessary for the people to quit their daily vocations, mount their mules and ride 4 or 5 miles to vote. If there should be any oppo- sition, even at the last minute, it wolld take only a very short time to let them know, and have them come down and cast their ballots in order to prevent any independent candidacles that might be attempted. Senators, these are the straight facts and the true conditions in South Carolina.” Blease added that Calvin Coolidge received = 1,100 votes in South Carolina in 1924, “but nobody knows where he got ‘em.” * k% Suggestions being officially in orde: for an appropriate commemoration of George Washington's 200th birthday anniversary in 1932, Secretary Mellon has just had his attention called to the most novel idea of its kind yet on record. A lady taxpayer in New York State proposes that Uncle Sam cancel all the debts Kurope owes us as a fitting form of celebration. * Ok ok ok Every once in a while so bobs up With a new story an.fi’.fib‘lgfi feat of making President Coolidge laugh. The very newest tale is vouched for by the Washington soclety woman who claims to ve accom= plished one of the miracles in ques- tion. She was telling the President of an experience in London last Sum- mer with an Englishwoman whose knowledge of the United States turned out to be deficient. The American had mentioned Massa- chusetts. “Have you ever heard of it?” she asked. “Rather,” replied Jon Bull's daughter, “I've had them!” It is veraciously asserted that Mr. Coolidge evinced unmis- takable mirth. . * ok % K Perhaps Senator Walsh, Democrat, of Massachusetts, who wants a con- gressional survey of the business state of the Union, will derive all the light and leading he desires from the forthcoming fifteenth annual meeting of thé United States Ghim- ber of Commerce at Washington, The subject selected for the meeting is “The New Business Era” and it is to deal with all of the principal economic questions now facing the country. (Covyright. 1027.) e From the Way It Lmfl.&a. From the Winona Republican-Herald, Change of Attitude On Prohibition Seen To the Editor of The Star: Your editorfal in a recent issue captioned “A ‘Wet' Complex” makes excellent reading, but has one great wifon. There are #o many facts ntradict your statements. The writer was o resident of Columbus during a recent wenatorial contest, as well aw the re-election of Donahey. The wet and dry fssue was not touched upon by Willis or Pomerene. Just why I do not know. If you loubt this refer to the campalgn speeches of both candidates \"The election of Donahey was not the result of his dryn in Cooper's own county, Hamiiton, including Cin- cinnatl, the party cut him, thus en- ubling Donahey to win by a scant majority of around 12,000 in the en- tire State of Ohio. The writer had for sources of in- formation the Columbus Dispatch, the Ohfo State Journal and the Cin cinnati Enquirer. Within the past few days has come a_cartoon from the Columbus Dispatch—an out-and out dry advocate previously—a car- toon showing a complete change in policy toward a modification of the present laws of the Federal Govern- ment and the State law, known, I be- lieve, us the Crabbe act. The scandals attendant upon the enforcement in Ohio have been le- glon, Involving attorneys. even judges, and the record of the jails and the overcrowding you can read- ily confirm. There is every indication that Ohio is sick of prohibition. The writer knows well that the “county” seat of the Anti-Saloon League is at Wester also the Assoclation Against Alcohol, but even in the home town of the reformers scandal ralsed its d in a thwarted attempt to frame an official by the use of fe- male gpies. Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler {s more than likely to be well posted on mat- ters he discusses in public speeches. A referendum on prohibition in Ohio this date, If mot a win for the wets, would show an astonishing turnover. PERCIVAL MARSHALL. R o Davis Draws Praise For Lincoln Tribute From the Buffalo Evening News. “It seems to me that Lincoln was a logical successor to Washington, an extension of Washington's spirit, a man appointed to go on with his work."” This sentiment by James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor, in an address at Chicago, summarized and unified, bet- ter perhaps than anything else which was said In connection with the two anniversaries observed last month, the living principle which both represent. Washington, the founder, and Lincoln, the restorer, worked for a common philosophy. The one strove to establish a system of government in which “the appoint- ment of all rulers will forever arise from and at short intervals recur to the free suffrage of the people” with powers so distributed that it never could degenerate into “a monarchy an oligarchy, an aristrocacy or an other despotic or oppressive form. The other struggled that this system, embodied in this Constitution, of gov- ernment “of the people, by the people and for the people” might not perish from the earth. It is sometimes said that we have no fundamental philosophy of govern- ment in American politics. Here is one and these are the two pre-eminent leaders who taught it. If the profes- sional philosophers who formulate and write and teach are not developing it into a school of thought, that negli- gence is a reflection on them, not on America. It certainly is not neces- sary, nor is it advisable, except for the purpose of investigating other viewpoints, that Americans should be taken to the doorsteps of such teach- ers as Freud, Schopenhauer, Nietz- sche and Marx, merely because these are philosophers recognized in Europe. Americans have the answer and the offset to these philosophies in their own political system as it has been- laid down by the founders and exists in practical, successful operation. It is a poor philosophic mind which over- looks what America has developed and conflnes itself to schools of thought which at best reflect only certain phases of European aspirations. As a footnote it might be added that no student of this virile Ameri- can philosophy will be in any danger of developing a suicidal bent. o Humans Need Same Care as Plant Life From the Baltimore Evening Sun. It is common knowledge among all students of plant life that beds and borders should not be permitted to become overcrowded. At least once a year the wise gardener devotes many hours to thinning .out his plants and separating his bulbs so that each may have more air and nourishment. [ Tt is less common knowledge that the same principle applies to human beings. Many of us are pot-bound and don’t know it. We glory in our close assoclation with a towering man or woman, little realizing that the figure we most admire may be getting more than his or her share of the nourishment and shading us from the full rays of the sun. Consider. the meek, unimportant little women who as widows blossom forth plump and pink and pulchritudi- nous. Not because they care little for | their husbands or because they are out to catch others, but simply because they cannot fail to flourish on more air and nourishment. Consider the hus- bands who, when their wives are off on cation, spruce up and become the life of any party to which they are invited. Not because they do not adore their wives, but because they have more room to breathe. Con- sider the younger men who rise to fill successfully the shoes of the retired executives. Not because they have acquired new talents, but because the talents they possess are permitted to expand. 3 Many a younger sister has profited by the transplantation, through mar- iage, of an elder sister; many a wealk brother has acquired new vigor and deeper roots through the departure of a brother who over- shadowed him. In fact, most of the activities and movements of individ- uals may be attributed to their na ural instinct to obtain a place in the sun. "The greater the age of the plant the greater the attendant dangers of transplanting. So, too, the great- er the age of the individual the greater the danger of shifting from one place to another. It may be better to walt where you are until the more vigorous individual who overshadows you has come to ma- turity, flowered and begun to decline. Or perhaps, after all, you are just a clinging vine that needs its sturdy oalk and would be in a bad way with- out it. P Level Balance. From the San Francisco Bulletin. Things even up. If youth is more sophisticated than it used to be, old age 1s more juvenile. ————————— -Slrong Probability. From the way China is acting, it looks as if our Christian missionaries have failed in persuading the Chinese to turn the other check, the way we do.* 4y From the Harrisburg Telegraph. Eyam if we have an extrsnrdib.nryw- n of Congress, there prol woul 't be anything extraordinary al ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. How much did the funeral of the late Emperor of Japan cost?—V. T. A. The Japanese Imperial Diet im- mediately after the death of Yoshihito passed a funeral budget of $1,5600,000 to cover the expenses. Q. Is the Hottentot a descendant of the Bushman?—J. H. A. The origin of the Hottentots has been a puzzle to anthropologists. It is now generaily belleved that the Hottentots are a cross between the Bantu negro and the Bushman. Q. What is the legend or maxim in the Supreme Court room of the Sta Capitol of Nebraska to the effect ti eyes and ears are poor witnesses H. W. L. A. The inscription is by Heraclitus, and the words are, “Eyes and ears are poor witnesses when the soul is barbarous.” Q. What is the nationality of th Right Rev. Pascual Diaz, the Mexic priest, who has recently been exiled 7% s A. Bishop Diaz Is a Jalisco Indian This fact dispels the belief of many in this country that the religious con- flict in Mexico {8 between a native government and a forelgn priesthood. n Q. How long does an ofl well last?— D.E. L. A. It must be remembered that the average life of en ol well is quite variable, The rate of development is very important. rapld production will lessen the lifs, while gradual drilling and gradual pro- duction will lengthen the life. New methods of recovery and other things enter into it. Oil wells in the United States now in operation seem to pro duce between 10 and rs, accord- ing to location. Q. How many lcensed radio opera- tors are there in the United States?— A. C. A. As of June 30, 1926, there wers 6,616 licensed commercial radlo opera- tors. — Q. Which is larger, the albatross or the flamingo?—D. M. B. A. The albatross is heavier and has a greater spread of wings, but the flamingo 1s a much taller bird. DQ‘BM describe a bloodstone.— 'A. A bloodstone is a variety of jas- per or chalcedony, found in Califor- nia, dark green In color and inter- spersed with small red spots. Q. How many signers of the Decla- ration of Independence died in the month of February?—§. M. L. A. Willlam Ellery died on February 15, 1820; Richard Stockton, February 28, 1781; George Taylor, February 23, ;7311s.“and George Walton, February Q. What is the value of whey left from cheesemaking as a feed for| hogs?—H. J. F. A. Whey contains less protein and therefore im less valuable than skim milk as a feed for pigs. It is worth approximately one-half of that of skim milk and therefore in terms of corn—100 pounds of whey has a value of one-quarter bushel of corn, while skim milk has a value of one-half bushel of corn when fed to hogs. Q. What s used to color mercury blue for use in a thermometer?— W. F. W. A. The Bureau of Standards savs that the liquid in the thermometer is not ocolored mercury, but alcohol containing & red or blue dye. Rapid drilling and | stamps were made in 1845 b; B masters in nine citios. b, Q. Why do we use Roman letters?®— A E. B A. The Romans took their alphabet of 23 letters into Britain, as they had already taken It into Gaul and other conquered countries, and it was adopted later by the Anglo-Saxons. To the Anglo-Saxon alphabet, how- ever, three new letters were added Two of these were runic letters and represent s nearly as possible the sounds of “th” and “ph’” Later the luence of the Normans caused these o be and the three addl- nal our aiphabet are quite m 4, “u” and “w." hey decrease In the plano indu M, A Bureau says that {there is a decreare in every brunch of the plano industry. In 1923 there vere 160 establishments in the United States where the chief source of reve- nue was the manufacture of pianos. In 1925 there were only 142 plano com- pa Q. 1s there E. J Government Printing white paper to the Does r J. E. L. A. Tt sells to Government depart- ments and bureaus, but not outside. Q | 5 Q. How Gibraltar?—A. V. R A. About 40 mil a of vegetable origin, fo 1 on variods W Have cats ever used nals?—K . The ancient F s are said to have killed wild ducks with throw sticks, to have made use of dec and to have trained cats as retriever: They also hunted with trained lons, which belong to the cat species. Thera have been also hunting leopards used as long ago as the reign of Kubla Kabhn in China. Q. Is the flesh of the Karakul sheep edible?—M. A. A. The mutton of Karakul sheep is said to e the most palatable of any breed, and the fat Is also considered a delicacy by the Bokharans, being used by them Instead of butter. Q. North A able southern as i DS mirages ever occur in the Atlant M. They ar 1 nder favor- atmospheric conditions on the 1 eastern sides of the ice , where the cold and warm | waters mix. Bergs often appear in verted and assume fantastic shapes, | causing them to appear much large | than they prove to be when close by. There is a record of a berg the image of which was sighted over 20 miles away in the m! waters south of the tail of the Grand Banks, appear-s ing first as three bergs, one set upon the other, with the mirage continually | changing shape as the ship aps proached. Q. What 1s the full name of Prince Leopold of Belgtum?—R. G. A. He s His Roval Highness Prince Leopold Philippe Charles Al- bert Meinrad Hubertus Marle Miguel, Prince of Belgium, Duke of Brabant. Q. How large is the Ro Hall in London?—W. A. F. A. The building, constructed in 1867-71, is oval in form, measuring 270 feet by 240 feet and accommodating over 10,000 people. 1 Albert Q. Is the accent in the word ;adult” on the first or last syllable’— ‘A It 18 on the last. Q. Is hair elastic>—A. B. A. Yes. A hair may be stretched one-fifth its length. Q. Can any fish swim as fast as @ vessel travels?—H. R. A. Dolphins and porpolses are sald to out-swim the fastest vessels. Q. When was the first officlal postage stamp issued?—A. W. J. A. The first stamp of an official nature was that used by the post- master of New York in 1842. Shortly afterward the law of 1845 established uniform postage at low rates, and postmasters in a number of cities issued stamps on their own respon. sibility. Such provisional {ssues of Q. Were there such characters as Evangellne and Gabriel?—A. 8. A. It is said that Evangeline and Gabriel were real characters and that' they married and lived many vears in Philadelphia, where they are sup- posed to be burled. This is @ special department devoted solely to the handling of queries This paper puts at your disposal the services of an extensive organication in Washington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This service is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which yow are entitled. Your obliga- tion is only 2 cents in stamps inclosed with your inguiry for dirett repl, Address The Evening Star Informa- tion Bureau, Frederio J. Haskin, di- rector, Washington, D. C. “The King’s Henchman” Stirs ~ Interest in Real Native Opera Interest in “homemade” opera has been given new stimulus by the suc- cessful productlon in New York of “The King’s Henchman,” with music | by Deems Taylor and libretto by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Hope is expressed that real native opera may be on the way, an opera by Americans, with American music, and, as the Wichita Beacon puts it, ‘“about American things.” “It {8 a notable event,” declares the Philadelphia Public Ledger, “when an American composer and an American poet produce what the critics pro- nounce a distinctive grand-opera. To- gether, the music and lines of “The King’s Henchman'’ prove, if the critics are right, that there is in America a melodic and dramatic gift comparable with any that has come out of foreign lands in recent years. They find in it a combination of emotion and beauty | and a genuine sense of drama. There | have been other American operas, but this appears to have reached a new plane of dignit “The story of American or home- made opera,” it is pointed out by the San Francisco Bulletin, “is much | longer than cheerful reading. Its| fallures on the financial side have been | conspicuous. A few have made the box-office grade, but not many. Deems Taylor, and Edna St. Vincent Millay are sald to have received only £15,000 between them for the work produced at the Metropolitan Opera Ilouse. * » + But time will change all that. We are becoming a more and more musical people. and the land that is giving the world so many of its great | performers and some of its greatest cotemporary compositions is surely destined to high honors in the fleld of original opera.” . =i The significant thing to the Provi- dence Bulletin is the demonstration that “grand opera can be written in English. Under the spell of foreign whose fluent syllables mus readily embraces,” says that pape “we have grown to feel that our short, matter-of-fact English words lacke the tenuous beauty necessary to mus cal discourse. For this reason, when Edna St. Vincent Millay writes an English libretto in words which ca ture the fleeting mode of song itself, the poet necessarily comes in for a large meed of praise. And when the attentive ear of *Mr. Deems Taylor matches her phrases with music some say Wagnerian music, some avow Mr. Taylor's very own-—English opera becomes a thing of beauty The bellef that “we may yet live to see the day when American classic music can take its place beside the best in the world” is expressed by the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, with the comment: “The triumph of ‘The King’s Henchman' should be extremely j Cin Taylor and Miss Millay to prepare another opera for next season. Thus, with the oldest and most famous of America’s opera companies getting be- hind domestie production and with the native artists making good” bright en for the future. Evening News ob- nd Miss the summit; authori- srees they have at rate attained a higher point on the slope than any who have tried before. I'uture renditions of thelr opus wiil decide its final classification “In art, as in other more substan- tial matters,” suggests the Winston- Salem Journal, “the proof of the pud- ding is the eating, and the fact that cold. critical New York gave its une ified approval of the new Ameri- n opera on the first night probably| means that it will pr to be finan- clally profitable. At least, it is inter- esting to know that Mr. Taylor been formally commissioned to writd another oper, the words of which wil| also be in English, which makes th future of American opera in the natly, tongue appear to b decidedly promi ing.” The Baltimore Sun avers th the s in New York “whets th apper of other American cities which hope to see and hear the work. The South Bend Tribune sees “the possibility of permanent operatic writing by American: * ok ok ok Surmising t some day an Ameri- can may do for New York what Car- pentier did for Paris in ‘Louise,’* the innati Times-Star remarks: “But Now York grows so fast and changes 80 much overyear that it is difficult to love it as Parisians love their Paris. And a musical interpretation of New York probably would require the ca- cohponies of modern music. The old harmonies would not suffice. Recognizing the feeling .that “our country lacks the atmosphere of ro- :,” the Poston Transcript replles: ask, about the Golden What about the grand, figures of Washington and Hamilton? Of Lincoln and Lee? What about the color of the Rockies and the Sierras? What of the Infinite pathos of human erv? What could be more roman- than the defense of the Alamo? ew Orleans in the time of Lafitte the pir In speculates: “There is in the rise of industrial America the possibility of some stirring, clashing music conso- nant with the Wagnerian interpreta- tion of Norse and Germanic mythol There is opportunity for somd lant arias done in business men's its, a plaintive ‘yes-men’s chorus’ 1d a full-bodied and triumphal finish with much brass and fervor, when the genie sclence finally surrenders to gratifying to those who have hoped for the development of really excellent music in the United States. Already the Metropolitan has engaged Mr. the myrmidons of efficlency and tho Jast act n & swoon &% A elsher long_are the Straits of ' / rately set comvention of productiom managers.”,