Evening Star Newspaper, March 10, 1927, Page 8

{THE EVENING STAR WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY......March 10, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES. . ..Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company ‘Businoss Off ia Ave. L men gAY Ean tudnd st. Chicags, OMen:. Tower buildine. ! Buropean Ofice 18 ut London, The, tar_with the livered by rdm“n only & e nth: Sundays 3 h | Orders may Bt by mail or one Main Tolirction 18 made by earrier at end of y Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. yr. $0.00: 1 mo., T8¢ 1 ar §800: 1 mon & £1200: 1 mo. X001 mo. $4.00: 1 mo. ¥r ¥r. 1y Iy and Sunday.. 1 A Sxpendad | junday only Member of the - he At 11 mews dis- tehes credited fo it or not otherwise cred ted in this paver and also the Jo PR Aarnes et e’ it re == Magistrates' Fees. An important ruling which pro- hibits judicial officers In the various States from sitting in cases in which they have pecuniary interest has re- cently been handed down by the Su- preme Court of the United States. This decision, based on a liquor case in Ohio, invalida the tem In that State as well as Arkansas, Ken- tucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, Georgia and Tex: in which inferior Judges, such as mayors and justices of the peace, are dependent for their fees entirely upon conviction. The Supreme Court holds that this system wviolates the constitutional guarantee of due process of law. ; This ruling does mnot apply to Maryland or Virginia, because magis- trates In these States are either pald en a per case rate or receive a straight salary for performing the duties of their office. In Maryland recently, however, there was recorded the case of a motorist arrested for speeding who was brought before a fustice of the peace, tried and acquit- ted, but, strangely enough, found him- melf forced to pay for the costs. Through intervention of the American Automobile Association the justice was eventually compelled to refund this money, which he later collected from the State, It is a source of gratification to the entire Nation that the highest court has ruled definitely on this practice. No inferfor judge should be allowed to mix up his own pecuniary interest with impartial Justice. Motorists, in particular, have suffered from this system in small cities throughout the country. Trafic policemen would bring in huge numbers of automobilists, prin- eipally on Sundays when the traffic was heaviest, for arraignment before the judge. And in some instances the magistrate or justice of the peace has not been content to work by fndirect methods. He has simply stationed himself on the main traveled highway and held court by the roadside, thus reaping a golden Barvest from the hapless motorists. It has now been recognized by the highest legal tribunal that these practices destroy the constitutional guarantee of a fair trial. No matter how honest or impartial a judge may be, it is an extremely difficult matter to brush aside the fact that his living depends on the number of convictions he hands out. In connection with the judicial officers who are pald by the State on a per case rate, it should be noted that there is a possibility of practically the same pecuniary con- sideration. It would be to the interest of such a judge to do a great volume of business. There appears to be no reason why every judge should not be pald on a straight salary basis. ‘This procedure would tend to produce the ideal condition, as it would then make no difference to the judge whether the defendant was convicted or acquitted and still less difference s to the number of cases tried dur- ing any fiscal year. e —— ‘With all its art and education Japan 19 still subject to geological conditions ‘which render it most famous for its earthquakes. The forces of nature cannot be conquered. They can be met with fortitude, and that is how Japan always faces them. ———— During the Summer the statesman goes before his constituents and tries to explain why he could not, singl handed, settle some of the most com- plicated problems history has re- vealed. exclusively enti ication erved. The glad season approaches when base ball will be played instead of talked. The Amaryllis Show. Thousands of the people of Wash- ington will visit the Capital's big Spring flower show, the amaryllis exhibition given by the Department of Agriculture in greenhouses south of B street north between Thirteenth and Fourteenth. The show was opened to the public today and in- terest in Government flower shows has become 80 extensive that crowds will pass among the flowers from the opening to the closing hour of the exhibition each day. This is the four- teenth annual exhibit of the Govern- ment-grown amaryllis. Fourteen years ago the late Ed- ward M. Byrnes, superintendent of the department’s greenhouses, opened the first of the amaryllis shows and there was an encouraging turnout of people. They were curious to see the flower whose name and form were not known to many. The attendance at the show has grown each year and the attendance this year will probably set a new record. ‘While the great majority of these flowers are red, the department botanists have developed varieties showing every shade of red known and they have propagated a white amaryllis which shines strikingly among its glowing relations. The purpose of the show s in- a great many persons to flowers and leads a good many to think of plant forms in general and tends to stimu- late interest in natural history. The amaryllls has also proved to be a useful flower for the garden. It is said that though the amaryllis, or “the knights' star lily,” is native to South America “the Government ex- perts have developed strains that thrive in a large section of the United States.” The Department of Agriculture has been generous and instructive in its flower shows. Its annual chrysan- themum show is perhaps the best chrysanthemumn show in the United States and always draws tens of thousands of spectators. The rose gardens of the department are de- veloping and there will no doubt come the time when the Govern- ment’s rose, carnation and dahlia shows at Washington will be cele- 00| brated throughout the country and will be an inspiration to professional and amateur florists and to millions of persons not within those classifi- cations. o Light Industries Needed. The drive being made by business and clvic leaders to fill one of the great needs of the Capital as a well rounded, self-sustaining municipality by inducing light industries to estab- lish plants here is stressed by the in- dustrial exhibition that opens tonight in the Washington Auditorium under the auspices of the Washington Cham- ber of Commerce. 3 " The main proposition is this—that the City of Washington needs such plants to furnish employment for the young men and young women as they come out of school, in order to keep them from drifting away from home and this city. As it now is, this city is largely a one-industry community, and that predominant industry is the Gov- ernment service, in which the quota for the District is soon exhausted, with thousands from all the States in the Union brought here annually to take the jobs. Correlated to this is the really very important consideration that it is not healthy to have the young people all turning their minds toward one line of employment—in offices. And support- ing this is the outstanding fact that the mind of the American youth is in- ventive and his bent is mechanical. We have in recent years had alto- gether too much preference for white- eollar jobs and too much withdrawal from constructive manual labor. To meet these conditions and to remedy an uneconomic and unhealthy situation from the labor standpoint, the establishment of light industries here, electrically driven, and located for the most part in South Washing- ton, convenient to both rail and water transportation, is advocated by the business and civic leaders. Engineer Commissioner Bell was one of the earliest proponents of such a develop- ment. The Washington Board of Trade has had a special committee at work on this program. The Washing- ton Chamber of Commerce has vigor- ously pushed this project as one of its special concerns. - This is entirely in harmony with the views of the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Park and Planning Commission and all other organizations whose primary purpose is to see that the Nation’s Capital is properly developed and embellished. These agencies see that in South ‘Washington there is a large decadent area which must be improved. There is very unusual opportunity there for advantageous transportation facilities for any manufacturing plant, with one of the great freight terminals of the country only a few miles away across the Potomac River, from which any goods manufactured here could be readily shipped to consumers. Small manufacturing plants, without great smokestacks and the heavy atmos- phere of smoke and fumes that come from heavy industrial plants, need not be unpleasant to look upon. In fact, they may well present an attractive appearance architecturally. And what more pleasing and inspiring sight than to see young people coming daily from such plants, where they have by hon- est toll earned their living and where they are working to advance them- selves in life—by industry and “push,” turning their backs on the curse of political “pull,” which is a blight on any community, and especially in such a center of political life as this city, the seat of government, must be! The City of Washington is to be congratulated on having such a pro- gressive power company as operates here, and which is now making on the eastern side of the city a tremendous resérvolr of power sufficient to meet the requirements of any number of light industries that may decide to locate here. Adequate power is as- sured, with reasonable rates, for in- dustries that can draw In the power from the East and move out the prod- uct over adjacent tracks toward the great consuming North and West and South. The railroad companies have spe- clal agents co-operating with the busi- ness and clvic leaders, so that most positive guarantees can -be given to any industry considering Washington for a plant site that all requirements for prompt operation of the plant are already provided. As regards the “labor supply,” this city proudly boasts of the caliber of its youth. We have here, coming out of our schools, young men and women of superior intellect and education, many of them mechanically trained. These boys and girls are for the most part children of the picked workers of the country, whom Uncle Sam has brought here after careful selection under competitive examination. Here they have had every educational ad- vantage of public and private schools and colleges. Here they have had cultural environment unmatched any- where. Many of our young men have attended the great institutes of tech- nology and are fitted to take charge of industrial plants. In an article on “Commerce and the Capital,” written for the handbook of the industrial exhibition that opens tonight, Lieut. Col. U. S. Grant, 8rd, the namesake and grandson of one of our great -'military heroes and Presidents, and who is in charge of the physical work of keeping the Capi- that industrial development is essen- tial to the city’s well rounded growth, and that those who are working for the “City Beautiful” are heart and soul with those who are working for the “City Practical.” Here is a time when the artistic sense and the busi- ness sense are well merged. —— et London Lid-Tappers. According to London dispatches snuff is coming again into favor after a long period of almost complete un- popularity. The fine gentleman of 1927, it is stated, is to punctuate his witti- cisims and flowery phrases by tapping gracefully on the lid of his enameled or bejeweled snuffbox and, as he in- hales his pinch, is to make the flowing gestures of the elghteenth century beau. Snuff occupies a niche in the litera- ture of long ago comparable to that enjoyed by tea in a good deal of modern writing. To read about snuff- taking gallants and belles has some- what of a flavor; to see in pictures or ou the stage their graceful attitudes as they lift the powder to the nostril is entertaining. The part of the little ceremony which includes the final re- sounding sneeze, watering eyes and discolored upper lip is, however, not nearly so intriguing. ;“urthermore. one’s ancestors knew little and cared less about the germ theory, and it would seem to a modern unversed in the precise technique of snuff using as if the pocket handkerchief were as essential, in a protective way, to those in any close gathering who were not just then enjoying the re- sounding sneeze as to the sneeger. Much can be said, and is said, agall the use of tobacco in any form. The pipe lover deprecates cigarettes, as witness the recent pro- nouncement of Premier Baldwin of Great Britain, himself a briar devotee, against “that messy habit.” Cigarette lovers often deplore the clogged and reeking pipe, and so on around in a circle. It was not so many years ago that perfectly good American beaux, moving in the best soclety of certain sections, at least, punctuated their delicate allusions and their fascinat. ing anecdotes by making bull's-eyes on ornate and ubiquitous cuspidors. The fact that tobacco chewing and snuff taking have so decreased in a century is a pretty good indication that they were habits generally con- sidered unworthy of preservation. At Intérvals word comes from foreign style centers ‘that the male sex is about to go back into knee breeches for formal wear. It has not happened yet. Of course, it may, but it is the opinion of the best minds that knee breeches will come back only about the time when cricket in England and base ball in America become highly unpopular. ————————— Marines in Nicaragua are contem- plated with respect. Wherever a Marine arrives he is credited with perfect willingness to participate in a real fight. —————— Compliments are interchanged by radio. The demonstrations are a hopeful reminder that in case of dis- agreements communication will per- mit affairs to be settled in a hurry. e p—e——————— New York is trying to clean up the stage. Financially speaking, the queer theater continues to accomplish the “clean-up.” ———r————— Sovietism is at present distin- guished by a generous willingness to assume responsibilities for any kind of trouble that occurs anywhere. —_———————— Oil might be cheaper if its investi- gations could be transterred from the legislators to the geologists. ————— et Liquidation of debts is a topic that prompts a frozen attitude. ———————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Forwardness. Old Father Time plods on his way. He taps from door to door; And hopefully he seems to say, “There's always something more.” He whispers of a wondrous past Manned by a classic crew. But this is what he says at last: “There's always something new!” Busy Times. “You will now be able to enjoy a “A rest!” echoed Senator Sorghum. “This is the tin.c in a statesman’s life when he has to work day and night to explain and apologize.” Embellishments. Simple song of long ago. They jazzed it up a bit. The melodly you'd scarcely know, But it's a ragtime hit. Jud Tunkins says life has become like a threering circus; there is so much to see that you don't really see anything. From time immemorial it has been customary to make fun of the “Spring poet.”” Nevertheless and notwith- standing, he gets a kick out of life that cabarets cannot impart. It would be a grewsome episode if all the Egyptian mummies could gather ‘round and sing “I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls.” “Ancient wisdom,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is great, but it has proved no protection against mod- ern folly.” An Eye to Publicity. ow is your boy Josh doing at col- answered Farmer Corntos- e passes his examinations, but not with enough brilliance to make him more prominent as a scholar than as a foot ball player.” First and Last. The last rose of Summer ‘Was mentioned in song. But now the first robin Comes hopping along. ‘We hall the first crocus ‘With happiness great. The last rose of Summer 1s quite out-of-date. “Envy,” said Uncle Eben, “is de compliment paid by de man who can’t ptryctive. It twns the mv;hr otital City well groomed, emphasized to de man whoking . i THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. is properly only blog- phy,"” some one has sald. “Every institution is the lengthened shadow of some one man,” another has declared. During the past five years those who wrote and published books have acted more and mcre on such dicta. A veritable succession of thick biog- raphies has poured from the American press, until today one may find a biography on almost any man. In the old days heroes, warriors and statesmen were about the only ones admitted to the distinction of having their lives “written up,” with the ex- ception of authors themselves, who generally have been neither warriors nor statesmen, although some of them may have been heroes. Today, however, all is changed. A busy tribe has been industriously raking over the lives of every one who during the past 100 years con-|th tributed any individuality to the American or English scene. The result is a book on Franklin, and another on P. T. Barnum, and a third on Anthony Trollope, one on Brigham Young, one on John L. Sulli- vp:lr;. one on Bill Nye, or whom you will. Each one is a large, well printed volume, filled with pictures, and sell- ing generally for $5. That seems to be the standard price. Each blography aims at being “gayly written.” FEach author pines to limn a “sparkling picture” of the era in which his character lived. e The happy part of it is that they have generally succeeded ig both these Important points. The new school of biographical writing, which is only new because it has been adopted so whole-heartedly has practically eliminated the old st; “On_the morning of July 4, 1846, the subject of our sketch was born in a lonely log cabin, 19 miles from the seat of Hick County, Nebr.,” etc., etc. These modern biographies aim to interest, the reader from *he start. As the men treated were themselves in- teresting, so must their lives, if prop- erly told, be interesting. Expansion of the American mode of living, which brings more leisure to more persons, makes possible not only a lighter, breezier style in biographi- cal writing, but allows an author to delve into facts which formerly would have been regarded as trivial and in- consequential. Not only is this true. The very lives treated may have been super- ficial, sophisticated, measured with the standards of a more plodding, serious age, but in the light of modern sophis- tication are readily seen to have added much to the gayety of a nation. In the days to come Babe Ruth will be the subject of a “gay biography” which will give the reader of the year 2027 a “sparking picture of 1927 America.” ‘“‘Babe Ruth, the Man,” will be the title. It will sell for $5, and be very thick, quite large, and fairly ooze pic- tures. The “Babe's” mighty feat of slamming out four home runs—we be- lieve it was four—in one world series, three of them in one game, will be given a chapter. * %k % % America, in other words, is a na- tion of individuals. European meth- ods of mass-handling of human beings have not made a “hit” in these United States. Despite the fact that we may The death at Copenhagen of Georg Brandes, famous Danish literary critic, recalls to Americans his interesting views as to the relative rank of Amer- ican writers. His judgment was of importance because of his own con- ceded rank as perhaps the world's greatest critic in the field of literature. He was credited with having been a pioneer in modern realism and as one who emphasized scientific truth as opposed to romance. “He knew something of American literature,” says the Lynchburg News, “and his opinions ng it are in- teresting, although not likely to be accepted here as the last word. Few will question his ranking of Poe as first among American poets, but many will doubt whether Thomas Paine should be given second place in the list of our writers. He seemed to know nothing of Herman Mellville, perhaps the greatest prose writer that America ever produced and one of the greatest in the English-speaking world. In that respect he is like the vast majority of Americans. Hawthorne he did not mention, and he was silent-also on Mark Twain and Howells. Of more or less cotemporary American weiters he placed Jack London first, with Up- ton Sinclair and Frank Norris next. Jack London’s work seems certain to endure. His ‘Call of the Wild’ is al- ready a schoolboy classic, and is likely to remain one. But it may be ques- tioned whether the novels of Upton Sinclair and nk Norris, although much may be said for them, will out- live the best of Mrs.' Wharton, or Dreiser, or Cabell.” “Brandes exerted an immense influ- ence because he was a ‘good Euro- ' whose pathies transcended frontlers,” according to the Springfield Republican. “In his later years he was sometimes called ‘the dean of European culture,’ which expresses rather happily his position and the character of his work. He was as much interested in life as in books, and early in his career he conceived the ambitious project of writing a com- prehensive history of modern litera- ture in its relation to politics and the general trend of ideas. * * * He tried hard to understand and enjoy the ‘romantic school, but his mind, even from youth, was too keenly ra- tional to be good at make-belleve. That he was, nevertheless, able to give a good and interesting account of the romanticism which filled so great a place in the early nineteenth century is a striking example of mental breadth and objectivity. No successor has yet appeared, but one will be needed to apply to the events of our own age the method which he applied s0 instructively to the events of & cen- v * Kk kK % “He was held by many to be Eu- rope's leading critic,” says the Buffalo Evening News. ‘Certainly he must have read nearly everything that was worth an intelligent man's time, and apparently much that was not. He wrote most prolifically. * * * In the World War he thundered vigor- ously against the folly of it all and the somewhat indefinite ‘They’ whose business it was to stop the horror. The white race, he contended, was de- stroying itself. In the end he insisted that America was the winner of the war; that Europe's era was finished and American domination of the world had begun.” The St. Paul Dispatch emphasizes “his far-seeing patriotism,” and con- tinues: ‘“He consistently championed the Danish cause in North Slesvig against the Germans. But when the ‘World War came he every ounce of power in his pen to keep Denmark from being drawn into the destructive ortex. Having spent a great part of 's early life in Paris, he became a close friend of Georges Clemenceau, and the friendship lasted until Clemen- ceau would have Denmark join witl France in the conflict, and to tha{ end sought the.aid of Brandes. The lat- ter’s letter is atill extant, and Clemen- be overgoverned and have too many laws, we love individuals and indi- viduality. Perhaps the more we recede from these ideals, the more we love them. ’ The man who can apply .a wooden club to a ball harder and with more surety than others Is regarded as a great man, as no doubt he is, If one has wide views on greatness. It is all a matter of viewpoint. The serious philosopher who would readily grant Einstein’s claim to greatness might be inclined to refuse the title to Ruth, whereas those interested in base ball would twlist the thing right around. It the rights of the individual are becoming more and more restricted, as many strenuously claim, they should be pleased at this insistence of our writers to turn out “bigger and better” biographies. May it-not be this way: v see individual liberties vanishing they turn more and more to the solace of the printed page in which strut the ordinary heroes of everyday life? The men and women we talk about as we go along? The old heroes made human? * % k X The mass tendency of these latter- day biographies is to humanize human- ity. Too long there has been a trend toward the deification of great per- sons. Civilization demands that great men be placed before us as they really were, not as the softening, effieminate hand of time would paint them. Perhaps we understand the heroic character of Patrick Henry better when we read that he kept a barrel of whisky in his front yard, with a tin cup on top. The clear perspective of years al- lows the present-day biographer, hap- pily freed from the trammels of bind- ing custom, to set before us his man “as big as life,” blemishes and all. Just as with our own acquaintances, the eccentricities of great men of past days act only as a foil to finer charac- teristics. Give us the whole man, that we may rightly judge if he was such stuff as roes are made of. ‘‘On what meat hath this, our Caesar, fed, that he has grown so great?” * k% % ‘The surprising thing is that writers only.felt themselves free to expand in this biographical direction within the past 5 or 10 years at most. Benjamin Franklin himself gave them a tip when he wrote his tremen- dous ‘“‘Autobiography.” The mental side of his own life, his personal ac- tions and reactions, interested him most of all The way he thought when a boy, and why he thought that way, and the methods he used to make himself think better—these were what inter- ested this truly great American. In it he says very little of his ac- complishments as a statesman, but much of the seemingly trivial happen- ings of every day. What intensely in- terested him, he figured, would inter- est others. Despite this autobiography and many other supremely good examples through the ages, biographers until comparatively recently continued to work along old, accepted and dull lines. The brighter day of biography has dawned. May it continue until Bruce Barton produces a book on “Napoleon, ;ll!e Man,” or “Walter Johnson, the ero.” That as Georg Brandes Is Acclaimed World’s Most Noted Critic ceau’s only comment or answer was, ‘Adieu, Brande: ‘erhaps the outstanding critic of his time’" is the judgment of the New London Day, which remarks that “his breadth of view was tremendous,” and that “his study of Shakespeare is re- garded as the most significant work on that poet published by one not native to the English language.” The Portsmouth Sun states that “he hu- manized events by making great per- sonalities the pivots of his studies,” while the Muskogee Times-Democrat offers the estimate of his work: “It was his cleavage of outworn forms and his devastating revaluation of artistic principles which caused the old Vic- torian emphasis upon form to be dis- regarded and brought about the rise of modern realism. With George Ber- nard Shaw and Anatole France, he composed a trio of radical new writ- ers who with wit and sarcasm served to clear away the wreckage of the rule of kings and prepare the way for the coming of democracy.” 2 * ok ok “No less than Darwin or Spencer, Huxley or Haeckel,” declares the Asheville Times, “must Brandes be held a typical exponent of that third quarter of the last century which, like the earlier ‘era of enlightenment strove to make reason the unchal- lenged arbiter of human destinies. ¢ * * Byron, Heine and Taine ywere his literary forebears and ideals. Truth and freedom were his gods. ¢ * ¢ Before Brandes there was lit- tle in Scandinavian letters worthy of outside attention. After the sounding of his bugle call to battle for genuine and original literary values there stood forth Ibsen and Bjornson, Jacob- son and Strindberg and scores of lesser lights or later comers, all of whom combined to impress the spirit of an awakened North on a world that in its turn had to listen and follow.” The San Francisco Bulletin con- cludes: “For nearly 60 years his name has been on the lips of all readers and writers seriously interested in analysis of literary art, and now that he has gone it will continue to be bracketed ‘with those of the three or four mod- erns whose work has significance be- yond the language in which it was written.” Equal-Rights Decision By High Court Praised To the Editor of The Star: The decision of the Supreme Court giving equal rights to colored woters is a just and falr decision—a decision which has endeared that high tribunal in the hearts of 12,000,000 of long-suf- fering, brave and patriotic citizens of these United States of America. 'l'ha,{ Jjust decision will rekindle the sparks and flashlights of love for the Stars and Stripes which have been burning low in the hearts of many who don't really understand that “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to per- o part. of the Am o part of the erican citizens should be made to feel that they haven't a lasting duty to perform al- ways when the honor of the flag must be preserved. And hence not only should the colored citizens feel proud of that just decision handed down unanimously by the highest tribunal of this God-blessed country, but there are multitudes of white Christians, men and women, throughout this Zlmad land of ours who rejoice with em. As American citizens we should seek to get closer together, and perish the thought that there'll be no more wars, even when the belching cannons may be heard almost at our doors. Uniike the ninety and nine, the col- ored race comes back as a whole and thanks the justices of the Supreme h | Court for their highly appreciated de- cision. God grant that their days be much longer u{on the earth! Doctor’s New Rule Vital, But Prosaic From the Toronto Daily Star. The death of Sir Luke Fildes is a reminder that it is now more than 35 years since his great picture of “The Doctor” was painted—a picture of such human appeal that it has been reproduced a_ countless number of times and s familiar the world over. It depicts the doctor as men thought of him in the nineties, and men usually think of him grave bedside figure waiting for the crisis to develop, while the parents of the little patient stand by E xiety. This is, in- painted there has been Erowing up another conception of the phy which, if 1t could be put adequ upon canvas, would rank as a panion to the great work of Fl It is the conception of a doctor as a great preventive force in the fight against disease, as well as a min. ute ally who appears as Blucher at Waterloo, when without him all hope is lost. Yet it would be a difficult plcture to paint. There is nothing dramatic —no sense of pathos—in the school doctor sounding and examining a child who apparently has nothing in the world the matter with him, and discovering some minor defect which may develop seriously in later years it not corrected no There is no picture” in the officer of public health who directs from his office s city-wide campaign to educate the public in the prevention of disease by common precautions against infection and by taking advantage of h air and sunlight. It would be difficult to put on canvas the battle against t phoid-infected ter or tubercula milk. Yet In this fight “the doctor is just as real and just as important as by the bedside of a sick child. He aportant, too, when he fore: future trouble by his atteation to the fevers and di: s common to child- hood—-afflictions not so important in themselves as in their later conse- quences if precautions e not taken during convalescence. But it could not be painted. While preventive medicine and preventive education constitute the great new field and opportunity of “the doctor” today, he will still be most effective, in pictorial presentation, as the man who waits beside a little one whose crisis is at hand. The tragedy of it is that the crisis and the illness which led to it could often have been pre- vented. Letter on Kensington Crossing Disputed To the Editor of The Star: A letter, signed W. E. Allen, ap- pearing in The Star of the 21st uitimo, commenting on the railroad crossing in Kensington, quotes “from a recent letter from a high Baltimore & Ohio Railroad official” statements which are incorrect and entirely misleading. About a year and a half ago the Kensington town officials requested the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co. to provide protection at night for this| 4 erossing, suggesting the installation of blinking red signal lights; the town officials took this initiative, not the railroad company. After investigation, a high Balti- more & Ohio Railroad official stated that the company would install the lights for 24 hours’ daily service, but only on condition of removal of the daytime protection of gates and watchman. This “high official” frank- ly stated, personally to me, that the company would not expend the cost of the signals unless they could save the pay of the watchman. On receipt of the formal proposal from the railroad company the town council carefully considered it and consulted local clvic organizations. The consensus of opinion was that the gates and watchman were very essen- tial to protect the crossing during the daytime, and the railroad company was 'so advised, but they made no concessions for protection of the crossing at night and the town coun- cil is not empowered to compel action. The blinking red signal lights were thought by the town council to be reasonable protection for the crossing at night, but entirely inadequate day- time protection for a crossing having the pedestrian and vehicular traffic of this one in Kensington. « I was then mayor of the town and the facts are recorded in the council’s files and minutes. Within my knowl- edge the municipal affairs of Kensing- ton have been conducted in an intel- ligent manner and W. E. Allen’s gen- eral remarks are otherwise nullified by his error in facts. LOUIS 1. VALENTINE. Careless Autoists Neglecting Lights To the Editor of The Star: About two years ago a campaign was inaugurated for the enforcement of those traffic regulations that per- tain to motor vehicles carrying the re- quired lights, namely, two white lights in front and a red one in the rear. At that time it looked as though the light problem was about to be satisfac- torily solved. But for some time past a constantly growing number of cars has been observed operating either with one headlight or perhaps none at all, while many are minus a tail- light. These violations occur quite as frequently in the heart of the city as they do on the highways leading out of town. The practice of using but one head- light is particularly dangerous, be. cause it is almost impossible to deter- mine which side of the car the light is on, when driving on a dark street, Automoblles showing no taillight have become so numerous that somewhere during the course of an evening a driver invariably finds himself behind a lightless vehicle. Carelessness probably accounts for most of these violations, but in driv- ing the old maxim that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is especially applicable. When the majority is striving to comply with the law in every respect, it seems un- just that a heedless minority should be permitted to become an everin- creasing menace to public safety. CLARA MANDERSCHIED. Good Conduct 30 Years Admits to New Nobility From the New Orleans Item.” The Italian Heralds College estab- lishes a new order of “The Nobility of Good Conduct.” All familles able to prove good conductamong all their members for a period of 30 years are entitled to membership in the new no- |, bility. The noble may register a fam- ily coat-of-arms. _This, however,must carry a helmet of burnished steel in- stead of a crown. The idea of putting nobility on its good behavior is inspiring. We don’t hear much of the nobility, in this glori- ous land of democracy and toadyism, except when the nobles get to cutting up in some unseemly way. The new test is not as simple as it ‘We should hate like anything ourselves to have to make documen- tary proof that every member of our own family for 30 years past has “con- formed in every detail, in public and private, to high standards of honor and conduct.” Perhaps this is the joker in the proposal. Our law pre- sumes jinnocence because our fore- fathers realized hard it is to prove it. 1 Substitution of a helmet of bur- nished el for the softer and more how or} ental crown evidently symbol- izes fhe fact that béi mue ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. Q. What will destroy the alkall in :’(m{l after removing paint from it?— P A 8 A. The wood should be washed thoroughly with warm water in order to remove as much of the alkall as possible. It should then be sponged with a strong solution of acetic acld and then allowed to dry. Since acetic acld is volatile, the excess over the amount ne ry to neutralize the remaining alkali will evaporate. If the wood has been badly stained by the alkall, and it is desired to bleach it, we suggest the following pro- cedure: Wash out as much of the ¥ |alkali as possible with warm water and then sponge with a saturated so lution of oxalic acid. After this has dried, remove as much of the oxalic acid possible by washing again with warm wate Q. Who led the movement to sepa- rate Panama from Colombia?—P. M. F. A. The movement for the inde- pendence of Panama or separation from Colombia was conducted by what was known as the “Revolutionary Junta,” composed of wealthy Pana- mans and resident Americans. They authorized J. Gabriel Duque, owner of the Panama Lottery, to visit Sec- retary of State Hay to ascertain the attitude of the United States. Q. Which is the fastest warship afloat?—W. L. L. A. Probably it is the British de- r Shakespeare, with a speed of knots. Q. Why did New England people settle on the ‘“Western Reserve” and vhy was it so called?—G. E. R. A. The Western Reserve was for- hat portion of the Northwest- reserved by Connecticut y , that State ceded to the United States other parts of the territory claimed under the charter 38 of 1662, which granted to Connecticut lands limited east and west by the sea. This section of land is what is now included in the northeastern part of Ohio. A large number of colonists from Connecticut settled on this reserve. Q. How many “treaty ports” are there in China?—B. W. C. A. China hkas 56 so-called “treaty ports.” Q. What is the name of the sub- stance secreted by a flsh which en- ables it to slip through the water so easily?—E. S. A. The Bureau of Fisheries says that it is merely given the general name ‘“mucus.’ Q. What is the greatest number of watts on which radio stations are operated, and the smallest number?- K. T. A. Five thousand is the greatest. There are numerous stations carrying 5,000. The lowest number of watts is 5. There are quite a few stations of this power. Q. Why is the rainbow circular?— . F . The rainbow is caused by light from the sun passing into a drop of water, and out again after reflection from the far side. Since the drops are spherical, hence are quite alike no matter how turned, it follows that the angle between the lines from drop to sun and eye must always be same whether the drop be high up‘t: near the ground. This, as you easily can see, requires that the rainbow, as viewed by an observer, must appear circular. Q. How large are bars of made?—J. B. i A..There is no standard size for bars of gold. The smallest made by the mints is the 6-ounce bar which contains about $100 worth of gold, The largest made is about the size of a building block, about 400 ounces, Q. In a train of cars, on which Sou‘r;llnu will the strain be greatest?— A. It ‘would be on the couplings next to the engine. Q. Did Jess Willard ever travel with a Wild West show?—E. T. C. A. He traveled with Miller's 101 Ranch. — » Q. How many homicides and suf. cides occur in this country in a single year?—C. T. §. A. The homicides and suicides in United States cities of 100,000 popu- lation or over numbered 4,238, respectively, h Q. How did the custom of casting a shoe after a bride originate?—R. E. A. This custom had its origin in Israel, where the delivery of a shoe was used as a testimony in trans ferring a possession. The throwing of a shoe on property was a symbol of new ownership. From these ancient practices came the old cus- toms in England and Scotland of throwing an old shoe after a brid on her departure for a new homé, symbolizing that the parents gave up all right of dominion over their daughter. Q. What woman assumed to be the Holy Ghost?—H. G. A. Wilhelmina, a Bohemian prin- cess who died in 1282, appeared in Mi- lan and proclaimed herself the incar nation of the Holy Ghost. Q. Who were the last victims of the laws against witchcraft in England? —S. A. 8. A. The laws against witchcraft in England were repealed in 1736, during the reign of George II, but the last executions took place in 1716, when Mrs. Hicks and her 9-year-old daugh- ter were put to death. Q. How do Arkansas diamonds compare with other diamonds in hard- ness?>—H. M. C. A. The Arkansas diamond mine if Pike County has produced several thousand diamonds equal in color to the best produced in other parts of the world and 1 per cent harder than the hardest from other parts of the world. THhe enswers to questions printed here each day are specimens picked from the mass of inquiries handled by the great information bureaw main- tained by The Evening Star in Wash- ington, D. C. This valuable service is for the free use of the public. Ask any question of fact you may want to know and you get an immediate renly. Write plainly, inclose 2 cents in stamps for return postage and ad- dress The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, directory ‘Washington, D. C. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. President Cool! of Massachusetts is going to adopt the advice of Horace Greeley, “Go West, young man, and grow up with the country!” Perhaps he has already been talking it over with that Minnesota farm boy, Frank Kellogg, but, after all, no Yankee can cnn::lve t::fl::fi “l't‘.m he has per- sonally ex A certain publisher of an agricul- tural paper in Minneapolis was taken by his Boston representative to call upon a manufacturer of orchard spray- ing machinery. The visit was a soclal call, but the publisher ran true to form in recognizing an opening for business, after the manufacturer had told the special virtyes of his ma- chine. “Have you ever -advertised your sprayer in the Northwest?" was asked? “Oh, no; our machine is a very ex- pensive one, and it would not pay to advertise it out West,” replied the head of the firm. The answer nettled the Minneapolis publisher and he remarked, “But don't you realize that the farmers and fruit- raisers of the Midwest use the finest machinery made?” “Oh, yes—I know all about the West. 1 spent several weeks, myself, Rochester, last season, and sold two or three machines, but it would never pay to advertise out in the West. it transpired that he referred to Rochester, N. Y., and the case was hopeless. B A day or two later, the publisher told that incident to the head of an advertising agency of Chicago, who smiled at his naivete, and retorted: ‘Why, I can beat that case all to d my story is true, too. I Rave a friend in New York—a Wall |coln Street broker. I took a Los Angeles friend into his office to introduce him. are from the West? You have a great country out West—a very interesting country. I made a tour out West last year. It's a wonderful country. I ‘went out to Buffalo, and over to Cleve- land and down to Pittsburgh and all around, It is indeed a wonderful country. ““The Westerner was puzzled at what he took to be guying by the Wall but, reco his poise, he replied: © we have great possibilities. But I am really interested in all I find in the BEast. This is not my first visit East. I came East last year—down to Den- ver and over to Salt Lake City and even to Omaha. Say—it's a wonder we didn’t meet.”” * K kX Scene: On board a day coach travel- ing across the prairie of North Dakota. Only.a few passengers in the car, and time hung heavy as hour after hour passed an:l the horizon remained just the same distance away. Grain rolled like ocean waves from horizon to The sun was setting golden. Among the tired passengers was a dapper “traveling man” who sat just in front of a middle-aged lady. The man had gazed a long time out of the he turned “Does anybody ever live on these P he ves, T've lived h years. “‘Oh, yes, e ere 20 3 Where do you live H“Ol:‘.‘“mlw ole New York. " e s nignly as he di that impressive information. s The lady continued to admire the sunset, and, almost as if soliloquizing, she remarked, “My—it must be lons some to live so far away from onr’- thing!” * ok ok ok Horace Gmhyi'th apostle of the paint- never across the street, on which Greele: were tables bearing specimens of 100 varieties of Minnesota-grown apples. Within 20 miles of the city was de- veloped one of the most famous ap- ples in the “Wealthy.” * % ¥ % In the early days, the territory between Minnesota a the Rocky Mountains was marked ‘“The Greaj Desert,” for it was supposed to as barren as the Sahara. When, in 1868, occurred the Sioux massacre at New Ulm, the Army chased the In- dians across Dakota into Canada. In charge of the commissary of that pu- nitive expedition was Maj. George Brackett, and, ¢s.a part of the meat supplies, there '‘was a herd of cattle. Near Devils Lale, N. Dak., the herd stampeded one night and bunch got away, lost on the prairie. This was in the Fall. The next Spring Maj. Brackett was at Fort Sisseton in South Dakota, and early in the morning he and other officers spled “buffalo” away out near the horizon. They decided to have fed. covery of the possibilities of the ‘desert” for cattle production, which led to the enormous cattle interests Northwest, where one Teddy campaign, Secretary speaking upon the steps of the Minne- Thate seat of 5.,..,....."'““"“ t'of all Nortn it of all North m;l:; would be not far from where m-'omlemE who knows but that prophecy if he an platform? Hocnster, M. X B0 Ot Tacts ang to Denver might uresota er traveler out in mm‘ ‘-:l ooun: ::omk Pm“zm th’:l” dH]] s e es ) Black Salt Lake. o * Kk * ok ‘When the King of Great Bri permitted the coast of the Ad&:‘l: to be settled, he took care to_ stipu- late that no settlers should go beyond the headwaters of those rivers which flowed into the Atlantic. All the Mississippi Valley was “out of bounds.” The King wanted to re- strain settlement within reach royal control, and by proclamation 1763 his majesty forbade governors to grant warrants of survey or pat- ents for lands beyond the sources of rivers that flow into the Atlantic. He prohibited private persons from settling on these reserved lands west of the Alleghenies. George Wash- ington was a squatter, in deflance of the royal decree, when he sur- veyed in Ohio. Probably the last great instance of inappreciation of the West was committed by another Massachusetts -tus “tmm' B‘nrélel ‘Webster, who, as ecretary of State a _cent 0, decided to settle the Olv‘u:"bflfi(h ary dispute with Canada by swa) ping all of Oregon and Washingts Territory for some fishing rights off Newfoundland. He assumed that the Far West could never be of value to the East, the Rocky Moun- tains were insurmountable. Then tray tains in Midwinter, andhat ‘Dayond was that paradise a which Pacific Coast residents even now confess is theirs. L was and for amusement a little Morman child 4