Evening Star Newspaper, April 30, 1927, Page 6

THE EVENING STAR With_Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY.......April 30, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 48nd St. Chicago Office: “Tower Bullding. European Office; 14 Regent St.. Loudon, England. The Evening Star. with the Sunday morn- tng edition, is delivered by carriers within 1he ecity at 80 cents per month: daily only. cents ver month: Sundavs only. 20 cents per month_ Or may ha sent by mail or hong Main 5000, Collection is made by er at end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. nd and Virgin .. £0.00 v and Sund: ¢ only v only dgr yr mo, 00 1 mo. +1 mo, All Other States and Canada. Iv and Sunday..l yr. $12.00: 1 mo., $1 00’ 1 mo. $4.00: 1 mon or not other n this naper and also the local news shed herein. rights of publication No Special Session of Congress. 'resident Coolidge is for a speedier method of flood relief than through a special session of Congr Judging from recent of the Congress, there is good sense in the ion taken by the President. The will in all probability have passed before any effective steps could be adopted by the Congress. Further- more, through the American Red Cross and through the aid of the Gov- ernment relief is going forward to the flood suffere uch money as may be needed will be contributed by the people, responding to the requests of the President and the Red Cross Summoning Congre: special ses- #ion is no overnight affair. Time must be allowed for those members who are most distant from Washington to come to the Capital. In the case of the Seventieth Congress, which has been elected. but which has vet to meet and organize, the delays of or- ganization, once the Senators and Rep- resentatives have assembled, may be great. Difficulties of speedy organiza- tion present themselves, particularly in connection with the Senate. It is well understood there is to be a long fight over the admission of Senators- elect Frank L. Smith of Iilinois and William S. Vare of Pennsylvania. ‘What assurance is there that this con- Test. which may occupy weeks, will be shelved even temporarily, if the Con- gress is now called to Washington? There is none. A filibuster growing out of the controveryy oyer Mr. Vare's elec- tion tied the Senate into a bowknot last March. In vain were pleas made then for time in which to pass the defi- ciency appropriation bill, carrying mil- lions for the ald of veterans, for farm- ers and others. . The need today is to meet a great emergency, caused by the floods of the Mississippl River and its tributaries. Bpeed is of tremendous importance. The relief must be provided now, not weeks from today. The agencies, gov- ernmental and = semi-governmental, now engaged in relief work are func- tioning efficlently. The millions of dollars needed to aid the flood suffer- ers will be forthcoming. It is befitting they should come from contributions of more fortunate Americans. If they are not generously contributed, the Government, of course, should act. But there is no sign today that the American people are failing in their duty to the flood sufferers. Possibly there are members of Con- gress who for political reasons would be glad to see the new Congress called | 1n special session at this time, flood or mo flood. The existence of the flood, however, gives tham a peg on which to hang thelr demands for a call of Congress. Playing politics a year and & half in advance of the national elec- tions does not make an appeal to the people generally. They prefer to at- tend to business, and, if necessary, to make adequate provision for meeting the flood disaster, rather than to keep the country in a constant turmoil in order to satisfy the political ambitions of any group of men. performances on pos flood An Ant Invasion. The far West and Middle West are having a terrible and unusual time this year. First, an army of rats threatened to depopulate Lower Cali- fornia, and now it is reported that an army of ants has invaded Kansas City. The rat invasion was finally ended after heroic measures had been taken to poison grain fields on the route of the “army,” but whether or not the ants can be checked before they have leveled most of the housés in Kansas City is still a problem. It was only after some of the dwellings began to sag that the presence of this new pest was discovered. Just how serious the damage is| eannot be determined, but any house- holder knows the destructive power of these tiny insects. 0ld woodwork is their especial prey and once they get a foothold or mouthhold, or what- ever they eat with, it is a difficult task 10 dislodge them. In any event, the residents of Kan- sas City have the sympathy of every one who has fought these or similar pests in their own homes, and it is hoped that with the aid of the health department the scourge can be speedily ended so that these people may live in peace and happiness. —_— e A menace for many years, the Mis- sissippl River is mercilessly exacting the penalty for unpreparedness. —or—s Downtown Signals. The traffic council has disapproved the plan for installation of automatic electric signals in the congested sec- tion until & thorough survey has been completed. In a declaration of prin- ciples which will be sent to the Com- missioners after action by the various civio organizations the council stresses the necessity, in future installation of lights, of adjustable control to take care of the peculiar problems faced at the varfous intersections. There is merit in the desire of the council to make haste slowly In the downtown establishment of automatic | signals, but nothing should be allowed 10 interfere with their eventual in stallation. As a matter of fact, grant- | tion for both motori; | fought | the | traftic faced at certain crossings, lights of this type are more necessary down- town than they are uptown. Trafic must of necessity move slowly in the congested district. It cannot attain any degree of speed even between streets. Therefore, it is more susceptible t6 automatic con- trol than in the residential sections. Downtown, however, another element enters into the situation which must be heeded. In every well regulated city provision must made for safety for the great ' number of pedestrian: Automatic installed on o downtown be traffic signals shoull ain of Washingtc reets as a needed protec: and walkers. It is a logical step forward in orderly control. Doubtless the move will be vigorously in some quarters, but a judicious and well considered plan for Washington should have the hearty support of a united ¢itizen Other cities have found benefit from downtown automatic signals. In fact, in most cases the congested sections have been the first to be so equipped There apparent. reason why Washington should not do likewise, 1d careful study should result in a system that will contribute its bit to of the problems of today. is mno solution one of vex ———— ng the Floods. Yesterday's deliberate break of the levee south of New Orleans, in an ef fort to save that city from floodin lacked in the dramatic element which | had expected. The dyn=mite blasts were moderate in their effect, | at first tearing out only a few feet of the embankment, which, supplemented hy further explosions and the work of pick-and-shovel gangs, graduz widened under the influence of the torrent. Instead of a great smash sending the waters roaring through wide gap, there was only a trickle at first. But steadily the breach opened and the stream increased, and the once | protected area east of the levee was covered by an advancing and deepen- ing tide. This morning's dispatches state that the engineers believe that soon the gap will be at least 1,000 yards in width, permitting a flow of more than a milllon cubic’ feet of water a minute and lowering the river stage at New Orleans by thirty inches. The problem will perhaps be to keep the break from going too far. With the keenest anxicty the people of New Orleans are watching the ef- fect of this costly tapping of the pro- tective wall below their city. From above is coming a vast volume of water, sufficient perhaps to make up for the greater spread of outlet below. There will be hours, perhaps days, of the keenest concern lest the Missis- sippi rage through the streets of the ancient city and take toll in terms of millions of dollars in destroyed prop- erty and demoralized business. The general situation has been ren- dered more grave by a break in the levee on the Arkansas River at South Bend. For ten days a fight has been in progress there to save the bank, gangs of men working without check. At last their battle was lost and the river cut through the levee. Now it is possible that every town in southeast- ern Arkansas may have to bé evacu- ated. This break may somewhat re- lieve the pressure on the Mississippi from the mouth of the Arkansas down, but it will assuredly cause widespread distress. With the Red Cross relief fund standing at approximately §4,000,000 and with the $5,000,000 mark in sight, it is announced by the President that pending a further definite call for more funds the country should continue to give regardless of the first suggested limit. In other words, the $5,000,000 point is to be disregarded. Another specific call, for perhaps $10,000,000 in all, may be issued when the President and Secretary Hoover have conferred regarding the situation in the flooded section. 4 3 Fighti been A Big Household. A Chicago woman is faced with a momentous decision. She must choose between twenty-four cats and her one husband, The long-suffering male member of the family sued for divorce, and when the case came to trial re- lated to the sympathetic judge his woes in the crowded household. He described his plight in this way: “She buys a cat for one-ifty, your honor. When she gets tired of it she spends ten dollars to advertise it for sale. She then sells it for six dollars. Now I ask you what kind of business is that?” The judge pondered deeply over this pitiful state of affairs. “Let's see,” he said, “two dozen cats with nine lives each—that's two hundred and sixteen lives—a pretty big respons bility. Madam, you must give up your cats or your husband. Make up your mind by May 20.” And with an “Oh, Jjudge, they are so cute!” this unhappy wife left the courtroom to make her decision. There are undoubtedly some women who Would prefer animal pets to hu- man pets in the shape of husbands. In this particular case it appears that a mania for felines is placing in jeop- ardy the chances of “friend husband” enjoying connubial bliss in the home which the cats have wrecked. Of course, there is no telling what the decision will be, but from a far-oft vantage point it looks as if twenty- four cats will triumph in the affections of the wife over one male of the hu- man species. And that is that! oo Settlement of the dispute between miners and operators in the bitu- minous flelds is predicted by J. L. Lewis, president of the Mine Workers, in a manner “so gradual that the pub- lic will be scarcely aware that it is go- ing on.” Really big diplomacy asserts present in the adjustment.of rial relationships TR Fate in the Elements. Yesterday's contribution to the ever- groWing aviation d one of the accidents that cannot be foreseen. Four naval airmen suffered the tragic fate of being struck bolt of lightning while twelve hundred feet in the air. The crash was witnessed by aviators in a following plane, who described the unusual occurrence as ‘a flash, a puff of white smoke and the ship falling out of control.” Compared to other types of acci- by a ing that some method can be worked | out for handling the peculiar problems | | up | the American people may be notified struck with deadly force. It seems a pity that with all the other hazards that the aviator must face potential death from lightning should be added. As an example of man’s impotency to cope with accidents in which fate plays a part may be cited the case of a local motorist returning recently from Phil- adelphia. = Nearing Bel Air, Md., at about nine o'clock at night, and trav- eling at perhaps thirty-five miles hour, the party in the car were hor- rorstricken to see a riderless horse vault a fence along the highway and nd divectly in the glare of the head- lights of the oncoming automobile. There w no time to stop or swerve, It was fate. That the four people es caped with their lives is a miracle, as the heavy touri turned pletely over : red, upside down along the rodd for fif The accident yesterday same type, althot car com nd sc was of the h the elements con tributed the death blow. Six naval airmen have been killed the few days—Davis and Wooster in the American Legion plane and the four who suffered a like fate from ning. Verily, the vagar f the s remain unconquered. in last quered. - - Appealing to Millions. Tonight, in the largest ever effected, Secretary will make an appeal to the people of this country for funds to be used in relief work in the Mississippi Valle At seventhirty o'clock Mr. Hoover will speak from Memphis, and from that station his volce will be picked up and transmitted through thirty-nine other stations, reaching practically all over the United States. Thus one man will s millions of people living in all sections, a performance of especial significance in view of the circumstance It is such oc that the great power of the radio for good may be appreciated. Within a few minutes dio Tiook- | Hoover | on ons of an emergency. They may be sum- moned to service. They may be in- formed of grave events, of glad hap- penings as well. To be sure, for such announcements and appeals prepara- tions must be made, but these require only a short time, and with the steady fection of instruments the broad- asting can be done at almost any hour. So tonight the word will go forth from one who knows prec ly what is needed, asking the whole country to render ald to the distressed residents of the flooded sections, some of whom are now fleeing, some are marooned and some are under care, having lost everything in the floods. For fifteen minutes Mr. Hoover will speak from Memphis. Others will follow him, and it may be assured that with this ex- plicit statement reaching the ears of countless people a flood of contribu- tions may be expected within a few hours. The voice from Memphis will bring results. el e Information s being prepared for Congress looking to improvement of the appropriations system. Its proper consideration will depend on whether Congressmen, when they reconvene, are looking for work or for trouble. AN Cities grow up in a haphazard fash- ion. Men of practical discernment would not have selected the ground on which New Orleans stands as the site of a metropolis. o “The Asiatic war is placing a terrific strain on more or less studious per- sons whose Chinese vocabulary here- tofore has been limited to *“chop suey.” e Though prominent In politics, Her- bert Hoover is most considered when an emergency arises which calls on him for real business. "o Scientists are likely to become coldly analytical. Many of them frankly re- gard murder merely as a psychopathic symptom. . Nearby fear of fruit crop failure is a small matter compared with the dev- astation faced by Louisiana farmers. ——— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Uniformity. “Life was not thus,” we hear them say, “When times were innocent and g Yet the most ancient records show Ideals we'd describe as “low.” In war the greatest fame was found. “Graft” very freely would abound, Until at last there wasn't room To crowd the loot into one tomb. The dances classic revelers knew, The costumes that were placed on view, Resembled those we now call “smart.” The o0ld ones are described as “art.” The centuries that come and go Repeat the great, perpetual show; Each generation plays the game And finds that life is much the same. Bad Boys. “What is your opinion of George Washington?” “High,” answered Senator Sorghum. “He was the Father of His Country, and is not responsible for the fact that some bad boys are trying to use it for a playground.” Message From the Mississippi. When days of sorrowing draw nigh, They who securely live Must ask, not what a purse can buy, But hbw much it can give. Jud Tunkins says no flat is so small that it doesn’'t provide room for an argument. “A philosopher,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “Is too often man who is out of regular work and proud of the fact.” a Patience. “What did you think of that orator's speech on farm relie “Pretty good,” answered Corntossel; ** ‘please stand b Farmer Fame Seeking. The lady said, “My decent way Of fame conveys no hint; 1 guess my husband I will slay And so, break into print.” “Kindness,” said Uncle Eben, “is too Jobtain a musical s THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. From the letter box are culled the following epistle “Dear Sir: T have just read your article in this evening's paper ve to flowers being stolen from one's and will say I have suffered a . and have hit upon the entire bed of with poultry wire netting, thus putting the flowers in a cage, as nd since doing this have had no more trouble “Some one remarked that they couldn’t see the flowers for the wire and I agree it does detract somewhat from the beauty of the be but I answer T would rather see them through the wire netting. than not at all, “Of course, if the thieves wo take the trouble, they could cut wire and easily get the flawers, any how, but the unprotected blossoms seem to be the vietims, I notice. “As you say, there are some children who will steal flowers take to the teacher, and these may b the thieves, for all 1 know “I enjoy reading all your about flowers, and save every them. Hoping you will continu od work, T am, very truly yo flower lover, iR o rela- school icles one of this a 8 iter of honored of such a personal tates to print would like to do the problem, at I t to his own satis: faction, by muking it a rule to nse only initials as signatures, in printing such of these letters from time time as seem to be of general intere The f loves “Dear Sir: Your night's paper were enjoyed by even more than usual, because reminded me of my childhood of its greatest pleasure ing St. Nichol: 1 was brought up in_a small Virginia town, not far away, and when I was § or so m zines were not as commonplace a they are today. My parents took Me- Clure's, for what special reason I do not know. At any rate, I devoured each issue from cover to cover and could probably have recited the en- tire contents. After the family had zine s lent to the v in exchange for St. Nicho I suppose the minister took other journals, but if so, I do not re- call them. He had a number of bound volumes, and I do not recall whether it was in these or the current is: that T read ‘Master Skyla Your mentioning it brought to my mind the delight I had in the story and its very lovely pictures. I wonder if you and I are the only people in the world who read it? Probably those quaint English _houses, half-timbered and placed closely together by reason of the old, narrow streets, struck you by reason of their unfamiliarity, as they did me. In 1922, while on a flying trip to York with my husband, I walked along a street that might have served as the model for those draw ings, and T was instantly reminded of ‘Master Skylark.' I did not sce Strat- ford-on-Avon, which, of course, would have been the real thing. “You may be interested in another scence. In 1921 my husband and I were motoring (or flivvering, to be honest) through Ohio, and decided to stay at Marion for the night. It was a convenient stopping point and had the interest of its connection with President Harding. The weather was abominable; it rained and rained and rained. * Marion hotels are not unduly * this column is con by receiving letter e that he hesi- although he solved The w tinually t. llowing will appeal to all book last me they d one , that of read rema in d | 2 | M to | 1es | | luxurious, as you perhaps know, and iny Summer night offers few amusements. 1 am English and the good husband was Scotch; neither of | us minded walking a short distance in | the rain. I persuaded him to visit the | public library. Arriving at the librar: I left him to his own devices and e tablished myself in the children’s room, and there I found the old bound | volumes of St. Nicholas and hunted | for, well—what? ‘Master Skylark,” of course! I hadn't time to read the story, but the pictures were as won- derful as ever. | was dark red, more like maroon, but 1 n not sure. 1 also renewed my ac juaintance with ‘“Triangular Tommy | Do you remember him? | “Life is st my husband died three years ago, on Christmas da ny ‘of these memories, therefore re bitter-sweet, Still, the world | as you often quote, ‘so full of a num | of things,’ that we can find much | interest all around us, and the unexpected pleasures that bob up, | such” as your ‘Master Skylark’ ar ticle, bring a pleasantly warm feeling to the heart “I meant to tell y of your econst: correct expre: is it | know very little about cats and noth ing at all about gladioli, or gladioluses, as you choose, but I enjoy ever you write, especially when it is about books. I wonder if you like the vagaries of Hilaire Belloc? Perhaps vou will say something about him some time. Sincerely yours, A. B. W.” P “Dear Sir: Would you be brave enough to suggest through your | column in The Star a new tune for The Star Spangled Banner'? The melody gets on my nerves. The words are all right, but I feel quite certain it has the same disagreeable reaction on many—the reason it is not learned by the crowd. ‘Some people think they should 'n it to be patriotic and of course it is taught in the schools. I never tended a public school, but private | schools. A patriotic song should be | the acme of melody. For instance, the French national air is perfect. The tune should be as easy to catch and as attractive as ‘I Am Called Lit- tle Buttercup.’ Your truly, M. P. V.” e g e Along with a miniature calling card of the dog, Jim Smiley, came the followin, “Dear t T am one (that is the not?). 1 a family, want ur article in_ The ays ago on dogs. It is v true. e one of our own and find the com- | pany and joy you is one of the family, you do, sorry for thos | had and loved dogs. Our pup sends { his card to you with his compliments, | You might mention it to Jack | Sincere him “Dear Sir and Fellow Dog Love Your article of April 1 in The Star | was an ‘April Fool’ to all who might have thought you did not appreciate dogs. Your eulogy of the dog is equal to that in the famous speech made in court by Senator Vest many years | ago. “I hope some day to see great monument erected to commemorate the love of dogs, and on that monument quotations from Senator Vest and Charles E. T well. Dogs worship but there are two animals that a sort of contempt for mankind— are the cat and the goat. There re some men who really deserve that | contempt. Yours truly, T. W. G.” Say “Star Spangled Banner” Still Pleases Americans Long may it wave!” is the popular verdict on the announcement from the National Federation of Musle Clubs that “The Star Spangled Banner” holds an unrelaxed grip on the title of “National Anthem.” The assoclated clubs conducted a $1,500 contest to tting which would create America's song out of Kath erine Lee Bates' poem. “America. the Beautiful.” The judges’ decision that no contestant was successful appar ently causes little sorrow, for the Nation loves its present anthem. Some feel, however, that, in o moment of inspiration, a' future genius will pro- duce a seng with the spirit of a new ag: - tt Key wrote the “The Star When Francis verkes that he Spangled Banner s the Portland Evening Express, had no more idea that he was composing his coun- try’s national anthem than he had that he was a second Milton or Shakespeare. But the stirring. lines and the wild strains of the music to which they were set thrilled the heart of America as no words or air had done before, and soon the whole Nation rang with the song.” Recalling the history of “The Mar- seillaise,” the Allentown Morning Call says “that is the spirit in which the greatest songs have been composed. There has been some tremendous emo- tional urge back of them all,” and the Call is convinced that *‘The Star Spangled Banner' will remain our national anthem until, if ever, some new song spontaneously is composed and grips American imagination and nthem, in the opinion of the New Orleans Tribune, “holds a place In the national affections that no new anthem, however inspiring and beautiful it might be, could take. ‘Long may it wave! And it possibly will. For habit is a master that keeps a tight rein on us.” And the San Francisco Bulletin holds that “hymuns of any kind are not written to order, and far less are those se- lected by the people to voice their love of country.” The Bulletin also ob- serves that “genius is shy of compe- titions, and even when tempted is apt to be overlooked.” * ko b “The truth of the matter national anthems cannot be r ately planned,” concludes the Phila- delphia Record, and the Lynchburg Advance offers’ the comment: “It is doubtful if any hymn can take the place of the national anthem. ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ is not easy to sing, nor do a_great many Americans know the words, but there is a history associated with the hymn which every school child is taught.” The Chicago Daily News testifies that “to Amer- icans whose musical sense is not too much refined and whose emotional pa- triotism is all that it ought to be, “The Star Spangled Banner, when well played or well sung, imparts a thrill that makes it seem inspired Charging that “for 20 years, taking time out during the interruption of ‘17 and "18, the musicians of the country havé been trying to torpedo” the anthem, the Foft Worth Record- Telegram remarks: “They should be glad that we cling to something it takes a graduated musician to ren- der. + % It doesn’t seem too much to ask them kindly to let our kood old ‘Star Spangled Banner’ con- “inue to wind up their programs, so we will have something to carry aw with us that reminds us of the home liness of democracy and makes us like it. If we don’t care that we can't sing it, why should they?” The Kala- mazoo Gazette adds that “the chances are that it will continue to be far more acceptable as a national anthem than any song carefully and studi- ously composed with a $1,500 prize in view. that is * ok % K “Works of art created in response dents, lightning takes a comparatively small number of lives, but yesterday it often neglected by folks dat ain't tryin’ to sell you something." to the temptations of a contest's re- wards are usually little more than hack work,” in the judgment of the Waterbury Republican, and the Salt Lake Tribune takes the similar posi- tion: “To talk about writing new na- [ tional hymns is grote That something better may be produced at the hehest of a cash prize is ridicu- lous.” The Tribune, referring to the French parallel, s there in all France today any one who can dupli- cate ‘The Marseillaise'? There is not,” it continues, “and that generation is not near that will be able to displace that majestic piece of national senti- ment, The day is net here nor near when the composer may be able to pick up his pen and score anything that will begin to quicken the pulse of the Frenchman like his own great hymn." The Worcester Telegram, however, expresses the view: *“The federation has the right idea. It is seeking, but it is willing to seek endlessly rather than to pretend that it has found something that it hasn’t.” And the Erie Dispatch-Herald thus looks to the future: “The new mood, in spite of all our carefully nurtured martial spirit, is peaceful and ethical. Tt ex- presses moral and not physical rength. It is not the spirit that rouses one furiously off one’s feet but sets one, as the French say, furi- ously to think. It will, indeed, take a genius to express the unprovincial patriotism of the newer day, the world view of America the Beautiful. P Raps Uncle Sam for Neglect. From the New York World. The White House roof, it was re- vealed when workmen began to dig their crowbars into it, had been in im- minent danger of caving in for many rs past. And reflecting on this fact one cannot but be struck by the paradoxical ways of an all-wise and far-sceing Government. This Govern- ment, as we all know, guards its President with extraordinary care. It surrounds him with secret service men; it opens all suspicious-looking packages that are sent to him through the malls; it furnishes him with a personal physician, who is with him constantly. Yet it allows him to sleep vear after year under a roof that ers on the verge of falling in and shing him to pulp. Year after year? Decade after decade would bé more like it. For it appears that mothing has been done to the White House attic since the rebuilding made necessary by the de- plorable events of the War of 1812, UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today President authorized to seize enemy vessels in our ports and put them into service * * * Question of re- muneration to wait * * * House appropriation committee reports first great war budget bill, with estimated cost of first year of war set at 699,485,281 * * * Maj. Gen. Wood relinquishes command at Governors Island to take charge of newly created Department of the Southeast * * * Arrest Germans in New York with big bomb intended for Wall Street * ¢ & Germany shuts down on news to hide labor troubles. * * * o Germans allowed to enter Holland + '+ Secretary Baker asks Gov. Whitman to come to _Washing: ton * * * May send N. Y. National Guard, which is'in high state of pre- paredness, to France to satisty urgent pleas of French * * Cuba’s military commission arrives in Washington for conferences * * * Gen, Petain made chief of staff of French armies ° * * Censorship Dbill's espionage clause fought in House as too genefal in its phrase- ologys I think the binding |the te | day little | | Lovsjo dwellers t! 4 o hing | hood that the like of this storm could | | never even be imagined. | lay buried in the r | mountain tops, where tree ENIPERES I THE LIBRARY TABLE By The Booklover Hurricanes, with tidal waves, in the tropics and Winter blizzafds in | on¢ Store of New York owned by | State (Utah) only, and in northern climates both render human beings helpless in the face of destruc- | of | tion of their property and menace to| their lives. Such the subject of powerful scenes in lit- crature. Joseph Conrad has described many tropical storms, most famous of which is the storm at sea in “Ty- phoon.” Frederick O'Brien and Som- erset Maugham ed ing literary in a tropical storm. I effect on a man outside tropical rain continuing fter is the theme used by fiss Thomp ed the e also recog material inhe The demoralizing ychological from of a a M which igham in * drar Somerset son,” was in play “Rain A terrible Sweden on Chrisi described by ‘Selm: Lilicerona’s Home™; “Now, ay that no doubt there have been storms as bad both before and sinee and, above all, do not let any of th hear yo for they have known from their earliest child storm in y of oriof They can still count up all the fences t torn down, all the thatched roofs snatched off, all the cowhouses blown over. so that for days the poor beasts And they can point to all the places where out and was fanned by the wind until the whole village was in ashes. And they have heen on all the heights and fter tree stood naked and bare The storm almost fell. until they as they are today. keeps Little Mald from reaching the | Chri; gord, in the - but not quite, for Little id sourceful and very determined. * K ok ok t at her uncle’s at Nu vartsjo Par is re too, cold as though it had been dancing with death, so strong and sharp that it pierced through sheep- skin and homespun and laid its icy fingers on her skin. And, although she did not heed such trifles, she felt her toes grow stiff inside her waxed boots and her fingers numb in the woolen gloves, while her ears tingled under her kerchief. But, heedless of all, on she went right down the long hillside.” The “great Broby pine. tall enough to be seen for miles around,” stops her progress for a time, for it has blown down across her path, but she manages to crawl under it Across the bridge over the sound be- tween Upper and Middle Loven she creeps on all fours, because the wind would have blown her into the water. When she reaches the frozen lake, on the farther side of which liss Nugord, her hopes rise high, and she no louger at she will arrive in time for st wild geese, the sweet soup with raisins, the cakes, jam, coffee and pastry. But here the wind roars and rushes more wildly than anywhere else, and the strength of her brother, Little Lad, is almost gone. It is im- possible to go back. Death begins to seem more near than the Christmas feast. Then Little Maid looks up at the pine trees on the hillside sloping to the lake and remembers how she and Little Lad have often coasted. She breaks off pine branches, piles them in two heaps and pushes the heaps down to the frozen lake. Then she and Little Lad seat themselves on the hold up broad pine bougks for sails and are swept across the ice by the now friendly wind to Nugord and the Christmas feast. * ok kK “Czechoslovakia: the Land of An Unconquerable Ideal” by Jessie Mothersole, is the work of one who is both historian and artist. The in- terest of the book is enhanced by 60 illustrations by the author, in color and black and white, the result of months of rambling _with ¢ outfit through the village ¢ of the Republic now _including Bo- Czech-Silesia, Slo- vakia and Ruthenia, has always been one of struggle, Rome never con- quered this country, though Marcus Aurelius attempted its subjugation with his legions. Bohemia was one of the earliest nations of the Middle Ages to fight for religious liberty, When the violation of the safe conduct of John Huss at the Council of Con- stance in 1415 started the Hussite Wars. The motto of the Czechoslo- vakian Republic today is that adopted by the Hussites, “Truth wins.” The Taborites, one of the parties growing out of the Hussite movement, recog- nized as early as the fifteenth cen- tury equality of rights and obliga- tions between men and women. So women were early given educational opportunities. The progress of this liberal country was checked by the domination of the Hapsburg power and Bohemia became a part of Austria_and so remained until the World War of 1914-18 set her free. * ok kK School children will soon have the hest of opportunities for musical knowledge if the new work on which Walter Damrosch has spent over three years is adopted to any large extent by the schools of the country. It is an eight-volume series for the vocal training of children from the first to the ninth grade. Mr. Dam- rosch has had as collaborators George Gartlan and Prof. Karl Gehrkens of Oberlin College. Folk songs form a prominent part of the collection. The music of the greatest musicians is also represented, including Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Saint-Saens, Bach, Gounod and many others, Parts of the series are devoted to a summary ‘history of music and an account of the various types of instrumental music. of Czechoslova hemia, Moravia, * ok Kk The revolt of youth against tradi- tion, of the individual against the tribe, subject of “This Day's Mad- by the author of “Miss Tiver- oes Out.” Our mpathy is on the side’ of youth and _the individual. The tribe is represented by an Englis county family, the Moncktons. Letty Monckton considers the ideas and standards of ker family both tiresome and useless and sees no reason why her own substitutes for those ide: and standards are not as good. The family is rather a terrible one to “huck up against.”” The author says: “They were solid and upright and united and encireling, like the stakes of an inclosure.” Sir Giles, the Anglo- Indian officer, marrow and heavy; Cousin Maurice, a tvrannical clergy- squire; his invalid wife and five suppressed daughters; his son Her- nard, who wishes to marry his cousin Letty—these are the chief members of the family. ILetty does not suffi- ciently admire the family to wish to marry back into it, and that makes trouble, but Letty does not object to troubling the family. * Rk K The famous old inns of our countr: are not all to be found in New Eng- land and Virginia, with a few Penn- sylvania and New York inclusions, though such seems to be the opinion of many Easterners and of most Euro- peans traveling in the United States. Elise Lathrop has found over 1,200 inns worth writing about in her book, “Early American Inns and Taverns. A century of age is her qualification for admission of Eastern inns, but three-quarters of a century is suffi- cient for inns of the West. Califor- nia could produce no inn old enough to qualify, but Ohio, home of Presi- dents, plied about 80. The author gives sdmething of the history of most of the igns, and if there is romance, or t fly, or scandal connected with she mentiong that, storms are often | own, rent | in | At were | ire broke | “From the north it (the wind) came, | | its surplus into the Mediterranean, the ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. Q. Is the James McCreery De- individuals or is it a part of a chain stores R. F. A. It is owned by the Associ Dry Goods Corporation, which Hahne & Co., art & Co., Baltimo gerer Co | Co., Minne Buffalo | Louisville, and is part C. (. Gunther's Sons and ylor, New York ed Iso we Goods owner of Lord & Q. How many radio recei and how m ally on t A. Accordir Radio Ret | 6,500,000 lin this cc | on radio s vear was rey is spent annu made b \ere were in ers in ope: amot ailing swimometer A is a device ented by Ray Alexander of San Fr 0 to test the h < rm strokes of TS, Che ma 1 s mounted on a tripod fr | which a long line is attached to t swimmer nd 1 up to a hun | dred pounds. | Q. Which salut for a letter—De: | Dear Mrs. Jones’ ¥My Dear Mrs, the more forn imometer swimmn r ] si¢ | @ { paintin | A. Gainsborough's | lieved to be the highest priced |in the world. In 1796 it w $185; in 1922 it was pur $730,000. Which is in the the vorld most G Blue s be s sold for 1sed Q. Has an estimate ever been made of the number of p ons that | their meals in boarding house restaurants?—M. A. T. | A. Hotel Monthly calculates that | nearly 3,000,000 persons in the United ates take the m: v of their meals in public eating places, and spend over |81,250,000,000 a year for a total of 4,000,000,000 meal: Q. Was Washington the first to be called “Father of His Country”? —W. N. A. This sobriquet has been given to a number of national heroes. The first instance of its use within historical times is the application of tife name “Pater Patriae” to Cicero, by the Romans. Q. How are the chief officlals chosen?—F. M. V A. Six different methods of select- ing the chief State school officials have been used at various times in the his tory of the office. These methods ar . election, popular vot ond, appointment by the General A sembly: third, appointment by the State Board of Education; fourth, ap- pointment by the governor; fifth, ap- pointment by the chancelior of the State university; sixth, appointment by the Supreme Court of the State. The first four have been fairly widely used at one time or another. The last tate school It is not safe to be too literal in |interpreting the biblical records of | Noah's flood. Oriental language is symbolical. It is recorded that it ained 40 days and 40 nights,” but it is generally understood now that “40” meant a long but indefinite period. Today the inhabitants of the Mississippi Valley would look with indifference on just 40-day” shower, for they have passed through a seven-month downpour. Again, the word “seven” in ancient days stood only for full perfection, rather than a definite number, so the sufferers of the Mississippi flood are convinced that they have had all that was coming to them, for in the last seven months, up to April 1, the rain in much of the valley has been nearly double the normal rainfall. Here are the figures of the inches of rainfall as compiled by the Weather Bureau, covering the period from September to March, inclusive of both months: ths. Excess. Mon: 6 ormal. Le Roy, Kans..... 2 Kansas City, Mo.". | Little Rock, Ark. | Memphis. Tenn Louisville, Ky ‘When it is recalled that every inch of water means tons per a and that this excess of from 4 to 17 inches covered practically two-fifths of ‘the area of the United States, all the ex- cess, as well as the ordinary amount to focus in the comparatively narrow gutter called the Mississippi River, it is no wonder that the eaves over: flowed, ot ab The stories of ancient floods, includ- ing that of Noah, apply to various parts of the world, for there have been many outstanding deluges. No such legend applies to any part of Africa, but archeologists have found in Nineveh a clay tablet, recording a deluge far older than the period at- tributed to the Noah flood. The difference in the period Is ac counted for by the vaguene: of numbers, as indicated in the “40” and “7.” However allegorical may be the details of the Genesis account of the Noachian flood, it bears such re- semblance to the story on the clay tablet, that scientists believe the two stories refer to the same deluge. Only the ultra-literalist gets into an trouble in accepting the essential, though symboli truth of the story. When Robert H. Ingersoll was going about the country lecturing on the “Mistakes of Moses,” he himself made a most ridiculous mistake in arguing that the idea of a flood's being over mountain tops was absurd, since “‘everybody knew that water froze solid at such an altitude.” He forgot that if the flood covered the peaks, the bottom of the atmos- phere would still be at the surface of the water, hence there would be no freezing altitude at such a level Turthermore, science now finds abundant proof that the ice cap from the North Pole did extend far south and covered the mountains. When the ice began to melt, the “fountaine of the great deep were broken up.” and undoubtedly they, too, covered great heights and their overflowing barriers made the deluge. Geology shows that prior to the melting there were two seas—one of fresh water and one salty—where now exists one—the Mediterranean—for the flood poured its waters over the edge and made them one sea. While great rivers pour into the Black Sea, and the Black Sea empties latter never empties any water into the Atlantic, but always the current flows from the Atlantic through the Straight of Gibraltar to add to the Mediterranean—the sea of evaporation. So there are confirming proofs that the world does change its shape and new seas and new mountains are formed, sometimes with great convul- sions. “The fountains of the deep were broken up,” and all the world— all the known world—was covered with the deluge. Then the valley be- tween the mountains was overbur- dened with this added weight, and it collapsed, causing great flssures, and letting the water escape into the sub- terranean cavities: also pushing up- ward great mountain ranges, perhaps cr¥ating the Caucasus Mountains. Thus the ice age ended. and | expensive | painting | for | and | two have been resorted to by « this or 1e time t was ap the Uni m the temporarily, In Utah s | chiet State sche | pe 1 by the ch versity of De to 1896 he was appe | preme Court of ¢ Q. What b ymmercial plan at used rtilizer three—ammonia, phos nd potash. Q | was awarded » Secretary of W . to Pvt. Jacob Pan rt Buffum, Pvt, Willlare Sergt. Elihu H. M am and < e men w ad t ain to the first me r have the ?—L ats still to be used there is a dark e great ris houses seven: eighths which shows the hem of the frock below. Q. How many has Bol A. Mr. ris atic amenty . A, G, ays he has played fn 21 big national tournaments and more than a hundred smaller tourna: ments, exhibition matches. and lesser competitions, al tour Standards_savs ¢ A he Bureat o build that the sheathing on : ould preferably our free Informa~ tion Bureau are at your service. You are invited to call upon it as often as you please. It is being maintained by The Evening Star solely to serva you. What questlon can e @nswsr for you? There is mo charge at al} cxcept two cents in stamps for Tes turn postage. Address your letter to The Evening Star Information Bu« reau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. The resources BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. at New Madrid, Mo., caused by the overweight of the Mississippi River delta’s deposit of new burdens of silt and sand brought down on its flood waters—one of the 20 greatest earthquakes in history. The literalists who have clung to tha idea that Noah's one flood actually covered the whole round globe ha pointed to the finding of sea shells on the tops of hish mountain peaks, buried in the strata or in sedi- mentary rocks. But within the last 75 years science has developed sosta the knowledge of the elasticity of the crust of the earth, | which shows that when one section becomes overloaded, it sinks and | pushes upward a corresponding area | —creates new mountain ranges in that way. So the shells on tops of peaks do nothing but prove that those peaks were indeed once the bot- tom of the sea, pushed up into moun= tains, as the elastic earth reshaped itself. * ok kK A few years after Cortez had cons quered the Aztecs, and while he ruled their country from the capital, now called Mexico City, a great flood cov- cred the c The metropolis is in a valley (thousands of feet above | sea level) surrounded by a rim of mountains. The flood waters stayed five years, ly destroying the cap- ital, and orders came from Spain to rebuild on higher ground, but before) the removal there came an earth- quake, opening the ground and draining off the flood. To guard inst a repetition of that catas- trophe, native engineers began a drainage tunnel through the moun- tain rim. The tunnel repeatedly caved in, until a total of 200,000 workmen were killed, but at last it was opened as a ditch, and to this day Nochis- tonga Ditch, through the mountain rim of Mexico Valley, remains one of the greatest engineering feats in the world—greater in achievement than the Panama Canal, in the amount of excavation, for it was all | hand work, with the crudest of tool Ty So the engineers who have w with the problems of the Mi floods are not without pre in engineering experiments. project of limiting the river by build- ing high levees, upon the theory that that would force the water into a cen t channel which would so increase the current that it would dredge out a | deeper channel and clear away its own delta, has not proved the suc- cess expected, according to certain persons united to oppose the levee system. Chief of these organizations is the National Reclamation Association of New Orleans and Washington, which | cites the e of India to the disadvantag *es on the Ganges It claims that India has abandoned levees, and will build reservoirs to hold back surplus flood waters. Our f neers adhere to thelr trust , but the association argues, book now on the press: “There has been for years a bellef in the minds of many that if from the beginning the levees had been built only around the citles, towns and villages and plantation homes and buildings had been raised above the floods so that the gentle and shallow overflow from the river could spread over the flelds, reviving and fertiliz- ing them, as has been the system in the valley of the Nile since before history, it would have been a more beneficial system for the Missis sippi River overflow lands than the system adopted by the Mississippi River Commission in 1879, It is now 100 late to return to the Nile system, but it is not too late to put an end to the desperately dangerous system of constantly raising the levees higher and higher, with-an ultimate height in contemplation that is unattainable.” There is in prospect a strong fight in Congress between the two schools of thought—the one advocating a “confined river,” with more and high- er levees, and the other a “wide-open polic with towns and plantations surrounded with levee walls, but with freedom for surplus flood waters to overflow swamps and flelds and tof irrigate the open country. There is still another plan urged which involves systems of reservoirs at the headwaters of all tributaries to the “Father of Waters.” That * K o x A similar upheaval, but, on a smalley scale, o courl:t. in 1812 l plan would probably be united with ‘the wjde-open river plan. (Covrright. 1027, by Paul V. CollisaX