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THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY. August 9, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business OMce 11ty St and Pepnavivama Sice: 110 East 4 Tower Bu; 14 Regent St Enxland ng. London. with the Sunday morn- The Evenine Star thin edition elivered by carrier city at 60 cents per month: daily only sents ber month: Sundavs only. 20 cents por month. . Onders may 1w sent he mail of talephona Main 8000 Cnileetion is mada by carrier at end of each month Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. ally and Sunday....1vr S0 001 mo. 7 Daily oniv 1r 800 1 mo Sunday onlv . ve. $300° 1 mo Al Other States and Canada. aily and Sunday 1 sr. $12 00 Lo $1.00 aily onle Tve. $ROD:Imol o 7 Sunday only .. 1yl $400°1 mo. 50 Member of the Associsted Press. The Associated Press 1s exclusively entitled 0 the use for renublication of all news atches veadited to it or not otherwise ered: tad in tine naner and aleo the ne pabhshed heremn Al richis o of speeial Gisnatehes herein are also resarved Revolutionists. In outspoken terms the radicals who are supporting and Vanzetti and demonding their release or a re- trial for murder denounce the present form of Government in the United | States and call for clemency for these | men as a token of a change. In a protest to Gov. Fuller of Massachu- setts the alternative is offered of a| peaceful revolution or a bloody one. | In other communications this choice is preser Ons of the writers of a letter to President Lowell of I vard, taking exceptions to his ps the report of the advisory comn to Gov. Fuller, says: Tt is upon men of your 7 position that will rest the inevitab decision as to whether the coming struggle for the reorganization of ciety shall be bloodless and fertile ¢ inconceivably bloody and destructive. It is high time that you realize the| full extent of the responsibility resting upon your shoulders. In other words, a revolution is com- Ing, assuredly. Will organized govern- ment yleld quietly, or put up a fight? The highwayman presenting a gun and demanding “Your mcney or your lite!” is no different from these would- be revolutionists. Give up what you have without a struggle and you may go ahead, alive, but bereft of your valuables. Show the least sign of resistance and you will lose both val- uables and life. The proletariat revolution in Russia was conducted upon the same prin- ciple of “stand and deliver.” The pro- posed American revolution is to be similarly managed. Society is in for a change—a drastic, deep-seated change—and must come across With reform or be destroyed. In this Sacco-Vanzetti matter there is an opportunity for a showdown of the strength of the radical forces. That they are a small minority of the people is assured. But they make much noise and give the impression of great strength. They include numer- ous categories of protestants against| the established order. Some are deep red, some are pale pink, in their po- litical complexions. When the pinch comes, if ever it should come, doubt- less most of those of the lighter-hued | agitators for a change would be found on the side of organized government, | leaving the die-hard extremists in the lurch. But even if all off-color citi- zens—not to count the aliens—were to assemble in a compact party of | revolution they would not make a re- | spectable percentage of the population. In the Sacco-Vanzetti case all of the | tints of radicalism are in voice or action now, in protest against what they contend, perhaps sincerely be- lieve, to be a miscarriage of justice. Some of them are throwing bombs, fortunately without doing harm. Some are engaged in brief strikes in expres- sion of sympathy with the condemned men. Some are merely writing letters or making speeches. They have been saying, over and over again, that there is certain to be a change in the social order. Now is their opportunity to say it pointedly, and they play with the thought with wide variations. If there is a change in the Ameri- can system of Government it will be effected through the ballot box, and not through physical conflict. And the change will not be brought about by means of terrorism. Meanwhile, should Sacco not those who are fulminating against | the law in terms of menace to the in- stitutions of this country be given a lesson in moderation? A few prosecu- tions might clear the atmosphere. o When anarchists vocalize, the per- son with a private grudge is naturally tempted to get busy and plant a bomb on his own private account. ——rre— Tt must be said for Sacco and Van. zett] that their publicity has heen won- derfully managed. Lo T The Fire Prevention Report. Although the report made vesterd to the Commissioners indicates that thelr special committee considers ade- quate fire protection for the city as a whole more important than a high- pressure system for the congested business district alone, it emphasizes the soundness of the position main- tained by those who have been adv cating high water pressure for the last thirty years. The committee found, In its own words, “That there is & deplorable lack of water supply for fire-fighting purposes in the high- value, congested section of the Dis- trict of Columbia, due to inadequate water mains and an insufficient num- ber of fire hydrants,” but that these conditions “exist to an even grea degree in residential sections of the er District of Columbia, and that, par- | ticularly in certain northwest sec- tions, where large apartment houses abound, there is, in event of a con flagration, a hazard to human life that demands prompt attention.” Ad- mitting the eflicacy of the high-pres- sure system as the best known meth- od of insuring a business dillnc(i against the dangers of a great fire, the report points out that its cost Is high, and that money required for such a system would be, in its opin- fon, better spent in obtaining an ample water supply for fire-fighting through- out the District by improving the present water system and {nstalling additional fire hydrants. This position s logical, granting that the committee has gone exhaus- tively into the situation in Washing- ton. Admitting. as does the commit. te2, that high pressure for the down- town business area is needed, the need is no more pressing than that felt by |the city as a whole for a fire de- | partment and auxiliary equipment brought to a standard commensurate with the rapid growth of the District {In the last ten years. Completion of | the new conduit from Great Falls as- |sures a plentiful supply of water for {the city. Proper distribution of this water in quantities sufficient to meet | the emergencies of a hazardous con- flagration is the next step. And it is to be hoped that the cit; futile ef- | forts of the last thirty years toward obtaining high pressure for the down- t n area will not be repeated in the alternative recommenda- made the Commissioners’ amittee. The owners of a bulld- ing who mneglect their fire insurance | receive little sympathy from the pub- lic when the building burns down. | The community’s fire insurance is a | modern fire department and a plenti- | ful supply of water. The Commission- {ers should give the committee’s rec- ymmendations an important position in their program of legislation to be | recommended at the coming session lot Con, | ase of the tion by { e The Republican Situation. A week ago President Coolidge an- nounced that he did not “choose” to run for President In 1928, Momentarily Republican party leaders were stun- ned, so confident had they been of the renomination of the President. Within the last seven days, however, it has | been borne in upon them that the President has definitely rejected the honor which might have been his for the taking. And with the growth of this conviction, party leaders have be- gun to con over the points of the other presidential possibilities. They have announced here and there for Hughes, Hoover, Dawes, Lowden or Longworth. But the real work of selecting a Republican nominee for President is yet to come. This is a job which the Republican rank and file had regarded as already accom- plished before Mr. Coolidge’'s an- nouncement. In some Democratic hearts, hope, which springs eternal, is fluttering up- ward. The thought of a real struggle in Republican ranks for party leader- ship and the presidential nomina- tion makes them visualize the possi- bility of a Republican Madison Square Garden next year. They forget, how- ever, that there is no deep-seated re- ligious issue, or wet and dry issue, ready to tear at the vitals of the Re- publican party. The probabilities are that once the G. O. P. has selected its nominee for President, the party will line up solidly behind him, Disap- pointed personal ambitions will be forgotten, A little more than seven years ago the Republican hosts gathered in the old Coliseum in Chicago to select their candidate for President. The field was as large as it probably will be next year. Three outstanding candi- dates, the late Gen. Leonard Wood, Senator Hiram Johnson and former Gov. Frank O. Lowden of Illinois, tied up the convention for many ballots, preventing a majority. Then came the compromise and the nomination of the late Warren G. Harding. It is conceivable that with Hughes, Low- den, Dawes, Hoover and others in the race mext year, the convention may be again temporarily deadlocked. Then what? The mention of the name of Coolidge on the floor of the conven- tion under such circumstances might well result in a stampede. Party lead- ers have been convinced for a long time that they can “win with Cool- Friends of Secretary Hoover of the Department of Commerce as well as the achievements of Mr. Hoover turn the limelight particularly upon him |as the probable nominee of the Re- publicans. On the other hand, in New York, the Empire State, there is a definite movement for the selection of Mr. Hughes, former Associate Jus- tice of the Supreme Court, Secretary of State and Governor of New York. Mr. Hughes, they say, should be | drafted if for no other reason than to keep New York in the Republican column if Gov. Al Smith be the nom- inee of the Democrats. From the | West come demands for Lowden and | Dawes, friends of the McNary-Haugen | tarm relief bill. Presidential primaries, | beginning early next year, will be | watched with keenest interest, and | doubtless will be contested vigorously. Speaker Longworth, halling from {Ohio, strategically located, will have his supporters in the next convention. The Democrats who have been | counting upon the so-called “third- |term” issue as their weapon of of- |fense in the coming campaign must | 100k for other ammunition. Mr. Cool- |idge has effectually wiped the third- |term issue from the board, unless, in- | deed, contingencles should finally | torce his nomination. The farm prob- | lem, too, 1 in a fair way to be solved, so far as legislation can solve it, at the coming session of Congress. Mr. Coolidge, it appears, by his decision not to run for Presldent, has cut the ground from under the feet of the | Democrats without much disturbing "|the chances of success of his own party. P | Mr. Levine and his pilot, M. Drou- | hin. signed papers and drank each health. Physical well-being, under the circumstances, is a matter of mutual consideration. e g other i‘ Expensive Kindness. | Another motorist has paid the pen- alty for failing to heed the common- | sense warning issued recently by the American Automobile Association rcla- |tive to glving “lifts” to strangers !along the road. This motorist is not | the first, nor will he be the last, who |lets his kindness interfere with his {udgment. He did not pay the severs penalty that the young couple in New Jersey did who lost their lives after an atrocious assault, nor the man and his wife in Georgia who were found dead along the road soon after they | had given a lift to some strangers. But he robbed, and his experience should, but probably will not, prove a TR THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 1927. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. valuable lesson to the legion of mo- torists, Stopping at a service station near Baltimore for gas, the latest victim of the roadside heggars was asked for a ride to Washington by a well dressed man. The motorist assented and start- ed off. Near Laurel he espied a mo- tor cycle parked along the road. The self-invited ‘“guest” called his atten- tion to this unusual occurrence and also to the fact that the “guest” now had his host coveyed with a wicked- no uncertain manner to pull up and stop. Having deftly gone through the pockets of the kind motorist, the erst- while “guest” jumped on the’ motor cycle and was whisked away. Now comes the question of how many more automobile owners are go- ing to take their lives in thefr hands to provide free transportation to the rapidly growing army of roadside beg- gars, thieves and murderers? Is there no lesson powerful enough to impress upon these kind-heartell and heedless souls that they will soon run the gamut of human horrors if they do not heed wise counsel and refrain from the practice? Young girls have been as- saulted and their escorts killed, men and women have been maimed for life, and robbery of car or money is com- moen in these experiences with the roadside beggar. It is time to wake up, and every American motorist should resolve to himself that from this time on he will avoid as he would a scourge the tipraised hand or the soft-spoken request of the young beg- gar or the old beggar along the roads of this country. —_— e One of the most famous anarchists a good many years ago was “Herr Most.” He was always regarded as being on the verge of doing some- thing terrible. He began to grow nervous and was finally pulled by the feet from his hiding place under a lady's bed. When he found himself in the hands of the police instead of former friends who had turned against him he went along peacefully, and even gratefully. ————rae— Admirers of Calvin Coolidge con- tinue to study the word “choose,” in the hope that it implies a possibility that he may “guess again.” v When Hugh Gibson comes home he will be rated high as a diplomat who insisted on knowing what he was talking about. v None of the candidates who are pic- tured in cowboy costume have really demonstrated the ability to hold their own in a pony race. ———————— Salaries paid prohibition agents are moderate. They call for a sense of duty that is superior to considerations of pecuniary advantage. —— . It is better to accept blame than to be overlooked. Communists are always willing to accept responsibility for anything unpleasant that happens. ————————— ‘The cowboy costume is versatile. It serves with equal efficiency for a movie comedian or a presidential candidate. ———————————— A new naval ratio may take into consideration the number of battle- ships a nation feels that it needs and the number it thinks it can afford. —_—————————— Every now and then Boston tells the world that it is interested in other matters than sedate scholarship. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Evils and Remedies. The English sparrow used to eat Each caterpillar he could meet. We sprayed the trees with H:0 And made the poor old sparrow go. The caterpillars, romping gay, Demand today another spray. The auto moves along in dread Of streams of arsenate of lead. And so, whatever we may try Toward making little bothers fly, The good old flivver, where we sit, Appears to get the worst of it. No Lone Fisherman. oing fishing this Summer?” No,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It has gotten so you can't even go fishing without getting the reporters and the camera men all excited by the idea that you contemplate some big move in politics. History’s Repetition. Now rumors strange beset each land, And call us to deplore The perils that may be at hand— We've heard them all before. And even when ‘the hour draws near That brings the tempest’s roar, We face the threats without a fear— ‘We've heard them all before. Our joys are always new and strong. ‘When sorrows lurk once more, We wait for them to pass along— ‘We've heard them all before. Jud Tunkins says he wishes all his old friends were as polite and affable as the perfect stranger who is selling him insurance. “He who tells his troubles,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown,“wearies a friend and reveals his weak points to an enemy.” “Pie” in Politics. The camera is going strong, And in the misty by and by, They who desire applause may long For the comedian’s custard pie. To Be Envied. “Wasn't that pretty girl lucky who won the title ‘Miss Swampoodle’'? She is the envy of the neighborhood. . “She has been still luckier since then,” answered Miss Cayenne. “She won the heart of an honest, hard- working man and has the title of ‘Mrs. John Smith,’ or something like that.”” Better Than Crossword Puzzles. ‘When miscreants employ their arts, They still attempt to cheer our hearts. ‘They leave a lot of clues behind, Which serve to occupy the mind. “I'd like to go back to dem good old days,” said Uncle Eben, “when a man who got mad 'bout sumpin’ pulled a rasos 'sted o' droppin’ & bomb.” . = looking plstol and was telling him in | all, “Whether we advocate formal or in- formal plans, one thing s needed in either case, and that is some line or border of green growth which shall encircle the lot—shall make it into that garth or inclosed spot which gives the word ‘garden’ its old first meaning. The garden belongs, first of or her who owns it and This dictum of Mrs. Frances King, in her “Little Garden" book, perhaps has no better illustration in America than in a certain Washington home and garden which we had the pleas- ure of visiting recently. The real garden is an outdoor liv- ing room, a place where one may live when the temperature is right, sur- rounded by floral creations of beauty, vet ened from the prying gaze of what is vaguely known as vulgar curiosit. The garden, rightly situated and made, is part of the house, so that the word “home"” covers both extremes, the interior and the exterior. That many gardens seem a thing apart from the house is because of condi- tions over which owners have no con- trol or because of a failure to grasp fundamental garden practices. *One ought to be able to sit in his garden in his shirt sleeves, or even 1 than that had he a mind to. Pri- vacy is the keynote of the garden, as it is of the living room within. * ok ok % This is a house on a hill, but one cannot see it from the roadway. In fact, many residents ‘in the neighbor- hood have never seen it, and somo even say it doesn’t exist! Yet it is there, solidly enpugh, and has been sitting proudly on its eminence for a quarter of a century.at least. ‘It is that kind of a house. One cannot imagine it wearing out. Built of shingles and stucco, the shingles seem solid and thick as the day they were laid, the stucco (which is reaily pehble-dash) without cracks of any kind, either fissure or hair crack, The entrance to this domain is gained by elther one of two roads, the first a concrete alley leading directly to the back of the house and the other an’ improvised roadway coming in on the east side of the manor house. Probably the use of the term “manor house is a bit strong, for neither house nor lot is large enough to justify it, yet the phrase does give some sense of the completeness of the estate comprising an acre of ground, with the two-story house in the ce: ter on its hill, with various outbulid- ings hugging the rear, as if to escape the cold blasts of the north wind. The favorite entrance is over the easier road from the south, as the alleyway is unusually steep. The car dips between hedges and trees into the road, just wide enough for one ve- hicle. We are now on the property, although newcomers do not know it. To the left one sees late-planted gladioli, growing like corn, only the swordlike leaves above the earth at this time. The top of a house and the tip of a chimney are seen away to the west, but they seem far away, indeed. ‘With a swish the car lands one at the rear of the home, practicaily not ing being seen of it until one is be- side it. EEE Once there, .the outside world has vanished. ‘Wherever one looks, The estate is encircled with them, lordly pines, and others we forget, all going to make up that “line or border of green growth” for which the prophetess of the garden speaks so winningly. Coming around a corner of the house, the guest arrives at an en- trance cupola, or whatever one calls it, that leads nowhere! Through the years, changes were made, and the door was blocked up. but the entrance left where it was. The kitchen door is just south of it, flanked by a wide window, which lets down into the wall, allowing the house- wife to look out at the terrace. This terrace is immediately adjoin- ing the house, and is made of marble slabs laid on the grass. To the right is an expanse of lawn, cut here and there by beds of roses, phlox and petunias. A couple of bird baths are always filled with splashing, fluttering song: sters, while to the west, hanging from the skirting trees, dangle various forms of feeding stations and nest boxes. Therg s even a container full of horsehair, which Is used by the birds for making their nests, and which has been pulled and tugged at until fila- ments wave in the breeze as does the beard of Agamemnon in the Greek plays. a3 o K Kk x . From the depth of a steamer chair, a terribly hard thing to get into and out of, but exceedingly comfortable the rest of the time, the guest views nature adorned and unadorned. The only other place we ever got this sense of repose was in a great estate of many acres, where the vir- gin forest growth had been cut away around the house, so that the home was encircled as this one is. There were square blocks of trees beyond the clearing, it is true, but the effect from the house was no different than here, where but a single line of trees does the work, securing exactly the same effect. Thus is established in the visitor's mind, once and for all, the interesting fact and knowledge that the right garden atmosphere may be realized in little as in large, and perhaps even better, for it is more necessary to use intelligence in the former than in the latter. “Atmosphere” perhaps best sums up this really enchanting place. Here one gets atmosphere plus. It radiates from the house, which is unique in possessing no particular front—every side is front, if one wants to leok at it _so. g Every window in the house is some- what different from its neighbor, even when grouped. -One group of three has a sliding window, a casement window that opens out, and another that opens in. The leaded glass in each is of a different design. The bedrooms open onto a gallery that runs around the heamed living room; and in the latter no nook or corner escapes without some interest- ing built-in feature, a window seat, a shelf of books, or a drawer. There is a builtdn grandfather's clock on the winding stairway. To the right of the staircase, looking up, is a side door, after the Dutch manner, with the upper part swinging back, to allow the cows to look over at the folks— only there aren’t any cows, of course. The creatures that look over it today are the guests, who stand on the in- side, looking out, realizing that this he sees trees. Fplace is a home, not just a house. Bratiano Now Is Master in Saddle In Affairs of Rumania, With All Power It was a very unhappy, and a very unfortunate man who died the other day in the person of Ferdinand Ho- henzollern Sigmaringen, King of Ru- mania. Although not borne to a throne, he was made the heir appar- ent of his uncle, King Carol I of Rumania, who died early in the war, some time in 1915, after a long, labor- jous and on the whole prosperous reign. As a matter of fact Carol was King from 1866 to 1915, almost for half a century. His wife, the gifted Elizabeth, known better as Carmen Sylva in the literary world, was a fit companion to that truly great ruler, who almost made Rumania. His early love for another gifted woman of Rumania, namely Helene Vacaresco, smothered, for no better reason than because she was a com- moner, Ferdinand married an English princess, who was later to become world wide known, as the famous Queen Marie of Rumania. Five chil- dren, two boys and three girls, issued from this marriage, Carol and Nicho- las, Elizaheth, Marie and Ileana. In War’s Turmoil. Most of his early and middle life Ferdinand passed in the relatively obsecure role of a crown prince, and when on the death of his uncle he was called to the throne, he found himself in the midst of the turmoil of the Great War. For a year and a half Rumania remained undecided between neutrality and war. For nearly 50 years the Rumanian king- dom was in more than one respect an economic province of the central em- pires. The high-handed methods of imperial Russia, that after the Russo- Turkish War of 1878 took possession of the richest Rumanian province of Bessarabia in_ exchange for the marshes of Dobrudja, contributed considerably to this close friendship hetween Germany and Austria on one hand and Rumania on the other. Nevertheless Rumania joined the entente allies in the Great War, and with the turn of the tide she was Jeteated and overrun by the German, Austrian, Bulgarian and even Turkish armies, but finally was repald for her sufferings by the acquisition of the large domains of Transylvania and Bukowina and other territories of the erstwhile Austro-Hungarian Em- pire. Curiously enough, in the course of her victory Rumania lost her eco- nomic balance, saw her oil wells ruined and, to make matters worse, she even lost her gold reserve of $200,000,000, which her government early in 1917 had the unfortunate inspiration to send to Moscow—of all places—for safekeeping during _the time of the German invasion. It is true that when the Teutons overran Rumania they found no gold, but, on the other hand, that same money came very handy for the bolsheviks when they overthrew the imperial regime in 1917. Agrarian Problem Acute. Among the great post-war problems of Rumania was the agrarian one, which was due to_the promises given to the peasants during the war. by the government, who promised the splitting up of the large estates and the distribution of more or less free land to the peasantry. Naturally in order to do this the Rumanian govern- ment had to find the money to pay the land owners whose estates were to be confiscated. This operation en- talled a tremendous outlay of money, and the whole scheme was carried out in a half-hearted way that left the peasant more dissatisfied than ever. Against this agrarian revolt the Bratiano family succeeded in rallying the old Rumanian land-owning aristoc- racy and, thanks to his clever tactics, his ruthless methods and his kno ledge of the psychology of the Rumas ian peasant, Jonel Bratlano, the leas ing spirit of the family, became the absolute master of the situation that he still is. Crushed in Assembly. The Agrarlan party was ruthlessly crushed in the National Assembly that was called together after the war. in'gp order to amend the state constitution, The “New Rumanians” as the “lib- erated brethren” of Transylvania and Bukowina were called, vainly tried to oppose their strength against the dominant party of Bratiano. These “New Rumanians,” who thought they were going to play an important role in the Rumanian Kingdom, soon found that the old politicians of Bucharest did not relish the intrusion of these outsiders into their party councils. Crown Prince Carol chose to put himself at the head of these discon- tended elements. But for his love for romantic adventure he'might have suc- ceeded. At that time, however, Mme. Lupescu came into play. Bratiano quick as a flash seized the occasion to_get rid of Carol. Now that King Ferdinand is dead, and a regency is established, with Bratiano in the saddle, things seem to be pretty safe for those what at present have all power in their hands. How long is this peace to last? That is the question. PHILOSOPHIES BY GLENN FRANK For weeks we have had our atten- tion centered upon the discussions of armaments among the major powers. The air has been filled with discus- sion of economy and of equality of power; we have talked of cruisers and of tonnage; it is well, I think, to refresh our minds on the realistic facts about war that must underlie all this discussion. We forget so easily. During the World War our religious and secular press was filled with ar- ticles prophesying the vast spiritual uplift the war would bring to our civilization. We were told that out of the war would come a refining fire that would burn the dross out of the lives of men and institutions, that we would come back from the war with a new and more spiritual con- ception of the state and of public dreams? Where are those fine dreams now? ‘We wera honest in our dreams, but we are disillusioned in the waking. The few moral disciplines we had built up before the war have in many cases been scrapped without apology. The repressed libertinism of the race was released by the war. Not only the men who fought in the trenches, but the men and women behind the lines who were vicariously vicious as they knit socks and sold Liberty bonds, were, regardless of the loftiness, of their aims, schooled by war in a’cruelty of temper that it had been the business of generations to humanize and to clvilize. Vast masses of men who before the war were sensitive and shrink- ing at the thought of brutality are today bringing.a firing squad mind to the issues of peace. For four and a quarter years men lived by a philosophy of getting what they wanted by fighting, and they have caried the philosophy over into civil affairs. Social revolutions, labor wars and the madness of lynching bees for men and opinions alike are the certificates that show how well the race learned its lesson of conquest by cruelty. The war brought a transient dis- cipline to mankind, but it also bred a revolt against discipline. Men will submit to rigid discipline for a time if the adventure is dramatic enough, but peace, when it brings no chal- lenge to spiritual adventure, seems drab and purposeless after a war, And the peace that followed our last war has bred a world-wide rebel- lion against hard work, against loyalty to homes that seem humdrum after the lawless liaisons of war time, against all the controls and tradi- tions and disciplines and procedures that had been slowly built up by years of civilized efforts. ‘These are things to remember when we think of war and the implements (Copyrisht. 1037.) cEMNRNRG NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM LG M. SELECTED POEMS. Chaim Nach- man Bialik. The New Palestine. Maurice S8amuel, who translated the poems of Blalik from the Hebrew and selected those which make up this volume, adds here also a competent eritical sketch of the work of this poet and a passing glimpse of his life. Born in Russia in 18 his boy- hood and youth were passed In deep- est poverty. This fact comes out in his poetry. “Do you know where my songs are taken?" is a line that introduces a gray picture of want and suffering such as he himself ex- perienced. After the death of his father the boy went to live with his grandfather, a Jew of the old school-— stern, fanatical and autocrati This period also is reflected in his later work. Biallk was full grown when he took up his secular education which he pursued with ardor and eminent success. Wandering and al- ways working, he finally settled in|* Odessa, where he prospered as a printer, all the time following th~ urge of poetry as his fullest means of self-expression. At the advent of Bolshevism he moved to Palestine, where he now lives. In a most interesting talk about the poet Maurice Samuel says: “Now, the peculiarity of genius is that it can do anything, and hecause Blalik is a genius he succeeded in produc- ing greatness out of second-hand ma- terial. He had his own powerful emotions. He had a language learn- ed artificlally, maintained artificially. There were no masses speaking Hebrew. There were no lovers woo- ing in Hebrew. There was not a Hebrew slang. There was not a He- brew life of the soil. In face of these terrific handicaps Bialik succeeded in producing a living literature.”” Read- ing these selected poems, all will agree that this is not an overdrawn summary of the quality of this Jew- ish writer's gifts and powers. the critic say ‘There are two dis- tinct Bialika—Bialik the prophet and Bialik the human singer. They are linked by a common genius, but sepa- rated by moods as far apart as. the poles. Bialik the prophet is not al- ways the prophet of the orthodox God. He is as often in revolt againet God as against his own people—his revolt is not based on hatred but on tortured love instead.” Bialik the human singer is, accord- ing to Mr. Samuel, best set forth in “‘Songs of the People.”” Selections from this poem are submitted here. It deals largely with the feelings of Jewish maidens who knew only Yid- dish, and portrays the frustrations of many sorts that lay in such an in- closed existence of rigid inhibitions. Here one finds in full the deep cynicism of the ghetto and its pas- sionate hatreds. One of Bialik's great poems, according to this critic, is “The City of Slaughter,” which you have a chance to read here. It is a protest against the pogrom, a protest against its injustice, inhumanity, bestiality. It is also a shout of scorn for the victims, for their cowardice and submission. A picture, black as night, opens the poem and off against that is set the wan colors of fear and. flight. The emotions stirred so tre- mendously here are those of pity, con- tempt and terror. “The Dead of the Wilderness” springs from a legend. It therefore lacks " the direct personal appeal of The City of Slaughter.” The legend runs that the Jews who left Egypt for Canaan did not die in the wilder- ness, as the Bible states. No, but be- cause they were rebels they were cast into a deep sleep that eased now and then into wakefulness. At these periods of consciousness they took up their weapons and went on their way. An unending journey, its goal never reached, since always sleep settled upon them again, and again. Mr. Samuel declares this poem to have the grandeur of Milton. Read for your- self in proof of this assertion that it rlng.! “with Milton's tremendous mu- sic. Here “the immemorial oppres- siveness of the great wastes lies on every verse. The lion steps down with smooth and tremendous footsteps to- ward the encampment, the -eagle screams in the upper heights, the vast serpent lifts up its half column of bright hieroglyphics, the Arab cara- Yan sways dreamily along the honi- zon. This little volume is clearly opportunity—opportunity for lovers of great poetry to approach a great poet on the theme of Jewish life in its alienation from a mother soil, with the losses—material, and then spirit- ual—which such alienation has en- tailed on the full substance of Jewish existence. * R % % GOD'S CHEER: And Other Poems. Charles Wellington Goodin. Chris- topher Publishing House. A poet of mative stripe this one, a poet of homespun besides. And, as is commonly the case, the man himself is more significant and therefore more interesting than any single job df work that he turns out. Pioneer life went Into the making of this writer, and a successful business career also. Not particularly promising preparation for song-making, some one may say. That depends. Now it turns out that, in addition to being a business man of substance, this man had built into his career certain qualities that prove to be equally good, whether one is mere- ly living, or trading, or writing verses. The record says that in the day’s work of rounding up prosperity and success Charles Goodin found time, and will, to learn of the needs of many people—of this one with a troubled mind, of that one with a sorrowing heart, of the other man over there worrled about some trouble that he thought was on the way to him. Having learned of these things, Mr. Goodin didn’t stop there. He went out to meet these men and women of various needs. A rare man, who had time to be both a business success and a human being besides. And that's the tune to which this poetry— created in the rare moments of this man’s leisure—+sings its homely and friendly way into the hearts of the reader. No, not altogether pious, as the title poem suggests—just reverent instead—reverent toward life and the beauty of the world and the care that to him is unmistakably shed around every created creature within it. A good deal of fun and gay laughter in- vites one here. A touch of wit, keén- er than mere humor, is a joy along the way. Plain observations set to| verse embody a working philosophy of practical living in a real world. Senti- ment has place here without a scrap of sentimentality hanging to it. Good intent, a busy life, fair dealing and a great capacity for real friendship join hands here. Circling and singing, they open up the ring to admit the reader. Who is sure to feel the contagion of | so much worth-whileness. | “Thy morning and Thy sunshine are around us; We feel Thy strength in everything d. abound. If in the shades of weakness these have found us, ¥ Oh, let us know that we are really found! Let us move forward, free from doubt or fear, Uplifted, strengthened by Thy glorious cheer. The things which we thought uncon- querable will be The things which through Thy pow- er we conquer still. A force within will rise and set us free From those imagined chains which bound our will. And we as new creations shall appear, Inspired to nobler actions by Thy @ cheer,” ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS Q. How does the highway mileage of the United States con.pare with that of France, of Germany, of Grea! Britain?—C. E. D. A. The United States has 3,001,825 miles of highway: France, 397,000 miles; Germany, 200,000 miles, and England, Scotland and Wales, a total of 178,205 miles. Q. What State watermelons?—H. S. A. Georgia. For the past five years Georgia has produced on an average 16,438 carloads of watermelons annual- ly. ‘This is 31:6 per cent of the pro- duction of the entire country. Florida ranks second, with an annual average production of 9,187 carloads, and Texas third with 7456 carloads. Q. Why should the apostrophe used in phrases such as time, ‘a month's time" A. The apostrophe used letter * to denote possession indi- cates the omission of the letter “I” which, together with the letter “s," was formerly the sign of posse For example, vears ago rather ‘s hat” the phra The “i” has now been dropped from the sign of possesaion and the apostrophe indicates its omis- sion. raises the most Q. Which Is the longest highway bridge in the United State: E.R. T. A. The Delaware River Bridge, which is the world's largest suspension bridge, is probably the longest high- way bridge in the United States now in operation. The length of the en- tire bridge is 1.81 miles. This bridge is a highway bridge over the Dela- ware River connecting Philadelphia with Camden, N. J. Q. How many colors are there P. H. A. The seven primary colors are red, orange, yellow, blue, green, indigo and violet. Aubert estimated the solar spectrum to contain about 1.000 dis- tinguishable hues, from which about 2,000,000 tints and shades can be de- vived. Q. Please explain the county unit school system.—J. H. K. A. The Bureau of Education classi- fles 20 States as having the county unit and recognizes 4 or 5 others as having made some beginning with this form of school organization. The States wWhich have the county unit are divided into two groups, namely, those having the strong form and those having the weaker or semi- county form. In the former, county school authorities, as distinguished from district authoritles, constitute the dominant school administrative agencies, while in the latter the dis- trict system still prevails, and in gen- eral the district authorities predomi- nate, but some important functions partaking of the nature of county organization are given to the county authorities. In States having the strong form, the county 18 a consider- able contributor to public school sup- port; the County Board of Education is given more or less power in the arrangement of district boundary lines, and in nearly all cases the county superintendent is selected by the county board. Power Is also given to the county board in the matter of selecting teachers . Q. What Is the value of the crops raised on irrigated land in this coun- try?—P. D. A. Last vear on Government irri- gation projects, totaling 2,264,000 acres, crops were produced that had an aggregate value of $109,118,300. Q. ful to way? A, Is it true that the weasel is use- (he( farmer? If so, in what S. M Weasels live almost entirely on BY FREDERIC J. HASKI 8 | (1) Pupll-teacher ratio, 25 N. live animals which are pests to the farmers. Mice, ground squirrels, rab- bits and chipmunks are favorite food. Q. Do any men in England receive the title “count”?—A. I. K. A. “Count” is not a title in the English peerage. Q. What is load?—L. B. B A. The teaching load refers to four factors conditioning the effieiency ot instruction and are: (1) The pupil teacher ratio, as shown by the aver- age daily attendance; (2) the number of classes taught by the teachers; (3) the number of student hours per teacher; (4) the number of students in a class. The North Central Associa- tion of Colleges and Secondary Schools recommends the following as norma! 2) the num. v the teacher number of student 130 per day: (4) the in a class, 25, meant by the teaching ber of classes taught 5 daily; 3) t hours per teache: number of strden Q. Do genuine police dogs hav four or five toes on rear feet?—. A. The Bureau of Animal Hus bandry says that all dogs possess an atrophied fifth inner toe, which Is called the “wart of the digging leg.” Q. drained from a motor preserve posts’—W. S. A. The Forest Products Laboratory says: “In our estimation soaking a fence post in oil drained from a motor would have little effect upon its life We do riot believe the treatment would make the post rot quicker, but we also do not believe it would add appreciably to the life of the post. Spent automobile oil cannot be ex pected to have good preservative prop erties. The best preservative for fence posts is coal tar creosote.” Q. What is in the world A. The Gold the North Rai sidered the passenger train at pr Q. What license plate on an RUELT. | "A.As far as_we are able to ascer- tain, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas and Oklahoma require only one license plate on an_automobile. This regu- lation was also used in Florida. Q. Is the word “pergola” accented on the first or second syllable?—P. D. A. The accent is on the first syllable. Q. What does the prefix metro mean?—A. M. A. It may mean mother, or it may be measure. Metrochrome is a color measuring instrument; metropolis was originally the mother city of a province, Q_ Why do mosquitoes people and not others? A. The apparent immunity or sus- ceptibility of individuals to mosqui- toes is due to body odors which at- tract or repel. Will soaking fence posts in ofl the the fastest regular train ?—C. V. Express of ance is con 1y scheduled States require but one automobile?— bite some . M. Government statistics bring out the fact that the uneducated man has only one chance in 800 to attain distinction. There is no reason why any one should live under such handicap in | these days of free schools and free information. ~This paper supports in Washington, D. C., the largest free information burcaw in ecistence. It will procure for you the answer to any question yow may ask. Avail your- self of its facilitics for your self-im- provement. Inclose a 2-cent stamp for return postage. Address The Eve- ning Star Information Bureau, Fred- l;)'ich‘ Haskin, director, Washiagton, ‘Walter Johnson's twentieth anniver- sary as a major league base ball pitcher was the occasion of admiring felicitations from the press every- where. The great pitcher is credited with having contributed much to sportsmanship in general through up- holding the highest ideals during his 20 vears with the American League team of Washington. The Omaha World-Herald declares Johnson has “added luster to the na- tional game,” as it records that “‘other stars have come and gone, but he has been a brilliant performer throughout his caveer, first by the blinding speed with which he could throw a base ball, later, in his older vears, by the cunning, the shrewd tactics, the con- trol of a master craftsman.” The World-Herald also quotes Johnson's own statement that “if a player lets his bad days get the best of him, he will not have many good days,” and adds: “To all come reverses. But only to those who can rise above their reverses; who, undaunted, can return to the fray with new courage and high resolve—only to them are the laurel wreaths awarded; only to them is the way to success opened.” “One name,” according to the New vork Sun, has been bestowed upon him by writers all over the country ——“Sir Walter.” As compared with “Barney” and “The Big Train,” the Sun remarks: “This is the best of because it comes nearest to de- ing what the experts in his pro- fession think of him. He is a true chevalier of the diamond, without fear and without reproach, an honor to the game and a credit to himselt.” The Nashville Banner feels that he “has meant a great deal more to his day and generation than is involved in playing base ball with skill and su cess.” “Millions of persons,” col tinues the Banner, “are interested in the game, and their attitude toward things in general is more or less in- fluenced by what they see going on. No finer exampe of the virtues and benefits of gentlemanly demeanor and good sportsmanship could have been UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today its Regular Army reaches war . strength of 300,000. * * First appointments from officers’ training camps are published. Some men b ing appointed to Officers’ Reserve Corps and others directly to the X tional Army. * * * Pershing troops are anxious for action, and the hope of soon getting into the trenches spurs them on in their work bf prepa- ration. * ¢ Minute details for mobilizing the new draft army are is- sued by the President through the provost marshal general's office. Drafted men will be subject to Army law as soon as names are posted. ¢ & * (Crowder warns governors that too many men are claiming de- pendencies and local boards must cut down percentage of exemptions grant- ed. * ¢ * Members of the Root mission oppose suggestion that United States troops be sent to Rus- sia. Such a step had been considered, as well as a proposal to send troops to the Italian front. ® ¢ * Germany's decision to concentrate her submarine operations In the Atlantic and North Sea thought to have been caused by entrance of United States into the war. Change increases menace to transport of our troops overseas. * * others that have been rised, including | - Press Pays Glowing Tributes To Walter Johnson, Sportsman given than Johns offered.” fe the one has * ok ok % “Professional athletics may breathe more easily because of Barney,” savs the Minneapolis Tribune. “ile has in- spired faith in professionalism when doubts were scudding across the base ball horizon. He has demonstrated that pl. ng the game—intelligently and sincerely and well—is the best test of true sportsmanship, and that the standards of the professional, like the standards of the amateur. may be' quite above reproach. As hase ball pays tribute to its distinguished vet eran, it but partially repays a debt which can never quite be measured.” The admiration of fans all over the country is voiced by the Bay City Daily Times, which avers that “he has been their ideal from the stand. point of conduct.” The Muskogee Times - Democrat ::Jx‘!:.s of annl'f‘ker occasion, a world serles game, “We remember 3 that Walter Johnson Eloriousty falied and we can never forget the day, a~ the tide turned against Bucky Hai ris, that he called upon the man whose heart he knew game and true, or how the ‘Big Train’ went n_ul tRere into the hox with the New York sluggers facing him and sent them down, one by one, to bring Vletory to the man who believed in m. “As his long career on the diamond draws to a close, his matchless char- acter will more and more draw the compliments of an admiring public,” in the opinion of the Charlotte Ob server, and the Toledo Blade, declar- ing that “character is everything in whatever game man plays,” eon- tinued: “The celebration was not meant merely to pay tribute to his pitching ability. Without his good right arm and the cunning of his brain he could not, of course, have attracted public attention. But it was his wholesome character that won him universal acclaim.” The Helena Montana Record-Herald finds further cause for commendation i the fact that “during all the years Walter Johnson has been in the lime light, he has borne his honors grace- fully; his modesty is refreshing.” * X % % “A pitcher of wonderful ability and endurance, unspoiled by success, a fine type of American manhood, not only Washington but the entire coun- try joins in feligitating Johnson on his anniversary,” says the Ports- mouth Times, and the Bangor Com mercial sees in his career “a service that has been of inestimable ad- vantage both to his club and to the professional game.” “It 18 a unique record, out by the Hartford ‘ot a ball player continues to pitch twi decades for one club. The base bal statisticians love to figure the num ber of contests which the ‘Old Master' has taken part, the hun- dreds of strikeouts to his credit the mno-hit contests he has pitched and the victories he has won. But the figures tell only a small part of the story of Walter Johnson. It is a story of clean living. loyal ser ice and true sportsmanship. There can be no better exhibition of true sportsmanship on the part of a ball player than that shown by the fact that in 20 years Johnson has lived in peace and harmony with umpires, having never been fined, and never put out of the game for any offense.” * The Portsmouth Sun concludes: “There should be some way of im- pressing it upon the youth of the land that the Lindberghs, the Byrds, It is polnted wnt, “wher Swiss observer says that Germany is near collapse with her man power exhausted, her transportation facili- tles failing and her allies a burden to her, the Chamberlins, the Johnsons, the men who do the big things and who last, are men who control their hab. its and do not weakly let their habits control them.”