Evening Star Newspaper, September 5, 1927, Page 8

e I ke g i ol Sl L g : THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1927 l’rHE EVENING STAR/|Intact for nearly two-thirds of a cen-|seem to favor its final repeal, or ‘With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY......September 5, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and New York Off Chicagn Office: Tower Bu FEuropean Office: 1% Regent St.. England. < London, The Evening Star with the Sunday morn- Ing edition is delivered by earriers within the city at 60 cents per month: dalls only 45 cents per month: Sundays only. 20 < ‘mav he sent b ‘Colinction 18 carrier at end of each month m made 1y Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. s nd Sund .1 yr. £0.00: 1 mo.. 75¢ §§ly5 oty il Y BR00° 1 mo unday only. J1yr.$300: 1 mo All Other States and Canada. aily and aily onls Sunday only Member of the Associated Press. The Associnted Prees is exclusively e titled republication of all news dis- A All richts of herein are also reserv published T of speial American Labor's Day. American labor rests today from toil and devotes the occasion to ob- servamces calculated to stimulate the sense of the dignity and importance of its position in the industrial and economic life of the Nation. The holi- day has become an institution in the United States, far more significant than the “May day” demonstrations of the workers of other lands, which are devoted mainly to agitations in favor of reactions against the existing order of affair This is a day of peace in America, and yet of striving to bet- ter the condition of labor through edu- cation and improvement of capacity. The keynote of the occasion is struck by addresses delivered by lead- ers of labor in terms of admonition to the members of the organized groups to exercise the franchise, to vote for candidates for office who will enact and support laws making for the amelioration of the hardships suf- fered by labor and for its advance- ment. Reforms and betterments are to be effected through legislation and mot by revolution. They are to be brought about by resort to the funda- mental principle of self-determination in orderly procedure. American labor is today a strong factor in political affairs in America as a constructive force. There is no “labor party” here, as in some other countries. The workers do not affili- ate as a group with one particular political organization. The folly of attempting “class government” has been avoided. Intelligent discrimina- tion rather than mass action is the order of the day. Despite the infiltration of great numbers of aliens during the period of unrestricted immigration, the aver- age of the “Americanism” of the work- ers in this country is high, and the percentage of sound thinking on their part is increasing. With the restric- tion of immigration, this advance to- ward conservatism has been more rapid. Demagoguery becomes less ef- fective and radicalism exerts less in- fluence in the ranks of the toilers, organized and unorganized. A sense of responsibility as joint partners in the American govern- mental enterprise pervades the ranks tury. There was no “get rich quick” procedure here. Mr. Depew might have invested his “century” in an al- luring stock, in an ofl well or a gold mine, promising rich returns at once. He might have made many thousands by good luck. Or he might, and more probably would, have lost his hundred. Actuaries may be interested to work out what that compounding process would have yielded Mr. Depew if he had made it a practice to follow his initial hundred with a similar deposit each year during the entire course of time. Without exact statistics it can only be computed in the most general figures, but the result would have been assuredly a veritable fortune, even in terms of modern wealth. The saving of a hundred dollars was a greater achievement in 1861 than it is today, for the hundred of that time was in reality a bigger sum than it now is. But most men can save a hun- dred a year, by dint of economy, by going without some luxury or some indulgence, and with co-operative thrift on the part of the family. If every one were thus to start saving at, say, twenty-five, putting the same amount aside annually and letting it all remain to compound in interest for several decades, there would be no oc- casjon for old-age pensions, for char- ity or for suffering. The Callizo Investigation. It looks very much as if another Dr. Cook had made his appearance. This time, however, the man who is being branded as a faker went straight up instead of straight north. Lieut. Jean Callizo of France, holder of the official world record for air- plane altitude, took his ship into the air the other day with the announced intention of setting the record still higher. When he landed, an hour or so later, he dramatically shouted: “Never again! I have reached the limit. The record is now forty-six thousand six hundred and fifty-one feet, beating my old mark of forty thousand feet. That is enough for me. I do not want to fall off the earth.” Callizo was acclaimed throughout the world for his feat. He was hailed as the premier exponent of high fly- ing, the hero who had set a mark that would withstand the determined on- slaughts of all other aviators. In short, he was the man of the hour in France and in world-wide aviation cir- cles. But a cloud, however, has just appeared in that “insultingly blue sky” which Callizo said he had seen at his maximum ceiling. The French Aero Club has conduct- ed an investigation. The aviator will be asked to appear before an official commission to explain why a baro- graph concealed in the wing of the plane unknown to him registered only fourteen thousand feet when he claimed to have risen to more than forty thousand, and why he is charged with tampering with the official baro- graph by inserting into it a strip of paper already marked by invisible ink which he made visible when out of sight of the ground. Callizo, it is said, has already admitted reprehensible acts in connection with the flight, and it appears that he will have a diffi- cult time explaining. The fact that the French aviator, it found guilty, will probably be de- prived of his flying license and the world record which he now holds, and of labor, wisely led and wisely acting toward the attainment of benefits. It is natural and commendable that there should be a constant striving for im- provement, for higher compensation, for better working conditions, for the protection of the labor ranks from abuses and for the development of group consciousness. Recently this ‘country witnessed a demonstration of the conservatism of American labor organizations. An agitation was fomented by a small minority of radicals against the exe- cution of two men convicted of murder by due process of law in Massachu- setts. Appeals were made in vain to the largest and most influential of the labor bodies to participate in this dem- onstration. There was no general sharing in the protest, no encourage- ment to the revolutionary reaction that was sought, and while many of the members of that organization shared in the doubt that was raised regarding the guilt of the men—a doubt that can perhaps never be dis- sipated—it was recognized that the law must be sustained, for the true interests of labor, as those of all other groups and classes of American so- ciety, rest upon the maintenance of law and not upon its defiance and sub- version. The prosperity of American labor is the prosperity of the Nation. Con- flicts of interest are inherent in any economic endeavor. Every transac- tion of business, every process of pro- duction and sale, represents conflict. But it is the conflict of peace and not of antagonism. Recognizing the law of mutuality of welfare that is the fundamental of democracy, labor today manifests its strength and its sense of partnership and is highly honored for its intelligent adaptation to the spirit of America. ‘————— Eminent New Yorkers who go abroad are frank in intimating that the Lido compares favorably with Coney Island itself. Depew’s Thrift Demonstration. Chauncey M. Depew has just given younger America—and all but a very few Americans are younger than he— & striking lesson in thrift. Sixty-six years ago, which was in 1861, he de- posited in a savings bank at Peekskill the sum of $100. Tt was the first money he had ever saved, and he wanted to make of it a “nest egg.” He was able to leave it there, intact. His earnings were such that he was not compelled, nor was he disposed, to withdraw it for any purpose. And so it has remained in that bank ever since. The other day, recalling the eircumstance, he made inquiry as to his account and found that through that it will revert to Lieut. C. C. Champion of the United States at something over thirty-eight thousand feet, which he established in his startling and death-defying trip over ‘Washington last July, gives little joy to the American public. The pride of holding the record is tempered by the rather, {nasmuch as each convention adopts its own rules of procedure, its omission when the convention of 1928 comes to the point of defining its mode of operation. But it is to be noted that only thirty-eight of the fitty-seven members of the committee addressed responded to the inquiry. It may be that many of those who are disposed to stand pat on the rules did not answer. Perhaps the twenty- seven who expressed themselves as in favor of the majority rule are the maximum that can’'be mustered for the change. The two-thirds rule was adopted in the following terms by the 1832 con- vention: Resolved, That each State be en- titled, in the nomination to be made of a candidate for the vice presidency, to a number of votes equal to the number to which they will be entitled in the electoral colleges, under the new apportionment, in voting for President and Vice President; and that two- thirds of the whole number of votes in the convention shall be necessary to constitute a choice. ‘While this applied then only to the vote for the vice presidential candi- date, owing to the fact that the con- vention was all set for the unanimous nomination of Andrew Jackson for a second term, it was readopted in later conventions as applicable to both offices. Every four years since in the successive conventions the two-thirds rule has been rewritten as the law governing the meetings. It led to the deadlock in 1860, which caused the break of the party into two factions. It likewise caused a protraction of the Baltimore convention in 1912. It came to its highest point of obstruc- tive efficiency in 1924. Were there no single outstanding candidacy at present the two-thirds rule might be considered by the 1928 convention on its merits or demerits. But its rejection in favor of the ma- jority rule is certain to be coupled with the candidacy of the Governor of New York, against whom a substan- tial hody of opposition has formed within the party, and it may be that when the time comes to adopt the rules of procedure, whatever may be the recommendations of the national committee, the party in conventlon assembled will not deem it wise to break a tradition for the benefit of a favorite. —————————— It is freely admitted that a prize fight requires press agents. A sport- loving public will insist that the outcome of an encounter must never be left to the discretion of a stage manager. — e It appears negligent on the part of Mussolini to have mno lkely young man in training to take his place when he becomes due for retirement and a pension. r—eo—t————— Many of next season's plays will come from London. They will have the advantage of a discreet censorship by the lord chamberlain. ————————————— An illusion to the effect that smug- glers had effected a one-way route from Canada to the U. S. A. has been ab- ruptly dispelled. ——— e National convention rules are under discussion. They may prove almost as perplexing a source of controversy as Senate rules themselves. —————— Even in international relationships that old war horse among political issues, the tariff, looms up as a tre- mendous influence in the betting odds. ‘What aviation evidently needs for the present is some reliable system for the conservation of energy. regret that “faking” should make its appearance in the glorious ledger of aviation accomplishment. Expeditions of danger are accept- ed with public confidence, because the public cannot and will not, until the contrary is indisputably proved, be- lieve that a brave man has deceived it. It was so with Dr. Cook, who braved the rigors of the Far North, and it is so with Callizo, who claims to have flown higher than a human ever has before. If the Frenchman is proved guilty—and appearances and his admitted acts would seem to demonstrate that he will be—it will be a pitiful spectacle. A brave man shown up as faker—a man who had the world at his feet because the world believed him a sportsman branded a common deceiver! It is pathetic that in these days of honest accomplishment of stirring deeds man can sink so low in the world's estimation. o One of the things demonstrated by Lindbergh is that a man avho really has something to offer the public does not have to go into vaudeville or the movies in order to command a large salary. ———e——————— The Two-Thirds Rule. Ever since the Madison Square con- vention of 1924, which was protracted to unprecedented length and which led to a serious confusion in Democratic ranks, a persistent effort has been made by the leaders of the party to seek a solution of the deadlock prob- lem, by a modification or repeal of the rule of order adopted originally in 1832 at Baltimore and continued, through successive readoptions at the quadrennial Democratic gatherings. In view of the fact that one poten- tial candidate for the nomination is generally regarded as easlly the fa- vorite in the running, this endeavor has come to be viewed as in his be- half, Steadily the inquiry is being pressed among eminent Democrats, and particularly among the members of the national committee, whether they favor the abolition of the two- thirds rule. The other day results of that inquiry were assembled, and dis- closed the fact that a majority of the committes members who responded favored the majority rule as against the two-thirds rule, the vote appear- ing to stand 27 to 11, while there seemed to be a majority, 22 to 16, in the compounding of Interest it amounted to upward of $1,100. That first hundred has earned a thousand, simply through use in other hands. Many a fortune has been established favor of the abrogation of the unit rule, which has likewise come to be a feature of the Democratic proosed- ings in convention. If so large a percentage of the na- SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER/JOHNSON. The Gentle Ananias. On Labor day no more we'll tell Of distant climes we loved so well, Nor of the fish we boldly sought; The little ones we really caught, And also, in our passing play, The fish’ immense that got away. ‘What wondrous golf! What tennis, too! ‘What scenes unfolding to the view! ‘What customs quaint! What startling thrills, As we went hurrying through the hills! ‘We'll mention these on Labor day. No listener will say us nay. The last fond fling we’ll gayly take At fancles that we must forsake; Resolving, as we say farewell, Henceforth the simple truth to tell. True Relaxation, “Did you enjoy your Summer?” “Very much,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It's a relief now and then to get away from home and send pic- ture cards instead fo campaign inter- views." Patient Printer. The patient printer hits the keys. He does not lead a life of ease. Though you and I may skip the junk, He has to read each line of punk. Jud Tunkins says a crook is often a “communist” who is in too big a hur- ry to help himself to other people's property. Home Anxietles. “Would you marry an aviator?” “No,” answered Miss Cayenne, “It would be bad enough to wonder whether a man had been delayed for dinner by a flat tire without scanning the heavens and wondering whether anything has happened to the para- chute.” “If no one talked of what he does not understand,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “the silence would be- come unbearabls Estimates of Success. The gentle loafer who sets out to shirk Has standards worth considering, more or less. It he can dodge an honest day of work, He thinks himself a wonderful suc- cess. “I saved some money foh a rainy day,” sald Uncle Eben, “an’ den made by just such means, though &hflw tlonal committee favors abrogation of | de nlm‘k.A of bettin’ k on & mud A ol ¢ - e tuothinde puje e Shupeme RIARS . RUMY < ~ THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. All the world loves a good dog poem —here is one from Munsey’s, via the poetry column of the Literary Digest, which catches the fancy: Stray Dog. BY CHARLOTTE MISH. Your wistful eyes searched each one as he passed, Stray dog—so lost, so starved and starkly thin'— And yet your gallant hope held to the last . That there would come a heart to take you in. Some came who bewilderment, Some kicked you, shouted, things till you'd gone; But, oh, more cruel was the one who bent And petted you, and murmured— and went on! Sentimental? Well, not if you like dogs. The word “sentimental” is too much loosely used by those who do not care fm"ranhrmls. hose who detest dogs are vi likely to declare that llfose whoe;z are “sentimental,” thereby fondly be- lieving that they have damned the dog lovers for once and for all. Yet just exactly what is it to be u%:m;mal? e first meaning, according to thy Standard Dictionary, is: “Chgal‘flclere- ized by sentiment or intellectual emo- tion; involving or exciting tender emo- tions or inspirations.” The second meaning, of course, is the one preferred by the easy swing- ers of “sentimental,” and here is why: ‘Given to emotional feeling; experi- encing and displaying sentiment, often in an extravagant or mawkish man- ner; as, sentimental girl.” And what is sentiment? According to the same authority, sentiment is “‘noble, tender or artistic f:eglllflg. or susceptibility to such feel- The third, or psychological, defini- tion is as follows: “The class of complex feelings of the higher sort, such as are aroused and cultivated by ideas and ideals of intellectual, esthetic, moral or religious objects, relations and values; emotions awakened by things that appear to have worth.” All in all, it would seem that the sentimental man or woman has decid- edly the best of it. * K K % A dog s a creature that appears to have worth, to most of us, and the lost dog makes a distinct appeal to various feelings of the higher sort. This is why Miss Mish's poem ap- peals. It is a better poem, indeed, than William Blake’s “A Child Lost,” be- cause it is better done in a poetical way. The concluslon of the poem raises an interesting question, which would ap- ply equally well to the stray cat. Is it true that the man or woman who pities a lost creature, but who finally goes on, is more cruel than he or she who pays no attention to it, or who even goes out of thelr way to kick 1t? At first blush, the climax might seem an overstatement, which, of course,- would be allowable, anyway, since a poem does not aim to be a precise statement of fact. jeered at your threw Europe is now being toured by a commission of brilliant young Amer- ican engineers engaged in inspecting river hydraulics and means for con- trolling floods. The commission was organized by John R. Freeman of Providence, R. I, veteran civil and mechanical engineer. Soon after the Mississippi overflowed its banks this year, ‘Freeman invited national en- gineering societies to award, at his expense, a total of six European travel scholarships to men capable of investigating flood control. A former Government scientist at Washington, Herbert N. Eaton, until a year ago chief of the aeronautical instrument section at the Bureau of Standards, received one of the scholarships be- stowed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Eaton is now with the Freeman party in Germany. The commission has already looked at continental river-control systems, and will see others, in addition to water- ways in the British Isles, before re- turning to the United States at the end of the Autumn. * kK K ‘When President Coolidge was once cruising down the Potomac aboard the Mayflower, a flock of ducks flew low across the river. In an attempt to engage “Silent Cal” in conversa- tion, a companion was inspired to ask the President if he had ever done any hunting, “Once shot woodchucke,” was the snappy rejoinder. The Hamp- shire Gazette of Northampton, Mass., recalled last week that September 1 was the twenty-fifth anniversary of an event recorded in its columns on that date in the year 1902 as follows: “Calvin Coolidge has returned from his annual woodchuck hunt in his native State. He broke the record, capturing 11 fine-looking and healthy chucks.” So the promising young lawyer, who had not yet wooed and won Grace Goodhue, local school- teacher, seems to have fired as mean a rifle as any nimrod of his time. ‘Woodchucks have long been pests on New England farms, being capable of doing serious damage to red clover and garden crops. The probability is that Coolidge did his woodchuck hunt- ing on the ancestral estate at Plym- outh, Vt. thus combining sport with business. o Herbert Janvrin Browne of Wash- ington, the long-range weather fore- caster, who predicted this more or less Summerless Summer, was asked by this observer to do a little 1928 political weather forecasting. This is his come-back: “For the past six years I have been keeping company With the major planets and am on speaking terms with distant stars. I can diagnose sun spots and trace their malign influence into the hearts of earthquakes and West India hurri- canes. But to pick out candidates for the Presidency or to indicate ‘which party will win in 1928 wouldn't be a horoscope;. it would be a horror- scope. The method of ‘Bertie, the Lamb,’ in ‘The Henrletta’ in playing the market in Wall Street by flipping a coln is Machiavellian perspicacity beside any venture which I could un- dertake in picking a political winner. Let me fade from the picture. * k kK The two men who face possible con- viction for contempt of the United States Senate—Samuel Insull, public utility magnate of Chicago, and “Big Tom" Cunningham, clerk of the Court of Quarter Sessions at Philadelphia— are not shunning the limelight. In- sull's press agents are flooding the country with an address delivered by him in St. Louis last Winter, entitled “Civic Leadership Development and Responsibility.” The gentleman who unblushingly admitted that he sees nothing culpable in spending hun- ¢ thousands of ddllars to elect the “right” kind of men stresses the “continuous obligation” of good cit- izens to “take their share of civic responsibility and community serv- ice.” Cunningham, who, like Insull, declined to divulge the beneficiary of his slush, is now the Vare candidate for the Republican qomlnuhq,lor o Phiagsighia CouRR 5l A sclentific brochure does so aim, and anything short of clean-cut fact is less than scientific. A poem, on the other hand, aims to arouse cer- tain mental states, and if it achieves this result, a little exaggeration makes no_difference. Yet when some one says that pity which leads to no action is worse than a plain case of cruelty—what shall one say to that? * ok K K Actually and practically, then, one is inclined to tell Miss Mish that she is wrong. A man who strikes or kicks a dog on the street is cruel in a di- rect, tangible way. by There Eis no sel’bfle(y in his deed. What he needs is a good poke in the jaw, followed by several swift kicks to the place where it hurts most. To say that the good woman who stops in pity, pats the forlorn head, and then goes about her way, is the more cruel of the two, is nonsense. Perhaps she has no place to keep the dog, no way of caring for it. Maybe she feels that the dog is bet- ter off, taking its chances with free- dom, than in the care of persons with whom she might place it. * ok Kk K Yet there is a_feeling of a higher sort which Miss Mish invokes, and, if one views the episode from that clear light, the truth of her statement may be admitted. One admits it to be somewhat the- oretical, yet, within that limitation, precisely true. The point is that most of us lose our divine opportunities to do good. We are timid souls, afraid of what others will say, afraid to spoil the easy comfort of our lives, fearful lest we might catch a germ or something. The smooth tenor of our ways is preferred to plain duty. The duty is to ourselves, not to the dog. . : R This is selfishness to good purpose. The writer has been kicking himself for two years for having failed to help a kitten in the rain. It was, without doubt, the worst looking cat any one ever saw. It was merely bones and skin, almost com- pletely without fur, unable to walk. Really, a horrible sight. Death was but a few hours away. We solace ourselves with the thought that at least we stood there for 15 minutes, torn between a desire to try and help the creature and a feeling that any aid whatsoever would be useless. A plan to go home and return with a bottle of warm milk flashed through our head—and then we wondered what persons we had never seen before (and would never see again) would think of us. After all, it was no concern of ours —and so we passed on. We had failed in a plain duty, call it sentimental if you choose, because we had discovered something wrong and had not done what we wanted to do to right it. If every person would do what plainly comes right under his nose to do, the millennfum would be here. Tt is not necessary to go half around the world to save and help. Oppor- tunities come every day to all of us, right where we are. And we, may God forgive us, stoop down, and murmur—and pass on! WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Tom’s” rivals are broadcasting that the Vares have kept him in office un- interruptedly since 1895. In the in- tervening 32 years Cunningham has drawn the tidy sum of $259,000 salary. * ok K ¥ ‘Wheels revolve within wheels in connection with the reported—and de- nied—impending resignations of Dwight F. Davis and /Hanford Mac- Nider, respectively, from the Secre- taryship and Assistant Secretaryship of War. Political gossip has it that Davis doesn’t habitually hit it off with President Coolidge. He's ac- counted a sterner advocate of the Army’s requirements than the admin- istration economy program usually sanctions. It's predicted that some day Davis may be transferred to a foreign Ambassadorship, which some of his friends think he would prefer to cabinet life. Col. MacNider ranks as a likely inheritor of the Secretary- ship of War. The young lowa Re- publican is constantly touted as a future presidential candidate. He could wait until 1936 for his chance, and still be on the sunny side of 50. The American Legion, of which he was national commander in 1921-22, long ago anointed MacNider its fa- vorite son. He has made himself a real power at the War Department through his supervision of the indus- trial equipment, militia and reserve corps bureaus. All these contacts, plus his Legion affiliations, have built {up a MacNider “machine” of no mean ramifications. * K x There's a certain youngish United States Senator whose vote will be essential to whichever party seeks to organize the Senate in the approach- ing Seventieth Congress. The attrac- tive solon in question is now receiv- ing warnings from friendly quarters to beware of the insidious influences of the Washington ‘‘social lobby.” The latter is said to have discovered that both he and his charming con- sort have recently become enamored of the exclusive life from which ‘“radicals” are customarily banned. The message being wigwagged to the Senator and his lady is, “The social lobby’ll getcha if you don't watch out!” * oK K K Senator Borah, back in Washing- ton unabashed after having been photographed and rotogravured fish- ing for trout with gloves on, says the only affair, domestic or foreign, now keeping him awake at nights is a ‘“name for his new Virginian 3.year. old thoroughbred.” He bought him from a man named Jones, and thinks “Jones” might do. (Cobyright. 1927.) What’s the Use? Letter to the New York Sun. ‘What "Anti-Marathon” says recently in the Sun strikes a responsive chord in me which I feared was mute. I sympathize with his protest against the degradation of the fine word “mar- athon” in using it to describe gum- chewing and flagpole-sitting endurance contests. I am glad to know the cru- sader spirit still lives. As one who has fought, bled and died many times and oft in the defense of good words, I am delighted to know there are spirits still dauntless. Mine own, how- ever, is daunted. My head is no long- er bloody, because it is bowed—and it is covered with scars. Once I led a forlorn hope against the sloppy word “kiddie”—for child— and was massacred. Again I struck mighty blows against use of the pas- sive form of the verb in such phrases as ‘“he was cheered by the mob,” in- stead of the stronger ‘“‘the mob cheered him.” I was routed and lost my heavy artillery and baggage. Once I held the bridge against the misuse of “lurid,” “hectic,” “glant,” “monster,” ‘“‘cavalcade” and the like, but the Lars Porsenas of reporterdom and the False Sextuses of the copy desk pitched me into the river, armor and all. Now I am through. But I lean upon my crutches and in a thin, quavering voice cry cheers for the few gallant blades still going gay and careless to the onfall. I shall bespeak for ‘‘Anti- Marathon” qul.rt‘-x:n to —————————— A Speedy Justice Will Lessen American Crime To the Editor of The Star: By the preamble to the Constitution of the United States, “We, the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, * * * and secure the blessings of lib- erty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” “Justice,” in the language of Web- ster, “is the greatest interest of man on earth. It is the ligament which holds civilized nations together. ‘Wherever her temple stands, and as long as it is duly honored, there is a foundation for soclal security, general happiness and the improvement and the progress of our race. And who- ever labors on this edifice with useful- ness and distinction, whoever clears its foundations, strengthens its pil- lars, adorns its entablatures or con- iributes to raise its august dome still higher in the skies, connects himseif in name and fame and character with that which is, and must be, as durable as the frame of human society.” Can any one deflne exact and im- partial justice, when it comes to the question of the taking of human life at_the hands of the law? Natural justice is the only true and impartial justice administered to the rich and to the poor alike, through the law known as retribution, before whose court all men are equal, and from whose verdicts of guilty no hu- man conscience through all the ages has escaped punishment. It is then no wonder that we often hear the complaint that justice is not being administered by our courts to the rich and to the poor alike, and Ith;\t all men are not equal before the aw. The delays incident to the enforce- ment and execution of the criminal laws in various jurisdictions within the United States, contrary to the inten- tion of the Constitution of the United States, have made the general admin- istration of those laws a curse to American justice and American civil- ization, The predominant question being dis- cussed in the United States on this general subject today is whether one charged with a capital offense should be speedily tried and if convicted the death penalty should be carried out with the least possible delay. We need only to refer to the ex- perience of Great Britain on this sub- Jject. It has been found that in that country the penalty of death has been repeatedly inflicted, not after a de- lay of seven years, but after a prompt and speedy trial, and safeguarded in recent years by an immediate appeal to a revising court, composed of three Jjudges, whose decisions have not as yet been challenged. A person who commits the crime of murder seldom counts the cost, nor does he give consideration to the re- sults or to the consequences of his act. ‘What evidently deters the criminal in Wales and England is not how severe will be his sentence, but the swiftness of his trial and the certain- ty_of punishment. It has been asserted, as a fact, that the statistics of England and Wales show that by a strict enforcement of the law, England has reduced not only capital offenses, but capital pun- ishment itsel{ to a minimum, and that in the last five years there have been only 70 executions, or an average of 14 per annum. Crimes are diseases, classified in the law ags felonies and misdmeanors, yet how seldom do we hear of criminals seek’ & justice as a cure for crime in the courts of our country? Criminals do not want justice. They seek every thing else except justice. Amendment 6 to the Constitution of the United States is: “In all criminal prosecutions the ac- cused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impar- tial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have heen committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be con- fronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.” There is nothing wrong with our fundamental law, except the delays incident to its administration; and, if administered in accordance with the foregoing amendment to the Consti- tution of the United States, as it should be, capital offenses amd other crimes will rapidly decrease instead of increase, and greater respect for the laws of the land will be created. WILLIAM MEYERHOFF. Redfern Reported Seen In Region of Grave Peril To the Editor of The Star: 1t is very doubtful that any one who has not had personal experience in the territory where the aviator Red- fern was last heard from can have any conception ot the dangers and diffi- culties which he must face even if he has come down unhurt. If he came down in the Orinoco Delta. I cannot see how it would be possible for him to escape unless he were fortunate enough to alight close to one of the little villages in the tree tops belong- ing to the Guaraunos Indians. The Orinoco is now in flood and, in all the hundreds of square miles of its delta, with its bewildering labyrinth of intersecting streams, there are only a few small and isolated spots which are not under water. Whenever the river begins its annual rise, the Delta Indians build platforms in the tree tops which are daubed with clay so that fires can be built for cooking food. Canoes furnish the only possible means of travel in the delta whether the Orinoco is in flood or not. Six or seven of the principal outlets of the Orinoco are great rivers a mile or more in width, but most of them are narrow creeks which it would be easy to swim if it were not for certain reasons. One reason {s alligators. The largest one seen by our party was more than 25 feet long. Another reason is electric eels. There are plenty of these and the dis- charge from one full-grown specimen 6 or 7 feet long and 4 or 5 inches thick would kill a man instantly. The greatest reason of all is the carib fish which fairly swarm in these waters and which are probably the most bloodthirsty of ~all created things. The explorer Schomburg says that a man attacked by them would have every scrap of flesh cleaned off of his bones in less than 10 minutes. If he got beyond the delta, the two most needed items of equipment would be a mosquito net and machete. There are countless millions of mosquitoes and one must either have a net to shut them out or live in an atmos- n;mra of smoke if he expects to sur- vive. One who travels through the jun- gles of Venezuela or the Guianas gets blisters on his hands instead of on his feet, for, after he has taken one step, he must cut vines and bushes for a while with his machete before he takes the next one. The Imataca Moun- tains south of the Orinoco are densely wooded clear to their summits, One who_travels south from the Orinoco would be continually going up and going down over a series of practically parallel ranges and the rivers which run down the narrow valleys between these ranges are nothing but a suc- cession of rapids and waterfalls, being utterly unnavigable even for canoes except for 6 or 8 miles above their junction with the Orinoco. The only course which would offer any hope of reaching a settlement would be to cut one’s way step by step along one of these rivers all the way to its mouth, If, as every one hopes, Red- fern comes out alive, he have a story to tell that will be worth read- e A o 0 THGNESG e ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. What is meant by a moving mountain?—O. L. A. Some mountains have a soft clay base topped with heavy sand stone. The clay becomes water-soaked through scepage and can no longer hold up the weight. Consequently | the slope of the peaks steadily “rolis | down™ to a less steep inclination as the tremors of the mountainside shake down gravel from the tops. | Meekers Mountain and Golden Moun- | tain in Colorado are examples. i Q. When did Chicago get the first | rallroad?—G. B. J. | A. The Galena & Chicago Union | Ralilroad was chartered in 1536 and | constructed In 1849-1850. This was | the first railroad running into Chicago. | Q. Is it _correct to say, “I thought | it to be him" or “I thought it to| be he"? A. “I thought it to be him" is cor- | ! rect. It is the subject of the infinitive and thus is in the objective case. A complementary pronoun following the | infinitive must be in the case of the word of which it is the equivalent. Q. How does spontaneous combus- tion occur?—H. C. P. A. When large quantities of soot, ! linen, paper, cotton or woolen stuff, ship’s cables, etc., become soaked with | relatively small amounts of oils (e cially drying oils) and are exposed to a limited access of air, they may take fire sooner or later. The presence of moisture, frequently aids spontaneous combustion, and piles of damp’ hay, freshly mown- grass, sometimes t: fire spontaneously. The phenomen is not, however, without a clear defined cause. Fats and olls can be shown to undergo a slow process of combustion at but slightly elevated temperatures. Combustion of a small amount of oil causes the evolution of a_corresponding amount of heat; rise of temperature accelerates the com- bustion, producing a further degree of heat, until at a_given moment the temperature may become so high as to cause the mass to burst into flime. Q. When is Commander Byrd plan- ning to make his flight to the South Pole?—P. D. A. The proposed flight over the South Pole is postponed until 1928 because of the need of longer prepara- tion. Q. What makes pickles shrivel?— J. A. Shriveling of pickles often oc- curs when they have been placed at once in very strong salt or sugar so- lutions, or even in very strong vine- For this reason avoid such so- s so far as possible. When a strong solution is desirable, the pickles should first be given a pre- liminary treatment in a weaker solu- tion. This difficulty is most often | encountered in making sweet pickles. | The presence of sugar in high con- centrations is certain to cause shriv- eling unless precautions are taken. Q. Is it true that Breitbart, the strong man, is dead?—P. R. A. Sigmund Breitbart died October 12, 1925, in Germany, of blood poison- ing at the age of 42 Q. Who is the youngest American tenor to malke his debut at the Metro- politan?—R. E. D. A. Paul Althouse has this distinc- tion. His debut occurred when he was 21. Q. What makes a soap bubble round?—L. E. B. A. A soap bubble is round because it has a surface tension which causes equal pressure in all directions. The soap bubble Is covered with a film, and the tendency of liquidé covered by such a film is to assume a spherical shape. Q. Who said an proposes and God disposes”?—A. MacA. A. It is from Herbert's Prodentum.” | “Jacula Q. How many monthly publications are issued in the District?—F. N. A. About 80 such periodicals are published in the District of Columbia. Q. Please name three or four foun- dations for social and educational bet- terment?—J. H. C. A. The Rockefeller Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation and Car- negie Corporation are such organiza- tions. James B. Duke left a fund in trust for charitable and educational work in the Carolinas. Q. Please explain how petroleum coke is made and how used?—B. B. A. The Bureau of Mines says that C. | reau, petroleum eoke s a product of the distillation of crude petroleum where- by the distillation is carried on until the still is and only the coke re- mains. As a fuel it compares favor- ably with the best gas coke, since it s usuall y dry contains prac- tically no ash. In burning in the ordi- nary coal stove or furnace care must to avold burning out the reason of the great heat This is often done by put- er of firebrick on the grate Y ving a bed of ashes on the grate. It is usually necessary to start a fire with coal or a large amount of wood, as it requires a comparatively high temperature to cause petrolenm coke to burn. Petroleum coke is being used as fuel in several places adfacent to oil refine developed. Q. Where ig the largest American largest American flag of which the United States Flag Associa- tion has a record is owned by the J. Hudeon Co. of Detroit, Mich. It 90 feet by 165 feet; width of pe, 7 feet; size of stars, 5 feet; blue i, 48% by 64 feet. Welght, 640 e In 1 this flag. 7% miles of thread were used. Th e materfal would make about 360 Regu- Academy {8 in 1 London. It was d as the outcome of a meeting of the principal European and Ameri- can academies at Wiesbaden in Octo- ber, 1839. Its purpose is for the pro- motion rical, philosophical and All members are nary fellows. The mem- cted to 100, Q. Does the soil in tha forest re- tain moisture longer than that in open Q. bership is r epartment of Agriculture says that investigations of the seep- of soil on these sites howed that this was most rapid on the open slopes following a rain, while the seepage was greater in quantity, steadier and _distributed throughout a longer period of time in the area coversd with timber. By thus absorbing more water, by hold- ing it longer and by allowing it to seep out more gradually, areas covered with forest exert a considerable influ- ence in the regulation of stream flow, tending to prevent high water and flooding following periods of heavy ainfall on the one hand and drying up of streams during the dry seasons on the other. Q. How far do ruffed grouse and bob whites fly?—S. E. R. A. They are short flyers and can- not make a sustained fligcht of more than three-fourths of a mile. Q. What kind of oil is used on pub- lic highwa T A. Crude oil i3 used. Often oil is used to lay the dust. Q. For whom is Monrovia, Liberia, named’—A. G. A. The capital city of Liberia is so named after the author of the Mon- roe doctrine, Q. How long are money order rec- ords kept in the office of issue?—B. B. A. Applications must be preserved at the office of issue for three years from date of issue, Q. Is it true that Protestant churches are losing members?— CBI B A. At the recent Interchurch Con- ference in Philadelphia a committes made a report estimating that the Protestant Churches in the United States are losing approximately 500, 000 members a year. Q. In what languages are high school teachers asked to teach the oftenest?—M. T. A. The greatest number of_ sec- ondary students are taking Latin. The second most popular language is French; third, Spanish; fourth, Ger- man, and fith, Greek. & The person who loses out is the one who guesses. The person 1who gets on is always the one who acts on re- liable information. This paper em- ploys Frederic J. Haskin to conduct an information bureaw for the public. There is no charge except 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Write to him today for any facts you desire. Your inquiry should be addressed_to The Evening Star Information Bu- Frederic J. Haskin, Director, Washington, D. C. ‘waste Men and Women Beyond Forty Still in Heyday of Modern Youth Forty may be a somewhat advanced age in New York City, but elsewhere in the country there is a feeling that men and women nowadays are just about starting their stride in life when the fortieth birthday is passed. The question is raised in discussion of the recent formation in the metrop- olis of an organization to obtain and protect jobs for aged persons of 40 or 0‘5:‘”(‘ age! At 40! Perish the thought!" exclaims the Lowell Eve- ning Leader. ‘“Yet it is true enough that employers who are thoughtless may consider any one 40 or over as less suitable for a job than the alleged youth. This New York gentleman who starts his age limitations with 40 is starting it altogether too low for the peace of mind of many of us who will never see 40 again except via re- incarnation, for we do not agree that in most lines of employment is a man of 40 passe or even approaching that state of uselessness. As usnal, wuch depends on the person himself or her- self. In employments where extreme physical activity and strength are re- quired, one may believe that at 40 the human being begins to go stale * * ¢ But even in these specialties of employment and sport there are exceptions to the rule of 40. In mental employment, the man of 40 is likely to be at his best and stay at his best, even getting better sometimes, until 60. We won't lct a man be President of the United States at less than 35 and it ia a usual habit to choose men of far greater age than 40. The fifties are the heyday of modern youth, One investigator even went so far as fo announce that ‘laming youth js from 35 to 50" * K k% “Many of those over 40,” according to the St. Paul Dispatch, “may blame themselves for falling into the delu- sion that, having learned a trade, they had nothing more to learn and could live the rest of their days on the little that they had learned, as a kind of capital. Those who realize that there is always something to learn in any occupation, and keep their minds re- ceptive and their self-conceit in sub- jection, are less likely to complain that they are not wanted.” “During the pa decade man’s years of useful activity have been per- ceptibly extended,” says the San Francisco Bulletin, “and it seems strange that such an organization should be necessary. Forty is called the dangerous age. It is a turning point—when men and women not solidly established in life sometimes lose confidence in themselves. This attitude, rather than the years they have lived, often prejudices employers against them, and it is this mistake, within their own consciousness rather than in the world’s attitude, which they should strive to rectify.” The Bulletin also remarks that “in this 94, 98 Jn@iss ' orandaserss and octo- genarjan executives, it is incredible that men and women in their forties ?h;luld be considered too old to be use- “A hint to the old men of 40 should from observing the gentler sex,” es the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, with the explanation: “If there are any women of 40 in New York, the most careful observation fails to lo- cate them. Neither in looks, d havior nor spirit do the wives, or grandmothers of the 40-year-old men betray the fact that they consider themselves out of the running. If the women who are supposed to be dependent on the 40-year-old men man- age to bear up, there should be hope for the males.” The gle holds that “a man is as old as he squeals,” and rebukes any discouraged one with the statement that “it is the easiest pey- chological stunt in the world to im- agine that his age is responsible for his plight.” “That New York is a young man's town is the cold, inflexible fact met by the older job-seekers,” admits the Richmond Times-I h, “and what is true in New York is true else- where.” T paper, however, be- lieves that “inability of the middle- aged applicant to adapt himself to a new position is without doubt one of the reasons behind this unemployment problem.” * ok K % It i{s pointed out by the Toledo Blade that, of those who complained of the closed door in New York, “only a few admitted having taken inventory of their own qualifications, and confessed inadaptability to new e probably told the truth themselves were con- cerned,” continues the Blade, “but the ache and penury of age ought to be much longer postponed for most others, for only pugilists, base ball yers and professional athletes are deemed old at 40. Unquestionably some employers discriminate against middle-aged persons seeking employ- ment, and it is true that there are fewer opportunities open to those who have not made the most of op= portunities opened to them in earlier The problem of employment appeals to the Philadelphia Public Ledger as worthy of very serious attentfon. “This present economic system,” in the opinion of the Ledger, “must do one of two things—either it must give to the aging worker an oppor- tunity to support himself or it must prepare to carry the burden of an enormous old-age pension system. The task and the cost of helping the worker whose age unfits him for one occupation into another place in in- dustry must be assumed, or the other and greater load of pensions and sub- sidies must be carried. In either case, the weight must rest upon in- dustry; if not in the form of volun- tary work in training the old worker {:; h;s net;l‘ _10}), then it will t‘om‘a 'l‘n ation that in great part must be paid by industry. « % .