Evening Star Newspaper, September 8, 1927, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY. . .September 8, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: d_Pennsylvania Ave. How Forx Ofice: 110, East dend st Chicago Office: Tower Building. European Offics: 14 Regent St.. London. England. The ing Star with the Sunday morn- edition is delivered carriers within ' city at 60 cente per month: daily only 45 cents ver month: Sundaya only. 2 r ‘month, Orders may he sent by mail or Teiephone Main 5000 Coliection s made ty cearrier at end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. All Other States and Canada. aily and Sunday.l vr. $12.00: 1 mo. $1.00 Fmv only 1. 0: 1 mo.. unday only’ 4.00: 1 mo.l 1vr. Member of the Associated Press. The Amociated Pross fg exclusivoly e titied republication of al Pt adited To. 1t or not otharwiss ‘cred et in this Daper and the'local news published herein. All rights of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved. —————— Atlantic Flights and Defense. Secretary Wilbur calls attention to & point in connection with the recent transatlantic aerial endeavors that may have an important bearing on the question of the national defense. He notes the fact that whereas east- ward flying has succeeded in three Instances, none of the westward flights has been completed. This he regards as significant of the difficulty inherent in flying in this direction from Eu- rope, and consequently suggests the relative immunity of the United States from attack by air from the east. That there is some thus far un- solved mystery of the air that puts a heavy handicap upon east-west flying over the Atlantic is certainly indicated by the failures of this Summer in such enterprises. Two planes have started and have been lost and others have started and have turned back, beaten by adverse winds and heavy storms. Meanwhile three American planes have crossed the ocean eastwardly, a fourth having just, it would seem, come to grief. In case of war, with the United States attacked by a European power, undoubtedly airplanes would play & had a finger amputated. The de- scription of the sufferer, including this mutilation, had drawn attention in Philadelphia and led to his identifica- tion. Amnesia is a strange affliction. It comes suddenly and in some cases it passes suddenly. It may be caused by an injury or a mental strain, or by some unknown influence. It para- lyzes the memory and leaves the sufferer wholly at a loss as to his personality. In cases of injury the memory is sometimes restored by operation, which relieves pressure on the brain and restores normal circu- lation and tissue functioning. It does not respond to medicinal treatment or to stimulant. There have been many cases of assumed amnesia, but the role of the “lost identity” is too difficult to be long maintained and in almost all in- stances the pretending sufferer is ex- posed. There was in this present case no suggestion of fraud. This experience of Samuel Lewis of Philadelphia suggests anew the desirability of some means of keep- ing identification records of all indi- viduals. In this country only two classes of people are thus recorded, those who are arrested for crime and those who join the military and naval services of the United States. These records are kept by means of finger- prints, which are infallible and, when preserved in accordance with scien- tific system, permit ready reference and verification. Amnesia may cloud or perhaps destroy the memory, but it cannot affect the dermic “signatures.” It there were a systém of universal fingerprinting these cases of lost Identity would be quickly solved. —ene. Tips. Where tips are concerned, the unor- ganized public pays and pays and pays. In testimony before the Inter- state Commerce Commission the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters estimates that Pullman passengers contribute $7,000,000 annually to swell the wages of $72.50 a month paid the porters by the Pullman Company. The porters want tipping abolished and a regular salary of $150 a month sub- stituted. They take the attitude al- ready adopted by organizations of waliters who protest that their wages are deliberately held down by employ- ers who know that self-conscious diners will make up the deficit in tips. The theory that tips should be, or part in the campaign. It would have to be an aggressive warfare. Fleets of planes would perhaps be launched for assault. But the question which modifies Secretary Wilbur's sugges- tion Is whether they would be sent forth from the shores of Europe or from the decks of specially built naval earriers, bringing them within strik- ing distance of the American coast. It is not possible to deduce precise developments from present conditions. This was proved distinctly during the great war, particularly in the matter of aviation. The flying art had not been advanced to the point at which the extensive and effective use of planes ‘for all conceivable military purposes could be foreseen. The war ftself developed the heavier-than-air machine and brought forth men for fts manipulation. Another war would, it is to be conceived, carry forward this process. Nevertheless, it is indubitably sig- mificant of security for America in the event of war by a European power that thus far in the present series of attempts no successful east- west flight has been accomplished. The comparative ease with which Lindbergh, Chamberlin and Byrd flew eastward to their objectives cannot fail to have its meaning to foreign observers with an eye open to possi- bilities of American offensive power. ————————— Farmers’ Market. Definite solution of the Farmers’ Market problem is not, it would seem, surely to be postponed until the meet- ing of Congress. The Treasury De- partment has announced that work will begin on the new Internal Reve- nue Bfiflding on the 15th of November . and that at least one-half of the site now occupied by the market must be vacated by that time. Unless Congress should mieet in extra session in Octo- ber. the actual removal of the western portion of the open-air sheds will have to be started before legislative action can be had. It has been suggested that this sit- uation fmay be met by the location of the market on the south side of B street, opposite the Center Market. Perhaps the sheds that are taken away from the present site can be there re-erected, although to do so would be to take a chance on congres- sionat-approval for the occupancy of the public streets for purposes not now authorized. ‘This condition of affairs makes it imperative, in any case, that the mat- ter be brought to congressional at- tention immediately upon the assem- blage of the houses, whether in extra or regular session, with urgent recom- mendation for quick action. Mean- while the Commissioners should and probably will be ready with a specific proposal for a permanent locatjpn. No makeshift arrangement should be sought, unless it be one that will serve during the interval required for the equipment of the permanent site. ——r————————— Among the great industries, the pro- duction of motion pictures ranks as eighth. This is an estimate from pure- 1y statistical tabulation. In the hearts of many fans it undoubtedly ranks as first. P — Amnesia. About a month ago a man was taken to Bellevue Hospital, New York, who was suffering from a loss of memory. He had no recollection of his identity. For a time it was thought that he was a naval officer who had been missing for some time, but this was disproved. Subjected to repeated questions, the patient could give no clue to his personal relations or to his name. The case mystified the psychiatrists of the hos- THE EVENING STAR, WASHT checking indiscriminate pistol buy- ing, it should be subject to specl- fled time limits Conditions are con- stantly changing and the need of one year is not necessarily the need of another. In any case, a permit to carry a weapon for self-defense does not warrant any person in making of himself a walking arsenal. Radio Moderation Needed. A news dispatch from New York states that a large shepherd dog be- longing to the master of a brick barge plying the waters of the harbor at- tacked his owner when the latter turned on the radio with which his craft was equipped, and had to be shot to prevent a tragedy. It would seem that the animal had a strong dislike for the loud speaker and manifested it when the sounds came roaring forth on this occasion. Perhaps it had been previously quiescent on such occa- sions. There is no mention of preced- ing evidence of antipathy. There are some people—their num- ber cannot be determined—who feel sympathetic for this unfortunate ani- mal, who have concelved an intense dislike for the radio because of its in- cessant squawking and rasping, at all hours and on all occasions. They do not attack the owners of the instru- ments. They suffer usually in silence. The radio is a wonderful invention, and it has brought about a universal dispersion of more or less pleasurable sounds and some wisdom and a meas- ure of witticism and amusement. Its devotees are to be numbered by the million. Its victims are likewise to be measured in large numbers. The trouble with the radio is that it is difficult to confine it within the lim- its of the personal enjoyment of the confirmed admirer. The use of am- plifying devices sends forth its waves of song and story far beyond the range of the appreciative ear. In the warm seasons, with windows open, it reaches for long distances. There is no defense against it, save to close the openings that are needed for ventila- tion and cooling. Nelghborly amenities forbid com- plaint or protest. Those who fail to be amused or pleased with cacophony can only suffer in silence or flee the premises. Therg is no time limit to the performances. When the local sources are exhausted and those of nearby stations are run through to their time limits a shifting of the dials may tap more distant points of sup- piy. Far into the night the program could be, abolished is as old as the practice of tipping itself. It is a cus- tom which rankles, but which persists nevertheless, because of a human trait that will not be downed. It is evi- dence of the strength of tradition. The man who tips the Pullman porter for dusting his shoes and carrying his bags to the platform knows that the customary twenty-five cents is exces- sive pay for services rendered. But he pays without a murmur because he knows that others are doing it. The man who tips his waiter twenty- five cents for bringing him a $1.25 meal realizes that he is paying twenty per cent additional for a service he has already paid for. Yet he does it uncomplainingly, for others do it. Clubs which make regulations forbid- ding the giving of tips know that such regulations are Rard to enforce. Men are always found who insist on paying for the sensation of having their vanity tickled. ‘There is no question that the porters, waiters and others who render public service should be paid an adequate liv- ing wage figured on the basis of service rendered and not upon the anticipated generosity of the public. Accompany- ing such wages there should be rigid instructions that no tips are to be of- fered or accepted. But unless the public servitors are stronger-minded than their public, such regulations will always be flouted. Wages are figured on the basis of supply and demand. If wWpping continues, the demand for positions where tips are expected will predominate, and the employers will find men aplenty who will overlook the low wages in the expectation that the gullible public will pay the differ- ence. Let the waiters and the Pull- man porters first demonstrate their antipathy to tips by refusing to accept them now. Higher wages will follow soon enough. —————————— “Don’ts” relating to life and health have been commonly offered in. Sum- mer. They should be extended to in- clude aviation restrictions. —————————— There are moments when Mussolini might be humanly tempted to switch into Mayor Walker's itinerary and genuinely enjoy himself. —_——e——————— 1t President Coolidge should be asked to designate a successor, that word “choose” would take on still more significance. P Opposition to the idea of evolution ignores the fact that'if it is sound, it has done no great harm. If it is not, it 1s too late to do anything about it. ———a————— Weapon-Bearing Permits. The man who shot two others to death in an office building in New York Tuesday, and, as it is now indi- cated, drove a third out of the window to fall and cause the death of a passerby below, used two pistols, which later, on the advice of relatives, he threw into a sewer, whence they have since been recovered by the po- lice. It is thus clear that he went to the conference which resulted in the tragic quarrel prepared to slay. It is reported that he has told the police that he had a permit %o carry a re- volver, obtained when he was a mem- ber of the American Protective League during the war. This statement, if true, partially answers the question which was raised in these columns yesterday in comment upon the case, as to how the slayer was able to arm himself. With such a permit he probably was able to buy a weapon without the least difficulty, though in what city may continue, until the limit of ex- treme receptivity is reached and then “silence, like a poultice, comes to heal the blows of sound.” Moderation is desirable in all things, including radio, moderation of duration and especlally moderation of volume. The “soft speaker” serves as well as the louder brother for all domestic purposes. Mere volume is not the requisite for real enjoyment. Let there be some thought for the family next door or across the street or upstairs or on the floor below! Re- member the poor shepherd dog that stood his master’s mechanical voice as long as his nature permitted, and then turned in rage. and died in pro- test. ——— The fortune left by the late Mr. Armour would have satisfied the am- bitions of the ordinary citizen, yet he regarded himself as dying poor. Wealth is another of those problems involving the theory of relativity. —_—e——— Prizefighters sometimes deliver un- satisfactory pictures, owing to the im- possibility of rehearsing them before they go on location. ————— Business is flourishing. As usual, it is especially so for those who had the foresight to make the right pur- chases. ————— Our political high fiyers are showing discretion about “hopping off” into a 1927 campaign without knowing what the 1928 weather is going to be. —_———— Canada has managed to take a great deal of adroit publicity relative to the alleged superior quality of its brews and distillations, SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Adventure, The adventure’s worth while ‘With a hope and a fear. It starts with a’smile And it ends with a tear, ‘When gay is the heart As it turns to the sea, ‘The joy of the start Is worth sorrows to be. Unmusical. “Are you fond of music?” “Not very,” confessed Senator Sorghum. “I never yet saw a brass band or an orchestra that wouldn't play as energetically for one side of an argument as it would for the other.” ‘Who Cares for Sleep? My Radio! My Radio! Your work is finely done. Both night and day awake I stay Like Thomas Edison. Jud Tunkins says he likes poetry except when it is chopped-up prose 80 as to make an optical {llusion, Extravagance of Envy. ‘The reckless aviator goes, Urged on by fame and pelf. And still appears to envy those ‘Who met with death itself. Back to the Old Home. “You say the boys are coming back to the old home.” * ¥ answered Farmer Corntossel. “They have tried all the quick lunches in town and begin to hunger for fried chicken, “Power,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “often enables its posses- sor to do no more than give foolish- ness unlimited publicity.” All But Mussolini. “Dictator” or “Czar” was a title of pride, is not clear. But why should such a permit, issued ten years ago in time of war, be valid now, and why should it be effective for multiple armament? Nobody needs two guns, even if one pital and attracted wide public at- tention. Saturday identification of the patient was made by a nurse in ® hospital in Philadelphia, the patient being recognized as a resident xfl. “eity, 72 years of age, who tly. is necessary. A permit to carry a weapon should not be perennial, justifying indefinite personal armament. If the permit system is adopted as & means of 3 Which now unto commerce is largely applied. Dictators and czars who in politics led, ‘We're sorry to notice, are nearly all dead. “A camp meetin’,” said Uncle Eben, “is & great help in showin’ dat good people kin get together and enjoy deir selfs, even mo' dan sinners,'”" GTON, D, C. THURSDA BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘The following anecdote is presented, not to blow our own horn, but simply to point a moral and adorn a tale. Morals always ought to be pointed, tales invariably adorned. A gentleman who was a member of the “committee on arrangements” happened to be in the banquet hall a few minutes before the guests ar- rived. The head waiter, always a dis- tinguished personage at such affairs, approached. “Is Mr. Tracewell going to be here?” he asked. Our friend, who also is engaged in the high task and endeavor of per- petrating so many million words a year upon a Kkindly public, gasped openly. “The boy must be getting good,” he said to himself; and, to the inquirer, “Yes, he will be here.” “I am glad of that,” smiled the head waiter. ‘“‘Mr. Tracewell is a fine writer, even if he does knock the workingman now and then.” * ok ok K So there, folks, as Will Rogers says, you have the anecdote, When repeat- ed to us, we were both pleased and perplexed. This is the way, of course, that “‘ap- ple sauce” ought to be served. Pure compliments are embarrassing things. Compliments so sincerely meant, however, yet spiced with a dash of equally honest criticism, are perhaps the best of all. They make one sit up and think, and thinking is good for all of us. So we were accused of panning the laboring man. How come? In the 1,096 articles which have ap- peared to date under the above cap- tion, the writer has very carefully steered off the topic of labor. We have discussed politics in no form, have shied from the Mexican question, and have given various much discussed ‘cases” very wide berths. Our endeavor has been to present here a nook to which the reader might turn with the invariable assurance that he would be entirely free from exactly that sort of thing. * ok ok X How, we asked ourself, more or less humbly, could any one, therefore, get the idea that we had, from time to time, knocked the workingman? ‘We sought out a friend of ours, with whom we have the pleasure of being associated, a real workingman, whatever that term means. The anecdote was related to him. ‘The risk that he would think we were bragging about ourself had to be run. “Honest, now,” we pleaded, “‘do you think we have ever knocked the work- ingman?"” He grinned. “I don’t know,” he said. read you.” “I never * ok % ¥ There are three troubles with the workingman, as we see him—mental ills from which he suffers. First, he believes that every one who is earning his living in a different manner from himself “looks down upon him.” Second, he seems, in some cases, at least, to resent the use of the brain as a tool. Third, he harbors the conVviction that no one else but himself is a “workingman.” He is, in other words, the victim of a threefold “complex,” as the psychol- ogists call such mental states. The snobs of the world have made him suffer. Perhaps it ought to be added that they can make any one suffer cruelly. In the town where the writer of these lines was born there was no high and low. Jim, the barber, was exactly as good as George, the banker —if he was. * ok kK The way to labor’s millennium is by way of the strike of the individual—a strike against certain ways of per- sonal thinking. The honest laboring man ought to get it out of his head, because one writes of education and breeding at times, that he is knocking, in a subtle way, the aforementioned laboring man. Nothing could be farther from the truth. He should not hold it against pro- fessional men that they earn their living in the best way they can, in the way that comes most natural to them. That is what the laboring man is_doing. He should not believe that because a man works in a white collar and a silk tie he is not really working. There are thousands of mental la- borers who put in hours of endeavor far in excess of those ticked off to the credit of the bricklayer. They, too, are workers. * %k %k 3 Just to show that our heart was in the right place, we decided to engage the services of a plumber, to seek an opportunity to shake his brawny hand. “That ought to set us right with the world,” we innocently told our- self, still thinking about that anec- dote. The workingman was at work in the basement when we got home from our own individual labor. “Hello, Mr. Murphy!” we said. “Hello, young man!” responded he. ‘We held out our hand and he grasped it, and we shook solemnly; but we coild see, from the look in his eyes, that we had rather surprised im. What did the man want us to do?| Take off our tweed suit and don overalls, before we dared to shake hands with him? Murphy, old top, we refuse to do it. ‘We accept you as you are, and you will have to take us as we are. If you knew the vast respect we have for any one who can build, or hew, or man-handle pipes, or do any of the thousands of jobs you chaps do, you would feel more at home with us. Where there is respect, there ought to be liking. And there is, on one side. So how about fergetting about the white collar, and the trick tie, and the overalls, too? BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. A Canadian official tells us that the people living in Saskatchewan and ad- joining western provinces of Canada are ‘“obsessed” over the project to complete the railroad connecting all that vast region with a Hudson Bay port, through which they can ship their grain directly to Europe through Hudson Bay and Strait. Both lead- ing political parties are at last com- mitted to the immediate gompletion of the railroad, and the Liberal party in power dares not put it off, for the farmers control the ‘“opposition” Progressive party, which is too close to a majority to be trifled with. * ok ok K Of course, this project is violently opposed by Ontario and Quebec, just as is our own hope of the St. Law- rence Canal opposed by New York, by which the Atlantic port will be re- moved to Duluth and Chicago, in place of New York. Likewise, the promoters of the St. Lawrence Canal project look with jealousy upon the plan to divert traffic from the great Middle West from its longitudinal course up toward the North FPole, through Hudson Bay. Don't they know that Hudson Strait is never free from icebergs and that navigation through it is practicable only about three months of the year? Canada is planning to send an exploring ex- pedition up there to remain cruising in the strait for 18 months—a ship and two or three airplanes—so as to verify the knowledge as to its open course for navigation. Vessels have been coming through the strait for four centuries with moderate safety, but now it is important to know what are the practical possibilities before all the Northwest faces northward. Furthermore, the Province of Al- berta, whose prolific grain fields pro- vide increasing commerce, has al- ready become accustomed to facing westward toward Pacific ports, and is now demanding government aid in building a railroad through two Rocky Mountain passes, as a western out- let from the Peace River Valley. No icebergs will ever interfere with that traffic. While the Peace River Valley is hundreds of miles farther north than Winnipeg, the isothermal lines run northwesterly, so that it is more moderate in climate than is Mani- toba. In fact all that far North- west boasts a climate modified by the warm air currents blowing through the Rocky Mountain passes from the heat-giving Japan current of the ocean, and its agricultural pos- sibilities are not yet one-tenth de- veloped, over a region as great as all the United States east of the Missis- sippi River. There will never be agriculture in the region through which the new Hudson Bay Railroad is building. It is a bleak country, cold and swampy. The muskeg ground rests upon a swamp foundation, which will tilt the rails from side to side and never give solidity. ~There i3 some forest, but that will soon go the way of all good forests, ~What natural resources there may be consist in gold mines and copper, and no one can forecast the development possible in that line, The road will depend upon traffic from and to the grain regions of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. * ok ok ok Fort Nelson, the port to which the original project was aimed as a ter- minal on the bay, proves forbidding, because there is no natural harbor there, and the cost of dredging an artificial harbor would be enormous. Instead it is now proposed to extend the railroad northward along or near the coast, 170 miles, to Fort Church- il That will cost less than the Fort Nelson dredging. Work on the rail- road will be immediately pushed, from both ends of the unbuilt portion, and it is predicted that within three or four years trains will be meeting ships at Fort Churchi, where the natural harbor is ready. By way of Montreal and the St. Lawrence River, Winnipeg is now 4,228 miles from Liverpool; by way of Hudson Bay, nearer the earth's great circle, it will be only 3,626 miles. That shortening of 600 miles—equal to bringing Winnipeg down to Montreal— is all-rail haul, and adds some 6 cents a bushel to the freight cost of getting all the Canadian Northwestern grain to the world market. Eventually, there will .be return traffic in gen- eral supplies for the Northwest. from England. Another advantage of the Hudson Bay route will be the possibility carrying immigrants directly to the Midwestern farm lands without their passing through the large citles of the East, which now tempt the immigrants to settle in urban domiciles, instead of opening up the farming country. Canada wants farmers. Far-seeing “‘militarists” also consider the strategic importance of a trans- continental route far beyond the inter- national boundary, so that if and when the next war breaks out be- tween the ‘States” and the British Empire, the British troops can out- flank American defenses..and attack us from the rear~-a forecast which, in the light of our experience of more than a century of unguarded 3,000 miles of boundary, strikes both Ca- nadian and American friends as lu- dicrous. Still, strategists will be strategists. ‘t * ¥ % The political feature of the North- west situation is the complete domi- nance of the Progressive party by the farmers. The provincial Legislatures of Alberta and Saskatchewan are said to be more thoroughly in the hands of the farmers than ever was the North Dakota Legislature. Hence, State backing is given to farmer co- operative handling of grain, and now both the Progressive and Liberal par- ties must hear the voices of their masters, the agriculturists, in the de- velopment of shipping facilities. It is estimated that the Hudson Bay route can be completed for $6,000,000, while more than $20,000,000 repre- sents the cost up to date of that part of the road which today runs from the Pas, on the Canadian National road, at the crossing of the Saskatch- ewan River. That great river is nav- igable far into Alberta, and it is at flood during the Summer, when it re- ceives the melted snows of the Rockies. The Canadian National Railroad has never yet been a profitable invest- ment, because the country it pene- trates has not yet developed. While it now pays running expenses, it does not cover interest charges in its $50,- 000,000 investment. The Hudson Bay road will be a feeder to the National. North of the Saskatchewan there is an inconceivably extended region which has never even been explored. It is a wild country, with few inhab- itants besides Indians and Eskimos, and not many of them. What are its natural resources cannot even be sur- mised. It will never be an agricul- tural region, but nobody knows its possibilities in minerals. Already ofl has been found near Fort Norman, at the mouth of the Great Bear and the Mackenzie Rivers, and gold and other minerals are believed to exist. In 1776 Samuel Hearne succeeded in crossing from Hudson Bay to Copper Mine River, but few men have been hardy enough to foMow his footsteps. (Copyright. 1027. by Paul V. Collins.) ———— Contradicting Croesus. From the New York Herald-Tribune. Poor as we are and rich as Mr. Charles R. Flint is reputed to be, we beg to differ with his dilagnosis of the disease of which the multi-millionaire is the symptom. Incidentally, it would be interesting to know why Americans, who are proverbially shy of public expression at home, so often experi- ence a loosening of the tongue in London. “Can you tell me,” he was asked in that city, “why a multi-mil- lionaire like yourself, after he has amassed millions, goes on increasing his collection instead of retiring and enjoying life?”” A leadnig question, if ever there was one, to which a legiti- mate reply would have been. “None of your —— business!” But Mr. Flint was in London, so he said, smiling: “‘Sure! There is only one reason, greed.” And he stuck to it. His interrogator sug- gested other more complimentary explanations, but he insisted, smiling again: “No; it is pure green greed.” This is a little difficult to believe in view of the careers of typical Ameri- can multi-millionaires. Charity on the grand scale, to be sure, is not incom- patible with the possession of a pro- nounced acquisitive instinct. It might even be considered to be an expression of such an instinct, as marked humil- ity is often a cloak for self-conceit. But what shall we say of such multi- milllonaires Henry Ford or Thomas A. Edison or the late E. H. Harriman, none of whom is best known for his charity? Is or was greed their pri- mary motivation? mere posing of of the question D!vvafi absurdity, Changing Sentiment On Smith-Vare Seating BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Among the earliest signs of the on- coming political season is the reve- lation of an important change of sen- timent with regard to the seating of Senators-elect Vare of Pennsylvania and Smith of Illinols. To no other than Senator James A. Reed, Demo- crat, of Missouri, chairman of the slush fund investigating committee which unearthed the ‘‘scandals of 1926, is attributed a complete about- face on the subject. Reed is now quoted as having said, “We don't want to establish bad precedents in these bad cases.” The view ascribed to the Missourfan is that Messrs. Vare and Smith should be permitted to present their credentials and take their seats in the new Senate. There- upon—and not beforehand—according to the allegedly revised opinion of Senator Reed, the Pennsylvanian and the Illinoisan should be held to ac- countability by their senatorial col- leagues. This was the procedure in the Newberry case in 1922. It is the method which the supporters of Vare and Smith urged when the slush fund controversy raged on Capitol Hill last ‘Winter. * ok k¥ As their cases stand at present, the situation is that Col. Smith was de- nied, by a Senate record vote of 48 to 33, the right to present his credentials and take his seat following his ap- pointment to the vacancy created by the death of Senator McKinley of Illinois. Mr. Vare, having been elected ta a seat in the Seventieth Congress, had no occasion to seek admission at the late session of the Senate. Noth- ing was done with regard to him e: cept the formal presentation of his certificate of election, signed by Gov. Gifford Pinchot of Pennsylvania, who accompanied it with a letter to Vice President Dawes, insinuating that Vare had been elected under doubtful circumstances. Under the rules of the Senate, both Messrs. Smith and Vare have been occupying offices in the Senate Office Building at Washington and enjoying the statutory perqui- sites of senatorial rank, including sta- tionery, clerk hire and the title of Senators-elect. * kK Kk Senators who are credited with a change of heart on the Smith and Vare cases are said mostly to be Southern Democrats. With the ex- ception of Messrs. Blease and Smith (South Carolina) and Overman (North Carolina), Dixie Senators voted solidly to bar Col. Smith of Illinois. These Southerners are reputed, as a result of calm study of constitutional rights and Senate precedents during the Summer, to have come to the conclu- sion that the Senate transgressed its authority in refusing Senator-elect Smith his seat last Winter. Their position, as set forth by men who claim to have been the recipients of their confidences, is that election cre- dentials, submitted in proper form, must be accepted. No Senator, of course, challenges the view that their body is the indisputable and sole judge of the qualifications of its members. But there appears now to be a growing consensus that “Admission first, inves- tigation and expulsion afterward” is the right and proper program, pro- vided grounds for expulsion” are even- tually sustained. ; SEPTEMBER & 1927 i " ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN, Q. How long is the groove in a 12- inch phonograph record?—H. W. 8. A. The distance of groove in the average 12-inch record is 730 feet. Q. When were artificial pearls pro- duced in America?—I. R. A. The Bureau of Fisheries says that apparently the first American work done tregarding the production of artificial pearls was in the Bureau of Fisheries in 1914. Commercial pro- duction began shortly after by several American concerns, but it is uncertain which of them actually put the first goods on the market. Q. Please give some figures about the Liberty Vehicular Tunnel, Pitts- burgh, Pa.—C. J. 8. A. The Pittsburgh Chamber of Com- merce says that they are the longest underground passages in the world permitting the use of gasoline vehicles. With their north and south approaches they are 6,280 feet long. The tunnels consist of two tubes, each 5,714 feet long, one for north and the other for southbound traffic. Each tube is 26 feet wide. There is a fall of 4 inches per 100 feet from north to south. The cost of the tunnel was about $6,000,000. Approximately 400,000 cubic yards of earth and rock were excavated; 120,- 000 cubic yards of concrete, 920,000 sacks of cement and 2,100 tons of steel were used for tunnels and ventilating shafts and 28,888 square yards ofcon- crete roadway were placed. Q. How many A. & P. Stores are there in the United States?—J. D. A. The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. operates over 14,000 stores through- out the United States. Q. peak a language of their own?—S. S. A. The broken dialect of English gypsies i§ a mixture of English and Romany, but farther East, where the race is more closely held together, Romany s a true and distinct lan- guage. There are 14 dialects of Romany in Europe. Q. What is the origin of the ex- pression, “Hobson’s Choice” ?>—C. F.H. A. Toblas Hobson, who died in 1630, was the first man in England to let out hackney horses. When a man came for a horse he was led to the stable, where there was a greatchoice of animals, but he was obliged to take the horse which stood next to the stable door. There- fore it became a proverb that when what ought to be your selection was forced upon you to say “Ill take Hobson's choice.” Q. What do the initials A. B. C. stand for when placed before the circulation figure of a magazine?— G T. K. A. The Jetters are an abbreviation for Audit Bureau of Circulation. Q. Which country has the most physicians_in relation to the popula- tion?—A. R. A. The United States has more physicians in proportion to its popula- tion than any other country. In 1925 there was 1 physician to every 753 people, while Great Britain reports land and Japan reported (1925) spectively, to every 1,290 and Germany. (1912) 1 to every 1,840; Austria (1912) 1 to every 2,120; Sweden (1925) 1 to every 8,500, Q. Do the French constitute a large proportion of the population of Quebec?—W, W. A. More than four-fifths of the people in the province are French. Q. For what are the subscription fees to the National Geographic Mag- azine used?—A. O. A. All receipts are invested in the magazine itself or expended directly to promote geographic knowledge. Q. Where did Fort Stanwix stand? -1 M. A. Fort Stanwix was a temporary Army post during the Revolutionary War and was located at Rome, N. Y. Q. What is the name of the breed of dog that is born bobtailed?—J. J. A. The Bureau of Animal Industry says that no breed of dog is actually bobtailed at birth. The old English sheepdogs of the Schipperke breed are frequently referred to as bob- tailed, and a few have been born bob- tafled. Usually the tail is cut so short that it gives the appearance of no tail at all. Q. Should punctuation marks go in- side o(\: outside of quotation marks? A. Dr. Frank Vizetelly says that the period and comma are always put before the closing quotation mark. The colon, semicolon, mark of inter- rogation, and mark of exclamation come before or after the quotation mark according to whether or not the the punctuation be a part of the mat- ter quoted. . How much salt should be used with cabbage to make sauerkraut? —J. L. A. One-quarter pound of salt is used with 10 pounds of cabbage to make the proper strength of brine to produce t best results. The salt may be distributed as the cabbage is packed in the jar, or it may be mixed with the shredded cabbage before being packed. The distribution of two ounces of salt with every five pounds of cabbage probably is the best way to get an even distribution. Q. Who were the first owners of the land where the White House stands?—D. D. A. The White House ground was owned by two people—the north half by Samuel Davidson, and the south half by David Burns. The dividing line would now run directly through the White House Frederic J. Haskin is employed by this paper to handle inquiries of our readers, and you are invited-¢oleall upon him as frecly and as often you please. Ask anything that 1 matter of fact and the authority. be quoted you. There is no charge for this service. Ask what you taht, sign your name and address, and in- close two cents in stamps for postage. ~Address The Evening Star (1921) 1 physician to 1,087; Switzer- Information Bureau, Frederic J. Has- kin, Director, Washington, D. C. o ‘When the Smith case was up, it was understood that many Senators acted to bar him because barring required only a majority vote, while ousting. after a Senator’s admission, was held to need a_ two-thirds vote. Senators ‘who've undergone a change of base on the Smith-Vare situation have per- suaded themselves that the Senators- elect can be thrown out, after being seated, by a majority vote. Precedents on this score are still being carefully explored, but authority is said to have been discovered for the majority-vote expulsion proposition. The reasoning is, it appears, that a two-thirds vote would be necessary if expulsion con- cerned “‘conduct” of a sitting senator, but that if the question at issue is a Senator-elect’s “title” or “right to sit,” as the result of ‘“pre-entrance activi- ties,” then a majority of his colleagues present and voting can cast him into the outer darkness. (Covyright. 1927.) PHILOSOPHIES BY GLENN FRANK There was a time when the com- parative study of religions was only a course in college which men studied as they studied the lore of the lords f ancient empires. 3 It was a far-off thing that did mot touch them save as a deliberate in- tellectual adventure. Today, however, when the race has turned nomadic again, thanks to e: press trains, ocean Jiners and air- planes, men are constantly coming into contact with alien religions. In a half-day tour of New York a man may pass the chapels, mosques, synagogues, temples and cathedrals of most of the living religions of the world. . The tone and temper of our time will be affected more than we are likely to think by the spirit in which men meet these alien religions. Robert Ernest Hume, in a compact and clarifying little volume on *The World’s Living Religions,” suggests six ways in which men may and do meet religions other than their own. First, we may condemn all religions as the ugly offspring of superstition, bigotry, heredity or ignorance. Second, we may uncritically con- demn all non-Christian religions, if the Christian religion happens to be ours. Third, we may uncritically condemn all non-biblical religions, if the Chris- tian religion happens to be ours, tak- ing Judaism under the wing of our tolerance because our religion grew out of its soil. Fourth, we may uncritically con- demn all religions save our own, whatever our religion may be—an attitude as common among Hindus as among Christians. Fifth, we may say, with charity but without discrimination, that all religions have much good in them, and that each is probably best for its own followers. Sixth, we may say that all religions have much good in them, but that the good is very unequally distributed, that there is a best religion, that the world needs to choose the best. I suppose that the last attitude is the attitude of the vast majority of fairly tolerant Americans. This is the attitude that makes mis- sionaries: And this attitude, we must remem- ber, is being taken by the followers of religions other than our own, “In studying Western civilization,' says a prominent Hindu pamphleteer, “I have felt that there is something wanting. This something India has. It we want to avert all future wars, even the possibility of war, we must humbly sit on a prayer-rug, instead of always rushing about in motor carn” 1 present these six attitudes as a measuring-rod for our religious hospi- talities and hatreds. (Copyright. 1927.) Unguarded. From the Albany Evening News. A man in New York was fined $15 for stealing a kiss. .Oh, well, a lot of owners of kisses are awfully care- less! ————————— Poverty in Plenty. From the Los Angeles Times. There are 3,000 languages and dia- lects in the world and yet every now and then somebody is saying. that Cecil Resignation Accepted As Clarifying American discussion of Viscount Cecil's resignation from the British cabinet reveals warm admiration for the man and a feeling that his in- fluence on the outside may bring about a change in the Conservative government's attitude toward naval limitation. At least, some observers point put, the incident has served to throw? light on the failure of the ieneva conference. C“’:flmut the magnitude of the task of disarmament all round, Viscount Cecil can be under no illusions,” af- firms the New York Times, with the suggestion that “If he wishes a world of the unconverted to preach to, he certainly has his audience ready for him.” The Times holds, that “na- tions must be made to feel secure, not only in reference to a given neighboring power, but ‘to all the world. But this,” continues that pa- per, “can be achieved only by a gen- eral pooling of jssues and a powerful and effective international guarantee of peace. The Locarno method is a fine example, though it is limited and localized. * * * Let once the nations know that they have this large and guaranteed security, and disarmament will come of itself, since there would no longer exist a reason for armaments beyond the limits and obligations of a police force.” The Indianapolis Star feels that Cecil “may give the British govern- ment a somewhat difficult task in ex- plaining its policy when the conduct of the delegation at Geneva becomes the subject of parliamentary discus- sion.” Pointing to Lord Cecil's ex- pressed desire “to devote most of his time to arousing public opinion in all nations on the issue of disarmament and co-operation for peace,” the Ashe- ville Times observes that “for that task he is well qualified, and in such labors he can do more for his own country and for all others than by holding a portfolio in the British cab- inet.” * ok ok K “Here, then, is a man who believes in some things and will not remain in a government which does not be- lieve in them,” says the Milwaukee Journal, and the Chicago Daily News sees in his action *“proof of the grow- ing revolt of British liberal opinions against the government’s course in projecting into present-day relations with foreign peoples the arrogant spirit of red-coated generations of the past.” The Baltimore Sun declares, “Pity it is that we of America, whose in- tense nationalism contributed with that of the British to give the lie at Geneva to all the fine words and lip service of both nations to internation- al faith—pity it is that we cannot match Lord Cecil.” Speaking of Cecil's idealism, the Omaha World-Herald remarks that “Solomon may not have been the wisest man who ever lived, but the wisest man, whoever he was, never said anything wiser than that ‘where there is no vision the people perish.’” The resignation will be “a severe blow to the prestige of the present Tory government,” according to the Lexington Leader. It is regarded by the Oakland Tribune “as indicating there is a considerable sentiment in England in favor of such a disarma- ment program as President Coolidge ! suggested,” and the Canton Daily News believes it “will mark the xapid decline of Baldwin's prestige.” “It will not do for us Americans,” advises the Hartford Times, however, “to preen ourselves unduly because of this dissension, for, so far, no individ- ual American has spoken with such earnestness and conviction upon thei general subject of disarmament as the viscount displays.” * ok ok ok “Lord Cecil's action may, even now, have a salutary effect on the move- ment for naval limitation,” says the Albany Evening News, which views Cecil as “running true to form.” The Flint Daily Journal sees a prospect that it “may alter appreciably Britain’s future stand on disarmament,” and the Charleston Evening Post points ‘o the possibility that *“Viscount Cecil may yet represent his government at a conference in which he would hold B | Arms Situation prove to be the leader capable of in. spiring the more bitterly divided Lib- eral elements to work together in a common cause.” The Portland Oregon Journal says his action “will have & powerful effect, and it will not be felt alone in Great Britain,” and the Ap- pleton Post-Crescent adds that ‘“en- lightened public opinion everywhere will indorse his views.” The Adbury Park Press hopes that his action’' may “‘arouse other British leaders to a more “be{Jal attitude.” “'Ups and downs in Europe’s prog- ress toward peace there are sure to be,” remarks the Rochester Times- Union, and the Youngstown Vindica- tor also contends that “the cause of peace is not hopeless, although Lord Cecil's action is merely another step in the backward march in which Eu- rope and America have been engaged for the last five or six years.” The Chattanooga Times interprets the cident as a “warning to the clvfl& world that its governments are ing back into, if not de tely turning to, the old pre-war progra of competitive armaments.” "< The Blonds Protest. In a recent edition of your ‘pa there appeared an article in wi well known business man had tised for a stenographer and , stated that he was looking for a o nette, not a blond. The reason his preference, he said, was tHat' through long years of experience he had discovered that brunettes were the most efficient and reliable. In my opinion, Sir Business Man, you have sadly misjudged many a blond. They not only look well in evening gowns, on the beaches, in business apparel and also in conducting business over desks, but can do as much and more in the line of business. All this hinges on one small word, . “If you are capable of selecting the right type of young lady.” By that I mean, do not employ a blond, or for that matter any girl, because she is pleasing to the eye or because she has beautiful eyes and can use them to advantage, but some one who, though young, is sensibl who, although not beautiful, makes neat appearance and knows her work. Of course, there are exceptions in all cases, and because of your long ex- perience you should have ascertained this fact. No doubt you have, but are unwilling to admit it. I am not writ- ing this because I am a blond—far from it—but because I like to see credit paid to all who deserve it, and most blonds certainly do. ————— Early Armament Conference. Letter to the New York World. In 1817 took place the first limita- tion of armament conference between Great Britain and the United States in respect to Canadian waters. The ratio decided was 4—4, four vessels each side, not exeeeding 100 tons and one 18-pounder. All other ships of the line were dismantled, scuttled or sunk. British naval authorities, led by Lords Bathurst and Castlereagh, in- sisted upon an overwhelming naval force upon the Great Lakes. James Monroe, then Secretary of State, took up the British defi and declared Amer- ica’s willingness to engage in ruinous competition. Canada was populated by American loyalists who left ths United States during the Revolution, and the anti- American feeling was more intense there than even in England at this time. At Kingston, on the ian side, a supership, mounting 110 guns, was building, and two mounting 74 guns each. At Sacketts Harbor, on the American side, two rival 74-gun vessels were on the stocks. Then, as now, America made the first move for disarmament, the proposition com- ing first from John Quincy Adams. ‘Then, as now, a belligerent Toryism was in power in England, irritable and blustering. It was James Mon- roe against the fleld. With his inaugu- ration to the presidency about the date of the treaty, April 17, 1817, his offer of limitation or the illimitable became inexorable, and Toryism bowed to the inevitable, official warrant for the views he holds personally.” The Springfield Republi- can also foresees a_“reopening of the question under better auspices.” Arguing that “Lord Cecil obviously feels that “he ———t———— Hopeless. From the San Bernardino Sun. It begins to look as if nobody would may locomotive to a grade has been misplaced in the Tory party,” | ever build the car which can beat & crossing. troit o I et e ety i - - i Letter to the Editor of the New York Warld, F