Evening Star Newspaper, September 10, 1927, Page 6

. - i . 6 - THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY. . .Beptember 10, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Oftice: 11th St. and Pennaylvanta Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. caga_Office:’ Tower BuilCing. Eurvpean Office: 14 Regert St.. London. England. The Evening Star with the Sunday marn- ing edition 1s delivered by carriers within city at 80 cents per month: d 45 cents per month: Sunda per month. Orders may be son telephone Main 5000. Collection carrier at end of each monti. hy is made b Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland end Virginia. Dailv and Sunday....1 vr. 89.00: 1 me Daily only. ... .00 Lyr. $4.00: 1 m Sunday only. " Lyr 8300 1w 75e S0 All Other States and Canada. ilv and Sunday. 1 yr.$1200: 1 mo.. $1 Iy - 1¥r. $K00: I mo. 00 50 $4.00: 1 mol 35¢ 1yr. o Member of the Associated Press. The Associnted Prozs js cxelusively entitled 10 the use for republication of all news dis- natehes eredited to it or not otherwise cred- ited in th 1 news published ication of snecial served naper and also the lo rein. Al nchts of nu ematehes herein are als Clean House. Indiana's governor and the mayor | of Indiana’s capital have been indict- ed by a grand jury. Indictment is far | from conviction, but it must be ad- | mitted that a cloud of suspicion has hung like a pall over the Republican administration of the State and city for months. The indictments now re- turned are the first fruits of three grand jury investigations, which be- gan a year ago. Charges of corruption were publicly against officials of the State and against Republican leaders during the campaign last year, when congres- slonal and State elections hung in the balance. The name of D. C. Stephen- ®on, former grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan, and now serving a life sentence for murder of a young wom- an, was connected with the charges. Stephenson, it was openly said, would *spill the beans,” telling all he knew of the acts of Gov. Ed. Jackson, Mayor John L. Duvall of Indianapolis, and other officials and party leaders unless he were freed. At that time Stephen- < son was brought befors a grand jury. But nothing developed immediately. “Steve” sald nothing. or nothing that was reported to the public. The po- litical campaign proceeded. Republi- cans generally were victorious. Indiana Republicans, it appears, have been unfortunate in the selec- tion of their gubernatorial candidates made ¢ | Government of the crooks. the drones, g a situation which arouses the indigna- tion of every intelligent American. The question of prohibition may be discarded entirely. The issue is that sorruption, crookedness, graft and In- efficiency exist among officers of the Government. Run these malefactors out! They are morally, If not legally, sullty of treason. There 1s no strength in the puerile contention that the unpopularity of a law excuses the shortcomings of those whose duty it is to enforce it. These servants of the Government have a duty to perform which has no bear- ing on the popularity, the right or the wrong, of the law. There must be honest men. Let them enforce the law. fearlessly, fairly and with that regard for the sanctity and dignity of the Federal Government from which flows its strength. Rid our the grafters! And then let us talk of prohubition, if the subject is still open for discussion. Site Clearing Provisions. October 5 the District Commission- ers will hold a public hearing on the subject of a site for the farmers’ produce market, which will soon be transferred from its present location to make way for the new Internal Revenue Building. Several sites have been proposed, but before reaching a decision the Commissioners wish to obtain the views of representatives of the public and of the farmers who use the market. This hearing will be con- fined to the specific question of the re- location of the farmers' market. It will not be complicated by a discussion of the future location of Center Mar- ket, which likewise must soon be va- cated to make way for one of the new Government buildings, probably that of the Department of Justice, which has been tentatively designated to oc- cupy the section of the Mall-Avenue triangle lying between Seventh and Ninth stree While it is doubtless well to concen- trate attention on the farmers' mar- ket matter at this time, thought must soon be given to the other question. The location of the farmers’ market does not necessarily depend upon the re-establishment of the Center Mar- ket, although the two have been close- ly related heretofore. As has been frequently pointed out, the three ele- ments of the food-provision organiza- tion now centered in the area between Sixth and Twelfth streets and Penn- sylvania avenue and the Mall, the re- tail Center Market, the farmers' mar- ket and the wholesale houses, may be scattered without public inconven- ience. in recent years. Gov. Jackson is the second in succession to have been in- dicted for felony. Warren T. McCray, former govermor, has but recently stepped from the doors of the Federal Penitentiary at Atlanta, where he served part of a ten-year sentence for embezzling money of the State Board of Agriculture. Gov. Jackson must now stand trial on a charge of hav- ing conspired with George V. Cof- fin, Republican city and county chair- man, and Robert I. Marsh, former law partner of the governor, to bribe Mc- Cray to appoint James E. McDonald prosecuting attorney for Marion Coun- ty. Coffin and Marsh are indicted along with the governor. It is charged that $10,000 was offered McCray to make the appointment and a promise of immunity in connection with the charges then pending against McCray himself. Mayor Duvall has been indicted for violating the corrupt practices aet in connection with his election. The pic- ture presented of Indiana administra- tion and Indiana politics is not a pret- ty one. It rivals the most vicious gang rules which have been uncovered in other States and cities in the past. The people of Indiana, now that their attention has been called to the situ- ation, may be expected to rise in their wrath when the elections roll around next year and clean house. If this cannot be accomplished through a regeneration of the Republican or- ganization, then honest Republicans should join with honest Democrats to sweep all rascals out. ———r——— According to friends, the useful years of Charles E. Hughes constitute no objection to his candidacy. It must be unanimously agreed that the White House is no place for an infant prodigy. ———— The early “presidential bee” is not a dependable guide to official honey. Moreover, it carries a sting. Run Them Out! One of the many issues which have served to becloud the whole question of prohibition has been the argument pro and con regarding the corruption of enforcement agents. Enemies of prohibition have emphasized this al- {leged state of corruption as a condi- » tion which nullifies the Volstead act sand therefore defeats prohibition. Friends of the eighteenth amendment - have shown too much inclination to minimize the existence of corruption among Federal agents. The sense of their statements is that there may be some graft, but the great benefits achieved under prohibition so over- shadow the difficulties of enforcement that the latter deserve small recogni- tion. ‘fhe new Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in charge of prohibition en- forcement, Seymour W. Lowman, minces no words and spares no feel- ings in his statement declaring that: “There are many incompetent and crooked men in the service. Bribery is rampant. There are many wolves in sheep's clothing. We are after them.” His statement is encouraging. It is encouraging in the fact that the Gov- ernment official responsible for the en- forcement of prohibition recognizes the existence of what long since has been known to be a shameful evil. It 1s encouraging in the fact that this same Government official has the temerity to point it out without quib- bling. It is encouraging in the fact It is altogether likely\that progress on the new Government constructions will now be rapid. Work will very soon be started on the Department of Commerce and Internal Revenue Buildings. Other structures are being designed, and sites for them within the great triangle will soon be definite- ly selected. Already there has been difficulty in caring for District bu- reaus and utilities located within the pre-empted area, and emergency ad- justments have been necessary. The farmers’ market is a conspicuous ex- ample of the unfortunate consequence of failure to provide in season for re- locations. Heed should be taken of this {llustration of the trouble caused by delay, and arrangements should be made well in advance of the actual construction work for further clear- ances of site that are certain to be re- quired as the building program now gaining headway progresses. This whole matter should be laid before Congress at the next session with specific recommendations, for action before adjournment, so that there will be no further blockades or complica- tions. ———————— ‘Without directly contradicting Mus- solini's ideas of restoring ancient grandeur, Mayor Walker of New York does not hesitate to call attention to the modern joy of living. ——————— The United States Senate occasion- ally regards a gentleman who has been elected by his State merely as on the waiting list. —_————— Some of those whose courage best deserves an aviation prize do not live to win it. et e—— A Great Disappointment. All America today joins Lieut. Al Williams in his disappointment at being unable to participate in the forthcoming Schneider Cup races, to be held in Venice, Italy, on the twenty-fifth of September. Willlams has made a gallant effort to compete in the airplane speed classic and from President Coolidge down the Govern- ment has alded in every possible manner, but the fates decreed other- wise and the flyer reluctantly an- nounced yesterday that his plane could not be made ready in time for the overseas trip. With the fast cruiser Trenton held in readiness to sail for Italy and Wil- liams straining every effort to make the necessary tests, hope was held out until the last minute that he would be able to give the word for embarkation. But pontoon trouble, which was never satisfactorily rem- edied, warned the aviator that to fly at full speed with his powerful motor of twelve hundred and fifty horse- power would mean: disaster and he regretfully gave up the expedition. To England alone goes the blame, it there is any, for America’s non- participation this year. Despite the facts that American sportsmanship has characterized every other Schnei- jer race, that America has once falled to take the award because England was unable to compete, that the race had been once postponed to enable Italy to be represented, Britain un- graclously refused to delay this year's event in order that Willlams might have time to make the overseus trip. And Italy, the recipient of America’s ideals of sport justice a few years ago. did not press the matter, but with apparent indifference let the that the knowledge of an evil is the first requisite for its abolition. “Some days,” says Mr. Lowman, #my arm gets tired signing orders of [however, even if Willlams cannot @ismissal.” More strength to your arm, Mr. Lowman! fatigue is not paralysis. British refusal stand as an obstacle to American participation. There is some crumb of comfort, ‘S THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 10, 1927. France at two hundred and seventy- eight miles an hour. Willlams' plane, which was never designed to fly with pontoons, is expected to attaln a speed of mora than three hundred mtles an hour when it is equipped with wheells. So that, with the most powerful motor ever installed in an airplane, the naval aviator may within the next two weeks regain for the United States the most coveted world record in aviation. though without winning the trophy. And the United States is walting eagerly for the time when it can applaud@ his success. ———— The Insanity Plea. Recently a New York policeman as- signed to special duty guarding the bearers of pay rolls through the streets of the city shot and killed a paymas- ter whom he had thus served and, tak- ing the cash, entered upon an orgy of spending. When arrested on the strength of explicit circumstantial evi- dence of his crime he refused to an- swer questions, and now his counsel announces that a plea of insanity will be entered in defense. The other day a man shot two others to death as the résult of a quarrel over a real estate deal and drove a third out of the ninth- story window, to fall to his death and kill a passerby. He has acknowledged the shooting, but his counsel, like- wise, states that a plea of insanity will be advanced in defense. The insanity plea is the common refuge of the slayer for whom no other justification for his act can be advanced. It has succeeded in many cases and failed in others. It is, per- haps, the last chance of escape from execution. Sometimes it succeeds only partially, to secure an imprison- ment sentence rather than condemna- tion to death. The laws and practices of the States vary widely in regard to this plea. In some jurisdictions greater leniency is manifested toward it and the slightest departure from the normal is effective to secure a favorable verdict. In others the insanity plea is .regarded with suspicion, as being a subterfuge, a desperate resort in defense. There can be no practical unifica- tion of the laws in respect to this plea. Its constant occurrence, however, is publicly viewed with some alarm as menacing a weakening of the safe- guards against crime. The appear- ance of the expert alienist on the wit- ness stand in behalf of the defense is the signal for general derision. The spectacie of conflicting expert opin- fons regarding the mental condition of the accused has frequently caused ridicule to be expressed regarding the course of justice. In response to this reaction in some jurisdictions the ac- cused who presents an insanity plea is subjected to examination by psychi- atrists engaged by the State, whose report is accepted as final. This is undoubtedly the safer, surer method of determining the mental condition and the degree of responsibility on the part of the defendant. An insanity plea is a confession of fact, in avoldance of criminal respon- sibility. Murder may be the act of a person temporarily unbalanced by rage, or jealousy, or by grief. But in only the rarest instances, according THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. The spiders in our garden seem to be divided into three sorts—lazy spiders, indifferent spiders and invisi- ble spiders. 1t takes a garden to show a spider at its best. The fameus prisoner who passed away his time watching them build webs in his cell ought to have requested that he be transferred to a garden. A properly constituted garden gives a spider so much more scope. Here he can fling his line on the wings of the air and cross the abyss in realit A spider is not hampered in a gar- den. His tremendous engineering genius (or is it only the lady spider that builds?) demands the great open spaces of zinnia beds, porches, rose bushes, and whatnot. In such an environment the creative intelligence working in and through him rears such a structure as any one in the world might be proud to call his own. * ok ok ¥ How does the spider do it? Fabre and others have books that attempt to explain the spider and maybe some day we shall look into them. In the meantime one can but won- der at the skill, dexterity and sheer science of the small creature with the quantity of legs. . One may abhor spiders, in actuality, but maintain a vast respect for them, theoretically. ‘We give the spiders in our garden a respectable distance, but come close enough to admire their webs, and their sustaining lines, and their single-span bridges. Sometimes we become brave enough to poke at the big yellow fellow.in the middle of his web. Then what an angry jumping back- ward and forward he puts up! /No doubt he is bawling us out in good spider language. * ok ok K He is a specimen of the lazy spider. Aside from the ebullition of anger, he is immovable, as far as any one can tell. Perhaps he shifts around in his web at night, dining on the small butterflies which fly into it. The spider is the original trapper and fisherman. He places his net in the air and waits patiently for some poor dub of a bug to fly into it. Once the bug is trapped, the spider knows, the web will hold. This particular net, some 2 feet In diameter, is swung exactly in the center of a big bed of zinnias. A iarge proportion of the flowers are of the variety Isabellina, a pastel shade of light yellow. The spider, being yellow himself, blends in well with the flowers. He is supposed to be beneficial to the garden, so we take care not to dis- turb him. He is almost as large as a G0-cent plece, Aside from poking at him, now and then, we let him severely alone. * ok ok X A specimen of the indifferent spider is the chap who has a neat web swung between the two down rails on the east side of the back steps. This fellow takes life so nonchalant- ly that he refuses to budge from the nook which he has discovered for him- self in the place where the upper rail meets an upright. His web is practically a perfect specimen, about a foot in diameter, with a symmetrical pattern which it is a pleasure for a human being to contemplate, A human being would construct a web the same way—if he could! ‘The trouble is, no man can equal a first-class spider ‘when it comes to setting up webs. They are not called spider webs for nothing! Once we saw an artificial creation in a jeweler’'s window. It was con- structed of fine silver wires, against a background of black velvet. One was reminded of the critic's opinion of Pope's somewhat artificial translation of Homer's “Iliad": “It is very pretty, Mr. Pope, but it isn't Homer.” Even a secondrate spider would have been ashamed of the clumsy craftsmanship displayed in the web. The spectator had but to go into any garden to see the difference, L Perhaps the finest example of web engineering in our garden is the work of an invisible spider. His web speaks for him. He, himself, no doubt is lurking behind a convenient rose, or a zinnia blossom. The web is not a large one, per- haps a little more than a foot in diameter, sticking straight out from the Sunburst rosebush to which it is anchored by two main lines, slightly reinforced. i The web 1s held at right angles to the bush by a 10-foot single span running across the yard to one of the zinnia beds. This line divides into six guy lines, about 2 feet from the zinnias, al- though the course of the main span is plainly discernible to the very end. Just how the spider managed to t that long line across such a huge distance Is a mystery to one who has not delved into spiderology. Perhaps he is a tiny fellow who began to unroll his line as he threw himself into space, and, being very light, managed to float across to the zinnias. Or maybe he began at the zinnia end, placing his chief span first, building up the web afterward. * Ok kX In fact, although we call this spider invisible, we remember having seen a very minature one walking along that big cable. Can it be possible that thig little thing could have stretched this posi- tively huge bit of construction— compared to himself—in the very face of the breeze in absolute disdain of such human factors as might come walking that way, unthinkingly tear- ing down in a second the work of his tiny hands? Since the discovery of this engi- neering feat every one has taken care to avoid walking against it, but it is so difficult to see, in certain lights, especially the long thin line, that its destruction seems imminent. At best, it can remain but a few weeks longer. Autumn is on the way and cold weather and spiders do not go together. The flying things of the day and night will be gone. The spider will have no more use for his wonderful web. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. The great American Legion returns to France, 10 years after the declara- tion of war by the American Congress. Not many of the American Expedi- tionary Force had gotten across the to an analysis of numerous cases in which this defense has been offered, is there any excuse on the score of a diseased brain for the taking of human life. Rapid City would like to have Presi- dent Coolidge remain in the Black Hills all Winter. So would some mem- bers of Congress. Canadian smugglers are so resentful of United States competition that they may yet be tempted to organize for a strike. Reports of reduction in motion pic- ture incomes arrive, unfortunately, at a time when alimony demands appear most exigent. Arguments progress as to whether ofl is an exhausted supply or an unde- veloped natural resource. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, April and September. Blossoms smile just as of yore; ‘The sun is shining gay. We suspect the world once more Is turning back to May. Every month is more or less Uncertain in its rule And this September foolishness Is worse than April Fool! Violets were wet with dew ‘Which often brought a chill. The flaunting Summer brought anew Hay fever's hated thrill. The old thermom calls us to guess Its antics, hot or cool; And this September foolishness Is worse than April Fool! The Only Inferiority. “What is an inferiority complex?” “I never felt one,” answered Senator Sorghum. “It never occurs in politics except momentarily, when the oppos- ing candidate gets the most votes.” A Flower. I love the flower not so much For all its beauty, passing rare, As for the hand whose tender touch Has brought it near with loving care. Jud Tunkins says some people try to start quarrels in order to be conspicu- ous in some way, even if it's unpleas- ant. ““We reverence what is old,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “because it has passed on and cannot interfere with our present business.” Helping the Home. “Is your wife a help to you in run- ning the dear old homestead?” “I'll say she is,” answered Farmer Corntossel, “She learned stenography and got a good job in town.” Insidious Power. A wicked little dollar grew At such a rapid rate, In politics it came to view, 'Mid contributions great. Though men were generous and good, We marveled at the grace compete in ftaly. He has announced It may tire, but | that he will immediately remove the Regardless | pontoons from his plane, change it of the views one may hold upon thelinto a land ship and go after the mora) principle of prohibition, here §8 world specd record which is held by, With which that naughty dollar could Contrive to set the pace. “De man who says what he thinks,” Atlantic by September, 1917, but the United States, at that time, was ac- tively engaged in preparing for her part in the great conflict. Then came the “Bridge of Ships,” and the 2,000,000 soldlers “over there” and the 2,000,000 in reserve. Then came the killed upon the field of battle, 34,249; the wounded and hospitalized, 224,089; of which latter, one-third of the casualties came from the enemy’s poison gas. Of the gassed, only 1,221 died in hospitals and 69,351 recovered, while of the 153,537 wounded by bullets and shells, 12,470 died in field hospitals and 141, 067 recovered more or less completely. And now, after a decade, thousands of the soldies ho were associated with the allies “over there” are re- turning to hold their annual meeting in Paris, opening Monday, Septem- ber 19. * ok ok Ok The American Legion was first organized in Paris; it was also organ- ized, tentatively, here in Washington about the same time, and in token of this initiative, led by Col. E. Lester Jones, chief of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the first post is recognized as “‘George Washington Post, No. 1.” It was called the “John J. Pershing Post’; but when, at the first national conven- tion of the Legion, it was ruled that no post should be called after a living person, the name was changed to that of the “Father of His Country.’ The prejudice among the unin- formed, that the American Legion ex- ists for the purpose of exalting “mili- tarism” and promoting a war spirit, is so far from truth that to any Le- gionnaire it appears preposterous. It is an organization confined to those who know by hard experience what war means. They realize its crueltigs, its miseries, its bitter griefs. They want no more such *“‘adventure,” and they scorn its “glory.” They know, however, the awful penalties of un- preparedness for national defense. Their consciousness of the Nation's duty to care for the wounded is keener than that of many who by personal associations have not had that obli- gation brought home to them. The American Legion gives a help- ing hand, not alone to Legionnaires, but to all wounded or sick veterans. Thelr greatest single achievement has been the passage by Congress of the veterans’ compensation and rehabili- tation acts and the concentration of the several bureaus executing the earlier legislation of relief into the one United States Veterans’ Bureau, which is now paying out to disabled soldiers more than a million dollars a day, be- sides maintaining the greatest sys- tem of hospitals of any nation at any time. Altogether, the Legion has sup- ported Congress in passing nearly 200 laws for the veteran relief and regu- lation. These adopted measures were sifted out of nearly 2,000 bills more or less unworthy. * ok x % There exist in the United States and in foreign countries (wherever there are American veterans) nearly 10,000 American Legion posts, and the Le- glonnaires, particularly within the last three or four years, have developed undisputed leadership in municipal improvement and in arousing public interest in patriotic affairs. Today that is the mission of the Legion and, in the face of pacifism, communism and weakness, that, the Legionnaires believe, is the most vital influence needed in American life. * ok kK Gen. John J. Pershing is a Legion- naire—a member of George Washing- ton Post, No. 1, and also a member of its board of directors in charge of the financial affairs of the three-story home of the post at I and Nineteenth streets northwest, He is a believer in the mission of the American Legion—in its authoritative voice as expressing not only the will of soldiers but the spirit of Americanism. In response to a request of the writer of this col- umn for an expression of his views on said Uncle Eben, “is liable to wish he had thought mo’ and sajd less,” _ . this subject, Gen. Pershing writes: ““The fact that from its pioneer days & bave been an active member of George Washington Post, No. 1, of the American Legion is the best answer I know how to give, that I am in sym- pathy with, the Legion’s spirit and its aims. The preamble of its constitution is the most patriotic expression writ- ten in America since Lincoln's great Gettysburg address; it deserves to stand in parallel column alongside of that address. It is a rioble answer to the treasonable vaporings of slackers, communists and anarchists. “The Legion is unselfish in its de- votion to the relief of the wounded and otherwise disabled ‘buddies,’ whether they belong to its member- ship or not. It has been most active in the organization of Government aid for them, in guarding against unwise legislation and in supporting proper |k laws not only to promote the interests of veterans, but also to advance the cause of general patriotism and na- tional defense. Its education of the public in safe and sane measures of preparedness would alone justify all the work and expense of such an or- ganization. “As the years go by, its influence, instead of waning, will grow until it will become the dominant public spirit of «¢he country, binding all sec- tions together in soldier sympathy and patriofism. It must ever remain pre- eminently American. “No man should ever use the Ameri- can Legion to gain political prefer- ment, for that would conflict with its very purpose. “It will ever be the balance-wheel of peace—not war—for there is no class so determined to maintain peace as the men who know what war really is. So, in the preamble, one of the outstanding pledges is ‘to promote peace and good will on earth’ and, with ‘100 per cent Americanism,’ ‘to safe- guard and transmit to posterity the principles of freedom, justice and democracy.’ What a great bulwark of national defense is the American Legion—now and forever! “We all admired the dauntless Col. Lindbergh in his distinguished service as ‘unofficial ambassador to France.’ Now in this second A. E. F. to France there will be 25,000 such ‘ambassadors’ counteracting the slanders of prejudice against America. With conduct and bearing befitting Americans and gen- tlemen, this second visit will go farther toward knitting the ties of in- ternational comradeship and good will between Europe and America_than years of ordinary diplomacy. Every Legionnaire carries that blessed and sober responsibility ‘to preserve the memories and incidents of our asso- ciation in the Great War,’ and ‘to con- secrate and sanctify our comradeship —not alone among American sol- diers, but also with our associates of the allies—by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.’” Yours truly, “JOHN J. PERSHING.” (Covyright. 1027. by Paul V. Collins.) —————— Demography of the Negro. From the New York Times. Dr. Louis I. Dublin of the Metro- politan Life Insurance Co. makes a very hopeful statistical estimate of the future of the negro in the United States. His statistics and conclusions are to be found in an article in the American Mercury entitled *Life, Death and the Negro.” The history of the race in the United States since it first crept upon the tables of vital statistics in 1790, when the observed colored population was 757,208, down to 1920, when it was 10,463,131, shows that it has muitiplied nearly 14 times. The rate of increase greatly slackened in the decade 1910-1920, when the increase was 6.50 per cent, as compared with 11.20 in the pre- vious decade. The latter was only about a third of what it was at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Despite the exceptional fecundity of our colored population, its percentage of the total fell to 9.9 in 1920 from 19.3 in 1790. There was a time when there were “doleful prophecies” that the race problem would be settled by extinction, but they have been dis- credited by the improved health con- ditions which the colored people have shared with white Americans. Ac- cording to Dr. Dublin, the expecta- tion of negro males at 50 is only a year less than that of white males and of negro females only & little over tWo years loss, MM THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Booklover. Of the many sides of James Bryce sketched by H. A. L. Fisher, warden of New College, Oxford, in his biog- raphy, “James Bryce,” one of the most attractive is Bryce as a traveler and a mountain climber. Bryce's interest in travel began early. “When he was 12 years old, long before he had crossed the English Channel, he knew most of the peaks of the Bernese Oberland and the Pennines from pic- tures and descriptions and could have given the height of many of them.” The wild glens of Antrim, near his north Ireland home, were his haunts from earliest childhood. The long Summer holldays while he was a stu- dent in Glasgow College were spent either on the Irish or Scotch coast or in the Scotch highlands, where he “swam, and boated, and fished, and climbed mountains, often alone.” During his Oxford vacations he en- Joyed walking tours in the Killarney region, in Scotland, Wales and Switzerland, and in 1863 went to Heidelberg for a semester of study. Following the publication of “The Holy Roman Empire,” in 1864, he visited Italy and his letters to his mother and sisters record “his Italian impressions and incidentally * * * a vivid picture of Rome during the declining years of the papal state. * * To the historian of “The Holy Roman Empire,” bringing to Italy ail the enthusiasm generated by his wide knowledge and recent researches, the past was more living than the present, and the present chiefly significant as throwing a backward light upon the past.” In the Summer of 1866 he spent a holiday with Leslie Stephen in Transylvania, where he ascended the Csaltho, in the Carpathians. In 1870, the year of his appointment as regius professor of civil law at Oxford, he paid his first visit to the United States. * ok ok ok One of Bryce's most adventurous -journeys was made in 1872 to Ice- land, where he crossed the central desert by a difficult route, ‘“‘which hafl' not been tried for 15 years or 80,” and was known to but one man In the country. The year 1874 brought travels in Norway, Spain and Portugal. Travels through the Cau- casus in 1876 brought the welcome opportunity to ascend Mount Ararat, about which the persistent supersti- tion existed that it was inaccessible. After leaving his friend Mackay, who had decided to halt at 12,000 feet, and being deserted by his Cossack guards and Kurd carriers, Bryce continued alone to the summit, where “a puff of wind blew the mists aside and showed the Araxes Plain at an abysmal depth below.” In 1887 and 1888 Egypt and India drew him. In the former his chief interest was in the ruined temples, particularly those of Thebes; in the latter, the modern life and the effect of the caste system, with its superstitions, on the Anglo- Indian government. He comments in a letter. “Although caste and Hindu- ism seem slightly shaken so far, they are being undermined and may come down with a r,:m before 50 years.” * k¥ Marriage in 1889 put an end Bryce's solitary travels, but X\rIrt: Bryce was also a good traveler and the two made many tours together. },n 1895 they visited South Africa and ‘made a journey of 1,200 miles in a mule wagon, unarmed and accom- panied only by a Dutch driver and a native Cape boy, through the lonely country between Mafeking and Fort Salisbury. Undeterred by the repu- tation of its pestilential shores, they navigated the shallow and turbid waters of the Pungwe, partly con- soled for the shyness of the crocodiles by the gambols of the river horses. They climbed Machache (11,000 feet), in Basutoland, and Table Mountain (3,600 feet), in Cope Colony.” In 1909, when Ambassador to the United States, Bryce applied for double leave !.n order to visit South America. He had a passionate desire to see the whole world before he died.” Expe- riences and impressions of this trip are recorded in his book, “South America.” In connection with the projected book, “Modern Democracies,” the Bryces visited Australia and New Zealand in 1912. One of the children of Lord Chelmsford, who entertained them at Sydney, in describing a bota- nizing trip with the guests, said, “You now, Dad, he skipped from rock to rock like a mountain goat and never missed his footing.” He was 74 at that time. In 1913, just before com- pleting his seventy-fifth year, Bryce resigned as Ambassador to the United States and he and Mrs. Bryce made their journey home by way of China, Japan and Siberla. In 1914, shortly before the outbreak of the World War, they visited Palestine and Syria. & * Xk k% ryce’s mountaineerin shows his love of that iportrm;i the time of his election to the Alpine Club in 1879 he had climbed the Schreckhorn, Monte Rosa, the Pelmo and the Marmolata in the Dolomites, Hekla in Iceland, Ararat in Armenia, the Maladetta and the Vignemale in the Pyrenees, and the cliffs of the Tatra on the border of Transylvania. Later climbs included Mauna Loa in the Hawallan Islands, Machache in Basutoland, Myogisan in Japan, and all the rocky hills of Mount Desert, Maine. “Nor was his interest in a mountain conflned, as is the case with some excellent climbers, to the char- acter of the climb itself, the state of the rock, ice or snow, the nature of the handholds or footholds, or the discovery, in the case of a new ascent, of the easiest route to the top. A mountain provided other in- terests, —notably geological, upon which his curiosity was actively ex- erted.” * % x ¥ Among the writers who have made East and South Africa a land of dreams and magic through fiction, Dr. Francis Brett Young combines real knowledge with romantic treat- ment. He was country doctor in a Devonshire fishing village when the ‘World War began, and in 1915, as a medical officer, joined the army of Gen. Smuts in Africa. There he served long enough, before he was invalided home, to learn much about the vast south-equatorial continent. During his convalescence he began the attempt to make use of his ex- periences in fiction. “Marching on Tanga” is a war novel with African setting. The three African novels which followed, however, show Fran- cis Brett Young at his best—“The Crescent Moon, 'Woodsmoke” and All three have tense plots worked out against a background of jungle wildness, with a flavor of savage loyalty and savage treachery, black magic and the su- pernatural. Dr. Brett Young’s last novel is quite different from his African novels. “Love Is Enough” is a story of an English woman of the Victorian age and the presens time, who spends all her life in Eng- land—a life concerned only with per- sonal and family affairs. * %k X *x Eight very readable, if not very profoundly significant, short stories are contained in Edna Ferber's vol- ume, “Mother Knows Best.” The plots are not uniformly original, nor the characters’ equally well analyzed. The title story is one of the best. Of the others, “Our Very Best Peo- ple” and “Blue Blood” explain their subject matter by their titles. ‘“Holi- day” is lacking in sufficient plot. “Perfectly Independent” presents two interesting old ladies, “Every Other Thursday” a servant girl who leads a life of her own, “Classified” a tele- phone company employe who has problems, and “Consider the Lilies” a woman who has her fling after she has reached 45. EREER] “The China Year Book, 1926-27,” edited by H. G. W. Woodhead, con- tains a mwmhm. s r,olhbl: Q. How many telephone poles are there to a mile?—D. L. A. The number of poles to the mile is usually 40 on heavily loaded lines and 30 on lightly loaded lines, except where there ars many curves, when the number of poles may be more in either case. Q. Do canning factories inspect or see the truck gardens from which they obtain their .aw material?’—R. A. Som: canning factories practical- 1y choose the food before it is planted. They first find the farmers who under- stand their business and will raise what they want in the right way. They next buy the very best sced that can be found and instruct the farmer as to the proper way to grow the seed and they see that the instructions are followed. Q. How does the birth rate of the Indian population of the United States. compare with the death rate>—W. P. A. In cr-aring the birth and. death rates for the Indian population in the registration area of the United States the birth rate (28.4 per 1,000) is only 3“?31; 1,000 greater than the death rate Q. Why has Oberlin, Ohio, been known in the past as the mother of reforms?—B. C. A. The colony and college were founded 90 years ago as “an effort to hasten the coming of the Kingdom of Christ on earth.” It was also a dar- ing experiment in offering higher edu- cation to women along with men. Later the same opportunities were ex- tended to members of the then en- slaved race. At a later period, 1893, Oberlin became the birthplace of the Anti-Saloon League. These and kin- dred movements were but the natural outgrowth of the ~ irit shown in “The Oberlin Covenant,” which embodied 1 : program of the colony, and showed how socially minded were these pio- neers in a day when individualism reigned in religion as well as in eco- nomics. Q. How do the Norman columns in tue Cathedrsl of Saints Peter and Paul, Washington, rank?—N. P. A. These columns are the Norman columns in the world. “largest Q. H8w far does the view from Mon- ticello_extend?—S. D. A. Twenty-seven miles to the Blue F:dge Mountains. Q. What 'is the silt content of the Colerado River?—J. S. H. A. The average.silt content of the water of Colorado River varies widely. It is said to vary from year to year from 2,400 to 12,000 parts per million. Q. Who authorized the first exca- vations in Pompeii?—H. A. D. A. King Charles III authorized the first excavation at Pompeii, 1748. Q. What is the legend of the aspen tree?—S. N. A. It is or was generally believed that the cross upon which Our Lord was crucified was hewn from the as- pen and that the trembling of the leaves of this tree bears out that be- lief. Its floral meaning is fear. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Senate wing of the Capitol there fs stained glass skylight. Who deco- rated it?—O. D. A. Brumidi_executed the designs wrought on the glass. This is not stained glass. Brumidl painted it, Iy- ing on his back on a scaffold. Q. What does the term mean as applied to wine?—A. X A. Wine is treated with plaster of parts to improve the color, keeping s, etc., either as is generally supposed, by abstraction of water th increase of alcoholic strength, or chiefly, as some believe, by precipita- tion of albuminous matter, Q. When were postal cards first used in this country?—G. N. A. They were introduced into the United States in 1873. Q. What movie played Carmen?—N. L ‘The most important Carmens of the screen are Theda Bara, Geraldine Farrar and Dolores del Rio. Q. Who wrote “In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love”?—A. M. K. Tennyson. It is from *‘Locksley plaster W. E actresses have Hali, Q. Where is the longest aqueduct in the world?—L. E. M. A. The one carrying water from Owens River in Sierra Madre Moun- tains to Los Angeles, 233 miles in length, is said to be the longest aque- duct in the world. Q. Did Abraham Lincoln have a brother?—N. C. A. A second son born to Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoln lived but a few weeks. Q. Does the lion hunt its prey by day or by night?—J. H. A. While the lion goes abroad by day and hunts widely, it is at night that it usually stalks its prey. It lurks near a spring or by a river in ambush, waiting for animals to coms to the drinking place. Q. Do many children have goiter? R, T A. Goiter threatens two out of every three children between 10 and 18, girls particularly, it is claimed. Q. Where is the Mesabe Range of Mountains?—J. A. W. A. Mesabe Range is in northern Minnesota. Strictly speaking, it is not composed of mountains, the extreme elevation being 2,200 feet. The Mesabe, the Vermillion and Cuyana Ranges, all in Minnesota, produce more iron ore than any other district in the world. What do you need to know?" there some point about your busine: or personal life that puzzles you? Is there something you want to know without delay? Submit your question to Frederic J. Haskin, director of our Washington Information Bureau. He is employed to help you. Address your inquiry to The Evening Star Infor- mation Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. and en- 1s Q. Over the central stairway in the close two cents in stamps for return postage. Modern journalism has been given much public consideration as a result of the International Press Conference at Geneva and its demands for free access to official news. Coupled with discussion of the conference and its activities are many comments on criti- cism of newspaper methods and ethics by Lord Hewart, Lord Chief Justice of England, who attended the annual meeting of the American Bar Associa- tion. The stand of press conference against censorship in time of peace is viewed by the Baltimore Evening Sun with approval mixed with a bit of skepticism. ‘“‘Censorship means only annoyance and trouble for news- papers,” says that paper. “It gets them into trouble with government officials. It also gets them into trouble with their readers by preventing them from giving the readers what they wish and pay for—namely, the news. But censorship is so convenient for politicians that it is highly unlikely they will surrender it merely because the International Press Conference de- mands its surrender. The power of the press does not rise to any such height as that.” “Mugsolini in Italy, Rivera in Spain, Stalin in Russia, Calles in Mexico,” declares the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “keep up censorships and expel cor- respondents who send out the truth. They are the worst offenders, but by no means the only offenders. And the offense is a grave one against modern civilization. Miasmas yield to sun- Honest governments have to hide. That is almost an * ok k% The Charlotte Observer recognizes that “the independent press associa- tions of the world—the organizations which distribute the news of the world to the newspapers in all coun- tries—are determined that informa- tion coming from abroad shall not be worded to suit selfish foreign rulers. They do not care whether it is favor- able or unfavorable; what they are after is the truth, and the whole truth. ‘What American readers want are the facts, so that they may draw their own_conclusions.” “Not only should the newspaper press be free,” insists the Pasadena Public Hears Much Concerning Methods of Modern Journalism argues that extension of this princi- ple, already in force in some coun- tries, including the United States, would “make possible the securing of more and better news.” Discussing the charges of Lord Hewart, among which was that of “‘misreport! " the Dayton Dalily News says “it is true that public men who find their correctly quoted re- marks getting them into trouble com- monly try to save their faces at the expense of the papers,” but that paper concludes: “Self-reform is painful and infrequent. Reform of otheérs is pleasurable and a daily activity. Gen- tlemen of the bar, let us reform each other, you the press and we the bar, and if the millennium isn’t here by the time of the New Year whistles, it will be because the whistles are too choked with emotion to blow.” * ok k ok “The demand for clean, accurate, comprehensive news reports, free from sensationalism, was never stronger than now,” affirms the St. Joseph News-Press, with the further statement that ‘“the responsiveness of a majority of newspaper workers to this demand is noteworthy, and criticism that is frank, honest and discerning will recognize this fact. Newspapers which take a serious view of their functions are not in the least annqyed by that kind of criti- cism.” Replying to the British justice's’ statement that the newspapers con- stitute a “huge engine for keeping discussion at a low level,” the Boston Transcript asserts: ‘“Some people— perhaps the lord chief justice is one of them—are inclined to fancy that the newspapers should be superior in tone to the people who read them. They may even be just that, and still be under the necessity of regarding in the main the demands of their readers. The papers may suggest & great deal of uplift, and still be quite unable to dominate the tastes and preoccupations of the public.” The Hamilton Spectator adds its testimony that “no body of men and women strives more faithfuily to tell the truth, and to. tell it in harmony with their impressions and knowledge, than do most newspaper writers of Star-News, “but all newspapers and all press associations should have ac- cess, on terms of equality, to all gov- ‘ernmental news which is made public, in this country and in other countries. This is but justice to the millions who regularly read newspapers.” The Chicago Tribune adds that ‘interrela- tions of finance alone call for a free exchange of information and a mu- tual confidence between the creditor and_debtor nations, which is incom- patible with the suppression of news.” “The important role which foreign governments play in controlling the dissemination of news,” in the opinion of the Indianapolis Star, “constitutes one of the chief obstacles to the at- tainment by the European press of a freedom which has always been guar- anteed to American journalism.” De- claripg that “the forum of the Fourth Estale is worldavide,” the New York Evening Post adds that “on it more than any other single thing depends good understanding among nations.” and that “nothing will do more to break down the barriers of national exclusiveness than the free exchange of news.” * ok Kk ok On the question of property rights in news, the New York World points out that “the resolution as finally passed simply declared that in view of ‘widely different conditions obtaining in different countries,’ the question of a law should be left to the govern- ments concerned, but that they were asked to consider the matter sympa- thetically. This is the first step,” continues the World. “It should lead in time to full international protec- tion of property rights in news, with a resultant gain in enterprise and ac- curacy.” The Schenectady Gazette _— is also editor of the Peking and Tientsin Times. Facts and statistics about population, geography, geology, fauna, climate, language, in- dustries, labor, railways, finance, education, religions, | shipping, | From the Waterbury Republican. public this day. Lord Hewart’s words may serve as an exhortation to more ear- nest striving, but he may be assured the effort is constant.” —a——— Installment Buying. From the New York Herald-Tribune. ‘Various economists have remarked that the major economic problem of today does not concern production or even distribution, but consumption. How to make the public consume rap- idly enough and in sufficient quantity the Niagara of goods that pours every second from the hopper of modern in- dustry—that is the poser that now puckers the brows of manufacturer and merchant. For mass production requires mass consumption, and the one i3 easier to provide than the other. At least, mass production, in- volving as it does the harnessing of chemical or physical nature, when once provided is automatic and de- pendable, but mass consumption, which has @ do purely with human nature, is nelther. Nevertheless, this major problem is being solved, and largely through instaliment buyins. In a study of the subject for the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Dr. Wilbur C. Plum- mer has estimated that installment goods amount now to about 15 per cent of all goods sold in this country, or about $6,000,000,000 annually. in- stallment sales cover two-thirds of all automobiles, four-fifths of all phono- graphs, three-fourths of all washing machines, two-thirds of all vacuum cleaners, more than 50 per cent of pianos, sewing machines, radios, elec- tric refrigerators and 25 per cent of all jewelry. The great majority of homes are bought on the installment plan and a large part of their furni- ture. Installment buying would ap- pear to be an absolutely essential factor in our present economio health 3 4 The Spotlight on Business. Broadcasting of a stockholders’ health and many_other subjects, as|meeting, which will be done Wednes- well as a “Who's Who" of prominent | day evening, is our idea of pitiless +Chinese,.are:. B