Evening Star Newspaper, September 17, 1927, Page 6

< — E _EVENT THE EVENING STAR]Mc-uu it had not been noted with | before the school year ends. In that With Sunday Morning Kdition. | WASHINGTON. D C. SATURDAY. ..September 17, 1027 | THEODORE W. NOYES. . . . Editor | The Evenin,. Star Newspaper Company Bustasss Oftice T Ky Fowes ot 14 Regent St.. London Enciand | 11th | Gacnea o i iicaxo Ofic European Office The Evening Star with the Su Ay murn iBg edition 1s delivered by carriers withir <he City at 60 cente per month: daily i | month o 45 centa © r ‘month T max he sont wlephone Main 3000 Coleetion s made by | carrier at end of sach month | vable in Advance. | d Virginia. Rate by Mail—| Maryland ay'v and_Sundar 01 m MR 300: 1 mo | andav only 300 1 mo All Other States and Cana Daily and Sundav 1 vr . Daily only )ar Sunday oy 1r o 10 hews iis The Associaied 1* 10 the use for repubi patches credited 10 1t or ted 1 this paver and also the local news published herem. il rights of outheation | of speeial dispatohes herein are aisa eseived Mr. McAdoo Also “Chooses Not." | William G Not Choose dent Coolidze. publisher tanoog quir candicate for statement is explicit to speculation regarding his own as. | piration. It does, however, open the | field of debate as to his P in| the campaign to come. = | Whether Mr. McAdoo's withdrawal from the field of potential candidates for the 1328 nomination materially af. fects the prospect remains for sideration. In the quarters in which the Smith candidacy is most strongly favored it will bé greeted as an avowal of the strength and an acknowledg ment of the victory of the Governor | ©of New York in the race for the nom-| fnation. But there is coupled with the announcement of non-candidac statement of policies and a dec of principles for which Mr. McAdoo proposes to continue to fight which must give some concern to the sup- porters of New York's favorite Demo- McAdoo joins the 1 Do | founded by Presi- | e v ites to a friend, a newspaper at Chat- | letter of in | that he be al| President His | leaving nothing Club in response fo to will not 1928, say in Pos con- | _eratic son. These Democratic principles and policies, to which Mr. McAdoo pledges +himself are: Fil the preservation unimpaired of the Constitution of the | AUnited States; second, the suppression of nullification and enforcement of the ilaw, without which stable government ‘48 impossible and without which the blessings of liberty will disappear; third, justice to agriculture, without which the farmers cannot get their rightful share of national prosperity; fourth, social and economic Justltei for all classes, without which human | ‘opportunity cannot be widened. It is in the first and second of these Aeclarations of Democratic principle | that Mr. McAdoo most seriously men- @ces the Smith candidacy. The Cali- ‘fornian is a 4 He stands for the complete sustaining of the eighteenth .amendment and the enforcement of the Volstead act. To him failure to ‘sustain the amendment and to enforce the law is “nullification.” It may be interpreted from the letter just writ- ten that he will endeavor, by the use “of such political power as he may possess, to prevent the writing of a ‘platform by the Democracy that does not stand four-square with this prin .ciple, and to prevent the nomination ‘of a candidate who does not conform in practice and in principle to such a “platform. Note is to be made, furthermore, of | Mr. McAdoo's reminiscence, in the course of a brief sketch of his politi- cal career, of the fact that his candi- @acy for the nomination in 1924 “was | _Tendered abortive by the unfortunate | *injection, against my wishes, of the false religious issue into the national| Democratic convention.” Does this | wiznify that Mr. McAdoo will not him- @°If bring up the religious question #zainst Gov. Smith, or that he con- ceives that no such situation should arise which could justify the raising of that issue? The answer to that Question may later develop. . 'The fact is that for some time, in-! .deed in the view of most people for | more than three years, Mr. McAdoo | has not been regarded as having a chance to get the 1928 nomination does not lessen the political impor- tance of this withdrawal. His “follow- | ing” has been greatly diminished by his two failures, at San Francisco in 1920 and at New York in 1924. But he till wields an influence. He may not “awing any considerable number of delegates to any particular quarter, but unless he has written in this let-| ter his political valedictory he will be at the | & factor, however negative, | next gathering of the Democratic | party. e Popular songs are playing an im- portant part in presidential sugges- tion. Mr. Hughes has referred to his years in connection with demands for | his candidac: When the band gets through with “The Sidewalks of New York” it might respond to a special | request for “Is He Not the Wise Old 17" | owl? | school system of the Capital as an | example. Paper towels are used now | universally in all public lavatories. | The District schools consume several million of these towels annually | Requisitions for them were put through in due season and the order | w given for the supply. When the deliveries were made it was found | that the towsis furnished did not fit the containers, already installed. The |towels themselves were wrongly folded. Yet the proper dimensional ‘cpnrim‘:‘linnn had been prescribed M | the requisition and supposedly in the order. Somebody blundered, some- whers. in the long line of super- | numerary contributors to the process | ot production. It s too late to rectify the error. The schools will open next | Monday. The children must be sup- | plied with towels. They cannot come | into the school rooms with dripping hands and damp faces. Somebody in the school system must between now and Monday find a way to distribute the towels. It is quite certain that there will ba a heavy waste. Perhaps ————— not a large town. and sposition to regard some d as Geneva is there is a d of the conversations it has hou aere village gossip. GBS 2 reasonable objection asserts itself 4n connection with the aviation phrase It sounds altogether too “hop off." easy. No More Cotton Price Forecasts. Promptly upon hearmng of the pro- fests against the cotton price forecasts 1ssued by the Department of Agricul-| ture President Coolidge expressed his aisapproval of such a practice and Becretary Jardine likewise announced that hereafter no such references to the financial aspect of the commodity “will he made. This ends a controversy started by the issuance of a bulletin which, summarizing the condition of the crop and the facts of foreign de- .mand, indicated that lower rates would prevai A similar bulletin issued in August had failed to cause any Jis- 4 |in tlat they afford a dependable Las { the intention of Congres | st emphasis in the speculative centers. Undoubtedly it is the wiser course for the Government agencles to re frain from any expressions of ion regarding the prospective pr of any of the agricultural products. Congress has provided for the collec- | tion of statistica as to the acreags of | planting and the condition of the erops | opin- o | and the making of estimates of vield. These data are of value to the country | for anticipating the volume of prod ucts, and permit adjustments in the | dering of supplies. But it was never | . nor s it de ble, that the Department of Agri culture should engage in financial pre- | dictions. Its quantitative forecasts are all that it Is required to make and | all that it should undertake. | There ix no thouzht of “price fixing™ in the issue of estimates of the rates | that may prevail, In view of the con- | lition of the crop and the state of the | foreign markets, The Government fis | not justified in doing anything to that | >nd. Nor can it be conceived to heen the purpose of those responsible for the issue of the statement regard ing the prospective price thus to in-| fluence the trend of Yet it | would be interesting, and perhaps im- | portant, to determine the reason (m"l | is rates. the departure from previous practice on the part, it would seem, of a sub- ordinate of the department organiza- tion, fn a brief series of forecasts which could not fail to the | financial market and bring about the | protest that has fust been so promptly heeded The Le a disturb gion in Paris. ! at| “Five minutes after I landed Cherbourg this morning 1 got the an- | lose out of spooning what has given swer to the question as to how the it zest all these quadrillions of mil- French people would receive us.” Na-|Hons of years | tional, Comdr. Howard P. Savage of | Even the sheriff of Wyandotte| the American Legion told a corre. | County admits that such a ]vm‘k; spondent in Paris last night. As to|should be under supervision, and with | that, there was no room for doubt in the first place. The Frenchman prides | himself on his gallant courtesy. He feels deeply. One moment he is lifted to the heights. the next plunged to the | depths by some twist of the wind that | changes the vane of an easily stirred | emotionalism. The Frenchmen of to- day love and revere the memory of Lafayette. Their ancestors worshiped him almost as a god—but they also | hanged him in effigy. ¢ | The sight of these Americans, com- | ing back to strengthen sacred bonds, |must touch something very close to | the heart of the Frenchman. He re. | members them in the gloomy days of | 1917, when a beloved Paris, now lit | with myriads of gayly colored lights in | festival array, was darkened during | the day and during the night; in the | day by mourning cloth, at night by closely drawn shutters and blankets tacked over windows. He remembers | watching a dreary Winter of suspense | turn to a Summer of hope as lholl~‘ sands, and more thousands, of lean, bronzed young men from across the | sea marched to the north to take their Dplaces alongside sons of France. He remembers the victory they helped to make. 1s there wonder that France cheers them as they pass? There s comforting significance in | the great welcome that the Americans | have received, and will continue to re- ceive while they remain in France. In ten years France has tasted the sweets of victory, which turn bitter as they cool. She has suffered, and it is| human to blame some one when there | is suffering. This country has shared her blame. But all that is on the sur- face. Under the surface there is a sentiment and love founded on strong- er stuff. The debt, the tariff, trade reprisals—who can remember them when the bands play the “Marseillaise" and “The Star Spangled Banner"? The French people are hosts to their friends the American soldiers. The Frenchman has never failed in hi duty as a host. Our Americans m st | never forget that they are Buests, towels put through in a rush, or the | ~ou ples may case a deficiency appropriation ma,\'! have to be made and a hurry order | the furnishing of ml(lll!rmu” or hools will go towcliess to the clos- ing days of the session. Would it not ha well to let the school author- ties do thelr own ordering and buy- | perhaps through the Commis- | mars, to pravent repetitions of such blundess? Surely there are suffi- | cient safeguards against impro- priety of conduct in the transaction | of such business without pooling the | school needs with the enormous grist | of public service supplies. e A Park for Spooner: | Sherif Powers of Wyandotte Coun- | Kans., has come out in favor of | “gpooners’ park,” where loving| “bill and coo” their | tenrts’ content. The doughty sheriff, however, much underestimates the ever-loving abill ties of American youth. As he him- self says, “Young folks are golng to spoon; they have since time Imme- morial, and they will until the mil- lennium is reached.” i a to | Mr. Powers stopped at the millen- | nium, perhaps, because one has to stop somewhere, but as far as stu- dents of anthropology can determine, there is no real reason for stopping at all. “Young folks are going to spoon——"that would have been enough. It is extremely question- able, however, whether spooning un- der ofMcial cognizance would be ex- actly spooning as the world knows it. To enter a park and find a large policeman grinning knowingly at one—or two, of course—would be to (hat admission, he jimmies the whole thing. Supervised spooning is worse than | no spooning at alll Public demon- strations of affection, whether with ‘he blessing of the police or not, are entirely outside the bounds of good | taste. Honest spooning ought to be done in private, in the home of the young lady concerned; surely the sheriff knows as much. The other sort of spooning ought to be driven off the public highwa To set aside an official spooning place would be an unthinkable action on the part of a municipality. Sheriff Powers' muggestion, although it brightens the Summer season, I8 needless, for Cupid is one agency that asks nothing from the taxpayer — et ——— A heavyweight pugilist earns more than a college professor. A college professor finds no means of utilizing the services of publicity experts. A physical combat between a representa- tive of religion and a champion of sclence would probably draw a crowd willing to pay liberally. o Conferences with a view to abolish- ing hostilities too frequently appear to content themselves with a hope of understanding as to the terms on which any future combats must be conducted. PO, The former Kaiser is quoted as be- lieving that there will be another war. Fortunately for the world's peace of mind, it is easy to remember a num- ber of old predictions by Wilhelm which have proved fallacious. ———t After making his announcement at Rapid City, President Coolidge re- frained from any indication that there would be further demonstratiogs. He did not even say, “Please stand By.” ——te—s 1t remains for the Panama Canal Zone to introduce the world's greatest vight-of-way problem. . As a composer of high-class music Mr. Dawes enjoys undisputed reputa- tion. Whether he can turn out a rousing campalgn song in his own be. | half remains to be seen. = ————— Intimations from Mr. Slemp convey a sense of considerable importance concerning the question of what he | chooses. e Many successful men who boast of humble beginnings are inclined to draw the line at evolution. ————. Prohibition enforcement, with its temptations to irregular profit, calls for a new faith in human nature, ———— Misfit Towels. Under the system of providing the supplies for the Government, the needs of the local municipal adminis- tration are handled hy a general supply committee, functioning for all branches of the public service. In some ways this is a good arrange- ment. In others it works out badly. The job of buying pencils and puper, furniture and books, ink and paste and the thousand and one other| articles required for the transaction of business and the comfort and con- venience of the parsonnel of both Federal and District organizations is really too big to function satisfac- torily in all respects. Take for in- stance the experience of the public R SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Ballet of the Days. The days go lightly slipping by From January to July. And then their pathway they pursue Toward wintry scenes that gleam anew. The days are lightly stepping out. No funeral chorus drowns the shout. Let old philosophies complain— The days now sound a jazz refrain! Classics. “Dn you favor the classics?" “To some extent,” answered Senator Sorghum. “Classic literature may fade out, but classic dances are here to stay Nothing New. A little thought came on parade. 1t met with an ovation— We found it written where they made Assyrian excavation. Jud Tunkins says a man who is willing to believe everything he hears is compelled to draw the line at a college vell. Beauty Parade. “There is a wonderful display of hosiery on the shopping streets.” “Yes,” rejoined Miss Cayenne. “I have decided that most beauty is only shin deep.” No Imagination. “Why can’t you keep your boy Josh at home on the old place?” “Josh hasn't any imagination,” re- plied Farmer Corntossel. “We sub- divided the fam’ly acres into town lots. RBut Josh can’'t take any interest in the site for a picture house, simply hecause we haven't vet been able to put up a building and connect with the electric lights and the film ex- changes.” “He who does much and speaks but seldom,” says Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “will be longer remem- bered than one who speaks often and does little.” g Grief. The saxophone in doleful style Breathes forth a lengthy sigh. u either have to dance awhile Or else sit down and ery. “Flattery,” said Uncle Eben, “is da| same old play to git sumfin’ foh nuf- NG STAR. WASHINGTON, THIS AND THAT linéve | fled D [of BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Radio has many wonderful oppor-|it has to date availed itselt only o |of History,” tunities, not the least of which is that people the hest of the old popular songe. | The term “popular sonzs=.” although it often covers a multitude of musical ' sing, also stands for much melodic worth “The folk songs of all natinns, includ ing the German and Neopolitan funes that have sung their way arvourd the | world. and the negro spirituale of | America, are all popular songs. Their song patterns are simple; therefore they must be of true genius. | elge they could not have lived 8o long. Many of Stephen Foster's songs are of this caliber. No one xhould sneer, then. at a song called “popular.” Its popularity with the mass of the people cannot change | it one whit, If it have real mevit, The fact that hundreds of songs competing for popular acclaim are worthless has | not % to do with the case, | TR dio already has made an attempt to deal out to the listening public, by | means of orchestras and singe ome | of the best of the popular songs of 20, | and 30 vears ago. The surface only, however, of this mine of melody has been scratched. A whole new race of music lovers has | grown up. thousands of young per- sons whose hearts and minds yearn for melody. | Song i the expression of youth and love. which go hand in hand, figura- | tively and literally. If it were not for | love, there would be no musie. It | the reader does not believe this, off- | hand. let him recall the music he | knows. Nine out of ten songs are love | songs, are they not? ! world of lovers pines for | 0 2 new musical expression, Nightly these young people listen In to the radio. | Many of them think they are listening to something new when they hear the | old waltz, “Let Ma Call You Sweet- heart.” This 0ld tune has done yeoman duty | over radio for the past three vea for several months being heard at least once every night over local pro grams. And you can’t beat it. ok ok ok Recently another old one has bheen | introduced to the 1927 radio listene with such success that we have heard | it several times since. 1t is_“Cuddle Up a Little Closer, Mine,” written at least 20 years ago Dy one of the populir composers | of that day. one of the Von Tilzer brothers, we believe, A popular sdng, melodic inspiratic s but a genuine hat far tran- n, scends much of the fox-trot stuif that ix dished up so liberally of today. In discussing old songi one runs the risk of hav “Yes, the old things sweeter."” In the present case, however, our Judgment reposek solely on the tune itself. Greene's “Sing Me to Sleep” is an inspiration, whether composed today or last centur The ever-popular “Sweetest Story ver Told” is a fine melody, no mat- | ter the yvear of its composition. There is a certain standard, in melodic songs, that = ageless, There have been, undoubtedly, perinds during which the composers of light melodies excelled themselves, to the public of course, ing it said, always sound a limited degree, of searching out these | of keeping alive in the hearts of the songs and presenting them, in new Kuises, if necessary. The other night treated to a_fox-trot v tune. “On Mobile Ra tice to the composer a listeners were rsion of an old well as to the tune. Now we have never heard on the radio the old-time hit “I Got a Castle on the River Nile. Why not? 1f it i a copyright restriction that withholds it from us radio listeners. all we can say ls that the publishers | are more or less foolish, in our opinion, for thiz is a grand song. as sure a knockout today at it was many vears ago. “I got a castle on the River Nile, I'm gonna live in elegant style, so the chorus begine, with further particulars of how the dusky singer is going to have diamond mats npon the floor and eat pork chops “all the while.” We tried to get a copy of this song the other from a local music house, but they did not have it. Evi- dently it had gone into the greedy oblivion that waits for all popular melodie Will radio bring it back to life again? R And how about “Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown. What You Gonna Do When the Rent Comes 'Round The taunt of the colored spouse, who wanted to know what Rufus was going to suy, and how he was going to pay, “on de judgment day,” is as full of pep today as it was in its hey- day, when it always brought down the house, and this is mainly due to the fact that it was and is a good tune, There was a dandy little song of some 15 or 20 y ago, “Lindy " Won't somebody sing that Pull it out of the dust, and let us have it. Out of a “Love Ts a See-Saw.” all the old instrumental labeled “intermezzo.” There was “Poppies,” Heels.” and that good waltz, light,” to say nothing of the dous senaation, “Dill Pickles musical show we recall And think of numbers. and “Silver “Moon- tremen- have heen heard of over radio, noky Mokes” and “Bunch of Blackberries." “Our Director” march hails from that Teaf Rag.” Is heard now and then, but not as it should be. from the hands of an expert pianist. Properly played, this tune will put the baby to sleep. “Love Me, and the World Is Mine, that’s another good old one. “Too Much Mustard” was a French importation of the old days, still possessing frisky heels. Modern dance orchestras, however, used to playing 474 time almost exclusively. tend to play the old 2/4 tunes too fast. As for the light opera songs. when one thinks of Victor Herbert's classics, including “Little Gypsy Sweetheart’ and “Kiss-Me Again” and scores of others, he knows that today has nothing better to offer, if as good. And there was “The Merry Widow"'— but what's the usé? Radio has used some of this mu but hundreds of good tunes vet main to go through the air, to brought to life again. re. be Radio has the opportunity, of which BACKGRO September 17—the 140th anniversary of the ratification of the American Constitution by the ninth State of the total 13—marks a birthday of the Na- tion, for when nine States had so rati- it the Constitution became an actual for It is therefore the real birthday of the United States Federal Government. The rebel colonies might, in fact, have o broken their old ties, without succeeding in establishing a lasting form of government for themselves. George Washington, after winning the Revolutionary War, felt the gravest of misgivings as to the future of the 13 colonies. Even during the stress of | his leading the fight for independence he was in active correspondence with the civilian leaders at home, pointing | out the inadequacy of the federation and urging that Virginia lead the oth- ers in surrendering its sovereign State rights, so far as necessary to create a strong and effective Federal Govern- ment. with power to “coerce” the sev- States in enforcing Federal laws. either Washington, Jefferson nor h alarm” the con- Government, so long as such conces- sion made the Government strong and the Nation a “TU'nion, one and insepa- able.” It remained still their own Nation, ® ok ok K Today the I'nited States Constitu- tion is the oldest unchanged written constitution in the world. Europe has her France, her Poland, her Greece, her German Republic and other ‘re- publics,” all with_ constitutions, but either they have been modeled after the American fundamental law or they have evolved along lines which to Americans seem far less democratic than that adopted for America 140 vears ago. Spain is soon to adopt a new constitution, which makes the Assembly chosen by the King. not elected by the masses. The nation re- mains a constitutional monarchy and not a democracy. * X K K Quoting from a well known authority on the Constitution, James M. Beck, LL. D. even from his brief in defense of the Vare election by Penn- sylvania ns a member of the Senate. and the possible rejection of any elect- ad member by the respective body of Congress, the author writes: “The Constitution, as framed by the great convention and reluctantly and grudgingly ratified by the American people, was the wisest and noblest as- sertion of constitutional morality in the annals of statecraft.” That seems to second the familiar characterization of it by Gladstone. The astute lawyer, Mr. Beck, after testifying to the great work which has created the greatest republic in the history of civilization, limits it with a “but” when he depicts the al- leged ‘“‘vanishing rights of the States and erosion of the Constitution,” for which Washington pleaded and Jef. ferson indorsed, in order to make pos- sible a central government which would have power, not merely to recommend to the States, but to “coerce” its own edicts upon recal- cittant or corrupt “sovereign com- monywealths. * koK K In the presence of so much agita- tion of a subversive mature intended to undermine and destroy our Gov- ernment—and all organized govern- ments—one of the greatest counter- acting movements is the nation-wide oratorical contests among pupils of the public schools, which contests are confined to serious analyses of the Constitution. These contests begin in local communities, in which the vic- tor is chosen as champion in State or district contests, out of which finally comes the great national con- test between the star orators from the different sections of the countr The result is not confined to the mere eloquence of the youthful champio but it is manifested in the national awakening to interest in what the Constitution, really is. The masses discover that the Con- stitution is not a product of the States, as such, but that “we, the people” as individuals, regardless of State houndaries. had most to do with “turbance of the quotations, doufiess in consequence the supply will fall fn%* e s somemene it framing. The Federal Govern- UND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. ate rights to the central | ment is responsible directly to the people—not as a delegate of the States. The masses may also dis- cover that the Constitution does not pledge free speech, free press nor a godless Nation, simply by forbidding Congress to legislate on such topies. * K ok % A president of one of prominent universities of America re- cently denounced one of the amend- ments regularly adopted according to constitutional methods for amend- ments, which amendment, he argues, is “unconstitutional,” not because it was not submitted to the States by Con- gress, nor because it was not ratified by far more than three-fourths of the States, but because he, and others “above the law,” prefer “liberty” to drink what they please, regardless of constitutional restrictions. ~ Yet ‘“we, the people” have as clear power to make amendments as our fathers had to adopt the original instrument. The Constitution lives. R While “we, the people” adopted the Constitution, the States were recog- | nized as entities in the make-up of | the Senate, with two members from each State, regardless of the number | ot voters of each State. yet since no State exists except through its “peo- ple.” the representation, even in the Senate, comes on behalf af the “‘peo- ple.” and Senators really represent the wills of the masses .ig their constitu- ency, not through the®officlal dicta of State officers or Legislatures, but as interpreted directly by the Senators in the interest of the masses, not alone of their own State but of the whole Federal Nation. It was because of that capacity of the Senators and Representatives that our national fathers provided that the standards of membership in the Congress—Iouse and Senate— should be set and maintained by the respective houses of Congress itself. Most of the important questions which must be considered in Congress are not local but national, requiring states- men of wide horizons. Ahove all other requirements of qualifications of members of Congress. the matter of citizenship as an Ame can was counted paramount. Antiei- pating President Coolidge’s “10 words” by 140 years, George Mason, repre- senting Virginia in the convention, declared: “I do not choose.” What was it he did not “choose"? That he would “let foreigners and adventurers make laws for us with- out that local knowledge which onght to he possessed hy the representative.” Hence he moved to require a repre- sentative to have been an American resident and citizen for seven years hefore he could qualify as a member of Congress—even regardless of the desire of his State. From the begin- ning, the Federal Constitution defined the qualifications—not the State. The Constitution of today makes no distinetion in effectiveness hetween the original document, ratified 140 vears ago todav, and the Rill of Rights, adopted and ratified soon fter, and the verv latest amendment duly ratified. AIl are ‘“the Consti- tntion.” and no American has the slightest right or justification in at- tempting to select what part to recog- nize or what to repudiate. (Convrizht. 19 by Panl V. Collins.) et A Traffic Peril. From the New York Sun. Hippopotami have become so ob- streperous as to interfere with travel in East Africa. That is one traffic peril from which, so far, we are free. e The World Series. From the New York Sun. There will be no special session of Congress, the statesmen realizing how futile it would be to compete with a world series. = The Neighborhood Carnival. From the Boston Herald. The county show is getting an active understudy in the nival. ——— o SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1 which did jus- | Two of the cake walks, we believe, | period. too, and it persists as a avorite, as well it may. That best of ragtime pieces, “Maple | THE LIBRARY TABLE ‘ By the Booklover. Dedicated to H. G. Wells, and obviously owing a debt to the “Outline is Lewix Browne's book, | “This Believing World." which he de- | scribes as “a simple account of the great religions of mankind." ~The {work Is divided into eight bhooks, respectively, “How It All Be- Religion Developed in the “What Happened in Happened in China.’ “What Happened in Persia.” “What Happened in Israel” “What Hap- pened in Europe” and “What Happen- ed in Arabia.” The -baxis of re. {ligion among primitive men iz seen to ha fear. “In the heginning there was fear. and fear was in the heart of man and fear controlled man.” As civilization progressed, religions of ernde animism were replaced by more dealistic and spiritual types. often polytheistic and finally with Christianity and anism. “How World, “What | India,’ Mohammed- oK ok K of “Thix Relieving Happened in China.” interest in connection ina to- in four W pec Book World.” is of e al with what is happening in C religions Taoism and Kung-fu-tze in | day. There are three China-——Confucianism, Buddhism. Confucius, | Chinese, living in the sixth century B. (.. the century of Jeremiah and S7ekiel in Isracl, was not the founder of a religion. He was devoted to thé ancient philosophy and ancestor wor- ship of China and spent his life editing the sacrod writings and insis ing on their authority. “His highest contribution was in the field of ethics, | | tha Supreme Spirit, | differentiated and vet hilism and complete union with Tao, “a something un perfect, which | came into being. Buddhism was not native to China, but was there from India, some time in the sec- ond century B.C. geems to have had an esiatible lure for the people of China” and today | shares with Taoism the allegiance of | the masses. * % kX Brinker: or the® Silver Skates” has ever since 1865 been one of the most popular and approved of children's books. When Mary Mapes Dodge wrote it she had already pub- lisked “Irvington Stories” her first stories for children, and her punlishers had ked for more tales of the same Kind. She had for some time had the idea of “Hans Rrinke nmering in her mind, and started out to make it a magazine serfal story in response to the publisher’s demand, but it grew in !her hands heyond the maguzine limits land became a book. The puhlisher | was not especially pleased, but took it because Mrs. Dodge had nothing else on hand and because he counted on the popularity of “Irvington Stories” to sell it. It immediately fascinated both children and parents, and has sold well during all the years since. When she wrote it Mrs. Dodge had never heen in Holland. She had read with absorbed interest Motley's “Rise {of the Dutch Republic.” and the thought came to her that a story of sturdy Dutch children, which should weave in as much Dutch history as the story would carry, would ha an in- teresting thing to write, and would be helpful to children. She gathered ma- terial for the story during eight years, drew upon libraries for hooks {on Dutch history and customs, col- lected clippings, questioned travelers from Holland and finally submitted her story for criticism to two Holiande: friends in New York. “Hans Brinker was successful not only in the Unit-d States, but also in many forefgn coun- tries, where it went in translations. Some years after its first publication Mrs. Dodge was traveling in Holland and a Dutch hookseller offered a Dutch translation of the hook to one | sidered of the best children’'s | books. one * ok ¥ K Among the practitioners of the “idea” novel, Virginia Wolf, who is a daughter of Sir Leslie Stephen, may be called one of the best or one of the least tiresome, according to one's feeling about the type of fiction she affects. She has one outstanding merit which appeals to readers who prefer more action and fewer ideas: her novels are all fairly short. Man: who have not the perseverance of Dr. Joseph Colling and could not possibly read through James Joyce's “Ulysses, even if it were easily obtainable, have A Virginia Wolf's “Mrs. Dalloway"” with a_degree of pleasure in its artis- tic subtlety. Mrs. Wolf's latest novel, “To the Lighthouse.” is true to ad- vanced standards of the “idea” novel. Events are nothin thing. The first part, covers two-thirds of the hook, in which much thinking and talking is done before a window. In the third vart, “The Lighthouse.” the long postponed visit to the lighthouse fs actually accomplished, much as Browning's “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.” It is only in the second part, “Time Passes,” that seemingly important things happen and their record is compressed into tabloids and accorded scant space in he pages of thoughts. For example: Mr. Ramsav, stumbling along a pas- sage one dark morning, stretched his arms out, but Mrs. Ramsay having died rather suddenly the night be- fore, his arms, though stretched out, remained empty.” Also: “A shell ex- ploded. Twenty or 30 young men were blown up in France, among them Andrew Ramsay, whose death, merci- fully, was instantaneous.” * oK K Leonard Huxley, son of Thomas Huxley, apostle of scientific material- ism and cotemporary of Charles Dar- win, is the author of a recent biog- raphy, “Charies Darwin.” Darwin was born on the same day as Abra- ham Lincoln, February 1 1809-—a great day for both science and politi- al history. Darwi grandfather, mus Darwin. and his father, Robert Darwin, were both successful physicians. His mother was the daughter of Josiah Wedgwood, creator of Wedgwood pottery. General read- ing. studying birds, shooting and put tering in a homemade laboratory in- terested the boy Darwin far more than the classics and mathematics of his Shrewsbury school, and of course his father was disgusted and thought he would never amount fo anything in life. Parents and other elderly relatives cannot be expected to fore- see genius in the erratic ways of the younger generation. Before he v 17 Charles Darwin entered Edinburgh University, intrusted to the care of his elder brother, mus, with the intent, on his father's part, to make him a country doctor. Two years there were supposedly wasted, in col- lecting and studying marine speci- mens, while medical subjects were neglected. Then his father sent him to Cambridge to prepare for the church. Collecting and dissecting continued: theological studies in- terested him not at all. His first big opportunity came when Henslow, pro- fessor of botany, gave him an invita- tion to go on a cruise with a party of naturalists. From this cruise grew the “Origin of Species,” for slight dif- ferences which he noted between related birds on the Galapagos Islands started him on the vears of research which led him to the formulation of his theories of the origin and develop- ment of life. * koK % Paul Claudel had been known to readers and lovers of French litera- hborhood car-'ture for many years before he became ‘sonal Ambassador to the United States. As monotheistic, | | existed before heaven and earth ever | imported | “The new Buddhism | the most | 0f her party, saying that it was ‘con- | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS | Q. Why does a man who is coming | {up to bat_in hase ball swing two or | three clubs until he steps to the plate?—E, W. A. Base ball players say that swing- ing several clubs makes the one that | {is retained seem light in the hands | ana easy to control. | i e { Q. How many Spaniards reside in | Mexico City D 1 o I 12.063 Span- Liards in Mexico City. The total popu- {lation at that time was 633,3 Q. How long and wide is the Pa- cific Ocean? —P. W, The Hydrographic Office says that the Pacific Ocean is approximate Iv 8.100 nautical miles in length. Its greatest width is over 6,000 nauticai | miles, What was the value of Lincoln's | estate, and how was it divided after his death?—H. T. Lincoln by Uwited s [ tice Davia 1 | mostiy saved from his salary of $25.000 | year and_invested in Government | securities. The property was equally | divided among the widow and two | sons, Robert T. and Thomas (Tad). Q. Where did the French Eugenie die?—T. T. A A. The Empress Eugenie Madrid. Spain. July , 1920. She was buried in EFarnborough. England. where she had maintained a home dur ing her exile from France ate as administered ates Supreme Court Jus- died in d with the expenditure of but 10 min- ! utes of the farmer’s time, as compared 3 hours and 3 minutes in 1850, und his proverbs are quoted—and in| Q. What countries use wood the Ithe breach, at le: iserved—still | most for houses?—N. (*, today.” The found woism, A, The United States, Japan. Swit- |, horn about 800 B.C., was quite | zerland and Norway lead in such con | different. “Unlike Confucius, Lao-Tze | struction. ! could not blandly take the world for | cranted, but had to know first who: Q. What does of wheat was granting it, and how and why.” | Fehresent in labor i is religion I8 one of passivity, ni-| A. Statisticians estimate that a e ; | bushel of wheat can now be r; | Q. Who trained Frank Gotch?— & A. The famous heavyweight wres- tler was trained by Tom Jenkins. Q. What are the advantages and disadvantages of self service stores?— | A elf-service stores have relative- | Iy low operating expense, smaller in. | vestment in proportion to size of busi- | ness, satisfy customers who want to handle their own prospective pur- el nd make more rapid shopping possibie. The disadvantages of self service are the possibility of theft, the fact that some customers prefer be- ing waited upon, and that it is impos- i sible to push certain goods that might be advantageous. Q. How many parts are there in a watch?—P, D. | A. A watch Is comparatively a sim- | ple machine. containing an_average | of about 150 distinct parts. However, by actual count it has been found that | the production of these parts requires | over 3.700 separate operations. | Q. How can fleas he removed from | a thick-haired puppy?—N. C. T. A. To rid a puppy of fleas wash BY FREDERIC J. HASKI vis amounted to §110,295, | thoroughly every soap and w second day with soft ter’ and dress daily with culphur or mild mercurial ointments. Where the heat or itching is very zreat a few drops of tineture of hella donna may he added to the nsual dressing or applied with a little glycerin. Q. Did Marcus magnate, carry any . W 2. He is said to have had a $5.000 008 Jife insurance polics. loew, the movie life insurance What are some of the principal stries of the Bahama Islands’— A. H. Fruit culture is on the increase and is becoming an important indue try. Tomatoes, pineapples and oranges are cultivated. Sponge and sisal are the principal commedities on many of the islands. Oxen, sheep, horses. and other live stock have been introduced from Kurope. They thrive well hut not much attention is paid to live- | stock raising. Q. Who was the first poet laureate of England?—A. O. W. A. Ben Jonson, in James 1. Q. How many prints are usmally made of a motion picture feature?— 3B B Enough prints are produced to | ie one or more for each ke | eity. Sometimes, with an espocialls | fine picture, the producing compan: | wants to have a simultaneous “show- the reign of | Smpress | | provic {ing"—that is. a_showing of the picture |in a great number of places at once in which case a large number of prints must he made. “Peter Pan.” during the holiday week of 24-1925, required 165 prints: but was unus Seventy-five prints will. perhaps, fill the nsual require ments, | hoswn | | Q. Does the cucumber or hlossom | appean first on the cucumber plant?— G. W, A. The male hlossom appears he- | fore the cucumber formed. The female blossom appears at the same tima the cucumber is formed. The male blossoms on the cucumber plant outnumber the female hlossoms by three or four to one and appear fi The female blossom may he identified beeanse a small encumber is formed between the blossom and the plant. | @ Wil you please give me the date and place of the explosion of the | steamboat Princess, on the Mississippt River, abont 1854 or 1838?—1T.. M. T. A near 18 The steamhoat Princess hlaw up ton Rouge. La.. February Have ace had the pleasure of serr- |ing wou through our Washington In- | formation Rureau?’ Can’t we be of | some help to you in wour daily probh- Iems? Our business is to furnish you {with anthoritative information, and {we invite you to ask us any question of fact in which wow are interested. Send your inquiry to The Evening | Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. | Haskin. director, Washington. D. €. {Inclose 2 cents in stamps for return | postage. | | Michizan's action in abolishing the | #peed limit on State highways has | attracted the attention of the entire | country. Much of the resulting com- ment indicates approval of the Mich n poliey, with accompanying pre- dictions “that other States will take similar action. Judgment of drivers is emphasized as of greater importance {than specific rates of speed, enforced by traffic officers. Recklessness would be punishable under the Michigan la “The experiment will he watched, | savs the Utica Observer-Dispatch, which takes note of the fact that “in the meantime, the driver is responsible for the damage he does in other States, regardless of speed-limit laws.” The Roanoke World-Ne recognizes that “the science of regulating high- way traffic is far from a settled one,” and feels that “all sensible experi- ments are to be watched, to see which of them prove their value by results. But as traffic increases,” continues that paper, “unless we are to spend a great deal of money on widening our main roads, it is apparent that more emphasis must be placed on speeding up traffic, and less on slowing it down." “The Michigan law repr may become a trend in motor-tr | regulation,” in the opinion of the St Paul Dispatch, which sees in it “a frank confession that arbitrary speed regulations have not been enforced and may he regarded as impossible of en- forcement.” The Atlanta Journal ri calls that “motorists everywhere have clamored for laws that would allow them the exercise of their judgment in the matter of speed.” and that “the Georgia Legislature at its recent ses- sion raised the State speed limit from 30 to 40 miles an hour.” and concludes | that “Michigan’s trial of an even more | flexible control of country driving will | be watched with wide interest.” EE Men who have studied traffic prob. lems,” according to the Indianapoli: News, “have asserted that the slow driver may be as great a menace as the speed demon,” although that paper adds that “the slow driver is rare enough to be unimportant in the cam- paign bring about safer traffic con- ditions.” The New Orleans Tribune considers that the new law is based on a theory which is sound, remarkinz that it “removes the limitations on the careful and competent drivers while at the same time providing a mandatory | sentence for careless and reckless nts what J driving.” The Tribune concludes tha* the law “leaves a lot to the juds: and discretion of the motorists. whether or not this trust is justidied remains to be seen. Theory is one thing: practice another. “Several States during the past few vears have stepped up the speed limit,” states the Scranton Times, while tha Echenectady clares that “where the welfara of others is at stake, the popular concep- tion of dangerous’ speed has changed markedly in recent vears’; that “at one time the rate itself was supposed to constitute the menace.” but that “now we know that it may be danger- ous to drive a car 5 miles an hour in in- some streets, if pedestrians, for stance. are dashing in and out of t fie.” The San RBernardino Sun holds that “if the spirit in which the viola- tion of regulations is made were given more weight than the mers violation itself. the educational effect would be great.” The Michigan experiment impresses the Texarkana Gazette as “a pretty good solution .of the speed problem,” for “most motorists are going to look after their own safety on the high- way, which stops them from traveling at excessive speed.” The Terre Haute Star also points out that the driver under this law “must have his car under control at all times in relation to trafic conditions, otherwise arrest | poet and essayist he is an idealist and something of a classicist. In his| etters to a Doubter,” written to his triend Jacques Riviere, recently trans- lated Into English by Henry Longan Stuart and published in the United States, he reveals himself as a devout and philosophical Catholic. Admitting that at the close of his university life he was a doubter, he gives his friend the metaphysical arguments and per- reasons.which led him to a posi- faith. R son of fic | Gazette de- | ‘Abolition of Michigan Speed ~ Law Wins Approval of Many and punishment will follow,” and of- |fers the judgment that “that seems to ba a sensible view to take of the | matter. L by “Of cour remarks the Alban Evening News, “a speed of 50 miles an hour is dangerous. Cars, however, can be stopped more quickly than they could when present speed laws were adopted. The man who drives at good speed, carefully, and with con- sideration for others, is a far safer man to meet than those who round curves on the wrong side or pass other cars on hills where they cannot see the road ahead.” The Tulsa World hails Michigan as “the latest State to become sane in the matter of regulating speed upon the highways," and states: “The mere fact that an oc- casional accident results is not suf- ficient to justify the exposure of ail izens to the annoyances of petty officialdom, for in the face of the most | deplorable record that can be fabri- | cated stands the undeniable fact that |oniy an insignificant percentage of all who go out upon the roads and use them become a menace either to them- selves or others.” | The Louisville Times asserts that | “arbitrary limits are frequently un- | reasonable, and certainly cannot uni- | varsally be enforced without an army of motor cycle men.” The Philadel- phia Public Ledger directs atten to the fact that the new law “does not mean that reckless driving is not to he Denalized hereafter; it is the purpose of the law to compel drivers to ob- serve dua caution. It iz also to he noted that the new law applies only to passenger cars and to the roads out- side of city limits. The speed of com mercial cars is still rigidly contrdlled by law,” says the Ledger. The Butier Eagle predicts that the ‘“next step will be the limiting of the minimum speed of vehicles on hea traveled highways. It is conceded.” | continues that paper. “quite generally that slow traffic must be speeded up or diverted to roads not used by faster traffic. One does not look to Michi- gan's action to increase traffic acci- dents, for the old speed limits were never observed.” UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today | Navy Department, after investiga- | tion, is satisfied that there is no | foundation gor reports of a hostile | submarine off New England coast. |* ¢ * State Department informed of the destruction, on September 7, of American consular office at Dunkirk by a German bomb. * * * Strike of 25,000 shipbuilding workers considered higgest in_history of Pacific Coast. Shipping Board takes steps to end trouble which affects $150.000,000 war work. * * * Draft board, of which Charles . Hughes is chairman, seeks to amend draft law. so as to prevent all the sons of a_single family being called to arms. * * * House' mem- bers eriticize rifla contracts made by War Department on zround that cost- plus system is raising pay of labor extravagantly. * * * Germany's In- vitation to boys of 15 to volunteer for the army discloses desperate need of man-power. * * * House and Senate conferees readjust tax on war profits, in secret session, the vield to be same as under Senate plan. Automobile levy is doubled. ————— Unfortunate Suggestion. From the Bangor Commercial. The Willlamstown Institute of Poll- tics has brought public light upon many questions discussed by men of vision and information and has proved its usefulness, hut that does not pre- clude regret that some speakers offer suggestions that can hardly be re- garded as other than fantastic, if not actually harmful. In this category can be included the proposal by Prof. Sherwell of Columbia University that France might_cancel its debt to the United States by ceding us the Island of Guadeloupe and Martinique in the West Indies apd the territory eof French Guinea in South America.