Evening Star Newspaper, October 21, 1927, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. FRIDAY........October 21, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: EarShicars O uropean Office: o England. Star with the Sunday morn jelivered by carriers within delivered by carriers within be - The Evening in the city at 60 cents per mont 4" cenle per month® Suniave cuiy. S e Srinrs may e ae Telghona Main 5000, Cnilection is made by carrier at end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. S ....lver $000:1mo. Bally ang,Sundar. -1 5. 38.00! 1 mo- Sundav only. .1 vr. $300° 1 mo. ANl Other States and Canada. nd_Sunda.] vr.. $1200: 1 mo.. $1.0 Dalle iy Sundar: ] 37> %8 00: 1 mo. ° 78 0 i5e Sundav onlv 1vr. $400°1 mol 33e Member of the Associated Press. | The Assoc to the ‘use for patehes credited 1o 1t o per and also the « n. All tizhts of publ tohes herein are als) resersed. ted Press 18 excliusively entitled e ited in this bublished f epecial d — The Scolding of Mr. Fess. Senator Fess of Ohio continues to predict the nomination of President Coolidge. He continues to predict it notwithstanding the “scolding” which, it is reported, the President gave him at the White House yesterday because | of earlier and similar predictions. The | President was represented by Mr. Fess disliking extremely to be pictured as “inconsistent™” and as believing that the predictions of Fess make him ap- pear so. There is no suggestion, how- ever, that the President amplified his “I do not choose” statement, even in his conversation yesterday with the Ohio Senator. In the lexicon of Mr. Coolidge, apparently, there is no such word as “amplification.” Mr. Fess, in his advocacy of the re- nomination of the President, is seem- ingly irrepressible. Despite the pres- idential displeasure, the Ohio Senator renewed his assertion that the Presi- dent would be drafted by the Repub- lican national convention next year even before he had left the portals of the White House. In the opinion of Mr. Fess, the country wants Mr. Cool- idge and ds entitled to have him. If the country really does demand the renomination of the President, and there are many who believe as Mr. Fess believes, how far would the President be justified in turning the country down? That is a nice ques- tion. It is not one that can be an- swered offhand. Ill health, it would appear, under ‘such circumstances, might be the only real justification for denying the country. And from the White House itself has come emphatic denial that there is anything the mat- ter with the health of the President. Indeed, it is asserted that the presi- in this undertaking. | though it may never wholly prevent inal class. A third subject is the ne cessity of securing nation-wide erim- inal statistics by legislative action of the States and of expediting the work already started toward the creation of a national bureau of identification. The topic of the mental condition of prisoners will likewise be discussed and other special subjects will later be placed on the program. All this is in a measure preparatory work, but it is of the utmost impor- tance. The crime problem cannot be solved in a day or in a year. It may never be wholly solved in the sense of the elimination and actual preven- tion of crime. But that law-breaking can be reduced, that life and property can be made more secure through preventive and punitive works, is firm- Iy believed by all who have engaged The most serious difficulty in the way of effective crime-prevention work | lies in the independence of State juris- dictions. The present state of the laws of the forty-elght commonwealths is one of contusion and contradiction. But of late years there has come a realization that only through co-ordi- nating the statutes through in effect the nation-wide codification of the criminal laws and practices of the States can the country as a whole be protected and preserved from criminal activities. And it may be expected that as a result of the consultations and conferences promoted by the Na- tlonal Crime Commission this under- standing will work out in a compara- tively short time to a degree of uni- formity of law that will greatly lessen, the criminal practices which today constitute the greatest waste from which America now suffers, o< The New Fire House. Mora than one hundred Washington residents have signed a protest against the erection of a fire engine house at the southwest corner of Sixteenth and Webster streets. A delegation ap- peared yesterday before Commissioner Dougherty to emphasize its objection to the location of the new fire house, claiming that it would materially de- preciate property in that neighbor- hood, would destroy the scenic beauty of Sixteenth street and would be dan- gerous from a traffic standpoint. The Commissioner, while agreeing to sub- mit the protest to the next meeting of the Board of Commissioners, indi- cated that the protest is a little late inasmuch as the site has already been purchased for this purpose. THE EVENING and its design all conflict with the scheme that is now in contemplation and that has been approved. Yester- day it was stated by the chairman of the Public Buildings Commisslon ihat the program calls for the demolition of this obtrusive, inharmonious struc- ture. But Senator Smoot gives it ten more years of existence. It will be about a decade, he estimates, before the general program can be developed in the triangle to the point at which the removal of this building becomes necessary. Incidentally, it is important to note that it is not at present contemplated to replace this building with another, but that the plan now in view is to leave its site vacant as a plaza. This will be in keeping with the general system of structure emplacements within the triangle. Naturally It fol- lows that a new Post Office Depart- ment building will be erected, presum ably on some other site within the triangle. It may be that the estimate of the lapse of ten years before the demolition of the old building is based upon a computation of the time r quired to reach that item in the de velopment of the general program. So the present prospect is that for ten years longer this unfortunate architectural error must be endured, but the trial is lessened by the aefinite prospect of relief given by Senator Smoot's reassuring words. - oot “Ring Dem Bells!” Well, Levine is back! The world's most famous passenger returned to New York this week, if not exactly with trumpets blowing, at least with enough dexterity to secure a good- sized story In every major newspaper in the United States. This is as it should be. Not every man can get world-wide fame by being a passenger in anything, even an air- plane. “Let others do the talking, I'll do the flying,” Mr. Levine is reported to have said upon his arrival. There is a ring to this that makes one fondly expect to see transatlantic planes skimming back and forth be- tween here and Europe in no time at all. And yet one stops to wonder. The automobile and the airplane, as we know both today, got a flying start together some quarter of a century ago. Today the automobile is domi- nant in the world of transportation. The airplane is still more or less of a novelty. It is true that the motor car, with its “feet” securely upon the ground, had the benefit of being the successor to the sled, the wagon and the bicycle. Although Fire Chief Watson has characterized the proposed new build- ing as “one of the prettiest fire houses in the country” and has stressed the fact that it will cost approximately seventy-four thousand dollars, as much as or more than the type of dwelling now being built in that section, it does appear that inasmuch as any fire en- gine house is a utilitarian object rather than a thing of beauty from dential health is better than ever. How is the President, or any one else, to know certainly whether his party, and the country, in so far as it is represented by the Republican par- ty, demands his renomination? But one certain way presents itself in which this knowledge may be ob- tained. When the delegates from the forty-eight States and the Territories, possessions and the District of Colum- bia gather in national convention next year they will be in a position to for- ‘mulate such a demand upon Mr. Cool- ldge. At that time, the convention sither will or will not make the de- mand upon Mr. Coolidge for four years more of his time as Chiet Executive of the United States. How can the President make reply to such a de- mand until the demand has been made upon him? In the meantime his “I do mot choose” statement stands. Politiclans puzzle their heads over the exact meaning. Their very puzziement gives added importance to the position of the President in the world of politics. He is not yet on the shelf, not by any means, if Mr. Fess and other responsi- ble Republican leaders are to be be- lieved, among them Charles Evans Hughes of New York. —— e In a very few Congresses more statesmen will realize that an economy which contemplates a reduction of wage for Government servants is not popular. The American public is dis- posed to be liberal. —_————————— ‘Working Against Crime. An important work is being done hy the National Crime Commission, or- ganize several years ago for the study of the crime problem in the United States with the view of les- sening law violations. Through fits/ various committees it has surveyed the fleld in the States and has already accomplished some results in enact- ment of State statutes. There re- mains, however, much to be done in the co-ordination of the forces of pub- lic opinion and specific accomplish- ment, and in promotion of this en- deavor a meeting has been called, to be held In this city on the 2d and 3d of November. Invitations to attend this meeting have been sent to city and State commissions and commit- tees, representatives of State bankers’ assoclations and State bar assocla- tions, chambers of commerce and other bodles that have taken up the study of crime, members of the medical pro- fession interested in the study of crim- Inals, chiefs of police, prosecuting at- torneys, judges of criminal courts, fraternal and national business organ- izations and distinguished citizens well known for their activities in the study of crime reduction. The American Bar Assoclation, the committees on uniform State laws and the Associa- tion of State Attorneys General have formally appointed delegates to the conference. With a large and representative at. | tendance assured, four special subjects of discussion will be presented. The first of these is uniform State legisla- tion and possibly national legislation 10 eliminate as far as possible the re- ceiver of stolen xoopl. Another sub- ject on the program is that of the problem of reducing the large number of second offenders by providing pris- oners with practical training which will enable them to abandon illegal an esthetic standpoint, the wishes and feelings of adjacent residents should have some consideration. And if, as the objectors state, Sixteenth street residents were not aware until last Sunday that the Webster street site had been purchased and plans for the fire house tentatively drawn, there seems to be justification in their pro- test, late though it may be. Naturally enough, the choosing of a “nuisance” site is shrouded in consid- erable secrecy, but there should at least be a frank and full discussion of the merits or demerits of a partic- ular location before final action is taken. Those protesting against the Webster street site urged that the new engine house be placed on Four- teenth street for the logical reason that Sixteenth street has for some miles nothing but the park on the west, which needs no fire protection, but that Fourteeenth street has thou- sands of small homes to the east which need protection. As Commissioner Dougherty has in- dicated, it may be too late for pro- tests to change the location of the new fire house. The one unfortunate part of the whole situation, it would seem, lles in the fact that more time has not been given to free, frank and public discussion to the end that both the wishes and the needs of the com- munity could be properly met. — ———————— Lindbergh can earn a large salary it he can get away from his_ social cngagements without seeming dis- courteous, ————————— In addition to being a penal institu- tion, the Atlanta Penitentiary has be- come a publicity center. —— vt An Error to Be Corrected. Ever since the formulation of the plan for the concentration of Govern- ment buildings on the Mall-Avenue triangle, under the great construction program for Washington, hope has been felt that an early mistake in the designing and location of Federal offices at the Capital that has long offended public taste would be cor- rected. The Post Office Bullding was the first of the Governfnent structures to be erected within this space. Origl- nally designated as the city post office, its plan was enlarged for the accom- modation of miscellaneous bureaus of the Government, but in a very short time it became the headquarters bulld- ing of the Post Office Department, leaving the city of Washington for a long time without a distinctive central postal station of its own. The deslgn The task of the airplane was infinitely greater in some respects, since man, in leaving the earth, is out of his ele- ment. The fact that Levine was the first passenger to go to Europe over the Atlantic is encouraging, just as is the fact that Lindbergh was the first man to fly there. But recent failures, with the loss of many lives, serve but to make the heroic: colonel stand out in bolder rellef, and surely ought to con- vince Mr. Levine that as a ‘passen- ger” he was supremely fortunate and got his money’s worth, ———————— Perhaps the lady who decided to use & boat in crossing the English Channel had the right idea and made her mistake in trying to make the trip look like an athletic feat. ——————.——— One of the penalties suffered by Albert Fall is that of being paraded in public attention when he is no longer especially interesting. —————t— ‘War in China appears, at a dls- tance, to be a controversy as to who shall have undisputed control of the looting privilege. e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. A Hero’s Reward. The hero had a shower of wealth, 'Mid beakers raised to drink his health; 'Mid checks and contracts still to come ‘Which mounted to a generous sum. Medals he wore with proper pride, ‘Which to his breast were pinned or tied, And dally heard the horns and drums Sound forth “The Conquering Hero Comes. And yet he was not quite content, Amid admiring sentiment. He often sighed, with pathos deep, “I'd like to have just eight hours’ sleep.” Statesmanlike Reticence. “Are you going to start any investi- gations?” “No,” answered Senator Soryium. “I'll be satisfied it I can keep out of some that have already been started.” Evolution. A small boy on a bike drew near, And filled pedestrians with fear. ‘When we behold him now, we stop. He is & motor cycle cop. & Jud Tunkins says honesty is the best policy, and mebbe, after all, it's also the best politics. Synthetical Science. “Bootleggers sell poison. “We all know that,” answered Uncle Bill Bottletop. “There ought by this time to be a good market for some enterprising firm that deals in anti- dotes.” “What has been,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “will be again. itself was not a happy one. Proclaimed upon its first disclosure as the result of a particular architectural effort to give Washington a model public bulld- ing, it was later disclosed through offi- clal reports to be merely one of a series of virtual replicas placed in dif- ferent citles. The building was crowded to the limits of the site, its outer walls being brought up to the sidewalk lines on | all sides. It has long heen recognizcd | as one of the most outstanding archl- tectural mistakes ever committed in this city, having no relation in design to any other public structure and being altogether “out of the picture, In the treatment of the Mall-Avenue triangle the: authorities In charge of the program of Government construc- tion are wisely proceeding to secure He who forgets the past is ill-prepared oise. The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, Ana does it very well. An auto horn resounded bold and gay. ‘We could not hear the knell. “At de last camp meetin’,” said Uncle Eben, “some of de mourners dat confessed deir sins sounded a little like dey was braggin'.” —ar—s: As Cobb Sees It. From the New York Herald-Tribune. Practically complete cemetery re- turns would indicate that the opposi- tion to the election next year of Gen. Obregon as President of Merico has about died out, or should cne say, “died off"? IRVIN 8. COBB. ample park settings for all the struc- tures and to effect harmony of design ways of livelihood. This is the difficult “prison labor problem,” upon the solu- tion of which depends in great meas- Wre the reduction of the habitull crim- to make of the great group an artistic unit. By no device could the Post Office Building be harmonized with such a group. Its lines, its material ——r—— Method in Welcome. From the New York Herald-Tribune. Americans are always welcome in France if they hi mething to spend besides thelr vm;n@. et \ STAR, WASHINGTON, 1300 0/ FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1927, BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. What would you do if you woke in the night to find your house on fire? This is a question that perhaps every person has asked himself, at some time or other, but no one knows exactly what he would do until the time comes. There is little question, however, that a little forethought would help most persons orient themselves to the occasion when suddenly awaked the smell of smoke or the dread cry of “Fire!" To have a plan of action mapped out in one's mind, as to exactly what he should do, In the event of such a home calamity, is simply to use one’s mind, which is exactly what it is for. Let the householder establish, in his own mind, the proper sequence of deeds to be performed, in case of fire, and he has a better chance of carry. ing them out. than it he allows the flames to catch him utterly unpre- pared. Such a plan of action, of course, includes as aids. but not in the plan itself, the keeping of perfectiy clean premises and of some sort of fire extinguisher. Plling of old lumber, broken wooden hoxes and other debris under porches is simply to invite the thoughtless cigarette of some unknown person riding along in the night. Similar piles of material in base- ments, elther of wood or of paper, likewise furnish excellent starting places for fires, whose starting fs ever afterward a mystery, but which probably would have been prevented if the food for flames had not been present: ¥k K A threefold plan of ion in case of fire, especlally at night, is pre- sented: 1. Get yourself and dependents out of the house, or at least to a door “'};('re there can be no question of safe exit. 2. Turn In the alarm at the bhox on the corner, If within several blocks, or over the telephone, preferably through both instruments. 3. Fight the fire, it possible. Many lives are lost, or severe burns received, by fallure of unprepared per- sons to realize that safety of human life is, after all, the prime necessity in case of a home fire. Tt is for this reason that sleeping quarters not higher than the second floor from the ground are the safest, If a person must jump or drop from a seconfl-story window sill, he can do so0 with a minimum of risk to life and limb. All property and personal posses slons, however precious or dear by as- soclation, are as nothing com with life, yet countless mer and women every year in these United States lose their lives or are terribly injured in attempting to rescue fur coats or rugs or even coffee pots in some cases. The first thing to do, let it be re- iterated. is to get one’s self and dear ones to a place of safety. If possible to use the staircase, by all means do 80, as the familiar flight will lessen the panic attending such an occasion. Bt if this is not possible, the thing to do is to go out a window as quick as possible. Certainly this may be made an easler process to many per- sons by the use of a knotted rope, se cured to the radiator or heavy piece of furniture. Yet how many homes possess such a simple plece of life- saving apparatus, or a rope or chain ladder? | draft and al | faster and Timid persons who would shrink from either deliberately jumping out a window or from hanging over and dropping might easily be induced to go down if they could get the feel of a knotted rope or something else of that sort. EE Once the family—and this includes pet animals—is at the door or other point of exit, one had best turn his thoughts to sending in the alarm. 1f two persons are available for this work, the more active should be sent to “pull the alarm” at the box, while the other tries the telephone. It is in this matter of sounding the larm that some may think our plan of procedure is reversed, but we be- lieve that a moment’s consideration will_show the wisdom of getting out of the house, or to a proper exit point first of all. In case this exit should be a first- floor door, it would be the point of wisdom to keep such door closed until the actual e of exit, as the more vailable for a flame, the der it burns. It is only after the safety of all members of the household is assured, however, that one shouid turn to the sending in of the alarm. There s lways a probability that melghbors, ess sound sleepers, already have turned in the alarm. ok kR The third step is to fight the flames. This is possible, of course, only where the fire has not yet assumed large proportions, which require the ge resources of the fire department. ¥ven the person untrained in fire- fighting can see at a glance whether a fire has or has not got beyond home control. Flames and smoke too great to combat by the means available in & home shortly make themselves felt. If it is possible to fight them, how- ever, a person of average intelligence will sense this, and may proceed to the smothering of the flames with the best means he has at hand. All fire extinguishing is in a sense a smother- Ing process, either hy means of gases formed by the spraving of chemicals, the deadening action of water, or the cloaking of the flame, if small, by means of rugs. . Pans and other small objects that burst into flames may be quickly shoved into the oven and the door closed, thus smothering them. A fatal ction i8 to grab a blazing skillet and run toward an open door with it. The inrush of air is likely to fan the flames back upon the unwary person. Most households possess a garden hose, but ordinarily its various lengths are not coupled, in Winter and Fall, and it is not' coiled ready for emer- gency. Seventy-five or more feet of hose, hitched to a faucet in the hase- ment and kept for quick unrolling, might prove a valuable ally in case of fire. Various forms of extinguishers are upon the market, and these have the advantage that their spray does not offer a path for electricity, as does water. If the household can combine the three steps here outlined, and execute all three simultaneously, the acme of home defense will have heen attained. These are all preparations which it I8 hoped no one will ever have to avail themselves of: the ideal fire extinguisher, for Instance, is one that will never he used. As a last word the advisability of keeping a flashlight always loaded and ready in the bed- room is suggested. WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Not since Theodore Roosevelt un- limbered his big stick and spanked all and sundry who offended, crossed or maligned him has there been such a cycle of White House drubbings as culminates with President Coolidge's rebuke of Senator Fess. Earlier in the month it was Rear Admiral Magruder, commandant of Philadelphia Navy Yard, who incurred executive chas- tisement. Last week Maj. Gen. Sum- merall, chief of staff of the Army, was on the carpet. Now comes a politician who, in the President’s judg- ment, has talked not wisely but too much. Eye witnesses who saw Sena- tor Fess when he came up for air declare the Ohioan bore every evi- dence of having gone through an honest-to-goodness ordeal. He found Mr. Coolidge neither calm nor cool, but vigorous and hot. Some time when it can be told there'll be a mass of chapter-and-verse proof that the President habitually speaks his mind when he feels like it and that on such occasions his reputed silence and re- straint evaporate like the snow under a melting sun. R The Fess eplsode heightens specula- tion as to whether it will at length splke the guns of the draft-Coolidge party. The number of those who ven- tured to doubt whether “I do not choose to run” actually means “I will not run” has notoriously grown since August 2. The number mounted per- ceptibly after the recent Washington gathering of G. O. P. national com- mitteemen. Something resembling a panic over the prospect of an Al Smith Democratic candidacy in 1928 has seized many of the Republican Old Guard. Thelr theory is that Hoover, Dawes or Hughes could probably de- feat Smith. But their conviction is that Coolidge is the only Republican who can be absolutely depended upon to do the trick. While the President at the seance with Senator Fess con- spicuously refrained from amplifying the immortal “choose” sentence, many Republicans are bound to conclude that the Ohioan was reprimanded as a solemn warning to all concerned in the draft-Coolidge propaganda. The incident will be widely interpreted as eliminating the President unqualifiedly from next year's contest—draft, stam- pede, Smith panic, or anything else, to the contrary n:twllhut:ndlng. * * Orville Wright, pioneer of the air, has just left Washington after attend- ing the annual meeting of the na- tional advisory committee for aero- nautics, of which he is a star member, This is the body founded to counsel with the President from time to time on aviation affairs. The chairman is Dr. Jpseph S. Ames, Johns Hopkins Unive ty physicist. Other members represent ex-officlo the Bureau of Standards, the Weather Bureau, the Army and the Navy. Wright tells tiis observer that he hasn’t flown for 10 years. He still i# oppressed by the physical effects of his crash with Lieut. Selfridge at Fort Myer 20 years ago—the disaster in which that gal- lant airman lost his life. Wright is now busily devoting. himself to the preparation of the flylng memoirs of his late brother Wilbur and himself. Eventually they are to be put into a book and ought to rank as the stand- ard work dealing with the romantic history of the aerial art. Wright is sternly opposed to legislative restric tion of flying designed to promote its development. He calls recent trage- dles in the alr “the inevitable price of progress” and says that men or women ready to sacrifice themselves in the cause should not be hampered by law. L Just before coming to Washington this week for the international radfo- telegraph conference, Senator Willilam Marconl, wizard of wireless, dedicated at New York the first American broad- casting station which will almost ex- clusively sputter in a forelgn tongue— Itallan. It is station WCDA, which will take the air within a day or two on a 211.1-meter wave length. The station is owned Lulgt Barzini, editor and publisher of Cor- riere d'America, Italian /tabloid in New York, and the “Itallan Educa- tional Broadcasting Co.” Signor Bar- zini, in a dedicatory broadcast, sald: “This station is a new manifestation of the spirit of American citizens of Italian descent and of their enter- prising minds. Too often Italians are told that all their great men are dead. In reality great Itallans from Augus- tus to Leonardo da Vinci have never died; they always reappeared when Italy needed them. Today the names of Augustus and Leonardo are Musso- lini and Marconi.” * ok k¥ ‘The National Press Club library has received an autographed copy of “Roosevelt in the Bunk House,” by Willlam C. Deming, president of the United States Civil Service Commis- slon. The brochure contains 80 pages with 20 illustrations. It tells the story of Roosevelt's three visits to Wyoming—in 1901—when he was a candidate for Vice President, and in 1903, when, as President, he left his train at Laramle, rode overland on horseback 60 miles to Cheyenne, de- livering a Memorial day address im- mediately upon dismounting. Roose- velt’s third visit was in 1910, after he returned from Africa. The inspiration for the booklet comes from an_inci- dent at the ranch of Senator Fran- cis E. Warren, near Cheyenne, and the close-up of Roosevelt in the Bunk House is considered by many an un- usual character sketch of the Rough Rider President. In real life the Civil Service Commission chief is a l\,’Viflcbming newspaper editor and pub- sher. LR One of the telegraph companies the other day called up a lady in Wash- ington to read her & message that had come in addressdéd to her. “De- livery operator” apologized for the blind text, but explained that it had been ‘repeated” and ‘“checked up.” The telegram read: “First leg finished. Hard, but satisfactory.” Quoth the fair addressee: get it all right. You see, by husband's an army avia- tor, and he's flying to Kelly Field by ‘way of St. Louis, L Here's an early pre-congressional yarn now going the rounds of Capitol Hill. Not long ago a United States Senator, who comes from a wet State and is correspondingly moist himself, received at the Senate Office Building an officlal delegation that had come to Washington from the home baili- wick. Before escorting the party to its destination, Senator sug- gested that a little drink wouldn't do any harm, and produced the necessary ingredients. A prominent member of the delegation happened to be a mem- ber of the State Legislature, who per- sonally is bone-dry, and he courteous- ly, but firmly, 'declined a proffered glass. “Oh, come on!" ejaculated Senator “‘Remember, you're in the District of Columbia mnow.” Wherqupon the dry replied: “Senator, I'm one of those old-fashioned hicks who believes we're still in the United States. (Copyright. 1927.) ) Southern Flags to Dixie. From the New York Times. The decision of the Governor of New Jersey to return to North Carolina flags of that State captured by New Jersey regiments during the Civil War will be approved in the North as well as in the South. Ever since the World War brought the sons of Northern and Southern veterans into close con- tact, the last remaining vestiges of re- gional feeling his disappeared. The North has taken Lee to heart as a great American. The South has rccog- nized the splendor of Lincoln. As one mark of the new ag(rlt. many Confed- erate flags taken by Northern troops and Union flags taken by the South. erners have been returned. In follow- ing this custom New Jersey is con- tributing her sharf to the obliteration of unpleasant memories, 2 Meade’s Great Feat ' Wins Highest Praise To the Editor of The Star: In connection with the dedicatory exercises at the unveiling of the Meade memorial on October 19: The Army of the Potomac fought the Army of Northern Virginia at Fredericksburg, Va., on December 13, 1862. It suffered partial defeat, and withdrew to the north bank of the Rappahannock River. About five manths later, May 3 and 4, 1863, it fought the same army again at Chan- cellorsville, Va., and suffered partial defeat, and withdrew to the north bank of the Rappahannock. | In neither of these battles was the | Army of the Potomac beaten. But it | had lost confidence in its commanders |and some of its other officers. The | results of previous campaigns, except the battle of Antietam, on September 7, 1862, had not been encouraging. The Army, in a measure, became dis- couraged. On the contrary, the Army of North- ern Virginia had become greatly en- couraged. Its confidence in Gen. Lee was unbounded. It had great confi- dence in all its officers, under whom it had galned so many victories. Many think that, all in all, the Army of Northern Virginia was one of the best officered armies in history. The men felt that under the leadership of such officers they were invincible. Their morale was perfect. Many peo- ple do not realize the tremendous power of morale in an army. With the widely different spirit prevailing in the two armies, they were soon to meet each other.again in battle. On the morning of June 28, 1863, a modest corps commander was resting quietly in his tent near Frederick, Md. About 3 o'clock that morning a mes- senger from Washington came to his tent and handed him an envelope. It contained an order relieving Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker from the command of the Army of the Potomac and placing Maj. Gen. George G. Meade in com- mand of that Army. This order came like a flash of lightning from a clear sky. Gen. Meade did not know where the Army of the Potomac was—only in a general way, as an_intelligent corps commander would know. He did not know where the Army of Northern Virginia was—only in a gen- eral way. This was the situation. At that critical moment, in an extreme emergency, the President placed on Gen. Meade's shoulders the responsl- ty of saving his Government. There was no time to make elaborate plans. The two armiés were not far apart. The emergency must be met immediately. This was the momen- tous crisis. In three days from the day Gen. Meade was placed in command of the Army of the Potomac the two armies met at Gettysburg. In three more days he won the greatest victory of the war. In view of all the circumstances re- lated, where can a parallel to this achievement be found? ARON S. DAGGETT, Brigadier General, U. 8. A., Retired. Power Project Means Great Scenic Losses To the Editor of The Star: In reference to the proposed indus- trial _exploitation of the gorge of the Potomac, the scenic loss that would be involved in the flooding of the immediate terrain of Potomac Falls may be worth special considera- tion. Extending in the shape of a titanic amphitheater, strewn with great boul- ders and irregularly encircled by wooded bluffs, it attracts the enrap- tured looks of Washingtonians and tourists alike. And as a geologic ob- Ject lesson it is not too much to say that it has considerable educational value. Gazing at it from above one faces the remote past and can contemplate in imagination the deep and ex- tended shocks by which the earth was everywhere once heaved and rended. In the mind's eye, strange and luxurl- ant vegetable growths are seen, through which monsters plunge with lumbering tread and fearful growls. This it is, in addition to the mighty upheaval and flow of the river by towering rocks and_ over bulky ledges, which makes Potomac Falls with its green environment, a noted show place. As a feature of the park that will some day ornament the Federal City above Little Falls, it is priceless. No artificlal lake such as might be formed by a great power dam can fitly take its place. It must be pre- served, because in the Federal City’s scheme of beautification, it is unique as well as otherwise attractive. WILLIAM TIPTON TALBOTT. Park Is Advocated At Potomac Gorge To the Editor of The Star: On a tablet set in titanic bowlder at Great Falls—or, as I prefer to write it, Potomac Falls—is the inscription: In Memory of GEORGE WASHINGTON of Fairfax County, Va., Patriot, Pioneer and Man of Affairs, ‘Who Spent in Developing His Country The Life He Risked in Her Defense. This Is Exemplified in the Patowmack Company, Incorporated to Build the Patowmack Canal, of Which George Washington Was First President. Placed by Fairfax Chapter, D. A. R. Hereabouts are the remains of the Patowmack Canal, adding interest to a natural beauty spot, with which Washington was familiar when it was a wilderness, and which is now yearly visited by thousands of tourists. It is safe to say that few among these thousands are unimpressed by the canal and other evidences of ‘Washington's civic activity to be found in the neighborhood of so-called Great Falls. As a patriotic mecca, as a source of patriotic inspiration, it should rank with Mount Vernon and the Monu- ment, and the fact that it is so closely associated with the name of Washing- ton is chief among the reasons why Potomac Falls should be saved from the desecration of industrial exploita- tion. In the Washington Monument we have a memorial to Washington as the statesman and soldier; in Mo .nt Ver- non as the private citizen and man of family. The gorge of the Potomac above Little Falls, its terrain unchanged from that with which he was familiar, should be preserved as a public park —Washington Park, let us call it—in memory of Washington, the enterpris- ing citizen and man of affairs. WILLIAM TIPTON TALBOTT. ] President Defines Prosperity. From the Philadelphia Inquirer. The President’s speech at Pittsburgh was an effective answer to those who are fearful that prosperity is making us slaves to mere materialism. He made it clear that the industrial life of the Nation was spurring it on to higher and better things, and that the solution of the proper use of wealth was in using it for public service. We are not “dollar-chasers” in the obnoxi- ous meaning of that phrase, but we work hard to accumulate money for the good that it will do for ourselves and for others. American prosperity has raiseds the level of existence in this country higher than anywhere in the world—a fact for which we have no apologies to make. Safety Hour for Speculators. From the Ohio State Journal. Probably the best time to keep out of the New York stock market is when you are urgently advised to wire your order before it's too Jate. | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. What is the tn & bale’—H. A. L. A. The woight of a standard bale of tton is 500 pounds, 478 pounds of which is cotton and the remaining 22 pounds is composed of the bagging and iron bands. Q. Who was Lesbia’—F. A. P. A. Lesbla was the name by which Clodia, the favorite of Catullus, is .e- ferred to in his poems. Q. When did the term Scotch-Irish come into use?—L. S \;wxh! of the cotton planting of the province of Ulster in | Ireland with Scotch-Irish settlers in 1609, six years after the accession of James VI of Scotland as James I of England. The actual settlers were mostly Scotch and the Ulster planta tion took on the character of a Scotch occupation of the north of Ireland. origin of the term | R | A. There have been several expla tions of this name set forth, but, per- | haps, the most picturesque is the one concerning a Mexican beauty made of pulque, an alcho distilled from the juice of the n or agave. This liquor was dis by a Toltec noble, who sent some it to the King by 4is daughter. King became so enamoured of both the maiden and the drink that he mar ried the former and started a pulque plantation. _The name of the girl, which was Xochitl, became assoclated with the national intoxicant, and later when Gen. Scott’s troops came to Mex ico they found their return to the Unite: simplified the Aztec name tail, and brought it back with them. Q. Which prime minister of France was a barber by trade?—H. K. B. A. Peter of Brosse first bart and then prime minister of Philip the Bold. He was later, however, hanged | for his knaveries. Q. How should butter be stored for Winter use?—W. S. A. The Department of Agriculture says that pasteurized sweet cream should be used, churned at a low tem- perature and the butter washed so that it will be firm and waxy. Rolls or prints of butter should be wrapped in parchment butter paper, placed i a stone crock, and covered with stro; brine. Butter should be stored in as cool a place as is available and in a place free from odors likely to be ab- sorbed by the butter. Q. How much does a camel weigh and what weight can it carry?—S. M. A. An adult camel weighs at the most 1,200 pounds. £uch an animal be capable of carrying from 2 5 pounds for 20 or 30 miles, an approximate day's journey. Q. Who brought Hungarian music to this country?- . A. sigmund Weitzneér, who brought a gypsy chorus to the Chicago World Fair from Hungary, is said to have been the first. Q. Did Mrs. Bloomer invent the garment that bears her name?—D. R. A. Mrs. Bloomer in her writings gave credit to Mrs. Elizabeth Miller Smith for designing the costume, which she copled. Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Mrs. Lucy Stone A. It first came into use with the|® Q. Does a bee die after stinging a person’—S8. G. A. The bee loses its sting, which has a hooked end, and becomes em- bedded in the flesh of the person stung. The body of the bee is torn in wrenching away, and the bes soon dies. Q. How many acres are there in the proving ground at Aberdeen?— L. J. G. The Army Proving Ground at 1, Md., consists of 85,000 hat is the origin and purpose Pan-Amerfcan Union?—L. L. A. The Pan-American Union is de- voted to the development and con- servation of commerce and friendly intercourse among the American re- publics. It was organized as a result f the action of the first Pan-Amer-, ican Conference held in Washington’ during the Autumn and Winter of The union is an internation- ation, maintained by the s and 20 other republics ¢ Central and South America. Q W of t Q. What is blank verse A. Blank verse is composed of lines each one of which is in iambic That is, each of the five feet contalns an fambus—a group of , the first unaccented the Q. What s the deéfinition corollary in geometry?—C. H A. In mathematics a corollary is & proposition which follows another proposition as a consequence and4 therefore does not require any sepa- for a w. | rate demonstration. Please give the Arabic “Peace be unto you" and * be white,” explaining their « Q. tions, your day significance.—E. M. € A. Dr. George Duncan says: * ‘Salem aleikum'—Peace be unto you. This word ‘peace’ has a very comprehensive meaning and signifies all kinds of blessings, material, mental and spirit- ual. It i3 a very common greeting among Arabic-speaking people. The other expression, ‘May your day be white,” ‘Jom abjad alelkum'—literally is ‘May a white day be to you.' The term ‘white day’—sunshiny day—a day full of good cheer with all matters prospering.” Q. What were some of the most amous fairs of the Middle Ages?— ’ A. The Leipzig fair, the one in Troyes, France, and that held at Smithfield. outside London—St. Bar- tholomew's—are three of the famous ones. Q. What country is called the Land of a Thousand Lakes?—N. L. A. Finland. Eleven per cent of the surface of this country consists of lakes. Have we had the pleasure of serv- ing you through our Washington In- formation Bureau? Can't we be of some help to you in your daily prod- lems? Our business is to furnish you with authoritative information, and we invite you to ask us any question’ of fact in which you are interested. Send your inquiry to The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Inclose 2 cents in stamps for return also adopted it for a time. postage. Press Commends Ruth Elder, But Doubts The courage of Ruth Elder has waked its just plaudits from the American press, but there is a frank undertone of questioning as to the value of her flight as a contribution to aviation. While there are plenty to hail her as a “ploneer,” there are as many who call her foolhardy, and “she was lucky” sums up the juds- ment of many. With just pride in a local heroine the Anniston Star declares that “she has brought glory to the South and to her native city” and reminds us that the South can now claim, besides Comdr. Byrd, “the foremost woman aviator of the present day.” This attitude is reflected by the Rock Island Argus and the Portland Journal, who both feel that she has won the admiration of the world, the :atter insisting to those who ‘“may question her judgment” that they must still “glorify her spirit and her soul.” The Racine Journal-News holds that “it's only such courageous hearts and souls tkat point the way to progress of the human race.” Many who praise her pluck and be- lleve with the Albany Evening News that “this daring girl * * ¢ will wish to make a second attempt” add a word of caution to their comment. The Columbus Ohio State Journal, Value of Flight charm of your daughters and grand- daughters.” Furthermore, the St. Louis Times finds that ‘“‘the craze is over, which is a good thing for gen- eral serenity.” * ok ok “Was it really a spirit of adventure that caused Ruth Elder to make an attempt to fly the ocean?” asks the Bluefield Telegraph, with the added suggestion that “possibly the lure of wealth acted on her bravery,” and the Nashville Banner advises that “there should be some sort of limita. tion to these stunt flights, certainly until there {s more complete knowledge of safety zonmes in the air and the hazards are fewer.” The Youngs- town Vindicator, referring to state- ments by a German airman, says: “Capt. Koehl was right in stating that all these failures put the achievements of Lindbergh and Byrd and Chambery lin still higher in our estimation.” “It would be a good thing for the sclence of aviation,” in the judg- ment of the Boston Transcript, “if it could be separated from the human weakness of exhibitionism. The pres. ent age, to its sorrow, is the age ot the exhibitionist complex. All ages have possessed exhibitionists, but no age has offered such a chance for them as the present; and they respond to the opportunity. * * * The genulne ’ among them, suggests that “it seems as flsll would be wise” not to try “the perilous stunt” again. “A lucky girl” is the general ver- dict that comes to the New York Times, which believes that “it ‘would have been another distinction for the Nation, no doubt, if the American Girl had made a triumphant landing at Le Bourget, but the odds were heavily against it.” The Charleston Dafly Mail suggests that “the value of Miss Elder's attempt lles in pro- viding another experiment, even it the result of it is to demonstrate still more clearly the uncertainty of suc- s b * ok k% The conclusion of the New Orleans Item is that ‘“an especially brave, skillful and self-reliant soul” has en- gaged in an_enterprise which might have resulted in death, and it is im- pressed by the fact that “the world needs precisely those qualities the most. They are the rarest and, when rightly applied, the most useful. Why destroy them in 25 or a hundred poses- sors,” continues the Item, “in order to prove that one more can do some- thing that half a dozen have already done? Why not save them for the hard jobs of aviation over land, where distance tests can be made as well as at sea, and the results can be accumu- lated with far less cost, until there are radical advances that justify further attack on the overseas ways?” “To be sure,” argues the Harrisburg Telegraph, ‘‘each failure teaches a lesson in construction, provided the participants in the accident live to tell the tale, but more might be ac- complished by long-distance flights over land, where the chances for alighting safely in case of the develop- ment of mechanical defects are at least 50-50.” “Of all the attempts to fly over the Atlantic,” according to the Roanoke ‘World-News, “this seems to have been the most ill-advised and ill-prepared. Its success would have gained nothing for the science of air navigation. Its failure would have added to the de- mand for limitation on serious investi- gation of the new science.” The Chi- cago Daily News states that “though the world admires Miss Elder for her courage, it generally regards her at- tempt as useless, if not foolhardy.” The Duluth Herald finds public impa- tience “with those whose grasp for fame calls upon the public fer so ;nuch distressful concern about their ate.” 'We salute you, Ruth, and give you all due plaudits and acclaim, but —now, Ruth, you come home and be- have yourself!” exclaims the Ports- mouth Morning Sun, which also re- marks: “You and the husband get a nice little home out of the proceeds of your nice little venture, raise a nice little lot of children, mostly boy: and transmit to them your own daun less courage, and live a nice little life over and over again in the deeds and adventurgs of your sons and grand- sons beauty end feminine promoters of the science of air flight —men who are workers, thinkers, skilled technicians, and who are not out for personal glory—continue their modest work.” e Persia and the Poppy. From the New York Times. t Persia, once the center of the an- clent world, has shown herself deserv. ing of the gratitude of the modern. Of her own volition she has decided to curtail oplum production by 10 per cent annually for the next three years. That this step was taken upon the advice of the commission appointed by the League of Nations, at her re- quest, to study her problem and find a substitute for the poppy crop, does not diminish the credit due her. It has not been an easy problem to solve. The new trade routes of swift com- munication have passed her by, though, as the recent course of the world flyers shows, she is still in the path of world commerce by the short. est route. But she is not yet equipped with means of transportation for bulky goods. The caravans still wind * their slow way over the magnificent distances to the gulf or the sea with their precious cargoes in small pack- ages. The problem has been to find substitute crops that can be transe ported, though the building of roads and the consequent increasing use of motor vehicles will make it less neces- sary to think of weight and bulk. UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today . Survivors of United States transport Antilles, recently sunk by a German submarine while being convoyed by American warships, are landed at a French port. All praise work of gun crew for sticking to their ppst until transport sank. Explosion téok place in early morning and killed many in their berths, 50 others leaping into the sea, * * * Two American airmen bring down German planes, * ¢ @ Big contingent of United States Re« serve officers reach France and are split into several intensive schools for training in every detail of war opera- tions. They will be assigned to the various divisions as they arrive from America. * ® * College president, back from war front, asserts Germany i planning air attacks on America cities; building huge seaplanes that I travel 100 to 200 miles an hour. * * * War Council of American Red Cross announces appropriation of an additional $900,000 for relief work in the Near East. * * * Senator La Follette denies that he franked out tax bill speeches over the country to hurt the sale of Liberty bonds. Pur- Rfl- was to agitate for higher profits Ve - i