Evening Star Newspaper, October 27, 1927, Page 8

8 THE EVENING e LLLLLLLLLLLLLLL THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY.....October 27, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES ‘Edho” The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Oftice and Penney 0O 110 11th St nd and ¥ All Other States and ( NI a0 1 PRI ind in the final inning himself con- dents. He cannot Insure against “charleyhorse” or sprains or broken bones or smashed fingers. Johnson's own last year in the major league ranks was marked by a crippling mis- hap suffered in training camp which greatly lessened his cffectiveness throughout the season. 1t would be a cause of rejoicing if Walter Johnson were able in his first essay at management to lead his team to a pennant, as did his own manager, Stanley Harris. Harrls was a young- ster in the game comparatively, and Johnson, his senior in years and in ex- perience, gave him loyal service. No | one who witnessed that thrilling final | game of the world series of 1924 will ever forget how Johnson, who had failed in the earlier games, went into the box at Harris’ summons in the pinch and held the enemy scoreless, tributed to the making of the winning that gave Washington its first and thus far its only world champion- . », good luck to Walter Johnson as manager! He is a credit to the run a v | arm. Navy Day. | sonors the Navy today. tion has a duty to perform rovide the ships and the ma verly to equip the men who first line of defense of people and their inter- | On XNavy day, rthday of | ~dore Roosevelt, nd of | t Ame t to the te sea power. ¢ through | itive to | provide for the Navy. Within a short | time the 1929 budget will be presented | to the Congress by the President, and | a few weeks later the Navy appropria- | tion bill will be hammered into shape | by committees of the Senate and| House. What is to be the program? At Geneva last Summer it became apparent that the proposed treaty lim- iting auxiliary naval craft was doomed to failure. The United States, hoping | for extension of the & 3 naval ratio to auxiliary craft, had for sev- eral years curtailed its naval program. Great Britain and Japan; on the other | hand, had continued to build. Amer- icA went to the conference, therefore, | with a request that these nations be | as generous as America had been in | Washington in 1921-22, when this country scrapped the plans and the ships for the greatest navy in the world. The ratio which was extend- ed to capital ships and aircraft car- riers in 1922, and which representa- tives of Great Britain and Japan had approved for all navy vessels at that time, was no longer so ‘acceptable to them. At the Washington conference on naval limitation the principle of the 5—5—3 ratio for the navies of the United States, Great Britain and Japan was laid down. The United States, however, has never attempted to maintain or to build a Navy of treaty size and strength. In the light of Geneva, it is time that the Ameri- can people gave this matter more than passing consideration. The coasts of America, the business of America in all parts of the world, measuring pros- perity for the American farmer and manufacturer, are not to be left care- lessly undefended. Utopia has not arrived. There still exist wars and threats of war. There is little inclination in this country to enter updn a naval con- struction race with Great Britain or any other nation. But there is every reason for the development of a proper naval program which shall not leave this country helpless in the face of an emergency. Cheese-paring the Navy has the flavor of penny-wise, pound-foolishness. ———— Low Flyers. Another low-flying service aviator has been convicted of violating the regulations of safety. Lieut. Geors: G. Finch has been found guilty by court-martial in Atlanta, Ga., of reck- less flying and has been fined three hundred dollars. He is reported to have endangered property and lives by allowing himself to get below the Jevel of one thousand feet over a con- gested area. It is high time that these “smart alec! of the air should get a full dose of justice. They not only place thelr own lives in jeopardy, but en- danger the lives of innocent persons beneath them. A brilllant record of achlevement in aviation should not be marred by unthinking, careless and reckless acts on the part of those who are in a position to contribute might- ily to advancement in the art of fly- ing. _—— A really great motion picture artist s ahle to command more interest ln; his films than in his divorces. ——— o Manager Johnson. Walter Johnson, after twenty yvears of service in the ranks of base ball, becomes a manager. He has just #igned a contract under which he will for the next two years, at least, pilot the Newark club of the International league. *“Barne: * friends will all wish him well in this new venture. Some may think that he has not quite the qualifications of leadership owing | 10 the placidity of his disposition. But this is a moot point. Managing a base ball team is not altogether a matter of | driving force. Johnson is one of the best beloved players in the game. He has always enjoyed the respect as well | as the aff on of his associate: has the prestige throughout the base hall world of being one of the greatest pitchers of all time and one of the best of men besides. It would be a sorry reflection upon the spirit of base ball players if they did not respond to Walter's leadership and give him their utmost In service and in co-operation. No manager can prevent a player from making errors, nor can he in- sure base hits. He cannot play the whole game himself. The best he can do is to keep his team ‘‘on its toes,” each man doing his own best in co-op- eration with his fellows. He is limited, of course, by the material available. He may make mistakes in judgment in the matter of selecting his perform- | as faithfully for victory as he worked He | 4 game. He may still have some win- | se ball in that wonderful right It is the general hope that he has the qualifications of leadership that will cause eve member of the Newark team to work as earnestly and for Washington for two decades. oo The Mafalda Wreck. Again the radio has demonstrated its value as an aid to navigation and | a means of saving life at sea. Had there been no “wireless” on the Ital- inn Mafalda and others of the mercantile fleet plying the Atlan- tic oft the coast of Brazil the other night, many hundreds of lives would have been lost. As it was, as latest reports indicate, sixty-eight perished when the ship sank. But this out of a total of 1,238 passengers and crew is but a small percentage of casualties. The exact circumstances of the wreck are still somewhat clouded in mystery. The sea was smooth. Suddenly the ship stopped abruptly, indicating that she had run ypon a derelict or a mud bank. There was, it appears, no crash, simply a checking of headway, which caused alarm. Later there was an explosion, due, it has been stated, to the dryness of the boiler plates, which is attributed te an improper water supply. But when this occurred the rescue ships summoned by radio had begun to arrive. Fully an hour elapsed between the “bump” and the explosion. Yet the announcement sent forth through the air almost immedi- ately after the first mishap stated that the Mafalda had suffered from a fatal accident. The exact circumstances will doubtless be made known at the inquiry which is to follow when the ships carrying the survivors reach port. It will then be determined whether the catastrophe was due to a break in the machinery, or a col- lision, or grounding, or to the explo- sion, which came a considerable time after. So prompt was the response of the neighboring ships to the wireless call for help that the rescue of the Ma- falda’s company was in progress sixty minutes after the first summons. The ship wag nearing port and was in the lines of converging sea traffic. Ten or more steamers participated in the work of picking up the survivors from boats and rafts and in a few cases individuals who went overboard in life preservers. It will perhaps never be known how the sixty-eight who were lost were unable to escape. They may have been injured in the explosion, or trapped in some way be- low deck. The ship did not sink for nearly four hours after the first call was sounded, which left practically three hours for rescue on a clear night, with a calm sea. imer { dan vear. Today he paints, never having known anything about painting before, with the happy belief that he is giving a message to the world. One may just paint, and one may paint with the feeling that one is giving a message to the world. The layman, not know ing anything about painting, and still less about message bringing, will come to the conclusion that to com- bine the two is a master stroke. Wherefore again it must be asserted. Heinrich Musslein {s a happy man, happy in his work, happy in his mes- sage, in his work whether it sells, or in his message whether it delivers. Happy Heinrich Musslein! —— s wee. The Seraglio Sedans. A “harem on wheels” is being con- structed for the King of Arabla. Two large and luxurious motor cars, each suflicient to accommodate twelve — count them—beauteous wives on long Gesert trips, will compose this connu bial caravan. The headlines over the news dis- patches setting forth this interesting instance of modern progress must, at first glance, have caused the hearts of the world's jokesmiths to skip a beat with anticipatory joy. What chances were there for wheezes about “back- seat driving,” for imaginary inter- views with the burnous-clad sons of the desert who should pilot these loads of loveliness hither and yon over Araby the Blest. A careful perusal of the item itself, however, proves crushing to the humorists of the pen, the brush and footlights, but strikes a sympathetic chord in the hearts of millions of the pilots of family touring cars and se- Light and air are to be ad mitted through the tops of the vans: no windows will be found anywhere therein. An averagesized tonneau full of femininity can effectually spoil a day for him who is at the wheel of the family bus. Think of fair passengers totaling the number of a full jury joy- fully volunteering to be polled at each crossroads as to proper direction, and each, perhaps, with a differing notion of ideal touring speed! In these con- traptions the vovagers know as little of their progress and their route as those unfortunates who are bundled into a “Black Maria.” Answerable only to his lord and master, all that the gearshifting sheik on the front | seat has to do is to announce to his cargo, “Ladies, we have arrived.” Their comments are not only super- fluous, they are too late. In motoring, as in many other matters, East is East and West Is West, and never th twain shall meet. : When President Coolidge said “I do not choose” he perpetrated a catch phrase which has so far been pecul- farly neglected by the “tin pan alley” song writers. oo Revivals of old comlc operas often leave an audience wondering whether audiences in those days were keenly appreciative or only tolerant. —— . All his persuasiveness has not en- abled Charles Dawes to induce the noble American Indian to adopt his particular style of pipe of peace. . One of the ways for an officer of the Navy to attain popular promi- ence is to place himself in a posi- tion to be “disciplined.” B ‘While favoring old-time dances, Uncle Henry Ford is interested in taking the jump out of the old-time flivver. ——.— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Foot Note. Singin’ 'bout flowers that blossom an’ fade. The great majority of the Mafalda's passengers were Itallan immigrants, naturally of an excitable disposition and easy victims of the panic spirit which spreads on such occasions. But the scene on the stricken ship is de- scribed as one of remarkable calm, owing to the manner in which her commander handled the situation. He ordered the band to play the Italian national-anthem, and members of the crew rendered valuable aid in calming the passengers. Good order prevailed, and to this fact is doubtless due the large percentage of rescue. Since its application to ships at sea, radio has saved a great number of lives. It has reduced the peril of the wide and often stormy waters to the point at which sea transport has ac- tually a higher percentage of safety than land conveyance. It is a singu- lar commentary that almost simulta- neously with this disaster at sea cost- ing only sixty-eight lives a train in Jugoslavia leaped a precipice, killing two hundred and sixty persons. ————r——— Alrship disasters are terrifying, but an ocean liner catastrophe still sets the pace for wholesale glocm. Individualism is still able to com- mand slight consideration as against group psychology. s A successful king knows when to avoid interference with energetic ad- vice that is really running affairs. e.—— Happy Heinrich Musslein! A London millionaire, suddenly in- spived, began to paint furiously, with the happy result that within three months he had turned out three hun- dred canvases, all of which are now on exhibition. The artist, who does not much care whether his paintings sell or not, declares that he has clair- voyant contact with the living and ead, and that his paintings deliver a message to the world. Whatever one ¢ think of this, or of the paintings, which are said to outdo all the cubist and futurist paintings ever seen, there can be little question that Hein- rich Musslein is a happy man. Whereas most persons in the work- aday modern world engage in set pur- suits because there is money in them, and starvation if one does not, Muss- lein is faced by no such dilemma. Re- garded by his friends as just one of them, suddenly he gets a divine com- mission, and instantly becomes a dif- ferent being, Men with such commis sions have been So few in the worid's history that it is not for one's friends to judge whether the summons is gen- ers for the team or for particular ames, But he eannot prevent aeel: & uine, . Muaalein ja not the man he was last Singin’ 'bout birds that are leavin’. Singin’ ’bout Autumn, with sunshine an’ shade; " ‘What is the use of our grievin'? Singin’ 'bout things that true comfort ‘will bring— Singin’ ’bout beans an’ tomatoes,® Singin’ 'bout meat cured so nicely an’ neat; Singin’ 'bout corn an’ potatoes.® Singin’ ’bout goldenrod flauntin’ so fair; Singin’ 'bout trees that grow golden; Singin’ 'bout snowflakes, with beauty 80 rare, That Winter so soon will embolden. Singin’ ‘bout things of importance more great— Singin’ ’bout beans an’ Singin' of ham an’ the clam, And also 'bout corn an’ tomatoes,* oyster an’ potatoes.® *Please pronounce ad lib, for the sake of rhyme, “tomaytoes” and ‘“‘po- taytoes,” else ‘“tomahtoes” and ‘po- tahtoes.” Faet and Phantasy. “Truth is stranger than fiction.” “It isn't,” answered Senator Sor- ghum. “That impression is due to the fact that fiction is so frequently sub- stituted for the truth.” Bolshevism. I think the world was made for those Who gather wealth and seek repose. There is a squirrel in the tree ‘Who sa: “The World was made for me.’ Jud Tunkins says a good servant is one who knows how to disobey with deferential discretion. Merger. “There are mergers everywhere.” “Yes,” answered Uncle Bill Bottle- top. “One of the most enterprising bootleggers In the neighborhood is also an undertaker.” Relief. “What T want,” said Farmer Corn- tossel, “is farm relief.” “What kind of relief?” “Political jobs for all me and my wite's relations.” “Our ancestors,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, ‘‘command admira- tion for many wise words they said, even when doing foolish things.” Music and Words. You ask what music means to me. ‘Without the words that bring Glints of poetic fancy free, It doesn’t mean a thing. “We would all be happier,” said Uncle Eben, “if it was as easy to re- member a kindness as it is to recall an Indury.” STAR, WASHIN 3TON, D. (o THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. “Dear Mr. Tracewell: Every dog should have his day, don't you think? Will you not give Bobs his? I sup- pose no dog in Washington is better known, especially in the neighbor- hood of Wardman Park. . “He is the breed immortalized as ‘listening to his master's voice.’ From one of your old and constant and ad- miring readers.” With this came the following . verse: Our Dog. The finest dog we've ever had Is Bobs; Devoted, brave, intelligent, He never is belligerent— To every one he's kind. And then he’s so obedient, So vatient, so considerate, 1t seems a human mind. He seldom barks, Would never bite, He always means to do what's right— Pattern to beast and man, Yes, best of all is Bobs. —L. M. W. A postscript gives the following bit of insyrm tion: “Many hoys would de- light to see this in The Star.” * Xk Xk X We hope that the boys, their friend Bobs and L. M. W., one and all, are pleased. We are willing to take a chance on praising a good dog, even if we do have suspicions concerning that sentence, ‘“He seldom barks.” We print the verse, not because it would take any prizes, but because it contains a ring of sincerity that will appeal to all dog lovers. Certainly a fine list of qualities is made out for Bobs. He is devoted, brave, intelligent, mnon-belligerent, kind, obedient, patient, considerate, seldom barking and never biting, and does what's right, according standard of his human friends. a home knows a dog of ex- v this caliber. And many a human being might, indeed, take such a dog as a pattern of a faithful friend. A home possessing such a friend is pet- blessed, as one might say. There are, unfortunately, dogs that are not particularly devoted, that some times cause grave doubts as to their bravery, that seem somewhat laéking in intelligence, that fight upon the slightest provocation, that are surly, obstinate and impatient, lacking in consideration for others, are inces- sant barkers, would as lief bite some one as look at him, and, all in all, never do what's right. Perhaps no one dog combines such a fearful roster of faults. If one did, his journey to the pound would be imminent. There are dogs, however, who harbor one or more of these faults. Such creatures get the whole tribe into disrepute, even as faulty human beings sometimes make man- kind ashamed for the human race. Perhaps if a census of dog traits could be taken, dogs would stand out, as dogs, in greater perfection than men as men, and women as women. It must not be forgotten, of course, that the traits of the dog are com- paratively simple, in comparison with the complex mental makeup of the human being, and that, therefore, it ie, perhaps, a far easier thing to find a perfect dog than a perfect man or woman, EEE The desirable dog traits, as given by our correspondent—and this is what made the verse interesting to us—about covers the list. In it one finds a more or less complete descrip- tion of dog virtue. The qualities that mankind has come to desire in the dog are summed up here. He is devoted. Surely this is the prime virtue of the dog, the one qual- ity that sets him apart in the animal creation, that wins him the love of man, his master, century after cen- tury. In a world where ingratitude often crops up in the least suspected places, the dog sticketh closer than a brother. Having won his simple affection, one v mistreat him to any extent, he will remain faithful. His human friends come together in lodges, and put up a great prate about the sacredness of being brothers, but let a one of their membership do something contrary to law and order, he is very likely to find himself read out of the order by his more virtuous brethern. A dog, however, knowing nothing of such secret and fair-weather brother- hoods, shows his devotion in the face of the world. “Try te run me away,” 3 y. “T won't go, Buddy" Thus disobedience become divine. * Kk ok ok He is brave. Next to his devotion the dog's bravery is most held in esteem by mankind. The harassed city dweller, perplexed by the noise of a thousand motor cars, sometimes pauses to fume at the yipping of a dog, but the dog's bark may be re- garded as the escaping steam of his bravery. He is brave in the ancient physical way for which man has never found a substitute in time of danger. The dog dispenses with talk of militar- ism and non-militarism; when the time comes, he throws himself into the place where he is needed with brist- ling mane, ripping claws and tearing teeth, This is his title to doghood. He is intelligent. Those who know the love of a good dog can cite in- numerable instances of the canny thinking of their pet, even of his wis- dom. As animals go, he is a thinker; and if any proof were needed of this, one has but to think of his ability to “catch on" to tricks. He is non-belligerent. Considering the fact that the dog canot read, and therefore cannot delve into the right or wrong of war, the dog is remark- ably peace-loving. With him the thing resolves itself into a pure question of environment. His mother and father may be “pit” dogs, bred to fight, but he, brought mp in a household of peace, becomes the gentlest of crea- tures, unwilling to bite a human be- ing. He is kind. He asks but to be al- lowed to frisk around and enjoy him- self in his own way, then his kindli- ness shines out of his eyes. One sel- dom sees a mean-eyed dog, although there are such to prove the rule. He is obedient. The good dog obeys because it is his master’s will. It is a part of his devotion. He is patlent because it is a great animal characteristic, and one for which he is not responsible, and there- fore perhaps deserves little praise. He {s considerate—yes, a real dog is considerate, in the best sense of that word. He does not bark, except when barking is apropros, he never bites—ex- cept when necessary—and he “always does what's right.”” Such is the pic- ture of the perfect dog, man’s oldest friend, the only animal in the world that really loves us. What is the mat- ter with us, that, after all these cen- turies, we have not managed to win the love of other creatures? BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. More than 30 years ago a “blarsted Britisher” named William T.. Stead wrote a book entitled “If Christ Came to Chicago.” The present mayor of Chicago has heard of that book and he is mad about it. He is determined to cull out of Chicago libraries all books that are found to favor Great Britain. An injunction was obtained barring him from burning the books he finds in the public library, but his honor sneers at the efficacy of an injunction against his doing what he *‘never really intended to attempt.” However, he has set a well known sport (not Gene Tunney) at the task of reading the library books to dis- cover all that are pro-British, and they make a huge lot. Mayor Thompson’s political oppo- nents’ emulate Dooley’s famous re- mark about the Carnegie bookless libraries, “It ain’t literatoor, Hinnessy, iIt’s architectoor,” for they declare that Mayor Thompson's onslaught upon the hooks s more concerned with suffrage than with sufferance of anti-American- ism, * ok ok ok However, Chicago is big enough to fight its own battles, whatever else may be said of its virtues. What con- cerns the readers of The Evening Star is not what would happen to Chicago in case of an unexpected guest, but what would come to the schools and libraries of the National Capital if Mayor Thompson—not to mention Dr. Andrew, the superintendent of schools of Chicago—were to invade Washington with the same sort of weapons as are being used in the bat- tle royal of the Windy City. This query was propounded at the Library of Congress and.almost pre- cipitated a panic among the attend- ants. If all the histories now in the Library which scoff at American righteousness and patriotism were piled in one heap between the Library and the Capitol and set afire, the fa- mous Chicago fire of two generations ago would fade into a mere smoke screen. Less than a month. ago, the Bishop of London preached in the presence of American Legionnaires and express- ed regret that American schools were “teaching the rising generation to hate the British.” The Leglonnaires were amazed and indignant at the good bishop’s insular ignorance of how the Muzzey histories, the text books of Washington, Chicago and other important villages, were incul- cating into the rising generation the belittling of American heroes and American glory as was reported after a similar investigation in New York and elsewhere, a few years ago. Then it was reported by the investigators appointed by Mayor Hylan: “‘As a result of these new texts, the children are now being taught in our public schools misrepresentations such as the following: “That the American Revolution was merely a ‘civil war’ between the Eng- lish people on both sides of the sea and their ‘German’ king; “That the Magna Charta is the real source of our liberties, while the Dec- laration of Independence exerted no vital force; “That _such patriots as Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Patrick Henry were mere disreputable char- acters; “That Thomas Jefferson deserved a Alexander Hamlilton de- nounced the people as a ‘great beast’; “That the United States Constitution and most of our free institutions were borrowed from England; “That the War of 1812 was ‘a mis- take,’ ‘unfortunate’ and ‘disgraceful’; “That the Mexican War was a grab of territory; “That the North saved the Union only through ‘England’s heroic sup- port’; “That our war with Spain was won because England prevented Germany and all Europe taking sides against us; ““That our country’s history has been ‘hitherto distorted through unthinking adherence to national prejudice’; “That it is now being ‘set right’ through ‘newer tendencies in histori- cal writing’ and ‘methods of modern sistovical scholarehip,’ " One historian condemned in Chi- cago is Arthur Meier Schlesinger, who, in an article published in a n igazine, wrote of the Boston tea party and its aftermath; “The sun of the radicals had suf- fered an eclipse. * * ¢ “In the commercial colonies Sam Adams—that Machiavelli of Chaos— sought, through the establishment of town committees of correspondence, to unite the workingmen of the port towns with the farmers of the rural districts in political action, and the burgesses of Virginia launched their plan of a provincial committee of cor- respondence that might give uncen- sored expression to the political griev- ances of the Southern planters.” So our schools are representing our Revolutionary forefathers as ‘“radi- cals” and Machiavellis of Chaos— Sam Adams, Patrick Henry, George ‘Washington, Thomas Jefferson et al. ok ok In the New York investigation, it was found that Prof. Muzzey (whose history is the special point of attack now in Chicago)' thus speaks, on page 90 of the 1920 revision: “This great event (the American Revolution) has too often been rep- resented as the unanimous uprising of a downtrodden people to repel the deliberate, unprovoked attack of a tyrant upon their liberties. * ¢ * It is evident that, at the time at least, there were.two opinions as to colo- nial rights and British oppression.” The Muzzey and Schlesinger his- tories are not alone in their pfo- British tone since the ‘“modernizing” of American history, following the period of the World War. Others included in the New York report are Hart's, Guitteau's and Barnes’. What will transpire in the Chicago flare-up remains to be seen. LR I ‘Whether one sides with one party or the other in such a controversy, it is notable that Mayor Thompson has introduced no innovation when he or his supporters advocate burn- ing of the obnoxious literature. That was a pagan practice even before it was adopted in the Christian era, in Rome. Often they burned not only the books but also the author, by decree of the Roman Senate. Per- haps the historical precedence makes it easier for the Duce, Mussolini, now to enforce his muzzle on the freedom of the press. All the books of the famous Abelard —the great priestly lover of Heloise —were burned by order of Pope In- nocent II. Later the protesting works of John Huss met a similar fate in Geneva, and, in England, the works of Martin Luther, Frith, Tyndale, Wi- cliff and other leaders of Protestantism were publicly burned before Old St. Paul’s In his “Defensio,” John Milton based an_exhortation to virtue upon the righteous act of regicide, while he argued against the “divine right of kings.” For this, the House of Com- mons petitioned the King, June, 1660, to order the book burned by the com- mon hangman. Many copies escaped destruction, however, and subsequent- ly the act of oblivion was conferred on Milton—though not wiping out his fame through the centuries. In an_interesting book by James Anson Farrer, “Books Condemned to Be Burnt,” published 35 years ago, appears this bit of history, which may enlighten Chicago: “The next work which the Lower House concurred with the Upper in consigning to the hangman was “The Present Crisis with regard to America Considered’ (February 24th, 1775), but of this book, the fate it met with seems now the only ascertainable fact about it. It appears to enjoy the real distinction of having been the last book condemned by Parliament in England to the flames; although that honor has sometimes been claimed for the ‘Commercial Restraints of Ire- land,’ by Provost Hely Hutchinson.” It is noteworthy that thg burnipg of books, the suppression by force of free speech and free literature, has mot added one thought to the world’s knowledge. The deyout priests who wccomnanied Corter is consuest o THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2T, 1927. PHILOSOPHIES BY GLENN FRANK In our vast educational institutions, overorganized and everformalized, the unavoldable temptation is to for- get the purpose of education in man- aging the processes of schooling. The other day I watched a great teacher welcome a crowd of students to the opening of a school. The welcome was brief and simple: it carried none of the frayed and weather-beaten counsels of the class- room; it contained nothing about the mechanics of note-taking or the de- mands of class attendance; it left the boys a bit dazed: it did not fit into their picture of college life as it is caught in the movies. This teacher simply read to his stu dents the following paragraphs from the discourses of Epictetus: “Our condition may be compared to the gathering at a fair. “Cattle and oxen are brought thither for sale, and the mass of men come to buy or sell; only some few come to look at the assembled people and see how and why the assembly gzathers and who instituted it and with what object. “It is just the same here, in this assembly of the world; some are like cattle and trouble themselves ahout nothing but their fodder, for you who busy yourselves with property and lands and servants and public offices are busy with fodder and nothing else. “There are but few who come to this assembly with a desire to see what really is the meaning of the uni- verse and who governs it. Does no one govern it? How can that be? A city or a household cannot endure even for a brief span of time without one to govern and take charge of it, and can this great and noble frame of things be administered in such good der mere random chance? is, then, One who governs it. His nature and how does He “And we, what are we, His crea- tions, and to what work are we born? Have we any connection and relation with Him or not? “Such are the thoughts which oe- cur to these few, and so they devote thelr time to this, and this alone, to in- vestigate the assembly of life before they leave it. What follows? “They are laughed at by the multi- tude, just as in the other assembl. those who look on are laughed at by those who buy and sell. Nay, the cattle themselves, if they sharei onr perception, would laugh at those who have made anything else but fodder the object of their wonder and regard!” The teacher did not attempt to ex- plain this parable; he left his students wondering—not a bad thing. since wonder is the beginning of wisdom. When they burrow into this parable they will find in it curiosity about ulti- mate values, philosophy, religion, voca- tional guidance—all the aspects of edu- cation. (Copyright, McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) Assails Highway Tax On Struggling Owners To the Editor of The Star: I have, and always have had, a wholesome respect for the needs of a government, whether church or state, that seeks to give to all the people improved conditions of living and thinking. No government can spend for the people what has not been given it by the people. Rich and prosperous as we are in_the aggre- gate, there is no magic Fortunatus' purse that can pave our streets, con- struct, heat and light our public buildings, beautify our parks and stock our libraries and schools, be- yond what is contributed by all of us according to our several abilities and capabilities. Paying our taxes, there- fore, I regard as a duty that should be performed, not grudgingly or of necessity but cheerfully and ration- ally, with intelligent recognition of services rendered. There comes a point, however, if the line of separation between the taxer and the taxed is too sharply drawn, that there may arise the dan- gerous, if not impossible, situation of suspicion and distrust on the one hand or of despotic short-sightedness on the other. The desire to have and own a home is a laudable one, and no single mark of individual thrift and econ- omy is more directly valuable to the community as a whole than the ef- forts of wage earners and workers of small means to have a little spot they can call their own. Taxes from such people should mean protection.of an henest invest- ment in a stake in the community and a guarantee from those above that the wise and prudent will see to it that their confidence in good gov- ernment is not betrayed. Sudden and extravagant demands for fancifal im- provements on highways, to be appre- ciated only by the motoring classes and seekers for pleasure, should not, it seems to me, be saddled on the slen- der shoulders of home buyers and home owners whose holdings happen to abut on a given highway chosen for resurfacing. In some cases an un- looked-for, and, of course, unbudgeted bill of a few hundred dollars, with the dire prospect if unpaid of interest considerably beyond the legal rate for individuals, suddenly thrust upon a small property owner who is honestly and laboriously struggling out of the 1 pauper class, will inevitably and inex- orably spell confiscation of lifetime earnings and savings, with an old age of thwarted aims and beggared thrift. ANNA J. COOPER. Christmas Reindeer Called Needless To the Editor of The Star: It is with deep regret that I read in your issue of the 20th of the ship- ment of 300 reindeer to be distributed in the various department stores of the country to add to the Christmas joys of the children. Children little know how these crea- tures suffer coming into the heated temperature, amid noise and con- fusion. Is it any wonder that they sickened and died, and is it necessary t6 make this sacrificeé in the spirit of Christmas? I made inquiry last year, and was told that our organizations working along these lines were making every effort to have this cruelty stopped. ‘We commercialize almost everything. Let us leave out the reindeer. MARY E. CLARK. Some “Church Music” Held in Disfavor To the Editor of The Star: One reads from time to time of the very worthy efforts which are made to improve the quality of church music in our city. But the fact that the opening voluntary on the organ at« the church attended by the President of the United States. consisted of the prologue to Leoncavallo's squalid tragedy, “Pagliacci,” makes one de- spair of any hope of betterment. Why not the Miserere scene from ‘Il Trovatore”? It is much more melodi- ous. GEORGE MIDDLETON. —e the Aztecs destroyed the libraries of Montezuma and therewith wiped out the literature and history of a race superfor in some forms of culture to the races of Europe whose weapons subdued them. So, too, when corrupt propaganda distorts historic truth, we have classic assurance that the fires of hell shall not prevail, for “truth crushed to earth will rise again.” Wisyriaht,-187, by Paul V, Collins.) Q. Where were _dinosaur found in Montana?—V. D. S. A. The Biological Survey says that dinosaur eggs have never been found in Montana. These were reported to have been found some time ago but scientists have proved that the ma- terial found was simply hard lumps ur eggs have covered in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. Q. What was the age of Washing- ton's mother at the time of his taking the Presidency?—A. W. E. A. When Washington was inaugu- rated President his mother was §3 years of age. ?[ How much do locomotives cost? —H. C. A. cggs fications. Q. Has Lew tary serv the World military duties, At the conclusion of the war he received his commission as major in the Reserve Corps. He spends one month each year in the officers’ training camp in lieu of a vacation. Q. How many magazines are sub. seribed for by the average family?— A. The American Association of Ad- vertising Agencies made a survey in the Summer of 1926 and it was found that duplication of magazine circula- tion was very great. Kamilies with less than $1,000 a year income were shown to be subscribers to 3 mag azines, Families with income: $1,000 to be subscribers to 4.8 ma, ilies with incomes from $5,000 a year were shown to_be sub seribers to 5.6 magazines. Fam with incomes from $3,000 to $10,000 a year were shown to be subscribers to 14.22 magazines, and families with in comes from $10,000 up were shown to be subscribers to 6.8 magazines. Q. What is meant by drinking a toast “with all the honours three”?- M. E. M. A. The reference is probably to the cheers with which a toast is greeted. Some toasts are drunk standing, such as a toast to one’s country, and are often received with hurrahs three in number, or, in case of great enthusi asm, with three times three. Q. Do fish drink water?—F. C. S. A. The Bureau of Fisheries says that fish do not consciously drink water; however, they take it in when food is eaten. Q. In the Middle Ages, what was the most powerful of the Florentine guilds’—F. A. K. A. The Woolweavers' Guild. Q. Whete are Mount Sinai Mount Horeb of the Bible?—L. S. A. There is a great difference of opinion as to which are the précise mountains spoken of as Mount Sinai and Mount Horeb in the Old Testa- ment. They were undoubtedly peaks located on the Sinai Peninsula, which is a territory projecting into the Red Sea between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Akaba. The southern part of this is mountainous. Many historians are of the opinion that Jebel Musa represents Sinai and Jebel al Mir rep- resents Horeb. Others are of the opinion that there were not two moun- tains, but that Jebel Musa was the o;\e ?inerently designated as Horeb or Sinai. Q. Why is the abbreviation “Ib.” used for pound?—W. H. C. A. It is an abbreviation for the and They cost from $80,000 up. The | price varies with the type and speci- Stone ever seen mili- | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. |Latin _word | “pound.” “libra,” which meons ’ Q. Are such carnivals ag Dumas de- {seribes in “Count of Monte Cristo” | still held in Rome?—J. E. H. A. In a general way it can be said that nival Is held just before the beginning of Lent, but it exists no | more in_ the form Rome |tor e manifestations in the streets sparse and very attenuated. | Rivie however, there are floats, th flowers, while this aspect | of carr once so important, has altogether disa 1 in Rome, Columbus a While it is true that nu- merous writers have asserted that he was of Jewish ancestry, most biog- phers regard him as an Itallan of ntile birth. Q. When will the Department of s | Agriculture hold its chrysanthemum show?—C. C. 8, | A. It expects to open the annual chrysanthemum show on October 36. Q. Why the lips | the body?— A. Fever do fever blisters appear on i an on other parts of blisters appear on the | mouth ad of elsewhere on the | body because the lips are more eas parched, due to the thin coveri | ekin over the bloc | Q. How long does it take to ra | bamboo for commercial purposes® {J. 3. E The Bureau of Plant s that the its growth in 2 time, but from | quired for the wo it will be of use commercially, Q. nlet? Industry receives short Has Lake a an outlet and How deep is it’—E. B. A. The depth of Lake Titicaca, the argest lake in South America, in some places reaches 700 feet, but large portions of it are shallow, and the | shores, especially in the south, are lined with mar tracts covered with reeds. The lake receives a number |of streams from the surrounding mountains and discharges through the Desaguadero into Lake Aullagas, whose waters finally evaporate in the great salt marshes in the southern part of the closed basin. Q. Who was known as the “barber poet”?—H. L. W. A. Jacques Jasmin, the last of the Troubadours, who began life as a bar- ber in Germany, was thus called. He was well known, and a cotemporary versemaker of Paris once sald h’ “left his presence trickling all ove with poetry and vibrating like an Aeolian harp.” Q. What is the temperature of the ga!er at the bottom of the ocean?— . S. A. At the bottom of the ocean the femperature remains approximately aniform at from 32° F. to 35° F. and is independent of latitude. You want to know something. You wish to_be positive before you go ahead. Well. The Evening Star will tell you what you want to know and give you assurance before you pro- ceed. Our Washington Bureau can answer any question of fact pro- pounded to it. Here is the university of information—a great free educa- tional institution established solely to serve you. Send in your question and get the right answer. Inclose 2 cents in stamps to cover the return nostage. Addrcss The Evening 'Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Has- kin, Director, Washington, D. C. Housing conditions at Army posts have been presented to the public as an urgent problem through the recent statement of Maj. Gen. Summerall, chief of staff, and resulting newspa- per comment. Recalling that another general stated last year that “the Army hous- ing situation in certain camps is a shame to the Government,” the Chi- cago Daily News says: ‘“What mat- ters ultimately, of course, is not any particular departure from etiquette— for which rebukes may be warranted— but the truth of the statements. Presi- dent Coolidge defends the Army hous- ing program of his administratior, and asserts that the new budget will provide §8,000,000 for construction and repairs. If a larger amount is re- quired to remedy conditions rightly complained of, it should be demanded of and granted by Congress. It is ex- ceedingly poor economy to starve the Army."” “When Congress meets, a statement of what has actually been done for the relief of the Army and what remains to be done should be required of the War Department,” declares the New York Times. “Its hands are tied by piecemeal appropriations. The work of reconstruction is going on too slow- . A discontented Army cannot be disciplined by officers who know there are grievances and are themselves vic- tims of neglect. The fundamental wants of the service should be sup- plied.” The Texarkana Gazette asserts that “while some of the more centrally lo- cated Army posts appear to be show places, there is a decided lack of ade- quate facilities at most of .the posts. There are not so many out-of-the-way Army posts now as there were 15 or 20 years ago,” adds the Gazette, “but what few of them still are in use are in a very run-down condition.” * ok kX The Oakland Tribune “every one who has made even a cas- ual investigation knows living quar- ters in many posts are all but di graceful.” “Ever since the war,” it is pointed out by the Fresno Bee, “the percentage of desertions from the Army has been steadily mounting. Not long ago the dally ration allow- ance was raised a few cents. But in many posts absolutely nothing has been done to better housing conditions for years, and the men are living in tumbledown shacks that are not fit to house animals.” The El Paso Herald states: “No member of Congress can plead igno- rance of the wretched hovels in which married enlisted men live, and in some instances officers and their wives and children also. This may not hold good at every post, but each annual report of the Secretary of War for the past several years has told about them and has named the forts and camps in which_these conditions were flagrant. Even Fort Bliss, almost a model post, has had experience with tin, canvas and tar-paper shacks as housing for non-commissioned officers and their families.” ‘‘Gen. Summerall's outstanding abil- ity as a soldier,” observes the Buffalo Evening News, “has won him a high place in the regard of the American people. Whatever he has to say in behalf of the enlisted men commands public_attention and respect.” Rock Island Argus adds: “If we sense public opinion correctly, the country wants its soldiers properly housed, even if the cost does reach $110,000,000, the alleged necessary total.” The Kansas City Journal contends that “the Army housing problem is a great one and there is no reason for post- ponement of steps to end the dis- grace.” “Common sense will not permit us to do other than what we have been doing—spending larger sums for na- -tional dnhus each .year,” .says the Gen. Summerall’s Comment on Army Housing Stirs Press Lincoln Star, and the San Antonio Evening News holds that “the general welfare demands that, as rapidly as possible, the $110,000,000 Army build- ing program, already sanctioned, he carried out.” The San Antonio paper adds that “it i8 an investment in last- ing values and in that vital concern, the national defense.” The Ports- mouth Daily Times is of the opinion that “Gen. Summerall won't care how much of what the Chinese call ‘saving face’ is indulged in, if the Army gets adequate housing. ik “Obviously the soldiers have a just grievance, and it cannot be remedied by shutting their mouths,” states the Baltimore Evening Sun. The Lansing State Journal suspects that “Gen. Summerall is impatient with the slow- ness with which the work is getting under wa and the Jackson Citizen Patriot, recognizing that “there is no lawful way in which high military and naval officers can go directly to the public,” avers that “they should not be required to take chances of court-mar- tial every time they ask improvement in the service they represent.” The Indianapolis News assumes that “if anything is done to remedy c ditions, the public must take the lead.” and adds: “The country is committed to a policy of adequate defense, There being no argument about that policy, there should be no argument about adequate housing facilities for the men who are looked to for defensive meas- ures.” In support of the general's eom- ments on the subject, the Charleston Daily Mail makes the statement: “There would hardly be anything wrong when the chief of staff of the Army finds men housed in unfit bar- racks to signify to them that he had noted that fact, and to encourage them to endure the discomforts by showing that he recognized the situation. This is not necessarily criticism of the ad- says that{ ministration. It is just a recognition of the general listlessness that pre- vails in regard to6 the national defense during the times when we are not at war and fondly imagine that we never will be.” “One thing the general h: plished.” concludes the & Democrat: “Bringing from Washing- ton the announcement that the Gov- ernment knows all about the Army's housing needs and that $8,000,000 is in process of spending to meet them right now, and that more is forth- coming.” UNITED STATES N WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today American troops are mnow in the firstline trenches along the French front. Infantry makes dramatic entry by night, marching through a wrecked village in a howling rainstorm to take their sector. Artillery fires the first shot for American troops. " . French soldiers greet Yanks enthu- siastically. Kiss and hug them and shake their hands at the firstline trenches. * * * Fifteen thousand one hundred and seventy-eight men apply for war insurance in first batch of applications received, representing a total of 121,424,000. Major of men take out $10,000 apiece. * * * Sec- ond Liberty loan closes h grand rush of subscriptions that swamp the banks, Total probably well over the maximum figure of flve billions set by Treasury officials. * * * United States and Japan are formulating an agreement whereby Japanese mer- chant vessels will be exchanged for American steel, which Japan needs as badly .as.America. -tonnage. e