Evening Star Newspaper, October 31, 1927, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C MONDAY. . . .October 81, 1327 THEODORE W. NOYES Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Busiess Oflics NIt S o Pennut ew ice. 110 Chi OMoe T 0 O European Office: | Star with the Sus rrie v iy < may he went 1y mal 100" Collection is made by aoh month Rate by Mail—F hle in Advance. d and Virginia 1ve s000 1er 600 1r S300 1 mo 1mo 1 mo fav All Other States and Canada. S 1yr. $12.00: 1 mo 1 vr. SR00: 1 mo 1y $400° 1 mo it or no and also Al rivhee i itehos herein are alko rose=ved aner Where Education Is Needed. eripatetic philosophy of Tearning wl ng about has heen adopted by the American Civie Asso ciation and applied in its “first travel ing meeting,” ‘which ended last week after a tour of selected arcas in Ne England. For a quarter centur the American Civic Ass been one of the leading civic development in its more impor- tant branches, and it has played an important part in fostering Nation wide sentiment for the creation of parks and the safeguarding of the country’s natural beauty against the sometimes ruthl advance of com- merce and indust Under its ban- ners there has been recruited a large host of forward-looking men and wom- en who are awake to the necessity in America today of combining expan- sion with conservation, of developing zccording to plans, instead of planning according to development. Many of these men and women attended the association’s “traveling meeting” In New England last week, where they were shown examples of civic expan- sion, good and bad, and where they were afforded the opportunity, at the same time, of exchanging opinions and ideas concerning the development of other American communities. Much of the American Civie Asso- clation’s work in the past has been in relation to the National Capital, and it has accomplished notable progress, through its creation of “committees on the Federal City” throughout the country, to awaken a national interest in the proper growth and expansion of the Nation's Capital. So while the meeting last week was devoted in part to visiting communities in New Eng- land and learning from them what they are doing, as much time for dis- cussion was given to what is going on in Washington today. American citizens are beginning to take a keen interest in their Capital. They are curious to know why the Capital, planned in advance as a model Capi- tal and a model city, is neither a model Capital nor a model city. They are anxlous to know wherein the fail- ure lies, and to fix responsibility for this failure. The many speakers who addressed the American Civic Association and its New England hosts last week were of not faced with any great difficulty In| placing this responsibility where it belongs—at the doors of Congress. But few of them, apparently, were able to outline the fundamental points which today constitute the chief ob stacles to the development of Wash ington as the great Federal City for which it was planned. Some of them spoke of the failure by Congress to regard Washington's development as an important national enterprise. Others dwelt upon the niggardliness of Congress in appropriating sufficlent funds for a proper development of the Capital. But most interesting of all was the hazy understanding by these proponents of a greater Capital of the fact that Congress has put the cart before the horse in appropriating for ‘Washington's development—that ap- propriations for the Capital today are made on the basis of: what the resi- dents of Washington can stand, plus a small and unelastic “lJump sum” representing the contribution from a rich and powerful Nation, so that ‘Washington’s development on this principle is confined, in effect, to the revenue from ta of 500,000 citizens of the District after they have paid for the other necessary expenses of | maintaining their own municipal es- tablishment. So long as this principle continues, Washington's expansion will of necessity be slow, and far from that expansion which the citizens of ths Tnited States ars demanding and ex- pecting for their Capital. It would seem proper that the Amer- lean Civie Association, having created | with remarkable precision of sched- | enthusiasm for Capital growth, should use its good offices from now on to explain to the citizens of the country the inequality and un- fairness of the present system of ap- propriating for the National Capital. stem Is changed the citi- ie United States will continue n vain for the great Cuapital until the , they will & anation of where on today. a proper ition to other prohibition ibilities, the inspection of minc may become necessary. ———ee Death Highway. as | have occurred on it. Especially on Sundays and holidays, when the road is crowded, fatal accidents and minor ~ollisions are numerous, ‘emphasizing the colossal blunder in building a nar- row highway for such a huge volume | of traffic. Maryland, since fatalities began to lnmunl, has heen making a real effort | to cure some of the danger spots. The | State Road Commission has filled in sullies and attempted to build up the of the road with the loose oil that is peculiar to the re- Dut inasmuch as the whole ngerous and the first heavy | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. country with the idea that if avia- tion is to be practically utilized, it must be aided by facilities provided by the communities rather than by commercial enterprise. With all its advances in the course of the last two decades aviation has not yet become the public utlity that it may be and doubtless will be.| {Many projects have been formulated |for the use of planes for practical purposes for public tramsport, for goods carriage as well as paust‘nzer{ traflic, but outside of the air-mail serv- { ico and “sightseeing” flights there Is relatively little in the United States 1in will wash away most of the i | tully built sides, it is apparent that | | there is no remedy save widening the | o narrow concrete p. And it | Maryland not want this new | highway to become famous throushout | the United States for its accident toll, | | v out this work | s, st does | it should stz | with all possible vigos | —————— ! A Surplus of Stop Signs. | A zreat mystery has been explained Since the traffic office of the District besan seattering stop signs hither and | l_wn throughout the city, apparently with no purpose in view other than have | motorists put it slan Now it has ass traflie, to idea to embar ]l.m-n wondering, what is the bi | leaked out tha on received | {one hundred and twenty-six extra sig-| nals over the contract, and it becomes | clear that this orgy of sign-placing | !is simply the result of having a lot |of signs on hand and nothing in par- | ticutar to do with them. | Besides embarrassing traffic by com | pelling many unnecessary stops, these | | one hundred and twenty-six extra signs | |ave also embar the Commis- | i sioners and the traffic office, because | | the District can find no way, legally, | to pay for them. In this connection | it might he suggested that whoever | | was responsible for the mistake should | be compelled, as punishment, to drive | back and forth ten times a day over some of the routes mow specially marked with the red stop signs. After he had worn out his brakes stopping whore stops were not needed, and | worn out his patience by observing how few persons obeyed the unreason- able signs, he would be exceedingly chary in the future about the number of red enameled signals that he or- | derea. Stop signs, when used discriminately and not indiscriminately, as they have been with this excess supply, are de- sirable and necessary from a stand- point of traffic safety. On boulevard street and arterial highway intersec- tions and at especially dangerous crossings they are an important fac- tor in promoting safety. But when they are scattered around with appar- |ently no study of conditions; when they are placed preferentially to pro- tect streets with car tracks; when they are installed at wide-open cross- ings, where it is possible to see for half a block on either side, or when they are placed so close together—as at Eighteenth and U streets—that a motorist feels that he resembles a kangaroo in the contortions that he is forced to undergo, then they are not only undesirable, but a nuisance. The modern theory of traffic is to “keep moving.” Stops breed conges- tion. Free-flowing, frictionless traffic is the ideal of the uuthorities in every city in the country. It helps business and aids safety. This ideal, however, can never be attained in the National Cipital as long as motorists are com- pelled to do a jig and a dance, a hop and a skip and a jump, combined with airplane maneuvers in order to get across the city. It is obvious, there- fore, that a mistake in ordering or delivering stop signals should not pe- nalize Washington traffic and Wash- {ington motorists. The public will {await with interest remedial action | by the traffic office. —————.——— The statesman who is figuring on a tax cut must be equipped with some [ of the talents of a financial forecaster. | The United States Government, as a great business, must have the benefit of conservative thought as well as the { stimulation of optimism. ——on—s Lindbergh’s Flying Commission. When Charles A. Lindbergh made | his extraordinary flight across the Atlantic last May and was received with acclaim by the French people, feted and honored in that country, in England, in Belgium and in his own land upon his return, he was beset | with proposals of a business nature, | any one of which if accepted would | ave made him a great fortune. He could have capitalized his exploit and | s fame at a high figure. He chose, | however, to invest his prestige in the cause of aviation. Upon his return home lie was engaged by the Daniel | | Guggenhelm Fund for the promotion | | of aeronautics to make a tour of the | country by air in the interest of a | better mational understanding of the |advantages of aerial transport and | the problems ghat are to be solved in |its advancement. He made that tour | ing | ule, and was scen and heard by mil- | lions of people. The country’s interest |in him was manifested at every point of contact. It was then expected upon | the completion of his aerial tour that {be would go into some business en- prise connected with aviation. But |it is now announced that he has been ! engaged by the Guggenheim Fund for an indefinite time to continue the work | ot promoting the interests of aviation without relation to any commercial enterprise. He has, as it were, a fly- ing commission without limit or re- striction. lie is to use his own judg- ment as to what he shall do and when. | He may fly in demonstration or he {may talk in exposition or he may do both. This is a striking demonstration of lof these more or lin the | Even G. B. in the way of systematic flying. Yet factories are turning out planes at a high rate of production. Pilots are trained in numbers. The machines and the men are available for com- mercial and public scrvice flying. Spectacular stunt flights and prize flights during the past season have greatly increased public interest, de- spite mishaps and fatalities. Lind- hergh alone cannot effect a focusing | less latent forces, | but he has assuredly contributed rich- Iy to the development, and in this capacity in which he is now engaged he will without question aid in the | work of putting and keeping America | r. | ———ate——— Everybody in Italy praises Musso- | lini. He has managed so that com-| pliments for him are due not so much | to admiration as to a defense reaction. | Shaw speaks politely of | the dictator; at least while within the | borders of his domain. B Ancient tombs are heing discovered | in such large numbers that prehistoric | research hecomes almost as conspicu- ous in attention as modern suburban development, the latter, after all, being of much more practical importance. SRR Cultivation of friendlier relations between Mexico and the U. S. A. will be welcomed by everybody except, of course, the habitual bandits, whose attitude is entirely professional. ———— President Calles and Ambassador Morrow have met after the manner of men each of whom understands not only the responsibilities but the ameni- ties pertaining to his position, R Many a statesman has declared 'he would not be a candidate and then sat back in the hope that time would | prove him a bad guesser. —————raee Several representatives of royalty in Europe show as little aptitude in managing domestic affairs as in man- aging governments. —————— Poulterers intimate high prices. It may be found that turkey is no more essential to Thanksgiving day than fireworks are to the Fourth of July. ————————— A flyer would be a failure if he were capable of sharing in any appreciable degree the terror of the fascinated crowds who observe him, —————— If some day Calvin Coolidge can be persuaded to write an autobiography, he can devote a large volume to an explanation of the three words—"I do not choose.” ———— Fascism has proved successful in Italian industry. Whether it will do so well in diplomacy is a matter which provokes discussion. —————— The prosperity of the country makes every year’s Thanksgiving proclama- tion an entirely conservative docu- ment. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Nature and Art. Heard an airship humming in the distance; Like some gigantic bee, it made a fuss. The birds and Insects said, such persistence? You seem to think you somehow rank with us!” the motor headlights switly nearing; The lightning bug subsided long ago, And Art, with method strangely per- severing, Has conquered Nature, but slow. “Why Saw beautiful And now, when a professor gravely mutters, “What you call ‘life’ we'll presently produce By chemistry, where sages close thelr shutter; We'll sigh, the use Of all the fair romance that has been taught us It Science is to make so swift a start And has, with careful caught us Where Nature must be sacrificed to Art!” No Taste for Small Stuff. “You say you would not vote for a measure to increase your salary?” “That’s what I say,” answered Sena- tor Sorghum. “Politics is a big game now. Any increase of salary that would be available would look merely like a white chip.” When Words Fail. Friend Diplomat, of course, we know You mean to treat us right. And yet how oft your efforts go To start another fight! Jud Tunkins says he can’t get much fun out of a night club. The jazz band makes its finish too close to next morning’s alarm clock. ‘Ah, Romeo, what was calculation, Thought and Anatomy. “Have you studied psychoanalysis?” “Yes,” answered Miss Cayenne. “It Is very interesting in making the ex- C. THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. will be sitting in the same old inclosure five years from now, cursing the fate which keeps them down, and privately berating their employers. Yet, perhaps, the following incident may explain to every one else—al- though it never will to them—why some men never get ahead. Th were four boys sitting in the messenger’s booth in a great estab- lishment. They were terribly busy discussing men and affairs, principally themselves and their own, of course. A visitor came up to a man stand- ing at one side talking to another ked where he might find Mr. So- and-So. Turning to one of the messengers, the man said, “Will one of you please wke this gentleman to Mr. Soand- | ‘The four remained seated, the older one finally deigning to state, “You an find him down the hall, room No. * The visitor disappeared before the other gentleman could recover from his astonishment. 5 The point is that not one of these boys realized that he had been dis- courteous to a guest of the establish- ment, that he not only had failed in a simple duty of hospitality, but that le had given a bad impression to the visitor of the whole works, * Kk ok ok Not realizing, such an employe must pay the price, and he usually does, much to his amazement and re- sentment. It takes a boy of unusual intelli- gence to understand, as if by instinct, that failure to be universally cour- teous in business hurts himself most of all. Men commonly enter the work- world to do what is called “make living.” The supposition is that in bet- tering themselves they will better the firm, contribute so much to its wel- worker finds himself rd march, | Thus evel s of his firm. The one is in- ble from the other. As the| rm goes ahead, he will go ahead—if he has the stuff in him. Perhaps the first requisite in almost any business to be found in a city is ordinary politeness. This is the oil of commerce, Wwhich not only makes sell- ing easier but more profitable, since it helps take the normal friction out of work and pleases the customer. It| helps sell him, which is most to the point. Yet it is amazing what a huge num- ber of young men and women entering business, no matter in what line, fail to understand this primary require- ment of contact with the public. It is an astounding fact that Will Hays, when he became Postmaster General, was able to preach ordinary surtesy of postal employes to patrons as a new doctrine. There always were, of course, thousands of such workers who never failed to have a smile for the patrons of Uncle Sam's greatest husiness establishment. Carriers were famous for their cordial good humor. There were also, however, shrewd Mr. Hays unerringly duced, many grouchy individuals who handed out stamps with a frown or in other ways failed to grasp the fact that unvarying courtesy in dealing with the public not only is beneficial to the business, in that it pleases the customer and makes him buy, but that it also is beneficial to the employe himself. One might think offhand that every |of | homes lto 1 | then employe, in any business whatsoever, would be looking out mightily for such methods of conduct as plainly would help him to get ahead. Among such qualities the simplest as well as the easiest to apply is that of universal courtes Sts nothing, alas, except a & heart and an intelligent mind—and many persons unfortunately lack both! It is common experience to enter a great establishment, where the genius and hard work of the founders have built up a mighty organization, and to find there many persons who seem to have no conception of the power of the pleasant smile and the cour- teously spoken word. The place may even have a welfare director, who labors hard at the task imbuing ewvs employe with the simple doctrine here outlined, that of treating the customer as one wants to be treated himself when he enters an_establishment of any kind. Even a “welfare director,” however, eemingly cannot reach into the and iron out the training that the man or woman worker has re- ceived—or has not received—there, is one thing to expound the asure and benefits of courtesy, and distinctly another to make a person with a narrow mind, or a simple of common sense, or harboring resent- ment, understand the ethics and the gain of it, * ok Kk The following anecdote, related to us recently by a gentleman of un- impeachable veracity and great per- sonal admiration for the establishment which it concerns, points unmistak- ally to the truth of these deductions: It seems that he was purchasing an article from a certain department, and was very much pleased with the in- terest displayed by a young lady cler] Now, interest is a part of courtesy If an employe will take the trouble o be courteous the chances are 100 that he will find himself inte: ested in the customer, in his likes and dislikes. And there is nothing that a_customer likes better than having his own likes and dislikes respected. The girl respected the wishes of the customer in question. She was =0 pleasant and so thoroughly capable that he was much pleased, so much so that when he was handed his package and his change he thanked her before she could thank him. “I am just new here,” she said, with an embarrassed smile, as if to apolo- gize for any lack of experience which she might have shown. “I thought so0,” replied the cus- tomer. “l sincerely trust you will never grow to be like the girls over there”—and he waved to another de- partment—"where they are much too bi to wait on a customer. 1 am thinking of coming into that depart- ment some day with a market basket, loading it down with articles, and calmly walking out. Maybe some one mi';h!_ pay a bit of attention to me sy and Interest—these are the tors upon which is built business success in which per- sonal contact with the public plays a part. If one is courteous, he will be interested; if he is interested, he will be courteous. Such is the magic circle along which the individual employe advances him- self at the same time he helps ad- vance his firm, thus establishing the falsity of the old saying that one‘can &et nowhere by going around in cir- cles. It all depends on what kind of circle one moves in! ever WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Still another agricultural council of war is about to assemble. It will hold forth at the geographical center of the corn and cotton belts in St. Louis tomorrow and Wednesday. The call for the powwow was issued by George W. Donaghey, Democratic Governor of Arkansas from 1909 to 1913. It summons th mbattled agri- cultural forces of ‘‘the West nd Soyth” to come together “in behalf of 4 national policy of farm relief and surplus control legislation.” Some 400 delegates from a score of different States are expected to participate. They’ll include farm leaders, United States Senators, members of the House of Representatives, State gov- ernors and officials of State farm bureaus. The great associations of cotton-growers and tobacco-raisers will also send spokesmen. Illinois, Jowa, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Nebras- ka, Wisconsin and South Dakota, corn and wheat commonwealths, will stand shoulder to shoulder with the cotton States—Gov. Donaghey’s statement in- dicates—for formulation of a program designed to arrest national attention on the eve of the assembling of Con- gress. * ok ok % No sooner has the ancient fable about Herbert Hoover and the anti- farmer pegging of the war price of wheat been blown up than up bobs a tale of Hoover's antipathy to law- vers. It's about as justifiable as the wheat-price myth, Hoover has just brought about the appointment™ as Assistant Secretary of Commerce of Walter ¥. Brown of Ohio. Brown is a lawyer. Brown supplants J. Walter Drake, another Hoover selection. Drake 13 a lawyer. When the office of Assistant Secretary of Commerce for aeronautics was created in 1926 Hoover drafted for it Willlam P. Mac- Cracken, jr., of Illinois. MacCracken is a lawyer and secretary of the Amer- ican Bar Association to boot. When Curtis D. Wilbur was appointed Sec- retary of the Navy, Hoover received popular crest for bringing his brother Californian to President Coolidge's at- tention. Wilbur is a lawyer. When radio was under the exclusive super- vision of the Department of Com- merce, Hoover put Stephen B. Davis in charge of it. Davis is a lawyer. * ok Kk ok Armistice day in Washington this year (Page “Big Bill” Thompson—ad- dress, City Hall, Chicago) will be gay with British uniforms and musie. Canada, which is unveiling in Arling- ton National Cemetery a noble monu- ment in memory of the Americans who fell fighting with the Dominion forces in the World War, is sending here two of her finest military bands and a detachment of 200 crack troops. The bands will be those of the 48th Highlanders of Toronto and of the Royal Canadian Regiment, which are attached, respectively, to units which correspond to our National Guard and Regular Army. The troops will be practically all Canadian regulars. The soldiers from across the border will arrive in Washington on the morning | of Armistice day, Friday, and spend all of that day and Saturday in the District of Columbia. Arrangements are under way to give the visitors a fitting welcome. EE There’s more than meets the eve in the announcement that Gen. John J. Pershing will be the principal speaker has studied the agricultural problem and is known to be favorable to farm relief. The bucolic brethren expect a keynote utterance from Pershing at Chicago. * oK ok ok The American Association of Ad- ing Agencies has struck a real blow for speechless banque! Its re- | cent convention dinner in Washington had a toastmaster—‘“to remind you that you're at a banquet,” as he put it—but otherwise a pleasant time was had by all, for there were no “toasts” or remarks of any kind to mar the evening's _enjoyment. Instead of speeches—dreary affairs since the eighteenth amendment dried up post- prandial proceedings—there was a program of musical entertainment supplied by a visible radio studio. The after-dinner speaker is very evidently doomed. Not one o the advertising magnates present at ‘ie Washington function, or any of their guests, had anything but enthusiasm for the con- spicuous absence of we-have-with-us- tonight numbers, * ok ok ok Ten-word manifestos, like “I do not choose to run for President in 1928, are nothing new in Calvin Coolidge’s life. In his first public utterance as President of the United States—his maiden message to Congress on De- cember 5, 1923—the outstanding pas- sage was a ten-word declaration read- ing, “But I do not favor the granting of a bonus.” Yet Mr. Coolidge, with reference to his political purposes, has still to emulate the unambiguous terseness of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman under somewhat similar cir- cumstances. Sherman alse consumed ten words, but they said something: “I will not accept if nominated, or serve if elected.” * K K K Perhaps when “Lindy” comes to town again on November 14, to be bemedaled by the National Geo- graphic Soclety, he'll tell the story of how a ‘“national advertiser,” who or- dinarily spends millions for paid pub- licity, overlooked the advertising bet of the century. According to the story now making the rounds of Washington, Lindbergh, a few weeks before he started on his immortal hop, offered a certain celebrated concern to name his plane after the concern's well known specialty if it would finance him to the extent of his modest ceds. The company’s advertising experts” decided it wasn't a good gamble. Now they're hoping some- body will invent a kicking machine that'l make them do penance for the rest of their lives. (Copyright. 1927.) rore European Tariffs and the United States. From the Boston Transcript. The fbw French regulations apply- ing to American products ave said to affect unfavorably one-ifth of our ex- ports to France. Compensating ad- vantages in connection with the other four-fitths have been hinted at by French statements, but whether or not these compensations are real can- not be said at this time. It is evident that the French government has in view an agreed readjustment of tariff charges on Amerlcan products, and it must certainly be admitted that the French have something to complain MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1927. Solution Suggested In Auto License Row To the Editor of The Start Setting forth my views on the con- troversy that is going on between the District of Columbia and the State of Virginia in reference to reciprocity on the auto license question: In view of the following facts, I feel that there will be no break-up of the neigh- borly association now existing be tween Washington and Virginia, and, i judgment, all the propaganda zitation on the subject has been brougkt about by minor officials as. suming too much authority. In other words, crossing the bridses before they get to them. I feel that what the attorney genmeral meant in hand- ing down his opinion was miscon- strued, simpl, ns that no bona fide it of Virginia has a right to op- e his machine on District license just because they cost les that the most important duty for these officers, who are taking such active steps in this matter, would be to get the name and address of all recog nized citizens of Virginia who are op erating on District license and report them to the State authorities. 1 feel sure that if they will pursue this course, they will have the backing of the hizher officials of both factions, and feel quite sure that the incomi Legislature will amend the traffic law, if need be, so that reciprocity in ref- erence 1o transportation, such as busses, trucks, bread wagons, oil and provision trucks and similar transpor- ation, will continue as it is. It is mply an exchange with the District for milk and produce trucks from Vir- ginia. To make the change that has aused so much talk and bad feeling would mean that Virginia would be buying a_Washington dollar with a Virginia dollar, and each would have to have a fleet of clerks to make the exchange, and I feel that the great inconvenience the tiansporter would I be put to would be mconsistent. We should pursue a different course dvertising Virginia. We have al- vs enjoved the name of being the State of hospitality; o don't let us despoil our courtesy and hospitality { of the past by any rash acts, for I am {«urn the governor and the motor ve | of 1 hicle bureaus of Virginia and the Di trict Commissioners, with their traflic and motor bureaus, will be able to make a satisfactory adjustment of this matter. And I would advise that all local officials wait for orders from headquarters before they take any | further action, except to get the names and addresses of bona fide citi- zens of Virginia who are operating their automobiles on District licenses and sending them to Mr. Hays in Richmond and let him send his men to do the halance. In closing, I am going to ask the license dodger of Virginia to help simplify matters by investigating his onscience and coming forward vithout protest and buying Virginia licenses, for in this investigation they will decide. I am a resident of Vir- ginia and don’t claim to be anything else. I trust that this article will be re- ceived as it is meant—in the interest of justice, peace and harmony. Respectfully submitted as chairman, Chamber of Commerce county road committee, but not authorized by the Chamber of Commerce of the county. GEORGE F. HARRISO) Urges Old Post Office Be Allowed to Stand T» the Editor of The Star: In your editorial (October 21) in re- gard to the razing of “this obtrusive, inharmonious structure,” the Post Of- fice Department Building, in accord- ance with the public building triangle plan, you say that “by no device could the Post Office Building be har- monized” with the great group of structures in contemplation considered “as an artistic unit.” While this may be true from the blue print standpoint, I think it may be questioned whether it is absolutely S0 with reference to public open-air visualization. To be sure, more or less uniformity is essential in every art, and yet in ab- solute uniformity there is apt to be a weakening, a loss of artistic appeal. In fact, contrasts, more or less pro- nounced, may impart enduring vitality to an artistic conception. Black eye- brows, for instance, may account for the striking beauty of a pallid face. Give the Post Office Department Building a little more space on the east, west and south and let it stand, dividing the great triangle group into two sections, and I think the effect would hardly be as inartistic as those who call it an eyesore may imagine, At all events, there are, no doubht, a few to whom the General Post Of- fice Building is not an eyesore, who will regret to see it go. As a matter of sentiment, therefore, I venture to submit in their behalf the following futile lines, written before there was talk of the building’s demolition: Rand-McNally Pictorial Guide to Washington. THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT BUILDING. Since there are many who will. think It is a wanton waste of ink To sinz of structures such as this, And that to_praise the Post Office Department_ Building in a song Does civie art a_ grievous wrong, Perhaps it may not be amiss To argue that a structure grand. Doid, picturesaueantique and ‘gray. Thotigh not quité congruous as planned. May vlease a thoughtlett few. and may Servs as a structural toil to boot. Set where foolhardy autos shoot Along a street of busy shoy And fretful traffic jams and cops, Of course. it hardly seems to suit The tender tinkling of a lute. And yet when fancy stirs the strings in reirospective murmurings. Beneath it castellated mass Of towering stone stranke figures pass, Recalling_medieval ® days Of boisterous mirth and feudal fray: Proud paladins for battle fit Curvetting steeds that champ the bit: Crosshow. spear. sword and battle ax. And dungeons deep, thumbscrews and racks. Seen once. we glance with careless eye that serape the sky. « upstanding. big and high, ioned pile of masonry. d_at in a frontal view From Pennsvlvania_avenue. Once well envisaced stave with you, WM. TIPTON TALBOTT. e {Rumanian Ceremony Parallels Bible Scene To the Editor of The Star: October 25 having been the birth- day of the young ruler of Rumania, and recalling the recent ceremony proclaiming him King, we are re- minded of a scene in the Bible which se an interesting parallel: And the guard stood round about the king and put the crown upon bhim and gave him the testi- mony: and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, ‘God save the king!" (or ‘Let the king live!) . . And the king stood by a pillar, as the cus- tom was, and the princes and trum- peters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced And the captains and the guard and all the people brought down the king from the house of the Lord . . and came to the king’s house; and he sat on the throne of the kings. And all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet. “‘Seven years old s Jehoash when Q. What are the names and loca- tions of the ofl reserves in the Sin-| claiv-Doheny-Fall controversy? Are | there refineries there?’—F. F. G. A. Naval Reserves 1 and 2 are lo- cated in California_and are known as | Elk Hills. Naval Reserve 3 is located in Wyoming and is known as Teapot | Dome. There are no refineries on | these reserves. | Q. Are Anna Q. Nilsson's eyes blue | or brown?—L. § | A. Miss Nilsson Is the true blonde Scandinavian type, with dark blue eves. She is 5 feet 7 inches in height and weighs 130 pounds. gk | Q. What causes the slime in a re-| frigerator drip pan?—W. V. B \ A. Refrigerator slime is due to the growth of a small plant of the algoid type. If looked at under the micro-| scope, the slippery brown material | will seem to be composed of innumer- able little threads made of cells placed end to end and containing a greenish brown pigment embedded in the cell | structure. This alga grows only in clean cold water. The pure, cool wa- ter from ice is, therefore, its ideal habitat. It will not grow in water which is dirty or water which is warm. It can readily be removed by pouring down the drain or washing with a little hot water pre ning a small amount of washing soda. Q. What is the pronunciation of the Irish word “ochon and what does it “o" hard, ion for grief and mourning, and is heard at an_Irish wake during the | keenin (vocal dirge) or lament for the | dead. Q. How many buffaloes were there | in this country before their wholesale slaughter began?’—F. R. A._ The primitive number of bisons has been estimated at from 50,000,000 to 60,000,000, In 1850 there were about 20,000,000, in 1870 but 5,500,000, while in 1895 the number had dwindled to 800. Q. Are as many diamonds cut here as in Germany? How does the work- manship compare’—H. R. T. A. A greater amount of cutting of | diamonds is done here than in Ger- many; a finer quality of work is done and lower profits made. Q. —How are AT WL A. An lceberg is a thick mass of ice, usually found floating in-the sea in high latitudes, but rarely lower than 40 degrees north and 35 degrees soutii latitude. An iceberg is generally part of a glacier discharged into the sea, the ice being forced into the water until, by reason of its weight, thé force of the waves or the buoyancy of the water, the seaward end breaks off. Less than one-seventh of the mass is visible above the surface of the sea. icebergs formed?— | Q. How much was the reward promised by Columbus to his men for sighting land when he discovered America?—H, T. A. The sum of 10,000 maravedis was promised to the first man among the mariners who should sight land. The maravedi was a Spanish coin, now obsolete, of copper, worth about tw Talk and differences of opinion about the “do not choose” statement persist, notwithstanding the belief of a great many observers that what President Coolidge said to Senator Fess the other day ought to settle the matter once for all. The President, as Mr. Fess explained to the newspaper correspondents after a White House interview, was angry because his friend, the Senator, had been saying that the Republican party would re- nominate Mr. Coolidge even if he did not choose to run. Even some of the newspapers which had been doubtful about the meaning of the President’s original statement now seem convinced that he intended definitely to end the movement to give him ‘another term. Others think there was no excuse for the attitude of Sen- ator Fess and his associates in the first place. As the Detroit News (in- dependent) sees it, “certainly the as- sumption on which Mr. Fess pro- ceeded was no compliment to the President of the United States.” The Lincoln Star (independent) condemns the thought that the President is “manufacturing a popular demand,” and the Allentown Morning Call de- clares that the Senator “not only mis- interpreted the word ‘choose’ but also his closest friend.” “Was ever a man so insulted in the house of his friends?” asks the Colum- bus Ohio State Journal (Republican). while the Springfield Illinois State Jour- nal (Republican) says the Fess inter- view should settle “those few zealots™ who would imply that the President ‘“did not really mean all that he said.” To the Butte Daily Post (Republican) it seems “manifest that, instead of conniving for another term, he is reso- lutelv at work giving excellence to the second half of his present term.” The Springfleld (Mass.) Union (Republican) adds that “the only way President Coolidge can be safely taken is at his word.” Of the suggestion that Mr. Coolidgé may become the nominee by ‘“draft,” whatever may be his present inten- tion, the Rochester Times-Union (inde- pendent) remarks that “to pretend to put away the crown and then yield to the clamor of one's friends would be profoundly undignified and unworthy of a President of the United States.” * ok koK And yet there still are some em- phatic doubters. “The only final an- swer lies with Calvin Coolidge,” in- sists the New York Evening Post. “Our hope 1s that he will see the ad- visability of making it before the country comes to feel that he is plac- ing himself in a controversial, can- tankerous, or even ridiculous, posi- tion.” Calling the Coolidge position one that “leaves him in complete control of the situation up to the very mo- ment of the nomination,” the Charles- ton Evening Post (independent Demo- cratic) argues: “If he is able to hold it at that, he need not determine until the last moment whether or not he will run, and if he finally yields to the call of the party, he will be able to point out that he did not so much as lift his finger to get the nomination.” The Asheville Times (independent Democratic) finds it “difficult to resist the conclusion that; despite his sin- cere statement of his preference not to run, despite the fact that he is making no effort to secure the nomi- nation, Mr. Coolidge is receptive.” Conceding that the President has not answered one question, the Bing- hamton Press (independent Republi- can) thinks his attitude |is | were the first Britons ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. fifths of a United States eent. reward consequently was $40, Q. Why isn’t modern stained glas as lovely as that of centuries ago?— __A. There has been much difficulty in reproducing the stained glass of the Middle Ages because age mellows and improves such glass, The surface comes disintegrated partly; the soft irticles dissolved away by the water nd glass in sich a condition refract the light in a way that adds greatly to its effect. Q. What kind of oil 13 used for ofl- ing watches?—J, W, W, A. A special oil derived from the 'w of the porpoise used, Q. Did Booker T. Washington have any honorary college degrees?—H. W. Ho had an honorary M. A. from vard and LL. D. from Dartmouth. The Ha Q. How are the s the shore of Lake Micl Lo A. They are formed by the wind. A stiff breeze blowing along the beach arries some sand with it. It meets some obstacle, a piece of driftwood or, perhaps, merely a tuft of gra ome of the sand is deposited and a tiny dune is formed. More and more sand added, until a large mound is formed, sometimes rising to a height of 300 feet. The wind not only builds up dunes but tears them down, so that the sand dunes are constantly chang- ing In form and position, Q. Who were the two British sol- diers who are buried near Concord Bridge”—S. A. L. A. The memorial near this bridge is_erected to two unknown British soldiers who fell in the first skirmish of the Revolutionary War and were buried by the side of the road. These that England sacrificed in her attempt to retain her colonies. were co-educational schools first established?—E, T. A. Co-education dates from the establishment of free elementary and secondary schools in the United States, beginning about 1826. The first in. sticution for collegiate Instruction ad- mitting both men and women was Oberlin Collegiate Institute, opened in 1833. Q. How far out from the seashore is the horizon in miles E. 1 A. According to a table of visibili at sea, a person 5 feet 10 inc height has a distance of il 2.96 statute miles—2.55 nautical miles, “+ When Q. Has carbon dioxide any fire-ex- tinguishing properties”—A. J. A. Carbon dioxide is a heavy gas which has fire-extinguishing proper- ties by virtue of the fact that it can, under favorable cenditions, be used to blanket the fire by excluding oxygen. Take advantage of this free service. 1f yow are mot one of the thousands who have patronized the bureau since its establishment, we want you to start now. This is a service maintain- ed for the benefit of the readers of The Evening Star and we want you to get your share of benefit from it. Send your questions to wus. Inclose 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Address The Evening Star Informa- tion Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Direc- tor, Washington, D. C. Fess Talk With President Revives Debate on “Choose” (independent), assuming that “the Fess propaganda for another term has ceased,” observes that “the Senator Is turning his attention to other aspir- ants.” The New York World (inde- pendent) that “Senator Fess is as loyal as a daylight-saving day is long, but when he talks about ‘almost unanimous consent' he is gushing * ok k% The situation is pictured by the Dayton Daily News (independent Democratic): ‘I will be a sister to Simeon,” the President seems to have said in effect, ‘but that's as far as I am going to go, and you might as well quit your teasing.’ ‘Nevertheless,’ says the indomitable Ohio Senator as he dusts himself off., ‘I propose to keep on hoping.’ Now, there's hopefulness for you; enough to fill a hook. But Vermont, where the Coolidge heart was carved, is, we must remind our Senator, next to the Granite State. The Roanoke Times (independent Democratic) links Senators Fess and Butler and observes: “So he and Fess Wwill continue to sing a duet about the inevitability of Mr. Coolidge’s renomi. nation. But to ears closely attuned it is evident that they have pitched their tune in a mournful key. And it is likely to become still more mournful as time passes.” “The misfortune of it all, to the Chattanooga Times (independ- ent Democratic), “is that the Presi- dent’s withdrawal from the race at this time has left his party flounder- ing. And the Democrats are also, as usual with them, ‘floundering.’ Voicing admiration for a President who “steers clear of the two-term tra. dition by declininz a_second elective term,” the Cleveland News (independ- ent Republican) holds that “eertainly a President who retired to private life after serving less than six years, re- fusing the additional term an appre- ciative people would have been glad to give him, should command the pro- found respect of the whole country and world.” 4 T according ~ ) . -, UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today Exumination of captured German submarine by experts convinces them that the Germans had deliberately stolen American patents to further its undersea campaizn against bellig- crents and neutrals. * * * Police in Greater New York City alone are charged with the duty of watching 25,000 enemy aliens in barred zones. * * Toll of U-boats again reduced. British admiralty report only 14 Brit- ish ships of more than 1.600 tons each Wwere sunk last week. * * * United States to waive all export restrictions in forwarding supplies post-haste to Italy to aid in meeting the Austro- German invasion, regardless of pro- spective shortages in this country. * * New 3.cent postal rate goes Into effect at midnight and new war taxes are in effect tomorrow. * * * Estimated that war insurance will reach a total of twenty billions, nearly as much as the total amount of civilian entire country. Curbstone Tooters. From the Akron Beacon Journal. ’ Chalk up another fatality for Death entirely otherwise known as the posure of the mind as bold as that involved in our costumes.” “Dut; said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “at first the hardest task- master, becomes at last the finest friend.” Complaining of the Meals. A lady from her kitchen tried To feed her husband cyanide. Sald he, “My dear, on you I look As a most inefficient cook!” of in our tariff charges on their own products. Inasmuch as it is impossi- ble to supp that the French gov- ernment deliberately proposes to rob the American Peter in order to enrich the German Paul, it Is fair to infer that in the end—that is; in the nego- tiation of a new commercial under- standing with the United States—the French will be found reasonable. Wa certainly have to consider that their fiscal problem is a very serious one and that if we treat the majority of our imports from France as luxuries the French may also be disposed to vegard as luxuries the American mag- netos, electric machinery, razor blades, clothes-making machines and fountain pens, upon wheih their new imposts rest most heavily. at this annual convention of the American Farm Bureau Federa- tion at Chicago. When the command- erin-chief of the A. K. F. addresses the horny-handed sons of the soil on December 5, Washington politicians are convinced that the Pershing-for- President hoom will be formally launched. “Black Jack” has evidently been encouraged to revive a boom that first sprouted in 1920 and was ready to bud afresh in 1924. Perhaps the gallant general of the armies has taken heart of grace from the fact that 1928 has now become a sexa- genarian free-for-all. Pe:shing re- he began to reign 11 ngs, xi. And we hope these words in the next chapter are prophetic: “And he reigned 40 years, and he did that which was right in the sight of the T.ord all his days. G. H. HICKS. +on—s. Out of Sight, Out of Mind. From the Boston Herald. Kind nature puts the double chin where its owner cannot see it. e Call the Next Witness. From the Worcester Gazette. The Wayside Inn boasts that, after 100,000 visitors, only two forks have been stolen. The FPullman Co. will now testify. S In spite of its new ordinance on the subject, Akron is not yet delivered from the nuisance who uses his horn for a doorbell. ——oe— Silence and Stings. From the Oakland Tribune. A Yolo County man the other day Wwas stung speechless while handling bees Political bees, however, have . distinctively different effect. ‘ S proper. “If,” asks the Press, “the Re- publican national convention were unanimously to demand of Mr. Cool- idge that he accept a renomination, would he consult his personal desires to retire to private life or respond to his public and party duty? That seems to be about the only question that Mr. Coolidge has left unanswered, and he cannot reasonably be expected to answer that question until it is put to_him by the convention.” “Talk of drafting him is rather ab- surd.” in the opinion of the Chicago Daily News. ‘“There are too many independent and self-respecting men in | From the San Diego Union the Republican party to warrant such| “See no evil; hear no evil; speak no a gratuitous assumption of its help-[evil,”” is an excellent motto. P lessness or its intellectual bank-|ularly if you happen to be an ad ruptcy.” And the Nashville Banner or a general. the confidence shown by the trustees Highway, connecting Wash. ¢ the Guggenheim Fund in Lind- h i SKisting ‘o pacity and in his judgment. acherous gandy shoulder of the | 11 hias amply demonstrated both, and s cxpression of faith in him is fully n Defense ington the t road in making a quick stop to aveid | this & collision, a Washington motorist |Justified. met the almost inevitable fate of those | 1N the course of Lindbergh’s flying who get off the narrow strip of con.|tour of the country during the Sum- crete, and turned his car over to bring mer and early Autumn the burden of’ death to wife Liis discourse was the need of airports The Defense at the American centers of population. traffic for onl short thne, has al-| He hammered upon this theme wher-| “A man who tells de truth,” said ready heen dubbed the suicide road ever an audience was assembled to|Uncle Eben, “is liable to take his ;:{"1‘9;'4"‘“‘;,;"“‘;';"";;9‘:K;;l‘";;l;“[fi:) Lecause of fts Afteenfoot width and |hear him. In his terse manner of ex-|chances on being considered either &1 fones sy ho's hishly remarded in the #ha Jarge number of fatalities that pression he effectively “sold” the hegp o & busybody.’ _ farm districts, whence he originates; w bergh's e High open to Shoulder-strap Philoscphy. a B2 . .