Evening Star Newspaper, November 4, 1927, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D C. FRIDAY.......November 4, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Oftice: St und Pennsylvania Ave. New For Omce: 110’ East 001 t. S e 14 Rexent St Lovidon. European Oftice: 14 Rext = The Evening Star with tng edition 18 delivered b ihe dity '3t 60 cents gee munth: o 3 Ver month: Sund ot ot Orders may be sent by mail or Peleonone Matn S000 fion is made by carrier at end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 1 er.$9.00: 1 mo. 1 1 mo. anw and Sunday ...l 3 1ve. 830071 aily . Sundav only 205 All Other States and Canada. < 1er, $1200: 1 mo.. §1 Sundav only $400: 1 mo.. 00 o Member of the Associated Press. asociated Press is exclusively entitled e A Tox femuriicatios of Al news ais- Credited to 1t or not othorwise cred ihis vaner and aiso_ the local new her Tt naie n. Al «'its_of publicatiol Lche haret i n are also reser An Assault Upon Justice. An instant reaction of extreme in- dignation is evident on the part of the public in relation to the dismissal of the jury that has been sitting in the hear- ing of evidence in the trial of Harry ¥. Sinclair and Albert B. Fall for con- spiracy to defraud the Government in the making of oil leases. The jury was discharged because of the dis; covery by the Government counsel that detectives, presumably in the em- ploy of the defense, had been shadow- ing them, making researches into their financial affairs, their associations and their habits, the natural assumption being that they were being studied with the possibility of improper ap- proach or pressure to induce them to vote for acquittal. One of the mem- bers of the jury is alleged to have been talking indiscreetly regarding the case. The counsel for the defense have declared their ignorance of these proceedings, and have joined with " thosq of the Government in asking that the trial be suspended. The pre- siding justice, with evident propriety, dismissed the trial. The grand jury is ing yet perhaps most need the best medical and nursing service. Over half of the work of the soclety is with children. Skilled nursing care is made avallable at the time of childbirth to those mothers who are unable to be confined in a hospital. Under any and all circumstances it places scien- tific. trained care and advice at the disposal of the Washington public. Surely such a service needs nothing but to be known of to be appreciated ind supported. Forty per cent self- supporting, the balance of the soci- ety’s annual budget comes from the voluntary subscriptions of the public in whose interest it exists. The Star most heartily indorses the current campaign, glad of the opportunity to play its part in spreading the sto of a service vital to the community’s health, and confident that the means will be forthcoming for continuing and extending that service. —————rate— Crime Reduction. The deliberations of the National Conference for Reduction of Crime were concluded last night after two all-day sessions. Much that was stim- ulating to the lay as well as to the professional and expert mind—much that should be of practical aid in the attaining of the fine goal before the conference—was discussed. The theory and methods and achieved results of those agencies which exist to the end that America’s status as the world's leading producer of various types of criminals may be improved upon were cogently set forth. Ways and meaws of curtailing “fence” activities, pro- bation and parole, rehabilitation of prison inmates, relative criminality as between this and other generations, the need for more adequate crime sta- tistics—these and oth: were among the topics brought before the con- ference. All of this is well. Discussion of the theoretic tends, when that discus- sion is indulged in Ly sincere men and women, to the establishment of the practical. The exchange of view- point and experience by this body of earnegt students of a problem of vital importance to the Nation cannot but redound to the national benefit. No belittlemept of the merits of the bal- ance of the conference is either justi- fied or heard. Yet, with this clearly understood, it may be stated with con- fidence and gratification that the investigating the charges of espionage and presumptive jury tampering. In its most innocent aspect this is an instance of indiscreet zeal on the part of the defense. Why there should be any shadowing of the jurors in that behalf is a mystery, unless the reason that has been assumed, that of prospective bribery or coercion, is granted. When the jury is once sworn and allowed to go free on honor between sessions of the court there ts no occasion for the defense to watch it. Overtures to influence individual members will never come from the prosecution. There'is but one interest that is concelvably moved to conduct such an espionage, and that is the defense. The conclusion seems to be inescapable that a corrupt purpose was the object of the movement. ‘The spectacle of jury tampering is shocking to the public. In this case it is especially so, inasmuch as the charges on which the defendants were being tried bore upon the corrupt use of money to Influence improper courses in Federal administration. Money trails the case. Money tinges all its aspects. Money makes it a stench in the nostrils of the American people. Condemnation of this practice with the accompaniment of a demand for the punishment of all who have par- ticipated in the assault upon the in- tegrity of the jury system is the key- note of the comments made upon this sordid business. In the country's view the case becomes of importance tran- scending the original scandal of the alleged bribery of a public official by promoters of the oil industry. In truth, there must be the most search- ing disclosure of the facts, the most thoroughgoing effort to bring to jus- tice those who have been in any man- ner or degree engaged in tiys criminal work of prostituting the court for the salvation of accused persons. Even if proof is lacking of specific acts of actual or attempted bribery, the employment of detectives in es- plonage upon the jurors causes belief to remain in the public mind that there has bheen in fact a criminal en- terprise designed to prevent the eon- viction of the defendants in this case. A unanimous verdict has been ren- dered by the press of the country. Perhaps it has been premature, Later disclosures may possibly clear up the matter and explain as legitimate the now apparently illegal activities of agents of the defense. But such proof must be explicit, specific and complete. — et Much of the news about husbands who do mnot get on well with their wives is true, but, after all, not par- ticularly important. - e —r—————— The Instructive Visiting Nurses. The Instructive Visiting Nurse Soci- ety is this week presenting to the shington public its appeal for the $65,000 needed to complete its 1928 budget. The effort should serve two highly desirable ends. Primarily, of eourse, it should produce the funds which are essential to carrying for ward the splendid work performed by the society. And, secondarily, but of almost equal importance, it should bring home to the National Capital the story of the purposes of the so- ciety and of the methods under which it functions. For, despite the very general use made of the visiting nurse mervices—97,000 visity to 12,000 pa- tlents were made in the District in 1926—~there are undoubtedly many who are still unaware of the efficient and practieal nursing care which is avail- able to any Washingtonian irrespec- tive of his income. Briefly, the nature and purpose of the society may be set forth as fol- lows: It is a private, non-sectarian organization with a staff of 36 gradu- sle public health nurses who give nursing care in the home of any one who needs their aid on a 4daily visit basis, It renders its services to any soundest, ablest and most suggestive pronouncements of the entire session were voiced by Chief Justice Taft in his address of yesterday morning. It may well have been that events of recent occurrence lent point and flame to the advice of the Chief Justice upon the subject of crime re- duction. Let us have better juries, he said, in effect—intelligent juries, rather than those from which intel ligence is too often excluded by the use of challenge by counsel. Let us have prompter indictments and prompter trials. Let -us have more policemen and constables. Let us do away with new trials save where real injustice has been done. -Let us obviate legal- istic camouflage and insincerity. Let us place more power in the hands of our judges that they may guide the trial and help the jury to an intefli. gent and fair verdict. Let us never forget that the greatest known de- terrent to crime is dread on the part of the potential criminal of swift and | adequate retribution. Those are not Judge Taft's exact words. But, In the limited space of this comment, they will serve. faith- fully to reproduce the gist of his ad- vice—advice which should be heard and heeded and acted upon by the people and their legislators as swiitly as may be. One sentence from the Chief Justice's remarks should be quoted in full: “We are all in favor, of course,” he said, “of measures which will induce criminals to be. come law-abiding citizens, but we must never forget that the chief and first object of prosecution of crime is its deterrent effect.” That is the truth which mist never be forgotten. That is the truth which the National Conference for Redue- tion of Crime and all others must act upon. That is the truth which applies to any criminal in the Nation, actual or potential, whether he be pickpocket, murderer or multimil- lionaire crook. ———— A good politician keeps his name before the public and is also able, when an emergency arises, to keep it | out of the newspapers. ————— Henry Ford is mentioned as the rich- est man in the world. This is an im- portant distinction, one which enables him to rival Solomon himself. Matrimony, Sex and Taxes. Single “blessedness” wants its in- come tax reduced. Appearing before the House ways and means commit- tee yesterday, representatives of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs asked that unmarried women and unmar- ried men be given the same exemp- tion from the income tax as married | men without children. ' This is something new in the philosophy of taxation. Frequent sug- gestions have been made in the past that bachelors be taxed, on the theory that they were better able to pay taxes than married men who have wives and children to support. The exemption permitted in the present tax law for married men is 500, and the same exemption is permitted a woman who is the “head of a family” with dependents to sup- vort. Unmarrled men and women, without dependents, have only $1,500 exemption. According to the wom- en appearing before the louse com- mittee yesterday, this is not a fair arrangement. Unmarried women earning less than $3,500 live up to what they make and presumably so do the men, they argued. Poor men take wives unto themselves and re- celve an increased tax exemption thereby. Probably even poor men who marry are not actuated particularly by a desire to have a larger tax exemp- tion. But if that thought creeps into the minds of same of them, Uncle Sam may congratulate himselt on his new role as Cupid. At the hear- who ask for them—those of moderate income who ecan afford the full-pay service; those who can afford to pay for part but not all of the care they!taxes on small incomes. Doubtless aleasy to make dat it never brings :cfl\'v. and those who can pay, noth- ings yesterday It was estimated that more than two million unmarried persons, men and women, are paying lf ot th‘{n per- very large Dlw THE._EVENING sons will eventually be married and by underfaking that, to them, new and interesting contract will obtain the increased tax exemption. At any rate the representatives of the pro- tessional and business women have given them at least a new reason for matrimony. Married men, even though they do not have children, maintaining homes and providing for their wives, have been considered by Congress as en- titled to a lower tax burden than their bachelor. brothers and sisters. Just because the bachelor women or the bachelor men desire to spend, or even Leel required to spend, all their in- come on themselves does not appeal as a particularly good reason for changing the law. ——— Invective. The question of a proper way to denounce an evil is always an inter- esting one. Should one allow the heat of belief to lead one into using all the strong words at one's command, or will restraint in the use of language get results more expeditiou: Evidently the Baptist Association of Jacksonville believes heartily in the former method, for at its forty-fiinth session at Yulee, Fla., it branded dance halls as “incubators of hell.” went on record as describing careless- ness as “the gigantic monster from which all other evils come,” and pic- tured “moonshine” as “the damnable traffic that drags down, degrades and debauches human souls, unfitting them to live and certainly upfitting them to die.” L4 When these resolutions were adopted, no doubt the good people present felt a virtuous thrill, but it is questionable whether good people elsewhere, reading about it, managed to do aught but snicker at the report. Carelessness ds, indeed, a great evil, but whether the term “gigantic mon- ster” exactly fits is a question with the careful student of the English language. Dance halls certainly have their seamy side—perhaps in Florida they have several seamy sides—but is not the phrase “incubators of hell” & trifle unnecessary? As for the true evil of *‘moonshine,” it reduced the meeting to the extreme of declaring, in effect, that the imbiber thereot is fit neither to live nor to die, and therefore, one is left to deduce, must live on forever, a state which many would gladly assume. Invective, in other words, is not so forceful as restraint. To say a thing is an “evil” is better than to brand it “a crying evil.” 'Just as women, as they grow older, tend to discard frip- 'pery In dress and go in for lines, rich- ness of material and simplicity, so users- of words come to realize, sooner or later, that a case for or agalnst anything, is made stronger by the choice of plain, simple words, properly put together. ———— The old “Iron Horse” is regarded as worth preserving under sclentific aus- pices. He is siirely worthy of as much respectful study as the horse, who ascended step by step from a small animal to the big, patient friend of the present day. ——————— A gentleman and lady marry and maintain separate apartments, Both appear to find the arrangement satis. factory, especially as it makes a little more publicity that may prove of pro- fessional advantage. —————— A visitor to Mussolini finds him affable in manner but distant. The old political boss who slapped everybody on the back is out of date in_Europe. —————— A race horse is like a politiclan whose nature it is to run even though there is little prospect of great ad- vantage to himself. ————— Pilgrim Fathers celebrated Thanks- glving with wild turkey. Modern de- scendants consider wild prices for poultry. ————— In oll research the geologists may become of less importance than the lawyers. e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Golf. A man found loneliness complete ‘When to the links he came. He sighed, “What sorrow here I meet! 1 do not know the game! “The sky is blue, the grass is green, The squirrels there seem tame, I may not wander through the scene. I cannot play the game. “‘Oh, learn your golf, my son, as you Your scheme of living frame. For disappointment you are due Unless you play the game.” Reticence. “Why don't you get out and talk to your constituents?” “What's the use?” rejoined Senator Sorghum. “Every time I use the radio I'm afraid 1 have made®myselt un- popular by interrupting a ukulele con- cert.” Privacy Impossible. The oyster is a gentle brute. Sequestered life his taste would suit. We drag him out in social pride, On exhibition, stewed or fried. Jud Tunkins says a “quitter” 1is usually a man who never honestly be- gan. | Effectual Regulations. This earth keeps going night and morn, And we in safety ride. It needs no lights or horn to warn Strange worlds that might collide. The law of gravitation stops The threat of bad or worse. We do not need the traffic cops To run the universe. “He who loves the sound of his own voice,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of China- town, often a musiclan, but seldom a thinker.” g Disguises. “It 1s becoming difficult to know your friends.” “There should be some way,” an- swered Miss Cayenne, “to prevent a woman from changing her make-up.” “Trouble,” said Uncle Eben, “is so a Dro& * w.o"bw‘ STAR, WASHINGTON, D. THIS AND THA BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Proverbs contained a song praising the good housewife who takes proper care of her family and her home, It remained for a man of the East, centuries later, to sing the old song in a new way. Rabindranath Tagore, in his volume of translations from his own Bengali, *“The Gardener,” first published in this country by the Macmillans in 1913, sang: “With a glance of your eyes you could plunder all the wealth of songs struck from poets’ harps, fair woman! “But for their praise you have no ear, therefore 1 come to praise you. “You could humble at your feet the proudest heads in the world. “But it is your loved ones, unknown to fame, whom you choose to warship, therefore 1 worship you. “The perfectian of your arms would add glory to kingly splendor with their touch. “But you use them to sweep away the dust and to make clean your hum- ble home, therefore I am filled with awe.” There is many a man who has looked upon the same phenomenon and has wondered in the same way—it is not given to every one to express it so simply and well. ok Kk K Tagore’s poems appeal to those who like simplicity and directness in words, together with a certain magic group- ing which speaks of the inevitable. The plain truth, that men glorify women in their own minds, is sancti- fied by such a poem as the following: “Oh, woman, you are not merely the handiwork of God, but also of men; these are ever endowing ' you with beauty from their hearts, “Poets are weaving for you a web with threads of golden imagery: paint- ers are giving your form ever new immorality. : “The sea gives its pearls, the mines their gold, the Summer gardens their flowers to deck you, to cover you, to malke you more precious. “The desire of men's hearts has shed its glory over your youth. “You are half woman and half dream.” ERE Readers here who may not have been acquainted with these poems may say, “Oh, any one could write 0.” An attempt to imitate the style of Tagore, however, shortly will convince them that it is not so easy as it looks. One must have something to say. His prose translatiens, which still manage to be poems, contain a certain number of mannerisms which strike the superficial reader as being easily imitated. They are. The result, however, is only an imi- tation, not the real thing. Ten vears ago, when the writer here first be- came acquainted with these poems, he tried his hand at imitations, as he sup- poses every other person who ever read them has done. He managed a tolerable one whose first line he recalls, I am a waif on the streets of life.” Yes, that sounds Tagorian—but it isn't Tagore! Consider the difference, in the fol- ving poem on true lov ‘Hands cling to hands. and eyes linger on eyes; thus begins the record of our hearts, “It is the moonlit night of March; the sweet smell of henna Is in the air; my flute lies on the earth neglected and your garland of flowers is unfin- ished. “This love between you and me is simple as a song. “Your veil of the saffron color makes my eyes drunk. “The jasmine wreath that you wove lo me thrills to my heart like praise. “It is a game of giving and with- holding, revealing and screening again; some smiles and some little shyness, and some sweet, useless struggles. “This love between you and me is simple as a song. “No mystery beyond the present: no striving for the impossible; no shadow behind the charm; no groping in the depths of the dark. “This love between me and you is simple as a song. “We do mot stray out of all words into the ever silent; we do not raise our hands to the void for things be- yond hope. “It is enough what we give and we et. 2 ““We have not crushed the joy to the utmost to wring from @ the wine of pain. “This love hetween you and me is simple as a song.” What a relief this is from the murky sentimentalism of' many nove's, from the oversexed movies, from the “Love Poems” of Laurence Hope. There is Mo *pale hands I love" business here, but healthy, honest emotions, such as any father would want a decent young fellow to have for his daughter. * * ok K The happy love of the maiden finds expression here: “Tell me if this be all true, lover; tell me if this be true. “When these eyes flash their light- ning the dark clouds in your breast make stormy answer. “Is it true that my lips are sweet Iike the opening bud of the first con- scious love? “Do the memories of vanished months of May linger in my limbs? “Does the earth, like a harp, shiver into songs with the touch of my feet? “Is it then true that dewdrops fall from the eyes of night when I am seen, and the morning light is glad when it wraps my body round? “Is it true, is it true, that your love traveled along through the ages and worlds in search of me? “That when you found me at last, your age-old desire found utter peace in my gentle speech and my eyes and lips and flowing hair? “Is it then true that the mystery of the Infinite is written on this little forehead of mine? “Tell me, my lover, if all this be true.” Playful, kindly mockery finds its ex- pressi here: “Reverend sir, forgive this pair of sinners Spring winds today are blow- ing in wild eddies, driving dust and dead leaves away, and with them your lessons are lost. “Do not say, father, that life is a vanity, “For we have made truce with death for once, and only for a few fragrant hours we two have been made immortal.’ “Even if the King's army came and flercely fell upon us we should sadly shake our heads and say, ‘Brothers, Yyou are disturbing us. If you must have this noisy game, go and clatter your arms elsewhere. Since only for a few fleeting moments we have been made immortal¥ “If friendly people came and flocked around us, we should humbly bow to them and say, “This extravagant good fortune is an embarrassment to us. Room is scarce in the infinite sky where we dwell. For in the Spring- time flowers come in crowds, and the busy wings of bees jostle each other. Our little heaven, where dwell only my we two immortals, is too absurdly narrow.’ ” WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. Rear Admiral Thomas P. Ma- gruder’s tour of duty as commander of the 4th Naval District at Phila- delphia winds up at midnight tonight. Within 24 hours he is under orders to report to the Secretary of the Navy for “administrative measures.” Mr, Wilbur has proclaimed that these are not to be punitive in character. But the admiral’s friends are convinced he is doomed to walk the plank in some direction, however carpeted with of- ficial roses the path may be. Mean- time all concerned are wondering exactly what ‘“‘administrative meas. ures” are in store for Magruder. Three posdible courses of procedure are men- tioned. The admiral can be placed on (1) waiting orders, carrying full pay and allowances, $9,700 per annum; ( furlough, which half pay and allow- ances, $5,700; (3) leave status, which calls for full pay and allowances for four months, followed by half pay and allowances, $5,700. Prospects of a congressional _investigation of the Magruder affair _have perceptibly dimmed, as a result of the published correspondence indicating the ad- miral's apparent inability to make good on his allegations of over-organi- zation and extravagance. * ok ok % Mussolini’s domestic political trou- bles in Rome may presently ramify across the Atlantic to Washington. News cables report a family quarrel in the dictator’s cabinet, which is like- 1y to result in a considerable shifting of portfolios. Count Giuseppi Volpi, now Italian minister of finance, is said to be scheduled for the ambassador- ship to the United States, in succes- sion to Nobile Glacomo de Martino, who has been accredited to this Gov- ernment since March, 1925. Signor e Martino has been listed in the State Department’s diplomatic blue book for several months past as ‘“absent.” Count Volpi was head of the Italian finance commission which negotiated the debt-funding agreement with Sec- retary Mellon and the World War For- eign Debt Commission in Washington two years ago. If the shake-up takes place, Ambassador Martino is slated to become undersecretary of foreign affairs. * o ok ok President Coolidge’s pan-American conference delegation at Havana in January will be bi-partisan. Former Senator Oscar W. Underwood of Ala- bama—now a resident of Virginia— and former Justice Morgan J. O'Brien of the New York State Supreme Court represent the Democratic minority on the delegation. Judge O'Brien is a prominent Roman Catholic—a circum- stance that doubtless entered into his selection, for, barring the United States delegation, practically every participant in the Havana conference will be of the Roman faith. Mr. Un- derwood can fairly claim to be the Re- publicans’ favorite conference Demo- crat. President Harding named him as the party’'s spokesman at the Wash- ington armament and Far Eastern conference in 1921.1922, No treaties requiring Senate confirmation will be negotiated at Havana, which probably accounts for the absence of a member of the upper house on the allstar American delegation. * ok ok K A certain distinguished politician, who shall be namelegs, has just broken out with a virulent case of presidential rash. He has been absent trom Washington throughout the con- gressional recess, and came back to the Capital the other day somewhat markedly increased in weight. The statesman developed, in particular, a rather conspicuous jowl. “What's —— got to run for President on?” one ot his friends was asked. guess he's running on his cheek,” was the rejoinder. . * *x % Colorado has a new jury law that might have saved Uncle Sam oil- trial money if it were now on the statute books of the District of Co- dumbia. Under the Sta Judiciary system, as amended four or five years ago, a jury consists of 13 persons. Th& extra juror is im- paneled for emergency purposes. He sits with the other 12 throughout a case in order that if any one of them takes {ll, dies or for any other reason is prevented from continued presence in the jury box No. 13 can pinch hit. I the first 12 are on duty at the finish of court proceedings juror No. 13 fades from the picture, though subject to draft until a verdict is reached. * ok ok % Politics took the air for the first time this week when the Federal Radio Commission was called upon to intervene in a bitter squabble between rival radio stations in Towa. Station J, owned by the Sioux City Journal, has asked the commission to assign it a frequency of 1,170 kilo. cycles, row used by Station KTNT at Muscatine. Norman Baker, owner of a station explosively lettered KTNT, enlisted the support of Sen- ators Brookhart (Iowa), Nye (North Dakota) and McMaster (South Da- kota), all Republican progressives, and convinted the Radio Commission that the Sloux City paper's demand was unjustified. ““The Muscatine station the progressive thought in contended Senator Brook- hart before the radio supreme court, “whereas the Sioux City station speaks for the reactionary school.” Admiral Bullard and his fellow com- missioners thereupon voted progres- sive, S * K ok ¥ The Republic of Panama celebrated the twenty-fourth anniversary of its independence on November 3, and the event was fittingly marked in Wash- ington by the elevation of her ac- complished young Minister to the United States, Senor Dr. Don Ricardo J. Alfaro, to the vice chairmanship of the Pan-American Union. This is the annual blue ribbon of the Latin American diplomatic corps in Wash- ington. The chairmanship goes ex- officio to the American Secretary of State. Dr. Alfaro recently compieted five successive years of service on the Potomac. His latest achievement was the negotiation with Secretary Kellogg of the new Panamanian-Amer- ican treaty, which is still the bone of bitter contention in Panama City. The Minister, during his 45 years of life, has been assistant secretary of foreign affairs in Panama; counselor of the Panama legation here, a mem- ber of the United States-Panama Joint land commission, and premier of the Panama cabinet. In his spare time he has taught ory and civil law in his own country, traveled ex- tensively abroad and written seve: a books. ~ Ttaly, France, Spain, Peru and Venezuela have at different times bestowed distinguished decorations upon Dr. Alfaro. (Covyrizht. 10; ——e— Political Game in Tax Plan. From the Philadelphia Public Ledger, Representative Garner of Texas an- Nounces that it is possible to reduce Federal tax collections by possibly $500,000,000 without endangering the surplus or causing a deficit. President Coolidge does not agree, nor does the Treasury. The President wants the reduction kept within reasonable limits, and officlals of the Treasury belleve it should not go further than $250,000,000. Mr. Garner wishes to cut corporation ‘taxes to 11 per cent, re- peal the automobile, amusement, ex- cise and certain “nuisance” levies, but he would retain the estate tax. Possibly this Texas Democrat, who 18 the ranking minority member of the House ways and means committee, realizes he is asking. for more than it is possible to give. He wishes, of course, to get as much credit as s possible for the Democrats out of the coming slash in taxes. He may be able to worr: the House as Senator Simmons g C., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1927. PHILOSOPHIES BY GLENN FRANK Man does not live by bread alone, but also by the myths that abound | in his diet. And I suspect that the endless glori- fication of life in the country is one | of the myths, which, though it at fords imaginative escape for many | harassed city men, is essentially false. Years ago, T heard Frank M. Pris- tol, speaking of the blessings of soli- tude, contrast city and country as environments of the human spirit to the decisive advantage of the coun- try. “They say Socrates never cared to | B0 beyond the bounds of Athens,” | ys Mr. Bristol, “and that accounts r his sour temper. lad he and Xanthippe gone more frequently into the country, there would have been less gossip and scandal about their domestic infelicities. Dante felt that he was an exile if out of the strets of Florence; that accounts for his melancholy; that's why he wanted to write about hell. Milton loved old London, and his greatest poem was | ‘Paradice Lost. Of course, Mr. Bristol was speaking lightly here, but I want to question this persistent myth of the country as a place of light and laughter and | leisure in which clear air washes our | spirits clean, the winds from the hills blow the cobwebs from our brains, and the dew-wet daisy stimulates high | and holy thoughts. I have lived in a village of 183 in- habitants; I have lived in Ameri largest city; during the last 20 years L have seen the country sections of every American State save three, and T have just returned from a motor Jaunt that took me through hundreds | of miles of the American countryside; jon this jaunt I ate in the country. slept in the country, met and talked with hundreds of folk in the country and tried to think in the country. Out of all this experience, I venture | the guess that for physical health, | intellectual stimulation, spiritual vigor and sheer human happiness the city more than holds its own with the | country. On this motor trip, 1 found myselt constantly contrasting the sights and satisfactions of the country with the sights and satisfactions of the city. The children T saw along country {roads and in farmhouse yards looked no better and seemed no happier than | the children of a congested section of a great city. I have green vegetables in season and out of season in a city apartment; I at: canned good in these country places. I sleep with open windows and a rush of air through my bedroom win- dow in a city apartment; the windows of most of the country bedrooms I tarried in were stuck from disuse, I have less sense of solitude and that apartness the soul needs in Pos- sum Hollow than in New York. I meet more folk of rich individual- ity in a week in the city than in a year in the country. The logic all leads in the other rection; the rou i ntry should be a bet. | ter environment for the human spirit than the city: we are to blame for the fact that logic lies here; we have exhausted our ingenuity in the effort to make city life livable; American rural life is an untended sarden. The politician will be content to talk of rural economics, _‘T.he statesman must think of rural e (Copyright. McClure Newspaper Syndicate.) ———— Beauty of Falls Inspires Writer To the Editor of The Star: At this season of the year, just at Sunset, natural conditions render the unique beauty of Great Falls espe- cially spectacular. By risking a dan. gerous climb over jutting rocks a point may be reached almost level with the rapids where it is possible to get the full effect of the thundering mass of chocolate-colored water rushing down the rocky gorge, and it is fasci- nating to watch while the setting sun changes its color from brown to deep pink. Or, ascending to a higher point far out on the rocks, one has the sen- sation of being suspended between the fast-darkening sky and that stapen- dous fall of water. Under the strange, hypnotic influence produced b, these surroundings an almost irresistible desire is experienced to flirg one’s selt in—a willing sacrifice to this mighty power, The light gradually fades, and at Intervals where ugly black rocks pro- trude above the cataract filmy fingers of mist rise and point upward, as if calling attention to the stars, fast appearing in the vaulted sky. As the darkfiess deepens, one of these eery fingers—the Spirit of the Falls— assumes greater height, becoming so tall that it finally reaches above the top of the pine-crested cliffs. In the speculative mood induced by such cond:tions it is but natural to ponder on what different sights this spirit must have risen in long-gone when it reached upward from watery bed to the wooded heights, erhaps it saw groups of dusky Indians clustered around their camp fire, smoking the pipe of peace or dancing their flerce war dance, Per- chance it was the sol'tary witness as | some stalwart Hiawatha,sat with his Minnehaha in front of his wigw | wrapped “in uninterrupted silence. CLARA MANDERSCHIED. UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Ten Years A0 Today S its Three Americans killed, 5 wounded and 10 captured in German raid on American front line position. Pershini cables story of loss. German forces, learning of position of the “new enemy from overseas,” launched a desperate drive to overwhelm them. Heavy barrage fire isolated a salient of the: American trench and apparently left a small force of Americans at the | mercy of their enemies. * * * Many French and British military writers have warned the Americans that the Germans would hurl terrific blows at them as soon as the news of their lo- cation reached the German si Favorite trick of the Germans when new troops go into the trenches for the first time. * * ® Berlin rejoices over American prisoners and German newspapers in humorous manner ex- tend ‘‘welcome” to them. * * + Diary of German soldier recently eap- tured discloses that Belgian women and girls are being compelled to build concrete dugouts under artillery fire, * % * United States Shipbuilding Ad: justment Board announces minimum wage scales for the Pacific Coast ship- building yards. Decision affects an increase of 10 to 30 per cent over the old scale, based on the cost of living. o The Chosen Way. From the Providence Journal. The only way a President of the United States can get a real vacation s by retiring to private life. ——— An Obstinate Germ. From the Indianapolis Star. The sunshine may be a great help In curing some diseases, but it is prac- tically helpless in overcomln' the golf bug. i — the Senate. Mr. Garper is in the happy position of being able to de- mand great reductions without trou- bling himself or his party about a probable deficit. - It is the vy the administration In|who must take the responsibility if | pendent) the proposed cut of $250,000,000 is {is about 14 miles lo nothing more stious ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ). HASKIN, Q. Are wreaths tino's tomb?—R. A. The Hollywood Cemetery Associ- 1tion says that hardly a day passes that some one does not bring flowers for his crypt. A space of 25 feet is fllled continually ;tlll placed on Valen- Q. How many of the total official aviation world records does the United States hold?—@G. T. D. A. On October 1, 1927, the United States held 20 aviation world recovds out of a total number of $1. This number includes 3 halloon records out of a total of airplane records out of a total of 12 seaplane records out of a total of 27: no airship records out of a total of 3: no helicopter records out of a total of 1. Several other records are awaiting official confirmation. 5 Q. T the Museum of Fine Arts in San Francisco a_copy of a building found abroad?—D, R. A, The museum. given to the city by Mr. and Mra. Adolph Spreckels, is copied exactly from the Palace of the Legion of Honor in Paris. Q. How large s Scapa Flow?—B. 11, A inclosed by the Orkney Island: and varie The principal are Hoy Sound n and Holm 1o 8 miles in width. channels leading out into the Atlantic Ocy Sound into the North Q. Where a Raisa born?—N, A. This Russlan dramatic soprano born in Bielostok in 1893. nd when Rosa N. D. Q. Tow deep is the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau at low water and at high?—B. C. A. It is 8 feet deep at low water and 52 feet deep at high water. Q. What propertion of the land area of the United States was originally in fores 8. G . A. Nearly About half of this | virgin forest is gone. Q. Please name some London-born writers.—W. L. T. A. The following were born in Lon- don: Bacon, Blake. Browne, Browning, n, Chaucer, Crashaw, Defoe, De Morgan. Donne, Gaskell, Gibbon, Gray, Herrick, Hunt, Huxley, Jonson, Keats, Lamb. Milton, More, Morris, an, Pater, Pinero, Pope, Mrs. tadcliffe, Rossetti, Ruskin, Shirley. Spenser.” Swinburne, Walpole and Zangwill. Q. How many hospitals in the United States have nurse training schools for men?—F. E. A. Among the nurse training schools in the 1'nited States there are 29 which provide also for the training of man nurses. Of these, 28 are co- educational, while the one at the Alexian Brothers Hospital, Chicago, is for man nurses onl Q. Who was Gertrude Bell?— P T A. Miss Bell, a gifted Englishwom- an, has bedn called the uncrowned Queen of Arabia. She is credited with many remarkable achievements. Miss Bell's letters have just been published. Q. How many banks does the Fed- eral Reserve System comprise?—V. @, A. The Federal Reserve System comprises all the national banks of the United States, 7.978 in number, and about 1,400 State banks. Q. Was the little building in the garden at Mount Vernon Ilabeled “‘School Room” ever used as such, and by whom?—E. B. D. A. The graridchildren of Martha Washington used- the little school- room in the garden at Mount Vernon as their place of instruction. Q. When.and where are the Marine Band concerts being held?—M. M. A. The Marine Band will not return from its national tour until November 20. The concerts will not begin until December. They will be given twice a week in the Marine Band Audi- torjum, Washington, D. C.. probably on Wednesday at 8 p.m. and on Fri- day at_3 p.m. The program has not yet been definitely fixed. a Q. Does the college for the deaf in Press Hails Sen It is a small body of water almost | Washington fit its students for se! support?—J. | .. A. The Gallaudet College for {1 deaf in Washington offers full course Which enable graduate students to | self-supporting. The entrance requir ment is high school graduation {the passing of an entrance examin | tion, The course of study extend |over 5 years, | @ what coff i | A. !‘u!‘(»‘m is the substance whisl contributes to coffee its chief ph:si ological activity. Caffein has no nu. tritive value. ue has the caffein '+ Q. Does the President sit an the right or left side of a car when driv Ing?—W. R. E. A. The White House savs that when riding in an automobile it fs custom. wm'wi"lor the President to sit to the right. Q. Wha cettles the changes in the ndary line between Mexico and the United States?—D. E. P, A. There is a permanent organiza. tion called the ('nited States and 2 International Boundary Com.- mission at El Paso. Tex., whose duty t to attend to the occasional S in the houndary line due to the changes in the course of the Rio Grande. ca Q. Tlow many of the proverbs were Actually writeen by Solomon?—E. A. R. A. According chapter, * celled the wisdom of all the children of the East * * ® and he spake three thousand proverbs and his songs were one thousand and five.” Q. What is the duty on jewelry sent to Japan?—D. B. A. The imnort tax on fewelry is 100 per cent in Japan. Q. From what tree does sandalwood come?—R. I.. A. Tt is the fragrant heartwood of =everal species of everzreen trees, chiefly Oriental ones. The princinal supply comes from India and the Ma- ay Archipelago. . Is greenheart water?—M. E. T. A. Greenheart. a tropical species, used quite extensively for purposes where. a heavy, hard, strong, tough wood is required, even when thor- cughly dry, is heavier than water. Q. What is the most valuable fish? go\\'_ large does the codfish grow?— heavier than A. The herring ranks as the world's most important economic fish, with the cod taking second place. The cod averages from 7 to 40 pounds weight, hut several exceeding 100 pounds and one of 160 pounds have been recorded. Q. Why is the tail of a comet al- ways on the side away from the sun? -J. V. A. The tail of a comet is generally directed away from the sun, whether the comet is anproaching the sun or receding from it. It is believed that the tail consists of extremely rarefield matter which is thrown off hyv the comet and then powerfully repelled by the sun. Tt is called the -tdil on ac- count of its appearance. Q. What kind of a race Is a re- gatta?—T, T. A. Regatta is an Italian word, used originally in Venice to denote a gon- dola race. It is now used generally, and is appl'ed to rowing matches at Oxford, Cambridge and American uni- versities, as well as to yacht races. Gen. Robert E. Lee said: “The thorough education of the pecople is the most cfiicacious medns of pro- moting the prosperity of the nation.” These words of the distinguished Sonthern general are none the true now than when he spoke them. Our Washington Information Bureauw is one of the greatest agencies for the distribution of free information and educational daia in the world. Its services are free to readers of this paper. All you need to do is to send in your query together with two cents in stamps for return postage. Address The Evening Star Information Bu- reau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. ator Curtis For Open Presidential Race Senator Curtis of Kansas is ap- plauded by the press for his open declaration that he is in the race for the Republican ‘presidential nomina- tion. While many editors insist that the Kansan's candidacy cannot be ex- pected to get beyond the favorite-son stage, there is a feeling that he has set a good example, designed to clear away the uncertainty which has af- fected some of the Republican possi- bilities since President Coolidge issued his_*“do not choose” statement. Explaining that Senator Curtis made his choice to enter the race only after repeated urgings by his fellow Kan- ans and after due deliberation, the Topeka Daily Capital (Republican) adds: “He waited until fully assured that the sentiment of Kansas is abso- lutely united in asking him to run, and also until assured that President Cool- idge is definitely eliminated by his own choice. Senator Curtis may now be said to be the last man in Kansas to come ou* for the Curtis candidacy. His anuouncement has cleared the political atmosphere, in the opinion of the St. Joseph News-Press (independ- ent), which says that it “will be con- strued as indicating that when Presi- dent Coolidge said he did not choose to run he meant just that.” The Buffalo lvening News (Republican) considers it will be well, since the breach has been made in the wall, for “all the other hopeful candidates to throw their hats into the ring.” The Rochester Times-Union (inde- pendent) credits Mr. Curtis with hav- ing made “the most open declaration of any of the aspirants for the Repub- lican nomination,” and in this respect the South Bend Tribune (independent Republican) finds “the Kansas Sena- tor's courage commendable, for it has been known that the first candidate to venture into the open would be forced to stand against a field which is by no means unimpressive.” * ok Kk K The Senator’s chances against this ficld are quite freely discussed by the press with varying opinions. Says the Lansing State Journal (independent It seems entirely reasonable to b lieve that Senator Curtis is the one Westerner on whom the East can be ited in support.” The fact that enator Curtis has served as a regu- lar in the factional warring in the Is again engaged in President-mak- ing,” while on this same point the Charleston Evening Post (independant Democratic) remarks: *The experi- ence of Senator Harding is not likely to be repeated soon in American poli- tics, but it has had the effect of caus- ing numerous lightning rods to be raised in the Senate. Curtis' candi- dacy is of this order.” Senator Curtis’ statement that he would not consider being merely a favorite-son candidate or a stalking korse for any other candidate is the subject of much comment. The Sena- tor makes it plain, according to the Winston-Salem Sentinel (independent), that “he is carrying the ball, in fdot Hall parlance, and is ndt running in- terference.” The Butte Daily Post (Republican) wonders if it will be “easy to get a Kansas delegation tied up that -tight,” as does also the Reno Evening Gazette (independent Republi- can), which speaks of Senator Curtis as “a real candidate, not a ‘favorite son,’ not a strong name with which the Kansas delegation can_trade, but an out-and-out seeker for the nomina- tion in solemn earnest.” * % ok ok The Roanoke Times (independent Democratic) o says: ‘“Here and now we venture to predict that on the ballot on which the Republican convention nominates its candidate for President the Kansas delegation’s vote will not be found in the Curtis column. Sena- tor Curtis’ candidacy will never get beyond the ‘favorite son’ L The personality and qualificatios the man himself are given consid able attention. The Grand Rapids Press (independent) describes him s “‘one of the really distinguished m:n of the United States Senate, a figure clearly of presidential caliber,” and Tribune (Republican) the Minneapolis e has been the architegt- In-chief of his own destinies, and His neighbors have attested almost in: merable times at the polls their feel!'s; that he has made a good job of it The New York Evening World (in pendent) analyzes Mr. Curtis as * of heroic mold, certainly,” and marks on this point: “But we hagye had few such Presidents, and th we have usually crucified or tried $o cruei He would make a rou of Republican party,” and yet “voted for the McNary-Haugen farm relief mea: ure,” causes the Nashville Banner (in- dependent) to suggest that this “would seem to entitle him to consideration as a compromise candidate.” The Bangor Daily Commercial (Republi- can), however, thinks it “very doub ful if the support given him for the nomination will be considerable out- side of his native State.' Asserting that “Senator Curtis votes from Kansas, but he votes for New England,” the Canton Dally News (independent Democratic) “What a chance to give the joy of th geography to the farmers while keep- ing the solid fruits of control of Gov- ernment just where they now are.” On the other hand, the Oklahoma City Times (independent) finds this very ‘geography” to be “against his choice us a presidential nominee,” though it recognizes that “some 30 years' serv- ice in House and Senate has made him a formidable ve in Washington.” To the Dally- Eagle (inde- “the Curtis candidacy means or less than that the . mwhlhm Executive, working well in ha Wwith party leaders in Congress, offér- ing no novelty or reform and ‘listening to reason.’ " The Senator’s Indlan ancestry trigues the interest of the Ne Eveni News (independent), whis say: Mr. Curtis is an offspring the open spaces of the boundless Wi through whose veins courses the blood of the Indians, who has by own_efforts elevated himself from e ward of the Nation to the position Eraidson-of the Tarmens bk o0 n e famous chief Kaw tribe, White P! S te,” contini per, as it notes that he is with the blood of the “o from the tepes to the White Ho Such an aspiration will stir th nation of the people, but it is encounter the opposition of practical Republican poli cludes this " Th Indej ent) o.nmm. that “lflm‘rn: whoops would put some giny 102 SARRURY vy