Evening Star Newspaper, November 15, 1927, Page 8

“THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. o —————————— WASHINGTOCOHN, D. C. TUESDAY....November 15, 1827 N s THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor e The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Oflice 11th St. and Penneylvania Ave. New Wor Gfice: 110" Bast 42nd St Chicago_Oftice: Tower Builgine. European Office: 13 Regent St.. London. nglan e Evening Star with the Sunday morl 1o ion e delivered by carriers wit the city at 60 cents D month: dule’ onl nis per month: Sundavs orly. 20 o 23 Coronth. Orders te gent by mail or lephons Main 5000. Cvilection is made by carrier at end of each month. ble in Advance. Virginia. Rate by Mail— Maryland an Fuv and_Sunday aily onls Zundav onlv All Other States and Canada. 4 vr.. $12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 Balle and Sunday.} tr- 5500 1 mo. " 2se Sindav oniv. ... 1ve. $400:1 mo. Member of the Associated Press. cociated Press 18 sxelusivels en 2oThS Arnted i eation of eil new e e ited To. 1t ar At thersise i sy naver aud aite, lithed heren. . Al mghts DERHEhnY Arapatches herein ar ted Nineteen Years of Air Advance. incident to} Charles A.| Last night's ceremony the presentation to Col Lindbergh of the Hubbard Gold Medal of the Nati Society was not only a tribute to the gallant | young pioneer who showed the way ntic through the mr.i across the Atl on of confidence in the it is a certainty that thousands of Washingtonians know no more of it than a name on a bus. Not more than a year ago a resident of the community asked a downtown firm to deliver one of its products, to be met with the reply, “Why, we do not deliver on the other side of W: consin avenue!” | This same person, out of curiosity, this week called the same firm and was told that the firm now delivers ‘on certain streets” in the community. This is being behind the times with our Washington. To listen to such persons talk, a stranger might think that “the other side of Wisconsin ave- | nue” was in Timbuctoo. It is high time that those who are not keeping | up with the procession of Washing ton get in step. e s, The Wet Issue. Borah of Idaho, Re-| Both Senator | publican, and Senator Walsh of Mon- | tana, Democrat, believe that the coun- | try is overwhelmingly “dry” in senti- ment. But the Idaho Senator is in- tent on dragging the prohibition issue into the coming national campaign, { while his colleague from Montana is equally insistent that it be kept ou It seems clear that if the wet and dr issue he raised it will be in the per- sonality and predilections of the party nominees. Few, if any, believe that the Republicans will nominate a wet. | Very many persons. on the other hand, believe that the Democratic party is more than likely to nominate a wet, Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York. Senator Walsh, in an address here before the National Women's Demo- but an expres: future of transport and as a fa of the peoples of fuller and more Naturaily, the for the purpose of a | accomplishments. and appropriately it} was closed with a motion picture which set forth in the most graphic form the stages of the advance made since the first flights by man in heavier-than-air machines. The thou-| gands who attended and the millions who heard through the radio were deeply impressed with the rapid pro- motion of aeronautics due to this sea- son’s flights, mostly by Americans which demonstrated the practical pos- sibilities of the airplane as a means of transport. So much has happened since the WWright brethers made their first pub- e flights at Fort Myer, across the river from the Capital, in 1908, that it is difficult today to realize the ex- tent of the advances in “flying ma- chines” and their manipulation and uses in those nineteen years. Late occurrences have dimmed the recollec- tions of the early endeavors, which at the time seemed phenomenal. The first “endurance” flight covered a span of one hour and ten minutes. It seemed at the time to be beyond credibility. Now the record stands at fifty-two hours continuously in the air. The first distances covered were short, only a few miles. Now the: span the seas, the continents. Then the machines were clumsy, elaborate and delicate. Now they are compact, efficient and dependable. Then there were only a few pilots, perhaps half @ dozen. Now there are thousands, with more coming to their aerial ma- Jority weekly. To express belief that the air will be the fufure highway of travel is merely to state a commonplace of con- fidence born of experience. One of the speakers at last night's ceremony, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics, urged upon his hear- ers, present in person and within radio hearing, to co-operate in the work of making America the scene of the most wide-flung and compre- hensive aviation utility by greater use of the air mail and of the now estab- lished air service lines for passenger and express transport. There is high enthusiasm on the part of the people of this country, the fruit of the thrill- ing performances of Lindbergh and the other “aces” who have made the Summer of 1927 a period of record making in the air. Tt should be trans- muted into practical employment of this agency. Medals and honors and pecuniary rewards stimulate the endeavors of the fiyers, whose achievements should in turn stimulate the practical apprecia- tion of the people for the wonderful utility that has been developed, not for their entertainment and emotional thrills, but for their advantage in peace time as a means of transportation. The establishment of airways and airports will continue as rapidly as the public demand justifies. Manufacturers are turning out planes in quantities and are making ready for a year of intense activity in production, Let the people, who have witnessed the marvels of this past Summer with the keenest appreciation, now do their part and then, truly, America the birthplace of the airplane, will be the scene of its greatest practical use. -t means of the union a ation earth in better understanding. | ion utilized | review of recent itic was Among the terrors of ‘“revolution” it is now necessary to figure the dan- ger of flying glass from a shattered windshield. In spite of the ingenulty of warlike enterprise, many of the @angers are entirely accidental. In the very nature of the thing, war cannot be rendered “foolproof.” v Get in Step! The request of the Burleith Citizens' Asgociation that more adequate fire protection be provided for that com- munity raises the whole question of keeping up with the growth of Wash- ington. There are too many persons and too many firms in the District of Colum- bia who do not yet seem to have awak- ened to the fact that the National Cap- ital has grown tremendously since the World War, nor to the equally impor- tant fact that the city is still growing, expanding in all directions. The Burleith community, for in- etance, is no farther from the Capitol than Eighteenth street and Columbia road, yet no doubt ninety-nine out of ® hundred persons would offhand de- clare it to be twice as far. This particular community of sev- cratic League, correctly diagnosed the situation when he said that the nom- ation of “an outstanding wet” for President by his party would force the | prohibition issue into the campaign Nothing could keep it out under those ! circumstances, unless the Republicans | should also nominate a wet, which is| far from their thoughts. Under the latter conditions, a third ticket, dry and independent, would doubtless be placed in the field. Lack of enforcement of the eigh- teenth amenment and the attempt to “nullify” the amendment by allowing individual States to pass upon what constitutes intoxicating beverages have aroused the Senator from ldaho. He wishes his own party to take a definite stand in its platform for the enforcement of prohibiton. He wishes men mnominated for office, including President, who are in favor of pro- hibition In both the Republican and Demo- cratic parties there are wets and dr If the prohibition issue becomes the dominant note of the next campaign, party lines are likely to be smashed in many States. For the wet and dry issue is not an academic question to millions of men and women in this country. It is a question upon which they feel flercely. But if the two Sen- ators are correct in their diagnosis of the sentiment of the country, the party espousing the dry cause should be victorious by a huge vote. There s this to be remembered, however: A large section of the country which is “dry” in sentiment is also unqualified- 1y Democratic because of another ques- tion. A wet Democratic nominee, un- less there is an unprecedented politi- cal upheaval, may reasonably count upon the electoral votes of the “solid South.” The strategy of the wets, in a minority position, ‘is to force this large dry section of the country to support a wet candidate. This can he avoided only by the nomination of a dry Democrat. Senator Borah has correctly stated the issue when he says that the only proper way to deal with the prohibi- tion amendment is to enforce the dry law or to repeal the amendment. To attack the Constitution through a tempts to nullify part of it is to at- tack the constitutional form of gov- ernment in this country. ——r—ee. Aviators hop off in high spirits, sel. dom knowing whether they will con- clude the trip in a storm at sea or ata banquet board. The hazard is what gives zest to the sport. Civilization has found a way to introduce the life-and- death element, which was thought to have disappeared with the old Roman games. St Lindbergh showed skill in managing 1is plane 8o as to clear away the crowd that pressed upon it. As a colonel, he is not only a fiyer, but a strategist. -t — Electoral methods have not yet en- tirely eliminated the effort to substi- tute bombs for ballots. e The Cause of the Blast. The mystery of yesterday's explo- sion in Pittsburgh may never be solved. Investigations are, of course, in progress, but fnasmuch as all of the men who were working at the plant at the time have probably been killed, | there is little chance of determining the facts. It is known, however, that some of these men were engaged in making a repair to one of the tanks of the group, using blowpipes for the purpose. That tank had been empty for a long time—that is to say, it had been out of service. But it is thought to be probable tkat a remnant of gas was within it, and that this was ex- ploded by the flame of the torch, this first slight explosion causing fractures in one of the nearby tanks, with the result of the terrific explosion, which blew the entire body of the great struc- ture high into the air. If this was the cause, it would scem to be extraordinary that the second greater explosion did not itselt rend the other tanks and in turn detonate them. The theory of a slight initial blast at the point where the workmen were engaged is, of course, only hy- pothesis. But if true, it tragically demonstrates the terrible danger of clustering these gas containers in groups, with the risk that an accident to one may cause disaster to another. Familiarity with dangerous mate- rials fs known to breed contempt. There Is no more deadly menace than the close conjunction of flame and gas. No metal container can ever be made absolutely tight. Small leakages are certain to occur as time passes and as materials deteriorate and as lesions eral hundred homes has been develop- ed within the past four years to the immediate north and west of the West- ern High School. The high school cadet companies of this ingtitution Jha drilled on its concrews paved ‘Ahiasats for that length of tims, et develop in joints. The use of flame around a filled container is a direct in- vitation to catastrophe. The only safe course on the basis of the theory ad. vanced for the Pittsbhurgh explosion is to permit no grouping of tanks, to require safe spaces between them, and THE EVENING STAR! to forbid the use of flame at any time around any tank that has an explosive quantity of gas within it. The latest reports of the disaster show twenty-one dead and 50 missing and five hundred hurt. The money loss at the plant itself was at least one million dollars, while the damage done throughout the city amounted to many times that sum. And all because of some careless ac- tion, some breach of the first rules of safety, for which the perpetrators have paid with their lives and the community has paid a shocking toll. —_—rat————— Manoilescu’s Acquittal. Acquittal at Bucharest yesterday of Mihail Manoilescu by court-martial of the charge of conspiracy to bring for- mer Crown Prince Carol back to Ru mania and to restore to him his rights of succession to the throne was effect- od by a vote of three to two. Manoi- lescu, on the eve of the verdict, ex- pressed the belief that he would be convicted. The announcement of his acquittal was received with cheers by the waiting crowds. This verdict and the enthusiasm manifested are re- garded as indicating a change of sen- timent in Rumania which may cost Premier Bratianu dearly. The procedure at Bucharest follow: ing the disclosure of correspondence between Carol and his supporters at home has been marked by drastic measures of prosecution, which the Carolists have denounced as persecu- tion. That the situation was difficult for the ministry is evident. Martial law was declared and strenuous meas- ures were adopted to check any revo- lutionary movement. From the point of view of the established govern- [ ment, these measures were doubtiess | justified. Carvol had renounced his rights of succession formally, and his venunciation had been written into law by the Parliament. Short of a revolution, there could be no restora- tion to his former status as possible successor to the throne. Manoilescu’s acquittal may have an important bearing on the future of Rumania. At all events, he is now free of charges, and, judging from the speeches of counsel and his own ex pressions, there is a purpose to con- tinue endeavors in Carol's behalf. A triad of strength may soon come. The veal fight is not for Carol, but against Bratianu, Meanwhile the yoyng man remains at a safe distance from the scene and appears to be only a “recep. tive" candidate for the crown in the event of an overturn in his homeland. ————r——————— Desiring to get into jail where he would be fed, a destitute Frenchman «lashed a valuable picture in the Louvre. A waiting list for comfortable jails might help to avert vandalisms. ——at—————— Even the most unrelenting foe of pacifism may be inclined to think that a little sentiment on that line could be beneficially introduced into the Balkans. ————— Eventually England will decide to take national problems out of the hands of novelists, dramatists and es- saylsts and allow trained statesmen to ddeide them. ———eae—. Psychologists may find that Mrs. Forbush was influénced by some lin- gering form of the hide-and-seek com- plex. ————————— A Rockefeller Museum at Jerusalem will attract many students. Brains cre- ate wealth. In turn wealth promotes j beains. ——— e Publicity is so inevitably an incident of modern affairs that it appears difi- cult even for a secret society to retain any real secrets. ——. Congress approaches with a promise of much headwork apart from that of throwing hats into the ring. ——— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Filling Stations. Glad that we are livin’ As we speed or stop. Yonder is Thanksgivin'. Ask the Blessin’, Pop! It's a grand collation We will gladly heed. There’s a fillin’ station . That we surely need. Political Forgiveness. “Do you forgive your enemies?"” “I do,” answered Senator Sorghum, “if they can show me that they have votes enough to make it worth while trying to bargain.” Sabotage. The reckless wrecker frequently we view In the historic scenery. A monkey wrench some politician threw And mussed up the machinery. Jud Tunkins says a Thanksgiving turkey is a better sign of content and prosperity than a dove of peace. Relief. “What kind of relief dv you de- mand? “The kind,” answered Farmer Corn- tossel, “that’ll turn the dear old plase into a subdivision so that I can be a realtor instead of an agculturist.” “He who rejects one friend,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, the way for two enemles.” Boots and Slippers. In days of chivalry gone by They drenk a toast in spirits high. A dainty slipper was the cup From which the gay gallants would sup. No more do silks or satins make The flagon, genial thirst to slake. No slender slipper do we heed; A “boot leg” now Is what we need. “It's wrong to bet on a hoss race,” said Uncle Eben. “Even it de police don’t say nuffin, dem gamblin’ ma- chines collects de fines..’ A Trade Distinction. From the Santa Barbara Daily News. It's a used car the day after you get it. But you bought it new, no matter how far the agent had driven it. —— et Presidential Popularity. From the Nashville Banter. In some colleges thit general satisfaction wil ::ear-. and in others Fall there is WASHINGTON, Do readers expect too much of books? One is inclined to think so, after listening to criticisms offered by those who believe that every book ought to contain infinite wisdom. ‘This applies especially to those who read informative volumes—works that set themselves up to tell the reader about something or other. There is, of course, some truth in the criticism, as there is in most popu- lar strictures. Where there is s much smoke, there must be some fire. ‘Who is there who has not hopefully approached a reference book of some sort, eager for knowledge, to discover that the book does not give one what is sought? Or who has not had the experience of huying a book on gardening, for in- ance, in the hope of gettinz some al pointers. to find that there is arcely a thing in the volume that one does not know alread; * ok ok There is no book, however, from which one cannot get at least one good idea. This is a truth which ought to be kept in mind, when reading a book of sort, especially “how™ books, as v are sometimes called. The reader must recall that a writer is human. He is a man such as him- self, one who has studied and thouzht, one'who has had experiences, and now has written them down for the pleas- ure or edification of othe 1f the reader will not expect too much from the writer, he will he het- ter able to find and seize the one good idea of which we speak. Commonly one must reach years oI discretion hefore he realizes that no hook i going to be perfect, that if it have at least one real idea In it, new (5 the reader. he has done about all that can he expected of him. The veader, too, plays an important part! No two readers heing alike. it perfectly possible—nay, probable each one of them will get some differ- ant help from the book, so that, if the truth were known, our eriticized work affords perhaps 1,000 “good ideas” to as many different veaders. The trouble with the average reader is that he does not allow for his own limitations. He approaches a fresh book with the attitude of the man who goes to a play expecting to be dis- jappointed. Usually he finds what he is sceking! * K K % Since the present reader finally man- aged to drum into his head the ids that he must not expect too much of any book, he has secured a great deal more pleasure from his reading, al- ways one of the major pleasures of his life. He he along to others he will help them get more from their books, too. Think of the disappointment that will be saved. if all Washington can come to the mental attitude: “Well, here is a book. 1ts title leads me to expect won s an amateur gardener, I pur- ased ‘this volume in the hope that it would solve my problems. “Here is a beautiful book, the resuit of much lmbor on the part of author and publisher. Infinite pains has been taken to put it between artistic covers, “Surely it will be the long-soyght den mentor! urely it will not! urely it was written by a man, sven like unto myself, a fallible human ieves that by passing his idea | D. C. TUESDAY, | THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. being, who intended to settle every question, but who did not possess the requisite knowledge or the ability to search out every possible question that could be asked him. “Therefore I know before T open the covers that the index will fail to give many of the topics upon which I seek ligh here will be glaring omissions, obvious failures which seem inexpli- cable, articles containing what I be- lieve to be false information. “Yet T know, too, that it will be im- possible for me to honestly read this book without getting at least one good idea from it. “I will tuck that thought away in my head and go on to the next hook. at the siated time, approaching it in exactly the same way. “Thus, by the time I am very old, 1 will know at least a_few things! * k% X Heie is another of those hooks for the ambitious gardener that have treamed from the press during the ast five years, with the increase of leisure and wealth. Gardening presupposes a amount of money and leisure. or woman tied down to the grindstone of life will not find much time for zar- dening. or work up much interest in it, either. 3 rdening I8 the fine fruit of civill- 7ation. Here is this new book to help the ambitious & many problems. It is ng_how much information the new gardener needs. There is searcely a plant which one can raise that does not carr with it a veritable galaxy of question When should it be planted? often should it be watered? Will fer- tilizer help or hurt it? What are its nd the remedies? x the reader’s hurt surprise that the information on certain purporting v in his having been so subject that he forgot that der did not know as much as i= the commonest fault of books of information. The writer knows s6 much about his subject that he does not fully understand the ig- norance of the reader. While he sets out to cover his topic, he is so close to it that he is unable to put himself into the shoes of the reader. Thus the very question one wants to know is not even considered! * % ok % H Yet the one good idea is there, if the reader will remember ta look for it. i Take the gardening book - under consideration. Held up on the jacket as the ideal hook of information for the amateur, it yet fails to give men- tion to that most hard-working of mnuals, the humble but glorious petunia, without which no garden is | complete. The reader closes the hook in dis- gust. Not a single thing in it of ractical value. But hold! How abont those designs for back-yard fences? “The one good idea of this book Is this: That by taking thought one may build a beautiful fence as easily as an ugly one. Some good designs are given, too. ‘This is the one good idea from this | hook. Go on, then, to the next book, tooking not for a bookful from each, but for one good idea (rom 1 book. Perhaps one real idea is all any one bhook can hold after all A new appeal for reform of judicial procedure from Chief Justice Taft has been received by the public with un- usual interest, especially as it relates to the handling of criminal cases. His emphasis on the need of more intelli- gent juries Is widely approved and the press Joins in voicing a demand for more active participation by trial judges, less, trickery by lawyers and fess maudlin sentiment in favor of criminals. Chief Justice Taft's statements as to the need of adequate police forces and the importance of expediting the travel through the courts and enlarge- ment of the powers of the judges are quoted by the Toledo Blade, with the accompanying opinion from the news- paper that “the Chief Justice of the world's greatest court has written a most excellent editorial which ought to inspire action along the lines he sug- gests.” The Little Rock Arkansas Democrat, after reviewing the words of the Chief Justice, says: “Why com- ment on truths so apparent? Why marvel over the ‘crime wave’ in Amer- ica? Why complain when police Chi‘('l declare their forces are inadequate?” “The reform in selecting juries ad vocated is of the greatest importance, in the opinion of the Salt Lake Deseret News, and that paper holds that the general refor advocated by the Chiet Justice “would Nllbs(xmlm}lly re- duce erime and civil litigation.” = The Harrisburg Telegraph feels that “the country is becoming aroused to the necessity of better legal machinery for tbe prosecution of crime.” * kX Ok “For two decades or more,” it is re- called by the Chicago Daily News, “the preseat Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court has been a forceful champion of substantial re- form in the criminal law as well as in court procedure and practice. He speaks on the various phases of the subject with knowledge and authority and he has not hesitated to arraign the American bar for its indifference to evils which he has described as ‘a disgrace to American l'l\'lhz:llltr’l. The Daily News declares further, "The country must be ready for the ‘Taft program and the question is whethe! lawyer-legislators are equally read; The Albany vening News refers to indorsement of the Baumes law by the Chief Justice, especially as to speedier dealing with criminals, and says: “The victim of almost every trial of a slayer is forgotten. Sym- pathy turns to the slayel The vie- tim is dead, but the slayer is living, so sentiment is aroused for him. There should be in this country such a wide- spread horror of murder that what- ever of human sympathy there be shall be for the victim. thi helpless. not for the man who Killed. As to the statement that “members of logislatures have become aware of their obligations to reform criminal procedure_so as to protect soclety the New York Times remarks: “Well, there 18 great talk about it and some: thing has been done here and there, but nowhere the essential. By and large, not society but the criminal is protected.”” The Jersey City Journal adds the opinion that “if his words cerve to spur on the efforts of those who would direct public attention to wrong done by the criminal rather than exclusively to the unhappy pre- dicament the criminal might find him- self 1p, if he ever does feel the penalty of the la Chief Justice Taft will have served his country well in this speech.”” The Durham Sun contends that “it is ridiculous (and leading at- torneys and judges and the press have pointed it out time after time) to insist upon juries of inexperienced, unintelligent, weak-witted individuals by disqualifying those who have read newspaper accounts or kept them- selves informed on current event The Binghamton Press agrees that “jurors ought to be selected because of their intelligence, not because of their lack of intelligence. ‘Taft’s Plea for Court Reform In Trials Excites Interest obscure the essentials a jury should weigh, rather than to clarify them. * * * A presiding judge,” this pa- per contends, “ought to have authority to enter into the evidence, taking part by questions and explanations more than, in practice, most of them do, be- cause of doubt as to their real author- ity for such action.” The Rochester Times-Union finds that “in England the judge is permitted to explain to the jury the tendencies of the evi- dence,” and states that “it is high time a change was brought about in this country. The Milwaukee Journal observes: “And when .Chief Justice Taft gets down to the lawyers—ah! That may be a sore point with some of the legal profession, but it is becoming a good deal sorer spot with the public at large. Kor every one has seen faf ures of justice caused by the ability of eminent counsel to play the part of an actor, to arouse emotions that obscure judgment, or to create a legal fog in which the light is lost."” Durant Corrects Statement on Age T the Ld or of The Star: e Will you allow me the courtesy of your columns to correct the report which has attributed to me the biz: opinion that men should die at 357 Of course, T did not say this, any more than Dr. Osler made the siate- ment which is associated with his name. Those who refep to my article on he Meaning of Life” will see that the figure 35 is given as the physical zenith of man, and that his intellectual maturity is placed much nearer 60 than to 3 Those editors who concluded that I was approaching lunacy were justified on the face of the evidence: but T beg you to believe that the evidence was garbled. and the conclusion premature. WILL DURANT. UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today A number of American soldiers have been killed and wounded in the recent shelling of the American trenches by the Germans. Clashes with the enemy are becoming more and more frequent. * s & The American artillery firc has been heavy recently and the gen- eral accuracy of the Americans’ fir- ng has evoked the enthuslastic com- ment of the French superior officers of the command in which are the trenches occupied by the American troops. * * * Final check-up of the first sh with Germans on the West- ern front places total of American casualties at ¢« * Baron Rich- tofen, Germany's leading aviator, ticoffs at America's airplanes and says we cannot put 20,000 trained pilots Into active service. * *# * The Brit- ish, since July 1, 1916, have captured 101,534 Germans on the Western front alone, —————————— Payments That Pinch. From the Ohio State Journal. ‘We have so many convenient pay- ments coming due that we are greatly inconvenienced. e Attracting the Motorists. From the Now York Herald-Tribune. The suggestion that pedestrians bs equipped with horns is impracticable. The noise would merely attract the attention of motorists. —_— Overlooking Home Talent. From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Chicago Jgibune, published in Dawes’ home cii{¥and Lowdena-State. A man | How , points is meager, the writer | engrossed | of ldeas NOVEMBER 15, 1927. NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM L G M. THE TRADE WIND. Cornelia Meigs. Little, Brown & Co. About three years ago competent workmen built the Beacon Hill Book- shelf for the use of books carefully adjudged to be of lasting general value to the juniors of the reading public. For guite a long time no more than half a dozen books found piace upon this clearly exclusive “shelf.” Then the number grew, slowly, to 17. Then one day this Summer this family of hooks was seen 1o be edging a little closer to one another, making room for a newcomer, they said. Quite a morning that one was, for the new book had just won a prize from about 400 that were seeking i a prize of £2.000. And there it is, “The Trade Wind,” established with the little com- pany of firsi-rate books for all of us, regirdless of years. Taking the hook from the shelf, suppose you drop down into the chair there by the window to give it a looking over. To be sure. you will stay right there—oh, mavbe not till you have finished it, but for a zood spell of reading. at any rate! Here is a specially clean-cut sea adventure in the midst of which is { David Dennison, a lad with the sea in { his blood and the vision of his sea- going father ever in his eves. The adventures of David and his compan- | tons, a splendid lot of grown men, are | set_against the background of those exciting years that led straight to the Revolution. Every Amer. an stirved to a bitlerness approach ing that of rebellion itself over the in- justices of the British Lords of Trade, seeking to confine the commerce of | the Colonies to the sole use of Mother England. And, right or wrong, there were in that day even among honest | men evasions of the law against per- | sonal liberty, just as there are such v, off the craft nd went. ominons ouiiarings covered the purchase of arms in the seeming of an innocent trade in foods | and lumher and such like necessiti of life. Under the stirring a the time and circumstance high patri otism for America set off against re. wctant disagreement with England moves the tale forward in the high spirits and courageous behavior of youth, embodied by David Dennison. A remarkably tense story and one that at no point falls away from its origi- nal purpose of dramatic and essen- tially true projection. A woman wrote it out of her own sea call, for she herself is come from an admir tand other brave and distinguished s fighters and seamen. * K ok ok WONDER TALES OF TURE. L. Lamprey. Stokes Compan; This i= a charming book, with no special age qualification for admission to it. You, reader, may be 16, you may be 80, but the entrance ticket will let | vou in, provided only you are keen for adventure and are, hesides, eagerly curious about almost anything under the sun. For curiosity is a tremen- dous spur to the business of getting along zestfully with life. A good book for children is, I contend, an equally good book for the elders. The fashion of writing down to meet the capacity {of children is a mistake of ignorance, as stupid us it is sure to be harmful. A theme of substantial interest, treat- ed with sympathetic understanding and competent artistry, turns out a i book worth while to any age. This | Writer here mcets children on their own level by accepting their level as hers. vours and mine, also. Architecture—when you say it that Way—sounds a shade repelling. It is a subject, however, that in its begin- | ARCHITEC- Frederick A. nings is close to every child. The building blocks, fashioned into houses, stores, forts, whatnot, by the little ones sitting 'on the floor, embody an occupation that runs far backward to the human reach for shelter and far forward to the erowning point of many a eivilization. It is this thread of gen- eral nearness. of common familiarity runping throughout the theme, that constitutes one of the special delights of ‘this book. Upon a foundation of such absorbing character, Miss Lam- prey builds a scries of stories that are in part guide hook, in far larger part exciting_adventure, Even as guide, the hook partakes of nome of the dreariness of the common run of this class. Once the spot reached, the story steps in to take command. The pure travel record covers China, Ja- pan. India, Babylon and Nineveh, Athens and Rome, onward to Granada., up through France to London. It is the excitement of adventure in each of these quarters, however, that gives the fascination of the whole, Here is a structure, let us say, that stands as @ marvel of man's working himself out in forms of lasting beauty and usefulness. Here is man's sense of beauty embodied surpassingly in this | or that of mere material for building, Yet the deeply interesting part of this adventure is the digging back into an almost unreachable past to discover how _this common human impulse to create a refuge of safety, a shelter, has through the agencies of climate, soil, general ways of life coupled with urges of spirit, diverged so grandly and gloriously into widely dissimilar structures of individual beauty and in- dividual_significance. Temple of the st and gathedral of the West, start- ing from the same source of primitive human need, have flowered so div gently into grandeur and beauty. Com- pact of information along the lines of its theme, this book is of even greater value in the simple beauty with which <0 great a subject has here been pro- Jected for the use of all readers., * * * X A CHILDHOOD 1IN EIGHTY YEARS Douglas Sedgwick. flin Company. Back of this book two women, old friends, are talking—talking. And be- cause one of them has reached the {place at which, svoner or later, we must all arrive, recollections are clear- er to her than are the passing things of the present. More sharply cut are the pictures of her childhood, richer in detaii, warmer to the heart, than anything whatever can offer to the oling blood and tamed hopes of her ater years.: o, in these many talks between tha two this woman recre. ates the Rittany of her own little girlhood. Culling here and ther it from a benutiful and familiar gar- den, she gathers from this beloved plot of memary the very look of the countryside rpundabout ‘with its long white ‘ronds and scattered hamlets, with its companionship of the sea and the sweet tang of the sea wind. of the naighbors and of h ¢ fill in this daily life of Brittany. These talks arg many, as they would be between old' friends—desultory, in- terrupted talks. And all of make joyous excursions into a_happy past when life was young and gay and not afraid. The friend, listening the many hours through, came to know that she Ird in hand some- thing precious and vital that must not be allowed to fade away into the thin air of words so easily forgotten, %0 impossible of recapture. And this woman, deeply waywise with words, seized upon them before they could even think of flight. She marshaled them into groups and companies and lines. She impressed them into such good service as she is certainly quali- fied by both experiénce and artistry to do. And out from this work there comes toward us, quite alive and charming, a little girl of Brittany, quaintly garbed in the fashion of her day, absorbed in the tremendous busi- nesa af little girls everywhere. With hoth feeling and art Mrs. Sedgwick has wrought with these innumerable bits of recollection a compact and BRITTANY AGO. Anne Houghton Mif- beautiful movement of life itself, real- | discoverers ever received full Iy the life of & most interesting com. mun| n_the mide ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. How many railway postal clerks are there in service in the United States”—L. J. H. A. There are approximately 22,000. he leaves change Q. What makes color in the Fall?—K. D. K. A. The briiliant colors of dying leaves in Autumn are due partly to chemical changes in the decaying chlorophyll and partly to the exposure of pigment cells previously concealed by an abundance of chlorophyll or other feature of vital activity. The eaf drops because it no longer receives nourishment from the stem or twig. Q. What are A. B. A. cheques?— 2 N.T. A. They are the official travel cheques of the American Bankers' A soclation. They are certified by the Bankers' Trust Company, New York. Q. nate . A. American Education week un- doubtedly developed from the move- ment forwarded by Dr. P. P. Claxton in 1920, then commissioner of educa- tion. School Life of October 15, 20, carried what was apparently the first suggestion for a nation-wide cam- paign for the improvement of schools and other agencies for education. In this article Dr. Claxton designated the week of December 5 to 11 as “School k" and urged governors and chief ate school officers to take proper ction to cause the people to use this v as would most ef- nate among the peo- urate information in regard to condition and needs of the How did Education week origi- H. the schools, enhance appreciation of the value of education, and create such in- terest as would result in better oppor- tunities for education and larger ap- propriations for schools of all kinds. Q. When were building and loan as- sociatiol tarted?—J. W. McC. Building and loan associations were first organized in_Kngland in Rirmingham, in 1781. They became numerous during the nineteenth cen- tury and acts were passed in 1838 and 1874 regulating them. The first asso- siation of this character in the United States was organized in Frankford. a suburb of Philadelphia, in 1831, and known ag the Oxford Provident Build- ing Association. Many were organized in the period from 1840 to 1850, which may he considered as the real period of their inception in this country. Q. 1Is the violet the national flower of any country?—C. J. It is the floral emblem of Greece, What per cent of the codfish ed for commercial purposes’— Q. is v J. K. A. Practically all of it is. A large percentage of the meat of the body of the codfish is consumed either fresh or in a salted state. The cheeks and tongue of the codfish’s head are “There's glory enough for all!” de- clared Admiral Schley, when the enemy’s fleet was annihilatéd at Sa tiago and there rose a question to who was technically in command in_the battle. Has there always been “glory enough” even for the man or woman who has made a wonderful achieve- ment, destined to carry civilization far ahead of all previous records? Last evening's recognition of avia- tion heroes and the heroine aets a mark which the world has not always reached, in giving honor to whom honor was due. The crowded Audi- torium gave testimony not only to the public's appreciation of one hero, but to its proportionate esteem of the feats of the other special guests. P 1t is proverbial that inventors are not good business men, but they are no worse in commercial instinct than are explorers. There have been re- ports of. dazzling business offers made to all the heroes of the air. Even the one lone heroine is said to bedally- ing with wealth from a lecture tour. But all these exploits are too recent to enable the public to make full measurement of the rewards. Only in the light of past experience can the probabilities be weighed. Wil their rawards balance their risks and achievements? = * kX K Do we ‘remember that an American woman first flew over the KEnglish Channel? Who was it that flew around the world a few months ago? ‘Are their names remembered? accomplished their objective, ich have they become out of their daring feat? One of the starters col- lided with a mountain in Alaska, but the others went on through the Orient and Oceldent and brought world-envy upon America which had produced such nerve. And what of the heroes who failed, through no lack of courage or skill? The poet avers that— “Honor and fame from no condition se, well your part—there all the honor lies.” Then those who braved the Pacific and the Atlantic and never reached their objectives “fail,” for, in: deed, they did “act well their part which was all that the triumphant ones could do. * ok X X The pages of history are filled with tales of the world's injustice to its heroes. Hardly has there ever been one of glorious achievement who has not heen misused, insulted and perse- cuted even unto death. e The man who discovered the New World, Columbus himself, was im- prisoned in place of being enthroned. The man who found the Pacific Ocean, Balboa, was executed. Magel- lan, the hero who first went around Cape Horn and railed to the Orient, was slain by savages hefore he could &o on over the rest of the way around the world, though all the rest was a path already known. Cortez, who with a. handful of adventurers con- quered the Aztec Empire’s millions of people, was not permitted to rule even loyally for his royal master, but was exiled (o a Quernevaca estate as a private subject, Pizarro quarreled withe his ¢ \queror of the Inca of Peru and was ingloriously murdered. pt. James C‘ook explored the Pacific, circumnavigated New Zealand, visited the Antarctic Continent, discovered important islands, made the first east- ward cfrcumnavigation of the glote, made the British Empire of the Pa cific Ocean possible—and then was miserably murdered by savages of Hawaif. Sir Walter Raleigh, the explorer of the Carolinas, the man who gave po- tatoes and tobacco to England and the civilized world, the courtier, the favorite of Queen Elizabeth, fell into distavor with her successor, James I, and was sent to the Tower, acciwed of treason; then when he was released because the King wanted to use him for an expedition to America, he ended his career with failure and the tragic death of a son. Vasco da_Gama, who first rounded the Cape of Good Hope and found a water passage to India, wae wholly neglected by his government for 21 years, then when at last he was made viceroy of Portuguese India he died within the first year. What of Liv- ingatone? What of John Cabot, the discoverer of North America—Ilost at sea? Not one of the world's great recogni- Act tion and_reward. Nof n panned the seas and continents. How | eaten either fresh or preserved with salt and pickle. The codfish's swim- ming bladder, known as a “sound.” is used either in a fresh state for food or dried in the sun and manufactured into isinglass for clarifying purposes. The skin of the codfish is used for manufacture of liquid fish -glue and leather. The fins and bones and other waste parts of the fish are utilized for fish meal and fertilizer. The spawn is very heavily saited and sent to France for sardine bait, or when used fresh it is prepared by special processes and sold as caviare. The eyeballs are pre- served by the jeweler for making strings of beads, and the scales of the codfish’s skin are used for imitation of pearl beads. Last, but not least, one of the most important parts of the codfish’s body is the liver, from which cod liver oil is made, Q. How many chickens are there on the farms of this country’—L. M A. According to the census of 1925 there were 409,200,549, Q. Is it wise to use a concrete swimming pool as a skating rink in the Winter>—A. T. W. A. A properly designed and con- structed concrete swimming pool may be allowed to freeze over in Winter, thereby providing a skating rink. Many pools are allowed to freeze over in the Winter until the ice becomes more than a foot thick, without in jury. Q. What apples time of ye A. Among th at this time are the Del Golden, Jonathan, MelIntosh, Mon- mouth, Northern Spy, Spitzenberg, Wagner, White Pearmain, Winter Banana, Yellow Bellflower and Tomp kins King. Q. Who discovered Encke's comet” { —N. 0. A. This comet was discovered In Pons, at Marseille, November 1918. It was more fully investigate: by J. F. Encke, for whom it was named, this re best at Q. Please give some information :\I‘:“:utBlhe bell known as “Great Tom. A. This bell, which Is in the tower of the Tom Gate of Christ Church, Ox- ford, weighs 17,000 pounds. Every night at 10 minutes past 9 (closing time) it is tolled. The resources of our free Informa- tion Bureaw are at your service. You are invited to call upon it as oftcn as you please. It is being maintained by The Evening Star solcly to serve you, What questions can e ansiwer for wou? There is no charge at all exeept 2 cents in stamps for return post- age. Address your letters to The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic_J. Haskin, director, Washe {ington, D. €. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. tenses of Cook, who deceived many into_believing that he, too. had “ar- rived.”” Now Cook is in the peniten- tiary as a fraud and user of the mails for false pretenses. * K ¥ Not only in discovery have the ex- plorers had to face an inappreciative world, but equally bitter has been the fate of great inventors. It took Morsa but a few months to work out his in- vention of telegraphy, but several years to interest the public and gain a paltry congressional appropriation of $30,000 to_erect his demonstration line between Washington and Baltimore. Only the intimate friends of Dr. Sam uel Pierpont Langley ever knew the chagrin he felt over the ridicule heaped upon his experimental airplane Yet it flew; it had the germ of the prin- ciple only a little later developed by | the Wright brothers. And how puny has been the reward of those brothers who first made practical the dream of Darius Green! Within 25 years, then invention was deciding the fate of the whole world in a war which threatened annihilation of liberty and civilization. and today the airplane is entering upon the greatest evolution in world commerce ever known. Has the world i paid its lawful toil to the inventors® Why did not the airplane reward the Wrights as generously the antomo bile has done some of its late manu facturers? After Alexander Graham Bell had invented the telephone he refused a offer of a generous saiary to ser consulting engineer to the telephonc company, because he preferréd to be uninterrupted in further scientific re- search. What is wealth to a “pure scientist™? Eli Whitney, a Northerner, invented the cotton gin and was harassed into complete disgust by infringers and an ungrateful public, although Ma caulay, the great English historian, said of him, “What Peter the Great did to make Russia dominant, Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin has more than equaled in its relation to the power and progress of the United States.” When the gin was invented, a little over a century ago, there were 130.000 spindles emploved in cotton manufac- ture—all in New England. In 1910 there were more than 28.000.000 spin- dl and manufacturing of cotton gave employment to 9.000.000 per: inclusive of the cotton raisers. lar experiences of woe befell Har- greaves and Paul. inventors of cotton sarders, and Arkwright and Crompton. inventors of the cotton “jenny | the “mule.” * ok ok x Still more unfortunate, from a ma terial standpoint, are those highbrow to “‘pure science.’ ay discovered induction, with which Gramme, Siemens and Edison created generators. Volta had already in his electric cell first produced a continuous electric current. How I much reward did he get from the elec- tric age of today? Clerk Maxwell | demonstrated by higher mathematic that there must be long invisible ves in the ether. But of what good is the “‘pure science” of something in visible? Hertz partly answered that [by producing such waves in his lab oratory: but not until oni had harnessed them and set them at work carryinz messages, without wires, was { the world aware of the practical worth of Maxwell's mathematics. How many similar instances might be cited of | the immeasurable debt we owe to the “pure scientist” who is left in ob scurity and often in penury! Especially in a republic like ours— and it is proverbial that ‘“republics are ungrateful”—is the fate of th xplorer and the adventurous pioneer of science precarious! Here is no pub- lic reward of affluence: there are no pensions for initiatory brains and courage in civil life. How can we patent “pure science?” How can we ennoble new id ‘which are destined to ennoble civilization? An attempt to express such a senti- ment was made last evening when the National Geographic Society awarded the Hubbard Medal to Col. Charles A. Lindbergh for his brave and lone crossing of the ocean by air. But the airplane has become a commonplace, within the lifetime of its producers. It has multiplied the days of our gencration by the time that it saves, for time is what our lives are made of. For centuries, men had struggled over ice flelds to reach the Pole: with } an airplane Byrd goes straight to it and returns the same day. And Or- ville Wright sat on the platform, last evening. while few in the vast aud ence realized that without him 4 [ ' !