Evening Star Newspaper, November 17, 1927, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY .: . November 17, 1927 P PSS THEODORE W. NOYES. ... Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Compaty I ness Office 1th St. d_Pennes st S B S L icago Office: Towe x co: 14 Regent .St.. Lovdon, European Office: 14 Regen The Evening Star with the Sunday morn- tng edition 1s delivered by carriers within ¥he city at 60 cents per month: dayly onl 5 cents onth: Sundaye only. 20 ve A o’ Sders may he sent by muil or er gonti ' Grders : |5 A 1h 000, Collection 18 made by b2 A% w4 of cath month. > Rats by Mail—PRayable in Adrance. . Miry and and Virginia. B: ene S by i omrs e 1 Sunday only . All Other States and Canada. 200: 1 mo. $1.00 .00: 1 mo.. $100: 1 mo.! ated Press is excluatyely en * Tepubiication of all news di ed to it or not otherwise er d-‘ 2 ‘nuhlication resorved The Ascoc 0 the ‘use patches cred fted in thie vor ublished herein Biiperial dienatchea herein ar The True Reason for Fixed Ratio. Coemputations of the appraisai value of Federal Government property in the District of Columbia are interesting, but they do mot bear explicitly upon the question of the District's equity in the matter of mational ald in munici- pal maintenance. It has mever been contended that thé annual paynients by the United States in support of the National Capital municipality are in lieu of taxés. The organic act of 1878, svhich established the principle of a fixed ratio of contribution, then set at fifty per cent of the whole annual ap- ® propriation, was based upon the propo- sition that it was the duty of the Gov- ernment, in exclusive control of the area set apart as a seat of national administration and designed upon a , Wcale and restricted to uses commen- surate with the dignity and require- ments of the United States, to share in the cost of development and main- tenance. Experience had proved that the District, unaided, could not pos- sibly support itself out of its own taxation. .The fixed ratio principle wasadopted and established as a means of regu- sheltered, such as the Juvenile Court and the District National Guard. Ther8 i no longer any shortage of apaftments or rooming houss accom- modations. Thers 18 no good reason why the Government should continue in the hotel or boarding house busi- ness. The front yard of the Capital City is cluttered. Barly in the coming Congress the Architect of the Capitol is to make his recommendations, based on expert landscape architectural studies, as to how this entire area which the Gov- ernment nmow owns should be de- veloped. He will recommend the tear- ing down as soon as possible of such of these hotels as ave in the square Dbounded by B and C streets, Delaware and New Jersey e7eiucs. because there will be centered the most fm- portant\ part of the architactural and terracing improvements. Other neigh- boring structures on land recently acquired by the Government have al- ready been demolished. There should be mno patchwork, plecemeal removal of these “Govern- ment hotele.” They have outlived their emergency usefulness and should all be removed at once and forthwith. With the Congress making appropria: tions of millions of dollars for beauti- fleation of this area, there is no valid excuse for allowing these shabby flimey structures to contin e as a blot on the landscape. Quick action by Congress Is expected. T An Unpopular “Request.” The Federal Radio Commission is to request Station WRC to quit broad casting at 11 o'clock at night, so that Eastern listeners will have a chance to pick up KFI in Los Angeles, which operates on the same wave length, and other distant stations in the Midwest and the West. WRC, therefore, will b2 expected to arrange its program so that it can be ended one hour before midnight. In fssuing this order, the Radio Com mission must be exceedingly optimistic régarding the character of radio sets owned by Washingtonians. The com- mission must believe that every one of the thousands of sets here is an eight- tube affair, with batteries and tubes in perfect condition, and the fadio owner keen on fishing for static-clouded mu- sic. AS a matter of fact, there are perhaps less than a hundred Wash- ingtonians who have ever had the thrill of picking up West it sta- Sating the ogppropriations annually made for tfe District. For every dol- Jar raised by local taxation the Gov- ernment contributeéd another dollat. There was in 1878°no thought of a waluation of the Federal property in fhe District as the basis of this contri- bution. Nor in later years, when the ratio was reduced to sixty-forty, was thers any consideration of that valua: kion. Not even in 1922, when the fump-sum system was substituted for ghe fixed ratio, was this action actu- fted by a count of values. ‘The equities of the situation demand @ liberal contribution by the United Btates to District development and maintenance, regardless of the réla- tive holdings of the Federal Govern- ment, the municipal government and Rhe taxpaying citizens. They demand, furthermore, that that contribution be in a determinéd ratio and not placed upon the lump-sum basts. For as long s the appropriations are made by Congress, in exercise of the privilege ©f exclusive legislation granted by the Constitution, thére can be no other check upon excessive expenditures than through the medium of a propor: tionate sharing of the cost by the Federal Governmént. The cost of maintaining and devel- oping the Capital municipality is in- oreasing steadily. The tax burden, al- weady heavy, has in late years become heavier in proportion. With the ehange to the lJump-sum plan there has me a disposition by Congress to throw a constantly increasing weight upon the shoulders of the local tax. avers, who, without large industries and concentrated values such as are present in other communities to sus- Aain them, are unable to meet the Tequisitions without sacrifice and suf- fering. ‘Thus, while the computations of the walueés of Government holdings ini the District are striking, they do not defi- mitely bear upon the question now presented, relative to the restoration of the equitable system of the fixed ratio in thé making of District appro- priations. It matters nothing what the White House or the Capitol or the Treasury would cost in reproduction foday, or what their values may be in ‘serms of adjacent property. The points to be stressed to Congress in the ap- ®eal of the District for a return to the wsafeguarding policy’ of a definite pro- yortion of Federal funds contribus tion to the annual cost of Capital ‘maintenance are that that principle is equitable, that under it the District edvariced satisfactorily for many years, that only through it can there be a guarantee against extravagance and excessive taxation and that, final- v, the duty of the Government to share with a stated percentage in the cost of the making and management ©f the municipality over which it ex- ercises exclusive control has hereto- fore been recognized in law, and that there is no ground for its abandon- ment now that the cost of Distriet government has grown to larger fig- ures, ————— Tn the midst of the most sumptuous banquet, the true aviator wishes for the thermos bottle and the ham sandwich. o Filipinos demand independence with- out submitting any definite program as to how they expect it to work out. —————— Tear Down the Plaza Shacks! The celebration of Armistice day re. minds us that the war has been over for nine years, and vet the war shacks thrown up in-a housing emergency to provide shelter for the of Government clerks, long since demobilized, still disfigure the plaza between Union Station and the . Capitol. This 1 deserted village, drab ‘and desolate, is the first view that thousands of good American citizens get of their “Capital beautiful.” Somne army most tions. There may be mor€: © ¢ is Qoubted it authentic instances 8 this kind will exceed that number. 1t is almost as ridiculous for the ma- jority of Washingtonians to try to rédch Los Angeles after WRC has shut down a3 it was for tha happy and confident owner of a two-tube set last year to lose sleep in an attempt to bring in European stations at a time when every American broadeaster was silent and the ether was absolutely clear. A few with powerful sets and keen ears undoubtedly succeeded in their quest, but the music that was received was as unsatisfactory as it was feeble. It is the same with Wash- ingtonians attempting to bring in "t Coast stations. A few will do it, .8 the majority will turn off their @ets disgustedly after straining their ears to pierce the weird noise that characteriges present-day radio in a vain search for entertainment. Besides the fact that only a few out of the thousands of radio listeners here succeed in spanning the three thousand miles of air bétween the East and the West—and some of these few make extravagant claims of suec- cess when success has not been theirs —the great majority of local fane do not care in the slightest whether KFI of Los Angeles, KOA at Denver, or even WEBH at Chicago are operating or not. WRC furnishes good enter- tainment free from ptatic, and if WRC does not suit them they can flip the dial to WJZ, which is powerful enough to be heard in Washington at all times. They haveé their choice of two stations and possibly more that they can plck up without difficulty, that do not fade, and that wear on the nerves the least because of the absence of hums and squenls and other irritating noises. Compared to the number of listeners to local music, thé distance radio bug is decidedly in the minority. The en- thusiasm, however, of the long-dis- tance fai s 8o gréat that ttvo or three o'clock in the morning is his average bedtime on good radio nights, and he will stay up at his set in the wee small hours regardless of whether WRC broadcasts late or not. So, inasmuch as it makes little difference to the long-distance fan if he starts fishing at eleven or twelve o'clock at night, and it does make a vast difference to the majority of fans who enjoy local pro- grams if their music is turned off too early, it appears that thé Federal Commission will find small support for its request of Station WRC. st Perhaps the managers would like to know just which act it was that Mrs. Forbush ran out on with a view to hiding herself in ths woods. ———ra— Extend New York Avenue! Citizens of the northeast section of the city are urging the opening of certain new atreets and the extension of others to give them freer means of communication with the center of the city. This proposal has been started by the Dahlgren Terrace Citizens’ As- sociation with a resolution urging im- mediate proceedings by the Commis- sioners, One specific item in the pro- posed program of improvements is of general and not merely local fmpor- tance. It is urged that New York avenue, which now ends at street, east, ha exténded to Bladens- burg road. That avénue is an im- portant artery, {he usefulness of which is limited by the fact that it runs into a stub end at the very point | where it should bhe continued to ¢con- nect with the system of highways. When the plans were adopted for the concentration of the railroad lines entering the District, coupled with the construction of the Union Station, provigion was made for the extension of New York avenue in a northeast- erly direction and a large bridge was constructed to as a viaduet for that avenue. bridge has ve- mained idle for many years. It car- ries no, traffie. It leads nowhere. The ©f (Sese buildings are being used in & m geshift way to provide quarters for L wtrict activities that were neveg #mtended to he nested there, and whick @ WILAURiey a4 Improperly, 1 street-extension plan was abandoned #céné of disordérly Eatherings and was a few monhths ago brought to publle attention by a erime, which is still unsolvéed, committed thére in the darkness. 'The area to the northeast of it, susceptible of development if the avenue is extended, lles dormant, awaiting means of approach. The unfinished work, which cost the District heavily. should be com- pleted. The spectacle of a massive viaduct standing idle for nearly two decades for lack of connection with the District's highway systern is cer- tainly not an agreeable one. The structure itself is conspleuously within the vision of all travelers entering the city from the north. Washingtonians take no pride in explaining to them that this is a case of an unfinished opcration, Meanwhile, the increase of traffic has been aucz as to & undue burden upen other lines travel. Extension of the avenue urgently needed for the relief of this condition. TIndeed, with this highway axtended to conjunction with the Bal timore houlevard it would become one of the most valuable arteries of the Capital. This work should be placed upon the calendar of business to be undertaken in the near future, RS . Der Komischer Kaiser. Former Kaiser Wilhelm 1T of Ger- many, at present an adornment of Doorn, has always been known as an exceedingly versatile man. Even his ill-wishers have admitted that much, He has never, however, énjoyed much of a reputation as a humorist. Of course, during his long imperial career he has made a number of rather heavy royal jokes, laughed at as heartily by those within his hear- ing as are the witticisms of a relaxed school teacher. But real, deep, satiri- cal humor has not been one of his acknowledged characteristics. Perhaps, though, he has been mi judged, for he has come forward with something that is certainly entitled to be called a “nifty” and possibly even a “wow.” It appears that he wishes to live near Locarno during the Win- ter season and has bought two small islands in Lake Maggiore for residen- tial purposes. One will be called “The Island for World Peace.” It is not stated what the other island will be christened. “Isle of Surprise” would not be %o bad. st ightéenth amendment has achieved a triumph in attaining more present publicity than all the rest of the Constitution put togéether. R ‘Whatever his sentiments may be in a general way, évery Mexican states. man has a deep respect for the munitiohs faetories of the U. S. A. ———ra——— Coal miners are protesting that there are other sources of fuel supply that need attention as much as the oil fields. of is et The Balkans continue to occupy the position of a territory equipped to provide international trouble on short notice. —————— There are moments when a states. man rather enjoys being contradicted. ‘When he expresses disinclination to be a candidate is one of them. ———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, Trouble Time. The Court House now is ready For strange account$ of crime, And Autumn’s going steady Along toward Trouble Time. True Justice—they will hand it To each in nature’s course. Some want to catch a bandit And others need divorce. This life is still. worth living 1f comic or sublime. Though what we call Thanksgiving Still looks like Trouble Time. Introductions. “Are you going to introduce any bills?” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum. “I don’t believe they'll amount to much, but my constituents ate en- titled to the pleasure of feeling that their ideas are getting into high-toned, intellectual society.” Misgulded. A gentle student well I know. He'll make, 1 fear, a modest show, Although he knows his books quite well And many a story old can tell. I frequently have warned him that He ought to be an acrobat. Had he but learned a song and dance, In life he might have had a chance. Jud Tunkins say® you can’t manage the clock so as to make the daylight saving “tick” beat the wordy man's “talk."™ Last Word. “Does youy wife always have the last word?"” “No,” answered Mr. Chuggins. ‘Every now and then we run into an interview with a motor cop.” Beauty of Poetry. “Are you fond of poetry? “Yes,"” answered Miss Cayenne. “It often gives a person something to say that prevents him from being insuf- ferably dull.” “Envy,” said Hl Ho, the sage of “hinatown, “magnifies the dyspeptic nelghbor’s crust of bread into a gilded banquet.” Public Entertainment. Be glad if you for music have a passion. 1t's not o very costly in the end. A prize fight is the grand event of fashion ' Which only wealth may venture to attend. “Kindness,” said Uncle Eben, “is what everybody would show if nobody didn’t accidentally get excited.” et Balancing the Budget. From the New York Sun. A hint to the thrifty: The King ot Siam has reduced the royal elephant herd by half in order to make his household budget, balance. vatrs. Cause of Many Accidents, From the Toston Hernld It is a keen-yed driver who can see iand this heavy expenditure was ren dered fruitless in consequence. The bridge structure itself has become the at mizht pedesivians in his path just “heyond u ecar approachive wikh blind- ing headlights. X THIS AND THAT ;. Is courtesy ever wasted? Sometimes 6né 5 inclined to think o, when he performs an act of civil- ity toward some one else, oniy to find himself rebuffed or ignored. After such an experience one may be for given for feeling that courtesy is wasted upon some persons, that it would be better to save his urbanity for those who appreciate it. A Washingtoniin was walking along Pennsylvania avenue the other day. He had finished smoking a| cigavette as he walked along with a companion, and started to throw the | affair away. Usually he looks where he is throw- ing his “smoke,” but this time an interesting topic made him careless. The tossed cigaret, instead of going into the gutter, as the tosser ‘ntend- ed, struck a pedestrian on the coat| sleeve, “I heg your pardon.” exclaimed the thrower, in a contrite tone. The other, the remar A= there was no damage done, the party of thé first part could nof see why' his intentions were not honored: and finally, as the othér continued to look resentfully at him, lost pa- tience and declared: “I didn’t mean to hit vou at all; it was simply an accident; go chase yourself around the block Evidetitly the vernacular was not lost upon the other, for he imme- diately went on about his business. “You are wasting your time,” the | companion said, “trying to be cour- teous to some people. * Kk ¥ X pology, began. to make nasty The thing undoubtedly gets back to ¢ training: that is why it is so im- ildren to be habituated to politeness in the daily life if one wants them to act Jike civilized beings when they become men and women. Our forms of common, evervday po- liteness are not natural, in the sense that hreathing is a natural action that the beat of the heart may be to be so. It is not nafive to a human being, for instance, to say “Thank vou” when »me other person makes him a pres of something. The natural impulse, as one sees i in little children, is to stick out the | hand, grasp the desirbd article firm and then to feel in entire possession of it. Only the children of thoughtful mothers will instinctively murmur, “Thank you.” School teachers, among the many other benefits they confer upon the youth of the land, play a major part in teaching many children the elementary rules of urbanity. (We do not care for the word “etiquette.” It has been grossly overused of re- cent years. True politeness comes not so much from rules as from instruc- tion plus goodness of heart.) The uninstructed child scarcely ever will say “Thank you” of its own ac cord. This, as so many other polite | usages, is an outsrowth of civilized | living, holding a great deal of common sense In it, since it smooths the path of gift giving. After all is said and done, the giv- ing of gifts or benefits of any kind is not so easy as it looks. The giving of a gift puts the recefver in a certain position, however small, of inferiority. Many persons are utterly unable to accept honestly given services with- out resentment. ¥very one kno some one who refuses to accept ser ices or gifts, no matter how much the however, instead of accepting | | the {off one's hat other desires to give them. It s rather an unpleasant coinci- dence that on the same day, in the same city, but at different dinners, two very distinguished Ambassadors should find it necessary to utter public re- bukes of American ignorance regard- ing their nationals and their respective countries as manifested in motion pie- tures “made in America.” In New York last Tuesday Ambassa- dor Claudel of France, speaking at a dinner given in his honor by the As- sociation of Foreign Press Correspond- ents, told of his recent visit to Hol wood, where he saw certain pictures in the making. He commented as fol low: I saw or T was told that in those pictures colonial wars of Krance, Afri- can wars of France, are quite the fashion, and generally #rench soldiers and French officers are represented in a way which is not at all flattering. T know that it takes much time to change a type which has caught once the eye and the fancy of the public. “I know also that the movie drama cannot do without villains, and as it is difficult to find villains among one's own countrymen it seems better to choose them among people of other nations. But I have a right to say, and 1 have here as witnesses people who have seen French soldlers and officers under every latitude, that they are not what the film producers judge proper to show to the American pub- lic and to the public of all nations in the world, since there is no nation where American films are not seen and enjoyed. The French soldiers and officers are exactly the same in Indo- China and Africa as they were at the Marne and in Verdun. In further protest, Claudel added: Some peoplé seem in Amerlci 1o entertain the foolish idea that French- men have a natural taste for war, that they positively cherish warmaking, that they are always ready to make war just for the fun of the thing. It is just the same as if you said that South Americans were fond of yellow fever and Japanese of earthquakes. No people in the world suffered more from war than France in the last cen- tury, and nobody but a madman can imagine that a nation which has just emerged from the horrors of the last conflict 18 not decided—and, if I may say, frantically decided—to do every- thing in Its power to avert a new catastrophe. Ambassador * ok K X Even while the French Ambassador was uttering his well merited protest, the Ambassador from Brazil was <peaking at another New York dinner, where the Bankers' Club was organiz- ing a Brazilian-American Association and dining the Ambassador in cele- bration of the anniversary of the stitution_ of the republic of Braz adopted November 15, 1889, Ambassador 8. Gurgel do Amaral, after praising the great civilization and commercial dévelopment of the United States, and referring to the organization of the Brazilian-American Association, said: “To augment the friendship and good will of our republics, to stimulate the interchange of ideas and to am- pli commercial ~ expansion, the Brazilian-American Association has been formed. The organization of this association foreshadows an era of in- ternational co-operation.” Then he spoke of the need of in- telligent co-operation even in the mo- tion pictures, citing a film which has vecently been shown depicting Brazil as a Spanish country, and its “beau- tiful e as a dismal, sordid with inhabitants h cupation than pla and dancing ngo at all hours, day or night, while our luguese language seems to be entively unknown in Brazil.” The Ambassador stated that he had written his protest “to a gentleman high attainments in mind and heart, who is always striving to hold the moving picture films in the heights of perfection, beauty and decorum.” and he had received a letter of thanks. In the Ambassador’s lettér, he sai “Perhaps 44@ -~oroducing company, | withdréw from the Lang:ie i BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELY. The use of ordinary courtesy in gift giving and receiving tends to take away the slight unpleasantness which such action carries with it, thus ren. dering rvice both to giver and re- ciplent. LR To continue the example of court beginhing with a simple “Thank you common practice requires that “the one who confers the gift reply, “You are welcome,” or some such state- ment, to relieve the mental tension. (Another testimonial to the bad side of gift giving.) When one thanks another, and the other docs not murmur some such re- ply, the first person feels more or less < if his conrtesy were wasted. There are many other situations in ‘every- day living in which one who believes in elvility is faced with the question 1s my politeness wasted? Today so standardized is dress, both among men and women, that it is scarcely possible for one to tell, by looking at them. whether unknown persons are habituated to courtliness or are in the category of those per- | sons who “have been brought up in 2 stable,” as the homely old adage put it. It is to ave themselves from wanted and unmerited slights and r buffs that men who have “arrived adopt a policy of making ns few con- tacts with others as possible, not from any desire to be “high hat,” or bhe- catise they suddenly amass unto them- selves a “swell head,” or anything of that sort. They have discovered that they themselves a lot of troubls and - simply by cutting their acquaintance lown' to those they have' discovered to be entirély elvilized heligs—and no one is civilized who canot be ordina- y polite aimself, both in his_own conduct and in the reception of the words and actions of othe * X x % In public vehicles one meéets all gorts men, the tempf un- or crowds. where and conditions of ation arises to forget “manners” taught one long ago. or at least such residue as has not been knocked out of one by the buffets time. It is distinetly a strain upon one's mp of civility to step aside to allow 2 woman to enter a street car first to have the same lady deliberately tread upon one's toes, witiout so much as y as she passes. 4 man, in the old days, swore to get up no more when, after he had done so, the fat lady calmly ap- propriated the vacated seat without 50 much as a glance to left or right, and. indeed. in some cases, with an indignant expression. as if she were saying to herself, “What right dld you have to be seated in the first place, you sap?” Today the most trying situation upon the strained courtliness of the average male is the custom of taking in an elevator. Many men regard it not only as a wasté of effort, but as distinctly a nuisarice to all concerned, since the hat on the head is out of the way, whereas a hat held waist-high is in every one's way in_2 packed elevator. Yeu all true courtesy, however un- acknowledged, is worth a great deal to the person who indulges in it. It may seem wasted, but worth a great deal to what of it? There is a great deal of waste in every issue of life. and what can be sted to more point than decent civility to one's fellow human beings? “The gift is to the giver,” some one has well said. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. better advised, will see to it that the film is elther suppressed or at least that the title, as well as the énviron- ment, with the accompanying screen literature, are changed to a place more suitable to a Spanish village moving picture tale.” * % %% On a par with the artists’ confusion of Spanish with Portuguese as the language of Brazil is the story by the Minister from Greece, who was rather taken aback by the naive query of an American tourist as to what language the Greek people used. Americans often resent the too ready willingness of foreigners to be- gin criticizing America as soon as they land in New York, but here ap- pears a situation, according to the diplomats, which would call for a little more willingness for Americans (thanks to Chief Censor Will Hays) to censor their own motion pictures and tourist _interpretations of foreign peo- ples. How not to be narrowly “pro- vincial” is a theme for American in- vestigation. Ambassador Amaral found some comfort in an editorial criticism of the objectionable picture of Rio de Ja- neiro. The editorial said: “Rio de Janeiro is a modern city of a million and a half inhabitants, It enjoys the most advanced sani- tation and the most exquisite clean: lin It boasts superb hotels, boule- vards and parks, and a setting of su- preme natural beauty. Its language is Portuguese. * * ¢ For our movie $mpresarios to picture Rio de Janeiro a8 a Spanish village is as Iudicrous as to have Kuropeans insist that wild Indians still go whooping down our city Streets and “that all Americans eat pie for breakfast. * koK ok The blunder of the movie is mot isolated as to American general lack of knowledge concerning South Amer- is Brazil, a republic whose constitution is almost identical with our own, though giving more in- dependent powers to the states; a country thousands of square miles larger than continental United States of America; a country having a greater population (33,000,000) did our own Nation at the time of our Civil War, and even now with a quarter as large as .our present popu- lation. Brazil's ideals of liberty and Independence are similar to our own, though she, like most Latins, has per- haps finer conceptions of sentiment, of art and of beauty for beauty's sake than we may boast. When Brazil_exiled Dom Pedfo T and proclaimed her republican gov- ernment, November 15, 1889, she had less direct cause of complaint than the abuses which drove our Revolutionary forefathers to proclaim the Declara- tion of Independence, yet she dreamed of republ and equality, and herselt of monar- enses of superiority, as she viously thrown off all al- fance to her mother country of Portugal, September 7, 18 . It 1s a unique sentiment which Am- passador Amaral expressed when he d in his New York speech: “Rrazil commemorates today the proclamation and establishment of the republican form of government. We are a republic nowadays united in a great reverence to the memory of the pperor we dethroned 38 years ago. ; ociate our repub- lican’ jo: man we were forced to discard in the hour of our need, for a government more suitable to our growth and to our role in Americ: Could any American couple his 100 with such words ¥ At least it Thomp- xpressed. of praise of ( would be outside son’s balliwick, it such were * ok K K one of the first to follow (he United States in support of the allies against the n the Great War, in spite of the fact that she holds millions of German c! Br Nations when the Leagu‘s ve thé German re- e COVENBER than | ¥, Attacks Joint Name Suggested for Bridge To the Editor of The Star: I am glad to know that the Fine Arts body has turhed down the propo- dition to couple the name of Robert E. Lee with that of Abraham Lincoln in the designation of the Arlington Bridge. To state the case very tem- perately, the propogition wae ex- tremely ill-considered. Abraham Lin- coln saved the Union, and in saving it destroved American slavery, For his pains_hegwas finally shot by a fanatic. Rolfrt E. Lee, following his State against his own judgment, did all he could to disrupt the Union and perpetuate the institution of slavery. By his misgulded ability he prolonged the war at great expense of blood and treasure. Lee had qualities that en- deared him to the South and won him mora or less respect in the North; hut he is not a national hero, and, if the Nation is true to itself, never can he. Whatever the personal or local feel- ifa itny o, the Natiomal ( ment is_Baund to tuke view, Who took arms against it along those who stood by it in its hour of | need. | I have long feared that some at- tempt wpuld be made to utilize the Arlington Bridge for the honor of Con- federate heroes. I hope that this de- sign may not be pressed further. For myselt T would gladly see all specific allusion to the Civil War removed from thé name. 1 do not bélieve any one has ever cared very much for the memorial feature of the bridge. The name was taken more as a lever for lifting the project than as an expression of an actual feeling. The name “Memorial” is supposed to re- fer to the reconciliation of the North and the South, and was doubtless in- tended in a conciliatory spirit. It is a term, however, t thus fuil to setile anything between them. Thus the South will not be satisfied unless Gen. Lee is placed on the same moral level as President Lin- coln; but if there are any true Union fmen Jeft besides the present writer they cannot colicedé this. Would it I not he better, then, to choose a name which does not call up sectional ques- tions in any pungent way, while em {hodying a ‘wholesome national senti ment? Thus “Unity Bridge” would be appropriate to the national character of the bridge and to its position as gateway hetween the North and the South, without any irritating allusion to anything which ever happened be tween the fectfons. Something can also be said for “Loyalty Bridge” and ‘onstitution Bridge. I cannot help feeling that the name “Memorial,” if retained, will express nothing very heartfelt on the part of anybody, and that it might better be replaced by a more abstract designation, which if less emotional is at léast more sincere. EDWARD 8. STEELE. Cites Postal Union As United Effort To the Editor of The Star: A letter just returned to me from the Vienna (Austria) dead letter of- fice incidentally offers strong evidence of the possibility of arranging a united world. While our irreconcilables are insist- ing that isolation is imperative and beneficial, one branch, at least, of our own Government has thrown isolation to the winds and found something a thousand times better. Half a century’s experience of the harmonious working of our own Post Office as a member of the Universal Postal Union has amply proved the possibility and desirability of a con- sistént and patriotic policy of co- operation, world wide, efficient and néeding no armed support. By a system of mutual give and take, any citizen of *any country in Europe, Asia, Africa or America en- joys the very valuable and convenient privilege of sending not only 'letters, but packages of very considerable and weight, to any and every other country in the world. Every intricate detail of the service—routes, rates, methods of prepayment, collec- tions, auditing, etc.—has been so fully arranged that not the least friction occurs. Not only has this been for half a century found possible by agreement among national governments in the formation and regulation of the Uni- versal Postal Union, but evén private | international corporations, electric, tel- ephonic, ete., have found it possible to enmesh and serve the entire globe. May not these unqualified successes point the way to our supporting whole heartedly those tewer world-regula- tory institutions, the International Court of Justice and the Leagué of Nations, hoth long desired and urged by our own American Presidents and legions of leaders of the world's thought? EDWARD BERWICK. ————— Sees Improved Living Under Prohibition Act To the Editor of The Star: Conditions for women and children of the working classes have improved very greatly under prohibition. They were the greatest sufferers from the drink curse, and prohibition means more to them than any other class. Thé money that formerly botght booze is used for legitimate purposes. 1t buys clothes and shoes for the fam- ily, helps to pay for the house, goes into the savings bank. The swinging doors have been closed, and_ women will keep them closed. Backed by the nineteenth amendment to the Consti- tution they hold the balance of power, and they will never consent to the re- peal of the eighteenth amendment. The eighteenth amendment will not be repealed until the nineteenth has been, and who is there that would suggest repealing the nineteenth? As well suggest turhing thé Potomac back to its source in the mountains, CALEB S. MILLER. ————————— Navy's Visibility. From the St. Paul Pioneer Press. What the country wants to know fs how the Navy can be so ineflicient in time of peace and so efficient in time of war. — e Seasonable Service. From the Newark News, Now if the hunter's moon would only shine into our closets at home, it would help us find ‘our Winter over- coat for which many of us are now hunting. A permanent seat in the League Counci! while refusing the same rec- ognition to Brazil. She has never shown antipathy toward, or jealo of, the United tes of America, but S0 expresses her admiration of our in- stitutions as to name important streets and buildings after President Monroe, and she recognizes the Monroe Doc- trine as something which is her pro- tection while In no way encroaching upon her indepéndert .overeignty. From Brazil comes the éxposure of Germany's plan to found therein a German South American empire as soon as she had conquered England, France and the United State: region selected for that empire territory with a temperate cfimate, not unlike Central Furope, the developing cattle land where upward of 20,000,000 cattle are even now grazing on these rolling prairies, lands capable of rais- ing eve f the tem- perate alleys by the sea, whe as and many tropical fruits find their home below the higher regions of waviug corn- fields."” The United 8tates of America and the United States of Brazil have as co-dial relations as we have with our public izens. She | neighbor on the north, and always bave had. (Copyright. 1927 b Pawl 7. Uollins.) |Jew?—K. F. B. 0 oty can | interpret in its own way, and it will | ANSWERS TO Q. How much money Is being| spent on public_roads in countries | other than the United States ™—T. V.| A. Within the past year more than £550,000,000 has been voted for road improvement in other countries Cuba and the Netherlands lead with | £120.000.000 appropriations, while | Australia is in the $100,000,000 class | Q. What is the national flower of | Germany ?—c. J. ! A. It is the cornflower. ‘ Q. Where is the largest pump in the United States?—D. B. B. A. The largest pump in United States is owned by the| | Connecticut Light & Power Co. of | New Milford, Conn. Sulzer Freres of | witzerland have built the largest pump in the world based on horse- power rating. \ the | Q. Where is there the most oxygen in the air?—I, A. The Weather Bureau says that | oxygen occurs, not in larger percen- | tage, but in greatest weight per cubic | foot of air, at the lowest levels and decreases with increase of height. meal were used by er: grain or harle; <he Roman ba Q. Was _ Masximilian Harden A. He was a Jew. He was horn in Barlin, October 20, 1861, and h name was Isador Witkowski. At the age of 16 he embraced the Christian ith. The publication Die Zukunft with which he was identified, w established in 18 nd ceased publi cation in 132, Q. What per cent of strength i taken from natural cotton yarn in the bleaching process? How does it aftect | the weight of yarn?—M. F. ! A. Cotton yarns lose frem 6 to 13| per cent of the strength and 2 to 6 per cent of the weight. depending upon | the type of bleach used. the type of otion, and the various manufacturing | Dprocesses, | E Q. Should an apostrophe be used in the word “its”?—-M. B. A. The apostrophe is omitted. When viation of the expressioft “it is. Q. How long has a medicine heen made from the liver of the cod?— M. W, A. Cod-liver oil has long heen popu- ylarly employed in northern Europe in rheumatic and strumous diseasés. It was first brought to the notice of the profession generally by German prac- titioners and had acquired great repu- tation on the continent before it was used to any extent in Great Britain. At Manchester, in England, it was employed by the medical profession in the treatment of chronic rheumatism and gout as early as 1 not wuntil the appearance of he treatige of Prof. Bennett of Edinburgh, 1841, that it came into general notice in at Britain and the United States. Q. Have seals sense?—P. T. A. According to apimal intelligence, seals rate fairly high. They are tamed easily and possess considerable capacity for being trained. However, for reasoning ability they do not coms pare with dogs, wolves or foxes. Q. 1 wish to send a friend living in Japan a bilifold for Christmas. 8 paxer money used in Japan?—E. C. . Japan has paper currency. Q. Was more than one poet known 4s “the Quaker Poet”?—N. D. A. The name was given to Bernard Barton and also to John Greenleaf Whittier. Q. Before what age is cancer the | for the form “it's” is used it is the abbre- | QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. least prevalent? Is it more common among men or women?—K. J. P. A. People tarely have cancer un- der 30 years of age. About 40 the in idence’ increases rapidly. On the whole, women have it more often than men, Q. How ma kinds of ferns a there? How many of these ar to the United States’—T. M. E. A. There arly 7300 recogniz- d species of ferns in the world, of which number over are known to be native to the Uy Q. To what tribe of Tndians fs ref- erence made when speaking of the “diggers”?—S8. M A, This was a name given to a number of tribea of North American Indians_in California. Oregon, Idak;, Nevada and Arizonn, whide widely different languages a ise a number of distinet ling The name nsed espe to designate the Bannock, Piute other Shoshonean tribes known to oots extensively for food and who a hence “diggers” (in English): but 1= n colne terminal syl lables “dika” and “tika” are cor in Shoshonean b nd tribal names his early life, in what work alt Whitman emy Tn wed?— A In early life he was engaged as 2 printer, carpenter, and During the Civil War he volunte s Army nurse. whom was Cooper Union il B, Q. By founded?— A. It was founded by Peter Caoper the instruction of the working ses of New York It w ans. Q. 1s Howard Pyle, the | 1 living?— . M. H. A, Mr. Pyle died at Florence November 9. 1911 Q. A. This is a submarine pla the North Atlantic Ocean, exte | eastward from Newfoundland Inoted for its fishing grounds. | depth is from 30 to 60 fathoms. Q { pta What is the’ Who originated the electric dis- sign’—L. N, Willlam 1. Meadoweraft, asso ate of Thomas A. Edison, was ‘he sriginator of the application of elec- | tricity to display signs n as the “Queen Q. Who was kno of Tears”?—\W. A. The name was sometimes ap- plied to Mary, second wife of James II of England. ’ Q. Is Abe Martin a pen name?—A. L. A. Abe Martin is the pen name of Frank McKinney Hubbard. Q. Who wrote “A Hot Time in the Old Town Tonigh! F. B. A. The music was written by Theo- dora A. Metz, the words by Joe Hay- den. It was published in 184 There is no other agency in the world that can answer as many legitimate questions as our free in- formation burcaw in Washington. D. C. This highly organized institution has been built up and_is under the per- sonal direction of Frederic J. Haskin By kecping in constant towah with® Federal bureaus and other educational enterprises it is in a position to pass on to youw authoritative information of the highest order. Submit wour queries to the staff of experts whose services are put at your jree disposal. There is no charge ezcept 2 cents in stamps for return postage. Address The Evening Star Information Ru- rean, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Herolc to some, costly but unim- portant to others, the achievement of Capt. Hawthotne C. Gray, Army aero- naut, who gave his life while making an altitude record of 43,000 feet in a balloon, arouses much general inter- est. That it was a sensational feat is generally admitted. The romance in his experience, preserved in his log of the flight, is referred to by some observers. “The indomitable quality all men respect Is in Capt. Gray's pursuit of the world’s altitude record,” says the Dettoit News, with the added com- ment that is not the story of an adventurer, nor does commercialism enter. He sought a name for achieve- ment—within the Army. The glory would be the Army’s first, his second. Hé had already a great fame as an ex- plorer, in balloons, of the rarefied fastnesses Surrounding the earth.” The News concludes: “Deplorable, splendid, inspiring, it is one of those soldier casualties in time of peace worthy of 4 distinguished service medal “Capt. Gray is another ma seience.” in the opinion of the Wate town Daily Times, which conclude: 'he mere rising to 8 miles in the air no particular contribution. observations as to air pressure and weather conditions at that height are of inestimable valué. Capt. Gray was exploring an unknown fiel This opinion is shared by the Altoona Mir- ror, which sa Fortunately, the world has always contained its due proportion of adventurous spirits who are impelled by the ambition within them to adventure everything in the hope of enlarging the world's knowl- edge. They aré not reckless: they know they are taking risks, but hope leads them on. * * * It is not all of life to live here on the solid earth. At the last, the real essence of life is found beyond the skies." * ok kX % “So a brave man died,” in the words of the New Orleans Item, “a pioneer in the uncharted upper regions. A poet, and not an editor, should write his epitaph. While that paper is unable to determine “what the world gains by » it is impelled to believe that “his lonely death in those altitudes, in the silence and the cold, between earth and heaven, ix & subject for a painter, a poet or a dramatist.” “It is of such Stuff,” according to the Springfield 1llinois State Journal. “{hat the inquiring, pioneerinz miad ix made. 1e must be sccounted a hero who gave his life to unlose from reluctant Nature some of her secrets We do not attempt to sy that his exploration, even if suecssful, would | have added little of I value to our stores. It seems that way to us, hut, perhaps. what he was trying to discover would la valuable either now or some.time later.” In the judgment c* “ndianapolis | Star, “no novex aak %-’d a more gripping tale than the the lll-fated flight. Floating high above the clouds, the pilot recordod halghe and temperature, a hint of his owl Ze- ! actions and an account ef the faww ! programs which were broadcast inte ! the ether to his little receiving set | drifting through the blue void. The physical strain which he felt before losing consciousness could be traced the entries in the loz, first in a Capt. Gray’s Sacrifice of Life In Flying Test Press Topic petty strife which we call civilization, death came to Capt. Gray. There was no_bursting of shells about him, no sudden plunge in a ‘flaming coffin.’ no enemy ace to add another to i record. Up there in that terrifying * stillness he died and the balloon carry- ing his body floated lazily to earth. ‘Sand all gone’ was the last entry in his log. His body in the basket of the balloon told the rest of the story.” LR “Many lives have been lost in aero- 1 efforts less rational than vs the Cleveland News, which holds that “there may be a lesson in it for every man so constituted that, once he starts anything, he has tn through with it if it kills him. S men should be carcful about w they start. There is small satisfac in success won ,at the cost of lhe Wichita Beacon contends that “nothing is gained by such a flight ex- cept the knowledge of anotaer record |broken. And this knowled s little good to the Army offic focated eight miles from earth The San Antonio Express direc Jfention to the fact that while ascent was made in accordance La Federation Aeronautique Int tionale rules. that organiza ire tors rejected Capt. Grav's pe ance hecause he did not complel descent in the basket,” and body several hours aft the balloon descended should he tiken into consideration by the officials ¥ i pass on.the performance here and abroad. This feat sh carried with the American rardless of La Iederation tique Internationale action.” Flint Daily Journal adds: * mind can encompass much of the vérse, a reminder of the divine sp that sometimes actuates him: his hoc chained to earth—as much a part it as any of the chemical constituen of the land, water, rc vegetation to remind him of his physical frailty." Significance is found by the Sno kane Spokesman-Review in the fact that the airman “was of exploring lineage. His grandfather came to the ific Northwest with the Whitmans as secular agent of the Amer can Board of Foreign Missions, and his father, Capt. W. W. Gray of Pas-o, still survives after a Jong and honor- nture on the rivers of the Pacific Northwes s records re Aeron UNITED STATES N WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today French general commanding sec which includes American front-line trenches cit 5 American offic and soldiers, including 3 who were killed, for bravery displayed in rocent f trench 1aids. % *# '# "Note accom- panying the citation says that Amer- icans used nearly 10,000 shells in the attack and their superior marksman- &hip caused much damage and many sualties, ¢ * * One enemy shell, % A American gun and caused sev- erll wsualties. Some of the men wounlitd in the last two days have died. * ¢ * Cable dispatches from small, even hand and then growing turger and irregular as the effort t move his fingers in that terrible ‘-nhll e more difficult.” eight miles up!” exclaims Democrat. A ‘gradual slipping peaceful sleep without pain. almost without realiza tion th=t she enc !5 neari ‘Tuere is the supreme in romanee—if there can | be romance in death. Beyond the clonds, beyond the clatier of noisy man aph his machiges, beyond the the American character and purposd, ‘«'I.llnl Viee® Admirs indicate that 17 men were L toches- ter, 1 ¥ sunk by German subma- rine. * s Secret service agencies that mysteri explosions in munitions and ether big plants were used hy Cermian spy symiees BTy county, aided py dlaicyal * & % Rritis e Col. Hi and American i King G says personnel of mission displays knowledge and alortness indicative of )