Evening Star Newspaper, November 29, 1927, Page 8

{THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY....November 20, 1027 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office. 110 East 43nd St. Chicagg Office: Tower Building. European Office: 14 Regent St.. London. Eneland. The Evening Star with the Sunday morn- edition is' delivered by carriers within city at 60 cents per month: daily unl 45 cents per month: Sundays only. 20 cents B, montn,, Ordets ‘may be sent by mail or lsphone Main 5000, Collection is made by carrier at end of each month. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. F“L' and Sunday....1vr $0.00: 1 mo. aily onty . ..o...0 1 ve. $4001 1 mo unday oniv. . 1 vr $3.00° 1 mo.. All Other States and Canada. aily and Sunday.1vr $1200: 1 mo. $1.00 aily only s i1y SR00: T mos T 280 SR Junday onl $400° 1 mo. 38¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitlod 0 the use for republication of il news die- Patches cradited to it or not otherwise cred- ited in this paver and also the local rews published herein. Al rights of publication of special disnatches herein are —_————————————— “Folie a Deux.” Although the case of Mrs. Ruth Snyder and of Henry Judd Gray, con- victed of killing the former’s husband, has passed beyond the judicial stage and the sole chance for their escape from the death penalty, short of ex- traordinary intervention, lies in execu- tive clemency, an effort is being made to avert their punishment the ground of insanity. A celebrated psychiatrist has been summoned from Chicago to New York to examine these two condemned people, he having fig- | ured prominently in the Leopold-Loeb | case of several years ago. .It was he who wrote the psychiatric report on these two young slayers, describing the “folie a deux” theory under which be held that the youths were insane when in exch other's company, but perfectly normal when apart. It is the hope of the defense counsel that he may apply this theory to Mrs. Snyder and to Gray and secure for them a rehearing on the insanity de- fense. Emphatic public indignation was felt &t the outcome of the Chicugo case, which so deeply shocked the count The engagement of expert alienists in behalf of the defense brought to the highest pitch the general fear of the insanity defense as a means of defeating justice. When the young defendants after conviction were sen- tenced to life imprisonment instead of the death penalty, which it was widely felt they deserved, the feeling pre- vailed that the safeguards against wanton assaults upon life had been weakened. The theory tnat two persons may be sane while separate and insane while in company is an extremely dangerous one to entertain in defense. It may be applied to a great variety and a wide range of departures from the normal. It may be made a blan- ket excuse for crimes of passion which have no possible condonement. It may be made to fit any conspiracy for & breach of the law. In this instance the motivating causes of the crime were simple. Greed was the chief of them. Unfor- tunately, it is not uncommon for an unfaithful wife to seek to rob her husband for the benefit of a para- mour. It is more rare that she should take his life, but whenever that crime s committed, whether with the con- pivance of the man or without, just as whenever a wife is killed by her husband in order to put her out of the way to rid kim of an unwelcome sonsort, the “folie a deux” defense may be applied by an extreme stretch of the imagination. But if it is enter- tained, if it is effective in any degree o lessen the penalty which is so fully earned and so richly deserved, it be- comes a menace to society. And the hepe is that in this instance no op- portunity will be given to-reopen this case to permit the application of this fantastic theory. ——r———————— on , WASHINGTON, D. €, TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 29, 1927. . THE WVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D, U, TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 0. . . he declares, are almost sure to be hasty, intolerant and rudely impulsive. Those costing from one to two thou- sand have fairly good, but rather vari- able manners, like those of an unfor- tunately underbred person who can- not always keep his mind on what he has read in the etiquette book. Cars priced from two to three thousand dol- tars seldom call forth either complaints or compliments. “Blue-bloods,” as he calls them, in the three-thousand-and- up class, rejoicing in hyphenated names and special bodies, usually act like gentlemen of the old school, in other words, “gentle men.” He refers in the foregoing to domestic cars; curiously enough, he says that foreign cars, though almost always of costly make, sometimes have surprisingly poor manners. Doubtless this critic goes much too far, being carried away by personal prejudices and predilections, but he certainly is free from the faintest sus- picion of the slightest tinge of holshe- vistic pink. And that there is some modicum of truth in his contention not many will deny. Whether compensa- tion for a form of inferiority complex be involved is hard to determine, but the small, cheap car Is too often remi- niscent of the {ll-clad bully who shoul- ders the weaker off the sidewalk, while seldom does the long, lustrous and in- nately powerful vehicle emulate the example of the equestrian of other days who, simply by viftue of his su- perior situation, crowded pedestrians to the wall. On the other hand, it must be said that it is likely enough that the tin rattletrap or moderately priced car would come more speedily to one's aid, if disabled, than would the super- vehicle, Some ancient philosopher once point- ed out that it is nice to have riches, but still nicer to be superior to th who do have them. This point might well be considered thoughtfully by | nany a motorist ——————— Shortcomings of the Zoo. In the death of Hiboy, one of the two young giraffes brought from Africa to the Washington Zoo, there is occasion not only for regret on the part of the visitors to that institution, but for chagrin for the lack of suit- able accommodations for the wild creatures that are housed there for public instruction and diversion. When these two animals were received here there was no suitable place for their care. They were located in the end of the main birdhouse, the omy available space, whereas they should have been given a wider range in the | open with a proper shelter. As a re- sult of this close confinement these two interesting creatures developed an affliction incident to their lack of fresh air and the narrow range of their habitation. It is altogether un- suitable for them. The male giraffe has died from a disease that may be traced directly to the conditions in which he was kept. This does not re- flect upon the Zoo administration, which has from the beginning of that establishment been severely handi- capped by lack of funds. The officials did the best they could for the giraffes, but that best was not adequate. The Washington Zoo has a setting which 1is second to none in the world. Its growth, however, has been one of difficulty. The provision of structures for the housing of the animals has been in all cases tardy. In many instances “provisional” accom- modations have been provided for new accessions for several seasons. Some of the structures are old, whiie thers are new. The old ones are to- day fit for demolition, while the new ones are crowded and require exten- sions for the proper housing of the in- voluntary inmates. The death of this giraffe should arouse sufficient interest in the proper development of the Zoological Park to cause a liberal revision of the scale of appropriations for that establish- ment. It is ane of the most popular points of pubtic attraction at the Capi- tal, giving pleasure to countless thou- sands of children and to adults as well. It is an objective of interest to most of the travelers who visit Washing- “Companionate” is a term which [ton. It should be the best equipped may cause confusion in case necessity >of all American zoos instead of being, arises for making alimony arrange-|as it is now, in many respects a make- ments. ——t Automotive Amenitic:. With all our vaunted democracy, our talk about “God's noblemen together with other catch-phrases which will occur readily to mind, can it be true that to some extent there is a genuine relationship between manners and money, considerateness and cash? To him who, with the rush of Christmas shopping getting into its full stride, must drive of walk In bustling streets, such would be indicated. Notice, for example, the manners of motor cars. This phrase i3 used because such vehicles seem to possess a personality of their own; one seldom notices a driver, but is acutely con- scious of the size, general appearance and actions of the vehicle encoun- tered. The big, costly, sleek, purring car, whether driven by owner or by liveried chauffeur, seems to evince & consideration for the rights and the comforts of others, cars and pedes- trians alike, too seldom imitated by the smaller, less costly and more un- kempt piece of machinery. As the reader drives along a thor- oughfare let him mark, for example, the horn-notes of overtaking cars. “Get over, you dumbbelll” a certain category seems raucously to snort, @nd passes with the flirt of a gutter- snipe. Whereas, “1 am ahout to pass—hope you don't mind,” is some- what the note sounded by others. One can almost estimate the wheel- base and the amount of gleaming nickel-plate by the preliminary #Honk!"” Or it he be afoot and impatiently waiting to cross a stieet, let him ebserve carefully the tactics of the Weverending stream of onrushing sutomobiles. Which kind speed up to close the gap ahead, so that only the most intrepid pedestrian dares to make a dash, and which, by an almost fmperceptible deceleration, twist of the wheel and, often, a courte- ous hand-signal, gives the weary foot- slogger his long-sought cppostunity? One Washingtonian catalogues aulo- #nobiles, grouped roughly by cost, some- what as follows: Cars costing con¥ider- by less than one thousagd dox*n. a slight| shift approximation of facilities for the humane care of the wild creatures gathered from all parts of the world. B — In restoring the glories of ancient Rome, Mussolini is compelled to meet the ancient jealousies and suspicions of the surrounding neighborhood. ——— e Civic Relativity. Readers of history or of Bulwer-Lyt- ton's “Last Days of Pompeii” are likely to gain an idea that this volcan- ically-destroyed city was quite a place as regards size. A statement recently appeared in The Star’s question-and- answer column indicating how very small Pompeii really was is apt to prove surprising to those who have not been there. While estimates of the actual area of its inhabited portions may vary, it is certain that the entire circumference of its encircling wall was not quite 3,000 yards, a distance a speedy runner can cover in about ten minutes. Not only was it a compactly-built suburban town with narrow streets, but it was actually a small town. It is just another illustration of the fact, so often lost sight of in our modern perspective. that the physical size of a settlement frequently has little to do with its importance or reputation In reading of the disaster which over- took this Roman settlement one is inclined to compare it with a sizable small American city. As a matter of fact, it could all have been placed on a fair-sized New England farm. It was made noteworthy by the culture and riches of its inhabitants and the awesome mode of its destruction, to- gether with the excellence of its mod- ern excavation. The “Windy Troy" of whose ten-year siege Homer sang so eloquently and at such great length, with its gates, |its walls, its Golden House of Priam, |1s envisaged by the schoolboy and by | many an adult as “some city.” So it was, in one sense, but accurate inves- tigation of the ruins of the half-dozen or more superimposed settlements dis- closes the fact that the Troy of Homer could have been contained in a tract the size of three Washington blocks. This is, at first, a blow, but the trou- ble is with modern perspective, and as soon as that is adjusted all is well. Babylon was not so big, after all; an- clent Sparta proves another disap- pointment, and doubtless if the lost Continent of Atlantis ever is located it will be found to be not much larger than the sort of island a retired boot- legger picks for his Summer villa. Straw Hats. An importer, just returned to New York from England, foretells that the straw hat will be extinct to the point of being a curiosity within five years. The light-weight Summer headgear, he avers, is already on the wane in popularity in England, being now never seen on the Strand in London, despite the fact that the Prince of Wales appeared in one last Summer. l'l‘he hatter bases his prediction on the alleged fact that Americans follow Englishmen in the matter of styles. Which is all very well but for the premise, and probably the conclusion. Just how the New York hatter formed the opinion that Americans follow British style is somewhat of a mys- tery. For, as a fact, the political sep: aration of the inhabitants of this part of North America is no more complete than the detachment of the American people from the British in respect to fashions. They led their British brethren a long way in the abandon- ment of the “silk hat,” the “topper’ of former positive requirement in Brit- ish wear. They led them in the adop- tion of the “straw” as an article of greater ease in warm weather. Americans are given to fads, but they are at the same time more intent upon their comfort than are tae dwell- ers in other lands. Some of the wom en do follow the Paris stylss rather slavishly, but the men do not, as a rule, study the fashion sheets. In the matter of the straw hat it should be pointed out that the wear of this ar- ticle has increased greatly during late years, and that the limits of the “sea- son” for it have been extended. The idea of passing a Summer in felt hats in any part of America be- low the frost line, which is pretty far north of the Canadian boundary, is anathema. Woe betide the merchant who fails to stock up with all the usual varieties of this make of head gear! He may proclaim that the Brit- ish styles forbid the straw, nui the chances are that his mext unnounce- ment will be one of liquidation. No mandate of fashion is going to blow the straw hat off the American head. — et A nation must have government. A number of names have been evolved trom the Russian chaos. The one that happens to he selected as the formal designation will not affect the situa- tion unfavorably if it can be made to stand for something stable and sincere. oo In many instances the final triumph of a bold achievement is the salary figure offered by the theater. The playhouse still represents the ac- countant'’s window where Fame cashes in. oo When confronted with actual law, a great embarrassment comes into the life of & man who, like Remus, has been accustomed to be a law unto himself. ———t— Fascisti wear black shirts. More resplendent attire on the Lido does not prevent serious significance from dic- tating Italian fashions. ——sa—. The fact that Turkish ladies have removed their veils has not made beauty contests any more exciting. B Lindbergh wanted to see Europe. Now all Europe wants to see Lind- bergh. e SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Leaves. Here's a scrapbook which we find Filled with reminiscence rare; Men.ories that inspire the mind Of a stormy day or fair. ‘When the branches bare abound, As the Old Year goes his way, Every leat upon the ground Means a faded Summer day. No New Material. “I suppose you are preparing to tell the people a few things they didn’t know." o, sir,” answered Senator Sor- ghum. “The business of a statesman just now is to assist a public with too much on its mind to forget some of the minor detail: Pictures and Headlines. The underworldling said, “I vow I think I'll take another chance. 1 was a sneak thief once—but now I am a hero of romance. Jud Tunkins says science and sociol- ogy have at least done a good job in putting the gossips out of business. There's no such thing as scandal any more, Friendly Prejudice. “You used to be very fond of horses.” “I have lost my taste for them,” answered Miss Cayenne. “I am a great admirer of the Prince of Wales, and horses don’t seem to like him. “Poverty,” said Hi Ho, “is a hard price to pay for the privilege of not being cheated by faithless servants.” Warm Autumn. Thanksgiving spirit still survives. We're thankful to remember We did not meet, to shorten lives, A sunstroke in November. “A prize fighter,” said Uncle Eben, “is *bliged to keep cool in de ring and hold hisself in readiness to use a strong arm in business discussions.” v Hopeful. From the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader. A Mexican woman, aged 118, has just been vaccinated for smailpox. This is optimism. —ee Speedy Separation. From the Sakinaw Daily News. “Three times anl out” doubtless originated In Egypt. There, when a man wants to be rid of his wife, he says three times, “I divorce thee,” and the thing is done. e Held Back. From the Asheville Times. Many who enter the primaries of the political school are never pro- moted. I THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. May, Annie, Susie and Helen— these are the girls whose names we remember from our grade school days. Other names are gone, With their owners. After all, the girls of grade school id not mean much to the boys then, even as their successors today do not count for much in the lives of our successors in early scholastic halls. Just girls! Who bothered much with girls? The amazing fact that they were much better developed, both physically and mentally, by the time the seventh and eighth grades were reached, meant as little to us as the girls themselves. ature, through some strange error, or even freak, made the girls young ladies, whereas we were only oy in “short pants” (and a few in knicke, bockars. which were regarded ag dis- tinetly effeminate, then). The worst of it was that even in our most exuberant moments we realized that our dignity was not what it might have been, that our appear- amce was not “up to snuff,” and that we had quite a distance to go before we would be men. * ok ok Kk “A man’s a man, for all that,” as the poet said. A boy's a boy, too. Gathered with a_number of girls in the classrooms of the public schools, he finds that the juvenile charmers make some impression on him, after all. We remember May, and Helen, Annfe, Susie May was a quiet young thing, tall| ages), slender. morg es- then. pale intelligent for her age (at all with a certain willowne: teemed to day than it with a fetching pale beyond her It is a safe bet that went to our school will ever May, especially if he were somethin: holar, hecause Miss May led the from the first to the eighth no hoy class grade. Led it. that is, unless Annie did. Whereas May was sweef, in the best seanse of that word, Annie was cold. Annfe was “smart” with a different touch to her smartness. She and May were “pals,” who vied with each other in leading the class. They did this, however, with a difference. May was an excellent. student be- cause she could not help it. Annie, on the other hand, aspired to . . 1 simply for the glory of sitting in the first seat in the first row A" side. Teacher did not include phychology in subjects taught. but every boy there was a phychologist when it came to sizing up Annie, How we hated Annie! Cordfally, sincerely, devotedly we loathed Annfe. We admired May, for she did not try to heat us in lessons. Gentle May won that first desk as naturally as she breathed. She could not_help it. Rut ruthless Annie dared to aspire toit. ‘That was what irked us so. An- nie actually studied her lessons, instead of talking behind her geography bhook. Annie dared to let it be known t she also studied her “home work So Annie's popularity suffered. It had fto suffer. No combination of juvenile prettiness, nor any amount of Mamma's best dressmaking skill, could conspire to raise her in the estimation of the boys. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. The underground movements of the powers of Europe are sinister and threatening to the peace of the world, but just what plans are behind them is_beyond the guess of any outsider. When the World War began, its ap- parent origin was found in the little country of Serbia, but it has tra spired that the so-called “great pow had been moving irresistibly toward the crisis through ycars of prepara tion. Today an even smaller country be- comes the focal point of interes What is behind the threat of Lithu- with its meager population of less than 3,000,000, that she is arming ostensibly o g to war with Poland’s 30,000,000 to recover one city, Vilna? That city formerly belonged to Lithu- ania, but was awarded to Poland by the League of Nations, following the World War and the reapportionment of Kurope “in the interest of peace. An intimation comes from a corre- spondent living in Berlin that the feint of Lithuania against Poland is but to divert attention from the real objective, which, it is alleged, is a conspiracy of Germany to recovel the free city of Danzig and to eliminate the Polish corridor resting on Danzig and splitting Prussia. The plot is said to be to shift the corridor north of Lithuania, where it would substitute Memel as its seaport. That would re- unite East Prussia with West Prussia, now severed by the Polish corridor, but just how it would benefit Lithu- ania in shifting the Polish corridox to her own border is too obscure for ready acceptance. * ok %k K There is age-long enmity between Lithuania and Poland, although both peoples fought on the side of the al- lieg in the World War, and both ha reason to hate Germany and Russia and feel under obligation to the allied powers for their reinstatement as sov- ereign nations after decades of parti- tion and subordination to Russia apd their other conquerors. If the theory from the Berlin cor- respondent that Germany is plotting to reunite East and West Prussia by moving the Polish corridor to the other side of Lithuania is repudiated as unplausible, there is another Sug- gestion that the Lithuanian threat is inspired by the Bolsheviks and that the bait of absorption into Luthuania of Memel and the narrow strip of German territory based on Memel is held out by the Russian mischief mak- ers only as bait, with no assurance of good faith even to Lithuania. The main aim of the Bolsheviki is always to create discord and war be- tween the organized governments of the world, in order to bring anarchy and open the gates for Bolshevik ad- vantage. Conditions could hardly be better for such a conspiracy of dis- cord than are those of today between Lithuania and Poland. For a thousand years they have nursed mutual Jeal- ousies and hates, yet have had to live alongside of earh other and to have neighborly relations, aggravating their hatred. The Berlin prognosticator indi- cates that Lithuania may be wiped out of existence as a nation if she persists in warring upon her neighbor of 10 times the strength, but nobody of calm vision can imagine that Lithuania is so foolhardy without secret support. * ok K K Time,was when Lithuania was one of the ‘most powerful nations in Eu- rope. Her territory extended across Europe, from the Baltic to the Black Sea—or since “Baltic” is the Lithu- anian word meaning ‘“white,” it should be said “from the White Sea to the Black.” Throughout the early centuries, the Lithuanians were constantly fighting off invasion of their country by the Slavs and by Teutonic knights, until, the thirteenth century A.D., she abandoned her semi-barbarous ' com- munal system and became a monarchy. With this more compact organization she adopted the Christian faith, of- ficially replacing the worship of oaks and of fire and the sun. So power- ful did the nation become that it was able to check and defeat Genghis Khan, the terrible Mongolian invader of Europe, About that time, the Grand Duke (ruler) of Lithuania, Jagiela, married the Queen of Poland, Jadwiga, with the agreement, by her, that he should &it upon both thrones. The Poles re- whao | forxet | { | for our companion on Today one sees that we were not just fair to Annie. Not in the least. Not a one of us was fair in our estimation of Annie. If we had it all to live over again, however, we would still choose May. * Kk Kk K Susie was the girl who had “it.” a word used in that day strictly as a pronoun (the thing in question, the person In question), with no side mean- ings whatsoever. Susie was vivacious where May wasx sweet. Susie was _warm-hearted Where Annie was cold. Susie wore the | best dresses, and the ings, the finest hats. Though we scorned they made their impre theless. They always L that feminine wearing judgment not but he knows not what he says. ll be forced io think otherwise row, under the persuasion of the truth and certain Parisi Susie was the little lady eve y wanted to walk home from school with, whom every young man sought to be by his side on those classroom excursions to the Capitol and to Rock Creek Park. This was not even puppy-love, mind vou. It was not lov it was not af- fection, it was scarcely liking, but simply and solely the effect of the feminine upon the boyish heart. We recall the time we drew May the jaunt to Capitol Hill, when all the time we wanted Susie. We admired May, we revered May. we could think of noth- | ing to say against her. Yet we de-| sired to walk with Susie. Susie. wherever you may be today, | we place this tribute at your feet * X k¥ As to Helen, harsh villainess of thi our reminiscences, willingly would we leave her out entively, if it were not. for the fact that truth compels us to put her in. Helen fooled us. 1t years later that we realized how Helen played upon our sympat 1sed us to stammer like a fool, made us feel silly and blush at one and the same time, Helen was calculating. She had discovered the effect which a simpering look and a certain place- ment of words might have upon the voung male of the speci In this she was the antithesis of May and Annie and Susie. These were just little girls. Susie had “it,” but didn't know it. Helen did. The trouble was that Helen only thought she had the power to sway. She went through the mental motions, but_somehow she failed to register. We knew that dumbly. as the old cow in the meadow must know it is| abused when the hired man kicks i around. A wou'dbe haby vampire (long be fore the word had obtained much cur- rency), caleulating Helen deliberately tried to move us to a confe Looking at us sweetly shoulder. as the school . comiag to a much desired (and, as we | thought, a much needed) end, Helen sald softl “Will you miss me?” We, blushing, stammering. at last managed to blurt out, “I don't know!" And today we still don't. things never- | man | D one such jon, do. A was not_until sented this. and Jagiela sent an army against his rebellious new subjects, but was defeated. He then removed | the capital from Vilna to Vitovt. That was the beginning (1386) of the strife between the Lithuanians and Poles, which has been continuous. In 1569, at Lublin, a treaty of union was signed by the representatives to | the two countries, but after the death | of the 1 descendant of Jagiela, Sigismund Augustus, Lithuana in- vited Henri de Valois of France to become her ruler, on condition that he would sever all connection with Poland. On November 29, 1700—227 vears ago today—the connection with Poland was formally denounced. This is Lithuania's “Fourth of Jul * % % ok Tn 1795 Russia invaded and annexed all of Lithuania and undertook to suppress all national sentiment of the natives by forbidding the Lithuanian | language, either written or spoken. Then followed the criminal “Partition of Poland” amongz the powers Russia, Austria and Germany—and so both nations seemed to have been wiped out of existence—only to be re- vived by the allies, as a result of the | World War, | Great Britain was the first to ex tend full recognition of independent | sovereignty to Lithuania, which w: promptly followed by other nations, | except that Poland merely recognized Lithuania as a de facto government. | * % ok ok Throughout the World War, the Ger- | mans occupied Vilna, the former capi- tal of Lithuania. On February 16, 1018, Lithuania declared her inde. pendence from Russia, and, after the armistice, maintained her capital at Vilna, until in January sheviks, continuing war with Lithu- ania. drove her government out of Vilna to Kovno. In the following April, the reor- ganized Lithuanian army was advanc- ing on Vilna, against the Bolsheviks, when a Polish army beat them to it, apd ever since Poland has laid claim to that city. To prevent war between Lithuania and Poland, in 1919, the Su- preme Council of the Allied Armies designated a dividing boundary, which | put Vilna far within Lithuanian terri- | tory, but several later lines of demar- | cation have left the whole matter in | confusion. Since the renaissance of hoth Po- land and Lithuania is due to the ac- tion of the allies, victorious in the | World War, and all such matters are | supposed to be in the hands of the | League of Nations, whose special and holy function is to settle disputes he- tween nations, and so to avert war, the opportunity to display such powers of adjudication and peace-making is especially obligatory upon the league in this case, according to the Lithu.| anian champions. * k Kk % What sort of people are these anians? They are not Teutons nor Slavs, They are a separate branch of the Aryan family, and are sometimes accounted as aborigines of the coun- try where they still live. Their enrly history was identified for centuries with a “fight against Christianity.” They attributed all their nation’s mis- fortunes to Christianit; They wor- shiped fire and trees. If a house caught on fire, their religion forbade | all_efforts to extinguish it. Their custom was to spread a table of food for their “guest,” the Fire, If that did not appease him, they required a nude woman to dance around the table to entice the fire god to come and par- take. When Jagiela married the Polish Queen he accepted Christianity, in or- der to win a crown from the Pope. That act of the ruler, however, failed to carry weight with the people and they continued their barbarous prac- tices, It is said that to this day nearly every household maintains its house snake like a household god, which is fed with the food given the children. In the fitteenth century the Roman Catholic missionaries made special ef- forts to destroy faith in the worship of trees and fire, but among the igno- Lithu- applest stock- | | | conditions NEW BOOKS AT RANDOM FATHER MISSISSIPPL Lyle Saxon. | The Centu A great story of a great career. Out of it Lyle Saxon, the author, is due to draw an overtopping triumph of biographic interpretation. What a subject the man has! And how com- petently he steps out to meet i Born' in an almost unimaginibly remote past through the travail of | carth itself, the giant of this por al has become the measuring line of half a_continent. Starting out from the North, one of a small brotherhood, | increased in size and strensth { building Winter houses, ANSWERS TO Q. Is Temple Bailey the full name of the author?—E. H. A. Miss Bailey’s first name is Irene. | Q. Do muskrats move about in the | daytime?—G. S. | A. Muskrats are chiefly nocturnal, | but they are much more active by day than many persons suppose. Where seldom disturbed, they often may be seen at work in bright sunlight. espe Illy at the season when they are Q. To what variety of pecan is the term “paper shell” applied?—M. H. A. till it moves, majestic and irresistible, to meet ite destiny, the | This saga of the Mississippi is not history, not strictly speaking. It i too immediate for that. too deeply in effect Moreover, the centering as it does . leadership, domina tion of the individual, or at most upon group of individuals, is in its ence biography her Mi sippi” s clear biography. Pictured here is the beginning and growth of an actual personality, gathering slow- to itself in epic sweep the lives and fortunes of men—pioneer from the Atlantic seaboard; toward the South, adventurer and explorer from Fr Spain, England: in the North, voyageur, trader, missionary ready for such full advent, Father Mississippi built the land itself. har vesting all along its way soil from the uplands to East and West of it, laying is down further along its route in a d continental expansion of fertil ity and promise tly by way of its own moods and behaviors, partly through its rich and varied intercourse with all sorts and men, the mighty river ikes on, in_effe of the man life beside it. such human appi understood Itis throu; at it is best 1. Throush- out the st on holds to the human traits and characteristics of the Father ‘aters. The story opens with a mood of the great mood it closes also. A world apart, however, are these two. The first turns a face, happy and smiling. The second shows countenance distorted with fury and I intent. The one is bedded in the uthor's recollection of his own_ child heod on a river plantation in Louisi- ana. The other projects this vear's flood in the full savagery of its devas- tating cours a destruction of which Mr and against which he gave personal service. Be- tween ihese two outstanding points are set the waymarks of discovery, ex- ploration, settlement and growth along the Mississippi. In spirited anec- dote and picture the life of this period comes vividly out. The big river, ingle available line of communica- n between settlements, crude water ft, canoe . brought into service for rter in the necessities o ns of social relief in for joining forces agail Indians made hostile, 2 by the brutalities wrlier adventurers and explorers. this point Saxon’s story of De Soto and his men finds appropriate place. Here, too, are noted the colonizing riva of France, Spain, England, a competition taking effect in methods that would give the hooster of the moment many a lesson in the great modern game of professional promot- ing. Ap amusing bit of farce steps to the front here witl the sending of a company of Indiars to the court of Louis XV for the purpose of gather- ing in settlers hy way of this comic overa method of advertising some of the lure of the New World. The book is compact of vivid pic- ture. easy anecdote, dramatic moments with_their immediate issu Yet, it is solfd stuff, whose substance is drawn from the records of State historical societies, from memoirs, from old 1 ters, from court records and docu- ments, from archives of many sorts. 1t is, however, the happy combination of author and theme, the inspired un- jon of artist and material, that de- livers “Father Mississippi” over to readers, not only in the facts of its eat career—facts so pivotal in the early history of the United States and so significant for both the present nd the future of this country—but that delivers the Father of Waters ax well_as a great personality of tre- mendous vitality who has plaved a ieading role in the affairs of the Na. tion—n vital, picturesque, dramatic force in the life of the pioneer, shap ing him to its moods and its will And now, so the writer makes clear, it is time to turn about upon this auto- cratic Father Mississippi, time to im- pose the will of a great people upon force that can become lawless and ruthless in destruction and devasta- tion. et e and f for me lonely land nds of o measure, in of Oh. read the book! Then you will |been protesting that the constitution- | talking about it ounds like unrestraint, like an ex- travagance of praise. But listen: Here s a great theme. You concede that, ffhand. It is your own mighty river. the Mississippi. that gives vou a thrill even in its beginnings up in northern finnesota, the wonder growing as you long with it into the South. Well, a man whose brother, whose early companion and playmate this great stream was in its smiling moods down New Orleans way. The man is a writer, too, and a poet and a most sympathetic partaker in all nnflerstand - why | the picturesque ways of his early i in a truly glamourous region. And he gets the essentials of that day and that life into this book. You read it. Let some other books go by. Read this one. * ok ok K THE HIGHER FOOLISINESS. Da- vid Starr Jordan. The Bobbs-Mer- rill Co. This hook presents a new study. iosophy is the name of it. »sophy, elaborated a _ bit, tematized ignorance.” course, ignorance is a phenomenon quite familiar. It takes a minute of looking around, however, to realize that there are bodies of “systematized ignorance. But once on the track it becomes fairly clear that much of the business of humanity is carried for- ward under the banner of this new name, “sciosophy.” It is an old bu ss, indeed, as matter of fact. This ripe and mellow scholar was induced to make it a theme of exposition through an acceptance of Giordano Bruno's statement that “Ignorance is the most delightful science in the world because it is acquired without labor or pains and keeps the mind from melanchol Bringing this word of wisdom up to the present, the author gathered around it the great | body of current matter belonging to it by virtue of clear blood kinship. This he examined, analyzing and grouping it into its various component parts that under such treatment various lines of organized ignorance stand | here concrete in the body and spirit of their various manifestatio Dr. Jordan, gravely and impres: fers phantoms and thefr activities,” learnedly expounding “the astral body of the jelly fish” and mov- ing forward under the patronage of the new science, even so far as to reach the “sciosophy of healing” and ‘the care and culture of aristocracy” as a prevogative of the new learning. Enjoyable in the highest degree—es- pecially enjoyable when one wakes up to the fact that the serious professor. that the man of learning, has gone off on a most delightful intellectual spree all his own. et Muddy Waters. From the Omaha World-Herald. Secems likely that the flood control | legislation will be a turbulent stream. ——— Variable. rant, especially in the rural regions, much of the old superstition persists today. The percentage of flliteracy is very high. (Consright. 1027, by P‘ V. Collias.) e From the Watertown Daily Times. A radio wave length just gets set- tled down when the commission crders it to move on. nee, | ench | Making | marked | pur- | At A. With reference to the pecan, the term “paper shell” has been extended in itx application until it is now practi cally without sign pee. Originally ipplied to those types of pecans hav ing_such thin shells that one could easily be cracked when two were | rrushed together in one hand, the |term during rec years has been made to include iltivated | | ties, many of which have fully o | sheils as the average wild erly speaking, the term never referred to a particular variety: its correct application has been only with reference to varieties having very thin shells. | sufficient dre: Q. Will hot water destroy moth eggs?—M. G. A. Water boils at 212° F. At 115° | ‘d person finds water almost too hot | to hold his hand in it. Fabries that { will not be injured by water can be | freed of living clothes moth egzs and tarvae hy being dipped for 10 seconds |in water heated to 140° F. Care, how lever. must he exercised to have and | keep the water at this or a greater |temperature. Lar d eggs in flan nel dipped 10 seconds in water heated_only 122° F. remain un affected. for to navi tion what term “oblique sailing” imply ! A. This refers to the movement of {a vessel when she sails upon a course making an_oblique angle with the | meridian. The use of the term israre. | | Q. Are the patterns used by the Chinese in their rugs symbolic? If so, | what is the symbolism of the “end- less knot” and “meander” designs’— M. | A. A great many | signs are symbolic. The ‘“endless | knot” repeated at intervals in the rug symbolizes long life. The “mean- |der" {known to the Chinese as cloud and thunder) signifies gain, abunda and plenty. Q. What is the sn, corner of George W M. water mark. The original E s four times the size of the note paper and bore the water mark in the center. Cutting the sheet |into four pieces quartered the water Q In does the Chin 1l design in the hington’s lette A, eet of paper w It | mark. Q. What is the outgoing and incom- ing of the port of New Yo A, States Shipping Bo 6 the traffic handled at the port of New York was as follows: Imports, 11,577,813 long tons; exports, 10,549,687, Q. What is the purpose of the Girl Scouts?—T. W. D. A. The Girl Scouts, a national asso- ciation, is non-sectarian and non- partisan. The object of the organiza- tion is to give girls, through natural, wholesome pleasures, those habits of mind and body which will make them willing to take a definite part in the home, civic and national affairs of their countr 0Oil Decision Is A turning point in relations between the United States and Mexico is seen by the press in the Mexican Supreme Court decision upholding private prop- erty rights in certain oil lands which had been threatened by the so-called { confiscator score in the dacision of the Mexican Supreme Court that the Mexican pe- troleum law cannot be interpreted to deprive oil companies of rights ac- quired prior to promulgation of the present constitution in 1927, says the Newark Eveping News, with an e planation in which it is pointed out that “The Mexican government has ality and confiscatory character of the petroleum law were for the Mexican urts to decide. “Apparently, the relations between cico and the United States are bet- been at any time | of Diaz," declares | () Al ter than they hav since the overthrov the Fort Worth Record-Telegram, with |the suggestion, as to this decision and | |the Mexican welcome to Ambassador | Morrow, that the “better basis for | | mutual understanding” which is indi- | cated “might be doscribed as in- | stance where some tact was sprinkled | on troubled diplomacy and consider- | wble oil sprayed over disputatious land | titles.” The Altoona Mirror feels that the court “has justified the expecta- tions of peace-loving citizens of both »ountries and rebuked the agitators who have seemed eager to destroy our sister republic to the end that they might appropriate the treasure buried {beneath her so! “It is signal proof,” according to the |Oklahoma City Oklahoman, “that jus- Itice is functioning properly among the | Mexican people, that many of the in-| dictments of the Mexican government have been spurious. that the charge ot Me: not well taken, and that the time for the conquest of Mexico has not & rived.” The Pasadena Star-News be- | lieves that “with the Supreme Court ' > that republic standing unreservedly | rospective confiscations of the | n alien land law, American in- | ors will be heartened to keep an | investing down there.” PR As to the attitude of the Washing. ton government, the Rochester Tim: Union expresses satisfaction that * the last few months it has happi entered upon a course of action more ! conciliatory than ever before,” and the New York World expresses the view | that there is “little doubt that this | decision was timed to follow the ap- | pearance of Ambassador Morrow, and | that it is a first step in the program | of reconeiliation on which the two gov- rnments have now entered.” In the opirior of the Minneapoli Tribune: “The decision probably had no connection with the Morrow ap-! pointment; but it represented a happy | and well timed break, none the less. Coming on the heels of the Morrow appointment,” adds the Tribune, “it fills one with th= conviction that the worst of the Mexican-American trou- bles are over. “Revival of exploitatioa of the coun. tremendous oil resources by for- eizn capital as a result of the deci- sion,” in the judgment of the Tulsa Daily World, “may be looked for al- most at once, and the direct result of | that, of course, will be a greatly i ‘reased employment ratio for Mexican labor and new streams of tax revenue for sadly depleted Mexican coffers.” | The Lincoln Star states that “inst bility has been the curse of America's | southern neighbor.” and that “Mexico | has suffered greatly because foreign | capital has been timid.” That paper concludes that “in the long run the court has chosen the course which wiil | benefit Mexico most H With a similar point of view, the Milwaukee Juu‘u.l is convinced that \ n | | i —N.T. K. | rug de-| useful, responsible women, ready and | “Both the United States and Mexico | | time. an prejudice and corruption is | | |dealing with othe: behind alien investments as related to | 1 | of QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. Are there any places that have not been explored?—C. S. A. There are as yet remote, un- explored regions in Africa and the jungles of Brazil which have not yet been penetrated by white men, Q. Who built the Covent Garlen Theater? What caused the “old pri riots” mentioned in connection this theater’—C. S. E. A. The iarden Theater was built in 1 ¢ the harlequin Ri under a patent from Charles II to Sir William Davenant, 1662. It has rebuilt several tim It was b in 1808 and rebuilt in 1809 at gr cost. The increased prices of admis sion, intend: ofr part of the expenses, i In 1847 it was ca ahan Opera House. 1856, it was burned present structure was erected in 1858 Q. Does Vermont duction of turkeys?—N A. Texas leads the Nation in po ¢ production. Raising onal bird at present centered in the 17 counties compri. the geographical center of the Last year these counties produce ed turkey meat to feed 1mply every man, woman and child in New York. Q. In what way is in the rubber indu A. Thomas A. Edis research with a view to developing American domestic rubber supply as experimented with cluding milkweed, in whic rubber content of 5 per cent, d_in the pro ison interested —A. S Q. Which freezes water or milk P, A. Water will freeze more qui than milk. more Q. What is the name of ation that is planning a Abraham Lincoln and his mothe . The Indiana Linc Union undertaking to finance erect memorial in southern Indiana at place where Lincoln spent his hoyhood ind where his mother died and is | buried. Q. How much sugar should be allowed daily in the diet of a child?— A. An ounce of st equivalent in honey, sirup, candy or some other sweet is sufficient for the | child, and not too much if served at | the end of a meal, so as not to destroy | the appetite for other more | foods. This allowance should include sugar used in cooki 1 also tha added to foods at the table. Q. Please relate the legend of N cissus.—H. G. A. In Greek mytholog < a beautiful youth, a Cephissus and the nymph metamorphosed into a flower. For his insensibility to love he was caused | by Nemesis to fall in love with his own image reflected in water. Unable to grasp this shadow, he pined away | and became the flower which hears his name. The nymph Echo, who vainly | loved him, died from zrief. The resources of our free informa- tion bureaw are at your serv You {are invited to cail upon it as often as | you please. It is being maintained by The Evening Star solely to serve you. | What question can we answer for {you? There is mo charge at all. cx- cept 2 cents in stamps for return post- age. Address your letter (o The (ning Star Information Burca:, ferie Haskin, director, Washington, ). €. T T ne or?— is a | son of Liriope ‘ to U. S.-Mexico Relations on_is significant as appai re to be carried out assurances given by the Mexican zovernment that if the Mexican courts are allowed to des | with_this problem, they will settle | satisfactorily to Americii.”” The Bangor Commercial recalls throughout the agitation of yea + has e |isted doubt if the Me: vernment would follow its hand to the point of ~on i S Journal h |culty is not yet settiod toward Mexic; i | have set in. “the decisi lenxl,\' being the method by which® “While five opinions of the Supreme Court are required to establish beyond | question the uncon nality of any law, it is of good omen that, in this | first the contention of the | Americ ¢, one that has not accepted the new petroleum law, has upheld,” comments the New | York Times. 'The Chicago Daily News “The fact that nine of the 2leven members of the court signed the opinion in question warrants the hope that the four additional decisions required will be handed down in due Still, there is no absolute as- urance that the final result will be as tisf, nd decisive as the present The New bune feels t “the com pletion of the other judicial pro necessary to make the present ruling sffective would remove the gronund for wzitation of the gener: tween the two countr The Hartford Times does not “le ecipitately to the conclusion that well in Mexic F: gona well but seribes the matter as gury, welcome news, at “it should mi e influence of th esses that pap 2 pleasing an and concludos terially strengthen ose who believe in nations in a civil d and peaceful manner."” The Providence Bulletin calls it “the most hopeful sign that the mists of greement and misunderstanding have hovered over the field Mexican-American relations for almost 1 decade will soon be dissipated The Kansas City Journal forecasts improved elations. “if the court adopts a similar philosophy toward other problems of property ownership. UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today th American troops played an impor part in recent British drive he- mbral. Army engineers labored fly four months hehind the lines, pushing the vital rail ways up to the front. Two of the men were wounded. * * * A sub- stantial vanguard of the great army American aviators, which eventu ally will operate in France, has arrived near the front. Army flying fields have been established in c tain sections and dctive tfaining is in full swing, co.operating with the maneuvers of American troops re- hearsing ana practicing attacks, * » * Names of Americans killed in action with Canadian forces appear daily in casualty ts issued from Ottawa. + + * Col. House's plan of team work is adopted by Interallied Conference. They omit oratory ups for discussion. tions are represented at historic @athering in French foreign office. ¥ ¢ < Reports picture Aus s much discontented with the Italian situation and growing more and more distrus ful of her domineering ally. German chancellor offers peace par- lev to Russia if envoys with full power to act are sent to Berlin. h Fifteen pa-