Evening Star Newspaper, December 20, 1927, Page 8

{THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. TUESDAY. ....December 20, 1927 THEODORE W. NOYES. ...Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Oftice: 11¢h St. and Pennarivania Ave. New York Office: 110 Fast 42nd St. Chicagg Office” Tower Buildinz. European Office: 14 Regent St.. Lond ‘England. The Evening Star with the e edition ta delivered by ca the clty 't 60 cents per mont! 45 cents per month: Sun '+ ‘month Orders may lenhione Main 5000, Coli carrier at end of Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Daily and_Sunday £ 00: 1 mo.. 78¢ Daily ‘only 0c Sunday’ onlv. All Other States and Canada. Daily d ay. 1 . $12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 ally Shlyooronr:d ves "gR00: 1 mos © 78e inday” o H Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled 1o the ise for repuhlication of all news dis- atehes credited 10 it OF not othsrwise cred- and also the local news e iEmes, Rererre AT riEnts of nubieation Mr. Hoover's “Residence. Friends of Herbert Hoover, advo- cates of his nomination for the presi- dency, are engaged in an effort to refute the contention raised in some quarters that he Is ineligible for the office because of the “fourteen vears' residence” clause in the Constitution prescribing the qualifications for the highest post in the United States. This contention was cvoked when Mr. Hoover's name began to be mentioned last Summer when Presldent Coolidge stated that he did not choose to run in 1928, It was pointed out that Mr. Hoover was for a considerable period engaged In his professional work abroad and that that time, together with the space of his work at the head of the Belglan relief service, compassed more than the time men- tioned in the Constitution as the requi- site length of residence prior to a presidential term. This suggestion of ineligibility has not been taken very seriously until lately, and now the promoters of the Hoover movement are enlisting the services of constitutional lawyers, who are contributing to the discussion. Its first minister, Hamlin, had been its only minister, and it has been since freely admitted that there was at the time an under- current of feeling that no one could satisfactorily take Dr. Hamlin's place. Such was found not to be the case, however. Dr. Wood's pastorate cafr- ried on, expanded and perfected the labor so splendidly begun by his pred- ecessor. In the ne 'v twenty years since then the chur.. has grown in size, in power and in importance. Its minister's participation in civic affairs and in all public matters in which the church has been one of several moving forces has been gen- erous and efficient. His sermons have been a rare combination of inspiring faith, faultless logic, scholarly attain- ments and the fruitful resuits of ex- tensive travel. They have been heard with pleasure and profit by many thousan When Dr. Wood came to Washing- ton he expected, he points out, five or perhaps ten years of active service. That he has performed his duties for two decades is a source of gratification to all. Now, at an age of well past threescore and ten, he moves reason- ably and gracefully to make way for a younger man. His congregation's loss will be the National Church's gain. e - The Army-Navy Foot Ball Break. No break in athletic relationships between two educational institutlons has so struck the chord of public com- ment as that now threatened between the Navy and Army. The annual foot ball game between the two acad- emies holds an unusual distinction in the public mind, and a break in the series is the last action that might be expected from two institutions bound by ties of such common inter- est. Games between Army and Navy mean something to more people in different walks of life than any other contest, no matter how important others may seem. They represent a mecca to which all, or nearly all, foot ball coaches, newspaper sports writers, players and every man inter- ested in the technical or professional side of foot ball, who can by any means obtain tickets, journey, coming as it does each year after the close of nearly all schedules. From the chief of staff in the War Department to the humblest soldier sweltering in ‘There is some confusion regarding the matter, owing to the fact that where- as the text of the Constitution uses the word “resident,” in some official prints the word “citizen” is used in the index. The text reads as follows: No person except a natural-born citizen, or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President; neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been four- teen years a resident within the United States. ‘When the Constitution was adopted there were many Americans engaged actively in the affairs of the newly formed republic who .were of forelgn birth. Alexander Hamilton was one of these. It was the thought of the framers of the Constitution, it is be- leved, that the time-limit provision should include those who had come to this country prior to the beginning of the Revolution. The urbitrary pe- riod of fourteen years placed that date at 1773, or the year before the actual hostilities began in Massachusetts. It has long been held by many that the residence clause was adopted as a supplement to the provision that a person not native of the United States, but a citizen at the time of the adoption of the Constitution, might be President, and that when the gen- eration to which that provision might possibly apply had passed, the resi- dence limitation had no further oper- ative force or significance. ‘What constitutes a “residence” is somewhat mooted. In the case of Mr. Hoover, it is pointed out by his sup- porters, he maintained his domicile in 1908 at Palo Alto, Calif., and that he kept his family there almost continu- ously until they removed to Wash- ington when he became food admin- istrator during the war. His business engagements required his absence for considerable periods, sometimes abroad, sometimes in other parts of this country, but that he regarded California as his home is not ques- tioned. ‘With reference to the effect of this adverse contention regarding Mr. Hoover’s eligibility upon his own po- litical fortunes, it will probably be felt by most people that the constitu- tional clause in question does not bear upon a native-born American who has reached the prescribed limit of age, who has maintained his home continuously throughout his life in the United States, who has made many trips abroad in the pursuit of his business, who during a part of that time was engaged in a most ar- duous, important and self-sacrificing endeavor In a foreign country in a cause in which the American people ‘were deeply interested and concerned. e r———— Of course, it would have been easy for Lindbergh to stop any bulifight by going to a place nearby and giving an airplane exhibition. But courtesy requires deference to hational customs and the toreador commands a certain amount of regard. Perhaps the torea- dor’s appeal to the popular sense of the picturesque would not be 5o great to the popular sense of the picturesque Merimee’s story of “Carmen.” Rev. Charles Wood. On the eve of the twentieth anni-| versary of the beginning of his serv- ice to the Church of the Covenant Rev. Dr. Charles Wood has resigned his pastorate. He will by no means be fully retired from official activity in furtherance of the Preshyterfan denomination and of the Christian faith, however, He plans to Interest himself actively on behalf of the con- struction of the great National Pres- byterian Church to be erected here at a cost of five million or more dollars. He it president of the National Capl- tal Church Extension Committee and of the corporation wndertaking the work, one in which he has long been keenly interested. Dr. Wood's arrival here from a Philadelphia charge marked tie first a jungle garrison in the Philippines, from the Secretary of Navy to the grimiest coal passer on the smallest Navy tug, the Army-Navy foot ball game is just about what the Olym- piads were to the ancient Greeks. No official break in the relationship between the schools has yet taken place, but the situation undoubtedly is acute. Each institution apparently is in a position from which it cannot recede entirely without what it feels would be loss to its prestige and sacri- fice of principle. All the more difficult then is it to find a common ground on which differences can be reconciled. Briefly, the Navy has adopted eligl- bility rules for participation of its students in intercollegiate sports that, according to accepted standards in the universities and colleges, are more strict and of a higher standard than those governing participation of stu- dents at West Point, and has de- manded that the Army meet the same standards on penalty of discontinuing relationships in athletics. Financially, each school is inde- pendent of the other. Each has other games from which it derives revenue for the maintenance of its many and varied branches of sport. Navy may count on its games with Pennsylvania, Michigan, Notre Dame and others to keep its treasury in a healthy condition and Army obtains from its contests with Yale and Notre Dame far more money than it ever gets from a game with Navy. Ten years ago the finan. cial conslderation involved in the con- test would have made it almost im- possible for Army and Navy not to play. Because of the widespread public Interest, it is to be regretted that this situation has arisen, but in the final analysis of the fundamental purposes of the two schools the foot ball game between them means little. Navy de- sires to carry on its athletics more as a college, under regulations govern- ing athletics in the best colleges. Army is desirous of holding itself entirely as a service institution and frankly maintains that its aim is so different from the aim of the universities and colleges that it is justified in using any of its students that all may be given equal opportunity for the train. ing that comes from such participa- tion. Navy and Army are sincere in their positions, are trying their best to ac- complish that for which they were created, to develop an efficient officer personnel, and it for the moment they determine to travel by different roads, those that have the game, and all that it represents, at heart should patiently accept the edicts of those charged with the responsibility of management of the two institutions. It is to be hoped that some solution will be reached, but confidence is felt that whatever may be the final move, that move will be for the best inter- ests of the two academles. B e SRR Uncle Sam’s relations with Mexico are friendly enough—making allow- ances for the trouble that idle gossip can always cause. ————————— The Woman's Zwm to Laugh. The peculiar elutions of a hit-and- run driver’s mind and the mistaken sense of values therein contained was well demonstrated yesterday in Mary- land. With his wife and a friend in his car this embryo hitand-runner was proceeding to his home in Hagers- town. At Ellicott City he became an actual hit-and-runner, sideswiping another and then going ahead with. out stopping. His wife, however, had no intention of seeing her husband join this unpopular category, and remonstrated vigorously. Finally, he became somewhat bored with her im- portunities and stopping the car told her that if she did not approve of his actions she could get out and walk. Being a determined woman, she de- cided she would walk. But little though he knew it, the Rev. Dr. Teunis 8. 'a( Middletown. Just as the trial was about to take place the wife, having in the meantime “hooked” a ride with a passing motorist, hove into the court- room under full sail to watch the pro- ceedings. Fined twenty-five dollars by the judge for being a hitand-runner, the helligerent husband found thatall he possessed In negotlable securities was something less than that amount. It was then the harassed wife’'s turn to laugh, and it is reported that she guffawed long and loudly. She had forty doliars in her pocketbook and in- formed the court of this fact, but in her pocketbook it remained. Then things began to get serious for the husband, who, until this impasse had been reached. held the whip hand. He was remanded to serve a day for each dollar of his fine, and but for the intervention of a friend he would have gone to jail for that period. While the detalls of release were be- ing arranged the triumphant wife got into the family automobile and pro- ceeded to the happy family home in Hagerstown to await his return. 1t is seldom that the tables are so beautifully turned in so short a time, and it only goes to prove that the fe- male is more deadly, et cetera, even than a hitand-runne — ———a—e Minor Traffic Violations. Maj. Hesse has reiterated his order to policemen to send minor violators of the traffic regulations to the station house rather than to the court. Traf fic judges have prompted this move on the part of the police superin- tendent, complaining that trivial cases were cluttering up the dockets. In his order Maj. Hesse points out that if a person chooses to meet the policeman in court in an endeavor to get back his collateral money, the po- liceman is, of course, to go to court to testify, but otherwise the matter will be taken care of without the necessity of either the defendant or the policeman appearing in court. Probably no motorists except those who feel that they are guiltless will not concur heartily in Maj. Hesse's instructions to the police. ‘I'he over- time parker or the hapless driver who violates the minor regulations does not care to add to his woes by spend- ing the morning in court. Collateral depositing for the guiity motorist is a quick and painless method of contrib- uting to the support of the city in penalty for minor misdemeanors. The new plan is better for every one concerned, the police, the courts and the motorists, and its operation will result in benefits without impairment of justice. P G S — Chicago cabarets announce that no holiday hip flasks will be permitted. As the poet announced, “Jes’' before Christmas we're as good as we can ————— “King Ben” at least held his title and a certain amount of authority until the finish, which is more than | some other kings have been able to do. —————— The discreet presidential possibility does not write letters to Santa Claus, but contents himself with hanging up his stocking. e Communists are being shot in China. It is never wise to seek the usually fleeting glory that comes to the trouble-maker. ——rte— It may be a shrewd move to make a murder sufficiently atrocious to en- list the sympathies of a psycho- analyst. D Early shopping not only eases the pressure, but permits the afterthought which is sometimes of the highest im- portance. r—————— History will find it difficult to dis- cover any incident which will warrant a " ind word for the submarine. et SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Commendable Effort. You've ot to try ¥or honest cheer; Life goes awry Through paths severe. The thug or thief Goes boldly out To scatter grief ‘Through days of doubt. The gangster’s gun Brings frightful care And rum is run "Most everywhere. “Ha, ha!” say you. “Ho, ho!” say I. ‘When mirth is due You've got to try. An Outstanding Figure. “You appear inclined to cultivate a cheery disposition. “I'm trying to attract attention by being different,” answered Senator Sorghum. “At present there is a ter- rifio competition to be the first to tell the bad news.” Successor to a Saint. Old Santa wins our great applause; He advocates a generous cause. For Merry Christmas now we plan— And next month comes the Credit Man! Jud Tunkins says “Merry Christ- mas!” is a fine recipe, which should be taken inwardly as well as used for outward application. “In seeking a reputation for great rightecusness,” sald ¥l Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “beware of evading etrife until you earn only @ reputa- tion for grea. indolenc Unneeded Celebration. “When ignorance is bliss,” we hear, "Tis folly to be wise.” Take cheer! In Art you may be going some 1t you are beautiful but dumb. “It you kin laugh at yoh own troubles,” sald Uncle Fben, “you has ‘bout de best kind of a ‘poker face’ dat 12" —at——— Not Realistic at AllL From the Saginaw Daily News. Speaking of “daring” fiction, there's a story of the young woman who de- liberately had herself made to appear ten years older than her actual age. - - husband was through with neither his wife nor his victim. Following a echange in pastorate the Church of the Covenant had ever undergone. — phone message to the State police by. his pedesirian frau he was arrested His Best Chance. From the n Bernardino Sun. Prince Carol would be more wel come if he could come dack and pa off gpg mortgage on tghrone. "THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Hobbies are interesting things. We know a man who collects bot- tles, another who goes in for unusual potieries, a third who gathers postage stamps as the gleaner his wheat. One man will make dogs his hobby; another, cats; another, birds; a fourth. fish. Toker engages the spare time or one, chess of the second, books of the third. very hobby has its twofold aspect, its mental and physical sides, each acting and reacting upon the other. Indeed, each personal hobby might be said to have three sides, not only the intriguing of the mind and the actual enjoyment of the hobby, but aiso that of book collecting. Every man who rides his hobby col- lects books upon it. This is true whether a man loves the North woods or goes no farther than the concert hall. He who is interested in camping will purchase, over the years, all the hooks he can find upon hunting, fish- ing. woodcraft in general The man whose favorite subject is aquaria_will collect hooks and cata- logues dealing with his specialty, He will come 1o take a legitimate pride in his library. One Washingtonian, taking up the ancient game of chess, became so in- terested in it that he practically de- nuded every bookstore in the city of volumes relating to the royal game. * K k% The dictionary definition of a hobby is something along this line vorite subject or occupation that is not one’s main business.” Happy is the man, one might say, whose occupation is his hobby can such a thing really be? The man who loves the woods mizght think the trapper supremely happy in his work, but the latter, envying the city “fel- ler,” might look at it in another light. Perhaps the very essence of the hob- by 18 that it shall not be one's work. At any rate, this is the way it is gen- erally understood. 1t is a moot ques- tion.” The generality of mankind feels that the daily work is one thing and the hobby another Yet certain fortunate persons, some of them nationally known, seem to combine the two very well, indeed, constituting their daily endeavor their legitimate hobby and their hobby their occupation. Those who have not managed their life according to this plan will contend that such persons lose something of the pleasure of their own hobbies, which come as a relief from the daily grind. To such a man the hobby is the sauce of life, the dessert ac the end of the daily meal. They work to en- joy their hobby. The work itself may be pleasant euough, but it is not the hobby. Many a man lives, if the truth were known, merely to enjoy his hobby. H ok ok K Even the most ardent hobby rider looks with a queer mixture of leashed | 1ess pos contempt and amusement at the hobby of his neighbor. The term *nut” is the mildest word used in speaking of another. The “nut,” it may be said in pass- ing, is_simply a fellow who has a hobby different from one's own! The honest stamp collector does hi: best to conceal his amusement over the preference of his neighbor for beetles, “What i an a man see in col- lecting bugs?” he asked, behind his hand. “Why doesn’'t he take up som thing interesting, now, say stamps’ The beetle advocate, on the oth hand, does not understand for ond the intense interest, the passion of the philatelist “What he can see in lifeless, age stamps is beyond my com prehension!” he goes on, looking fond ly at his trays, P ps neither enthusiast thoughts so frankly into words ally we do not Most men are will ing o concede, theoretically, that no two men look alike, and that perhaps not every one will e the same hobby, but at the same time he usually is unable to comprehend why every one else as interested in his own hobby as he is himself. He is perfectly honest about it own diversion is so engrossing him—that he somehow feels that the fellow who does not grasp iis beanties entire is something of a sap. ‘This is of cou: to fall into the vernacular, Sometimes he begins (he three-letter equivalent for “sap” with the letter “a’" and ends it with the lette ” * n puts his Gen is_not His Hobbies often go hy opposites of the writing man likely camping or auntomobiling, that of th automobile mechanic—well, verse wi ing, say. ¥ y man’s hobb to teach him toleration of hi s fav ite subject or occupation. (The two one, hecause there scarcely ¢ be a subject witheut a bit of occupation, or_vice versa.) To have disdain, or even conc scorn, for another's hobby is Lo visit upon one’'s se!f the inevitable results flowing from the holding of contempt Many think when they despise som thing or somebody that they ting in judgment, and that magic force their mental de: put into fore Few things further from the truth. Contempt for others—unless merited (and there are any such cases)--is an intellectual boomerang, kicking back in ratio to the degree in which it is unjustified. Wherefore, how unjustified, then, the manner in which most men look askance at the hobbies and foibles of others, as if they were the height of the ridiculous instead of being the harmless topics of interest which they really are in so many cases. ‘The subject of hobbies i not one to be summed up in an article or lightly dismissed. Every person has one and meets those of every one else every day in the year. Toleration is not something o be reserved for large affairs only, but are si some s are | can well be put into play in these, the lesser but not less interesting things of dafly living, the thousand and one hobbies which men ride and love. Nation Sees Vital Results In Rail Valuation Decision The vital importance of the decision of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals in the valuation case of the St. Louis & O'Fallon Railroad is gen- erally recognized, and the country awalts with futerest opinion by the Su-reme Court. Under the Circuit Court ruling, which sustalns the Inter- state Commerce Commission, the valu- ation of a railroad should be based u} a cost of production, less deprecia- tin, plus additions to the property, in- stead of upon replacement cost. “Representatives of the railroads,” it is pointed out by the :t. Louis Times, “filed briefs showing that the commission and the raliroads were $11,000,000,000 apart in the value of the railroads. In 1920 the commission gave the valuation as $18,000,000,000, and has been making rates on that basis. The rallroads claim that the roads are actually worth some $39,- 00,000,000. The Supreme Court must finally decide the case. And the sooner the matter is definitely decided the better for all concerned and the more quickly may we expect the inevitable economic program of consolidation to be consummated.” Calling the decision “a fortunate de- velopment,” the Kansas City Star states: “It is a reasonable assump- tion that if the valuations placed upon their property by the railroads of the countrv were to be sustained, more than $600,000,000 would be added to the country's transportation burden annually. That inmense sum, loaded upon an expenditure account that al- ready is heavy. would prove a serious handicap to the transa.tion of busi- ness and would increase the cost of living. It would have a result amount- ing to little ' ss than disaster for this section, one of the greatest needs of which now is relief from transporta- tion costs that are hoth excessive and out of line with those in other sec- tions.” X x ‘The Topeka Daily Capital holds that hopeful for a final decision sustaining the com- mission’s rule in valuation. If such a decisfon is made,” continues the Capi- tal, “it will greatly simplify future rate making and probably hasten con- solidation of railroads.” The New York Sun explains “why the affairs of a tiny failroad can give a convulsion to the stock market,” re- calis that “a court specially consti- tuted to try the issues” made the deci- sion, and offers the comment: “In the O'Fallon case the commission was di- vided, five to four. The language of the dissenters was more bitter than the protest of the rallr Com- missioner Thomas ¥. Woodlock of New York declared that the law of the land was summarily set aside by the majority. The Supreme Court is com- posed now as it was when it decided the case of .cCardle vs. Indianapolis Water Ce The essence of tha: deci- sion was that value should be found as at the time of the Inquiry.” “It would be far more difficult, ap- l parently,” says the Springfield Union, ; “to determine a just valuation under the wise invertment principle than under the replacement principle, This ¢ fact may have been recognized by the Supreme Court, which in some of its | decisions has favored the replacement or reproduction principle in the case of public utilities. It will be interest- ing to note how the decision in the lower court in this railroad c fares under the principle already estah- lis\ed by the Supreme Court in other cases seemingly analagous.” “The property of thousands of peo- ple, the owners of the roads,” observes the Newark Evening News, “is here involved, and the issue runs widely into other fields in ultimate effect. The high court doubtless will recog- nize in the circumstances the impor- tance of repdering a speedily as is ccmpatible with deliberation the final and binding decision, which will have, | ona way or anoth -, tonsequences be- vond calculation, legally, economically and socially. * % ok K The Youngstown Vindicator directs attention to an incidental fact that valuation on the basis of original cost, as proposed by the Interstate Commerce Commi:sion, which is sus-| tained by the St. Louis decislon, would mean a heavy loss to taxing districts, many of which have faced serious financial problems fo: some years. “The basic merits of the case, ewed hy the Houston Chronicle, ‘are not so plain to the layman as are the apparent advantages to the public in the present ruling. The investment value method seems to leave out of consideration the fluctuating value of the dollar; seems to proceed on the theory that money invested in 1914 has the same value today. However, the Interstate Commerce Commission must have made a good case for its modified form of this method. It does not seem that any present owners of rail stocks or securities will suffer by the ruling, and so the country un- doubtedly will hail with joy the juds- ) ent just made. 1t has heen spared a tremendous burden, and naturally it would like to believe that it has been spared it justly “The effect of this ruling on pub utilitie: the Wichita Beacon re marks, “‘may be forecast by citing the action of the Massachusetts Public Utilities Commission in holding to a similar theory in an electric light rate case.” “Rates computed on the Commerce Commission’s scale are he: perhaps as heavy as can be horne if {he coun- try is to remain prosperous.” states the St. Joseph News-Press, “and un less the country prospers, of course, the railroads cannot prosper. A gen eral increase in rates which would follow from higher rail valuations would be detrimental to the roads as well as to the public.” UNITED STATES N WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today German people are expecting peace and prepare to celebrate Christmas on strength of armistice with Russia. Cafes are filled with rejoicing crowds who think the war is as good as won. * * * Officers of the Russian Army in France have volunteered as a body to give their services to the United States. Matter under consid- eration, but laws of United States pro- hibit incorporation into the Army of any but American citizens, * * * Arms manufacturer tells Senate com- mittee our troops will be better arm- ed than any other and will have over- whelming superiority by next Spring. * » " Another German peace “feeler” being circulated in Washing- ton, but will get nowhere in view of our determination to win the war. = ® » Additional revelations of German intrigue in Argentina made by Secretary Lansing when he makes public from the secret archives of the State Department another large sheaf of the Luxburg telegrams showing that Germany made concessions to Ar- gentina in U-hoat warfare to secure that nation’s friendship. Eyes of %’ . Kept Lithuania at Peace ournal demanded Premier | ilsudski of Poland, looking ut Wald orld rom the Milwauk “Peace or war as of Lithuania as though he al- ready had him where he must plead guilty. And Waldemaras answered “Peace.” The eyes of the world were on these two men, speaking for two mnations which have a quarrel. Neither dared 1ssume the burden of : that his nation stood for war. Now there will be some kind of a rangement made under the superv ing eve of men of other nations who | rld for also are responsible to the w ion will keeping peace. The bigger n: not have it all its own w The ar- rangement will not be perfect; later it may have to be revised, but the way is open. The world will not he plunged in war this time because tve? members of its family have a qu s If the League of Nations accomplish ed no more than making a place where the opinion of mankind listens to these things it would be a great advance over anything the world had ever had before. The League could well un- dertake even larger questions more bravely: for there would be the sam force to back its decisions—the forc of the people everywhere who do no: want war. And the world, the worl including Americans and Britons, wil hope that the League will not allow the miserable disagreement of Amei ica und Britain tdibrevent its doin. womething about ra 1 disarmament. hat be | [ the column caption for a Forget it, since this is not a book at all, nor is it a random choice. Nor is it new, save as the fairy tale is forever new, just as it is always £0 blessedly old and beloved. Thinking the matter over, it seemed to me that almost any hook would re- ve but an indifferent hearing today | that it would go limping along un | happily out of step with the 5 rers of this particu this point of indec without any doubt whatever, gently at my sleeve. But And mpty rooms do not, nudge into attention. my own room is something Forget minute way And | thing, plucked was alone., as a rule, Howeve, is nothing 0 down | exc strange at all for hook step its shelf, | from its place upon the floor, to so- | ticit a hearing from e, its only com- in, as these mine. Standing at slhow was familiar little book, liar and heloved—oOsc Wilde's “'he Happy Prince” and other fairy tales. Of these it w at this mo- ment, “The Selfish Giant” that wz spectal ple 1t this Chris knows you and your story But he wonld not have it said the had forgotten it had known it or him- he 1 desperately ic Christmas. So, 1 vather scantily Ifish Glant from or making the oper | everybod I protested if the and, way, nywa it into and ls con here, yed day as the children w school they used to the Giant's garden. A lovely spot, its s s0 soit and green, over which bright flowers spread Jike stars in the sky. And in the Springtime the peach trees—there were 12 of these—used to break intc blossoms of pink and pearl. The place was full ‘of birds, singing so sweetly that the children would for 2 minute forget to play, say- ing, “How happy we are here.” | Now the Gia | hor his friend the Cornish | Ogre. Coming back afier an absence | seven years long, he found the chil- | dren in possession, playing all over his garden. Angry, the Giant said, “My | own garden is my own garden.” So he nailed up a otice that ran res- passers Will Not Be Allowed.” Then nt feit bette thought he : coming from stop to play ‘n was away from visiting | dia. Finally Spring came, The whole land was bright with blossoms and ing birds. Only in the garden of Winter. The ¢ from it, the birds did nd nest and fly about the e flowers did not bloom. people who now liked the rden were the Snow and the 'Spring has forgotten this gar den,” they said “so we will live here |all the year round.” The Snow up ihe grass with her great white | cloak. The Frost painted the trees | with er. Wrapped in his furs, {the North Wind came to stay there roaring throughout the garden a1l the day long. “This is a fine { spot” he said, “we must ask the Hail | to make a visit.” So the Hail came. Every day he rattled on the root and against the windows. Then dressed in grey, his breath like ice, he would race up and down the garden in high glee. And the Glant wondered why Spring did not come. But it never came, nor the Summer. Autumn gave gol- den fruit to every other garden, but to the Giant's she gave none. “He is too selfish” she said. So it was al- ways Winter there. One morning the Giant was lying awake in his bed when he heard a carol of sweet music. “1t is the king's ici ssing by” he said. But it vi little linnet singing out- side the window, strange sound to the Giant by that time. With the lilt of the lovely song the Hall stopped Jancing. The North Wind grew silent. A sweet perfume floated up through the open casement. “I believe Spring has come at Jast,” said the Giant, as he rose and went swiftly to the window. He saw a wondrous sight. Through a little hole in the garden wall the children had crept in. And there they were sitting among the branches of the trees. In every tree was a little child. And so glad were the trees to have the children back again that they had covered themselves with blossoms and were waving their arms {in welcome above the children. The birds were flying about twittering with joy, the flowers were looking up in happy laughter at the sight above them. On ter. spot. as still not sing place. The only Giant’s Frost in one corner it was still Wi A little boy stood in this far He was 100 small to reach even (he lowest branches. He was crying. o tree above him was still bare. limb up little boy,” said the tree, ding its branches low for the child But he was too small. So he stood weeping bitterly. “How eifish I have been,” said the Giant. Now 1 know why the Spring would not come here. 1 will put that little | boy in the top of the tree. 1 will knock down the wall, and my garden shall be the children’s playsround for ever and ever.” So he crept out into the garden. When the children saw him they ran away in fear. Only the little boy did not run. The Giant jifted him into the tree and at once the tree broke into blossoms. ‘The birds sang oround it. And the little hoy reached out to put his arms |around the Giant’s neck and to kis him. Then the children came back and the Spring came with them. “It is your garden now,” so the Glant| told_them. All the day long they played, every day long, and at night they came to bid the Giant good-by. “Where is your little companion, the boy ‘I put up in the tree?” You see, the | Giant loved that little boy, becauce | he had kissed him. But the children did not know, for he was a strange little boy whom they had never seen before, Every day the children came | but the little boy was never seen again. be to reach them. Frde Nl and the Giant was All day he | | Years went by growing old and feeble. would in his chair watching the children at play. They were the most beautiful flowers in his garden—so he aid. One Winter morning he looked out of his window. He no longer hated the Winter, for he knew it was merely the Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting. Suddenly he rubbed his eyes in wonder. He looked and looked. It was truly a strange thing that he saw. In the far corner of hi garden was a tree quite cov- cred with beautiful white blossom: Its branches were all golden, and s ver fruit hung from them. Unde | neath the tree stood the little boy he had so loved. Down stairs in jo and out into the garden. He hastened a and drew near to the child. And when he came quite close, his face rvew red with anger and he | “Who hath dared to wound thee?’ on the palms of the child’s hands w | the prints of two nails, and the prints of two nails were on the little feet. Who hath dared to wound thee?” cried the Giant. “Tell me, that I may take my sword and slay him.” “Na answered the child, | these are the wounds of love | " “Who art thou?" said the Giant, and 1 strange awe fell upon him and he { knelt before the little child. And the child smiled on the Giant nd said, “You once let me play in ‘our v you shall come /ith me to my garden. The name of v garden is Paradise.” And when, that afternoon the chil- dren eame to play in the Giant's ga den, they found the Giant ran “but ption in this respect, since it | the most powerful s A. 'The thr ightiest in the world are WEAF, at Bellmore, N. Y.; KDKA, at Pittsburgh, and WGY, at Schenec tady. Kach has 50,000 walts, Pl tell thing about Donald Keith, who playec the part of August Schill the picture “The Way of All A. W, A. ton, | @ win you ase me some. Donald Keith was horr Mass., and is 21 vears old. He is g 55 pounds. h, and bi name is Franc is married to Kathry He has eyes. 1 and he tickuzze. light rown veal What are th in the United A. By far the most {in the United States are the the English sparrow, but others are common enouxh their total numbers run well in millions. The counts so far show that the most abundant bird on farms in the Northeastern ates the robin. Next to this is the arrow, and following these chi and catbi - is sparrow meadow lark | named. Q. MHow 000 biils a BT (G | A. Accordin | statement of T nent, the amount out £1,000 notes of all kinds (t the Treasury Department a se tion) was $164 ns tha denominaiion. nany § g to the last [bills in well as t {031,000 164,041 u bills of this | Q. How many are H. E. There are 10 ir They are Ider, Meyer Jacobstein, sabath, William . charach Caller, Wil ws there the Benjamin Adolp! Sirovic Bloom, Cohen Q the gove ton crop? A. The objec many of the commercial growers cotton made to the report of the De partment of Agriculture on the prog. ress of the crop was that it cre: |an unsettled condition in the statement made on a g g crop was valueless unless forecast the condition of the crop at maturity and weather conditions dur- its ‘harvest. The crops of other factors in determining prices. Any premature inform may cause an unsettled market and hardship to growers in sec e argumer orecast « 0 which t could tepresent Louisiana. bill t ‘“create a commission to ascertain the feasibility of constructing the Nica ragua Canal, hands of the interstate and foreign commerce committee. While the project is a little more than a century old, there are new con- ditions which, the Congressman be- lieves, justify investigating. It is only a quarier of a century since the Pan- ama Canal project became a reality instead of a paper theo: Champtons | of the Panama Canal believe that it | would be more economical to enlarge its_capacity when its present width and lockage become overstrained by increasing commerce, and they believe even that will not be necessary for | two or three decades yet. Mr U'Cl)ll'i nor takes issue with that idea and argues that the increase of. traffic will outgrow the Panama long before the Nicaragua Canal can be made ready, and that even regardless of commer- cial considerations two canals are safer than one for military defense under the present menace of air at- tacks. Hence he insists we should push the new canal with all reasonable speed and energy. PR Gen. Goethals explained to a group of newspaper men aboard ship, when | he went to Panama to take charge, that while for public consumption. the need of the interoceanic canal from a commercial standpoint was then being stressed, the still greater need for naval defense was really the para- mount issue. That was before veloped into a n: today, when from rier an airplane be: ves can be launched at sea 500 or 500 miles away and in five hours or | less bomb the canal locks, utterly | blocking access from one ocean to the | other, and so divide and bottle up our fleet where it could not protect the coast to be attacked by the enemy. 3ut it would be much harder to bom {wo canals in a surprise attack. « Kk Ok X “There have beea numerous in gations of the feasibility of the ragua Canal, but conditions chan rapidly. This may be illustrated the famous Nochistongo Ditch, pene- trating the mountain range whic closes the Mexico Valley. The valley is a great bowl, formerly frequently | flooded because of the overflowing of Lake Zumpango and lesser lakes. In 1629 a Spanish engineer named Mar- tinez undertook to supply means of inage of the valley, and with 15.000 ives, using the crude tools of that he dug a canal 4 miles long, plercing the mountains. But the tun- hel caved in frequently when most needed, so that it became necessary to convert it into an open ditch, which requived an unbelievable amount of excavation, during the course of which Some 200,000 digzers were buried in the numerous landslides and collapses. Mexico City was inundated for five Vears, and orders were given from Spain to abandon it and rebuild on higher ground, but before that was done there came a dry season with earthquakes, which opened the ground and rid the valley of the proionged flood. "The ditch is still in existence, though not now in use. Comparing the means of accomplish ment, the Nochistongo undertaking was immensely greater than was the Panama Canal or would be the ragua Canal. Improvements in power excavating machinery, even since the Roosevelt order to “make the dirt fly” at Panama, would now make the open- ing of a Second canmal between. the oceans as much less in arduousness as the Panama was less than the con- struction of the Nochistongo Ditch. H Ok K K There is great rivalry bel champions of Panama and Nicaragtia, nd for a century there has been sharp controversy of opinion as to the merits of the two routes. It was the idea of Ferdinand de Lesseps to make the Panama Canal a tidewater ditch which would require no locks. but would neces itate much deepening of the channel, together with added troubles with 1. ndslides. There is no present assurance that landslides will cease to cause trouble, even with the nresent level, and to have deepened that level some 85 or 100 feet more would have intensifie 1 that danger. Even from the beginning it has been contended that ther~ is no route in Niearagua which would not need many wore locks than are found adequate at Panama. Tt is alleged that the Panama enter- prise gained the ing of strong construction interests which saw prof. itable contracts in the construction of the ereat locks, while a tidewater canal would have been harren of finan aiation had de- 1 factor, as it naval plane car- ing high explo- I een the of | ed | The bill is now in the | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Q. What broadcasting stations are|necessary fund dispositi To whom \ er of the n of the crop. was the title h of God" appl “Defend conferr he openings. The Febry. ons that are show emplo; under English | whom ished Kind offices of s Ghost Lond 5,000 copias than £70 ma doct cunote of the times iz efficien In supplying its readers with formation bureau in Wash ington The Evening Star is living up | to ihis principle in deed and fact. W are paying for this fservice in order that it may be free to the publ Submit your queries to the staff of e perts whose services are put ai your disposal. Inclose 2 cents in stamps to cover the return postage Address The Evening Star Information Bureau Frederic 1. Haskin, director, Washing: ton, D. €. BACKGROUND OF EVE BY PAUL V. COLLINS. es, according to a canal commission, eight lo of tkree in Panama, requiring ging of 297 feet in Tambor |in place of 103 feet in Culebra C % % % ¥ For our c k8 route from the Atlantic and Gulf ports to the Pacific is all in favor of t Nicaragua Canal. In olden disputes much was made of the obstacles of winds and calms handicapping ng vessels off Nicaragua on both of the Isthmus, but today il- S no figure, for steam ha: superseded sails in ocean the traffic. The United State. has purchased frow. Nicaragua for $2,000,000 pe petual and exclusive right to build such an interoceanic canal across her domain whenever we see fit to do so, and we have gotten well rid of the blundering, “entangling alliance” with Great Britain, manifested by the Clay- ton-Bulwer Treaty, requiring British consent before we could go ahead and build and control interoceanic canals to be protected under our Monroe Doctrine. In a s Senate by the of said “The honorable eech made in 1853 in the enator William H. Seward peaker rebuked political criticism cretary of State Clayton, and Senator from Cali fornia (Mr. Weller) declared that he was astonished to hear the Senat from Louisiana say that he was su prised at anything, however stup: at might be done by the Sect v of Mr. Clayton, and that he (Mr. Weller) had never known M Clayton to have any co-nection v any public affair in’ which he did show himself exceptionally sav the lea There are advocates today who sue that our hesitancy to permit passage of the Panama Canal 1o ¢ own coast traffic because of t& de: mand from Great Britain (who bidden any share of our coast t nyhow, as ave all other foreign coun L more modern case of British t on our doing as we lik * own, almost on par with Clayton's concession. * Ok ok ¥ building of any interoceanic anal had the opposition of all transe continental railroads, including those in Canad the Furama Canal ruction all ads were reign (mostly British) bondholders. Since the World War those bonds have passed to American investors. W h under cons the railroads foresaw in creay competition by means of the interoceanic canal, whether in Panama or Nicaragua, their worst forecasts have been exceeded. It is cheaper to ship through the Panama Canal from Chicago to all Pacific ports and thence by rail to 500 miles inland than ship from Chicago to such points by rail. That advantage for w transportation will be increased | instead of shipbing from Chicago the Great Lakes and rail to New Yc and thence by water through the Panama Canal, the rouze wi'l Le down the Mississippi to Nicoragna und up the Pacific C i % ok ok %k The French Prince (later Louis Napoleon in 1546 follow: “The geographical position of Con tantinople is such as rendered hor tF Quee of the ancient world. Occupying as she does the central point be Eurone, Asia and Africa, she come the entrepot of the com all these countries, and obtai them an immense preponderan in politics. s in strategy, position always commands cumference. “There exis n the state as v stantinop] We allude to the state of Nicaragua. As Constantinople is the center of the ancient world, 5o is the town of Leon the center of the new, and if the tongue of land that sepa s two lakes from t & cific were cut through would c K ., by virtue of her posi tire North and of Nicaragua ca become, bette Constantinople, the necessary of the great commeice of the world, and is destined to attain an cxtravrdi degree of prosperity sran or) wrote as the cir World a Con New situated as The state than route ome extent that prediction also applies to Panama, but even the liken. ing of either to Constantinople cannot be taken too literally, since the Suez Canal robbed that Turkish eity of it monopoly of the routes of commerc Conditions chanze with the de rew conditions bring new’ vestigations. cial profifh of constructic 1r so. then whafimay be the construction 1Copyright. 1977, by Paui’V. Coliias.)