Evening Star Newspaper, February 25, 1928, Page 6

ATHE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition, WASHINGTON, D.C. SATURDAY...February 35, 1928 | THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor vening Stur Newspaper Company o B onacan. T St. and Pennsylvania Ave. Néw Tork Offics: 110 East 42nd St Thicage Offce: Tower Bulldie. = Ofce: 14 Regent St.. London, D - Baylama. the City. B o YN iS¢ per month Tow Evening Star. . The Eveume amd i | pelnen 4 Sundays The Erenmg and Snodas Twhen & Sundays) . e ner mont Sandar Star. L.l e per cany D et A 4k THe et each month. * Oners mav be ent 1 by mail or telephune. Main 5000, | Rate by Mail—Payable in \dvance. > Maryland and Virzinia. DPaile and Sund: i‘f:. e aniv Shar oy $3.00: 1 mo. 00 per wonth tar A | 1 Not in Lieu of Taxes. In the House discussion of the Dis- | trict appropriation bill it was intimated | then sla; repeatediy that the half-and-half or other definite proportionate payment pian of financing the District was based solely upon the relative amoun: of real | estate owned by the Govermmen: as compared with that held in private {inflammable temper, who | cannot be regarded as that of one who case 15 preposterous:” - When: ssked if he had any remorse for the killing of his wife, he replied: “It was pitiful, but the killing seemed to ease my repressed mental state; but I got no satisfaction out of it—the killing was the result of an irresistible impulse for which I am sorry.”™ Here Is no maniac, unbalanced to, the point of unaccountability for his act, but & man of violent temper-—which he styles s “repressed mental state"—who recognizes the absurdity of his detention with the insane and lkewise the absurdity of the verdict which set him {ree from the charge of murder, vet kept him in custody. It is undeniably pre- posterous but necessary for the sake of public safety that the same ageney of law that sought to have him declaved sane and. thereforc. accountable for his deed should now be seeking to prove him insane and subject to continued incarceration. The fauit lies in the law that per- mits the plea of insanity to be invoked to condone any crime of passion. For the maniac, who, in the throes of his ; aisease, takes life without reason or ex- {cuse, who runs amuck with, gun or knife or who with devilish craft plots the death of others, there may be war- rant for condonement on the score of irresponsibility. But when the man of nurses a | srievance, who conceives that he has been injured by an unpardonable wrong, ¥, in private vengeance, the act | is insane in the sense of irresponsibility. It should certainly be established as an irrevocable principle that he whe invokes the insanity plea must abide by it. If the jury acquits him of the /ENING STAR. WASHINGTON, D. €. SATURDAY. FEBRUARY 25. 1928. the meer‘mndfim. cannot yet re- gard with'optimism a long sea flight for airplames. Of course, one of the bad features of the Dole race is re- moved” in the proposed Bermuda com- petition. Seaplanes will be the order of the day and not land planes, which have provedialmost sure death to those who have been forced to alight on the water. And meither can a six-hundred- and-fifty or' a seven-hundred-mile flight be classed with a two-thousand- mile trip over {waier. But, nevertheless, a well defined’fecling exists that com- petitions for cash prizes bring out those who are ill-equipped, both in plane and experience, to make hazardous flights over acean wastes. So taken all in all if the Bermuda authorities next year still refuse to comply with the safety measures sug- gested by the association. hardly a tear will be shed in this coun- try over the failure to hold the race. The public is quite fed up with the spectacle of dangling tempting prizes for thre risk of life before ambitious, but in some cases oadly equipped. fly- ers. Aviation must progress sanely and conservatively and must not be retarded by ill-advised commercialism. R Chance-Takers. A sad commmentary on the good judg- ment of the human race is contained in the announcement just made by the New Haven Railroad that beginning to- day a summons will be served on any person getting off or on a traln while it is in motim. So many accidents have occurred recently because of this practice that the railroad has been forced to take legal steps to save its THIS AND THAT - BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. ‘There is one sentence written by Alexander Pope which strikes a reader as being peculiarly interesting and well put. It is to be found in the preface to the 1716 edition of his poems. After discussing the relations of writer, reader and critic. and especially those of writer and professional critic, the poet declares: “T am afraid this extreme zeal on both sides is ill-placed: poetry and criticism being by no means the uni- versal concern of the world, but only the affair of idle men who write in their closets, and of idle men who vead there.” ‘Thus one of the world's great versi- flers himself expresses an opinion that was held in his day by many hard- headed business men. as it certainly is today by . eountless. thousands who do not read poetry. Conditions have changed. of course. Those who have investigated the place held by poets in certain ages will tell you that few poets ever occupied quite such a niche as Alexander Pope held in the fabric of London life. ‘The mwodern reader, attempting to wade through his “Dunciad,” finds it extremely dull, not because it is not more or less perfectly done, in its way, but because he does not know the char- acters, Even full footnotes do not help much, When it appeared, however, it was read' by every one at all who was any one at all. Perhaps the only thing that we can compare it to today is & news- paper sensation of some sort that is on every one's tongue. Pope never himself fulfilled such a role as he set forth for poets. that of men writing in their clo: men who read there. Thi his, in his youth. was but part of his usual mock modesty, part of his satirical strain, patrons’ lives, and at the same time * ok K Poets are the symphony composers of literature. In music the place of the symphony is unlike that of any other musical form. A great symphonic com- position embodies the cream of the musical feast. One has to have gone through all the other forms before he is able to appreciate it or write it. No auditor in the world is more forlorn than a man listening to a symphony concert who is not “educated up” to it. He sees nothing in it at all, and truly enough, because this elaborate tonal pattern is beyond his grasp. To have two ears is not enough. A thousand ears would do him no good, in so far as genuine liking is concerned, for he is not able to grasp what the composer is attempting to do with musical sounds. Where the real music lover is able to see a pattern vieing in design with some intricate, lovely old world lace- work, the musically uneducated person hears nothing but an unrelated mixture of sounds following one another in un- meaning form. The whole thing strikes the latter as dull, uninteresting, almost nonsensical, it he dared to say so. Usually, how- ever, because he knows that his neighbor will applaud loudly, he, too, finds it expedient to clap his hands together until they hurt. when he finally feels that the noise has stopped. * k% ¥ Poetry, alas, often causes readers to teel as this poor man does at a sym- phony. They “do not understand it." in fact wonder why it must be chopped up into lengths. The greatest degencration of poetry has come when certain persons, drawn on by curiosity, but really unable to grasp the function of poetry, have at- tempted to compose it. and have called THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Booklover “Adult education” is a phrase that is coming into such Increasing use that it is in danger of being abused and becoming a cant expression. It is some- times used to cover the plan that is claimed to enable one to converse scintillatingly, perhaps in French, through an occasional five minutes of study, or to learn how to get rich quickly by the casy road of following a “system.” But it is also used to des- ignate a life-long effort to achieve some measure of “emancipation from herd- opinion, self-mastery, capacity for self- criticis suspended judgment and urbanity”"—to employ an attempt at definition by Everett Dean Martin in “The Meaning of a Liberal Education.” An interesting account of the various present-day attempts of grown-ups to become and to keep educated is to be found in Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s “Why Stop Learning?” This book is written in the spirit of President icholas Murray Butler's statement: 'We must get the American people to give up the notion that education is given by the school and that it stops when school days are over. The empha- sis must be put on the continued and permanent. education process, which the individual must learn to carry on through life.” *oxoxow It was a big thing then when it was decided that all Americans must be taught to read and write, but, savs Dor- othy Canfield. “look at the printed pages they pick out to peruse!” We are merely a literate nation, not an educated one. Schools, she says, have given them schooling and “schooling is of little value if the children on gro ing up do not use their schooling to get themselves an education.” are two classes of adult Americans who have kept alive the ideal of real edu- cation. which is self-education. They ‘There | ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. ‘This is a special department devoted solely to the handling of queries. This paper puts at your disposal the services of an extensive organization in Wash- ington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. = This service is free. Failure to make use of it de- prives you of benefils to which you are entitled. Your obligation is only 2 cents in stamps inclosed with your in- quiry for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frcdronrc J. Haskin, Director, Washing- ton, . Q. Why don't airplanes have mufflers on them?—M. H. W. A. Many Europcan airplanes are equipped with muffiers. Mufflers are not. used on Army planes because it is belleved that fires may be caused by the hot exhaust pipes. Q. What should a boy study who wants to be a banker?—A. K. A. The American Institute of Bank- ing states that a student who wishes to become a banker should follow a curriculum which includes economics, elementary and advanced banking, commercial law, negotiable instruments and accounting. Q. How long does the effect of tear gas last?—J. P. A. Tear gas when released causes | persons in the vicinity to weep. The duration of the effect depends upon the strength of the dose. A mild dose would probably cause lachrymation for 10 or 15 minutes. The effect is only temporary and is not permanently in- Jurious, ! Q. Are 81 gold pieces being coined at present? How many are there in | the United States Treasur: G. D. A. There has been no coinage of $1 gold pieces since 1899. At the present has been using lately the same one that he went to Paris in?—J. McC. A. Col. Charles A. Lindbergh is still flying the Spirt of 8t. Louls, in which he crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Q. Who was the first President elected by the modern Republican party?—W. C. D. A. The newly organized party “as- sumed giant proportions in the Fall of 1836, and was called the Republican party. That party nominated John C. Fremont of California for President. :l:t w;: deln'zsdm?ymllm.:d Bltl;l:hanln. the party cTe: and in 1860 elected its andl;""fe—- Abraham Lincoln.” Q. How long does it take s ship ;2 g) through the Panama Canal A. A vessel proceed: directly through the Panama Ca‘g'il ‘without delays requires only from 10 to 12 R;mll:! llor m‘ugeh Of this time 3 urs is occupes bein; lowered through the Io:u.‘ e Q. Who was the first upon whom an American cr‘:‘lfll:e’w;:- séovéed x;he degree of doctor of music?— 7 A’ The first degree of the kind con- ;;rred g’y ;: Ax;;xe{ilun college was 3%".: ve: well Mason New University in 1825, - s Q. Where will the next Eucharistic conference be held?>—A. B. A. It is planned to have the meet- Ing in Carthage. Africa, in 1930. It il mark the fiftieth anniversary of o first conference. and will fulfll re of the conference to hold ent in the time there are no dollar gold pieces in either the United States Treasury or ownership. { formal charge of murder he should re- | point out that one of the weaknesses are, first, the very few who have had In this connection the valuation ! main under the ban. to the extent surely piaced a few months ago by ASsessOr|of detention as one who is not ace of the human being is a lack of good common sense. Richards on Government Property m | the District is cited as justification o!; this contention that the citizens of the | District regard the Federal contrib: tions to Capital maintenance as in lieu of taxes. As a matter of fact the a emsor in this series of estimates was e2rely seiting forth the exiraordinary excessive amount of propertv in District which is exempt framn taxa- tion, to illustrate the fact that the whole burden of local taxation falis| upon a much smaller range of prop- | erty than in other cities. ‘The true nature of this Nation's obli- gation of proportionate contribution toward the maintenance and develop- ment of the Capital is not solely or primarily untaxed ownership of District real estate, though a substantial and continuous obligation does arise in con- nection with such ownership. The strongest obligations resting upon the Nation are equitable in their nature and are based primarily on the circum- stances of the Capital's creation and the treatmeént of the Capital by the Nation ever since the birth of the Nation's city. ‘This special obligation is one that is over and above that which is imposed solely by the fact that the city is 8 Capital. ‘The General Government, by the fact of planning a magnificent Capital, cov- ering a large area and characterized by broad streets, avenues and reservations 1o an extent unsuitable for a self-sup- porting commercial city, and by found- ing this Capital in a place compara- tively uninhabited, as well as by the terms of the bargain with the owners of the soil, and by the declaration of its Tepresentatives at the founding of the city and afterward, showed an inten- tion to build up a national city, at the Nation’s expense, on a grand scale, irre- spective of the future population of the District. The Capital was to be pri- -marily a center of Federal action and the occupation of the ground by set- tlers was merely incidental to this great purpose. The Capital was to be a meeting piace for the use, convenience and en- tertainment of the people of the :niize Union and the expense of its support and adornment was not to be limited by the scanty resources of what perma- nent population it might acquire. The original owners of Washingtm donated five-sevenths of the city's sofl and yielded the right of “self-govern- ment to the Nation on the understaad- ing and implied agreemest that the Nation was 0 build up here 2 magnifi- cent Capital at its own expense, reim- 1 { | I | bursing itsel! from the proceeds of the | sale of donated Iots. A pretentious city ‘was planned and lots were sold by the Government on the strength of wis understanding. Por three-fourths of a century the Nation violated or neglect- ed the obligations which it had thus in- curred. In 1878 the Goivernment, which had in the beginning impliedly undertzken ¥ meet all the expenses of Capital making and then shifted that busden in the main upon private citle | zens, decided that justice required it 1o pey one-palf of the District's cxpenses. There i no justification whatever in the history of the creation of the Capl- 1al and i the tardy but equitable estab- lshment of the definite proportion prin- opie of Capital maintenance for the assertion or claim or intmation that countable for his impulses. For the sake of public security he should be held | think of piacing it in jeopardy, but the under restraint. There should be a |streak of bad judgment comes to the minimum period of detention, long | fromt in rushing to catch a train at a enough to permit recovery, if that is |station in the same way that it does possible, from the mental derangement. | when a motorist tries to beat a train at And there should be no move for re- (a grade crossing. although bells are lease while the conditions leading to |ringing and gates are down to give ihe crime are still fresh and potent. warning of approaching danger. It is almost impossible to legislate judgment into persons who lack it to the extent of gambling with their own lives, and consequently the action of the railroad is not likely to bring ef- fective results. Commuters to New York and other points will doubtless be will- ing to take as much chance with the law as they do with their expectation of a long life and a healthy one. ——————— Fuel studies as they go into mining regions contradict a current impression that the ultimate consumer is getting altogether the worst of the situation. N A desire to return to mall carrying may betray the fact that Lindbergh is tired of chicken salad and prefers a simple ham sandwich. e Removing masks from marchers may not contribute to public information. At a little distance, all members of a parade look alike. ) Most persons lowe life and would not ————— Hoover on Flood Control. Political opponents of Sccretary Her- bert Hoover in their efforts to injure him appear to have overreached them- selves again. Mr. Hoover was called be- fore the Senate commerce committee yesterday to be quizzed on Mississippt Valley flood control, obviously as a political maneuver. He was to be com- pelled to break with the President on the administration’s flood bill, or to of- fend the Hoover supporters in the Mis- sissippi Valley who are opposed to the twenty per cent State comtribution to flood-control work, proposed in the bill. Mr. Hoover did neither. He made 1t clear that he agreed with the President that the principle of State contribution was wise. He assured the committee. however, that without further informa- tion regarding the economic and finan- cial problems involved in flood control it was impossible to say whether a twenty per cent contribution by the States was “just” or not. It was perfectly clear from the char- acter of the questions put to Mr. Hoover that his direction to appear be- fore the committee had been instigated in part, at least, by a desire to embar- rass Mr. Hoover politically, to make more difficult his nomination for Presi- dent or his election to that office should he be nominated. To the people of the Mississippi Val- ley flood control is the most vital ques- tion of the day. A few more floods like that of 1927 and they are wiped out. wupd economically if not physically. Flood| _ _ Distinguished Guests. control is far more important to them | e T fixin' up the county jail than any question of party politics. Twmhmmh S - nm They have been anxious to avold mak-| 12 the folks who ean't get ball And have to linger here. ing flood control a mere foot ball of the politicians. It was with regret that| .ih PeTsian rugs in grand display some of their leaders saw the effort tc P:r"" SRR Toos oW ers, g who shall say, but what some day, embarrass Mr. Hoover before the com- We'll house & billionaire? merce committee. The people of the A flood States know that Mr. Hoover | We've entertained distinguished men. knows their situation and sympathizes| We think we might as well with them. They are grateful as a|Make the old hoosegow, now and then, warm-hearted people alone can be to| N0 worse than a hotel. Mr. Hoover for the work which he aia| We'll have & footman on the floor, in the valley last year, when he was| Well boost the bill-of-fare, sent there by the President to take | AS at the door we wait once more eharge of flood relief. ‘To greet a billionaire. Mr. Hoover, in his testimony before the Benate committee, indicated again his sympathy with the people of the flood States. He urged upon Congress the imperative need of food-contro! legistation. He took the position that nothing should be done to injure the peopie of the flood area, and expressed Eutopean efforts to make fun of American wealth are never in evidence ‘when a serious business conference is under way. | A detective story might be written with the title, “A Detective Detected.” ———— et SHOOTING STARS. BY PEILANDER JOHNS A True Sport. “You have had many opportunities to gain wealth.” “Yes," answered Senator Sorghum “But I love my honerable occupation | as a statesman 0o well to run the risk of cashing in and having W quit the e Simple Taste, He was a hero, undismayed. Said he, “I have a hunch To quit the banquet and parade, And eat a dairy lunch." Jud Tunkins says a kind word is only a white chip in the game of life, but it may win you something. Sinal. the Feceral contribution the Dis- triet’s ost of munieipal operation and development 1s solely in lieu of taxes upn Guvernment proerty - No George Washington orator hias yet succeeded in making his utterances as snappy 28 thowe of George himself. e Insanity Defense Absurdities, In the proceedings now in progress t Lime, O in the case of George I ®ho was recently acquiived on 8 coarge of murdering his wife on the o of mental irresponsibiiny, the | nity defense” i shown in its worst 1 Jemus s confined st the Blate for the lnsane and is now under ezaninetion before the Court of i s endesvor W secure bis yelcese from detention, claiming the se- covery of bis sanity. His responses W snd bis outhursts of personal on show the absurdity of the clatm, wiieh vas acepted by the jury at the wial’ that he was not acoountable for Bis et AL one Ume he broke forth with the exclamation, 1o think of the poor unfortunates hete snd U tink thet you sre o the midst of all this n your 1ull mental faculties is piti- * nen he urned o the prose- e . eutor, who s tie trisl had spught | prove Remus sane when he slew Lis wife and who 18 now trylng W have him kept in the saylum, and satd, “For you U contend 1o this court sgainst my the opinion that nothing would be done | to harm them The Becretary of Commerce, in hi: | offictal capacity. has nothing te do with flood control. It is the job of the Wa: trp,p-mm—m, Mr. Hoover very properly declined to criticize the recommenda- tons of his colleagues in the Govern- | ment in regard w flood control. If Mr leYer becomes President of the United i Blates a year from now his position ss Chief Executive will be very different § from what it is at present, “I have a fine patch of mint." sald Uncle Bill Bottletop. What for?” “It's a signal that while & bootlegger can't hope for any trade he may, at least, expect & little sympathy.” PR Names are confusing. The fables of old Urele Remus have nothing what- ever in common with the story of the impetuous Femus of bootleg fame. | | a—— Irresponsibility. “Why do you pay rent ouning your own home?" “I don't.” snswered the irresponsible person. “I'm several months In ar- rears.” r-oe o - | Disimissal of Trotsky indicates s | wholesome susplcion on the part of Russia of the idea of government by | magazine writers 7 5 instead of The Bermuda Race. | ‘The National Aeronautic Association |15 1 be Leartily commended for its re- | fusal w ranction & New York-Bermuda |seaplane race until the Bermuda autho- | | rittes have complied with essentiul safe- |ty regulstions which the assoclation | deems necessary. ‘Yhat Lhis attitude Lot the governing boay of wviation i | the United tates Las resulted in the Bermudians definitely calling off the race for this year, is, therefore, & point | gained for safe wviation. Sponsored by thie Bermuda Trade Development Board, the proposed competion had been ve- cefved I this county with only & mini- {mum of enthusiusm, #nd the nstionsl | ussociation has been adament in u,,i stand that 3f such & Toce 35 o be held every precautton shuil be tsken for ]ll.r safety of the fiyers “We are told.” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “that man is an snimul, He 15 sometimen treated th a manner that would fustify him in calling on the 8. P. C. A" Mysterious Values. “I'he price of stocks goes up or down, IL brings & smile. IU leaves a frown, From day 1o day. no soul on earth Can tell you just what you are worthi “We talk about de good old times,” sald Uncle Ehen, “an’ fohgits dal de new times has & heap o° goodness wut congiderin’ — Why Bring That Up? French savants foresee i 1p o Ui moon passible i three snd a halt hours, We'd rather not be hothered, ¥ Although & rece frmm New Yok to Bermuds capnot be classed with the | ..o The Black Wash, eenity efter your questioning for forty- | deplorable Dole flight from Ban Fran- |y, e Voledo blace two days in the court at cwm’”l 1 YOUI CIUBS-eARIILSVIOD 3 Ui 1n ile Wupg the tpgic consequences of c1se0 oy Honnlulu, the public, reviewing loomy oh washday, shirts ua the lne. Italy must look with so wmany blac| It is perhaps more generally true today than at any time in civilized i hat poetry is a thing of books people. Poems now are. indeed. written at peace for those who read at peace. While there is an indirect spill of verse in advertisements from time to time, in the main the art of poetics plays little if any part in actual life. We of America are a busy people. We honor those who produce great poetic works, if such there be, but we leave them to the judgments of pos- terity. Yet there are still those who read poetr; It is very seldom. however, that one beholds a “little poetry book” riding in a street car. Novels may be scen in the hands of patrons of public vehicles, as may the works of the so-called new school of biographers, those capable men of various races who attempt to put on paper the soul of a man. hool books and law books and medical works pass to and fro on the streets, as carried by seekers after knowledge. Poetry, however, is a drug on the open market. In a busy age and country there are countless more readers who buy books for information and entertainment than there are those who purchase a volume for exaltation. These latter read at home. Poetry is the music of writing. Poetry might even be termed the symphony of writing. The Beethoven of ppetry is Shake- speare. The other poets of all countries are the Schuberts, the Scnumanns, the Mozar:s. their productions “free verse,” evident- Iy because it is free from the compli- cations of form and spirit which the great poets of the past have mutually called its laws. Real poetry. through its very arti- ficlality, appeals to those who believe in law and order, and in the things ! which mankind has been able to build up. Nature is grand, as the chorus girl said, but man, too, has done some- {thing in the world. If time and chance should wipe human life out to- | morrow, leaving what man has made | behind ‘him. there would be much in the world which was not there when God made it. This is something. Poetry is great because it is one of {these things which are the work of {man. And one of its grandest attri- | butes is the ability which it possesses [to exalt the heart and cleanse the | mind. Those who love poetry may properly pity those who do not. for the latter miss something which might as well be theirs. In a world of turmoil poetry today brings one very near to the last { remaining stronghold of peace. Writien in peace for those who read in peace—such is the proud position of poetry today. It has risen bevond the ! sirictures of Pope—-only the affair of idle men who write in their closets and of idle men who read there.” Today poetry is the consoler. the helpful friend. not town, as in Pope’s day. furnish the antidote to huriy-burly. | They must help bring peace to the {mind. Thus poetry again occupies, in 28. the proud position it held when i David wrote his Psalms Poets must Flood Relief iiill Discussion Shows Obstacles Still Ahead Discussion of the Mississippl flood control bill which has been r ted 1o the House emphasizes anew the con- troversial obstacles that lie in the way of fmal action. Under the House measure the entire cost of the project $473.000,000, or more than double the estimate of the Army engineers, would be borne by the United States Govern- ment instead of requiring the Stat directly involved to pay 20 per cent, as proposed by President Coolidge. Recording that the House committee “reports its bill by a vote of 11 to 6 the New Orlcans Item says: "It em bodies for the first time in the history of national legislation the principle that the overwhelming floods irresistibl poured into the lower Mississippi the other States of the vast mid-country present to the Nation a different case from that presented by any other flood problems. For the Reid measure de- clares that these particular floods should be controlled as a national duty, at national expense, without contribu- tions from the impoverished districts that have exhausted themselves 5o long | loit Dally News thinks, “well may hope | in efforts to protect themselves and the country’s trade and traffic against the recurrent deluges that the rest of the country pours down on them.” As to the ultimate result in Congress, the Philadeiphia Evening Bulletin pre- dicts: “This rich Nation will not avoid the major responsibility for the cost of A job that is primarily Uncle Sam's, It| 1s ‘proper that, for the rcason given by the President, there should be some as- sessment of cost in the localities af- fected, but there is no reason why that assessment should be fixed at a hard and fast proportin, disregarding present ability to pay. The Nation can afford to take the large and the generous view."” The Syracuse Herald also feels that “the safest prediction is that a com- promise of the cost controversy will be ultimately reached that will bring the total appropriation nearer to the en- gineers’ estimate than to the com- mittee’s demand.” but that paper con- tends that “it would hardly seem fair and just to saddle any part of the ex- penditures for relief and future preven- ton upon the communities aficted. Observing that “powerful groups in Congress and the Missbsipph Valley are determined to place the entire bur- den on the Pederal Government,” and that “the Chamber of Commerce of the United States is backing these groups and exerting considerable in- fluence on Congress,” the Chicago Daily News continues: “Thus the country is threatened with collapse of flood pre- vention ax well s of tax yeduction. So lame and dismal a conclusion would harm the country gricvously, and cer- talnly would reflect no credit on Con- ‘The public must insiat that o great matters the fous attention, and al with them at the present sesslon Justly and eftectually.” “Solution of the problem.” according to the Loutsville Courier-Journal, *is economical ut any gy Failure ‘s further wastefulness. The Reld bill treating the problem as u national con- sideration, mnd taking the work out of tie rut i has been In, offers a more vromising plan. The personnel of the commbssion, however, is the chief fac- tor on which sugcess or fallure de- pends L4 “Effectiveness depends on treating the river un w unit, and fallure to do 0 Is largely responsible for repeated dismstern 1 pust years,” declarcs the San Antonto Express, which adds: “Therefore, L would appeur the wiser course o place the reaponsibility upon Nationul Government from the out- sel, thus obviating the posatbility of contly, dangerons deluys " ‘The Birmiogham News holds that “the task of perfect contiol cannot be set mbout plecemenl—and plecemeal 1t must aurely be if developmenta nre de- layed for leghlative action by the Htates cruelly hurt by the floods Tt Hpring " Similar dorsement of the committee report ts given by the Rock Island Argus and Mankato Dally Free Presa, while the Grest Falls Tribune remarks’ “Thus fer Congress has con- cerned itaelf chiefly with spportionin costs between the Federal zrmtrum-n jand local interests. What is urgently | needed is a program which will make it possible to carry on necessary work at once and to plan for future work on the basis of expert findings.” Support for President Coolidge's plan of 20 per cent contributions from the Statel affected is given bv such papers the Boston Transeript, New York | Evenmng Post, Indianapolis Star, New | York Sun and Hartford Courant. The { Flint Dally Journal concedes that rere are thousands of homeless refu- gees who have no means of support and no way of rehabilitating their small | farms,” but contends that “on the jother hand, there are thousands of { acres of valuable timber | South which can well stand a share of | the expense of improving the whole |district.” The St. Paul Dispatch sug- gests, “Representative Selvig's pro- | posal for Federal loans to local govern- | ments whenever contributions to flood- | control costs would cause distress or dehy is sensible and fair” “Inhabitants of the South,” the Be- i | that they will not be hit by another [flmd of waters while Congre yet i {1y, the mild Winter thus far, with little i!nuw. portends probably far less 1S | flood conditions than prevail | year.” Extension of the scope of the present bill is urged by the Oklahoma C Times. ~ “Congressmen from State: drained by tributaries will seck amend the measure to provide a flood prevention program really national in i " says the Times. least safeguarding those States that now suffer heavy damage from the rise of Mississippi tributaries. Oklahoma s one of those States, and our congres- slonal delegation should fight earnestly for consideration in the pending legts- . - & ‘The main reason for the comprehensive program is to stop the flood damage, which is not limited to_any one State or section ™ ‘The Fort Worth Star-Telegram also regarding it as “almost certain that ef. | forts will be made to extend the scope of the bill to include the upper Mis- sissippl and other areas” sees danger in these activities he pressing problem of flood control” the Texas paper declares. “has to do with the Jower Mississippt and with nothing else Other areas can walt, but the lower Misstssippt can't. If other matters are permitted to destroy concentration on the paramount and pressing need, progress will not be favorable.” last - New Kansas Whe From the Kausas €1y Jdu There are “Kings” in various indus- tries, and they wear thelr crowns, for the most _part, with laudable pride. Herman Prasger of Barton County, Kuns, the new “wheat king” of the Sunflower State, has been coronated as the chumplon wheat grower, in compe- ttion with 32 other champlons, at the Farm und Home week of the Kansas State Agricultural College. Ho made a total of 12000 points and was awarded W $300 cash prize and w silver trophy ghven by the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, On his 40-acte fleld which was tered In the State contest he nyveraged 30 bushels per mcve, testing 635 pounds per bushel, with & proteln content of 1142 per cent ‘These technical detalls do not mean us much o the general public as 1o the infttated, but Mr. Pracger's vield was far above the average for Harton County, and everybody can understand the fvm foundation on which rests the distinction that he won, It 1s obvious that these contests have & value which canuot be measured in terms of prives, and that those wha fuiled to receive awards were amply 1es pald by their contribution to the prog- vesy of agricalture In thelr section of the Hiate, t King. ! " -n A Hint to Hoosierdom, { Prom tha Telets Kisde Though we want bors, we wiah Ind better, love our netgh- ould do & little the topic of the} land in the | dulges in floods of oratory. Fortunate- | to! nd at| the most schooling, who are truly edu- cated and hence know that they know little and must therefore incessantly strive to know; and second, the very many who have had the least, schooling, but have ever been enlisted in the long struggle to achieve schools for their children and meanwhile have been groping for education for themselves. Dorothy Canfleld bases a prediction on the signs of the times “that the next battle in the campaign of democracy the feasibility and advisability of gen- eral education for the majoritr of grown-ups,” and she has no doubt | “that we 'are in for more universal | education rather than less.” * ko % % Some of the agencies employed in the direction of t mass education and the results th are achieving, as described by Dor thy Canfield, mnclude correspondence schools. women's clubs, child study clubs and parent-teacher associ.tions, Iyceums and chautauquas. university ex- tension. workers’ education. museums and free public libraries. She believes that in the public library movement adult education found a natural course. along which it has boldy poured. shaping it into a deeper and cleaner canal for the new idea than the found ers of libraries dreamed of, tu: into what 1S perhaps the most e ing and most valua now being *ox v o Some will doubtless sympath: heart- ily with the feeling, almost a prejudice, expressed by Dorothy Canfield in her agatnst educa of lecturss. A book one can read if is interest:ing or put it aside if it dull leciure and finds that it is thin or ous or trite. one has to sit v through to the bitter end. no matter how much he is bored and how much he wishes he were back in a ccmfortable armchair in the companton. ship of a _master mind in the form o a book. But Dorothy Canfield admits “it s quite epparent that a large ma- Jority of mankind do not agree with me at all, but have a great liking for the spoken word and mnuch prefer it to the printed page. * * * In come parison’ with books and honest study from' ‘soundly thought-cut printed pages, lectures and speeches seem to me inadequate and vapid. * * * As] look around me I cannot but see that the spoken word is as dear as ever to people’s hearts, that it has for them some direct. personal note which they s in cold print.” She thinks this s because they do not understand the ar of reading and she hopes they will some time learn to read. She con- cludes garious clement of lecture-halls which i seems attractive. Reading is & solitary business, after all” * x % The New Republic for February 22 has a supplement of 32 pages devoted fto adult education. much of it by for- eign writers, showing that this {world movement. Among the {are the following: “Adult Education; |New Means for Liberals,” by E. 14 s A fucation,” by Albert Mansbridg: | Education in Modern Germany. |ing “Free Folk Education.” | Ketser, | by Hans Hoffmann; Folk-Ways,” by Jose Learning to Learn.” by Helen J May- ers. and “Will Workers Study” | Tom Tippett. v ow o Reformers who contemplate el INg smoking to the same nbo with alcohol should first read “This Smos- g World," by A. E. Hamtlton. and then perhaps respond to the pathos of { the slang appeal, “Have a heart!” Yet | Mr. Hamgiton 1s no spectal pleader, He Jes Justice to the scientist who shows that smoking results in rapid action and impairment of [ control. as well as to the tobaceo love | care nothing about laborator janalyses and “pooli-pooh’” their result {Among the tobacco devotee | toned Fielding, Lamb. Thackera nyson, Carlyle, Kingsley, Huxley | Wendell Holmes (8 doctor who' was not jafraid of the narcotic weed for himsel whatever he thought about it for { tients) and Bartie v ‘The Nobel prize for | awarded m 1927 1o € Deledda, a | Sardintan woman, generally considered | one of the leading Italtan novelisis to- day. The novel receiving the prise is “The Flight to Fgypt™ Others of her novels. are “Sardinian Blaod Plan Souls™ and “The Secret of the Solitary Man" She has written in all about thirty novels nwst of them dealtng with Sardintan lite, Her work is realism with espeefal Taterest i women and thelr problenis and i the customs of primitive Sardinian people. She now Hves i Rome. where her husband is a retived civil ofMicer PR from statesmanship has Riven o Viscount Grev of Fallodon letsute for studv of the birds. which have been for long (he compantons of his tecreational nows I the book “The Charm of Buds” he succeeds in Imparting some of his own enthusiasm to the reader His two homes. Fallodon, not far from the Scotch border. and his oottage tn tha New Forest in Hampshire, have been made bird sanctuaries, where Lord Grey has been able to study and take ple re in the hablia and vagaries of these fricuds, so often mare satisfacs Wry than human beings. E ‘.- An Atteactive Joh, Fiom the At Cansiiubion Four candidates o one county far the offiee of coroner. Cleat is the Automobtle! ) The Path to Publicity, From the Dotrait News A little nonsense now and then keeps one or two of our praminent United Statas Sanstors alaces conslanily en page 1. a . literature was Retirement the United States Mints. Q. What is the average d: is going to rage around the question of | chapter onlyceums and chautauquas, tion through the means | But if one ventures to attend a | are men- | over the Delaware River tween Philadelphia and Cam: J. B. traffic over the Delaware RE from July 1 to December 31, 26,541 vehicies. Q Are magne! reality electric currents?—C. A. ‘The Bureau of Standards say that magnetic lines of force are electric currents. Imaginary lines ar used to aid in depicting the and intensity of the magnetic lines of force field BY PilL retary of State Kellogg and the Ambassador. M. Claude] k d and cr the European press of the Pan-Ame le at the | rebuke of {in a speech in New York before | vertising Club that he | French politics econ American newspapers than from Fre; one: It would be fun {loz and Claudel { periority of the A * x There is. indeed. & radical differe: yin the ideals of fournalism in America. jand in France particulariy; the sam: jdifference prevails to a greater or | degree. as compared with of all countries of the Co: | not_quite so |dailies. A F the “organ” i editor co e P s “Perhaps it is the social, gre- | ted is a! | cras | di Lindeman: “World Aspects of Adult Ed- i h d; W The Fri ed o ever it may be | umns. the o | 1ou t 3 |is “fine writin't” the “literary fol slave Even a ence of the mode | tam had not tak day throush Assoctated througho member pap ¥ 1t has been the pro of evolution fo differentiate news from edi 1 oopluton- -0 sepas rate facts from argument or blas Now the first lesson impressed upon & news gatherer for the Associated Press and its member papers is that he has not g W do with drawing {nferences or RIVIDE A “IWISt™ 10 the news facts whether to conform with the editorial poliey of the paper or otherwise, There does 1ot exist in Butope any mutual co-operation of all the papet: served, as s (he case of the Assovlated Pross of the U d States Al argant mtions I Eutope are private enter- L controlled by thelr owners for s and dividends. A stinilar situas fon prevailed Nere prior (o 1898, when it became evident that the manopoly g of the members of the Assoctated Press, of which Mr, Noves iy prestdent) was “controlled by thiee men, only one of wham could by any possibility be properly classed a8 A newspaper man one & teley! \\ll operator and & third & banker in Chie who owned & paper. DRI Asoctated Press, organised 1893, has alwavs been & mutual and non-pont-making - asociaihn of ik member papers, each of which sends & central headquattors the loval news o avnoral - intereat. Quoting President Noves “Tho tssie was (his Shal the news papers of tha United States be at the fmerey of privately owned news-collect | g and disiributing argantsations - at its MIACY 1OE QLY A% CORCSTIS ey i futs, but. of much mare tmpoartance, at [ W the news recelved, Whether -;m ve . ‘The hanest ar pervert A. The Delaware River Bridge Joint Commission says that the average daily Bridge 927, was in “learned more of from | newsgathering organtzation built wpon | ¢ of news (as set forth by Mr. Frank ® | Noves {0 a speech before a recent meet- | . ates— plan's of 100 horsepower er—is 11.700.000. Canada is sec. m'.vd W 000 horsepower de- veloped. Q- How wide was the Mississippi fver in the early days?’—J. A. A. There was great range in the idth of the ) ppi at th i the discovery of Lake Itasca to M s e neapol. direction | Width increased from less t than 400 feet at or the natural BACKGROUND OF EVENTS V. COLLINS. reported yes- d ized A priv | and. tort . | respandent of the Associat | write to the paint of view of | organtmtion, for it has no [Vview Qf its own and no human ligence could define & composite Of view of tts members ™ There are today between L3N and 1300 member newspapers thus fune- Y ad - onastity ® the leading pudlica- g s own Cial News centens Asswvtatad Press, by the co-operation of Al News-gatherng argants- contract, has jthe leadin | tans of Mutope ‘That &5 what has {0f Amerkan ournalisn, especiail reliable news, above that of any part of the world The tridute of Au Dassador Claudel was undoubiadly sm- feere The vemtrast of the diased “pers anal fournalism® of Burope e dstot- Mg American news and Awmerivan polt- clos was well disclhwed r the redukes by Secretary Kelkwy and alse by owr ‘-\\-: Ambassadr 10 France, Mr. Her- I Cven relfable, unbiasad vews Abe Teader may farm Bl own cpiins. of S bearings, yet that dovs nod lessen e mertt ol the edincial page, dui rathes evates 1 sfive the editor van 1w - of DA D teadens. They can ohegh G editorial Rgie i the tght of kinown ACts And the modern awtitar therefore st mamtam a hgher standand than he Wufters and dulles of “persa journatism,” with their “tlased™ or news. (ORI TR LRRS W Peul V. Qulima)