Evening Star Newspaper, May 31, 1928, Page 8

3 1 " would learn thelr lessons of proper —With Sunday Morning Fdllion. | e work as well as Schultheiss and WASHINGTON, D C. it veterans would remember them, there ;i would be fewer incidents of innocent SRREDAT ey BL, lfi° | bystanders heing wounded by promiscu- ous shooting by guardians of the law. Ee s e Washington has had experlences of this xind, as well as all other cities in the country. The public does not wish a policeman to place his life in jeopardy |by refraining from defending himsell | from the attacks of bandits, nor does The Evening Star Newspaper Company Busiress Office. 11th St. and Pennavivania Ave. New York Office: 110 East 42nd SL Chicago Office: Tower Building. European Offive: 14 Regent St., London, England. Rate by Carrier Within t The Eveninz Star ... 45 he Evening and Sunday Star twhen 4 Sundaye). #0c per nioath and Sunday Star ) 65¢ per month 3¢ per copy he City. nday St on made at > ay be sent i by mail or telephone, Payable in Advance. vland and Virginia. Daily and Sunda L1557, $9.00; 1 m Daily only .. L1531, $6.00: 1 m Sunday only 1vr. $3.00: 1 m All Other States and Camnada. a - $12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 $8.00. 1 mo., ~3c $4.00: 1 mo.. Daily Lai Sunday only . Member of the Associated Press. 1ated Press is pepioh and also the local new Published herein. Al rights of publicatio: ©f special dispatches herein are also reserved. | d ot each month. | | the public want criminals to escape for !lack of vigorous action on the part of e permonth | " e but it does want discretion ! actually happened there. used to the end that its own renks will {not be thinned by police fire intended ! for members of the underworld. | e Rl | In Honor of Women's War Work. | In the dedication of the new Ameri- >3 can Red Cross Building today “to the | heroic women of the World War” is | brought up to date the recognition by | this Nation of the services of American | womanhood in the care of those who sacrifice themselves for their country | The main structure is dedicated to the | women of the Civil War, and this ad- | di%on to the great headquarters of the | ofganizaticn recognizes the work that| was done by the women of America tyn years ago in camp and on the fleld. _— Tt was only in August, 1910, a little The President at Gettysburg. |1ns than elgnteen years ago, that In the sixty-five years since Lincoin | Florence Nightingale died at the age at Gettysburg pleaded that “this Nation, | of ninety. She was the pioneer of under God, shall have a new birth of | women's work in war. When she wes but {freedom,” the horizon has extended be- !zwenzy yond the white stone markers on Sem- | War gave her an opportwnity to put inary Ridge and stretches away tcinto practical use her knowledje of Thiaucourt, Romagne and Suresnes. In | nursing, in which she had been trained the choice of his 2Memorial day theme | She- went out to the Crimea, having yesterday President Coolidge In a mar.- |organized a band of trained nurses in ner bolized this broader vision. a week, and established a great hos- Sixty-five years ago Lincoln was asking | pital at Seutarl, where she demon- that the Union be preserved. Yester- strated her rare gifts of organization day President Coolidge declared that|and heroism. In consequence of her the best tribute we can pay to our | persistent service her health failed. A soldier dead is to “pledge ourselves to | public subscription of Afty thousand bend our every effort to prevent any se- | pounds was raised for her benefit, but currence of war.” His allusion was not cur years of age the Crimean confined to the prevention of war which might involve the United States &s a combatant. His plea was not for national peace alone, but for world peace. For such is the standing of this Na tion in the world today that it must ci necessity become involved in and af- fected by the ills that may beset any quarter of the world. The President emphasized this thought in these words: ‘The world-wide interests of the Unii- | { | opened a new fleld for women's activi- and for other nations is a continuance of peac2. so intended or not, any na- ~ t:":;‘wgmld thereby in 8 course ‘prejudicial to us. The traditional policy of this Nation has been against war, and the President illustrated this fact in his declaration that in all its history the United States § of World™ that might care to join us eommon renunciation of war. In the United States we are no fsciated. We ere tremendously involy in the affairs of the rest of the wor “The trend of civilization” said the President, “is undoubtedly toward peace” As one of the nations placed by the grace of God in the van of & | g » i i -| number of women who during the four she refused to accept it for herself and devoted it to the foundation of the Nightingale Home at St. Thomas' Hos- | pital in London. She became an au thority upon war hospitals and was| | consulted by the authorities of all na- tions, giving valuable advice during the American Civil War and the Pranco- Prussian War. She passed away on| the eve of the greatest of all struggles between nations, which began just four years after her death. The example of Floresce Nightingale {ties. During the Civil War their serv- ices were utilized on both sides in that great struggle, and the main Red Cross | Building in this clty is a tribute to) them, just as the addition which today | is formally started is to the far greater | years of strife in Europe gave of their skill and strength and sympathy for ;me succor and the comfort of the af- The greatest service of the American | mcro-.hvmer.nmlrendnedmf, the war time, hut in time of peace. It | s an organization of rescue and re- g i E g £y g 2 £ His; s2k3 ] §8 : E 3 ] § i s igf Byl 2 EY : an aviator is of little use, would not have made his his- fight if he had heeded all the ad- itions he received beforehand. — 0t e Education From Within. H | ting his mount ready to write new au- THE EVENING STAR. WASIINGLON, D. C. TUURSDAY. MAY 31, 1928, B e e e e ORVENING STAR |and in the policeman. If all rookles | ern States, nevertheless, has enough to lighten up the pages of its text books. A certain little Massachusetts town has a monument in the center of its cot- mon on which are inscribed the names | of the men from that community killed during the Civil War, There are about forty names, and after fully two-thirds of them is the legend: “Kilied at Ball's Bluff, Va."” It may be an exaggeration—but not i much of one--to say that there is not in child in the public schools of that town today who has the slightest idea | of the location of Ball's Bluff or what Yet it cer- i tainly is the most important contact | point of that particular village with |the Civil War. There the Messachu- | setts regiment, of which the grand- | fathers of the present school children | | were members, was practically wiped out. | The new method of teaching the his- tory of the Civil War would be to teach first the history of Ball's Bluff and let Manassas. Gettysburg and Antietam— | far less important to the children of this town—follow in natural order. i that bloody engagement on the Poto- fmac to all of these great encounters. How meny of the school children of Washington ever have seen the battle- field of Bull Run? Yet how much more vivid would be the whole picture of the Civil War presented in the light of the | two great clashes of armed men which | took place there if they knew the ground of that fight! ‘The new German theory—working | from the mind of the child outward through all the flelds of knowledge— | certainly has much to recommend it to IAmerlcnn teachers. | It utilizes the tangible—with all the | | emotional responses inherent in the | tangible—instead of the distant lndl‘ intangible; the present object instead 1of the past. It makes the application | teach the theory. | vt | i Grit and Perseverance. A romance of the racetrack was writ- ten when Lou Meyer won the five-hun- dred-mile Indianapolis race yesterday at record-breaking speed for the type of car allowed to compete. Out of a field of twenty-nine of the best drivers in the country, Meyer, in an old sec- ond-hand car and driving his first race, flashed to victory at a rate of better than ninety-nine miles an hour. A week before the race this youngster, twenty- three years old, had no car in which | to drive. He knew where one was to| be procured, but did not have the money | to pay for it. In desperation he ap- pealed to a friend, who advanced him the necessary cash. Slapping on a new coat of paint and tinkering feverishly with the motor, Meyer succeeded in get- tomobile racing history. For his five hundred miles over the brick track at Indianapolis in one minute more than five hours he received approximately thirty-five thousand dollars in cash. 1t is a refreshing spectacle to see grit and perseverance triumph. As one of the practically unknown drivers in the annual classic, Meyer was conceded to have little chance to win. His only ex- perience had been to ride part of the time in a previous race as a mecha- nician and he, as far as is known, had never participated alone in a big event. But inexperienced as he was, and with & second-hand car which had done duty over bricks and boards, Meyer showed consummate gkill in leading home the troupe of grease-stained veterans. It takes courage and endurance of a high order to win the blue-ribbon feature of American racing, and the name of Meyer will probably appear prominently in future track contests. ————— Effect of merger s shown by the combination of “greatest shows on earth.”s The street parade has been eliminated, cost of tickets advanced and only one really representative circus as- sured per Summer. —t The inducement of exploftation in pieturesque print is no longer extended o the criminal, Crime has become so common that it is positively vulgar. ———te—. SHOOTING STARS. There were strings leading out from | g BY PHILANDER JOHN503 Germany long has been the cradle of r e : mew cividzation, We must blaze new | *Jucational theory. Probably s ma- paths. That is always the inescapable lority of the ideas which have wrought responsibility of leadership such notable changes in the pedagogical i s aisnios | systems of Western Burope and America in the last half century originated in Of course, there are overenthusiastic eitizens who will hope for & momentum, | % TinGs of German psychologists and 0 sz eduction that will carry the | POUOMOPhers. Propesition over into & system of re- Bometimes 1t has remained for other funds B e |in the sehoolroom, but Germany is de- wmmmwmwn‘w’“m‘wmflmmm,mm. e grected not only by the kamenm most important, contribution to Snterested in unfinished business, bt by | % #lence of pedagogy. those who want W start something It was described here the other day S - o | by Dr. Pranz Hilker, prominent Berlin . | educator, wiho is conducting s group of Good Police Work. German teachers in & study of the Policeman Bebuitoews lesrned s | school systems of the Cnited Btates, leseors oo well in the Police School of | Lateraliy it comsists of urning the sys- Wew York that upon hie first night's | tem of teaching upsiGe-down snd mak- Patzo] e burned in a performance that | ing education s process from within might well arouse envy in the hesris | gusward, Reminiscence. “Tis not the melody alone | That makes the lay so sweet | There is & memory undertone | That renders it complete, The measure frivolous and slight | Whispers of long ago, | When thoughtless hearts were always | light 'Mong friends we used to know, | Bome reminiscence sweet will live | In rhythms hailed as new, And gentle recollections give The song its value true, An Advanced ldea. “If ever I conduct & fillbuster,” began | Benator Borghum. | “well, whatl you do?” | “I'l organize the musically inciined | statesmen into an orchestra and chorus, | protection of authorship originated in | | known. There may have been such a of velersn pevemert-pounders. Just out of school, Rooile Bciviitheiss was ssvigned 1 night Guty. Soon sfter he 86 reyoried e heerd five quick Pl o 8 & bouse 3 few Goors from where he wes stancing. He sterted Loware tne spot. it just tnen two moen dasind out, one with & piswl in bis band. He caled v them 10 hedt, but they inciesser syt weppraed Clomwing the one with the gun, Bl toews lgyed 1 sfer bim, fring bis B 0 e 8l 0 entoree his commantd 0 By The feeing 10an threw swey eyl son W wae ot until wevers) Dioris eyond that the 1ookies wes sbik W overtsie Wi, We vox bl prisoer W e Louse from Wik ie hed first Wl AR ERTEIE, SOPAE U0 Uk way o1 Ui GlankiGed gun, end isler 1 the police station siver W was Giscovered thet rurder ped Yaen cmmitied nterviewed by reporiers sfier bis waperions el eharsserizd his fest as “u fire Uit of work,” Bchultieiss nalvely expisinss thet e G4 not Sre w1 the tugive Iwowine poice st Wales thel & pOlRIORS BBy TR KA P y bed been commitied A Te ves uol sure thet Usere hed been. hal e wispped the Glscerded e 1€ The teacher first ascertains the fn. | AP0, nstead of resding my swif, 11| terests of the child and makes these | #1081 the nucleus for the sccumulation of sl | other knowledge. The same method is practiced in hmerican schools and sl- | ways has been, but the practice hes been rather Ymid and apoiogetic, Teachers have lacked the sanction of Geveloped phllosophy of provedure, Take, for example Dangerous Designation, They said he was & “favorite son” We never shall forget How others whaled him, one by one, And called him “teacher's pet” | Jud Tunkins says he has quit reading } the teaching of | ghost stories. When he wants Lo keep | history. The German echool child no | himself well scared he reads health longer begins by memorizing dawes, | hints names of kings and batties notable in the snnsis of the country. Right in ki own village s sn snclent church, which was built five or six centuries :0» On the 1ill above the town 16 8| “ln L, sees Uncle Bill Bottls- castie falling into decay, which dates e | trom the deys of teudslism. The stories | /D “UNless you make the mistake I did of this church and this castie contein | 7P Y687, 8nd concentrate too much on the muckus of the wivie bistory of |4 Mt g A | Oermany, They wre the peges of the | “All men make mistakes,” said Hi Ho, new bisbory wext ook From them the | the sage of Chinstown. “Even the most Child mind yrogresses navurally W the | powerful are thus reminded by the gods Gales, the Gynasties snd the battles, | that they are only bumsn.” Trigonometry is teught by & triangu- ‘ | stion messurement of the height of | the vilinge church steeple. In geography Uit Cril Goes pot lesrn first shout the Bhine snd the Eloe, He s 0id first Gardening, . “There 18 nothing better than gar- | dening 1o Improve your physical condi- Empty Oratory, A man we diskiver In this neck o woods Who tali will deliver, | Job, i THIS AN BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. One may sympathize with the chil- dren of today in their lack of adequate play spaces. We refer, of course, to city children. When you and I were young, Bill— not that we are o terribly old, at that— we had plenty of vacant lots, no matter which residence section of Washington our parents lived in. In those days a feller did not have far to go to find as fine a natural play- ground as any boys could wish. Usu- ally a big lot was just across the street, | or around the corner. ‘Then there was no playground prob- lem to confront either educators, par- ents or children. Parents were not worried about where the little ones were—they knew they were just across the street. Usually they could hear their voices, as they “played Indians” or spies or in- dulged in any one of the various games involving hiding and running. We may be pardoned for belleving that the children of two decades ago had more imagination than the youngsters of to- ay. Somehow or other, as we recall them, they seemed to use their heads more. Today play is mostly a matter of legs, wheels and balls; then there were fewer playthings, so more intelligence was necessary to play. % ke ‘The old-time “vacant lots” no doubt had a lot to do with it. “ Those of us who played in them had their picture burned into our minds during the heat of several Summers. Even today the sight of the few re- maining lots brings back a flood of memories. Especlally does the sight of the waving jungle of weeds, sometimes topped with light purple flowers, stir up the almost forgotten pictures. “Playing Indians” was the great | sport. This involved the use of cap pistols. made of cast-iron, and a pocket- ful of “ammunition,” small paper | “caps” with compressed powder in the center. “Bang! You're dead!” Such was the action, such the state- ment, when one small imaginative In- dian met up with another in the wiids of the Jots. The affirmation that the other had ceased to live always seemed necessary. Sometimes the shot Indian failed realize that he was no more. Usually he was a stubborn boy who had to be shot several times, each time with an affirmative, before he would give in to the inevitable. Crack! “You're dead!" ‘The crack of the pistol left the enemy cold, not in a physical sense, but strictly a mental one. He knew :h:t he should do. but he would not o_it. By all the rules of the game, known and unknown, he should have fallen easily to the ground Being a recalci- trant enemy, however, he refused to “play dead.” “You got to fall down.” “Don't, either!” “Sure you do! I shot you, and hol- lered ‘You're dead!" You got to fall down.” “Well—*" The enemy wavered. The man with the ground. were at stake. The game was at stake, The rules of warfare were at stake. To wilt now would be to lose all. “Tll shoot you over again, and then you fall down.” gun held his ! He knew that great things| D THAT g3 ‘The enemy, feeling that this was a concession, heartily agreed. Bang! “You're dead!" ‘This time the opposition gracefully threw up his hands, and crumpled to the ground, taking good care as he went, however, to select a soft spot to fall on. ok oW The vacant lots afforded an interest- ing, safe playground, lined as they were with soft grass and weeds. Even children like privacy, and the lots gave this, too. A favorite procedure with a “gang” was to hollow out a camp site in the form of a circle perhaps 10 feet in diameter. Usually this was situated about the middle of the lot, just off one of the main paths cutting through the high growth, The paths were important parts of the lots. Usually about a foot or maybe 2 feet wide, worn by the feet of count- less people who used them as “short cuts,” they were hordered by weeds 6 to 8 feet in height. ‘This growth was dense, so much so that it would have been no easy task | for one to fight his way through it. | country meadows, were the same year | after year The weeds, sturdy though they were beyond all vegetation, did not try very | hard to usurp the hard-beaten paths, | s0 that cach year the narrow ways beckoned to passers-by. These were, therefore, veritable Indian . trafls through the lots, which in some cases were a half block long, running back from street to street. The boys never built fires. As we recell it, no “camp fire” was ever built, the boys seeming to realize without be- ing told that a fire on the lot would endanger ‘property. ‘The boys of today, we believe, possess- ing less restraint, would build fires. Some inhibitions, one may well feel, | are as good for children as for adults. * % ¥ % In those days boys had a great deal to talk about. It was no unusual thing for tht ang to get together in the lot on a Summer morning to discuss the fate of the Nation. The country store, with its group of wise-crackers, had nothing on the “gang” when it came to deciding the outcome of a forthcoming national elec- tion, the fate of, battling countries, or the possible results of the impending fsticuffs encounter for the “champion~ ship of the world.” ‘Those boys not only read the papers, but they sat every evening at the feet, figuratively speaking, of their fathers and absorbed large quantities of poli~ | ties, current news and world policies. told of visits abroad. They not only knew more than they were supposed to know, but they actual- ly could use, in argument, much that they had absorbed. History was their favorite study in school. Julius Caesar was a live man to them. The result was that often the vacant lot “round table” might have done credit to_young men many years their senior. Thus the lots were forums for both mind and body. Today the street and front lawns take their place, certainly with a tre- mendous loss to every one concerned. After all, streets are meant for traffic, most eity front lawns for appearance. The problem of where the children shall play is an acute one. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. There is in session, now, in Rome, an Internationl Copyright Conference, un- dertaking to formulate a copyright law which will suit all nations and be rati- fled by all governments. It will be as- sumed by most general readers (not in- clusive of would-be authors and poets) that the subject of copyrighting is of no author for a term of years. In some countries that right continues all his fe and a certain number of years after the author dies. Why wish it onto a poor plagiarist? * * % % One phase of the new coj it scheme is that it is Jm broadcast interest to the general public, except | Speeches that it prevents the sale of books at drug store prices. Yet without a copy- right law what author could afford to write, or what musician compose, or what publisher could print? ‘The common Jaw gives the writer of any letter, speech, essay, book, or other writing an automatic copyright title to what ne has written, but that title holds good only until he publishes it. As soon as a statesman exercises his leave to print, he loses his common law copyright. From the date of publi- cation, only a copyright statute gives him further protection. In the light of the common law, it takes some boldness and criminality for an “entes ing” newspaper to steal & letter of any person, and publish it without his consent, even if the author has not registered a copyright claim to protect it. And the truth of what s publisiied 15 not always a safe defense in court; it may aggravate the offense. % 5 % The institution of statutory copyright i ancient times—how far back is not law in Solomon’s time, for His Majesty warned his son that “of the making of books there is no end.” Why, if there were no fat royalties for best sellers? Many modern books also lack terminals. It is trying enough to write a book even when the copyright machine is) working perfectly and the stenographer can spell. B0 what obfect could ancient ceribbler have had if Solomon had not wisely decreed that that which was written in Palestine should not be plagarized in Palestine, though, in the absence of international protection, it might exhaust the papyrus mills of t as a best seller? ere was another side to author- s, Job was an expert on libel suits, he chuckled over the thought of what he would do— | he and his lawyers—to his enemles | {who dared write all they knew about him in a book and circulate it in Je- rusalem Job was a would-be author himself, but he lacked a pull with the publish- ers—-and many a modern writer has suffered “bolls” at publishers even as He bolled over at his publishers when he sald. “Oh that my words were now written!” That was before typewriters were as plentiful as md{y. “Oh that they were printed in a book!"” One touch of authorship makes the whole world Job'’s cousin, for every- body tries 1o write st least one book That s why everybody is interested in the copyright congress at Rome, Poor Job found out, away back there, how hard-hearted and misteken of Judg- ment are publishers; it Is so much easier 1o write a book than o publish it. Job knew, though he wrote good “stuft.” Pity that the Internationsl Coypright Conference was so long in calling & meeting to encourage authos n spite of Bolomon’s prejudice against litern- ture and Job's r fon wlps. It s not copyrightable «books that never come to the last chapter, but the re. prints, whose m!yn( t has run out— Iike Dickens and other has-beens. Bome authorities sa: inting had not been invented on Job's day, but, i s0, how did he expect his book 5 der o copyright lived before his of the brovk thel turns the vilisge mijl- But never The Goods, vl i bis nenkerch! W preserve | wisel snd that brook, traced w its it fagerprints, anb thel he wes & pretty | mate sources snd i uitimste end, tells Sucky teliow W ger such Dracticel ex- the slory of sl the Wvers, mounteine perence s fast npight out and plaine of Germany, Al of woich Gemonsireies 8 high| Pernaps the United States has not Gegren ot etBeimrsy ok W Ue Wil wieh mmna,’rumum Kait- “L wish,” said Uncle Eben, “dat I could ralse ostriches instead o' chickens, Dey might be mo' trouble, but dey wouldn’ be 0 ensy foh & careless nelgh- bor L stesl” AL of this mncient history glves background for the International Coj P"‘ hi Conference now in session in the rnal City ‘The conference has agreed “In prin- riple’” that the man who writes any~ (thing, and confesses the crime, owns it until it ds published, and then he should hold » “statutory copyright’ ae them orally of x-n‘t’l'p;eu ould be u& o W prof as well as those few words of Mrs. Claudle, when she rehearsed her harai to the accompaniment of Mr. udle’s snores, until she got the curtain sug- gesting a title. Oral copyright wo\Jd include the singing of a new song—even about ‘The main hope in the peril of oral copyright lies in our consti- tutional tion against ex post facto laws, for Congress has adjourned, 80 we shall have no more shivering ora- tory and the eloquence of Mmes. Xan- tippe and Claudle comes under that ex | poste facto provision. Safe! * % % x There are plaglarists who contend that they are privileged to steal other authors’ ideas, if they recast the lan- guage a bit. But that sort of plagiarism will be cut out under the proposed in- ternational reforms. Noah Webster complained about the stealing of his ideas by Alger's Murra; Discussing the use of “a n,” Noah Webster cites: “He bore him in the thickest troop As doth a lion in a herd of neat stealing such a rhyme! " with “neat!” Noah nts: ere ‘a’ Iimits the sense the word ‘lion,’ but does not specify ahy perticular ol As ‘any’ lion does or would do in ' thnd. Borrowed.’ While Nosh failed to specify, the - al Yankee must have used the Britisher changed it to thinking he could get away with his plagiarism—just like modern” jour- nalists fllching ideas and camouflaging them with slight changes of words or animals. Now If that Roman confer- ence succeeds, there will be no more of placing llons in the way of the eagles. Otherwise, it becomes doubly important that Secretary Kellogg should hurry up his Anglo-American peace pact, ‘The fundamental principle of protect- ing authors 1s to Protecl ideas, not | merely their phraseology. Webster and | Murray agree “in principle,” and sub- | stituting a quadruped in il' e of the | American bird will not toleraied | under the new copyright law. The leagle will twist that leonine tail, until Noah Webster will turn over in his grave and laugh. LA Four years ago, the League of Nations discussed the question of improving in- tional copyright law, Finland pro- d that the proposed innovations presented many complications, The pro- test included the following “For instance an economist’s ideas may have great economic importance. A new and brilllant idea regarding the monelary system, the regulation of credit, ele, may give a fresh impetus to | economic fife. ~ Yet the economist CcAn have no claim upon the persons who benefit by his idea.” An example mlrhl have been taken of the 16 to 1" plan of the nineties, or even of the Mm.%;u agen scheme—s0 | similar—to make rica prosperous by 1 ing the cost of onions, etc. Bup- ose those dens had been copyrighted! e'lhn would be the richer? T'he peril from Rome indeed looks ap- palling, with Senator Hefiin 20 mi) away and Congress ld]nurnod. It enough make Sheridan’s bronze Htatue 'llh h’l';‘ut conference may yet copyr! the MoNary-Haugen “new and brilifant idea re r!flnl the mone- lnr{ wystem,” for that not ex post facto--not yet—but there 1s Hio dange: now as o the “16 to 1" “régulation of credit, ete.” It 18, in " the quarter-mile “post. | | The paths, like the cow-paths of the | | They _ iistened , gravely while visitors | lan to" behind even | t Central Committee Exists, Says Worker To the Editor of The Star: In the news columns of your paper you have permitted the statement to be made, first by one person and then | by another, but always by a member | of the so-called Al Smith Club, that no such organization exists as the| Democratic Central Committee of the | District of Columbia. Nobody could make such a state- ment except one who is ignorant or who is & willful falsifier. I feel that I am qualified to speak with authority on matters pertaining to the central com- mittee because I have been an active working member of that organization since 1884—44 years. T was born in the District of Columbia, my father was born here and so was my grandfather —three generations of Beyers. My coll e on the committee, John J. Sullivan, a native Washing- tonian, who has lived in Georgetown all his life, has served faithfully as a member for more than 40 years. An- other associate on the committee, Michael J. Coffey, born within the shadows of the navy yard gate, has been a working member for 40 years or more. Charles Dausch has fought the battles of Jeffersonfan democracy as a member of the committee for more than 30 years. Others have served from 10 to 25 years. Yet we find these members of the | so-called Al 8mith Club sneering at us, sneering at the work we have done in the years that have gone by, and misrepresenting and littling the | efforts we are making now in behalf |of a genuine, disinterested Smith dele- | gation to the Houston convention. Will the tried and true Democrats of the District let them get by with a trick so reprehensibly unfair to the | loyal working Democrats of the Dis- trict? I know they will not, J. V. BEYER, Vice Chairman, Democratic Central Committee, District of Columbia. ——— vt | State Representation On Highway Is Urged To the Editor of The Star: For more than a generation past The Star has from time to time published articles by :lrtousmwmers v;dv:lc;tln: a permanent exposition at Washington for all the States. The idea is a noble one, and the scheme appeals to all. The hindrance to its execution appears to have been not so much in faflure to| harmonize plans as to present them to | Congress in such a way as to justify an adequate appropriation not open to the criticism of unduly favoring limited | groups. ! Now that the Washington-Mount Vernon highway is assured, what could be more logical and simple than to make an allotment to each State from ds acquired in connection with its’ construction near the river along this! truly national and unique “United | States way"? { Any question of precedence or favorit- | ism in choice of site could be auto- matically settled by g, say, at the Mount Vernon terminus and as- practically areas to eac! te in the order of its admission to the Union, from Delaware to Arizona, thus ac- centuating the equal sovereignty of the WA e it wold dousiss pin| All the heartily with the parking comm! and vie with one another in, beautify- ing and maintaining their holdings Home atmosphere of the widely sepa- rated commonwealths would be zeal- A Plea for Safety Of Pedestrians| To_the Editor of The Star: I have read your editorial in Mon- day's Star and you, like a large ma- Jority of our citizens, seem to lose sight of the fact that the poor citizen who does not own an automobile has any rights on our streets. I do not know where Mr. ‘was attempt- ing to cross the street, but he was far less safe at the street crossing than at the middle of a block and I make this | statement from my own ex= perience, as the automol comes up the street at a 20-mile or more clip and dashes around the corner, know- ing full well that a cmunn’un as likely as not is to step off the curb— which he a perfect right to do— and runs over him and maims or kills him and the case goes to a jury nine-tenths of whom own autos and the verdict is an unavoldable accident. Is not Mr. Snyder's life as good and as precious as that of a man of 25? Because the Lord spared his life until 70 and aficted him with the loss of eyes, is that any reason why he should be run down like a worthless cur dog? Now this thin, h;s gluvtc u; s!o|‘1 or : e | citizens will take drastic steps to a stop to it. ROBT. B. ’I'ENNE“‘I. Age of Presidents Shows Wide Range To the Editor of The Star: The national convention, so near at hand, will bring up many interesting points of presidential tradition, among them the question of the age of a President, and as to whether -old or young men are best fitted for the Im- portant and strenuous duty. The rec- ords of history furnish a great deal of evidence on both sides. And, while it is undeniable that many of the greatest careers have been made by young men, yet as we look back In history we find that many of our past Presidents of advanced age have proven their ability to sustain the labors and discharge the onerous dutles of the executive office with strength and power second to none The oldest of our Presidents at the time of his Inauguration was William Henry Harrlson, who was 68. Next to him was James Buchanan, who was Insugurated at 66: Zachary Taylor be- his term at 65. John Adams and | drew Jackson were both 62 when they entered the office. Franklin Plerce was 49, Ulysses 8. Grant 47 and Grover Cleveland 48. Washington was but 43 when he was called to the command of the Revolu~ tionary Army. Henry Clay was Speaker of the House at 44, while James G. Blaine was 39 when ‘he became Speaker. John C. Calhoun in his 42d year was Vice President. Alexander Hamiiton took charge of the Treasury at 32. John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky was Vice President at 32, and candidate for the presidency at 35. In military life espe- clally young men have been most con- #plcuous. NANCY NORTH. RAERCHTFIRSE A\t Praise Given The Star For Marathon Editorial To the Editor of The Star “Steel Muscled Runners,” an edl- tortal in your issue of May 25, Is & timely an cr:glum- one, i s Al marathon A 3,300-m ped; without parallel in the field of sport. Printer's ink should be generous for these heroes of the highway. They have forces — sunahine, SNOW, mou:ulm smooth and h roadways-—-and won. ‘They have tw every condition—un= hllnnguogl, persistently, courageously, victori 5 Not avo’l"v mer could be first at the yet each faithful has bren a nd pi that determ! fon I8 ever a nu‘”rnrl to accomplishment. By your editorlal you have shown o | high-minded dispositi o:‘ and conferred | = Congress Is ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. There is no other agency in the world that can answer as many legitimate questions a3 our free Information Bureau in Washington, D. C. This hlgsly or- ganized institution has been it up anq is under the personal direction of Frederic J. Haskin. By keeping in con- stant touch with Pederal bureaus and other educational enterprises it is in a position to pass on to you authoritative Information of the highest order. Sub- mit your queries to the staff of experts whose services are put at your free dis- posal. There is no charge except 2 cents in stamps for return postage. | Addréss The Evening Star Information | Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin director, ‘Washington, D. C. Q. What were the last words of Socrates . H. C. A. They are thus recorded: “Crito, T | owe a cock to Asclepius. Will you re- member to pay the debt?” Q. What is oleo ofl?—A. H. A. It is the oil obtained from animal fat, especially beef fat, by the removal of the tissues and solid fatty acids. It is largely used in the manufacture of oleomargarine. Q. What caused the Sepoy Rebellion? -C. P. D. A. The Sepoy Rebellion (1857) was due to a conspiracy formed in North !India to awaken disloyalty among the Sepoy regiments in the Ganges Valley. It was represented to the Sepoys that the new cartridges were greased with tallow from a cow; a sacred beast ac- cording to Hindu thinking, and with fat from the pig, an animal that was regarded as unclean by all Moslems. It was necessary to tear off the pape cover of the cartridges with the teeth and in doing this the soldlers would be partaking of what was forbidden. The Hindu, as a result, would lose his caste or status in Hindu soclety, while the Mohammedan would be gullty of 2 serious sin. Q. When American citizens sojourn- ing abroad have children born, what 8 ?—P. steps should be taken to insure their | American citizenship?—K. 8. R. A. Children born abroad of Ameri- can parents should have their births registered at.the nearest American con- sulate. If such children attain their majority abroad they may claim their American citizenship at the American consulate. Q. What does the word aetna mean? ~—C. J. 8 A It 15 a Oreek word meaning to burn. Q. Is there a school for | conducted on co-operative lines?—P. B. A. Students for the This is the first complete application of the r | to wished to join ths organization. This soon resulted in the formation of a base ball club, calling themselves the Knick- erbockers. This is the first base ball club known to exist. After several for. mal talks among the boys, a meeting was called for September 13, 1845, when the organization was Rules adopted at the meet| held on the above date were first used in the game thet was played between the Knicker- bockers and the New York team at Ho- boken, N. J., June 19, 1846. Q. 18 there letter of fare. well written signed by Lee himself from which the copies wice mmm by his oM. B, L. address was by Cou Walter Taylor, his, aide, at his dicta- ton. Taylor's draft is lost Gen. Lee signed al Q. How much of the Capadian farm land is under cultivation?—C. W. A. There are 300,000,000 acres of land suitable for farming. About 60,000,000 acres are under cultivation. Q. How doe‘tn &l:; ’clrtullwm of daily | newspaj pri n English compare | with ‘g:n number of readers in this N of ‘ear says that the | combined circulation of these dailies is more than 38,000,000, approximately one | copy for every two literate than 10 years of age. Q. What “bolas”?—D. A. They are a kind of missile weapon consisting of two or three balls of stone, iron or other material attached he ends of a thong or cord. When three balls are used the third is attached to a cord nearly half as long as the main cord and bisecting it. The missile used by the Gauchos of South Amer- others for hurling at and en- | | | ;l.nd of & weapon are one of lower pressure, | earth's surface, toward a place whe | the heat of the sun has | cending current. An?‘ Who_was the last survivor of the co-operative plan in a theological in- ration. stitute. Q. What does the expression “ring the bells backward” mean?—A. T. A. This refers to an old custom of striking chimes in reverse order as a signal of alarm. Q. "When was the first base ball clib organized?—C. K. M. A. In 1845 Alexander J. Cartwright proposed that an association be formed, to be known,as a “base ball club™ This took hold dt once, and a cimmittee, Dupignac. Sl "Tm‘tgv‘ibenn " icker Ve at once to get signa‘.ues of thos: who Faidlure of Congress to do something about reapportionment of its member- ship again is the subject of vigorous criticism and demands for compliances | with the requirements of the Constitu- tion. The whole question of continued postponement is dealt with in comment on the recent vote of the House sending back to committee the Fenn bill pro- posing tuture action on the basis of the 1930 census. “The Fenn bill to provide mem! nization roads, 6 Siberian roads are primiti Criticized Again For Delays In Reapportionment on the basis of the 1930 census,” de- | needed Bulletin PSRy, 18 sn mbet Ak ah e publican), “is an at! at an impu- dent evasion of congressional responsi- bility. It seeks to bind the action of a Congress decennial census? It is sheer bluff, and to pass the Penn bill would be merely putting the bluff on official record. Politicians are not to be trusted with the work of reapportionment. The task should be. turned over to the Supreme Court or some independently constituted commission.” “The matter may go on indefinitely,” remarks the Porstmouth Sun (Republi- can), which offers the advice: “Some injured State should make ah appeal to the Supreme Court. It might refuse to take action, but public attention would thus be made to focus on a very grave matter.” * k% % legations of the States that would lose,” according to the Pittsburgh Post- Gazette (Republican), “are represented as lined up against those that would gain. The strength of the former is given as 179 and that of the latter as 136. * * * To the average individ- ual the only thing that should decide is the constitutional requirement. If some States now have more representation than they are entitled to, correction should be made without further delay. The States that are entitled to more Representatives should have them. At tempts to delay that plain requirement of justice and the Constitution should not be tolerated.” “What a Congress it is!" exclaims the Detroit News (independent). “A House that refuses reapportionment for eight years! A Senate which declines to take up the matter on the ground that it is one which eoncerns the House only! ‘What is the Constitution between Con- gressmen? Such is ‘the body that pre- sumes to make laws for the people to obey, itself disobedient to the supreme law of the land. * * * The Con. resses of the past had leadership. Reed nd Cannon were denounced as czars, but they stood by the Constitution. To- day the House dances to a penny pipe.” men earnestly opposing the bill regardless of the ** % * “It will be a sad t, prophetic of much future trouble,” the Day- ton Daily News (independent Demo- cratic), “if the States threatened with & loss of congressional seats should once more, after the 1930 census, disregard the plain intention of the Conétitution ;’ndnm-to ; ~ to apportioned to the tes according to the letter of the Constitution and the clear dictates of fairness.” The r Times-Union (inde- pendent) holds that “opposition in the House of Representatives to proper re- appo! nt comes not only from members whose districts might be changed, but also ties in with the desire of the f: districts to hold their SIS S Constitution.” deprive any State of representation would make it still 3 UNITED STATES “If Congress has the right to dodge one reapportionment,” asserts the Worcester Telegram (independent), “it has the right to dodge all reapportion- ments, and it has the right to bring about and maintain a situation under which the Representatives are not ap- rtioned among the States according o their respective numbers. But the Constitution definitely says that Repre- sentatives shall be n%oruomd among the States nrcorfiln:’ their 1;0 numbers.” Quoting a it by Representative Jmu{.?fi' of R’e‘:v York, the Great Falls Tribune (Democratic) remarks, “Here is interesting proof that, although Congress as a whole is to blame, there are protesting individual | members who are guiltless.” L B “Of coursd, the first pretext for de- lay," recalls the San Antonio (Independent. Democratic), “‘was ‘unsettied’ condition of after-war &opu- lation. Certainly that excuse no' longer valid, but the inequality is con- tinued. * * * Congress evidently has scruples inst voting away any mem- s job, ‘The Constitution, sing State J oxplicit as to tel ly how it shall be done. This being so, pretext or loophole or valid objection is left to members tn Con on each mnwu:w the greatest | unn;llmnl?'l‘a ool;rm & laurel mer! alse. Lovs vV, wouLrs: st nembera of Congress, but ure £ that end & IN WORLD WAR Ton Years Ago Todés The army of the German crown prince reaches the Marne wide front in an [ ot