Evening Star Newspaper, July 26, 1928, Page 8

{THE EVENING STAR | o With Sunday Morning Edition. ! WASHINGTON, D. C. CHURSDAY.......July 26, 1028 | THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company ! 5 ) ‘European e Rate by Carrier Within the City. Star....... ......lcfieurmonm manner destined to strengthen the ties that bind us to France! Another interesting phase of this case is the fact that, while a form of com- mercialism acted to bar Tilden from the Davis Cup team and to cast a shadow on his standing as an amateur, another form of commercialism acts to pulhlmbll*mthemmmdmwr! him to good standing. The French built & fine stadium especially to take care of the crowds that would come to se¢ the Davis Cup matches. Tilden's removal from the team cut the sale of tickets. It began to look as if the sta- dium would not be filled. The French onth | wanted to see Tilden more than they 7 { wanted to see the Davis Cup matches. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Baiz and sun 1 yr. $1000: unday only - R§:S Member of the Press. ed Press s xclysively entitied The Assoctated Press is vxcl e \ise for republication of sll news ciz- :‘:I‘i‘hm;xf'fldk 1o it or not otherwise crr‘j- fied 1o, 8, papes, &0 RSt st ®necial dispatches herel iso res Nationalist China Recognized. Sixteen years ago, when China, the oldest of monarchies, became & Tepub- lic, the United States was the first to extend recognition to the new regime. Once sgain the American Government has taken the lead in according ac- knowledgment to another new China. Secretary Kellogg, in & note destined to be historic, has notified the Nationalist government, through the American Min- {ster to China, that the Upited States is ready to negotiate a treaty with the powers that have come to be at Peking. There is mention in the Kellogg com- munication only of this country's pre- paredness to discuss a customs tariff treaty, to supplant one of the “unequal” treaties which, according to the Nation- alists, have hitherto subjected China to the economic bondage of foreign pow-l ers. But that is the merest detail of America’s action. What Secretary Kel- logg has actually done is broadly to sig- nalize the United States’ recognition of the new order of things in Far Cathay. = So Mr. Tilden is reinstated and the sta- dium building may prove to have been profitable, after all. Amateur sportsmen have not been solled by commercialism as much as amateur sport. B Shifts, Changes and Defections. Each presidential campaign has fits regularly defined phases, as well estab- lished as the periodic changes of the moon or the planetary cycles. There are first the pre-convention struggles of - | the aspirants for the nominations. Next come the conventions, with the résult of the presentation of nominees of the great parties and the proclamation of principles in the form of platforms. Then comes the reorganization of the national committees and the campaign committees. Next the formal notifica- tions and speeches of acceptance. And then the fight is on, with the election occurring on the constitutionally fixed date, the Tuesday after the first Mon- day in November. ‘There are secondary phases, less defi- nitely established, but always to be ex- pected in some sort of sequence. One of the earliest of these, after the reor- ganization of the working forces, is the shifting of allegiances. Persons of more or less prominence in politics announce their departure from their long-main- tained party affiliations. They do not like the candidates or the platforms of their respective parties, and they shift ground. Some of them make no proc- lamation. Some declare their change of heart loudly and proudly. Some apolo- getically, some enthustastically. ‘This secondary phase of the present He voices America’s belief that “a new and unified China is in process of emerging from the chaos of civil war and turmoil” He emphasizes that “the good will of the United States toward China is proverbial” He declares, in a passage certain to evoke especially fer- vent response in all Chinese hearts, that “we do mot believe in interference in their internal affairs.” ‘The understanding that Mr. Kellogg's note has been dispatched, for purposes of their information, to the eight pow- ers which joined with the United States in the nine-power pact signed at the ‘Washington conference on Far Eastern That thought stands out between the lines of Becretary Kellogg's sympathetic and trail-blazing note—an event which national campaign is now in evidence. It began early, in fact, when the Demo- cratic candidate chose for his national chairman and general campaign man- ager a former Republican. It has with- in a few been marked by two shifts that are hailed with joy by the beneficiary party and discounted by the loser. Yesterday in New York it was announced from Republican headquar- ters that former Senator Robert L. Owen of Oklahoma, a lifelong Democrat, had espoused the cause of Herbert Hoo- ver, and he stated his reasons to the press. At the same time it was pro- which he has lately mentioned as a possibility in consequence of his low state of health, He is indeed a sorry figure. - Homesick for the Sea. Life, emerging from the sca, has never entirely conquered dry land. Not even the highest form of vertebrate life, Man, | hearts to greet you! It is with some- has broken loose altogether from the ties which bind him to the first verte- brates, the fishes, He still is organi- cally homesick for the days when he was a fish or a tadpole. Thus Gulbraud Lunde of the Univer- sity of Oslo explained to the American Chemical Society at Northwestern Uni- versity the other day the liability of the human organism to goiter when far re- moved from the original element of life with its plentiful supplies of iodine in | solution. Life existed iIn the sea, or in marshes near the sea, as some would have it, far longer than it has existed on land, and it is not surprising that the living body has not yet entirely succeeded in adapting itself to a strange environ- ment. It is not over the stage of home- sickness. Goiters, in the last analysis, are organic expressions of homesickness. A few more millions of generations in the new habitat will be necessary before the painful longings of the body cells can be overcome entirely. A little jodine acts like a letter from home, or like a bit of Mother Ocean’s own home cooking. Fortunately, it al- ways can be supplied, and will be need- ed for a long time to come. Verte- | brate life no longer is very young and plastic. It cannot change so rapidly in adapting itself to & new environment as once it could, Theorists on the {lls of the human body quite frequently find that their re- searches lead them far behind the days of human life itself into the days of transition from invertebrate to verte- brate life, from marine life to land life and from quadruped life to biped life. These great changes were not accom- plished without stresses and strains which, however beneficial, left weak- nesses behind them to trouble far-dis- tant generations. In the case of goiter, theory as to the ultimate responsibility follows discovery of the cure, but there may be cases where the process will be reversed and the remedy will depend upon a correct deduction as to the origin. et ‘There are Germans who dream of restoring the former Kaiser' to the throne, The former Kaiser is probably not one of them. Wilhelm is a good business man and probably realizes that he is well enough off where he is. —aee- Indiscriminate osculation is resented by sclence. The campaign “baby kisser” is entirely out of the modern political picture. — e Only open sea is reported from the North Pole, which has proved one of the most tersfole of practical jokes perpetrated on credulops humanity. ——vate A speaker shut out from radio may be thankful later on for the suppres- sion of things he might wish he had not said. et “There are two sides to every ques- tion.” A multilateral understanding in- creases the number of sides. Every good Democrat is fond of Houston, Tex. But nobody wants to hear any more from its weather reports. ————t A prize fight is a profitable institu- tion that has rapidly asserted itself as more prize than fight. Much deference has been shown to " of industry, but along comes “General” Motors. A “hop-oft” should have a round-trip ticket with accident insurance. B SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. From Gay to Grave. .| The styles of dress that we behold be measured. e e 8dds fresh luster to the square-deal di- will plomacy which has consistently distin- It is hinted that the former Kalfer wiches to resume the throne. His in- teilectuality has not impressed itsel?; yet it should be plainly sufficient to show a man when he has had trouble enough. Tilden Back Again. As suddenly as he was yanked off the American Davis Cup team & week #go, Big Bill Tilden is yanked on again, and, while the move may be & populer one and counted as a master stroke of diplomacy, one wonders now just how the United States Lawn Tennis Asso- elation is going to justify either its first act or its second one, If Tilden's breach of the rules was serious enough 10 require the drdstic act of removing him from the Davis tesm in the first place, why is the protest of the Prench important enough to make necessary this 1ifting of the ban? It is just one of the angles of the tennis associa- | tion's polnt of view that is hard to! understand. Mr. Tilden was reinstated, it seems, because Ambassador Herrick told Mr Collom, the president of the lawn tennis sssoclation, that the matter was important from the standpoint of Wnternational relations, This injects a | wmew and rather interesting light on international sport, Tilden succeeds Lindbergh as one of our important smbassadors without portfolio. To re- move him from that status is & seri- ous enough thing to interest the official American Ambaessador to France and to make him fear that relations might be strained. So the jawn tennis as- The Sorrows of “Big Bill.” “Big Bill” Thompson, mayor of Chi- ‘They have been accumulating steadily for months. First came the primary campaign in which his candi~ date for State’s attorney was over- whelmed. The mayor had declared that if Crowe was defeated he would resign from his office. He hung on to it, Perhaps now he wishes he had quit. For a little while ago a court ruling fastened upon him and other associates in the municipal administration a judg- One may almost pity the sorrows of | ment for & large sum of money to be repald the city treasury on account of irregularities and grafting proceedings in connection with public works. Then he fell 11l. He had been ill, indeed, for some time, politically as well as physi- cally. He had to go to a sanitarium to Irum Yesterdsy his chief of police re- | signed. 'This chief had been appointed by him at the instance of the State's attorney, the same Mr, Crowe who was beaten for renomination—was, indeed, 8 relative of Crowe's. Thompson was re~ turned to office on an “open-town"” plat- | form. Chief Hughes carried out the | policy thus established. Chicago be- came an open town, not only for boot- leggers but criminals and crooks of all kinds and gangs of gunmen. The only saving grace of the situation from the point of view of the average member of the community was that the gangs warred upon each other and somewhat lessened the criminal population. But these internecine conflicts did not aj preclably lessen the drain upon the city's { purse or their menace to the peace and security of the people, Lately Hughes has been under investigation by a spe- cial "politics and erime” grand jury, sociation bows to the vielssitu ot diplomacy and Mr. Tilden e give k his racket, May it be wielded He, 00, hecame ill and had to submit to an operation, ‘Thus his resignation & bas & paihiologicsl background. Thomp muad de Create a consternation, As we assert they are too bold For public demonstration. And while we plod along the way, New trouble we must borrow; The trivial matters of today Are serious tomorrow. The things we think, the things we drink, Were once considered gayly. From each discussion now we shrink As 1t arises dally. We listen ta the jazzy lay. ‘That lends itself to sorrow, And what was but a jest today Proves serious tomorroy. Efficlency. “Are you an efficiency expert?” “You can bet' I am,” 'answered Benator Sorghum. “The theory of efficlency depends on making it clear who's boss; and there is no considera- tion more important in a political organization.” North Pole. And still strange rumors fret the soul As for the North we aim, By land and sea and sky, that Pole Is cruel just the same. Jud Tunkins says judgin’ by the ple- tures, it's hard to tell whether & gal is ready to go to sleep or in swimmin', Suburban Values. “Have you made any money?" “Not yet,” answered Farmer Corn- tossel, “But we're hopeful, However prices may go, there's always & real estate boom just shead.” “It we forget friends,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “we should not be surprised if we find ourselves forgotten.” ’ Mysteries. Heard an orator uncover Reasons for & mighty shout ‘Round his words my fancies hover, Wonderin' what he's talkin’ ‘bout. “You can't belleve what you hears, said Uncle Eben, “In you gotta look at de never bollerin'y" ap game, | 1) THIS AN BY CHARLES E. overcast sky somehow made Gearshift think of Kathryn, She vanished years ago in the tragedy called Time, when his days were filled with musie and his nights were all sublime. She went away one Summer day, and he never saw her again, but now and then, when a seashore breeze filters into the hot streets and that gray sky over- head makes him think of the long ago, he remembers her. Go, cold type! The Hen May you find warm thing ekin to hesitation that we tell this simple tale of youth, as related to us by our friend Gearshift in one of those bursts of confidence men some- times indulge in. We are fearful lest some one should snicker at a dream. Dreams should never be snickered at. Even the awful dreams of those who only dream are not to be laughed at; they are sacred. It is from such simple memories that ideals are built up—Iideals which no amount of future disillusionment can alter, as we shall attempt to show. Wherefore, reader, bring to the reading appreciation, without which the warm- est print that ever was will be cold, but with which the coldest type may be made warm. * Kok X Kathryn had dark hair and eyes and that glowing, ruddy skin which needed no rouge. To her, no doubt, Gearshift | owed his lifelong liking for the clear, tanned skin which the sun alone can bestow. Perhaps many of our most cherished likes come from childhood days. It would be interesting for any human be- ing to check up on his likes and dis- likes and attempt to trace their origins. If he were good at this sort of thing and possessed the requisite honesty of mind, he would be able to pin many of his likes squarely upon persons he knew as a child. Gearshift told us, for instance, that his preference for the sop 0 voice is clearly traceable to those early days at the seashore. The same Summer which brought Kathryn to the beach held in its ample embrace another young lady who had a sweet voice, which upon occasion she would use in song. Today Gearshift can neither recall her appearance nor her name. All he remembers is her voice. She was for him, then, simply a voice. Sometimes in the evening at the hotel where they all stayed she would bring out her music and sit down at the rusted piano in one of the rooms off the lobby. The hotel dignified it by the name of “music | room,” but usually it was simply a play place for children with sticky hands. | On nights when the mosquitoes were unusually bad, owing to the rankly hot land breeze which blew away all sem- blance to Summer resort, the musical lady would open the piano and sing m: Greene’s “Sing Me to Sleep” or Tostol's “Good-by.” She never sang anything else, but she sang those two very well in a soft voice that still could be heard out on the dark piazza. Years later he heard a comic opera star with ex- actly the same type of volce—soft, true, yet lacking in power. Between the two extremes he has always preferred the singer of the seashore music room, making real . music out of a good voice, accompanied by a rusty piano which failed dismally on some notes and sim- ply gave no sounds at all on others. * ok ok X The first time he saw Kathryn she wore a green checked gingham dress. She sat in a little parlor, playing at| “five-hundred” with several girls and men. She had a flashing smile, which he | could see from the dark as he looked in, and later, when he was introduced, D THAT = T o . TRACEWELL. with that extra solemnity which seems to be a matter of course at Summer re- .s?r{.:. he was the enthusiastic recipient of it, Truly she was a beautiful girl. Baiti- more girls, some say, are the prettiest in the United States, bui however that may be, there was no doubting the good looks of Kathryn. As with most women, however, her type did not make a uni- versal appeal, which is perhaps lucky for women, and certainly it is for men. Gearshift had quite a “case” before a week was up. Cases arc easily worked up at the seashore, as every one knows, and when one is only 16 years old they come as a matter of course. It was not until several weeks later that young Henry Gearshift realized just why it was that the beautiful and dashing’ Kathryn permitted him to be her perpetual escort. It was a plain case of quarrel with her “steady’—she made use of an ancient and well known trick of lovelorn ladies, selecting a vic- tim with whom to make the other jealous, * The realization by Gearshift of this innocent maneuver, of which he was the eentral factor, in one sense at least, made not a whit bit of difference in his attitude. He inSisted on writing poetry to his love, and solemnly mail- ing it to her at the desk, where she would receive it. As she read, smiles dimpling those sunburnt checks, Gear- shift got a great deal of pleasure out of sitting solemnly in the easiest chair in the hotel, as was his wont, and re- viewing the proceedings. * kK K We are now come to the turning point in the life of Henry Gearshift, or at least so he believes, It was to be the night ypon which he decided that women, no matter who they are or what they do, are at heart angels. Surely that would be a solemn night in the life of any young man. In retro- | p spect one thinks it ought to have been decorated with stars and strange gleam- ing lights, but it was just an ordinary night at the seashore when the hotel was deserted for some event or other down the boardwalk. There was no halo around anybody. not even around the pretty head of Kathryn, who implored Gearshift to “join the party.” He would not. He was sleepy, he said, and would sit on the porch until they all. came back again. Even Kathryn could not induce him to go. Sleepy lovers being entirely out of place, Kathryn left him, and after she was gone he roamed around the now deserted hotel, sitting for a space on the porch, listening to the roar of the surf, then going indoors to read for the fifth time the volume of Dickens which some dej d guest had left on the piano. ere was a cozy corner off from the ain path of guest travel. It was upon this at last that Henry Gearshift curled himself up for sleep. The cushions were of green, old and faded. They smelled of seaweed. He put his head down, and before long he was engulfed in that deep, dreamless sleep that the young and healthy know beside the sea. His next realization was simply of something exquisite bending over him. He blinked. Two bright eyes were look- ing into his. A face resolved itself out of awakening. A smile of tenderness, like that of a mother for a child; a touch of a capable, brown hand; a breath of salt and perfume. “Wake up, Henry,” said Kathryn. ‘That was all there was to it. Yet somehow from that smile at awakening Henry Gearshift got an ideal. Do not ask us how he did it. Men are absurd creatures at best and impossible at their worst. Their absurdity, however, often carries a great deal of cermn%. Loss of Obregon Regarded Here As Blow to Mexico’s Progress Outstanding in the American reaction to the slaying of Gen. Alvara Obregon, President-elect of Mexico, is the thought that his place cannot be filled. possibility that his death may arouse his mople to a higher conception of political e 18 the one hopeful note sounded. “The ignorant fanatic, tool, conspira- tor or nal enemy who assassinated him,” declares the Fort Worth Record- Telegram, “did much more than take & human life. He deprived 15,000,000 peo- mee(-n tunity that was as a cup ing to the lips. The murderer can only be made wm for the human life; the defrauded ions cannot be recompensed.” ‘The Loulsville Courier- Journal also afirms that “the man who put down the Villa revolution, who up- set the reactionary regime under Car- ranza, held the promise of Mexico's or- derly development.” “Great hopes were lodged in the ex- ted coming term of Obregon's serv- says the Utica Observer-Dispatch, “Mexico's future has been constantly brightening, and there have been prc.- pects that perhaps internal dissensions might be reduced, and that the country would take a place to which she is more Justly entitled unvn'fi‘t'he nations of the western world.” Reno Evening Gazette in the slain leader “the strong man who restored order in the republic after 15 years of sanguinary revolution, overthrew the incom) its ught about a reign of peace and law and order.” Because he was considered “strongest and best fitted for the presi- dency,” the Pasadena Star-News re- calls that he commanded confidence in this country, * % % % ‘The Asheville Times credits Obregon with _having “led his country a good march on the way toward enlightened nationalism,” and believes that his re- moval “makes the present and future of the Mexican republic a far harder prob- lem to every Mexican devoted to his country’s welfare.” His slaying is called 'd Times “an evil turn for his country. “Americans will have little hope for a country where to be eclected President is almost the same as being sentenced to death,” avers the Youngstown Vindi- cator, while the Oklahoma City Times concludes that “we cannot count too heavily on the stability of a government which has little of the spirit of democ- racy, for all its prated friendship for the reo le.” The Times advises that “‘Pres- dent Calles, it he can maintain stabili'y below the Rio Grande, will serve this country as well as his own.” “A realistic view has to be taken by outsiders of events in Mexico, and too fine a point cannot be put upon the conduct of affairs under a code of which we have no understanding and with which we cannot sympathize,” suggests the Charleston Evening Post. The ver- diet of the Houston Chronicle is that “the t kind of a Mexican Populnunn would have made the present situation mpossible,” and that paper i convinced that “until the people can learn better how to rule themselves, justly and with- out bloodshed, there need be little talk of strict observamce of the natlonal constitution.”” “Mexico's history in recent years has been darkened by all too many deeds savoring of shameless buwher{," states the Romnoke Times, and the Rock Island Argus would avert the shattering of hopes and dreams “of & Mexico paci- fied by the carrying out of wiser and more humane policies,” The Cleveland News holds that “since the capitel punishment that eould pro- tect ordinary citizens from murderers seems not to deter occasional fanatics from murdlrlni' rominent statesmen, such constant vigllance as Presidents of the United States are now surrounded with 1s only sensible—unnecessary most ;t the time, of course, but never super- uous,” .ok 1In the opinion of the Nashville Ban- ll;m;ol "nvlhluh that plb:l’ Iéol oves w “mn Bittarest, enemion. oonceded ‘aolds thay “history will probably | and tgers lace him as one who used his might as t he could for the advancement of his country.” The Osakland Tribune, assuming that the day had not arrived for Mexico to “settle its problems in peace and at the polls,” says of Obre- gon: “He used the weapons in hand to gain place, and in his autocratic power 50 ruled that Mexico moved forward toward democracy. He made his mis- takes and his enemies, but no one in his country rivaled him in capabilities as an executive.” “If Calles and Obregon had not been in the saddle for the past few years” according to the Huntington Advertiser, “somebody else, with an equally insati- able thirst for power, would have been in control. It can be said for the pair that they have maintained comparative order throughout the republic and suc- ceeded in brin, about certain reforms beneficial to the masses.” Self-control shown by the Mexicans in the emergency is lauded by the Bing- hamton Press and El Paso Herald. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle predicts that “the violent removal of Obregon will not help the factionalists who opposed his elec- tion.” The Dayton Dally News is of the opinion that * n. dead may per- haps perpetuate new Mexico as Obregon living could not have done,” and the Omaha World-Herald con- cludes: “The brightest ray of hope to- day in all the darkness is the belief, expressed by Ambassador Tellez, that the shock of the crime may unite the People. give them a new nationalistic fervor and lead them more quickly to peace, and with it prosperity and happi- ness.” UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR Ten Yeurs Ago Today. ‘The Germans continue their stub- born resistance, but the French, Brit- ish and Itallans keep up their pres- sure on the sides of the sallent below Solssons and Rheims, while the Amer- icans and French are ‘)uahln( up the tip of the sallent, biting off their bit every day. * * * ‘The Ger- mans in Fere-en-Tardenols are sub- jected to & constant bombardment y American guns, which are sending tons of high explosives into the boche defenses. * * * Americans also par- ticipated in Dbitter fighting in the re- glon of Le Charmel, which changed hands twice. They had strong ma- chine-gun posts in the village and on each side of it. With the greatest dar- mf the Americans pushed into the village, but were ral by the German machine guns from the hills and by artillery, and had to get out. In a later attack they captured the village, but the German withdrawal was slow and stubborn. * * * Franco-Ameri- can troops. on the front northeast of Chateau-Thierry are slowly moving for- ward, with the Germans battling clev- erly and stubbornly to hold the ad- vnxmlug allles until more progress ci be ml;l le in the tnl:‘lpom !\l of lg“" supplies, ns and general stores, SN x‘llnerlcan soldiers scorn the shelling and bombing. Many go in swimming while the shells are falling in the river, Others play about in boats which the Germans had used to cross the Marne on the morning of July 16, and others were gat about & plano in a ruined house and were playing “Over There” and other popular Amerlcan alrs. e Needs Luc Prom the Dayton Daily News. Tom Heeney is traininj Tunney by making horseshoes, better hang one over his door. s s A ) Political Zoology. Prom the Bavannah Morning News Candidate Smith kyews just what to do with a But Mw ahout donkeys for Clene He'd Al | gailed from New York to Cuba in a hered | Couse the farmers feel that prices of Navy Mechanics Hot Complaint of Labor in Excessive Heat Is Made. To the Editor of The Star: The navy yard mechanics are not given due consideration. They are kept at work doing hard manual labor in the excessive heat while other Government employes are dismissed in the middle | of the day. We read in the papers that the wheels of the Government, were stopped, as vir- tually all departments were closed at 1 o'clock on account of the insufferable heat during the last hot spell. The navy yard and possibly one or two other Government offices did not close. Why? In the yard the offices regis- tered a temperature of 96 degrees in the shade. As usual, the navy yard was forgot- ten when favors were passed around, and as a result a general feeling of un- justness prevails there. However, it is noted that whenever men are needed to do dangerous and laborious work the mechanics of the navy yard are the first to be called into action, and there- | fore every consideration is due them. In the War of 1812, when Washing- ton was visited and partially destroyed by the British army, the mechanies of the navy yard were with the Army at the first alarm. History records that the District troops,.under Gen. Winder, met the British, under Gen. Ross, at Bladensburg, Md., and suffered a com- plete rout. The British continued on to Washington unmolested and burned the Capitol, the public buildings, and completed the destruction of the navy yard after the commandant set fire to the yard to prevent it falling into the hands of the British. At the beginning of the Civil War, in response to President Lincoln's call for troops, the Washington Light Guard, according to The Star, held a meeting at its_armory, in the navy yard, on April 16, 1861, and were notified that they would soon be called out for spe- clal service. After the nature of the oath had been stated, the question was ut to each man, “Will you take the oath?”and, with an ardor that surprised all, every member to the number of 65 responded in the affirmative. The men then gave hearty cheers for thelr offi- cers and the Union. This company can boast that it is for the Union to the core. Two days later a new company was organized at the navy yard at the first call. The officers elected were W. P. Ferguson, captain; Joseph G. Car- roll, first lleutenant; W. Nottingham, second lieutenant, and James B. Davis, third lieutenant. This corps will join the National Guard Battalion as Com- pany F. On April 2, 1861, President Lincoln visited the navy yard, and, with his family, dropped in upon the officers unexpectedly. The party was saluted with 21 guns and escorted through the shops by the commandant, Buchanan, for nearly two hours. The grnspec(s of war had givén new life and vigor to all departments of the navy yard in April, 1861. Large quan- tities of guns, shells and fixed ammuni- tion were sent to the New York Navy Yard. In the ordnance department ail hands were taxed to the utmost, work- ing 13 hours per day. The casting of shot and shell was carried on exten- sively for some time, and the Govern- ment had in store an inexhaustible sup- ply of these preservers of public peace, but minnie balis, percussion caps, bomb fuses and brass fleld and boat howitzers were being finished with great dispatch. In this department all the lathes were boring guns, the floors strewn with others just from the foundry or in the hands of workmen, while a number of bright barkers, lately mounted upon their carriages, were drawn up in one end of the building. These guns were 6, 12 and 24 pounders. Of the vessels, the snug-looking Pawnee, Pocahontas and Anacostia were anchored in East- ern Branch and the Mount Vernon laid :; the wharf with a 32-pounder on her ws. In the World War the mechanics of the navy yard, inspired by a sense of duty, worked hard night and day in completing a number of United States naval way batteries for use against the Germans in France. The were started about January 1, 1918, and the first battery was manufactured and ml{“ped to France in June, 1918. This 14-inch, 50-caliber naval gun fired 236 shells, each weighing 1,400 pounds, at a maximum range of 24 miles. At the time of the Knickerbocker Theater disaster, in January, 1922, a number of the mechanics and others of the navy yard were called out in the night, and worked night and day in near-zero weather, the unfor- tunates from the great mass of iron and concrete under which they were buried. Within a few hours after the catastrophe these men furnished the apparatus and were cutting up with acetylene torches the immense steel beams that had fallen with the roof. ARTEMUS C. HARMON. Paul V. Collins Queried ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 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. Faflure to make use of it depnvul you of benefits to which you are entitled. | Your obligation 15 only 2 cents in coin | or stamps, inclosed with your inquiry for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. How are the most up-to-date | bathhouses bullt at seashore resorts? —N. G. A. The newest bathhouses are being built on a framework of steel and con- | crete and the buildings are fireproof. Q. When was the last inaugural ball held? How many people attended such balls?—C. H. C. A. The last inaugural ball was held | in honor of the inauguration of Presi- dent Taft. The custom ceased to be | observed upon the occasion of the first inauguration of President Wilson. No less than 18,000 persons have been ac- commodated in the Pension Office Buflding, where a number of these events have been held. Will fungus growth appear on A. Paint does not kill or prevent the growth of wood-destroying fungi. fact there are certain fungl (not wood destroyers) which cause discoloration of the paint by growing in the fresh paint film, Q. —P. L. M. A. The Bureau of Standards says that lead, being softer than most metals, will conduct sound vibrations more poorly. For this reason it is sometimes used as a_ cushion for placing under- neath machinery. It does not complete- ly obstruct the passage of the vibrations, but reduces them in part. Q. What is the predominating lan- guage in Mexico?—M. E. A. The Spanish language is the pre- dominant one in Mexico. Xowever, American business houses there handie much correspondence in English. Does lead conduct sound readily? L. M. Q. Who was responsible for insti- tuting the militant campaien for wom- an suffrage in England? —L. M. A. Mrs. Pankhurst was its origina- tor. Following her death, the story is being recalled that it was Balfour, then leader of his majesty’'s opposition, that advised Mrs. Pankhurst to kick up a row and to gain publicity through mili- tant tactics. Q. How does the salary of the Gov- ernor of New York State compare with the salary of the mayor of New York City?—C. W. A. Both the governor of the State and the mayor of New York City receive $25,000 a year. Q. Do the “Lambs Gambols” or irs’ Prolics” ever give road shows?— the surface of painted wood?>—G. F. G. | In|1 BY PREDERIC ]. HASKIN. August. It will play 21 night stands and the show will include some of the highest paid stars in the profession. Q. How should meat be cared for in the home?—S. A. P. A. As soon as meat reaches the house - it should be unwrapped and placed in the refrigerator or other cold place. If meat is wrapped in rice paper, re- move only the outer wrapping paper. Rice paper helps keep the color of the meat and protects it. If the meat is to be kept overnight or longer during hot weather, it is best either to sear the surface, let it cool and set it in a cold place, or to marinate the meat, with a dressing made of one part vinegar and three parts of oil, salt and pepper. This gives a coating to the meat and also adds to its flavor and tenderness when cooked. Q. Why do than formerly ) A. There are many factors which contribute to prolong the span of hu- | man life. Among the more important {are improved living conditions, pure | food, cleaner milk, pure drinking water, | proper disposal of refuse and specific iaction of the United States Public | Health Service directed toward various | diseases. As an example, 20 years ago there were over 50,000 deaths annually from typhoid fever. This disease has ]bfi;&, reduced to an annual toll of cople live longer now S. B. | Q. Whose portrait was the first | executed?—v. A. A. This distinction is given to the portrait of Elpinice. It is the first portrail on record by a known painter. It appears in the picture “The Rape of | Cassandra,” by Polyi | tion of the franc?>—R. J. H. A. By the stabilization of the franc is meant the establishment of Frencn money on a gold basis. During the war Prance was forced to issue a great deal of paper currency when it did noc have sufficient gold reserve to back this currency; hence, inflation resulted and the value of the franc went down. The French government is now attempting to raise the value of the franc to a cer- tain level. At the present time the franc is worth in gold almost one-fifth of the par value of the franc, which is 19.30 cents. The French government is trying to maintain the value on this basis, hoping that in the future the value of the franc may be increased as France becomes more prosperous. Q. Who is to take the part of Kit Carson in the movie depicting his life?—T. B. A. Fred Thomson, who played leading role in Jesse James, has , chosen for the part. Q. How salt is Great Salt Lake?— E. H. A. The water of Great Salt Lake 15 a natural brine containing from 14 to 23 per cent of saline constituents. Gar- fleld Beach on the southern shore of Great Salt Lake is a bathing resort the been G. C. T. A. A recent announcement says that a “Priars’ Road Frolic” is planned for It may not be “Egyptian darkness™ which makes it so difficult to dis- %mfim on in the land of the , but certainly some things are happening there that the outside world does not quite compre- hend. Egyp! ent” of Great since 1923, yet the British have maintained there, in the Egyptian capital, a high '“ Hchrfx‘e«}’\fx ment. :.;’.{.},’:2"" men with fu ipment. a king tution providing a parliament and giving abundant safeguard to the masses against Orien- tal deg;:l . Now comes his majesty, , with a decree d!uolm the t—80 per cent Nat and suspending the constitution; he has decided to rule absolutely for at least three years. And the British hasten to announce to the world that they have had nothing to do with the King's action. * * X % ‘The constitution, proclaimed by the years ago, when he assumed . in place of Khedive, vision, in article 50, “Before assuming duties, the King assembled oath: ‘T do mighty God to tion and the laws of the ple, to maintain the nal his constitutional takes Dbef the As to American History To the Editor of The Star: My attention has just been called to an article by Mr. Paul V. Collins, which, under the heading “Background of Events,” you published on the editorial pnfo of The Evening Star on Saturday, July 21. In this article Mr. Collins seizes upon the assassination of President-elect Obregon as a pretext for giving to the public his interpretation of the history of Mexico. Some months ago the eminent editor of one of the most esteemed daily pers of Mexico City deplored the fact that sources from which the facts con- cerning the history of Mexico are to be derived are not available, and protested that “too often the history of Mexico has been written by men who were the agents of this or that dictator.” We might, therefore, pardon a member of the staff of your esteemed paper for a lack of knowledge concerning the his- lorg of Mexico. ut when Mr. Collins, referring to the . explains history of our own counts Empire :he"?m;lnl{nllor }hn Maximil n the following language— “He reigned until after our Appomat- tox, when the Unfon Army appeared upon the frontier to enforce our Mon- roe Doctrine™ —he is guilty of misstating facts with which every primary schoolboy in the United States ought to be familiar. 1t would be useless to discuss in de- tail the strange statements which Mr. Collins makes with regard to the history of Mexico until he has enlightened us as to the source from which he drew this strange information concerning the history of our own country. WILLIAM F. MONTAVON. [RNSRS—-— Storms and Sisalers. From the Balina Journal, If a tornado kills five people, it is & big story. If a heat wave causes 30 or TS A Soldier-Sailor. From the Marrisburs Telearaph. ‘The former West Pointer who has canoe would have known better had he attended Annapolis, e b g An Explanation, From the Atlanta Constitution. The agricultural States are dry be- their products have taken a drop too much, ) b Publicity, Not Notoriety. From the Indianapolls News. It’s all right for an evangelist to de- siro as much publicity as a movie star, but not the same kind. SRR AP Rather Fidgety, From the Knlamazoo Clasette. A naturalist is going down into the sea in & diving bell to paint the fish. Fine, but how does he know that the fah.will be willing. to pose?. - | years, an 40 to succumb, it s merely an incident. | control pendence and integrity of the coun- Topic 6, article 155, provides: “No disposition of the present constitution tions st present constitution cannot be estop- Yet the constitution is ded, not for a few days or weeks on account of war or a state of siege, but for three d the Parliament is dissolved, all by decree of the King, and in time of peace. It is pointed out by a diplomat that there is a difference between the status of the United States Constitution and that of t, based umn their re- spective s. “We, the people” of the United States created and estab- lished our Constitution, and, therefore, | £ the people” have the right to suspend it—not the President nor Congress, neither of which created it. But the Egyptian constitution was granted voluntarily by a hereditary king uf:n his own initiative as an exercise of his hereditary power to govern as he alone thought best; therefore, he who created It has power to rescind and sus- rcnd. ‘That might seem more plausible f it were not for the article 155 above quoted waiving all right to suspend, except temporarily during some war crisls, and even then only as preseribed by legisiation. * x k% The inning of hx{lnnd‘s involve- ment in Pt dates back to 1875, when the extravagant Khedive, Said, sold to Great_Britain 177,000 shares in the Sues Ol&‘l for $20,000,000, in orger to recouy Egyptian treasury and su ply &ndl for his further cam) l&f vements of o :;\u-. unuhu the route tomlndll,’ bmu: purchase only gave her a jol shared with France, and it | tian finance still on the | left It also Egyp of bankruptey. native rebellion, which, in 1883, and In a great battle of Tell-el-Kebir, L?lfimh utterly dofulmm the force o Pasha, captured fled him to Ceylon. Almost immediately there followed & llon in Sudan, of soverel between 1904 ty of the Sudan, dispul pt and Great l.\t:t;:n : bargained with Great Britain; to give the Britsh a free in ex- change for a French free hand in Moroceo. (The natives were not con- sulted in ol\lut. e:n‘) . In all these years, up to a of the t the World visited by many tourists for the noveltr ! of bathing in these waters, which are so0 heavy that the body easily floats. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. the Sultan to overthrow all British hold upon Egypt, and thereupon the British, as & war measure, put an end to Turk- ish suzerainty hyhpmdannlng Egypt & t has been nominally “independ- | assumed Britain even lish claim to be merel standers.” “innocent by- * X X x The one greatest bone of contention | between the Egyptians and the British is the control of the water from the Blue Nile in the Sudan before it reaches Egypt. The control depends on which country owns the Sudan. M Sudan domain there is now.a great irrigation enterprise, owned by British subjects. Many thousands of acres are in " cotton cultivation, covering 500 square miles under crop, absolutely de- pendent on water from the Blue Nile. But if that water be taken there, the fipum: claim it will rob the lower Nile, on which all Egypt is dependent. t has a population of 13.000,000, all dependent u the fertile land within 15 miles of the Nile, over a river length of 800 miles in Egypt. There is practically no rainfall. Agriculture de- pends upon the annual overflow of the Nile, supplied by rains in Abyssinia. If that be lessened, Egypt would be ruined. * x x % The peace conference following the World War confirmed Great Britain's protectorate over Egypt, in spite of the appeals of Zaghlul. The British high commissioner first in authority in Egypt was Lord Cromer, whose policy toward the Egyptians was very liberal and con- ciliatory. Likewise a Lord Milner com- mission sustained the Cromer policies and conceded that Egypt's title to t Sudan was sound and not to be chal- Through Lord rm‘l.loyd George, t Egypt's sup- the Nile would be safe- but the pledge was not defin- ve. Nationalism continued to bring unrest until November 19, 1924, when in a mod disturbance Maj. Gen. Sir Lee O. F Stack, British governor general of the Sudan, was killed. Great Britain collect- ed $2,500,000 indemnity for that murder, demanded the entire withdrawal of Egyptian troops from the Sudan, and announced, by Gen. Allenby, British high commissioner, that thereafter the British irrigation in the Sudan would use all the water it wanted, regardless of the lower Nile's supply for Exypt This crisis in 1925 forced the resigna- tion of Prime Minister Zaghlul and his cabinet, but enhanced Zaghlul's pres- tige in the Nationalist party. * ok % ¥ The Allenby threat to take unlimited supplies of water away from the Egyp- tians was not sustained by the British g‘wmmmc in London, which forced R The King and Prime Minister Saiwat successor of Zaghlul, concluded a treaty with Great Britain last November, but when it was reported to the cabinet a~d the Parliament it was resisted as not a mere treaty but a surrender of Egyptian independence. Salwat the: forced to resign, . Nahas Pasha. last March undertook to form a “wafd." or coalition, cabinet: i e. a Nationalist government. Natlonalistic agitation has been grow- ever since, until -the King wrote to Ni June 35 demanding his resigoa- tion, and at the same time he prorogued Parliament for three years, and ap- it mmud Mohamet Mahmud prime min- er, The new cabinet is composed of ex- OlAIM | perienced men, but the cabinet recos- Nized that merely to dissolve Parllament within the limitgtions of the constitu- tion—not to exceed three months would be & farce, for the Wafd, or Na- tionalist, would cent last War, , the tan Khedive to ish war in , plotted & the At of the Sultan, | her