Evening Star Newspaper, August 6, 1928, Page 8

r 8 ‘:_:___._____—___—________..—.___ THE EVENING STAR o With Sunday Moxning Editien. . WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY. . August 6, 1028 THEODORE W. NOYES. The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Ofice” ess 1t St and Pepnsyivania Ave "5:‘,“ Shee Lo Bulding. S 8 . European Office. 14 Rexent ‘st Londen. Englan Rate by Carrier Within the City. | The Evening Star_ ... . 45 ver month | The Even!ngunnu Sunday Star (wi 4 ndays) .. 60c per month The Evening and Sunday Star (when 5 Sundays). . The Sunday Star Collection nll“'&( Orders may be se: Main 5000 65¢ per month _.... 5¢ Fer copy the end of each month. 1a by mail cr telephone Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Mer and Virginia. Baty ang Sunday... 1 yr. 310 ily only e 1. 83 Sunday cnly 1yr. & mo., 88¢ mo.. 50c 00 1 mow 40c and Canada. $12.00: 1 mo., $1.00 00: 1 mo., iS¢ Member of the Associated Press. The Assoctated Press 15 exclusively entitied #o thie use for repudiicniion of wll . ews Gis- FAChes SRR " uii Sheocal Dews -— Accepting the Nominations. Acceptance specches by prestdential | candidates sometimes mark the opening | of the actual campaign. This year,| both the Republican and the Democratic | national organizations are off to a fly- | ing start. Already the groundwork has | been done for a campaign Wwhich promises much in intensity and periaps n bitterness before it is over. Never- theless, the general public is awaiting the formal statements of both candi- dates, accepting their nominations, with keen interest. True, Gov. Smith has discounted to a considerable extent what he may say on two important «questions, prohibition and farm relief. His telegram to the Houston convention, declaring for modification of the dry lJaws,and his flat statement that he would not_gccept the equalization fee of the McNary-Haugen bill as an aid to the farmer, have announced his position definitely on thoss matters. It is not likely that he will change his position in either case. Since his nomination at Kansas City, Mr. Hoover, the Republican nominee, hes maintained a silence that might awaken the admiration of the Sphinx and of President Coolidge himself. What i ing the farm problerg are still clothed in mystery. It is a safe bet that he will follow the national platform, gen- erally speaking, on both those matters. interpretation of the platform, how- ever, is a matter of no small interest to the voters. And so they wall Mis! next Saturday night. . Smith's address of acceptance be delivered August 22, eleven days than that of Mr. Hoover. Not- { True, !vanced the solution of the numerous THE - EVE NING STAR, WASHINGTON, 1928. D. €. MONDAY, AUGUST 6, acteristically enthusiastic. But his jaunty bearing is somewhat jolted by certain publications anent his return, from sources which are usually friendly to him politically. One of the organs of his party, in its news account of his tour of the West, somewhat inconsid- erately, and, from his point of view, | needlessly, recites the fact that this va- cation, just concluded, is the seventh the mayor has taken since he took of- fice in January, 1926, his total vaca- tion absence from duty covering a period of 149 days. This is almost the equivalent of two months in each year, which is somewhat more than the aver- age person requires for th2 maintenance of balance between work and play. Perhaps Mayor Jimmie feels that his absence from duty was not all play, and that he can render a good account of his vacation on the score of “selling” New York to the country at large. He has made a number of speeches and they have all rung with the note of loyalty to the big concretion of boroughs that constitutes the country's greatest center of population. He has pro- claimed the virtues of Gov. Smith and | has explained Tammany in terms of | sweet persuasion to numbers of hearers. these addresses have not ad- problems which face the people of Greater New York, those of transporta- | tion, health, education and public se- curity. But they have given outlet to a feeling of intense devotion which may prove to be helpful in the November crisis. Mayor Walker is a joyous figure in the national view and it is to be hoped that his vacations will not be limited hereafter by any obdurate sense of duty to the job to which he has been as- signed by the voters of New York. He is always a welcome guest at any gath- ering and as welcome on any rostrum. o Another Sea Rescue. Another remarkable rescue of aviators has been made at sea. For the second time in & week fiyers who have been forced down in the heaving acean wastes have been snatched from death by fine seamanship on the part of the captains and crews of ocean liners. Yes- terday’s rescue of the two Polish fiyers who set out to make a mon-stop east- to-west crossing of the Atlantic was even more remarkable than when Capt. Courtney was picked up & few days ago after drifting helplessly for ten hours in his flying boat. Majs. Idzikowski and Kubala did not possess either radio | !md significance of the almost nomad existence of youngsters who earned their living on the streets, many of whom had no homes and who literally {lived by their wits. They had no schooling, yet many of them made good, their natural abilities developing through adversity. Some of the most successful of American business men got their start in the strictly individual enterprises of street trades. There was always a tender feeling for the youngster who would pop out from a doorway and call “Shine, miste: No one begrudged the nickel that was his established price for serv- jce. There was no tipping in those ;days. ‘The five-cent shine was as good | as the ten-cent-plus-five polish of to- day that is the standard performance. The nomadic bootblack did not have as wide a range of artistry as has his suc- cessor of today, who works in a “par- lor.” There was little demand for any- thing but a straight, black shine. Tan shoes had not come Into vogue, and white shoes in Summer time were al- most unknown. A box, a cleat for hold- ing the heel, a tin of blacking, a dauber and a polishing brush constituted the kit. The patron stood during the oper- ation, perhaps leaning against a con- venient wall or tree. Sometimes the bootblack had a little pad on which he knelt during the polishing process. Simplicity was the order of the day and there are doubtless many aduits now who, despite the merits of the rc- form that has lessened the number of juvenile street workers, would like to have a chance to give one of thesc wandering merchants of the pave a Job. B Having attained fame by his daring flight, Col. Lindbergh now commands respect by not undertaking to surpass or even duplicate his own achievement. There is what has been called an “air sense"—a large part of which is only —— Ot After a vacation in the hills and the open spaces, Mayor Walker says he is going to his home town to get some real rest. Once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker. R A ST Human sympathy is stronger than rivalry. In his present ill health Sena- tor-elect Vare will find few, if any, willing to remember him as an antago- nist instead of only as a fellow man. — Perils of the North Pole are so great that an adventurer in that region may ormmnn.slabr‘.nlt.hemnmmdw keep them afloat until succor arrived. Furthermore, the Polish airmen appar- ently had become lost while in flight and were headed back toward Europe in a desperate attempt to reach land before their fuel was exhausted. To have a ship handy to rescue them at the critical juncture when their gasoline line broke after thirty-six hours in the air was nothing short of a miracle. Until more detailed accounts of their unsuccessful attempt are gathered from the airmen themselves, it will not be on national issues. The public has come to expect something, if not sensational enunciated by his opponent that he may see fit. Both acceptance speeches are to be broadcast to every section of the country by means of the radio. Mil- lions of voters are expected to “listen in” If the assertion made in Houston &t the time of the Democratic national cofivention by George E. Brennan, veteran Chicago boss, that “the candi- date’s the platform” is in fact the truth, the speeches delivered by Mr. Hoover and Gov. Smith must be con- sidered as the party platforms, rather than the documents on which the com- mittees on resolutions labored day and night at both national conventions and which later were adopted by the con- ventions thamselves. There seems to be little doubt that Smith is the platform so far as his earnest adherents in the North and East are concerned. ‘There are Democrats in the South and West, however, who Jook beyond the election this Fall and take the view that the Dgmocratic party ‘will live much longer than the political Jeadership of Smith. They afe intent upon keeping the party record straight on issues in which they are interested. Do matter what Gov. Smith may have to say on those issues, including prohi- pition. The governor's telegram to the | national convention was a sad blow to| many of them, for they regarded it| as “boiting” the platform which had been the result of compromise between the wets and the drys in the party. Some of them are wondering if the governor is going beyond the platform in still other directions when he “de- | lvers his acceptance address. | Many subjects of great importance, having little to do with liquor, wiil be | discussed by the candidates. The| tariff, immigration, labor, the farm tssue are among them. The West has s ear cocked particularly to hear what | the Republican nominee has to propose | with regard to the farmers. Bome of them have been taught to believe him an enemy to agriculture. Here is his opportunity to dispel this charge against him. If he puts forth a definite plan of farm rellef, something that the | farmers can tie to if they approve, he | will have gone far along that path. The farmers have been fed up on general- fties, both Republican and Democratic. Py 2 Every campaign discloses some able Jeader whose party views are inclined o eriticism, but who claims credit for not bolting outright. e 1 Mayor Jimmie Back on the Job. Mayor James Walker—Jimmie to his intimates and o many others—has re- turned t» New York from what is usually styled & well earned vacation. Leaving Houston immediately after the adjourn- ®ent of the national Democratic con- yention, he hied himself to the great open speces of the far West and for several weeks he has been basking In the refreshing airs of shore and moun- tain, in that wonderful region where men are men, etc. He has gone back to the scene of his occasional municipal Jabors greatly vefreshed in ho and known why they flew almost half way to America and back again instead of coming straight ahead to their objec- tive. Thirty-seven hours had been es- timated as the time necessary to make the trip, yet at the end of thirty-six however, fades into insignificance com- pared to the fact that they were snatched from a watery grave when en- gine trouble developed. Harry Hawker was, so far as is known, the first transatlantic pilot to be rescued when his land plane came dovm in the ocean. He was taken aboard a fishing vessel, which did not carry wire- less, and for more than a week was given up for lost. Nearly ten years elapsed between Hawker's rescue and the saving of Ruth Elder and Capt. Haldeman when fuel trouble, in their flight last year, caused them to dive into the ocean by the side of an ofl steamer. These two escapes and that of the Polish flyers constitute about the only sea rescues of land plane avia- tors on overwater flights. Many others who have essayed the same kind of hazardous journey have not had the luck of these three expeditions and have never been heard from again. Inasmuch as it has been repeatedly demonstrated that present-day planes must be loaded to the breaking point to carry fuel sufficlent to make the At- lantic crossing, that fallures are more frequent than successes and that the victorious fiyers must possess ability of a high order plus the smiles of fortune, it would seem to ‘be about time to call 4 temporary halt in these aviation ac- tivities. The goal that the two expe- ditions of the past week sought has already been attained and nothing of scientific value can come from further dice throws with death. However, fame and fortune are still coveted by per- sons in every walk of life and it is probable there will be no cessation in attempts to secure them. ) No doubt can be felt that the assassin of Obregon is a hysterical fanatic. Psychology is an interesting and im- | portant science which too often falls to get hold of a patient until after the crime has been committed. ——— et Bootblacks, It is somewhat surprising in these days of intensive commercial organiza- tion, standardization and that sort of thing to learn from a bulletin of the Children’s Bureau of the Department of Labor that despite the establishment of shoe ghining “parlors” in the cities | of this country, the old-time bootblack, { the boy with -the box slung over his | shoulder who used to be such a famil- | lar figure in the streets, is still to be found. This bulletin says that in the | city of Newark alone there are no less han 387 of these young knights of the ush. ‘The Children’s Burgau officials believe that this sort of work by juve- niles should not he permitted and its bulletin is to the end of pointing out the number of cases in which young- sters are, despite street trades regula- tions, still engaged in this and other occupations, | In former times the street bootblack | was & pleturesque figure. Sometimes he was an adult, but often a gamin of the pave of tender years, He had an in- sinuating way of gaining trade. H: had & keen eye for an ill-attended shoe. He was as a rule 8 clever sales- man, In those thnes soctety had not spirit and confident that the Wbl i Peni uaon eleciing Wis Iricud end su- yeu realized the extent to which Juve- risk not only his life, but his reputa- tion. R Introducing the human voice into motion pictures may retire many a present star with a tendency to say ‘I seen it” and “I done it.” v It has apparently become an estab- lished rule to keep a Secretary of the Interior as well worried as possible. e Justice must be served: yet it seemed almost cruel in view of the climate to interrupt Ofl Man Blackmer's Summer vacation. —_—eee. A favorite comedian should not at- tempt to fly. There is absolutely noth- ing funny in an airplane crash. ——tee- Wall Street complains of “bootleg money” as a stimulant in gambling in- toxication. TS SSRGS There is as much eagerness in Arctic exploration as if the Eskimos had votes. S SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. I do not know of any Eskimo ‘Who does not stay at home, up in the snow, ‘While we who dwell in hot or temperate zone. Long to approach those icy realms un- known. ' It is related that in times gone by An Eskimo decided he would try A journey far into the South—nhis tale Of sultry Summer made his friends turn pale. “So, let them come!” exclaimed the Eskimo. : .“But let us not, in turn, exploring go. A chilly air means comfort all complete; But why should we go out and hunt up heat?” Promising Career. “I remember you,” sald the good old friend, “when you were considered a very promising young man.” “Yes,” answered Senator Sorghum, “and I think I have made good. My hopeful constituents will bear me out when I say I have been promising one thing or another ever since.” Kdle Fishermen. A loafing day fulfilled their wish. Through streams they did not care to roam. What was the use of catching fish? ‘They'd left the camera at home. Jud Tunkins says @ man who tries to masquerade with another's brains is likely to look pretty much like an Injun who wears a plug hat with a feather n it Invoking Physical Violence. “Our friend the pugilist is going in for literature.” $ “Orand i{dea,” exclaimed Mr. Pen- wiggle. “Maybe some of these book reviewers will get what is coming to them.” “He who says nothing,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “may succeed in substituting a wise silence for a foolish speech.” Non-Participant, Perhaps 1t is a trifle wrong Sarcasms such as this to bring; But when I hear s “campalgn song,” I'm thankful that I cannot sing. “A man ought to save his money," sald Uncle Eben, “unless he's in & crap game an' thinks he's gotto save it by stahtin’ a fight.” SRS Farm Mergers Shunned. he Ban Bernardino Bun ture may SOIme CONOMIsts sas notice any eapitalists organ! gers of farms, Prom P — Skirt Hangers Older. Vigm the Moberly. Mo Monitof-ndex and be 0 e THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Henry Gearshift combed the town on the quest of a jumping jack. Our ' whimsical friend would turn two towns topsy-turvy, if necessary, to please his small [riend Dee. No doubt Henry would jump off the Washington Monument if his small friend asked him to. Let us hope that she does not. In the role of an impromptu Santa Claus he is much better, besides %eing more useful, and an example to the community of how gentlemen should act toward small friends. ‘When Dee preferred the, request for a jumping jack, Gearshift jumped. The idea that jumped into his mind was that of a jack-in-the-box. Some way or other his mind did not click, as the younger generation insists on saying, on the image of a true jump- ing jack. He saw a jack-in-the-box. “Ill get you a jumping jack,” he said, instantly, as he thought of a Jjack-in-the-box. Dee drawled a pleased smile in his direction. “I'll get you the biggest jumping jack in town.” Spurred on by another smile, he added. “The biggest jumping jack in the world!” LR When he went to get it, however, he found a strange apathy saturating ‘Washington on the subject of jump- ing jacks. Maybe it was too hot for the city to be interested in his old jumping jacks. Then, too, they didn't know Dee they had, they might have done a bit of jumping themselves. Henry first tried the biggest and best place he could find. The toy depart- ment still looked like a section of Santa Claus’ workshop, although it was the dog days of August. ‘The number ot young ladies behind the counters had been remarkably re- duced, however, showing that toys were somewhat of a drug on the market. Gearshift remembered the way that place had looked last Christmas. ‘Then there were 20 young ladies and piles of toys and counters filled with them, and remarkable doll houses that cost hundreds of dollars (and that no- body bought), and electric trains that everybody did buy, and surging parents and clamoring offspring, and the air and spirit of Christmas everywhere Now it was a deserted village, bravely trying to look important.. Henry looked around for the dark complexioned girl with the bright eyes who had such a nice smile for him at Christmas. She wasn't there. “No such luck” thought Henry Gearshift. He was sorry, because he knew she would sym- pathize with him, and he thought any gentleman ought to get a bit of sym- pathy who went hunting for a jumping Jack with the temperature 96 degrees hot in the shade. % One ought to hunt jumping jacks only when the snow is on the ground. ‘Their tracks are more easily seen then, and their cry carries farther on the If one is determined to go hunting for jumping jacks, let him do it in December, when the crop is large and the conditions right. Jumping jacks, unlike bears, hiber- nate in Summer. They are cold-blood- ed creatures and cannot stand too much sunshine, so they retire behind counters sd far that not even dark-eyed clerks can find them. WASHINGTON The angel of death, which at this is hovering so close to George Brennan, long Democratic political boss of Chicago, and William S. Vare, Republican boss of Philadelphia, serves to bracket together in the public eye two men who in their respective orbits had been destined to play important roles in the political battle now im- pending, and who at one stroke are re- moved from the firing line and placed in the ranks of non-combatants. There can be no question that the strik- ing down of George Brennan is a seri- ous loss, both personal and political, to Gov. Smith. Brennan fought for Smith's nomination through thick and thin in 1924, He was preparing to do yeoman service for Smith in Illinois this year. He was firmly convinced that the ap- peal of Al Smith, the man, the appeal of the issues and policies of which the New York governor is the champion, plus: the power of the Brennan ma- chine in icago, would ptove an in- vincible combination in putting Illinois in the Democratic column ir November. In the case of “Bill” Vare and the Hoover campaign, the consequences of Vare's enforced retirement from active participation in the campaign are not 50 eu{1 to appraise. Vare’s political strength in nnsylvania has been exerted in Hoover's behalf, both before the Kansas City conventlon and since. But it is no secret that some of Secre- tary Hoover’s advisers did not relish the prominence of Vare in the Hoover “picture.” Fate has now taken a hand * ook % The Inter-American Commission of Women, created by the sixth Pan- American Congress . at Havana last December, is prosecuting with vigor its objectives, if the frequent press re- leases issued at Washington by the commission may be taken as a_cri- terion of its activities. Miss Doris Stevens is chairman of the commis- sion. A bill presented to the congress of our southern neighbor, Colombia, alming to establish equal rights in that republic between men and women in clvll,.Jmul and proceeding laws, has evoke special commendation from Miss Stevens. “This shows," she says, “how rapidly the state is moving to- ward the conception of equality for men and women in the law, We shall soon look back with regret that there was ever a time when women were not considered as persons.” ook The song writers are busy these days composing Smith and Hoover ballads which they hope may catch the popu- lar fancy and may be adopted as “offi- clal” campaign songs, with consequent enrichment of the music publishers “He's Our ‘Al'" is the title of a new Smith song, in the composition of which Albert Von Tilzer had a.hand. After hearing this song on the air, a man in Towa City wrote the broadeasting statfon that it had given him an en- tirely new congeption of Gov. Smith and that he intended to vote for him, The chbrus runs as follows: “East Side, West Side, All through the U, 8. A. They're saying He's our Al Mothers dream of ing a son like him Without a shame ining his name, Men are proud to be allowed To know and call him Pal. East Side, West Side, All through the U. 8. A They're saying He's our Al” .o A Hoover song copyrighted by the Meyer Davis Co, and one of & score which have been tendered the Hoover managers for campalgn purposes, has a chorus which runs thus: "It you're looking for the best, Vote for Hoover, Who? Curtis and Hoover, ‘They have both been put to test. Who? Hoover, Curtis and Hoover. They were simply born to lead And they are just the men we need, Tahd ot prosperity; neods nd of pros) , eo loover. Who? Curtis lndyl-lm For the grand old U, 8, A" LR A pleaxant and harmless hot-weather conversational past ” : requent: L When Gearshift saw that he had only a gentleman clerk to wait on him, he knew he had lost the first round by a big margin. The question was, would the jumping jack win the second. “I want a jumping jack,” said Henry Gearshift, hoping that the gentleman clerk would understand. “A what?” asked the clerk, wither- ingly. “One of these things that jump out of a box,” placidly retorted Gearshiit. The gentleman clerk looked highly displeased. “Oh,” he said, just like .that. “That's it,” said Gearshift, hopefully. The clerk drew himself to his full height of 5 feet 5 inches, “Children don’t play with those any more,” he said, loftily. And he turned on his heel. Being dismissed from the precincts in this fashion, Henry Gearshift be- thought himself of another store where he might run some chance of picking up things that children don't play with any more. As he walked along the hot street he yhought of the toys that children used to piay with, but which Time has put out of business. He recalled the diabolo—to use but one of its names—tne round piece of wood whirled on a string between two sticks, and thence cast into the air, to be caught upon said string by the ex- pert. He thought of the elabroate compo- sition building blocks of his own child- hood, with which he had built what he regarded as a good copy of the Post Office Building. Since those days the clamor against the building has left :nll)l cold. He still regards it as beauti- ul. * RN Just as he was mentally rescuing the buiiding on the southwest corner of Eleventh street and Pennsylvania ave- nue from ill-deserved scorn, Gearshift came to his place of research. He went in. “I am looking for a jumping jack,” he said, humbly. Two gentlemen clerks and three lady clerks looked at him pityingly. “Jumping jacks?" asked the leader, doubtfully. “Yes, one of these jiggers that jumps out of the box and says ‘boo’ when you open the lid." “Have we got anything like that, Mabel?” commanded she leader, as he sighed heavily, and began to look over a sheet of paper which he held. “We haven's had anythnng like that for 15 years,” sald Mabel, with a sneer. When she saw the disappointed look in the would-be customer’s eyes, she with- drew the sneer instantly, much to her credit. “The children,” she explained, “don’t play with them any more.” “Oh,” said Gearshift. “Thank you.” When he got bagk to the office, Henry got out his biggest dictionary and turned owpr to the “J" section. He thought he ought to be in it himself, maybe. He read: “Jumping jack—A toy figure of a man, joined and made to jump or dance by means of strings, or a sliding stick.” Tllumination striking him, he turned back and found: ‘“Jack-in-the-box-— A child’s toy, consisting of a box, out of which, when the lid is raised. a fig- ure springs.” Henry Gearshift thought ,maybe he had better go jump off the Monument, after all. OBSERVATIONS or the Smith cabinet—as the case may be. If Smith wins, will John W. Davis be Secretary of State? Will Jesse Jones of Texas have a cabinet post or an am- bassadorship? Will Franklin D. Roose- velt be Secretary of the Navy—or of War? And so on. If Hoover succeeds Coolidge will Secretary Mellon stay in the cabinet? Will Bascom Slemp be Postmaster General—the post to which he has aspired so long? One of the specially difficult problems confronting the Hoover cabinet slate-makers is how to dispose satisfactorily of Col. William L. Donovan, Assistant Attorney Gen- eral, and Ogden L. Mills, Undersecre- tary of the Treasury, both hailing from New York State, both of cabinet caliber and cabinet ambitions and both stand- ing in high esteem with Secretary Hoover. It is taken for granted that New York State may not have two places in the cabinet. If Mr. Hoover is puzzled by this problem of the rival claims of Donovan and Mills, the un- official slate-makers have solved it for him. They put Donovan in the cabinet as Attorney General and send Mr. Mills 55 Ambassador to the Court of St. ames. *om ok ok Congressional ~ speeches are pro- verblally heavy, but it fs sometglnx of a ghock to discover that the daily output of reprinted oratory—principally excerpts from the Congressional Rec- ord—now being dumped into the mail, Do_xuze free under congressional frank, averages close to five tons in weight. This is the current estimate of the mailing room in the House Office Bullding, which is approaching the buslest season it has ever known, The five tons a day is only a starter. The mail handlers expect it will be running 20 tons a day a month from now, and more than that inOctober. The peak load during the 1926 con- gressional campaign was 28 truek loads per day-—and this is a presidential year. Representative “Tom™ Blanton of Texas, whose senatorial ambitions were rudely squelched in the Texas pri- marles a week ago, sent out approxi- mately 12 tons of “franked” mall in his recent campaign. This is a rec- ord not lMkely to be soon surpassed. * oK ox Even in peace times Unele Sam has to buy pretty sizable quantities of foodstuffs to feed his soldiers and sallors—that skeleton army and navy which there is so much talk about when Congress 1s in session. Right now the Navy Department is in the process of purchasing 1,155,000 pounds of canned peaches, 1,830,000 pounds of pineapples, 1,500,000 pounds of figs and 840,000 guunds of apricots. Fruit-growers in lorida and California are engaged in some lively competitive bidding to Jand this huge contract. (Copyright, 1928.) B ) ea Microbes Carry Gold About With Them BY E. E. FREE, PH. D, Some of the microscopie living crea- tures which exist by billlons in sea wa. ter must use gold for food or must carry It about with them for some other rea- son, as human beings carry pocket- books. Only {n some such way, says the distinguished German chemist, Dr, Fritz Haber, is it possible to explain remarkable varlations which he has found in the amounts of gold in the sen water from different parts of the ocean, even within distances of only a few miles. ‘That gold exists In sea water has been known for many years and numerous efforts have been made to extract it commerclally, — Five years ago Dr. Haber himself dlructu{ one of these offorts, hoping to find a source of precious metal to help pay the CGerman reparations. « The commereial project proved imj ible, the average quantity of sea gold being less than two-hun- dredths of a grain in a ton of water. In a few places, however, the water waa found to contaln much more In other parts of the ocean the gold was almost completely absent. At the open! meeting of recent m ographle conference ¢lheld in Prof, H ovibed*'these variations Additions to the Library of Congress To the Editor of The Star | The Star recently referred to Wash- ington as an educa®onal center of growing importance, citing the museums and various other sources of knowledge and information. First in this connec tion comes the Library of Congres The beautiful palace of knowledge on Capitol Hill is now looked to by intel- lectual people from everywhere for mental food, and Librarian Putnam has brought it to an enviable pitch of per- fection. Among the important features of this great institution’ which bid fair to in- crease in usefulness, especially in an international capacity, are the collec- tions of books in the Slavic and Mon- golian languages. A recent visit to the Chinese section of the Library revealed a collection of 100,000 volumes in Chinese and 25,000 more in Japanese, Tibetan, Manchu and Korean. Our increasingly friendly relations with the Chinese Republic will be ed in a marked degree by such an adjunct to the Library, which is useful also to the many who are interested in missionary and other work requiring a knowledge of these languages. Under the man- agement of Dr. Hummel, this mass of material has been made easily acc sible to all comers. Perhaps even more important is the | { Slavic section of the Library of Conw | gress. Starting over 20 years ago with what was practically a donation to the | American people by Geunadius Yudiu, | ja merchant of Krasnoyarsk. Siberia, |this collection has grown to 120,000 volumes, of which 100,000 are in the ! great Russian, the mouthpiece of a hundred million people. The first man- ager of this collection was Mr. Alexis V. Babine of Tambov, Russia, and he | is again in charge of it, and his assist- ants are Messrs. Rodionov and Tuny- elev, of the Ural region and Odessa re- spectively, proud of their recently ac- quired American citizenship, and able, by reason of their perfect knowledge of both languages, to serve American ana Russian readers alike. They are mea of university training and well adapted to the task of making all that is best in Russian literature, science and art, ete,, immediately available to all ap- plicants. It may be asked in what way does this Slavic section serve the American people, and it will be answered that there is an increasing interest here in| things Russian, aside from political and | commercial matters. The language it- self is rich beyond the imagination of those to whom it is a stranger, com- bining the flexibility of ancient Greek with the terseness of Latin and Arabic, and with a harmonic beauty all its own, as witnessed by the singing of Chaliapin and others. It may be expected that time will work such changes to the Russian government as will bring us into closer connection with that great people, comparable in population and general intelligence to our own. Then the Slavic section will prove an even more valuable adjunct to our relations with Russia. This leads to the suggestion that an- other language collection should be established in the Library of Congress to embrace the Spanish. The whole history of America from its beginnings, is bound up to a large extent in Span- ish books and manuscripts, and the vast population south of us uses that language, so that it is time that there should be a separate storchouse of Span- ish books and manuscripts, under in- dividual management and housing. That will fit in finely with the work of the Pan-American Union and serve as one more bond of unity and under- standing of our people with the grow- ing and highly inteliigent nations to the South, to say nothing of its educa- tional value to us. The Library building is soon to be en- larged, and it may well be expected that Librarian Putnam, with a keen eye to the usefulness of the great institution over which he has so long and ably pre- sided, will not fail to see the advantage of further specializing in language col- lections therein. A Spanish section may be called a necessity, and in time we should also have sections devoted to German, Italian and French languages and literature, all under native man- agers and as available to all applicants as are the admirable Slavic and Chinese sections at present. LINDSAY S. PERKINS. PR S-S No Fair Play. To the Editor of The Star: During the recent very hot weather the writer has noted that some of the men delivering milk were clothed in pants and short-sleeved undershirts. This was proper and very sensible, and enabled them to keep fairly comforta~ ble. But did they consider the faithful horse they were driving and try to make him cool and comfortable? No, indeed! They did not. leather collar around the neck of their horse and then clamped it down tight with iron - bound hames. Sometimes the neck of the animal was badly scald- ed by the heat and should have been driven with a breast collar, but that made no difference to some of the drivers. They drove with a short check- rein which prevented the horse from moving the %&\‘y collar off the raw flesh. ~All the animal could do was to protest with frowning ears and tossing head, but which protest was unheeded. The driver did not play fair. However, not all the drivers falled to consider their horse. Some of them threw off the checkrein entirely and permitted the animal to move his collar and cool his neck. A merciful man is mereiful to his beast. MRS. CARRIE K. HUNTINGTON. UNITED STATES IN WORLD W Ten Years Ago Today R American guns begin effort to drive the Germans back on the Vesle toward the Alsne and the Germans are resist- ing every move of the Americans to es- tablish a strong attackin, tion _on the north bank of the Vesle River, For the past 24 hours thousands of shells have been screaming in both directions, American gunners hammering the enemy positions after the successful method used north of the Ourcq. * * * The Grand Cross of the Leglon of Honor is conferred on John J. Pershing, com- mander-in-chief of the A, E. F',, by Pres- ident Poincare, in the presence of & dis- tinguished assemblage at American headquarters. ‘This is the highest and most distinguished of all the honors within the power of France to bestow. * * ¢ Council of Ministers promates Gen. Foch, commander-in-chief of the allled forces on the western front, to be a marshal of France. The honor is conferred not only as a reward for past services, but will also ‘‘consecrate more deeply the authority of the great war- rior celled upon to lead the entente armies to a definite victory.” Military medal is conferred on Gen. Petain, * * ¢ American shipbullding records were broken In July, when 123 vessels, with & dead welght tonnage of 631,944, were sent into the water. More ships were launched in this one month than ever before in a whole year. * * * War Department today gives out 965 casual- tles: 124 killed, 645 wounded, in the Army list; 10 Marines killed and 138 wounded. A major, 8 captains and 33 Ueutenants are named From the Savannah Morning News England is to remove the restrictions on export rubber, it s veported. So it will stretch further, evidently, ences In the sea water or by ocean cur= rents, 8uch explanations proved insufficlent, Only some relation of gold N Iul,lm of the ocean in afi"m‘fi?“‘" “!’ explain, Dr. Haber assert "“lfll! uncovered his by _Ahe. ovel Q lClNes of Islam f t | seen most frequently in Northen Ger- First, they put a 12-pound padded | sereen T ANSWERS TO BY PREDERIC tion Bureau? to you in your daily problems? business is to furnish you with author- | itative information, and we invite you| you are interested. Send your inquiry | to The Evening Star Information Bu- | reau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, | Washington, D. C. Inclose cents in | coln or stamps for return postage. ) Q. What part of the purse did Jack | Johnson get when he beat Tommy‘ Burns and became the champion heavy- weight_boxer?—D. M. | A. They fought for a purse of $35.000, | and Johnson's share was $5,000. This | fight took place December 26, 1908. Q. What rays of the sun cause sun- burn?—R. N. A. The ultra-violet rays in the sun’s light cause sunburn. Q. If a brick were made of solid| gold, what would it weigh?—N. T. A. If 2x4x8 inches in size, it would | weigh about 45 pounds. | Q. Can moles see’—F. W. S. | A. The eyes of the mole are very| small. In some species the eyes are| covered over by a membrane, and recent | investigations on the common American | mole show that the eye itself is much degenerated and probably is of no prac- | tical use as an organ of sight. Q. Were any books carried in the | Friendship?—A. K. A. A copy of “Skyward.” d Byrd’s autobiography, was taken by Miss Farhart in the Friendship as a gift to Mrs Frederick Guest who was to have made the flight. Q. What is meant by the honors cf war?—P. A. The privilege is very generally ac- corded to a garrison surrendering after a brave defense. It permits the soldlers to carry away their arms and in some cases to march out with drums beating and colors flying. 'y Comdr. | going out with L. E. : | . What are the names of the Holy | 8. A. The Holy Cities of Islam are four: Jerusalem, Mecca, Medina and Damas- cus. Q. What important scientific instru- ments were developed in the seven- teenth century?—C. E. A. The seventeenth century produced the microscope, telescope and machin- ery for grinding the lenses. the pendu- lum, thermometer, barometer and air pump. Q. Were John Adams and his _son, John Quincy Adams, Masons?—A. F. A. A. Neither one was a Mason. Q. How much water does a crop such as wheat need>—R. K. A. Some such crops use up water at the rate of 8 to 10 inches per month during their most vigorous growth. Q. What causes the will o' the wisp? —L. M. \ A. The ignis fatuus, also known as the will o’ the wisp, is a luminous ap- pearance generally seen in marshy places or churchyards. It appears after sunset as a pale bluish-colored flame and floats generally about 2 feet from the ground. sometimes remating fixed and sometimes traveling. Many at- tempts have been made to discover the cause of this phenomenon. Some au- thorities think it due to the presence of muphurmd hydrogen gas; others, to combustion of methane. It is prob- ably caused by a number of phenomena arising from different causes. It is many and in the swamps and moor- land districts of northwestern England and in the lowlands of Scotland. Q. What is the Arcane teaching?— E. McC. . McC. A. It is based upon the fundamental principle of the existence of an absolute supreme power, which is the cause and reason of the cosmos and all the manifestations contained therein. A book on the subject says, “The Grecian Arcane teaching was obtained directly from Egyptian sources. The Arcanes are a loosely organized body of men who have lived in all countries, in all times, since days of ancient Greece.” Q. In what town were the Lincoln- Douglass debates held?>—A. J. B. A. Towns where great debates be- tween Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglass were held, with the dates of Have we had the pleasure of serving | Jonesboro you through our Washington Informa- | Charleston, Can't we be of some help | Galesburg, Til., October 17, 1858; Quincy, Our | 1l October 1 October were also held at Springfield and Chi- to ask us any question of fact in which | cago, Iil. captain and company?—R. QUESTIONS 1. HASKIN. 1858; i, 1858; ., September 15, September 13, 1858, and Alton. I, 15, 1858. Unofficial debates Q. What is the origin ox!ng words A The word company is derived from a combinaticn of pain meaning bread. and o | captain commands a company, and his con, together—eat together. A title is derived from the Latin word, caput, head. Q. How long and wide are the At- lantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean?— .M. J. A. The greatest length of the Atlantic Ocean is over 13,000 miles; the great- est breadth about 3,000 miles. The greatest length of the Pacific from norti to south is 7,350 miles; the greatest width along the fifth degree of parallel north is 10,300 miles. Q. When was the first exppdition sent to the Arctic?—G. D. L. A. The earliest authentic record of Arctic exploration was in 1594 when a Dutch. expedition made by Willlam Earentz atiempted to find the Pole, but was unsuccessful. Q. Why are the District of Columbia and the detached Territories given votes in national party conventions when people, living in them cannot vote for President?—J. W. H. A. Many residents of these places have a great deal of influence in the political parties of their choice, and it is considered fair to permit them volce in the naming of the candidates and the formation of the policy of the party. Q. What iIs the highest rate that call money has drawn on Wall Street within the last 15 years?—H. J. A. On November 12, 1919, 30 per cent was the rate of interest that call money drew on Wall Street. This was the h{xghge;; rate of interest since the panic of 1907. Q. 11:1 there a Canadian language?— H.J. M. A. English is the language generally spoken in Canada. French was spoken in some sections, and has chan into a patois that is distinctive. Q. Which is the deepest lake in the world?—G. T. A. Lake Baikal, in Central Asia, is the deepest mountain lake. In some places the depth reaches 5400 feet. Q. Was lucern or alfalfa known & our early farmers?—C. H. B. A. A biography of Thomas Jeffers: states that Jefferson raised lucern « his farm in Virginia. Q. Did Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote the Tarzan stories, ever work for Sears, Roebuck & Co?—W. A. C. A. Mr. Burroughs was born in Chi- cago in 1875, and was a department manager for Sears, Roebuck & Co. from 1906 to 1908. Q. What is the full name of the Prince of Wales?>—A. W. A. The Prince of Wales’ given names are Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David. David is the name by which he is usually called in the family circle. Q. Why is Great Salt Lake so salt?— L L B A. Any inland lake that has no out- let becomes impregnaied with minerals common to the surrounding country. The salt common to the region accum- mulates in Great Salt Lake. Q. Is the Red Cross active in Mex- ico’ H. W. H. . . The Mexican Red Cross is quite active and progressive. Q. In compiling figures for urban and rural po‘gununn, where is the line drawn?—J. B. A. Urban population includes the population of all incorporated places and all towns in Massachusetts, e Island and New Hampshire having a population of 2,500 or over. All other is considered rural population. Q. What causes a mirage of water in the desert’>—E. E. A. The layer of air next to the ground becomes heated, usually be- ‘| cause the sun overheats the ground, and this heats the air next to it. This hot layer of air bends back the rays of light just as though it were a mirror, the debates, were: Ottawa, Ill, Augus! 80 it reflects the light of the sky just 21, 1858; Freeport, I, August 27, 1858; |as a water surface would. Fight Over Mec Efforts on the part of the American Federation of Musicians and the Actors Equity to limit the use of the talking | motion pictures, on the ground that| they are a menace to the arts of the ! stage, gain little favorable response from the public. “It is the age-old struggle between the man and*the machine, which the machine has always won,” says the Chicago Daily Tribune. “Labor, for the most part, recognizes that virtually nothing can be attained by fighting the machine, and much can be lost if in- telligent perception does not suggest the necessary adjustments to new con- fitions. If they are undertaken in time, there is a labor make-over which does not entail much distress. A delayed adjustment sometimes does mean seri- ous disturbance of living conditions. ‘The rule is that the machine wins, and in that is one reason for general Amer- lean success.” Fears that the number of competent musiclans will decrease and that the quality of music will deteriorate are discussed by the Worcester Telegram. It 1s conceded by that paper that “as the means of distributing music by mechanical means improves, it is likely that a smaller number of ‘producers’ will be able to meet the demands of the customers. But the pessimistic predic- tion may be the wrong one,” continues the Telegram. “Mechanical progress may prove more of a stimulant for musiclans than is expected. The fear regarding the quality of music seems groundless, There is no reason to be« lieve that the human voice will deterio- rate because of mechanical * progress. * * ¢TIt is natural to exvect that progress in {nstrumental music will be | forward, not backward." | ok ox o That the musiclans “are unduly alarmed"” s the conclusion of the Kan- ! sas City Star, which directs attention to the fact that the moviss themselves “have provided for more orchestras than ever were known before,” and that me- chanically produced music “ecreates a musical taste reflected in a hundred ways in the wider spread of musical education.” The Star adds: “Music didn't originate in the movie shows and won't end there. Beethoven never heard of a movie, When another like him comes along, he will give orchestras employment for a thousand years-—and where will the movies be by that time?" “Attempt to limit the talking motion plotures on the ghound that they men- ace art on the stage,” according to the New York Herald Tribune, “Is fust as sensible and will be just as effective as would be a protest by an assoclation of wwru against the extension of pho- aphy. * * * What the competi- ton of the mechanical production of plays will do {s to force musicians and actors to give such good performances that they cannot be successtully imi« tated by mechanical means.” “‘Contempt was shown for productions. The the no > would have “the the manufacture of music, or bottles, or shoes, or automoblles always win, methods are tossed ruins of & frost-bitten plant, new occupatlons are opened to new generations.” The Hamilton, tator remarks that “the great ances of industrial the firat frean "Tho hanical Music On Stage Regarded as Futile must readjust themselves. Progress cannot be checked nor change prevented by mere stubborn reaction. * * * It is not unreasonable to suppose that talking pictures will enlarge rather than :ur‘un the market for harmonious ef- ort.” As to the possibility that owners will dispense with orchestras in individual theaters, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle remarks: “The theater own- ers doubtless would welcome this inno- vation, for the item of music is one of the costliest which the theaters, es- pecially the small ones, have to meet. The owners, it may be supposed, would grasp eagerly for a chance to hold the whip which the musicians, through their powerful organizations, have held in the past, but neither the theater men nor the musicians will have the final decision. * * * Unless the talking movies can produce a substitute for or- chestra music which will be exactly as good as the original, the public is not likely to tolerate the complete elimina- tlon of orchestras from motion picture theaters." * ok %% “It will only be when the great re- cording orchestras are reproduced so perfectly that their music is far superi- or to that of lesser aggregations that these lesser organizations will lose out.” argues the Milwaukee Journal, and the Spokane Spokesman-Review. giving at- tention to the cultural advantages aris- ing from the employment of orchestras brought to * retty high level," de- clares: “There have been times when the cultured ticket buyers have found the orchestra more enjoyable than the Metures, which is high praise, indeed to this cultural atmosphere the talk- ing movie has intruded. By a mechani- cal miracle, it ‘g\uefls both musie and the agitated likeness of the musician. * ¥ * Artistically, we are right back to the electrical Ehno that ground out ‘Spring Song,' by Mendelssohn, in the infancy of the pictures. ‘Men is not oy generat Volcing gene symj y for tl rofessional mmmnn.;.n.ul D-ym}: ily News, at the same time, advises them that, “in these kaleldoscopic times, 1o occupation, no business, is free from lw“ of change which will call upon ts utmost wit. At such times, it is quick readjustment to new conditions or die. In the case of the musicians, the change to the talking movies prom- ises to be slow enough to give time to “In the end,” states the Toledo Blade, newer and cheaper methads. of find a new aside like Ont., Spee- [ disturb-