Evening Star Newspaper, September 10, 1928, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. | WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY. .. .September 10, 1928 THEODORE W. NOYES. . . Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th St. and Pennsvivania Ave New York Office: 110 East 42nd St. Chicago Office: Tower Building. European Office: 14 Regent St.. London, England. s Ele by Carrier Within the City. o Evenine Star b The Evening and Sunday Star Do | " 60 per month .65¢ per month : ..5¢ per copy oSollection made at'the end of ach mouth rs may be sent in by mail or telephone Main 5000. S % Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. and Sunday....1 yr., $10.00: aily only . b0 T | W * Sundas only " 130 3800 All Other States and Canada. Daily and Sund Daily only Sunday only Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all : ews dis- atches credited to it or not otherwise cred- ted ir this paper and also the lIncal i.ews All rights of publication ef herein are aiso reserved Turn on the Light! As soon as President Coolidge and Becretary Kellogg are back at their desks in Washington this week, it is to be hoped that prompt occasion will be found to clear up the accumulating my: tery of the Anglo-French naval agree- ment If Representative Britten of Illinois. speaking in his new rank as chairman of the House naval affairs committee. is Jed in a Paris interview to denounce the agreement as “subversive diplomacy” and “another attempt to insure Great Britain control of the seas,” it is obvi- ously time to turn on the light. The terms of the agreement, in so far as Great Britain and France have made them known. were communicated to the United States Government several weeks ago. But they remain the secret of the State Department. Whatever the terms are, the American public is entitled to know them, particularly if there is any Jjustification for the extreme statements to which Representative Britten lends his name. If the Anglo-French agreement is a pact designed merely to promote pro- gressive limitation of naval armament, there can be nothing in it worthy of concealment. If the implications of the agreement are prejudicial to the inter- ests of the United States, there is all the more reason for acquainting the American people with their nature. During the week end European cables brought reports that the agreement has already been “scrapped,” owing to the hostility which it has ‘aroused in this country and elsewhere. But the British foreign office has promptly denied those reports. It declares that the reason the precise character of the Angle-French understanding has been withheld from general public knowledge is that the “reaction” of America, Japan and Italy 15 still awaited. The longer the United States is de- prived of the opportunity of judging the merits of the phantom pact, the more unfavorable American “reaction” is like- Iy to be. There are intimations that President Coolidge, displeased with the dark-lantern diplomacy amid which the London and Paris governments hatched the agreement, directed Secretary Kel- logg to cancel his projected visit to Eng- land after the Paris anti-war treaty ceremony. There are suggestions, too, that the Washington Government is by way of dispatching a note of protest- ing inquiry to Great Britain and France. ‘Whatever of fact or fancy there may be in the whole Anglo-French naval business, it does not seem unreasonable to propose that, as far as America, at least, is concerned, the episode be at once removed from the realm of specu- lation and disclosed forthwith for what it is. —_— —e—————— Deafness and Death. Three more persons have paid with their lives in a senseless attempt to do| ‘what eminent medical authorities have repeatedly stated is impossible, to cure deafness by stunting in an airplane. ‘This latest tragedy occurred Friday at Springfield, Mass. A six-year-old boy was taken to a flying field by his father and the pilot, with whom he was to fly, was instructed to loop the loop and perform other maneuvers in the hope of effecting a cure for the lad's deafness. From two thousand feet the plane crashed to earth, killing the boy, the pilot and another passenger, while the father, horror stricken, stood by. It was only recently that an epidemic of stunt flying to cure deafness took place at the flying fields near New York City, resulting in accidents and miraculous escapes from death, but with no beneficial results to the patients. The authorities were forced to call a halt on these attempts. Physicians of high repute were consulted and were unani- mous in stating that a deaf person could find no means of relief in such performances. Doting parents and relatives should realize that they are placing the lives of their loved ones senselessly in jeopardy when they un- dertake this form of treatment. e v About the only Democratic comfort that can be hoped for from Maine is in considering how defeat might have been. o Listening-in on Justice. A special grand jury is at work in Chicago investigating charges of elec- tion crookedness and violence. These proceedings have been supposedly con- ducted in secret, but, according to a statement just made by the director ‘f this inquiry, the walls of the grand jury room have been tapped by secret wires 0 that all the testimony given, the de- liberations of the grand jury and ac- tions taken by it became known in ad- vance. Thus those who were indicted or those who feared indictment have been able to get preliminary reports enabling them to prepare their defense in advance or even to escape the juris- giction. Already more than a hundred indictments, ranging from murder to fraud, have been returned since this in- vestigation started three months ago. It is not known how long the dicto- phone device has been in operation. This disclosure shows how difficult the corrective process has become in American affairs. The crooked part of the community is ingenious andgye- sourcetul. It goes to anv length to pro- tect itsell, to check investigation, to ished herein ecial dispatches much worse the| avert punishment. It seeks to bribe jurors. It even tries to ‘“reach” the bench of justice itself. It resorts to murder to remove dangerous witnesses. ‘There iz just now under investigation in New York a mysterious trio of deaths which bear a suggestive relationship to an extensive public work contract fraud | that has come under investigation and research., Memory is not yet dulled of the Rosenthal murder in New York some years ago, as a result of which, through an exceptional stroke of jus- tice, four men were executed. The tapping of grand jury walls in Chicago must have been effected through some measure of collusion. It becomes important now to find out how | the secret wires were laid, and who was | guilty of rendering assistance in this scheme to penertate the secrecy of the chamber. But there is little reason to fope that such a quest would succeed. ‘The best that can be done is to remove the wires, and hereafter whenever a body off inquisition is assembled to safe- guard the precincts through constant | inspection of the walls. Whispers and Slanders. Chairman Work of the Republican national committee comes squarely forth with a denunciation of the so-called whispering campaign of which the! Democratic leaders have complained. His statement to this effect is perhaps to be regarded as the Republican party’s answer to the recent demand of former Senator Hansbrough of North Dakota, made {n a letter addressed to Mr. Hoover, calling upon him to repudiate the religious campaign being directed against Gov. Smith in Republican news- papers. Chairman Work declares that these attacks by periodical articles and anonymous publications aimed at the two presidential candidates—for he in- cludes in his denunciation “whispers™” that are being circulated against the Republican as well as the Democratic candidate—"disgust any decent Amer- ican.” There has been no end of innuendo since the campaign started, indeed before 1t was formally opened in the pre-convention stage of the campaign. ! Extravagance and intolerance have marked public speeches and individual | expressions of partisan nature. ‘The | personal characters of the two candidates have been assailed. Although at the outset it was agreed by the two organ- izatiofis that there should be no “mud- slinging,” there has been in fact a great deal of that contemptible form of political warfare. 1t is perhaps surprising to the public at large to learn through Chairman Work's statement that scurrilous and unfounded innuendoes and actual charges against the Republican candi- date have been sent about in letters and in some periodicals and in anony- mous form. Some of them, he says. have been “broadcast in certain sections of the country under the protection and privilege of the congressional frank.” It is obviously impossible to bring these statements out into open print, for to do so would be to promote the unwar- ranted insinuations that they convey. If, however, the congressional frank has been abused for this purpose, assuredly those responsible should be made known. It is not to be gainsaid that there is opposition to Gov. Smith on the score of religion. This opposition has been denounced as intolerance and bigotry. It may be that it is camouflaged in some sections by the raising of the pro- hibition issue, it so happening that the opposition to Gov. Smith on the latter score is prevalent in the same areas. Probably no denunciation of a “whisper- ng campaign” can check these feelings. It would, however, be in the interest of political wholesomeness if secrecy were abandoned and all expressions of pref- erence were uttered in terms of public avowal without concealment and with due regard for a sense of truth and responsibility. 1t is not possible to become entirely | superior to primitive methods. Ruud-! makers in the most advanced commu- | nities need scoop-shovels and explorers in polar regions still require dogs. The activities of Secretary Kellogg will give the United States Senate some- thing to consider which has nothing to | do with sensational investigations of a | commercial and geological nature. = P The Dog Guardian. ‘The dog's sense of responsibility for the safety of members of the family with which it lives is traditional, illus- | trated by repeated instances. It is new- ly attested by the case of a small dog in the Kentucky mountains that tried to summon from church the head of a family whose house had caught on fire, | ‘The little animal ran to the church and, locating his master, barked and tugged at his coat and tried to get him to leave. ‘The master, misunderstanding, refused to move and the dog was driven out. He returned several times without ef- fect. At last some member of the con-| gregation noticed that a house in the | neighborhood was ablaze and gave the alarm. All those present at the church | hastened forth. The dog's master found that it was his own home that was burning and that his four children were dead. A lamp had overturned or ex- ploded and set fire to the premises, and | the dog had in vain sought help. This sense of responsibility has marked the dog through countless | periods of time, indeed ever since the association between men and dogs be- | gan. Dogs have been used as watchers over valuables, as guardians of homes. | | With rare exceptions they are true to | their trust. They will die in discharge | of it, sacrificing themselves Anstlnc-{‘ tively. There are those who deny that the dog reasons or “thinks” in terms of | human mental activity. They claim | that the impulses of the dog are in- stinctive and emotional. But even at that there is something strongly akin | to human reactions in the things that an intelligent dog will do when danger threatens. That the dog does reason is | indicated by many cases. In this in- stance the dog saw that there was dan- ger to the little ones, and at once went for help, went to the place where it knew the parents were, losing no time and persisting when rebuffed, with greater insistence than often a person would display. Whether instinct or rea- son, this action was that of a creature with a sense of responsibility, ‘There are great differences between dogs in this respget. Not all are as keen- 8 THE EVENING STAR. WASHINGTOXN. D. €, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1928.° — e witted as was this Kentucky dog, just a8 in humans there are variations of character and of temperament. There are dogs that are devoted to one in- dividual, and others that are faithful to and fond of all the members of the family and, indeed, all people. That dogs have memory is constantly shown, and it is a persistent memory. Dogs will remember an injury inflicted a long time past. And by the same token it will remember a kindness bestowed. Many believe that the dog is in truth the real link between the human and the animal kingdoms. R The Speeding Penalty. the one-year clause in regard to second and third offenses against the speed regulations. Supporting Traffic Direc- tor Harland in his views, Corporation Counsel William W. Bride in his an- nual report to the Commissioncrs sug- gests that Congress be urged to remedy the situation wherein a motorist may be arrested three times in thirty and on the third arrest must go to jail. Not only is the unlimited period unfair to the motorist, in Mr. Bride's opinion, but he believes that it operates to win acquittal for flagrant offenders against the regulations, because juries hesitate to pronounce a person guilty when it inevitably results in a jail sentence. By his recommendation, therefore, Mr. Bride would remove an unfair burden on the careful but oc- casionally fast driver and at the same time make it possible to secure a great- er number of convictions in court. ‘When this amendment to the traffic code was first suggested there was some public misunderstanding as to its purpose. Many persons believed that it was an attempt on the part of the authorities to lessen the penalty for offenses. That is not the case. It merely assures a fine and possibly a Jjail sentence, if the violation is flagrant enough, for those convicted of third- offense speeding instead of allowing the violator to escape altogether be- cause the jury will not send him to jail. It removes also the obvious un- fairness of imprisoning a motorist for three widely scattered minor offenses. The Commissioners should certainly submit this matter to Congress for consideration. Its merits are obvious and comparatively little difficulty should be encountered in the legislative body in making it a part of the traffic code. el One of the pleasures of Charles M. Schwab is to be photographed with his splendid horses and cattle, with the genial smile of a man who has worked hard and solved in his own way the problem of farm relief. [ Extensive preparations are being made for the training of flyers who will be content to meet practical needs without feeling uynder obligations to attempt spectacular demonstrations. S S As a member of the World Court, Charles E. Hughes, after many coura- geous enterprises, resumes his judicial honors, adding the prestige of a man of action to that of a man of thought. e e R No nation ever confesses to a desire for war. One of the arts of diplomacy is the shifting of responsibilities for attitudes that render war possible. T “Secret understandings” become al- most impossible. Thanks to radio and other devices, everybody is now “listen- ing in.” ——ons The ancient “prdfiteer” was an inno- cent and benevolent person compared to the modern racketeer. = ————— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON, World Accord. We set out in the morning on the journey of the day, And everybody’s hoping for the best. We look for easy going. There are Detours on the way. We chug along and try to meet the test. The Future is Uncertain and our chart is inexact. ‘We hear a Fine Oration, or we Read a Little Tract. The true Encouragement of Life lies in the simple fact That Everybody's Hoping for the Best. ‘There must be disagreements. But the World cannot go wrong. With everybody hoping for the best. We have a share of sorrow. Then we sing a little song Of “Home, Sweet Home,” by true af- fection blest. | Although Ideas differ in a manner far from small, | Amid each altercation, we can hear a common call To toil the best we can; in common knowledge, after all, That Everybody’s Hoping for the Best. Expenditures. “Have you made a study of political economy? “I have,” answered Senator Sorghum. “But I never yet saw its practical in- fluence. No politician has made a hit by being economical.” Imposing on Patience. That August warmth was going strong. With feelings far from calm, We planned Revolt. And then September came along And gave the Old Thermom Another jolt! Jud Tunkins says what you call sport is usually something that 'ud seem like hard work if you got paid for it. Less and Less. “My wife says she has nothing to wear.” “So does mine. After one look at her bathing suit, I feared it would come to that.” “Ancestral fear of ‘foreign devils, said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “seems well founded as we realize that | they are responsible for so many fiiv- vers and so few parking places.” Insecurs Compliment. | The Glee Club’s harmony proves slight. | The public now much taste displays, | And many jazzy efforts might Move us to blame, instead of praise. | ! “De flercest kind of an argument,” said Uncle Eben, “is one where neither pusson takes de trouble to fina out what de other is talkin' 'bout.” Another District official puts himself | on record as advocating the return nr" THIS AND THAT | s BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. What are the 10 essential books for a child’s library? This question was put to us the other day, and we were at a loss to answer it.” The moment we sat down with pencil and paper, however, the names of the following boo){s fairly leaped into print: 1. “Robinson Crusoe,” by Daniel DeFoe. 2. “The Swiss Family Robinson.” 3. Carroll 4. “Hans Brinker,” by Mary Mapes Dodge. 5. “Grimms' Fairy Tales." 6. “Andersen’s Fairy ‘Tales.” 7. 8. “Mother Goose. 9. “Gulliver'’s = Travels,” Swift. 10.” “Child's Garden of Verse” by Robert Louis Stevenson. No attempt has been made to put them in any order of preference. In classics such as these there Is no first and last. Each one is immortal in its way. Nor is there any age classification made in relation to this great 10. All ages from 2 to 16 years will be suited by s0me one or other of the above, with the probability that by the time a boy or girl has arrived at the latter age he or she will be fond of them all. by Dean The magic of these books is that they | are good for all ages. The older one rows the more he appreciates them. The child m: “Alice in Won- derland” merely a good story, but the mother or father recognizes in it vastly more than that. It appeals to the boy or girl, but it enchants the man or woman. e ‘There are an amazingly large num- ber of men who have never read DeFoe’s great classic. Now, this is not right. “Robinson Crusoe” should be the fa- miliar acquaintance of every person who | can read at all. There s something about it that deserves this universality. Perhaps there is no one alive to who has not heard the name or who could not tell you about the famous islander and his man Friday. But all too many have got their knowledge from hearsay. They should read it. If any one thinks this overstated, let him begin an inquiry among his friends as to those who actually have read the book. He will be amazed at the number who have not. Many believe that “The Swiss Fami Robinson” is a more appealing tale than “Robinson Crusoe.” There is a certain strangeness about the latter that is not found in the former. Perhaps it is the difference between a family being ship- wrecked and just one man. Every one| might not shrink from being on an island with a family of interesting chil- dren, but very few would wish to be put in the shoes of the only living man on _an island in the Southern Seas. Because of its very human qualities. the story of the Swiss family named Robinson is likely to make a larger ap- peal to children, especially those in the neighborhood of 8 or 10 years old. The youngsters in the story are just such boys and girls as themselves, put in cir- cumstances where they act mueh as all boys and girls would under the same conditions. The reader is forever finding a new animal or eating a new food. The gu: tatory quality of “The Swiss Family Robinson” is scarcely excelled by the robust appetites to be found in the pages of Charles Dickens. If our memory serves us right, a clergyman wrote this book. “Alice in Wonderland,” by Lewis | We guarantee it good reading, | | | | edition {llustrated by Charles Rhead. As for “Alice in Wonderland,” that is the child classic of classics. Written by an English mathematician for the pleasure of his own children, it has come to be the pleasure of the whole wide world. No matter how young a child is, or how old a man is, he can get pleasure and profit from this glorious stery, and from its_seq “Alice Through the Looking Gla: Nonsense that has in its infinite wis- dom—that fairly describes “Alice in Wonderland.” Like most good things, it gives one the feel of something more than it says. For every reader this will mean something different. “Alice in Wonderland” possesses a certain gayety and charm alongside a subtle understanding of men and things that seems almost to have been put there with a wise wink to the adult reader. Let no child be deterred from reading about Alice because she is perpetuaily being burlesqued in prose for adults On the other hand, let no “grown-up” fail to read about her because he did not do it as a child. If there is any one story in the world that does not grow old, “Alice in Wonderland" is that story. Mary Mapes Dodge’s “Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates” is commonly classi- fled as a girl's book, but it is infinitely more. being a fine story for all ages and conditions. Dealing as it does with Holland, it brings a touch of that, far and to us queer country, and at the same time helps build up in the reade: the quality of sympathy. It is anothe: story every one should read. * x % % ‘The fairy tale by the Bruder Grimm | and those more delicate ones by the northern Hans Christian _Andersen easily come within the classification of essential reading for children. A child may grow up without know- ing these storics, but he should know them. The crudities of the Grimms tales will roll off even improssionable minds like water off a duck’s back, leav- ing behind only the hearty enjoyment which imagination alone brings to little ones. The stories of Andersen come nearer being great writing. Their deli- cacy is far more suitable to some chil- | dren than the roughness of the Grimms’ tales, and more of the former tales have | passed into the everyday life of the peo- ple of every race. “Aesop's Fables” in their entirety ought to be known to every child. Per- haps_every one knows the tale of the greedy dog that snapped at his reflec- tion in the water, thereby losing the piece of meat he had in his mouth. Many of the others are just as good. For brevity, nothing in world literature excels them. The mother goose rhymes certainly are essential to childhood, and with them might be included for good meas- ure the stories of “The Three Little Pigs,” “Puss-in-Boots” “Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Bears.” Children should have “Gulliver's Travels,” by all means. This is another work loved by children for its story, and by adults for its cleverness. In recent years there has been a decline in public interest in this masterpiece, but it i just as entertaining as ever, and will again come into its own. We include Stevenson's “Child’s Gar- den of Verse” not only because it is well done and shows a modern child ideals of conduct none too rigorously enforced today, but chiefly because it is melodi- ous verse, something which children en- joy primarily for musical reasons With these 10 books in the home li- and if any one has not read it, it is| brary, a child may be started right on never too late, WASHINGTON There is an excellent ' the great book adventure. OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE: For the party that claims to contain | narily placid personality into a fighting the minority of plutocrats, the Demo- crats are doing pretty well, judging by the August financial statement just issucd at their national headquarters. It's true that, compared to the Repub- licans’ gross August receipts of $560.039, the Democrats drummed up oply $455,- 797 during that month. ut the G. O. P. produced nothing to match the quartet of $50,000 contributions made to Al Smith’s cause by his bosom friend “Bill” Kenny, Pierre du Pont, Herbert Lehman (the Democratic finance chairman) and M. J. Meehan, “Mickey” Meehan is the Wall Street plunger who “cleaned up” millions last Spring on Radio Corporation shares. Willlam H. Todd, New York shipbuilder and another crony of Gov. Smith, is in the Democrats’ $10,000 column. In the same generous category are Bernard M. Baruch, Wilsonian old guardsman; Joseph P. Day, famous Manhattan auctioneer, and the brothers, Nathan Hugh and Percy Straus, the present heads of the Macy Department Store. The Democrats are still $3,350,000 short of the $4,000,000 total set by Chalrman | Raskob. * ok ok K Diverting explanations are current as to why both the Republicans and the Democrats are not stirring up the gold dust at' a dizzier rate. In the case of the Republicans, the alibl advanced is that the Hoover management radiates so serene confidence of victory that men and women who might otherwise be in contributory mood are saying: “What's the use?” As for the Democratic faith- ful, they are naturally impressed by the fact that the finance chairman of Gen- eral Motors is running the campaign, and some of them in consequence are arguing that the wherewithal will be forthcoming without imposing any bur- dens upon the party rank and file. And then, of course, there’s “Bill" Ken- ny's avowal before the Senate cam- paign funds committee that his bank account is at “Al's” disposal ad libitum. Nobody doubts the good faith of the respective party managements in pub- lishing their periodical balance-sheets, but, whatever these showings disclose, it's an open secret that neither the Hoover nor the Smith people are wpr- ried over money. The Republicans never lack war sinews. It's a new sensation for the Democrats to be on Easy Street. * ok ok K Charles M. Schwab, Bethlehem Steel king, has just revealed that the G. O. P. made an unsuccessful attempt to appoint him 1928 national campaign treasurer. “I think more of my job than I do of politics,” Schwab has just announced. Incidentally, he's neutral as between Hoover and Smith. He says they're both “very good men.” He knows and likes each of them, but if he's made up his mind which one of{ them will get his vote, Schwab hasn't let anybody be the wiser. * Xk Xk X James J. Davis. Secretarv of Labor. hopes to wind up his farewell six months | in office by bringing about a _useful re- form at the port of New York. He cecks to end the exasperating delay to which homecoming Americans and other ship passengers are subjected by the existing quarantine requirements. Instead of stopping incoming liners a couple of hoursgor longer at Quarantine in order that immigration medical in- spectors may see whether the passenger list is entitled to a good bill of health, Secretary Davis would have an immi- gration inspector and a public health officer aboard all transatlantic vessels. These officials would make their exami- nations en route, so that by the time ships reached American waters the work would be done and the present delay at Quarantine avoided. Only 13 doctors are now available to handle the enor- mous number of ocean arrivals at New York under the system which “Jim" Davis wants to blot out. * K ok Probably the greatest change the campaign has wrought in Herbert Hoover is to convert him from an ordi- 1 sleep. figure. He radiates belligerency in all of his private contacts nowadays. His managers are hopeful he will learn how to display some of the same tempera- ment on the platform and in_public. Hoover says he has “always fight” and is therefore in the midst of experiences that suit him. Men and women who were near Hoover in the two big administrative jobs which gave him fame—Belgian relief and American war-time food regulation—will tell you that he had to scrap on innumerable occasions, and did so in two-fisted style. The Republican nominee's physique is standing up amazingly well under the stress of strife. But his friends would be happier if he played oftener and exercised more. * ok ok K In their confidential moments Re- publicans confess that the thing they fear the most in Gov. Smith is his personal edge that he has political “it” in high degree, perhaps like no man in Ameri- | can public life since Theodore Roose- velt. That's why the G. O. P. strate- gists will watch the Democratic stand- ard-bearer’s forthcoming swing around the Western circle vigilantly and a little anxiously. The governor's an- nouncement that he will refrain from set speeches prepared in advance and rely on the inspiration of the moment is a sure sign that he intends to de- pend mainly upon his glib tongue, ready wit, persuasive smile and forceful manner. Smith is at his campaigning best in rebutting arguments of the op- position and in taking advantage of the slightest opening it gives him. He exploits statistics with special skill. * K K % A former Washington boy, Henry T. Harrison, jr., now of Worcester, Ma: is to be the aerologist of Comdr. Byr Antarctic expedition. His particular job will be to fy “weather kites” in the southern polar region. Young Harrison is a native of the Natlonal Capital and lived here until his family moved to Worcester. Friends of his mother re- member her as the daughter of Col. | George A. Shallenberger, who for many years was superintendent of the Na- tional Training School for Boys, and as the niece of former. Asst. Postmaster Gen. Shallenberger. Harrison was sug- gested for the Byrd expedition by the United States Weather Bureau, with ‘l’lBh!‘:h he has been associated since (Covyright. 1928 o Rescue League Does Not Feed or Shelter Cats To the Fditor of The Star: I have read the article on the Ani- mal Rescue League in your paper of September 6. I believe Ada Louise Townsend is not familiar with the ways of the league when she says, “How many little mother cats, homeless, try- ing to feed and shelter the kittens with | whom they have been thrown out by some harsh, cold-souled man or woman, have reason to bless the league for be- ing a haven where food and shelter are given them!” No food or shelter is given to a female cat, be it ever so small, at the Animal Rescue League. The only thing they will consent to do is to put it to They have refused even to care for a female kitten for a few days till I could find the owner or a home for it. I was willing to give them what pay they asked, as I had only a room and found this beautiful kitten at the door one morning. liked a | magnetism.. They acknowl- | 1 brought the kitten to a friend who kept it for me after they refused. I have had many pet cats and T know I should hate to feel they might be found and taken thgre to perish. Why should people’pay for a place to destroy the pets “little boys and girls? _EMMA GRANT. Name of Rescue League Declared a Deception To the Editor of The Star: T have read with considerable interest and surprise the letters to The Star in the controversy over the methods of the District Animal Rescue League, stressing the surprise over the letters in their defense. The very name of this institution is a deception. In the face of the wholesale killing that takes place there daily (see the Animal Rescue League’s annual report for overwhelming number), it would seem that the term “Slaughter House.” as was given it re- cently in the Washington papers, is more fitting. Correspondence on the subject, for or against, public or private, or other form of propaganda, gets nowhere and cannot establish in the mind of the public actual existing conditions and methods there, nor can it inculcate ex- acting humaneness, or correct irregu- larities in connection with it. Hence merely unending argument to no pur- vhile countless animals go to their umanely” or otherwise, which is camouflaged at the league by the palliating term, “putting to sleep.’ Only by personal investigation of a thorough nature, penetrating into the lethal recesses and other secret places, can this be correctly determined. Of course, there are some who have a false conception of what constitutes cruelty, and prefer not to recognize it where or when it exists. Like H. W. Luce, in a letter in The Star of Friday, the writer, together with friends and acquaintances, has had dealings with the league, both in leav- ing there lost and strayed animals (with sad results) and securing pets— the latter largely through the desire to save them from death more or less hor- rible, but with very different impres- slons. Many have experienced the shock of finding out, when calling for lost pets, that' they had already been killad, and once in a while “killed” pets have forgivingly returned to their erstwhile owners! That there is a surplus “population™ in the city of dogs and cats is undoubt- edly true. But this is also the case of human beings—f{rom infants to adults— that are not Kkilled, but for whom abundant institutions exist for their protection and care. But the animals must be made to suffer the death penalty for no other reason than being born! And this by the same law of nature as mankind itself! In the absence of proper animal homes, and equally necessary animal clinics in the District, private citizens are obliged to take stray dogs and cats into their homes, and when necessary assume expense for veterinary aid. I know of private homes where several dogs are harbored. These kind people are left no other choice to save them from being murdered at the league or sacrificed in other horrible manner (vivisectional experiments, for instance) at the pound. In this connection it is noteworthy that horses when stricken with allments that are curable have to be shot in order to get them off the streets, there being in the District only a dead wagon—a properly equipped am- bulance being an unknown as well as unheard-of quantity. While the situation in Washington in regard to lost and abandoned animals is very deplorable and needs effective and efficient means of relief, it coes not constitute such a difficult prob- lem, in spite of the indifference of Con- gress that has neither interest, time nor thought for anything pertaining to the District's mere animals, for well or woe. How can any kindhearted and think- ing human being consider as humane the stunning of dogs with electricity, after which they are thrown into water vats to more effectively finish the job, S0 to speak? Or to chloroform cats by packing them into the chloroform boxes (these not, sometimes, fully charged), the living on top of the dead? Con- ceive these unfortunate animals when on their last journey to a still more horrible goal, falling out on the way- side, where they are resuscitated by the fresh air and become vagrants anew, | or are picked up as pets, or find their way back to their homes? One cat that the writer knows of met with such a harrowing experience not less than three times! After the third it was al- lowed to remain with jts owners. According to the rules at the league all female dogs must be killed. Full of confidence they patiently wait while the electric collar is slipped on, their feet placed in water and then—the stun- ning current. To a thinking mind it is rather the | fault of civilization that such condi- tions exist and are tolerated, and, there- | fore, seemingly its duty to see to it | that proper places are instituted for | animals’ shelter and protection, with | means for the prevention of prodigal and unwanted propagation instead of wanton destruction of life that with some becomes a sort of fanaticism or complex. To this end there are sev- eral practical courses feasible. With the quickening of human intel- lect combined with feeling the rights of animals will become more and more respected, but in the meantime it is to be hoped that the kind and think- ing people of Washington will come to the front for their protection. I. M. SOMERVILLE. Stray Animal Problem Demands New Solution ‘To the Editor of The Star: How interesting and wonderful is the battle that is raging against the Ani- mal Rescue League! I have been de- lighted to find that most writers in The Star have deplored their actions, not only in regard to the faithful collie dog which they needlessly put to death, but also because of the thousands upon thousands of animals they hi killed without just cause. Washington is at last awakening! One person, in writing in behalf of the league, wants to know what the organization is to do with the homeless animals it finds if it doesn't put them to death? There is only one sensible thing to do. The league should not pick up these animals and kill them, but should work in a more humane way by getting co-operation through Congress and the citizens to prevent so many ani- mals from being born. That would be better by far than killing so many faithful animals. Moreover, the city pound will do all the killing necessary, as it is amply provided for by the Government. The league would do more good by keeping down the number of animals born, as I stated before, and by reach ing the people through humane litera- ture. If it would do this, it would then deserve its name of “Rescue League.” Many people are grossly deceived in matters concerning the league. One writer in The Star stated that only the diseased animals were put to death. Frankly, that lady didn’t know the truth of the matter, for in the last published report by the Animal Rescue League that organization put to death over 95 per cent of all animals taken there that vear. As over 30.000 were taken there . they thereby killed approxi- 9,000 anin b« one that thef not 29,000 dis year. I have my doubts if there were 1,000 taken there in poor condition during the whole year. No animal seems to be safe on the streets any more. Let us work to abolish such a menace to the humane cause if this organization keeps up its present methods. MRS. CATHERINE BRIGGS. e Reds Hold to Wealth. From the Toledo Blade. ‘There is the story of a Russian who 1s coming to this country with $40.000.- 000 to spend. It's absurd. No Russian ;nhlthn much money could get out of ussia. m: 2! tells any .. Age of Intelligence. From tha Louisville Times. A scientist says human intelligence Is 450,000 years old, which explains every- thing. It is now In its second childhood. n judgment | ANSWERS TO The answers to questions printed here | Colorado: Natural Yosemite Valley. each day are specimens picked from the mass of inquiries handled by our great | Information Bureau maintained in Washington. D. C. This valuable serv- ice is for the free use of the public Ask any question of fact you may want to know and you will get an immed reply. Write plainly, inclose 2 cents in- coin or stamps for return postage, and | address The Evening Star Information | Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, Director, | Washington, D. C. \ | Q. Why are cartle brands carved on | the walls of Garrison Hall at the Uni- | versity of Texas?—K. P. A. To immortalize the history of the Texas cow business and its importance | as the State's original great industry. | 32 famous old brands have been chiseled on the walls of Garrison Hall, of the | State University. | | Q. What is the Summer capital of India?>—M. R. | A. Because so many high officials spend the hot months at 1. it is rearded as being really immer | m 3 the i capital. | Q. How may one determine whether | Oriental rugs have been bleached and | treated with chemicals?—H. J A. In some cases, Oriental rugs nrn‘ bleached and treated with chemicals in | order to soften the gerish colors result- | ing from aniline dyes and to give them sheen, and such rugs ‘are likely to we out quickly. Sometimes this bleachi is so skillfully done that even expert | judges of rugs are deceived. but there are a few signs that even an amateur | can recognize. If cheap, crude have been used, the darker colors ge erally run into the lighter, making the | design blurred. If the rug has been very much bleached, the colors on the | surface of the pile will be soft and | dull, while by separating the threads and’ looking closely the colors at the base will be found to be and bright. Rubbing the surface briskly with a damp cloth will bring out the odor,_of chleride of lime with which the rug has been ‘bleached, and very offen the cloth will be stained with the colors. As a general rule, it is safe to buy Oriental rugs only from reliable dealers. Q. How long was the Oregon Trail? —D. B. . This emigrant route was about 2,000 miles long. It extended from In- dapendence. Mo., to Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River. Q. Please give the weight of a 12- inch cube of coal P. V. A. The average weight of a 12-inch cube of coal is: bituminous, 84 pounds; anthracite, 97 pounds. Q. Please name some white double- flowered varieties of lilacs—T. S. T. A. Among the most attractive of the double-flowered white lilacs are the fol- lowing: Edith Cavell, Jeanne d'Arc, Ellen Willmott, Mme. Lemoine and Mme. Casimir Perier. : . How does Trinity College, Cam- bridge, rank in size?—E. N. A. This is the largest college in England. Q. Why is Rigi famous?—A. H. A. From the Swiss mountain so named, a view of 300 miles in every directfon is seen from the top. Rigi is | about 8 miles from Lucerne. Q. Has “blind as a bat” any founda- | tion in fact>—E. F. % A. “As blind as a bat” is a mistaken simile. All have efficient eyes, those of the Oriental fruit-eating sorts being a | size natural to their foxlike counte- nances. In our more familiar insect-cat- ing species they are likely to be small beadlike and nearly hidden in the very soft fur with which these animals are clothed; the old English and Ger- | man names “flitting mice” were not bad ones. Q. Please name the Seven Wonders who have not been segregated?- | and of the United States.—J. H. D. A. They are usually enumerated as Niagara Falls, Yellowstone Park, Mam- moth Cave, the Garden of the Gods, QUESTIONS he Giant Trees of California; Bridge in Virginia and the Q. Are there many lepers in Hawaii L. W. A. For the past 30 years there has been rigid segregation of all persons af- flicted with leprosy in Hawaii. Due to the very careful and efficient work of the Territorial Board of Healthewhich maintains physicians in all districts of the islar and to the co-operation of the United States Public Health Serv- ice, the number of lepers at large may now said to be nil. It has been amply demonstrated that leprosy in its early stages is curable. This and segregation have put the disease under such con- trol that the islands are in a fair way to be entirely rid of it before long. At the leper sottlement, on a peninsum bounded by the sea and impassable cliffs, on the Island of Molokai there remain 450 lepers. These are mostly elderly ns and the number is decreasing E through natural caus They have no contact with the outside world are supported by the Territorial | government. Q. Is it known how many manufac- tured articles require rubber in some form or other? A. It is estimated thdt rubber now is used in the production of 30,000 articles. Q. Does constant. flying have any det- rimental effect on the hearir R. L. A. Defective hearing is commen among aviators and is generally consid- ered as occupational. The roar of the engine. the rapidly changing atmos- pheric pressure and the prolonged expo- | sure to cold winds affect the delicate structu soon dul of the auditory apparatus and the sense of hearing. Q. How many members of Congress are to be elected this Fall>—E. W. G. A. All members of the House of Rep= cted every two years: be elected this Fall. of the membership of the Senate is elected every two years: therefore, 32 stand for election this Q. Why is the e referred “prisoner of the Vatican” . A. He is thus characterized because he has taken upon himself voluntary imprisonment as a protest against the relations between the Vatican and the Quirinal, dating from 1870, Q. What proportion of the oysters taken come from artificial oyster beds? —J.L.T. A. More than half of the marketed oysters are from artificial beds. Q. is St. Louis, Mo., in? —B. G. A. The Post Office Department says that St. Louis, Ma., is not in any coun- ty. The city government executes both municipal and county functions for the territory it occupies, and it always has done so. Q. What is Blackwells Island?—A. P. A. This is a narrow, rocky island in the East River, between Manhattan Island and Long Island, and forms part of New York City. It is about a mile and a half iong by one-eighth mile wide, and is used exclusively for the penal institutions and hospitals under charge of the city of New York. Q. Who was the first person to have his writings copyrighted in the United States?—S. R. A. Noah Webster was the first to take advantage of the copyright law. His Grammatical Institute of the Eng- lish Language, published in 1783, was so protected. Q. How long has Primo de Rivera been the dictator af Spain?—V. H. A. He came into power September 13, 1923. At first he had a directorate of eight members, but was alone respon- sible to the King and to the people. Later the directorate was changed somewhat, and his collaborators became ministers, -+ Their power is restricted however, and important business is handled by the dictator. to as the by Y. What county G. Women’s Activity in Campaign Foreshadows Record Total Vote Unprecedented feminine activity in the present campaign convinces news=- paper observers that the total woman vote in November is going to establish a new and remarkable record for Ameri- can politics. The woman orators, in evidence everywhere and on both sides of presidential, ssional and State the old-timers in politics that a new day is here. “It would seem to be a good idea to | let the women do all the tal like in this hotly contested pr race, since the female of the spec more persuasive than the m - gests the Chattanooga Times. a flood of feminine oratory as never was on sea or land is going to be poured forth upon America between now an November 6. To some of the brethre who recall with pleasure the days when politics was a man’s game, all this will seem somewhat out of place. But it is altogether proper.” A woman of oratorical attainments who has undertaken the task of select- ing women for speaking engagements during the campaign is quoted by the Providence Journal: “Poise, carrying power of the voice, intonation. argu- ment, ability to move the sympathy, are the tests. I make careful note, also, of the ability of each applicant to make her speech hold together and flow on consistently to a climax.” The Jou says of this system: “It is a pity tha candidates for oftice, as well as other public speakers,sdo not subject them- selves to such a test as this. W improvement in campaign ¢ would be if every aspiring speaker were put through such a course by somc qualified- judge!” | * Xk x Kk “Women are taking a more active | part in politics #nd filling more im- portant positions than ever be which assumes that “this is due in to the interest which women have in | the prohibition question.” but paper also records that “the da of prominent men politicians scem take naturally to the political game. and that “the activities of their fathers | in this field seem to have given ihe | daughters a love for the active and ex- | citing game of politics.” The News sees prospects that “mors women will cast their ballots at-the 1928 presidential | election than ever before.” i Further steps are forecast by the San Bernardino Sun, with the statement: | exceedingly unfortunate UNITED STATES ! IN WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today. French armies have made important | rightful role progress in the last 24 hours In tight- | cerned prir to | lems of citizenship.” ening their grip on the approach St. Quentin and Le Fere. By the c | ture of Roupy they are ond¥ four mile and a half from St. Quentin on the | southwest and they command all ap- | women of politics were lof the won Sun says: memory to “After all, equal suffrage will have ac- complished nothing_ until the womea accomplish independence of action. If they are to be merely the rubber stamp for the political opinion of the male members of the family, who have been wont to dictate the course of the fam- ily political decisions, then equal suf- | frage will have done nothing more than ive the man an additional vote. @ probably are to be many family over the campaign as it develops, re could be no better time for a own as to whether equal suffrage effect what it wa “Both political partie Minneapolis place a I than_ev shaping reports the re preparing to dependence, this year, before, on women 1 and carrying on camn | tails, getting into direct contact with in- nd increasing the per- centage of qualified voters going to the polls. Naturally, the activity of women leaders in 1924 was greater than their activity in 1 when Federal equal suffrage was still @ very young, accom- plished fact, having been proclaimed on August 26 of that year to be in effect. It is expected to be proportionatelv greater this year. * ¢ * There are at least 26.000.000 qualified women voters in the count ny woman's vote counts for as m vote. ‘These figures become the more dividual voters. remembered tha irected by the Fort ram to the conclusion vote is at all pros E gn_work in both parties. it will be a large one. And the women,” eon- 1es that pape “are filling many im- tions. There is. in illustra- heading both the Democratic and Re- publican State committees. * * * Wom= en. indeed. are performing much of the active work of this campaign in many would seem to warrant the impr that they are Erowing to like the game of politics, new as it is to most of them. and that they are likely to vote in proportionately as large percentages as men do.” A protest against any tendency to- ward alignment according to_sex is made by the Helena Montana Record- Herald, with the argument: “It would be for campaign work among women * to result in e of a women's bloc. The realize this and are With the advent of equal . sex distinctions in the realm bolished once and for ctive factors in the American e assumed their they are citizens, con- ily with the broad prob- n of the activities of some . the Baltimore Evening requires no very long call the roseate promises In criti proaches to the city from the north, [of those who championed votes for west and south. * * * Rainstorms, ve: | women. When women were given the heavy while they last, hamper Marshal |ballot and permitted to hold public H“gs men, who are forced to repair | office, it was clatmed they would purify T and provide shelter on recovered | the muddy streams of politics and a ground. They are a blessing, Lhowever in the sense that they lay the dust that has spread so much illness men in the army. * * * golden era of honesty and would set in. Those promises scarcely umong the ; conform with the actual facts. The ad- -boat makes | ministration of ‘Ma’ Ferguson as Gover- idealism a daring attack on an American cargo | nor af Texas left behind it a record to ship_while under convoy 400 miles off | which the proponents of woman suf- the French coast and sinks it. <rew | frage could not point with pride. And of 80 men are saved by warships. now is added the conviction of Mrs. * ¢+ Seven hundred and sixty-four | Florence E. S. Knapp, former Secre- C‘T‘é;’;‘;’lf ;r"l“m'n in st;dn\-'s n‘lea.wsitarv of State of New York, the first = o action, 363 wounded and | woman in the East to hoid an jmpor- 161 reported missing. tant office.” -