Evening Star Newspaper, November 1, 1928, Page 8

'THE EVENING STAR _ With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. THURSDAY. ..November 1, 1028 THEODORE W. NOYES. .. .Editor The Emmg.flmpe Company 11 and Pennsylvania Ave. B ors 3 0 East 42nd New York Office: il 8t. Rate by Carrier Within the City. TheeEvening Star... 45c per merth The ""“flg and Sund (when, 4 Sundass) . and Sundi undays). ¢ per copy Y s ai ihe end 1 s ek month, Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone Main 5000 ay Star . .....60c per month Star ing 65¢ per month Eate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dafly :nd Sunday....] yT.. $10.00: 1 mo., 85¢ Daily only 11, 00; 1 mo., 50c Sinda v only yr.. $4.00: 1 mo.. 40c Al Other States and Canada. Daily and Sunday..l yr.. $12.00: 1 mo.. $1.00 Daily only yr. $800; 1 mo, T5c Sunday only .. $5.00 1 mo. S0c Member of the Associated Press. - The Associated Press is exclusively entitled for four days, the luster of a triumph that will be forever inscribed on the pages 6f history canont be dimmed. One hundred and twenty-four per- ! sons, besides a large amount oi mail and freight, were carried from Germany to the United States and back, a distance of something over nine thousand miles, with only one stor ** “nproximately one hundred and eighty - urs' flying time, one hundred and elc’en and a half hours of which was spsnt on west- ward trip. Foup days and fifteen hours frem Germany to the United States and two days and twenty-one hours from the United States to Ger- | many! The true significance of the | feat performed by the Zeppelin can be jread in these figures and an amazad and appreciative world congratulates Germany in its hour of triumph. New Airports. ‘Washington is no nearer building its | proposed municipal airport now than it | crease of traffic burdens. was nearly a year and a half ago, when Lindbergh’s flight to Paris started other cities throughout the Nation off on a wild scramble to obtain suitable sites to the use for republication of all iews dis- patches credited to it or not otherwise cred. 1t aper and ! e s B ieed herour® il Tights of publication of i Epecial dispatches herein are also reserved. = Roorbacks, Breaks and Plants. Just now, with the sands of the cam- | paign running fast toward the finish, | with the remaining hours to be counted ! as were the days of the earlier stages, | the minds of the managers and of the candidates themselves are diverted from | the immediate questions at issue by fears of the “roorback” the canard} deliberately manufactured for the sake of influencing voters. There i§ no way to insure against such attacks. The nearer the end approaches, the greater the danger of these tricks and ruses, for | the briefer the opportunity to correct and deny them. The roorback, or campaign falsehood, had its origin in the presidential battle of 1844, when a pamphlet entitled “Baron Roorback's Tour Through the Southern and Western States” was cir- culated to the disadvantage of Henry Clay and the advantage of James K. Polk. Clay's partisans attributed his defeat for the presidency in material ! degree to stories that gained currency through this medium, tales' that were fictitious, but which could not be cor- rected in season. In these times of rapid communica- tion, and particularly of radio broad- casting, the roorback has a less impor- tant potentiality than in earlier times. It is now possible to deny effectively * misstatements sprung in surprise in the closing hours of the campaign. With diligent scrutiny of all that is printed | and attention to all that is said, a capable campaign manager need not be caught by a roorback. He can “get on the air” with effective correction or denial at short notice. He can get print publicity for a repudiation or challenge at even shorter notice and gain the attention of millions of readers. The life span of the roorback, which was considerable in the days of the “Baron’s” travels, and which remained extensive down through the Civil War period and for some campaigns there- after, is now shortened to ah almost negligible point. The real menace to the politieal peace of mind nowadays comes not. from the falsehood that can be effectively met and exposed, but from the truth or near-truth that is put forward with sinister purpose, telling of some old relationship or old action half forgotten and hard to explain. ‘Then there is the “break,” the mis- take of judgment, the inadvertent word, | and construct their port facilities for the future ships of the air. But Wash- ington, lacking any municipally owned site, is receiving a first-hand demonstra- tion of what will take place everywhere when the commercial practicability of travel by air is firmly established. A few weeks ago plans were announced for the construction, by private agencies, of a large airport and training school north of Washington off the Rockville pike. Yesterday the sale of Hoover Field, oppasite the Lincoln Memorial on the Virginia shore, was announced, together with plans whereby the pur- chasers will develop this ploneer enter- prise as a modern airport, with new hangars, concrete runways, automobile service and all the other conveniences and facilities demanded by patrons of air travel. Within a few years, if these two projects are successful, Washington will probably be surrounded by airfields, and some venturesome soul will have bought the right to use the roof of a down- town office building for an airport that entices the visitor with the prospect of a landing in the hotel and theater dis- trict, without the inconvenience of hav- ing to travel by automobile to reach the | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1928. 1950. This increasing density of popu- lation, together with increasing freight traffic, with a requirement for more fre- quent and more rapid train movements, calls for extraordinary measures to be adopted now in anticipation of the time when existing modes will not be able to meet demands. It is not & strained concept that in the course of the next quarter of a cen- tury the main rail lines in this country will all ‘be on an electric basis. The steam locomotive has always been recog- nizad as an expensive and from the power point of view an uneconomical unit. It has been developed to & high point of efficiency, but still represents at best a heavy waste of energy. The reason for its replacement by the electric motor, however, is not primarily finan- cial in the matter of power economy. It lies in the greater flexibility and efficiency of the current-driven power unit, with respect to the assured in- N Unkind Fate. ‘The vagaries of Fate were never bet- ter illustrated than yesterday near Ca den, N. J. For nearly forty years “Bob” Hammill has been an engineer on the Reading Railroad. Yesterday he was to climax a perfect record of safety with retirement from service and attendance at a testimonial dinner given by his col- leagues As the pilot of the crack Reading train which leaves Atlantic City every evening on the dot of six and arrives at Camden, after a straight and fast run, at seven nine, Hammill, with a smile of anticipation at the close of an honorable career, sent the big en- gine roaring toward its terminus for his last stop. And then tragedy stalked across the trdcks. Five minutes from Camden Bob Hammill met with his first accident. A small automobile had be- come stalled on the rails and the speed- | ing train hit it amidship. One man was killed and his woman companion will probably die. ‘The veteran engineer was in nowise to blame for the unkind fate which de- posited the car in his path within a few minutes of the time he was to shut the throttle and apply the brakes as a fit- ting climax to a record of more than two million miles without an l?cid'.’\t,i and he is deserving of the same amount of praise that he would be if it had nev- er happened. The country needs more center of things. And a few years later those now living will witness the launching of a movement to have a union terminal. Many of the argu- ments now used to portray the ad- vantages of a central union bus tefminal will be used to illustrate the confusion and inconvenience to which air travelers are placed in trying to dis- cover the location of the proper field to catch the right airplane express. In the meantime, therefore, what is going to happen to Washington’s own municipal airport scheme? One may already anticipate the argument that with private enterprise making such headway in the commercial development of air lines and air ports no room is left for municipal endeavor. In this connection, however, it may be recalled that Newark, N. J., is beginning work on what will probably be the largest and most complete air port in the world. The project involves some six million dollars. And this new airport is being constructed despite the fact that New York is already surrounded by six large airports, and more will probably be built. » ‘Washington and its governing body, Congress, should never municipal airport scheme to slip away merely because of the feverish activity the awkward gesture, the inappropriate of commercial interests in developing action seized upon by the opposition and by it broadcast and proclaimed as & token of unfitness. This need not be something the candidate himself has|contemplated by private interests. their projects. The airport projected for Gravelly Point, in the first place, is on a far larger scale than any so far Nor Bob Hammills, not only as engineers, but in all lines of endeavor. Men of his type are the backbone of the Nation and the accident yesterday, unfortunate as it was, does not detract one fota from an enviable record. r———————— Neither vice presidential candidate has been so assertive as to warrant sus- picion that the prominence of the duly elected candidate will be challenged. —at—————— In a few days one element of traffic danger will be eliminated. All the labels indicating aggressive political partisan- ship will be removed from autonfobiles. o THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. “D'Artagnan thought of the miseries of poor human nature, always dis- satisfled with what it has,. ever desir- ous of what it has not.”—Dumas. Surely D’Artagnan thought of a great deal! In a few words he swept human emo- tions from A to Z and came back aga.n to the'starting point. Poor human nature! Always dissatisfied with what it has, ever desirous of what it has not! This curfous trait of humanity is re- ! sponsible for a great deal of the trou- ble in the world, as it also is for many of the greatest works in the world, whether in the realm of art, science, in- vention or whatnot. If there was any such thing as uni- versal satisfaction, progress would come to a_ halt, and all the thousand and one things which we know today would be lacking, in all probability, from the commonplace map of the everyday. It is precisely because people every- where are dissatisfied with what they have, and are desirous of what they have not, that men and women go forth to labor, that young hoys and girls study, that all sorts of people are per- petually thinking and scheming to ad- vance themselves. * K K X This state of affairs exists side by side with that good content which is the crown of every worth-while life. Its existence Is in no way incompatible with the possession of real content. One may be contented, in a general, theoretical way, and yet highly dis- satisfied with self and his state of affairs in a practical, actual manner. Both states of mind exist side by side, each contributing a certain something to the complete character. The one-sided person, who is wholly under the sway of either state, fails somehow to impress others as being a complete person, in the best sense. How incomplets one may be! How easy it ko to be in such a lop-sided condition! No doubt, if one of these futurist artists were to paint humanity as it is, according to his light, he might depict men and women as squares, triangles, circles, each one with a portion of the total surface missing, so that Mr. So- and-So would be almost square, Mrs. Thus-or-Thus not exactly round, nor Miss Hit-and-Miss somewhat but not quite resembling a triangle. It would seem that poor human na- ture is prone to be a prey to depres- sion, especially of the sort which is dissatisfied with what it has, reaching out for what it has not. ‘There are two main reasons for this. In the first place, the average person never -has enough to suit him, and in the second, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps these discrimina- tions need explanation. “There are very few persons in the world at any one time who have enough of everything. If there is nothing that money will not buy which they cannet have, then what they miss is something which money will not purchase. A man may pine for abstractions if he cannot find anything else more tan- gible to yearn for. Human nature, call it poor,” as Dumas did, or not, ever longs for the unattainable. 1f there is something to be discov- erad, mankind wants to discover it. Hence for centuries the world witnessed the ardor of those engaged in searching for the North Pole. To the sit-by-the- firss these adventures seemed fool- hardy, but to those engaged in them they seemed only eminently practical ‘The apprehension of a “whispering campaign” is no great matter as com- pared with the uncertainty of a “silent vote.” —————— ‘The crowd attending a political speech is always good-natured. Perhaps the reminder that an enormous public is “listening in” keeps it on its good behavior. ———— Revival of popularity for “Sidewalks of New York” shows that Al Smith is an involuntary “song plugger.” SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Defeated Hermit. said or done. It may be the word or | would its construction conflict with the | There once was a hermit who said, “Let the action of a partisan, a “spellbinder.” business of the commercial enterprises. me be In the heat of the campaign, particu- | If Newark, N. J., can afford to spend | APart from the world, from intrusion larly in the closing period, stumpers are sometimes carried away by zeal and say too much. ‘Then there is the “plant,” the trick of the opposition to elicit some state- ment from candidate or supporters which, addressed to an apparently sim- ple proposition, turns out upon analysis to be an embarrassment. The wise candidate and the wise manager avoid all such baits. They turn deaf ears to | that tangible assets do not necessarily | Sometimes I am tempted to get up and challenges and direct questions. They pay no heed to criticisms, mind their ‘words with scrupulous care, with cau- ton that increases with the lapse of time and the approach of election day. —— et ‘The campaign affords no immediate suggestion of commercial advantage, with Henry Ford and John Raskob in influential evidence. So far as any ad- vantage in motor prestige might be con- cerned, the break is pretty nearly even. ——————————— An orator is often confronted by an audience that would rather listen to its own cheers than hear carefully pre- pared words of wisdom. The Zeppelin Triumph. Completing the first commercial round trip through the air between Europe and the United States, the Graf Zep- pelin, the world’s largest dirigible, ar- rived at her home port at Friedrichs- hafen two hours before dawn today. ‘The booming of cannon, the shriek of whistles and the cheers of a frenzied throng welcomed the big ship as it was tenderly hauled down from the skies and attested to Germany's pride in its ‘momentous achievement. Exactly sixty- eight hours and fifty-two minutes had elapsed since the Zeppelin headed into midnight mists from Lakehurst until its home port was sighted directly underneath the main cabin by its crew of forty, its twenty-three passen- gers and its one stowaway, the first in the history of air transportation. This remarkable time for a distance of more than four thousand miles added to the records created by the Leviathan of the skies on her epochal voyage. Viewed from any angle, the round trip of the Zeppelin was a magnificent demonstration of the possibilities of lighter-than-air craft ability, and marked in the use of “blau gas,” which weighs no more than air, & notable ad- vance in the development of this type of ship. Even if the facts are considered that weather conditions held up the start of the flight to America, that winds in an ordinary storm tore the covering from one of the stabilizing fins on the roundabout and slow westward trip, six million dollars for a public airport, the United States cannot allow its Capital to depend on private agencies for the provision of a suitable landing place for all the ships of the air that in future will make Washington a chief port of call. ———————————— ‘Wall Street’s announcement of elec- tion betting odds is a frank reminder figure in speculative estimates of value. —r——————— ‘The Graf Zeppelin has been success- ful emough to create a demand that it sell thousand-dollar “tokens,” looking to a slight reduction of fare. e Farm advocates do not hesitate to assert that a “straw vote” is no reliable index to the corn and hay vote. Large-Scale Electrification. Decision by the Pennsylvania Rail- road Co. to begin the -electrification of its system probably marks a new era in American tfansportation. This im- mediate enterprise is to cover only the lines between New York and Wilming- ton, Del,, but it is understood to be the purpose of the corporation to continue the process in successive movements eventually to compass the entire sys- tem of 11,000 miles of trackage. The New York-Wilmington electrification will, it is stated, call for an expenditure of $100,000,000 and will cover seven or eight years of continuous work. This will embrace 325 miles of line and 1,300 miles of track, an operation far ex- ceeding in magnitude and in importance the electrification of any other railroad in the world. The magnitude of this change from steam to electricity is not measured alone by the cost of the work itself. In five years, it is computed, the com- pany will require between 250 and 300 electric locomotives, costing $300,000 to $500,000 apiece. At the lowest figure this entails an expenditure of $75,000,~ 000 for “power” and at the higher figure $150,000,000. An-average of these two estimates, $100,000,000, ‘puts the cost of installation and power at $200,000,000. It is explained that, save in a few places, the current transmission will be by overhead construction and not by a third rail. In certain locations both sources of power will be employed. No word is given as to the matter of cur- rent generation, whether from fuel or from water-power plants. The advan- tage claimed for the electric system is the greater economy in operation in dense traffic territories. It is figured that weather again interfered to cause Dr. Hugo Eckener to cancel the pro. posed cruise over the States, and that that at the present rate of metropolitan quite free.” He dwelt in a cave, with a habit austere. But a radio salesman one morning drew near To turn on the tubes, in a wondrous array That bring in each greeting from far, far away. i “I fear,” said the hermit, “I haven't a chance. dance!” Our hermit declared he would struggle and save And dwell in a palace instead of a cave ‘With warders at hand, both attentive and stout, To watch for intruders and keep them all out. But the warders liked jazz; and the radio came To offer the speeches and tunes, just the same. For wealth many men may successfully ask; and just. If they did not search, who would? And somebody must. * * ok “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” What a world of dissatisfaction man- BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. Said a Roman of old, named allow the | effictent not only as a statesman but as | Phaedras, “It brings praise to me that yoli, and those like you, copy my words into your books.” ~ What would old Phaedras have said if he had lived to hear the dictator of the Turkish re- public, President Kemal, command all Turks to learn to read and write the Roman letters, and to become proficient in the reading and writing within the next two months? The motto of the American Navy in the days of the World War was “It can't be done, but here it is.” In Tur- key, as in Mexico, the motto is “Ma- nana”—"Tomorrow” or some cther day. Yet, under the new decree of Kemal, at the end of the next two months all gov- ernment employes Wwill be examined as to their proficlency in writing the Western letters, and the unproficient will be discharged from the service. Other penalties of the law will be in- flicted upon civilian delinquents. Age or previous condition of illiteracy will be no excuse. At first the edict permitted 15 years as the time limit, but the government noted that that period was so long that no progress was perceptible, so it was reduced to 2 years. Still the literacy in the new letters was too slow, and, in a burst of impatience, the dictator de- clared that two nfonths was the time; beyond that the penalty. The modernizing of Turkey is one of the most significant trends of the times. It means far more than a fad of an arbitrary dictator. It is epochal, and the trend is not limited to Turkey, much less to mere letters. * kX K It is a familiar saying that the world is growing more intimate. ~Improve- ments in transportation and still more in communication are wiping out race prejudices and compelling a universal But being a hermit’s a mighty hard task. Inelegances. “Several people have criticised your grammar.” “What's the trouble?” asked Senator Sorghum. “They say you split your infinitives.” “I hope that won't influence anybody's vote. In my opinion a split ticket is much more inelegant than a split in- finitive.” Jud Tunkins says if all plans could be successful every small boy would grow up to be President of the United States. As Time Takes Wing. Thanksgiving draws near, we are happy ¥ to say, ‘When campaign contentions must all fade away. The American Eagle our bosoms have stirred; And next we shall hear from Old Friend ‘Turkey Bird. Stimulation. “Do you believe politics is better, since women got into the game?” “It may not be better,” answered Miss Cayenne, “but it certainly is more peppy.” “Men long for peace,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “only to destroy it in the wish for excitement.” Mercenary Music. The Public pauses in its task And nightly grows more wise. Each radio tune prompts it to ask, recognition that race differences are only “skin deep.” Psychology now comes forth to prove that the differ- ences are indeed not skin deep, for differences in the color of the com- plexions no longer imply differences in mentality. Whatever divides races is more attributable to the effect of en- vironment and mutual ignorance of each other than of inherent inferiority of any. Whether it is a touch of nature or what it is that brings the relationship, “the whole world's kin. The barriers of racial separation are mostly artificial prejudices, ‘without foundation in capacity or mentality. So Turkey is bent upon eradicating the artificial walls. The first step was to order that veiled women should unveil; that men’s fezzes should be replaced with European hats and men’s baggy trousers should give way to straight and ugly pantaloons. So picturesque Turkey became in ap- pearances as monotonous and uncouth as Europe and America. Still, there was that difference in the Moslem use of Arabic letters, with their ornpmental curlicues, written from right t» left. And now that lettering must by super- seded by the plainer Roman lstters. What will it all lead to? * K Kk Late investigations in anthropology and psychology attack the fundamentais of race prejudice based on color. Prof. Dixon of lumbia University, in ook, “The Racial History of Man,” dis- cards color entirely as a basis of dif- ferences of ability and resorts to meas- urements of the skull. He divides man into eight races, and accounts for their differences by saying that “the evo- lution forms into man Jn different times an these eight fundaments may represent as many robably occurred at al_human types distinct transi- lypes, more there have been many migrations of races from one part of the workd to “What do you advertise?” growth the area of New York and the “Jes' befo election,” said Uncle Eben, New Jersey district as far as New Bruns- | “it's any voter’s privilege to feel kind 0’| the return trip to Europe was delayed wick will contain 30,000,000 persons by popular.” - 2% mixed in varying proportions to form the races of today, with none of our R::sen! races representing pure, orig- 1 types, in his race is not scientifically proved to be from pre-human anthropoid tion is not certain and there is no com- different places, and | graphical surroundings. ~He supports [ tions from pre-human to human forms. i ference between primitive and modern Since the appearance of these distinct|man, as to the degree of endowment in than 100,000 years ago,|the native mental faculties. another, and as a result of these migra- | dress and language, has potentialities tions the primitive types of races have | i | when kind would be saved if it were not for the workings of this law! Like children who grasp at the moon, men and women continue throughout life to look with envious longing at the various moons of their imagination. These glittering bodies grow brighter ard brighter as the years go by, until many a life, satisfactory in fitself, is ruined for the lack of something which after all might not have amounted to very much. Time has a queer trick of changing valuations. What in youth appeared so essential, middle age knows to b: in- consaquential. ‘What successful business man would be unhappy “20 years after” because he did not “make” a certain college fra- ternity? Yet how downcast did he feel as a young man, when social success in his college town was measured by whether or not one wore a certain small jew- cled pin on his vest. Seeing the absurdity of his feelings of those days gone by, he might be ex- pected to apply his self-gained knowl- edge to some good purpose in later life. Does he? He does not. Now his ambitions are centered on becoming a member of a certain exclusive luncheon club of business men. He yearns to “belong.” He will never be happy till he gets it! y * oK ok K The person who is dissatisfied with himself presumably may go on to bet- ter himself, but he who wallows in the mire of self-conceit will never change. TFherefore the only people who are free from dissatisfaction are those cu- rious persons who not only “know it all,” as the popular expression has it, but who are so pleased with themseives in every way that they can see no pos- sibility for improvement in the great product of Nature which they are. More men are victims of this self- apptobation than women, although a woman is conceited she is stuck on herself with a vengeance. She not only knows it all, as her worthy male compeer does, but she knows more than that! She knows. Her ideas are sound, logical; her mental processes in- fallible. All which belongs to her is perfect, whether it be husband, child, house, car, radio. Happily, the mass of mankind falls into a mid-between classification, somewhat well pleased with itself in some respects, but displeased with itself in others. From the grinding of these two wheels comes life-in-the- living as we know ft. The friction of these cogs strikes forth sparks of life. From infancy to old age, all that makes life interesting comes from the illumination cast by these interlocking forces. The heat generated warms the heart and the light thrown illumines the mind, so that, warm-hearted and mind- illuminated, we may go forward doing the best we can for ourselves and others. Service, kindness, decency, honesty— these are a few of the best products from the turmoil arising in every char- acter because he is dissatisfied with what he has, ever desirous of what he hes not. No complacent cow.in a stall, a man struggles to better himself, and out of the conflict comes what good he may make for himself. Thus the D'Artagnans of this world, although they may muse on the mis- eries of poor human nature, are led thereby to struggle onward and upward, and to feel as they go that this, too, is a beneficent provision of the univer- sal mother, According to this modern scientific theory the yellow race began not in Asia, but in the belt running from England to Java, whence it migrated to cover Asia, spending centuries in Southern Asia, where it acquired the darkened skin. Up to the period of the Renaissance in Europe the Chinese had made quite as much progress in learn- ing, in science and in art as had the Europeans. So the Japanese, “cousins” of the Chinese, have demonstrated by their marvelous progress from semi- barbarism to their present state—all within three-quarters of a century— proving that there is no racial differ- ences in ability between the Orient and the Occident. For a thousand years, during the middle ages,. Europe was just as unprogressive as China has been in more modern times. While Eu- rope was dormant China invented gun- powder in 1250, which woke Europe out of its chivalvy and feudalism. The year following the. discovery of America, the Turks captured Constan- tinople and overthrew the Eastegn Roman Empire, scattering the scholars who had congregated in that metropolis upon the Black Sea, so that they mi- grated Westward, carrying with them ancient literature and bringing to Europe a revivg! of learning. Thus it is evident that/the springs of mental progress have been confined to the white race, nor to the seats of learning in_Earope or America. While there have been educated negroes and men of other colors, only the yellow race has shown real interest and ability in higher learning. Chinese and Japanese students in American col- leges have shown th>mselves not one whit behind the white students in ability, £ e By the Army tests—the Stanford revision of the Binet-Simon tests— negroes were found to have an average mental age of 10.37 “years,” as contrast- ed with the whites’ average age of 13.08 “years,” yet the present writer knew of a black son of.an African chief, born in Central African jungles, who was edu- cated in America, in a class of 100 white children, and when the class graduated from high school, the African ranked in the first 10 of that 100. The conclusion of modern science is that environment has as much to do with mental capacity as any racial limitations. The Army tests showed that immigrants from different nations of Europe reveaied as great a range of dif« ferences as do the whites and negroes. For example, the mental difference be- tween the English and Italians is 3.86 ‘“years,” in favor of the English. Yet in modification of that difference, it is pointed out that it is not a fair estimate of the average Englishman and the average Italian at home, but only of the average immigrants from the two countries. * Kk x Another very eminent authority was the late Prof. Franz Boas of Clarke University. He contends in his work, “The Mind of Primitive Man,” that “there is no scientific proof for the cur- rent doctrine that cultural achievement measures mental ability, and he main- tains that cultural variations and differ- ences are due to historic rather than biological causes, and thai the white the most gifted of the races psycholog- ically and the most highly developed biologically. While admitting that the geoilmphlml environment may alter the bodily form of inhabitants, he contends that the manner or degree of modifica- plete determination of culture by geo- the doctrine of unity of the human mind and that there is no marked dif- Hence the modern tendency, tb wipe out artificial differences indicated by of world remeking beyond the possible conception of the observer. The East may yet meet the West, in spite of Kipling. In the cry of Wilkam Knox, which so Says Kill Devil Hill Is Being Driven Awa Fo the Editor of The Star: y Government officials are at this time very active in the vicinity of Kill Devil Hills, N. C., in making preparations tor the coming of many pilgrims from vari- our parts of the earth to this birthplace of aviation on December 17, the twenty- g{lgtnnnlverury of the first acroplane ight. Much discussion is going on in this | section as to what the Wright memorial at Kill Devil Hills will finally be, and this is the subject that I want to talk about and especially about one particu- lar phase of it. Although Orville Wright made the actual first flight from the level plain near the foot of the largest of these Kill'l Devil Hills, the fact remains that the actual experiments were done on the hill. Many thousand glides were made during three successive seasons from the top oi the hill, and it was the making of these glides that gave the Wrights that feeling of being accustomed to being afloat in an unstable element, taught them the use of the control of the gliders, and made them satisfied that shouid they succeed with applied power in driving their gliders through the air they were sufficiently ex- perlenced to guide and balance them. It was on these glides that confidence overcame doubt, and brought these men to that point of human confidence that paves the way for greater things. In taking over a Government reserva- tion as a shrine to the honor of the Wrights and as a heritage for the Amer- ican public, T as a coast man, a native of K.tty Hawk, as one who often saw and helped in the many glides which were made possible by the hill, want to put in a plea that this hill be taken in the Government reservation, and made a part of it. In that greatest of all hu- man achievements—the conquering of the air by successful flight on Decem- ber 17, 1903—Kill Devil Hill played its part nobly and should not be forgotten. It is true that this hill is slowly but surely moving. Sixty-three per cent of all winds of sufficient strength to move dry sand sweeps over this section from a nortleast direction, consequently all sand dun»s move in a southwesterly di- recticn. It has recently been estimated by competent measurements that Kill Devil Hill moves at the rate of one mile in 60 years. Naturally the thought arises, where will it be in two or three hundred years? When future genera- tions visi: the Wright memorial and are shown a hill some miles away and are told tkat it was on this hill that the Wrights got their first experience in gliding, which finally led to the motor- driven flight, things will look out of pro- portion. I am convinced that the hill should be a part of the memorial, and that it should be held where it is for all time and for all the future generations to see it where it is, and where it was when the Wrights availed themselves of its eminence to aid them in their first ven- tures. It's no use to say it cannot be held where it is. We have positive proof visible to all those who will look, within a few miles of the Kill Devil Hills. On the north end of Roanoke Island a high sand dune was about to cover up and destroy a State highway. The State Highway Commission covered this hill with brush, seeded it among the brush with certain species of grass, and today it stands permanently as a proof that such feats can actually be accomplished Again, if I am properly informed, out in Michigan a sand dune was about to drift over and destroy a very important shore drive way; it was covered and held per- manent. It's no use to say this hill can- not be stopped. It can, and this great Government has men who are expert along this line who could turn this bleak mountain of sand into a verdant green surface and change it from a rambling hill to a permanent one. Beiieving most conscientiously that this should be done, I have taken this method of addressing those who are in authority in the matter, hoping that the old hill that so kindly lent its ele- vation to the successful solution of an age-old problem may be saved to pos- terity where it is. Disagrees With Fire Siren Suggestion To the Editor of The Star: I read in Saturday night's paper your second editorial upon the speed of fire apparatus and note that you say there are two suggestions: one a reduction .n the speed, in accordance with the sug- gestion I made in my last letter to you, and the othor from persons who think there should be sirens placed along the fire routes, warning persons of the approach of fire engines. I am not in accord with the last suggestion for the following reasons: First, I deem it impractical, as advance sirens, to be of any value, would have to be automatically operated as the engines approach the siren and this would be unnecessarily expensive, if not prohibitive from the standpoint of ex- pense. Second, I think we have con- fusion and noise enough in the streets as it is without adding this additional noise to cause additional confusion. Since I wrote you my last letter, one or two persons have suggested to me that ‘the motorman of the car from which the young ladies alighted in the last tragic accident was somewhat at fault for opening the door of his car and letting them alight when the fire apparatus was approaching from the rear. If this apparatus was going 50 or 60 miles an haur as claimed, it could have been at Fourteenth and F when the motorman first started opening his door, and certainly a motorman can't be expected to look out for vehicles three or four blocks in his rear before opening the door to let passengers on and off. If any one will take the trouble to figure the distance a vehicle travels in a very few seconds at a rate of speed of 25 to 30 miles an hour he will imme- diately be convinced that it is dangerous to every one for fire apparatus to exceed that speed, and more is not justified unless the whole city should be threat- ened with destruction from fire in a general conflagration. Nine-tenths cf the fires are small, and it it was possible to properly control them with horse-drawn apparatus when the buildings were constructed with much more inflammable material than at present, certainly fire apparatus run- ning 25 or 30 miles an hour, with short- ened runs over the runs of the old horse-drawn vehicles, should be able to get to any of the fires in ample time, and I think the facts and the argument must support my contention, and a fail- ure to enact such an ordinance for future regulations of the fire depart- ment and hospital ambulances on the part of those in authority, now that the danger of unlimited speed being permit- ted these vehicles has been established by a terrible accident, would be eriminal negligence on their part for which they could be held answerable in the Crimi- nal Court and the District certainly answerable in a civil suit for damages. F. 8. KEY-SMITH. v Degrees of Insanity. From the Canton Dally News. Harvard professor says elections are all that keep Americans from becom- ing morons, but a fellow might as well be a moron as a nut. e War Finance Another Thing. Prom the San Antonio Express. Urcle Sam is the world’s banker, but he hasn’t hung out a sign, “Special at- tention to financing wars.” appealed to President Lincoln that it is known as “Lincoln’s favorite poem"— “Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud? . D . . . . For we are the same our fathers have n, We' see the same sights our fathers have seen— We drink the same stream and view the same sun, ¥ And run the same course our fathers have run.” * (Copyright, 1928, by Paul V. Collins.) | posals of Gov. Smith, it does seem that This is a special department devoted solely to the handling of queries. This paper puts at your disposal the services of an extensive organization in Wash- ington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This serv- ice is free. Failure to make use of it deprives you of benefits to which you are entitled. Your obligation is only 2 cents in coin or stamps, inclosed with your inquiry, for direct reply. Address| The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin dirc_tor, Washing- ton, M, C. | Q. Is it dangerous to use milk from sterile cows?—N. N. H. | A. The Bureau of Dairy Industry says 1 that milk produced by sterile cows that are otherwise in good health is just as | good as milk produced by other cows as | Iung as it is normal in appearance and favor. Sometimes when sows have been fresh for a long period of time and are | nearly dry the milk becomes bitter and | salty In flavor. In such cases the milk | is not fit to use and the cow should be dried up. Q. What would the height of the | barometer be at the top of Mount Everest?—J. G. O. A. The Weather Bureau says that this would vary a little with the sea- | son of the year, and also with the state of the weather. In Summer it would be about 10.23 inche Q. Are weaving looms used in the | ;vl)awracture of automobile tires?— | A. The Rubber Association of Amer- fca says that a loom is used in the | | process of making cord tire. It is the | last_operation through which tire cord tis put and, of course, it is to tie the | cords together by means of filling | threads in the form of a fabric so that the material can be handled in the calenders. Usually the filling threacs are very light in construction in com- parison with the warp cords and are spaced from 21; to 6 to the inch. Q. How is artificial for stage effect?—H. C. G. A. Artificial lightning as made on the stage.is done with a special effect | lamp and a projecting machine. A | simpler way is to have the stage dark and turn the lights on and off quickly, | using artificial means to produce the noise of rain and thunder. lightning made G TQé How long is the Detroit River?— ‘A" The Detroit River issues from | Lake St. Clair, runs southward, forms | part of the boundary between Michigan and Ontario (Canada), and enters Lake BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Erie near its western end, 18 miles be- low the City of Detroit. it is about 27 miles long and varies in width from one-half mile to three miles. It is navigable for the latgest ships and car- ries an enormous tonnage of freight. Q. What breed of dog is the police dog?—R. N. A. The term “police dog” does not in- dicate any breed of dogs, but merely a purpose to which dogs of various breeds can be and are trained. Shepherd dogs of Germany, France, Russia and Bel- gium, together with pure-bred dogs of | other breeds, cross-breeds and mongrels | have been retained and used as polirs dogs. It is as ridiculous to describe any breed of dogs as police dogs as it would be to designate any race of peo- ple as doctors, lawyers, merchants, etc. In both the case of dog and man the designation indicates the kind of edu- cation and training, and not the blood, which is varied. Q. How can plas after they have dusty?—B. F. G A First give the statue a thorough brushing and dusting. Take a good quality of white or cream colored paint and make it thin with turpentine. Ap- ply this to the statue with great care 50 that no paint settles in the crevices to impair the modeling. The statue can then be kept clean by wiping care- fully with a wet cloth. Many statue in the Corcoran Art Gallery, Wash- ington, D. C., are treated in this way. or statues be treated become dingy and Q. Why does the under side of a cigar orl mgarcrtts burr}:‘ faster than the upper when put on the edge of { F. M. P. . gt A. When a cigar or cigarette is place on a table with the lighted En\‘? m’ud- Jjecting over, the glew in the under side progresses 2 little more rapidly than that above. apparently because of th~ air conveetion current created around the burning part, which would be more active on the lower portion than on | the upper portion. The burning of cigars and cigarettes can be accelerated by applying a gentle breeze to the burning end. Q. Should radiators be painted with bronze or aluminum paint?—E. W. A. The Bureau of Standards says that painting radiators with bronze or | aluminum paint decreases the radiation of heat. It is more satisfactory to use any good interior paint or enamel. Q. When will the racing season open at Tia Juan2?—R. R. - 4 A. The races will begin at Tia Juana, Mexico, on November 29, and will last 100 days. i A long-distance debate between Mr Hoover and Gov. Smith on the charge of the former that the New York execu- {'lve has indorsed Socialistic ideas has een made one of the outstanding inci- dents of the presidential campaign. The particular policies involved relate to farm relief, water power and prohibi- tion, on which a general editorial debate was_opened up by the Hoover speecii in New York, followed by the Smiih speech in Boston. * The glorification of individual initia- tive which the New York Times (inde- pendent) finds in the Hoover utter- ances impels that paper to suggest that the Republican candidate agrees with Jefferson in the belief that “the func- tions of the Government at Washington should be reduced to a minimum,” and the Times concludé: . *“Old-fashioned Democrats might well welcome Mr. Hoover as a recent convert to their faith. What reception it will have ameng orthodox Republicans, with their pnt?mahsm shrines, the future may re- veal.” - * ok K * Both speakers get scant approval from the Chicago Daily News (independent), which observes: ‘“They admit many ex- ceptions to the principle of personal or local freedom and non-interference with business. Both are pragmatic and prac- tical. Neither, consequently, is justified in throwing stones at the other.” Also criticizing both candidates, the Roch- ester Times-Union (independent), after stating that Gov. Smith “made a clever reply,” comments: ‘“State Socialism is a vague term, and cailing a given program ‘Socialistic’ is not an argument. The question is whether it has merit and will work to the ultimate benefit of the public. Applying these tests to the farm relief and prohibition modification pro- he is promising more than he can ac- complish.” “Mr. Hoover's speech contains the clearest and fullest exposition of the evils of government, in private business that we have ever heard or read,” de- clares the San Francisco Chronigle (in- dependent), yet the Atlanta Journzl (Democratic), holding that Mr. Hoover “kept carefully away from the issues,” contends that “his New York address stands umparalleled as an example of the art of words without meaning.” * koK K “Hoover’s address was a broad state- ment of political philosophy. It was a striking presentation of the reasons for American progress and American prosperity,” in the opinion of the Cin- cinnati Times-Star (Republican), and the San Antonio Express (independent Democratic) argues as to its subject that “experience has proved that gov- ernment in business leads to stagnation. stifles initiative and fosters corruption. On the other hand, citing Gov. Smith’s Boston references to Republican leaders whose views were similar to his own, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (independent) and Montgomery Advertiser (Demo- cratic) assert that the Smith countes attack was “devastating to Mr. Hoover. The Chattanooga Times (independent Democratic) also credits the Democratis candidate with having “bowled over the Republican nominee and riddled his New York speech.” “In the comment on the address there is wide agreement that the appeal was one of the most forceful Mr. Hoover has presented.” says the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Republican), while the St. Paul Pioneer Press (independent) commends it as “a brilliant contribution to political ecnrnomxv and constructive statesmanship,” and the Morgantown New Dominion (independent) believes that “to sound political economy by wise political statesmanship Herbert Hoover points the way, and we believe the only true way.” Upon the other side of the question the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (independ- ent) asserts: “Mr. Hoover set up a straw man, a Socialistic bugaboo, to frighten business and then knocked it down to prove ‘that he and his own party were the only defenders of our present industrial, commercial and social system. It was a demagogic effort that will fool only the unthinking.” The Newark Evening News (independent) comments on the Smith reply: “He| made the charges hurled by Mr. Hoover | rebound, proving that they fit Mr. Hoover's own party associates. Mr. Hoover was made to appear either un- aware or unappreciative of the extent to which his party has taken up with | the Socialistic idea he abhors and whicn | he tried to fasten on Mr. Smith.” * K ok “Mr. Hoover took an hour and a half to say that he holds to the general theory of government held by the largs ! majority of the American people, irre- | spective of party,” insists the Roanoke World-News (independent Democratic). | Confidence in Mr. Hoover’s policies and their relation to prosperity and general progress is expressed by the Los Angeless Express (Republican) and Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Re- publican). Support of his belief that | private enterprise rather than Govern- ment action is necessary to the welfars | Debate on Sccialism Chargé ,Lively Incident of Campaign lican), Indianapolis Star (independent Republican), Hartford Courant (inde- pendent Republican) and Manchester Union (independent Republican). Smith supporters give special em- phasis to the power question. “When the Federal Government or the States owning these dam sites insist upon de- veloping and utilizing them for them- selves,” according to the Nashville Ban- ner (independent), “Mr. Hoover calls it State Socialism. When the power trust uses its vast wealth to buy with bribe money politicians or attorneys of influence to invade the schools of the land and the like—and the facts ar2 well known—the Republican candidate finds no words of denunciation.” “Gov. Smith stands,” avers the Omaha World-Herald (independent), “for economic equality for agriculture under the protective system, for public ownership of the public's water power, and for local self-government in mat- ters of sumptuary legislation. Herbert Hoover x‘ hors these proposals as ‘Stafe Socialisth’ that -would- cause -the down- fall of the Republic. - It will be a thing to have a count of noses on that.” * kK ok ‘The importance of opposing power interests is stressed by the Sioux City Tribune (independent) and Asheville Times (independent Democratic), while the Milwaukee Journal (independent) declares that “the pretense that the Nation is facing the abandonment of the principles of 150 years is to every one within the sound of Mr. Hoover's voice only a campaigner’s trick.” The Baltimore Evening Sun (independent Democratic) regrets that “Mr. Hoover departed from the candor and direct- ness that mark the rest of his s h and ‘descended to misrepresentatiog of the difference between himself andf his opponent.” i “He might have done belter.” advises the Charleston Evening Post (independ- ent Democratic), “to have yelled ‘Bol- shevism!” since that.has a more horyific sound and would have been more; ef- fective, just as Dr. Johnson croused, the indignation of a fishwife by calling’ her a ‘preposition.’” Denial of any Sogial- ism in the governor's policies is made by the Springfield Republican (ihde- pendent) and Little Rock Arkapsas Democrat (Democratic). The Houston Chronicle (Democratic) concludes: ““The ‘State Socialism’ is the stock and trade of the professional lobbyist. A {a-!d lobbyist does not have to think. It is not his business to analyze. Patriotic consideration is no part of his equip- ment.” Opposition to Government ownership is strongly expressed. “It h:. been a more or less populat doctrine,” says the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin (inde- pendent Republican), “ever since the davs of Bryan orztory. But it never has stood the test.” Similar condemnation comes from the Charleston Daily Mail (independent Republican), Seattle Deily Times (independent Republican), Chicago Daily Tribune (Republican), Worcester Telegram (independent) and Oklahoma City Oklahoman (independ- ent). UNITED STATES N WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today. ‘The 1st American Army attacked this morning on a front of more than 15 miles north of Verdun, with its right flank on the Meuse, and advanced nearly 4 miles at some poin! cap- tured 3,000 prisoners and many machil guns and liberated a dozen towns * * * The Americans never before had so much artillery in action as today. Although the artillery preparation lasted but two hours, the concentrated rain of missiles fairly smothered the Germans. * * * Today's attack in Flanders gave the allied troops an advance of more than 5 miles on a 10-mile front. * * * South of Valenciennes, the British ad- vanced 2 miles to the southern edge of that town, which 1s flooded. * * * Allies are now in possession of all the high ground between the Scheldt and Lys Rivers, with their lines g ciose to the Scheldt. * * * Turkey surrenders its forts and warships and will demobilize its army immediately, evacuating all cccupied territory and surrendering all Turkish officers. * * * Armistice terms arc submitted to the Austrians as revolution spreads through that country. * * * Rumors ema- nating from Germany say the Kaiser has abdicated, but the report is prema- ture. The matter has been discussed and will soon be an actuality if Ger- many is to make peace with the al- ies.” * * * Pour hundred and sev- enty-five names on casualty list given out today. * * * Four thousand three hundred and thirty-nine American sol- diers were invalided home from France during the month of October. * * * Six billion eight hundred and sixty-six mil- lion four hundred and sixteen thousand three hundred dollars subscribed to the Fourth Liberty loan is a high-water of the country is given by many papers, including the Oakland Tribune (Repub- mark in worid_finance. Twenty-one million persons bought