Evening Star Newspaper, November 19, 1928, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR i SN Boing Buening Si0es, .. WASHINGTON, D. C. MONDAY. ....November 19, 1928 THEODORE W. NOYES The Evuluastfr Newn:pu Company using 11th S8t. and Pennsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 East i2nd St. Chicago Office: Tower Bullding. Ofice_14 Regent 8t.. London, an . Editor Rate by Carrier Within the City. Star_...... _...45¢ per month and Sunday Star Jundays) .. _.. 60cper month ng and Suaday Sia when 5 Sundays| «‘;'ll each month d Collection made at anE Orders may be sent in by mal Main 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 1 vr.$10.00; 1 mo.. 85¢ 1 yr. $6.00: 1 mo.. 60c $4.00: 1 mo.. 40c Sunday caly All Other States l;\ld Canada. ¥ . Daily and Sunday..l X Daily only - $8.00; 1 Sunday only 5.00: Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press 1s exclusively entitled to the use for republication of all . ews dis- ted in this paper and ! e oublished herein - All TiEhts of publication of special dispatches herein are also reserved An Historic Voyage Begins, Today a citizen of the United States sails on a battleship from San Pedro, Calif, for a tour of the Central and South American States. Unusual facil- itles are provided by this Government for the visit. For this American is not merely a citizen but is the prospective Chief Executive of the country, having just been elected to that office by the votes of the people. He goes therefore as one who, though not yet in office, is soon to be at the head of the state. He goes now because in accordance with the unwritten law of the land, broken only once, he cannot leave this coun- try's soil while President. Mr. Hoover's voyage to the Southern republics is more than a gesture. It is & genuine manifestation of the keen interest which the United States takes in the welfare and progress and de- velopment of Latin America. This is a natural interest. The contiguity and proximity of the States that comprise the Western Hemisphere place them in harmonious relationship. They have *{ble at this time, hardly can be ex- treating the abnormalities and curing them if he can. One man says that a certain mental abnormality is due to the fact that the victim is in love with his grandfather and does not know it, while another insists that it probably is due to an organism of som~ “ind that gets into the blood strear:. '™ -tever the cause, it has changed the course of human history over and over again. Perhaps the only person qualified to write his- tory, after all, is the psychiatrist. Lit- tle as he confessedly knows about it, he understands better than anybody else the forces molding human be- havior, of which history is the record. The importance of co-ordinating the different viewpoints, so far as is pe aggerated. The conference in Washing- ton, which doubtless will serve as th> first of many such conferences, may do much toward such co-ordination of con- flicting theories, the earnest purposs of each of which is to open a gate f explorers into the mysterious realm of | human consciousnes: — b - Our British Visitors. ‘Washington is hest this week to the delegation of dislinguished British Journalists who have been touring the United States this Fall as the guests of the Carnegie Endowment for Interna- tional Peace. The National Capital bids them a cordial welcome. They represent not only London, but the opinion-molding “provinces” of John Bull's principal island—a composite deputation of that Fourth Estate to which American ideals of a free press, like so many of our other institutions, owe their origin. One might wish that the British! editors were sojourning on Yankee soil at a moment when Anglo-American skies were less baclouded. Late cables from Great Britain indicate that they are regarded there as distinctly overcast. Spckesmen like Mr. Lloyd George dis- cuss them in lugubrious terms, though it needs to be remembered that “the little Welshman,” as a shining light in “His Majesty’s loyal opposition,” would be more than politically human if he were to omit present opportunities to take a fling at the Baldwin govem-! ment. The peg on which Mr. Lloyd George hangs his lament about British relations with the United States is the no universally common bond of lan- guage, but they have, despite the wide | range of climatic conditions, ranging from almost arctic to equatorial, a bankrupt Franco-British naval com- promise, which was so firmly rejected by the Coolidge administration. Perhaps it is just as well that the mutuality of civilization. Steadily dur- | British guests are in our midst at such ing the past half century they have a moment. Their arrival in Washington drdwn closer together in spirit. Dater- | synchronizes with world-wide discussion rents have occurred from time to time | of President Coolidge’s Armistice day in the form of misunderstandings and | speech. For reasons not wholly ap- misconceptions, but these have been | parent to Americans, Europe in general, corrected with better knowledge and|and Britain in particular, has taken through fuller intercourse. umbrage at the President’s observa- This voyage of the President-elect, | tions, though they lack entirely the under official auspices, is a proclama- | virtue of novelty. Mr. Coolidge enunci- tion virtually to the effect that thelated no new American attitude on any welfare of the Latin American republics | issue with which he dealt. He but re- is the first concern of the United States | affirmed our position toward each and in its international relationships. It is|all of them. a declaration of faith in the future of | The President reminded the world those States. It is an announcement | that the United States aspires to, and to the world that whatever else may |is determined to achieve, naval parity betide the United States will seek first | with the strongest sea power. That was of all the maintenance of sincere good | the covenanted understanding at the| Haith in all dealings with them. Mr.| Washington naval conference of 1921- Hoover cannot speak until after March | 22, when the 5-5-3 ratio was adopted. 4 next with the definite authority of [ It is because the United States Navy the United States Government, but with | has fallen far below that ratio, in re- the mandate of the election of a fort- | spect of cruiser strength, that it now night ago as his guarantee of early | contemplates a building program. Even responsibility he will address himself | When it is carried into effect, we shall to the people of Central and South | still be behind Great Britain in cruiser America with the authority of the peo- ple of this country. This is ag unusual and exceptionally Interesting and important departure. ‘With one accord the North Americans wish Mr. Hoover bon voyage, even as in a short time those of Central and South America will be giving him cordial and sincere greetings. e A Housecleaning Needed. An investigation of confectionery stores and soft drink shops located near schools is to take place in Chicago fol- lowing the death of a student after an argument with the proprietor of one of these establishments. “He got my boy drunk, cheated him in a dice game and then killed him,” said the bereaved father. “Other young boys and girls from the school get drunk in that man's place.” Unscrupulous shopkeepers in the vicinity of schools are the bane of every power. There should have been nothing new or exciting to Europe in a restating of those facts and figures. Mr. Coolidge proclaimed anew the United States’ feelings with regard to the uses to which this Government thinks the American money market should be put by foreign borrowers. He declares that our dollars are available for the world's constructive and pro- ductive purposes, but not for the financing of competitive militaristic programs. That is something else which has been said before. And, finally, the President reiterated this country’s readi- ness to join with other powers in a resting the growth of armaments when- ever it can de done in full justice to America’s irreducible defense require- ments. ‘The British and American peoples pride themselves upon the mutual pos- session of many traits. Among them is the priceless gift of common sense. Common sense can, and will, clear the city. In Washington the selling of lewd magazines to school children has been the subject of strenuous action by the authorities, but in other communi- ties storekeepers have been shown to have dispensed liquor and dope and to have provided back rooms for card games and general meeting places. It is impossible to estimate the harm done by such establishments. The im- mature mind is incapable of separating right from wrong and the students fall easy prey to the habits urged upon them by these despicable characters. ‘The Chicago case should certainly serve to cause other cities to undertake a general housecleaning for the benefit of the future citizens of the country. ——re——————— Less ticker tape than usual was scat- tered in the election enthusiasm. The stock ticker, however, has been much in evidence in spreading the good news. v A Psychiatric Conference. Washington two years hence will bc the scene of a notable world confer- ence. At the annual meeting of the National Committee for Mental Hy- giene in New York Thursday it was announced that $50,000 already has been donated to defray the expenses of an international gathering of psycho-~ pathic specialists here the first week in May, 1930. There are few subjects in greater need of co-ordination. Psychiatry, like Anglo-American skies of darkness. To see that it is exercised, the British and American press have a joint duty. . Various economists now regard the Dawes plan as having served a valu- able purpose in giving assurance that it will afford the basis of friendly con- ference in the tuture. ———ra—————— Inexcusable Uncertainty. Pennsylvania has just ushered in its deer-hunting season. Four fatalities were reported as due directly or indi- rectly to this long-awaited opening. Other States are yet to be heard from, and doubtless they, too, will unfold a tragic tale. This commonwzalth, by the way, has more deer and more hunters than almost any other, ‘There is one cause for rejoicing, not- withstanding the sorrowful endings of four of the Keystone State’s inhabitants, and that is that no one of them was shot by apother hunter laboring under the illusion that his sights were lined up on a deer or other wild animal. Two men died of heart failure due to excite- ment. One man was killed by the acci- dental discharge of a gun in the hands of a companion, while a four-year-old lad lost his life when a rifle which was being cleaned went off. It was not so long ago when the opening day of sport in almost any State bore its tale of hunters killed and maimed because others, careless or ex- other branches of medicine, has made great advances during the present century, but it still is burdened with great masses of semi-mystical theory, out of which its practitioners are striving to evolve specific remedies. ‘There are numerous theories, the fore- most exponents of which are widely scattered throughout the world. most religious tone. interesting, just as theological or phil- osophical arguments were interesting. The | sons driven home to members of rod heads of the various schools are zealous |and gun clubs have borne fruit, while for their own explanations of mental |the custom, sometimes enforced by law, abnormalities—so much so that their |of wearing crimson headgear or upper zeal sometimes seems to have an al- ‘The theories are |a good man’s life. citable, shot without sufficient *prelim- inary scrutiny. In some sections this slaughter passed the bounds of all rea- son. There will probably always be cases of this sort recorded as long as men go a-hunting, but the old days of blazing away at anything that moved seem to have passed into limbo. Les- clothing has undoubtedly saved many ‘When all is said and done, there is the difference between a man and a deer when he shall have a fair, suffi- ciently near and sufficiently lengthy sight of either. And until he does, his trigger-finger should remain outside the guard. He may, by this wise delay, lose the biggest and handsomest buck he ever encounlered. What of it? It is up to him to wait until he knows positively and beyond peradventure of doubt ex- actly what he is aiming or intending to aim at. Then, and only then, may he shoot. Further fatalities will doubtless be reported from various game areas, but it is a hope not at all beyond the bounds of possibility that some season in the near future may see whole States with- out a single case of the old plea, “I thought he was a deer.” Hunting is a man's sport; it can never be freed from certain hazards. But that hazard whereby the hunter may himself be hunted must be once and forever re- moved. TR TR T New York's energetic mayor has de- cided to come forward and take charge of the crime situation in New York. If he can solve even a few of the mysteries he will make the name “James Walker” greater in real life than “Sherlock Holmes” is in fiction. Airships assert great usefulness in mail service, but cannot as yet be em- ployed in a manner to lighten the holi- day burdens of the patient letter car- riers. ——— ‘When Mr. Hoover boards a battle- ship, he makes old Mars a messenger of good will and no reminder of “grim- visaged War.” - - It might be a relief to Al Smith in a time of fatigue if the ovation habit could be suspended at least for the next four years. —.— So many issues were suggested dur- ing the recent campaign that no one appears able to assert with positive- ness which one was decided. e T S Children manage to get hold of bootleg liquor. It should be the duty of the ship of state to save the children first. st SRR LG ey With present facilities for distress signals, great disasters at sea should be impossible. The human element in- terferes even with radio. PRESRN A very old man is Hindenburg, and Germany duly respects him as one who undeniably has accumulated wisdom with years | s Many ballots were incorrectly marked. It is not enough for a voter to make up his mind. He must know how to express it. ———r—o——————— ‘The output of automobiles increases and available parking space diminishes in direct ratio. e It is asserted that the cargo of the Vestris shifted. So did the burden of | responsibility. e A metropolitan king of gamblers risks not only his money, but his life. ———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. The Great Day. Waitin’ for Thanksgivin® day! Christmas drawin’ near! New Year next is on the way, With its word of cheer. Birthdays of Our Heroes Great, And Saint Valentine! Then March 4—that Glorious Date— Brings us all in line! Hastening where the sun shines clear, Hurrying through the sleet, Traveling here from far and near Leadership to greet; . Throngs make many a Holiday, Cheering great and small! March the Fourth is on its way— Greatest of them all! Spoiled Ballots. “Were there many spoiled ballots in the recent election?” “A great many,” answered Senator Sorghum. “In my opinion a remark- able number of voters ruined their bal- lots by voting for my antagonist.” Jud Tunkins says a man will never succeed in business who wants to take all the best of it and give everybody else the worst of it. Griefs That Overwhelm. As fellow men unto disaster sink, ‘We halt in sorrow meek; For there are things of which we're forced to think, Yet scarcely dare to speak. Making a Distinction. “What play did you see?” “I do mnot care to discuss it” an- swered Miss Cayenne. “It is now con- sidered quite permissible to see a play that it is not at all proper to talk about.” “We give respect to the words of our ancestors,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “They are now silent. Wherefore contradict them?” Rural Progress. ‘The farmer is not left behind. His methods are much smarter, For every flivver now we find Equipped with a self-starter. He may be wise and organize His various modes of barter, And a finance machine devise Equipped with a self-starter. “A friend in need,” sald Uncle Eben, “Is de one dat pays buik what you lent him when his luck wasn't so good.” e How About nos? From the Akron Beacon Journal. A thief stole a bass drum from an Akron musiclan. If you have any ele- phants around the house, keep your eye on them. - One Way to Do It From the Portland Sunday Oregonian. It is getting to the point where when a man wants to cast the ne plus ultra of discredit on an idea he attributes it to a “savant.” — ————— Not So Backward. From the Lansing State Journal. no possible excuse for such a killing Some of them mean very little, how- | based on optical error. There lives no ever, to the matter-of-fact practitjoner, Iman or woman or boy eligible to re-! ywhy these folks hav Wpon whom falls the task of D,Qtuluy celve a gunning permit who cannot tell backward people? & Thumbprints were used the other day in Nicaragua as a means of pre- venting repeating at the polls. Wonder e b’n called a d ‘The modern “dog in the manger” is the owner of a regenerative *blooper” radio receiving set who doesn't want to enjoy a station program himself and won't let any one else enjoy it. Recent reallocation of stations in the broadcasting spectrum seems to have driven the owners of regenerative sets almost mad. Day and nigh® they have been causing their sets to “oscillate,” in a mad attempt to bring in distant sta- | tions. This has resulted in the craziest com- bination of howls, squeals, rumblings and clicks and clacks being broadcast by such sets, since tubes working be- yond the proper point become trans- mitters as well as receivers. ‘The writer here has been a radio “fan” for the past five years, but in all that time has never made much headway in coming to an tunderstand- ing of the mysteries of the great art and science. No doubt thousands of persons find themselves similarly at loss to explain the workings of their sets. They simply accept them as one of the miracles of practical science. So we are unable to explain just exactly what happens when a regenera- tive set begins to “bloop,” as the popu- lar slang phrase has it. What such a set does, however, is familiar to every one. ‘Those terrible sounds coming from your loud speaker upon occasion, re- sembling the last wails of lost souls, and which some persons innocently el “static,” are caused by some thought es or indifferent person in your neigifor- hood who lacks consideration fos the rights of others. e If the Federal Radio Commission really wants to do something for pop- ular radio broadcasting, it should take up the problem presented by the mis- handled regenerative receiving set. ‘This type of receiver was oue of the basic steps in radio progress. It holds, and properly, a tremendously important place in the electrical and inventive side of the business. There are many who believe that a regencrative set, properly handled, will “bring in” more distant stations than any other type of receiver. This sort of receiver demands that the power of the set be increased by the expedient of bringing the machine to the “point of oscillation” by means of “tickler coil” or_other device. In attempting to get a particular sta- tion with such a set, the “tickler” is moved until the set begins to squeal, then moved back to a position just be- low this “boiling point.” If this point is exceeded, tremendous howls and shrieks will be emitted when the tuning dial is moved, as the con- densers bring the set more or less “in tune” for a station. ‘This explanation may not be very sci- entific, but it gets at the main point at l&uu: here, ie., the noise, and the cause of it. The terrible groans, gurgles, and sim- ilar sounds that are given off not only reach the ears of the misguided per- son operating—or trying to operate— the set; they also reach the ears of every “fan” in a radius of many blocks. The sounds thus transmitted by the miniature transmitting stations—which every regenerative set thus becomes by poor manipulation—may be sent as far as 2 miles, according to investigation made several years ago when this nui- sance was at its height. * kK % Increase in the popularity of tuned radio frequency and neutrodyne re- ceivers, neither of which permits oscilla- tions to radiate, temporarily put the regenerative receivers in the back- ground. * >TON BY FREDERIC Speculation runs riot as to the per- sonnel of the Hoover cabinet, but opin- D. €., MONDAY, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. Now the receivers working on straight alternating current tubes, thus doing away with batteries, have caused ths | regenerative sets to come to the fore | again, for the following reason: | “Thousands of persons owning old- | fashioned “bloopers,” who had learned how to handle them, have traded them in on the newer sets. Thus the “bloop- ers” have passed into the hands of in- | experienced persons who neither know | mor care what they are doing to their neighbor’s radio reception. | Just what this amounts to any one knows who happens to have such a | “blooper” nearby. Personally, we have be heard for 2 miles, but there is no | question that they may cause havoc | for_several blocks ‘The present writer once owned a one- tube regenerative set, with which he sometimes amused himself by causing ywis in the set of the man next door. The sounds which he could cause to | come zooming forth from the neigh- | bor's loud speaker were bloodcurdling. | He thinks it only fair to himself to | say that he indulged in this sport but | a few times. Imagine what a 5-tube regenerator is | capable of doing! It is no stretch either | of the imagination or of figures to say | that a man’ with a $20 regenerative set can utterly ruin the reception in thou- | sands of “dollars’ worth of the latest | type electric receivers. | "T“i is exactly what has been hap- i pening to the nice new set of the pres- ent writer, and he is here to tell the | wids, wide world that he is getting | prévey 151 of it. If this thing keeps up, he is going to sell his new receiver cheap for cash, and give up radio for good and all, since there is no pleasure in listening | to the best program in the world if it is to be spoiled every few minutes by startling shricks, awful groans, weird | rumblings, super-cat wails. * X K % There seem to be four varieties of noise which a determined regenerative | set owners can make come forth from your loud speaker, The first of these is the well known “vawp" caused when the “blooper” | tunes into a wave band and out of it. | It would be an interesting experiment if it were not a public nuisance. It is for all the world like riding down into a valley and coming up again on the other side. The second noise is a whistle which | many persons are now mistaking for a | “heterodyne” caused by the wave band of some other station being too close to the wave band of the one broadcast- ing. If the annoying whistling noise is a “heterodyne” it will not disappear until the other station goes off the air, but if it is caused ‘by a playful neighbor with a “blooper” it may stop at any moment. If such a Whistle finally ceases, the chances are 10 to 1 that it was caused by some kid in the neigh- | borhood amusing himself with his small | but mighty set. The third sort of noise is a grum- bling, away down at the bottom of the loud speaker, for all the world like the recurrent moan sent forth from the throat of the more practiced of .two belligerent tomcats. ‘The fourth noise is a sort of knock. probably caused by the playful “fan” rapping vigorously with his finger on the detector tube in his set. We can account for it by no other procedure. All these noises should and must dis- appear from the air, we submit, if radio broadcasting and receiving are to be- | come what they inherently are and what the future holds for them. Let | the regenerative set be discarded or at | least made safe for all. It can and lshnnld be done—and by enforcement, if necessary. OBSERVATIONS WILLIAM WIL i while their respective States were piling | up majorities for Hoover they were run- | always doubted that such radiations can | ion is fairly unanimous as to what | ning tens of thousands of votes ahead its general character will be. It will of Smith and winning. All three of be a cabinet of specialists. The Presi-| them are relatively young men and be- dent-elect believes in experts. It is this knowledge that gives substance to | the latest prognostication regarding the Treasury portfolio. The man now | conspicuously mentioned as Hoover's secretary of the treasury is S. Parker Gilbert, agent general of reparations in Europe. While Latin America is likely to be our most important diplomatic field, European problems (which means | reparations and debts) will draw us| promptly and deeply into Old World | affairs. It would be exactly like Her- bert Hoover to select the greatest ex- pert in theworld—as he happens to be an American—as the cabinet officer who will have to deal with those problems on behalf of the United States. Gilbert would be the youngest Secretary of the | Treasury since Alexander Hamilton. He | has just turned 36, and is a native| of New Jersey, graduate of Rutgers and | an LL. B, cum laude, of Harvard. * K ok ok It was only a few days ago that young Mr. Gilbert received one of the| most remarkable tributes ever paid to an American statesman abroad. M. Poincare, whose cabinet had just fallen in France, announced that he had been prevailed upon to resume the premier- ship by two men—S. Parker Gilbert | and Winston Churchill, British chan- | cellor of the exchequer. It was in par-| ticular Gilbert's representations about | reparations, M. Poincare said, that in- duced him to remain at the helm. Gil- bert has had contact with the Amer- ican-European financial situation since its Wception 10 years ago. He came| into the Treasury in 1918 as counsel on war loan matters, and during the last year of the Wilson administration was Assistant Secretary in charge of fiscal affairs. Soon after Mr. Mellon became Secretary of the Treasury he recognized Gilbert’s unusual talent and in June, 1921, made him Undersecre- tary. Gilbert resumed his private law practice in 1923, but when the Dawes plan came into existence he was the logical choice for agent general of reparations. For the past four years he has been about the most conspicuous international figure in all Europe. DR Y “Sally of Lyndon Hall"—otherwise | Mrs. Alvin T. Hert, vice chairman of the Republican national committee— continues to be Dame Rumor’s candi- date for the woman member (if any) of the Hoover cabinet. Her friends say that no lady in the land did approxi mately as much as Mrs. Hert to mobi- | lize the women's vote for the G. O. P. in 1928. Deponents say further that if | the women did “put Hoover over,” as is varfously and more or less veraciously alleged, Mrs. Hert is the logical bene- ficlary of any cabinet recognition Mr. Hoover intends to bestow upon her sex. The secretaryship of the interior is the post mentioned in connection with Mrs. Hert's name. She is a good deal more than a brilliant woman politician, She happens to be a business executive of the first rank, having succeeded to the chairmanship of the American Creosot- ing Co. after the death of her husband, “Tobe” Hert, Kentucky G. O. P. wheel- horse for many years. Mrs. Hert has one passion which runs politics close as her favorite, viz, horses and riding. At Lyndon Hall, her magnificent estate outside of Louisville, she still main- tains a stable of thoroughbreds. In days | gone by some of her saddle horses Pendennis, Patsy Palmer, Redberry and Castro-—were blue-ribbon winners at | shows all over the country. * K ox K At least three Democratic Senators will enter the Seventy-first Congress with an enhanced political prestige which may be destined to vault them into party leadership. They are Burton K. Wheeler of Montana, Clarence C. Dill of Washington and Tom Connally of Texas. They stand out amid the re- cent Democratic wreckage because | | long to the progressive wing of the Democratic party. Wheeler is 46, Dill, 44, and Connally, 51. It will be difficult for any reorganized Democratic party to climinate them from consideration when the time comes to choose new captains. Senators Copeland of New York, Ashurst of Arizona, Kendrick of Wyoming, King of Utah, Swanson of Virginia and Trammell of Florida are other Democrats re-elected to the Sen- ate on November 6 from States which Hooverized that day. But of the batch the victories of Wheeler and Dill are re- garded the most striking, * K ok ok Mrs. Hoover's favorite story about her distinguished husband concerns the early days of their married life. Their firsi-born, Herbert, jr, was only 10 weeks old when Mr. Hoover was ordered aboard, to Burma, on his first im- portant foreign engineering job. Mrs. Hoover took with her all the availablc | aby formulas” which she thought a young American mother would need in an exotic clime. ‘They proved effective r thrived like a green One day Hoover surprised his | by announcing that he'd been spending the previous night in an ana- Iytical examination of the formulas. “Lou,” he asked, “are you sure we ought to go on with these things? I've figured out that, at his present rate of growth, the boy will weigh over 300 pounds by the time he's 21.” Herbert, jr., has turned out to be a stalwart young American—he’s a father himself, now— but his daddy’s fears regarding excessive avoirdupois proved to be unfounded. * ok ok ok Never before in the Nation's history were the President of the United States, the only living ex-President and the President-elect all residents of Wash- ington at one and the same time. This is the present situation. Messrs, Cool idge, Taft and Hoover are householders in the District of Columbia and have called it home for years, though retain- ing voting domiciles in the States. * ok x Senor Dr. Don Ricardo J. Alfaro, the Minister of Panama at Washington, calls this observer’s attention to the fact that President Leguia of Peru is not the only Latin American chief ex- ecutive who will be able to talk fluent English to President-elect Hoover. The Prosident of Panama, Senor Florencio Harmodio Arosemena, Dr. Alfaro points out, not only speaks perfect Engl three other foreign languages besides. As Panama has a couple of delicate questions pending with the United States, English will come in handy when Hoover and Arosemena get to- gether. The President of Panama, like Hoover, happens to be an engineer. (Copyrizhts 1928 o West Poil;t Cadet Foot Ball Expenses To the Editor of The Star: Huldah W. Randell is “amused un- der your caption,” breaks out with a combination of cacoethes scribendi and cacoethes carpend, and discovers a mare’s nest. Mr. Haskin, “you can't fool the generation of today"—no, sir. They know everything, even the things that aren’t so. By the way, Mr. Haskin might have made inquiries of those who know and given a correct answer. “Why not admit that we, the tax- 5, pay these unnecessary exe 2" asks the lady with the writer's itch—Simply because the cadets’ fare to foot ball games is not paid out of the appropriations made by Congress for the maintenance of the Military Acad- emy, nor out of any other congressjonal approprigtion. And that's that. 4 JOHN . ERLANGER, NOVEMBER 19, 1928, Declares Institute Of Health Essential To the Editor of The Star: Oneof the most important of the bills coming up for consideration in the next Congress is that of Senator Joseph E. Ransdell, creating a national institute of health, whose proposed function is to make intensive researches into the causes and prevention of disease. Hitherto this normal responsibility of government has been more or less handicapped by lack of sufficient funds to meet its demands. Ths Ransdell bill contemplates not only the creation of this particular department of scientific research but the appropriation of suffi- cient funds to properly equip and operate it. Such a step by our Govern- ment will prove of vast benefaction not only to our own people but to the world at large. When we reflect upon the far-reaching effects of the labors of this proposed scientific department upon the consery: tion of the physical strength of the citizen, the increased efliciency of serv- ice, the great saving of life and the vast reduction in human suffering, we may readily uhderstand the wisdom of establishing it as an integral part of our governmental system. One of the most vital subjects. coming within the scope and probable investiga- tion of such a department of science, | the Ransdell bill, will be that of institu- tional hygiene. None can successfully deny that this branch of public- hygiene is greatly in arrears. This is even true of our institutions for caring for the sick. It requires no special medical training to know that danger to the sick, particularly to the surgically sick, lurks in institutions where the science of sanitation has failed to keep pace with general medical progress. The overcrowding of hospitals today. along with the failure of medical science to work out a more advanced system of redounded to the advantage of our sick. | The present gesture at sanitation is misleading, as it is largely perfunctory Antiseptic surgery has been largely r | placed by aseptic surgery. yet how is this latter possible under present condi- tions? It is evident we cannot give this matter too much concern. We are thus confronted with prob- lems of the first maenitnda Byt how are we to solve them? Our v.:'» hope lies in an awakened science, whici such {an institute as contemplated .. the Rarsdell bill will undoubtedly ..ccom- plish. ¥ This great altruistic cause would be carried through more successfully if the public press of the country gave it the publicity it deserves. But to the great power of the prese the people should Add their own influence. The citizen who anpreciates the invaluable servi of such a Federal health institute contemplated in this bill can rende¥ great assistance by briefly communi- cating with United States Senators and Congressmer: requesting that they give the matter their prompt and earnest consideration, with a view to aiding the his needed legislation. E. P. LOWE, M. D. ———— Writer Points Out effectuation of t To the Editor of The Star: Huldah W. Randell's statement in last night’s Star that the poor, burden- bearing taxpayer foots the traveling bill when the Army travels with its cadets to alien fields is lake Izaak Wal- ton’s fish stories—very interesting, but untrue. It seems to be the vogue among some of our citizens to hurl verbal brickbats at our collegiate foot ball teams. The truth is that the wonder- ful game of foot ball has gripped the interest of the American people to such an extent that _stupendous crowds assemble weekly all over the land to view the combats. The poor players, of course, bask in the sunshine of transitory fame, but what of the great buildings and structures of edu- cation, that the result of their efforts makes possible? West Point, like other collegiate in- stitutions in the country, is able to finance all other sports from the foot ball receipts, without calling on the college itself for money. If the letter writer above referred to will investigate further 4t will be found that if the student body's traveling expenses are paid the money comes from the ath- letic association’s funds. and not from the taxpayers. JOHN THORNTON. “Tainted Money’ Remarks {Evoke Comment in Reply To the Editor of The Star: to the editorial in Thursday's “Star” about “Tainted Money,” that most of the money handled may be more or less tainted is an absurd assumption. The pieces of money per se of course cannot become tainted. But the direct source of money may be tainted and that is the test of whether the Ken- tucky ministers were right or not in voting against its acceptance. If they belleve that horse race gambling is wrong, and they undoubtedly do, then ing as they did. Should they money from such a source an preach against that form of gambling you no doubt would be cne of the first to remind them that they were willing to accept money obtained from racing. Such money to them is in exactly the same category as the money derived from the “gentleman burglar” or hi- Jacker. Critictsm of the Louisville min- ister can be justified only upon the theory that you believe that the end justifies the means, which is not ac- cepted by right-thinking people. A. M. LEWERS. Hand Print on Glass Endures for 30 Years BY E. E. FREE, PH. D. A curious incident for which no ex- pert in the chemistry of glass has yet suggested a completely satisfactory blanation is reported by M. Viel, a citi zen of Bucharest, Rumania, to the Paris scienlific journal, La Nature, When he was a boy, M. Viel writes, he chanced to melt the hoar frost from a glase window pane, one cold Winter day, by placing his warm hand sgainst the frost. 'Afterward, when warmer weather had melted all the frost from the pane, every one was astonished to see the print of the boy’s hand appar- ently eiched, into the glass exactly where the hand had been placed to melt the frost. In spite of repeated washing. this mysterious hand print could not be re- moved. After 30 years, M. Viel asserts, it still is faintly visible on the pane, dis- closing slightly iridescent colors when 0{2: rays of the sun strike it at just the right angle. Circumstances exist, M. Viel reports, which make it virtually impossible for him to be mistaken about the origin of the print. The beginning of a natural explanation of the mystery may possibly be provided by the fact, well known to glass experts, that glass sometimes absorbs tiny amounts of compounds of potassium or sodium present in human perspiration. These might act, also, to make the glass slightly iridescent, as M. Viel reports. et A Planet Grabber. From the Ottawa Evening Citizen. Belgian astronomer reports that .‘)upl- ich do not belong to him, Why can't the League of Nations do something about ihis erisis? H accept D e Best Cure of All From the Detroit Free: Press. ‘The sum of the wisdom of all the ages on the subject of the common cold is that the way to avoid one is not to catch it. though not specifically referred to in| effective hospital sanitation, has not | Foot Ball Pays WayI Permit me to remark, with reference | they were right and consistent in vot- | d then | ‘This is a special department devoted | solely to the handling of queries. This | paper puts at your disposal the services | of an extensive organization in Wash- ington to serve you in any capacity that relates to information. This service is | free. Failure to make use of it Je- prives you of benefits to which you are | entitied. Your obligation is only 2 cents in coin or stamps inclosed with your inguiry for direct reply. Address The Evening Star Information Buteau. Frederic J. Haskin, director, Was! ton, D. C. Q. When was the first mesro plav | with a colored cast produced in | America?—W. E. M. A. “Sazus Matazus” was the first | full-length play dealing entircly with | negro life, in which the characters are | colored, o be staged in the United | States. It was produced in Atlantic | City in 1916. | Q. How does the present v of | Senators and Representatives in Con- gress compare with the salary when the Government was founded?—M. S. A. The first salary decided upon was 186 a day for cach day a momber at- tended. The p nt salary of a mem- | ber of Congress is $10.000. Q. Please give th {of the five largest { United States—T. P. A. Such figure are subicct to quent change. A late compilation I | Roxy Theater, New York City. cap: |6.250; Capitol Theater, New City, 5.450: Hippodrome Theater, York City. 5300: Fox Detroit, Detroit Mich.. 5.043; Fox Brooklyn, New Yo | City, 4.060. Q. Of what political party was the { raccoon the emblem?—S. R. A. The raccoon was the emblem of | the ‘Whig partv. 1838-45, and a_popt lar name for the members was “coon. seating capacity theaters in the | | ¥ Q. Is there more opportunity for a farmer with an agricultural education than one without?—G. S. A. A study made by the Georgia State College showed that farmers with some training in agricultural subiects earned four times as much as thos without any schooling. while those with a complete agricultural college educa- i tion earned five times as much as the ! untrained. | @ When was the first cotton mill | established in the United States?’—A. F. A. The first mill was establishod by Slatter and his associates in Massa- | chusetts in 1803. Prior to that time cotton was spun and woven in the | home. England did not encourage lowed no machinery to be brought over. | Q. When was the Civil Service Re- 5™ League formed?—L. L. | ... This organization was formed in | 1881, to establish and promote the merit system of appointment. promo- | tion and removal in the 1 Service | throughout the United States. | Q. What country was first to sat up an institute of race-biology?—S. W. | A. Sweden was first. In 1618, the University of Upsala subsidized the re- | search of Prof. Lundborg into the lineage of peasant families. The Swed- ish Parliament later had his work in- vestigated, abproved it and founded an institute making him director. Q. What does 4-H stand for?— A.C. C. | A. The 4-H refers to agricultural clubs of boys and girls from 12 to 19 | years of age. The title 4-H stands for head, heart, hands and health. Q. Is it true that explosives act either upward or downward?—B. E. S. A. The belief that gunpowder ey plodes upward and high explosives | downward is erroncous. Each explosive tends to-act in all directions. However, | a ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. when powder is placed on a surface it does not actually shatter the object it is in contact with. while dynamite goes off so rapidly that it does shatter the object it is in contact with, and the hole it makes in the carth is greater than that which the powder makes, * Q. Did the Society of Friends do re- lief work during and after the war?— P, I A During the war it was active in relief work in France, Germany, Ho! land. Poland and Russia. After {he war it did a great deal of reconstruct work. hospital work and relief work among the destitute, Q. Where 5 the oldest free, publ library in this country L A. The n ry of Petersh ough, N. H., formed through the effo; of the Rev. Abiel Abbot in 1833, appear to have been the first free library which has continued to the present day. Q. What quency?—K. A Ttisar frequency : audible sounds 20,000 per second. Q. Is it neces: is meant by audlo fre- B for a President- elect to dispose of all securitics and get out of business before entering upon his term of office?—H. R. L It is not ssary for a Pr dent-elect to d of any securit: or holdings of property which he might 3 1t is necessary for him to re- fon Q. What is the C! nected wil the Wa Cathedral?>—P. N. A. Within the Cathed there is to be a Clergy primarily for such appointed service in t and iis allied agencies may afford and their s s opporiunit rengtiy permit.” six Eng| pronunciation of was used low the r: abbreviation fc one who had manufacturing in the colonies and al- | § Q. Should the roush side or smooth side of a leather belt be run on the pulley—F. H. A. The rough side of s should be run on the pu greater pulling powe: leather belt to secure Q. What was the first town in the | country that is now the State of Texas? . L, . The first town was called “Taleta,” founded in 1682. Q Who determines when fishing is fo 'be allowed in the Tidal Basin?— W. B. __A. The regulations governing the fish- ing in the Tidal Basin are made by the | public buildings and grounds commis- sloners. Fishing there is prohibited after the 15th of October, 1928, until next Spring, because the basin has been restocked, and the fish must be allowed to grow. . When was Baltimore separated from Baltimore County?—H. E. F, A, Baltimore City was separated from Baltimore County by the constitution of 1851. The city is a separate and distinct political unit of the State and has been so since 1851. Rarely has any action in public life 1eceived such ant and general ap- | | proval as has the announcement of President-elect Hoover’s good-will trip to South America. Some observers see evidence that Mr. Hoover intends to ig- nore the past and establish his own | policies in connection with foreign re- lations affected by the Monroe Doctrine. “His prestige and his honest concern for future betterment of relations al- | ready good will add another stone to the structure of Pan-American confi- | dence all enlightened Pan-American | statesmen diligently are laboring to | ercct,” states the New York Sun, while | the Roanoke World-News holds that | “Mr. Hoover can render no larger serv-| ice to the Nation prior to his inau- guration than by a good-will tour of | the countries to the which we should be on friendly basis than we are at present.” | “It 1s his purpose.” thin! he Albany Evening News, “to know South America as he knows other continents, and South America wil! know him as Europe knows | him. As President he will have a gras of world affairs and international ve tions such as no other President ha: ad.” .much more “There is no service he can render | the Western Hemisphere at this time.” in the opinion of the Fort Worlh Rec- | ord Telegram, “so fraught with possi- | bilities for the general good. It is s | thing that has not been done before. It is something that any American President should experience if he earnestly wishes to learn the meaning of the Monroe Doctrine.” * K K K ! “If he can contrive an arrangemont and an understanding which will wipe ’ out fear on their part and all reason for fear on our part, he will have built | a_doctrine which will carry the name | of Hoover as far down the path of | history as the name of Monroe has | gone.” according to the Dayton Daily | News, and the Morgantown New Do- | minion sees a demonstration “that he | will not be governed by the dead hand | of tradition or a servile compliance with | past poiicies.” “He will have resources draw upon,” avers the Rog UNITED STATES f his own to Island Ar- Belgians weep and cheer, and hail our I men as_saviors, as the American 3d Army of Occupation marches toward ! the Rhine. Some 200 French and Be gian towns and villages, more than 100, 000 civilians so far liberated. * * Ships carrying 200,000 tons of foods for | the peoples of Northern France, Bel- glum and Austria are en route from | this country, proceeding under sealed | orders to Gibraltar and Bristol Channel | ports, and on arrival will await word | from Food Administrator Hoover as to their final destinations. * * ¢ Metz came | back to France today as Gen. Petain | and his conquering poilus entered the metropolis of Lorraine amid the che: and tears of the populace. It is 47 years | since it was taken away from France. | * * * No Americans were included in the triumphal entry into Metz bec it was most fitting that the c which meant to France the ci victory be purely French. * icans”and British at Dvina River in North Ru positions against Bol inflict severe losse: Total of | British losses in killed on all fronts dur- ing the war was 658,665, it was an- nounced in the House of Commons to- day. Total British casualties, killed, wounded and missing. was 3,049,991, of which 142934 were officers, Lhte | ! uth of us, with | thy | nation Mr. Hcover has de: an 'Enthusiastic Approval Given Hoover’s South American Trip gus, and the Des Moines Tribune-Capi- tal says of the prospects: “There is a g00d deal of immediate evidence of Hoover's intention §9 take charge, to set the pace himself instead of having it set for him. That is likely to apply to more things than Pan-American rela- tlons and at least as much after in- auguration as before.” “Mr. Hoover has always looked be- yond money and has sought mutual ad- vantage,” and the Cl sumes that “instead of ‘dollar diplo- macy’ or endless negotiations by means of endless provocative notes, we are to be treated to an era of straightforward diplomacy.” while the Erie Dispatch- Herald concludes that “his visit will be no mere gesture, but a fore i e acts of practical friends! and the Hartford South Americans will y know him when he ta hrough him they v. with the g views are ex: Philadelphia Evening Louis Times, Pittsburgh_Post and Fort Wayne News-Sentin San Francisco Chronicle says: “Central America and South America may be sure that he will understand. Ever: t with, and there have been quite a few, nas learned this about him.” * ok ok ok “No American President or Vice Pres- ident has ever visited a country of South America. So the proposed call, which will be to all intents and pur- poses that of a President of the United States, is epochal.” in the judgment of the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. and the Schenectady Gazette observes: “The next President has shown that he is going to tuckle foreign affairs in a ca- pable, understandiog manner. We shall hope ' that he will deal with domestic ceblems in the same way." Sensible diplomacy in Washington and &n abandonment of top-loftiness will help every manufacturer in the United States who has goods to s that South America can advantageous- ly erts the Richmond New e Manchester Union makes diction: “He will be a working President. And the South American e is planned to enable him to s work the more wisely and effec- * ok ok % “Mr. Hoover's sympathies are so broad and so well known," according to the Kansas City Journal-Po 1 ittle rhetoric would be requi in | volcing them. His appeal would not be to the political and the legal classes but to the commercial element of the countries. The possibilities of lasting benefits are nanifold.” That paper also holds that “the unprecedented trip, fol- owing so closely on the heels of the election in Nicaragua, would tend to ailay suspicions that some of the mer- curial international lawyers of South America have been so active in voics The conclusion of the Chicago Daily News as (o the effect of the trip is that “in these days of expanding inter- national relations, it should be measur- ably to increase the efficiency of the American Government in dealing witk foreign -affairs.” e e Knowledge and Understanding. From the Kansas City Star. France is .safe. Its cabinet will ine clude M. Poincare, who is said to know everything and understand nothing. and M. Briand, who is said to know nothing d understand everythings