Evening Star Newspaper, November 24, 1928, Page 8

PHE EVENING STAR. WASHINGTON, D. C, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1928. THE EVENING STAR |wbat actuslly occurred were avaiisble | It is seeking now to have him punished With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. | SATURDAY...November 24, 1928 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 11th 8t. and Pennsylvania Ate New York Office: 110 East 43nd St. Chicago Office. Tower Buildint Eusopean Office; 14 Regent St.. London. Ensland. Rate by Carrier Within the City. ‘The Evening Star 45c per menth The Evening and Sunday Star (when 4 Sundays) .. ...60c per month The Evening and Sunday Star {when § Sundays) ....85¢ per month The Sunday Star 5 S¢ per copy Collection made at'the end of each month. Orders may be sent in by mail or telephone Main 5000. Rate by Mail—Payzble in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Dallz and Sundsy ¥r. §10.00: 1 aily qply, ... $6.00: 1 mo., 50c ¥ only 151, $4.00: 1 mo.. 80c All Other Sta v end Sundasy..l mo., #5¢ tes and Canada. ¥r..312.00; 1 mo., $1.00 . $8.00; 1 mo., T8¢ ¥5.00; 1 mo.. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusirely entitled ion of all 1ews dis- not. otherw his_paper an published herein. All r special dispatches herein are = The First Skirmish. Friends of naval preparedness and of the pending cruiser bill rejoice that the first skirmish to secure the passage of that measure has been fought and won. | It takes the form of an agreement be- tween Senator Borah, chairman of the foreign relations committee, and Sena- | tor Hale, chairman of the naval affairs | commitf whereby the cruiser bill is to | have its routine right of way on the Senate calendar. The question of possible precedence arose over the fact that since the cruiser bill came over from the House and became unfinished business of the Senate th> Kellogg anti-war pact has been negotiated. The latter will pres- ently be brought before the Senate for rTatification. There was a peril that cer- tain industrious friends of the anti-war treaty would seek to displace the cruiser legislation and give priority to the muitilateral war-renunciation pact. ‘That accomplished, their program was to depict the cruiser bill as “superfluous™ and “inconsistent.” Some foes of na- tional defense went the length cf saying it would also be “hypocritical.” Their purpose was—and is—to kill the bill. Senator Borah has apparently nipped this pacifistic scheme in the bud. “My idea,” he announces, “is to go lhud’ with the Kellogg treaty, according to the regular procedure, the same as :f no naval bill was up for consideration.” ‘What Senator Borah means is that the anti-war pact will undergo statutory consideration in the foreign relations committee, be reported out and then be acted upon by the Senate. Just when thet will be nobody knows. The cruiser bill, on the other hand, is already reported out by the Senate naval affairs committee. By the cal- endar hitherto adopted it will come be- fore the Senate as soon as the Boulder' Dam bill is disposed of. It is well to be assured that no artificial snags are t0 be placed in the cruiser bill's path. There will probably be shortsighted op- position enough to that moderate, legiti~ mate and necessary piece of naval ex- pansion without strewing parliamentary mines across its normal course. ——— Flying by Night. “Through the night sails a lone aviator. He approaches his objective, a city wilh‘ & well equipped landing field. He picks up the lights of the town, but cannot exactly locate the airdrome where he is to go to eaxsh for rest and refueling, or | for the end of his flight. He turns on| & siren, operated by a wind motor, and | the air throbs with its cry. Suddenly the lights of the landing field blaze forth and the lone fiyer descends in security. He has in effect himself turned on the illumination, for the sound waves of his siren have actuated switches that send the electric current flowing through the lamps. ‘This is the latest device of a great many designed to make flying safer. It has just been tried out at Bettis Field, near Pittsburgh, the test proving com- pletely successful. A keenly sensitive “electric ear” on the ground catches the vibrations of the siren, pitched to a certain point, and floods the field with light from many lamps. The range of the siren is not yet stated, but it is to be assumed that it is sufficient to enable of d hts of publication ed. s0 reserve e the aviator to get his bearings for the field in good season. | Night flying has many perils, and not the least of them is the difficulty of | finding the way. The airman must steer mainly by compass, rather than by landmarks. As aviation develops com- mercially, for the transport of passengers and goods, there must be more distinct markings of surface points, citfes, ri mountains, to guide the fiyers in their course. The automatically flluminated landing fleld is one advance toward security and certainty; but there must be others to overcome the serious handicap of flight in the dark. —— e A seat on the New York Stock Ex- change, though highly valuable, has no status as a place of rest for th weary. se cred. | the Incal news | in New York and not accessible t6 the British authorities for immediate ques- tioning while events were fresh in their minds. Every prompting of common sense, and ample precedent, indicate the wisdom of the course which has been followed. The good name of no British seaman {hu been placed in jeopardy. A repre- | sentative of thé British government has sat with the United States commis- sioner, and no quéstion has been asked of the witnesses, no line of investiga- tion pursued By thosé charged with the | duty of bringing out the facts in the case than those properly purposed to establish how the tragedy occurred, why it occurred and what attendant factors contributed to its extent. Unless one connotes a disinclination to { make public the truth in the matter, unless there exists some disposition to whitewash one or another of thosé members of the crew of the Vestris or of the American harbor inspectors there can be no possible objection to that thorough and dignified and unprejudiced investigation which has been in process in New York since the tragedy. Ameri- can public opinion, shocked by the tragedy itself, condemns no one. It makes no sinister reflection upon the splendid and irreproachable record of British seamen. Wherever responsi- Dbility finally attaches, if anywhere, there will in this country be more of genuine pity for the individual or in- dividuals concerned than bitterness or scorn. It would be deeply to be re- gretted if this spirit, twisted by the venom of ignorance, should be further misinterpreted in the British Isles. — , Impetus for an Airport. Even with the airmail regularly com- ing through Washington at night and the leasing of the tip of Hains Point for a terminal for a fast water-routé air service to New York and Norfolk there is no lessening of the need in the National Capital of & large and well equippéd municipal airport. The zéal displayed by private enterprises in put- ting Washington on the air map has led some persons to believe that the burden of the airport project could well be shifted to commercial com- panies, but, as & matter of fact, thé activity in the sky in and Around thé National Capital simply furnishes & more cogent reason for municipal par- ticipation. It naturally follows that the more Washington is opéned up to the network of air lines which will even- tually spread throughout the country, the more airminded will the residents of this city become, and consequéntly the demand for an airport befitting the dignity of the National Capital will assume & volume which cannot beé long denied. It is for this reason that the lease of Hains Point to the International Airways, Incorporated, with the com- pany paying four per cent of its net earnings to the Government for the fight for a municipal airport. One of the great difficultigs of trips by air to the congested centers of business will be overcome with the new service. Two how - in present-day flights i all that is required to travérsé the distnce be- tween New York and Washington, But it takes some twenty minutes to reach the present local landing fitld and more than an hour to get to downtéwn New York from the terminal in Néw Jérsey. The new service will run on regular schedule with six passenger planes from Hains Point to & NArbor destina- tion in New York, and it is estimated that at least one hour will be saved. ‘Washington’s municipal airport, when it is finally constructed, should be ac- cessible both to water and land. Ground in large cities is tao expensive to permit its use solely for & landing fleld, and ever~ city thould take advantage of water facilities elose at hand. Bstab- lishment of mew air services in the Capital, either with seaplanes or land- planes, is & good augury, theréfore, for ‘Washington's model airport. —————ate—. Democratic enthusiasts are willing to allow Gov. Al Smith a rest for four years while intimating that eight years may be too many to expect. R The Case of Mayor Hague. ‘The Senaté committee of the Jersey Legislature investigating alleged cor- ruption in Hddson County is having its troubles, all on account of Mayor Frank Hague of Jersey City, the Democratic boss of the State. This Senate commit- tee, popularly known as the Case com- mittee, because it is headed by State Senator Case, & Republican, has sought to have the mayor punished for “con- tempt” because he refused to appear | and testify before the committee a few days prior to the recent national elec- tion. The mayor, however, has tied the whole proceeding up in a legal snarl, and there appears to be doubt as to | his ever appearing hefore the bar of the State Legisiature to be tried for con- | tempt. | Mayor Hague rates high as monarch {in his own bailiwick. He not only | avoided arrest by the Senate sergeant- at-arms, but it now appears he had | that official arrested by the Jersey City | polics and held until he, Mayor Hague, s ——— = The Vestris Inquiry. If there is any reflection of British public opinion in the question recently asked the parliamentary secretary of the British Board of Trade by a mem- ber of Parliament it is deeply to b2 re- gretted. For the question asked dealt with whether anything was being done in the Vestris inquiry to protect “the good names of the British sailors.” The speaker of the House of Commons ruled the question improper, and the incident was terminated. How gravely improper, how sinisterly charged with that quality of inconsidered malice which makes for international misunderstanding, is pat- ent. ‘There is no evidence to support th: charge, whether made in the House of Commons or by the British press, that the Vestris inquiry in New York has developed or demonstrated the slightest anti-British animus. A great tragedy, under circumstances calling for ex- planation and with attendant factors upon which the unsworn testimony of eyewitnesses was of a highly sensa- tional nature, had occurred off the coast | of Virginia. cleared from an American port, after the authorities in The witnesses es- sential to establish the full truth as '0 gdeclined to be flouted by the mayor. paign an inspection by New York harbor. was ready to be arrested himself and | to take steps to prevent his being re- | moved from Jersey City. | The controversy between Mayor i Hague and the Republican Legislature { 18 not new, but it is acute. The mayor | insists that it 18 just & matter of poli- ties; that the Republicans who strongly | dominate the Legislature, wanted to { put him in a hole before the election !m order to manufacture political capi- | tal, 2nd that now the legisiators are | anxious to put him in jail because he would not agree to their plan. The Oase committee, on the other hand, insists it is out to clean up pohitical corruption in Hudson County, which embraces Jersey City, and that it has | many questions it desires to ask the mayor, and that he declined to eppear when summoned. ‘That Mayor Hague declined to appear before the Case committee is an un- disputed fact. tion. The Case committee, however, privilege, 18 an important step in the | He sent a message to the effect that he was not going to subject himself to examination by that partizan committee on the eve of an election; that it was the purpose of the investigating committee to gain ad- vantage by this last-minute inquiry. He The ship involved had | added he would be willing to appear be- fore the committee the day after elec- has by the State Législature for contempt of the committee and of the legisia- tive body which creatéd it. That it has entered upon a difficult course is already apparent. It might wéll have turned to the récent records of attempts of gommittees of the United States Senate to punish recalcitrant witnésses for con- tempt. Despite all the power of the Sénate, that body has not been partie- ulerly suceessful i bringing prisoners Dbefore its bar for trial. The Senate has adopted the device of citing certain re- calgifrant witnesses to the United States att@ey of the District of Columbia. The State Legislature may have to 1 adopt some such proceduré with regard to Mayor Hague. Many citizens of New Jersey, both Dém- ocrats and Republicans, were not at all satisfied by Mayor Hague'’s declination to appear before the Case committee at the time specified. The summoning of thé mayor before the committee doubtless had its political angle, But there are a number of matters which have been charged against the admin- istratian and administrative officers in Jersey City which the people of the State generally want cleared up. From their point of v. it would bé a ‘mis- take to forget ti: - *stigation of these affairs in thé attempt to punish the mayor for contempt. The annals 6f Rothstein stand out in sad contradiction of the stories’ about the cash drawer and finally bécame & partner in the businéss. Rothstein was a “go-gétter,” but he overplayéd his role. - ‘The farmer would have no troubles | had he beéen well enough informed to buy some of the stocks listed on Wall Street. The farmer has a great economic duty to perform and, in all conscience, he survives pecuniary stress as long as he can and insists on farming. ———————— The gentleman who talks too much is almost invariably a bad witness before a grand jury whose business it is to consider facts and disregard personal emotions. oy ‘Washington, D. C., is growing so rapidly that Virginia and Maryland will properly consider parts of their térritory entitled to rank as definite portions of the Nation's Capital. ——————————— Congréss will have many things to talk about. Thé beneficent system of United States Government affords valu- able time to enable partisan fervor cool déwn. . ———— Little 16 expected of a holiday session of Congress. A Christmas tre¢ might be introduced to assist in whiling away the hours, Italian volcanées génerously assert themseives as sources of popular agita- tion for which Mussolini cannot be held responsible. g e e A very rich man's will sometimes indicates that he was wisér in making money than in deciding what to do with it. ——.———— SHOOTING STARS. BY PRILANDER JOHNSON. ———— Isle of “Never Mind.” | Maybe, some day, we'll drift away Prom shorés thit seem unkind, And réach, across the Twilight Bay, ‘The Isle of Never Mind. Perhaps to Cloudland we must go, And léavé dull Earth behind; But somewhere we shall surely know The Isle of Never Mind. * Resentments will no longer win Ambitions well designed. Only Forgiveness waits us in THhe Isle of Never Mind. TInefficiency of Seience. “What is your opinion of evolution?” “It s & subject that can only be: re- garded as prompting a waste of time. It has been fully demonstrated that it carries no weight in a political con- troversy.” Jud Tunkins says the farmer used to tuck his pants in his boots. Néw he complains that he hasn't any boots. Perverse Climate. There's too much heat or cold to waste ‘Tat ought to be forbid. The clithate does not suit my taste. In fact, it Never Did! Dumb Obedience. “What did that trafic policeman say?” “I couldn't hear what he said,” an- swered Mr, Chuggins. “But whatever it was, he was right.” “Man is never content,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “The desire for progressive change is one of the penalties of being a man.” Political Argument. Let's hail antagonists with pride, And on each utterance wait. If there were only just one side, ‘There could be no debate. “We all ought to keep busy,” said Uncle Eben. “But some men's idea of keepin’ busy Is jumpin’ out and run- nin’ to every fire.” N ! Where'll It Be Fought? | Prom the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. {""The next war for uerritory probably will be between the people who want parking space and those who want golf courses. e We Don’'t Read ‘Em. From the Richmond News Leader. ‘Boesn't it ocour 1o you that there must be a reason why ads that promise to make you beautiful appear only in magazines printed for near-idiots? o It's Inevitable, Though. Pre the South Bend Tribune. ;;“ & e!ewumore unb’enublt foot teams are beaten, the fans may thelr faith in humanity s Who Can Stop to Eat Them? From the Albany Evening News. Now apple growers suggeést that we eat two .xplen a day to keep the doctor away, and thus far we have heard no protest from the doctors. oo s Then We'll Read It Prom the Munele Morning Star. t new of Northern Indiana, it should be un- derstood, has no reference to any cam- ball lose One thing is quite certain, however. | the boy who worked faithfully, protected | b\ THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. requests have come in a pen picture llnE: \# "the that we 8o during the last year for of the author of these reluctantly give in. Self-portraituse we always thought somewhat conceited. Yet 1t must be admitted that & painter knows himself in many ways better than any oné elsé could. 1f he covers up someé biémishes, no im! So with these one can blame reservations we begin: He is about 5 feet 7 inches in height and weighs 170 pounds. this total, ut 30 pounds is just so much suet, as e discriminating reader will deduce from a comparison with the height. Too much sitting, too little exercise— these, alas, are responsible for most of the excess fat in theé world! The subject of our sketch, however, has never been able to solve the problem of typewriting while standing up. As for exercise, that is something to which the child® must be trained if the man is to indulge in it. NoO matter how keenly one realizes the need for exer- cise in mature life, he will not take it if he did not so exercise when young. Let our subject, therefore, continue to stand (or sit) as & horrible warning to all little boys and girls who aspire to write pleces for the newspapers. Without exercisé, my young friends, you may be able to write articles, but you will be forced to overcome the handicap of too much stuffing in the wrong place. Oug ls’ubject takes considerable pride in being able to write slim, lithe arti- cles despite his girth. His fat, he believes, has never gone to his head, although now and then, when in a blue mood, he suspects that somé oné or othér rather thinks it has. * ok ok ok He has a large nose, a somewhat receding chin and a mop of brown hair, which insists on standing straight up, much to the discomfiture of some of his friends. He solacés himself with the thought that very few writers, of whatever de- gree. are handsome. Irving Cobb is no beauty, nor is Booth Tarkington. Contrary to the belief of some, he has no extra opinion of his own abil- ity. If it were not for thousands of readers of The Star who have written him kind letters, he would seriously consider opening & book store of & new The knowledge that unknown thou- sands are waiting to see what one has to say—well, that is at once a thrill- ing and & sobering thing. It is ques- tionable whether Lindbergh got as much “kick” out of ilyin{ across the Atlantic_as the subject of our disser- tation did from the following letter, the latest to arrive: “Clarendon, Va. “Dear 8ir: “Your articles under the heading, “This and That,' are daily food for thought to mé. My regrets are that I overlooked reading them in the past. In fact. my éyes were not open to them, but when I found the splendid philos- ophy embodied in ‘This and That’ I've made it a dally hobby to réad and clip thém for my scrapbook. * * * ‘This and Thet' contains wonderful thoughts that should never be lost to the read- ing world, especially, I believe, Star redders. Respectfully, H W * Xk X ¥ ‘The subject of our sketch is a queer combination of radical and conserva- tive temperaments, the first urging him on to expérjmentation and the second to “let well enough alone.” Prom this combination comes the evident care with which he tries to bal- ance thé pro and con in his daily ar- ticles and to see all sidés of a subject, in s0 far as that is possible. This leads him to an excessive use of “howevér” and a few ather words which invariably show plainly that a wil]'l(cr does not think that he knows it all. He Is interested in life as a sort of game, and in human beings as the actors in the game. He is almost a m;\'gul{;\ h“licb:l".ll“ that lifé is sacred. es , music, Dulldogs, cats, Nowees: DY S He dislikes crowds, insec walting for street cars, o;!fi:r»:."b':;:: He smokes & pipe, but I gesture. The hiswp:y of the“;ifly :: : gtrictly American tradition, Pitereats The physical handling of tobacco connection with a plp‘e K u‘,vhn u‘: "‘l’l“l;. his fancy. He is convinced that :uon’?a of men smoke for no other He does not fear a nati e tion of tobacco, If the A‘::‘e:-lln:nmlgtmo- fl:nl“;::‘hdlhl:l constitutional amend- ing tobaceo, na;"ber b:‘l‘lmke tn'lln. o leves in law, that it shoul obeyéd no matter what the :nliuvi‘dubt.l g\ti.ynl‘:,oll.:t. “Hflh::ell that the sanc- w civilization worth wh::‘:k‘ i He admires the saying of the great e’ s ad rather be wild and live in a W than in & community without law.” * oxox % He has a reputation amo: friends for being something of I:l"bu::l‘ but he believés that they accept this belief as a sort of tradition in which they do not put much stock after all. He is the victim of an unfortunate ::,"."f{:y lechd prevents him from do- e good deeds which come ml'l;d ll:?l heart. 5 sSEgn e leves in his “star” in b things, but feels that he has the wull’I! est luck in small things. For instance, if he is at the foot of & building and wants to go u&. all the elevators are 4t the top. he is waiting for a Georgetown street car, 10 cars marked “Mt. Pleasant” come along in succes- lon. He has innate resentment inst snobbery, cruelty and * A"“'De- spite his firm faith in modernism and the xoung, he realizes that much that “lfile‘: ine, :nd n\hn. ?roh-bly nothing wi ver excel much of what has gone befare. He prefers new. clean books to old, musty ones; brand-new houses to thosé which h been lived in; flowers in the garden to those on the table. He likes old books (in point of time) better than the latest best sellers; pre- fers the music of the old Gérman masters to other music. The sea has a wonderful éffect uj im, physi , mentally and spiritu- ally; it he his choice he would live where he could see it while at work and play and be bathed in its healing, salt air. Heé has néver made a h and hopes he will néver be called upon for one. He prefers old clothes to new ones, and is never really comfortable except when in bathrobe and slippers. His idea of hell is an endless ban- quet presided over by & tireléss toast- mastér. His idea of Heaven is & gredt library filled with a new and even better Dumas, where he may receivé his friends, who, in that happier state, will havé forgotten his faults, particu- larly that terrible ote that his hair insists on standing on end. Smith’s Advice to Democrats Text of Political Discussion Gov. Alfred E. Smith's radio address following the election has been taken by the country as the text of & general discussion of the national political out- fi.“ and‘.wupe'o'l;lly, the future of the MOCTA 3 “Publie nl:. is not so rich in leader- ship that it can afford needlessly to lose & man of the caliber of Alfred E. th,” says the 8t. Joseph News-Press (independent), while the Youngstown Vindieator (Democratic) avers that “his real leadership” was indicated by the fact that “he had a message which he lcl: important to deliver even in def ‘The Indianapolis News (independent) suggests that “possibly it will not be undignified to sAy that Gov. Smith is not only a good citizen with statesman- like views and a knowledge of the insti- tutions of his country, but also a good good loser in politics,” in the opinion of the Worcester Tel m (in- depéndent), “helps not only 1f but his party and his country,” and the Madél ‘Wisconsin State Journal (in- dependent) suggests, “If Democrats in general measure up to the standards which Gov. Smith has set for them, robably the country will have no fu her need to worry about ‘a new party.’” * K K K “It is creditable to Gov. Smith's vision and idealism, as well as to his grasp of political realities,” declares the Balti- more Sun (independent Democratic), “that, in showing the way in which the party can best serve its own political interests, he emphasizes first honest and intelligent purpose to serve the public Interests.” The speaker's closing utter- ances in his address are lauded by the Naghville Banner (independent) as hav- ing “reached a high peak of eloquence in the loftiness of their patriotism.” “Mr, Smith’s ‘constructive program. according to the New York Sun (inde- pendent), “might shake the radicals out | * of the Republican party and the con- servatives out of the ratic. The breaking of the Solid South, though it resulted. from a very different pressure should be an influence toward a new political line-up.” “If the Democratic party is true to its ancient principles, adapted to pres- ent-day conditions, it will still be the party of liberalism,” in the 1udgment of the Asheville Times (independent Democratic). The Memphis Commer- cial A:pell (Democratic), quoting the view that “the Democrats should fight 'for their principles rather than against the principles offered by the dominant party,” siates that “no sounder advice has ever been given to the Democratic party” and remarks “Gov. Smith is constructive to the last.’ “He spoke not as a downcast and dis- couraged, defeated candldate,” says the Pasadena Star-News (Republican), with the added tribute that “the doughty nor pledged his vigorous assistance activity to keep the Democratic faith and strength alive.” The Ann Arbor Daily News (Independent) refers to the address as "sumplnf him as a man who can forget personal differences in the interest of patriotism.” koK X Viewing the two parties as, respece tively, predominantly liberal and con- servative, the Dayton Daily News (in- dependent Democratic) concludes that “such leadership as Gov. Smith’s makes that distinction more and more clear.” The Charlotte News (Democratic) states: “The grace and good feeling of the governor are arresting as he steps out from the grime of & somewhat bitter defeat to tell his countrymen that he still has his head up and that his faith in the integrity of the Demo- cral party is unconquered.” The Scranton Times (Democratic) contends that “he pointed the way unerringly to fellow Democrats.” Speaking especially of the future, the Newark Evening News (Independent) argues: “Party labels may be given some significance {f the Democrats will take v. Smith's advice. Presen! k on silurian geology | elignments are adventitious. Both par- ties are weighted down with their tra- ditions and connsctions, the Democrats even more heavily than the Republi- cans, Neither can wholly disown its };ut. but there must be a breaking away rom the futilities and ine encies, and the that makes the cleanest d most enlightened break is the one future ahead of it.” Most impressive to the San Bernar- dino Sun (Republican) is the prohibi- tion question, on which it comments: “It is & strange situation that Mr. Smith leaves for tl He urges the party to carry on. ately the first question that is cannot be answered. Is the Democratic party the party of the wets or the drys? * * * Until there is an an- swer theré can be no hope that the Democratic party will carry on. It doesn’t know what it is.” In fact, the Fort Wayne News-Senti- nel (Republican) insists: “The Democ- racy is no 1 r & solidified minority group. It is di tionalized and shat- tered so badly as to justify doubt that it can be rebuilt. Gov. Smith has un- derteken to rally the routed hosts, but consolidation of the defeated forces is such & formidable task as to a well nigh impossible of achievement.” UNITED STATES N WORLD WAR Ten Years Ago Today. Official ‘Washi is much excited over President n's delay in an- nouncing the personnel of the Am ican peace conference. Considerable feeling is aroused among Senators of both glrtlu over their understanding that the President will not appoint any member of the Senate. Senator Lodge is the logical choice as the senior meny- ber of the committee on foreign rela- tions, but the President doesn’t like him, * * More than 10,000 Americans are engaged in the task of rebuilding the rallroads across no man's land north- east of Verdun. Mile after mlle of trackage has been destroyed by four years’ constant shelling. * * * Twenty- four more German submarines surren- der to the allled navy, bnnnn%!m total to 87 U-boats. The U-139, which sank ut her com- mander stayed at home. * * * Polit- ical conditions in Germany are criti- cal and the situatiop becomes more difficult and more dangerous every day. South Germany is dissatisfled and the Rhineland, fearing the Radicals, seel headed for secesslon. * * * It is not likely that the peace treaty will be signed before March. There are many things to be threshed out. Most pi ing are the removal of economic riers, the freedom of the seas, and the matter of compensation and repara- tions. The armistice terms stand and Marshal Foch is determined to give no heed to future pleas for modification. Heading for It Anyway. From the Omaha Evening World-Herald. China ordeéring more airplanes. Go- ing to be something of a celestial kin~- dom, after all. ot Electric Radio Will Fix That. From the Loulsville Oourler-Journal. Only 62 per cent of the people in the United States have electric lights in their homes. The other 38 per cent are probably attending the movies. ) And How! From the Cincinnatl Ti tar. ‘Turn about is fair play, and now the farmer will proceed to relieve the coun- m with his corn, turkeys and pump- s, s Only Open Doors Remain. t| Prom the Louisville Times. A Loufsvillian with rather tender shins has constructed a roeking chair which he folds up and shoves under ! M the bed when he tl“g. jformed the Washington parade in Mrs. THE LIBRARY TABLE By the Booklover Washington has passed the win- dows of Mrs. Marietta xz\nnm Andrews’ house, on Sixteenth street at Scott Circle, for many years, and what she has séen, both actually and with iscopé, she tells in her tion of Mrs. Andrews' earlier book. “Memoirs of & Poor Relation.” her window Have gone “makers of his- w?'. the Clévelands, the Harrisons, the MéKinleys, the Roosevélts, the Tafts, the Wilsons, the Hardings, the Cool- idges; on foot, in equipages, in mobiles, on_horseback, attended by the inevitable Secret Service men.” only Presidents and their wives have Andrews’ time, She recalls John Hay, ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. Take advantage of this free service. If you are one of the thousands who have patronized the bureau, write us agam. If you havé nevér used the serv- jce, begin now. It is maintained for your benefit. Be sure to send your name and address with your ion, 4nd inclosé 2 cents in coin or for return_portage. Address The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Was a member of President Wil- son’s cabinet born in Canada?—D. J. B. A. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior in President Wilson's cabinet, Not | was born in Canada. Q. What is a telegraphone?—A. E. H. A. The ulen‘phunurn device that “well groomed, one might say dapper”; William Jennings B “untidy, loose-jointed, friendly”; McAdoo, “enigmatical, electrical, parently endowed with inexhaustible energy and perpetual youth”; Buffalo Bill, “the handsomest man I ever saw"; Vinnie Ream Hoxie, “4 loving, roly- poly little person”; Dr. Swann Jurnett, “a man retiring by nature, lame, a great scholar, and placing himself com- pletely into the background of his gifted and rather spectacular wifé—Frances Hodgson Burnett,” and, because & list in principle is a development of Alexan- der Graham Bell's electromagnetic tele- phone. By it, speech is magnetically re- corded on a hard steel wire. It has not been commercially marketed in United States. Q. How far away is the nearest star?—M. P. A. The nearest star, so far as known, is Alpha Centauri, the brightest star in the constellation Centaurus. Its dis- tance i8 about 4.3 light years, or 26 trillion: miles. cannot go on indefinitely, nearly all the people of note who have lived in Wash- ington gr r{ogms h!hepr:“(o:oluty‘:‘ of lnz length during the years. and her husband, both artists, painted the portraits of many of tHe dwellers and sojourners in Washington, and of these portraits she speaks with humor-~ ous impersonal ecriticlsm: “Second- rate portraits, it is true, but that hard- ly matters now; at least they were sincere. * * * Nevertheless, among our victims were generals and admirals, cave dwellers and journalists, Senators and cabinet officers, diplomats and so- clety climbers, ladies and gentlemen, heroes and four-flushers. A poor paint- er—or a pair of them—must take peo- ple as they come, and during 30 years or more some heartbreaking canvases were taken from our easels to be seen no more!” * ok kW the covered by “M During_the period Y lui b Studio Window” Wasl evolved from a comfortable town-city of Southern atmosphere into a greater capital, stretching out into many Mary- land and Virginia suburbs and wrestling with a traffic problem daily becoming more complicated. When the “studio™ was first built, herdics and victorias rolled up Sixteenth street, guided by old colored coachmen. * afternoon pa- rade of equipages drawn by well groomed horses has vanished foréver and with It a graceful detail of woman’s afterncon toilet, the parasol. * * * Today, at the old hour for driving or calling, a traffic jam equal to that at Park avenue and Fifty-seventh street! Gasps and groans of motors, the wild siren of fire engines and ambulances, the chugging, choking sound of gas and sereeching of brakes—the traffic police- man arguing in vain with the imper- turbable old coachmen of Mrs. Arthur Addison and Mrs. Norman Williams, the last private carriages in Washington.” Events extending over this period have reflected the changing life of the Cap- ital City. Old residences have been torn down to make way for tall new hotels and office buildings. ‘“The most wpulnr clairvoyante ever known In ashington,” & mulattress, livéd in a little brown irame house wheré now stands the Martinique Hotel. “We have seen the once famous residenceés in the vicinity of the Capitol fall from their high estate, the old homes of George- town yleld for a time to K street, Six- teenth street and Massachusetts avenue, and now we witness a return to George- town, gn exodus to the more restful dis- tricts Mear the Cathedral, as the fash- jonable ‘Northwest’ is invaded and con- quered by business.” The different in- augurations, dinners made successful by clever guests, testimonial celebra- tions and memorial services, studio par- ties sustained by conversation, Virginia ham, chicken salad and Rhine wine, veterans’ parades, Red Oross mass meét- ings, military funerals, fashionable wed- dings at St. John's, musicals and teas at the homés of society leaders—are all part of the Washington life described so intimately h&’urn. Andrews. In this book the oid Washingtonian will find familiar things and the reader outside Washington will find much interesting information about the events and pér- r|in the boy and a few years later pub- sonages of the Capital, both in the pres- ent and in the past. * X oKk Jacob Wassermann, considered by most German critics one of the fore- has in his romance “Caspar Hauser," recently translated into English, told a more or less true mystery story. The supposed facts of the story are related by Wassermann in his introduction to the lish edition. In the summer of 1828 a boy of 17 who could neither walk nor speak, with the exception of a few sentences, mysteriously appeared in Nu- remberg. The famous eriminologist, An- selm von Feuerbach, became interested lished a paper about him called “An Example of a Crime Against the Soul of a Human Being.” E’\ this paper he at- tempted to prove that Caspar Hauser was “a legitimate prince of the house of Baden, a brother of een Karoline of Bavaria, a brother of the Duchess of | Hamilton, a brother of the Queen of Sweden, who had been removed from the scene in early chijdhood.” Caspar was, according to this theory, the son of the Archduke of Baden and his wife Stefanie. Three other sons died shortly after their birth, murdered, according to | Feuerbach, and Caspar was immured in a dungeon, where he remained until he was 17, A sinister co intrigue, in- volving a morganatic marriage, was at the root of tHe tragedy of Caspar. In Eubmhlng the pamphlet, Feuerbach new that he was running terrible risks and his death not long afterward was attended with suspicious eircumstances, which gave rise to rumors of violence. Caspar himself was murdered, some time after his appearance at Nuremberg. He has since become one of the mys- teriss of minor history, like the “Man in the Iron Mask” and the woman whom today many are proclaiming the Grandduchess Anastasia of Russia. Was Caspar Hauser the heir to the Archduke of Baden or was he an impostor? Jacob Wassermann writes a long novel with | the thesis that he was the rightful heir. * KK % “Wild animals are much less danger- -ous than automobiles. One is in great- er danger attempting to cross Fifth avenue in New York than in going un- armed through the 50,000 or more head of wild animals that inhabit the 110 square miles of the Crater of Ngo- rongoro in Africa. If there were any purpose to be served in so doing, I would not hesitate for a moment to the crossing of Africa from Mombasa to the mouth of the Congo River or from Cape Town to Cairo without a gun.” This statement is made by James L. Clark, experienced hunter and a director of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, in his recent book, “Trails of the Hunted.” b e In “My Autoblography,” Benito Mus~ solini declares that the Great War helped to mold his character. wanted to be’a soldier,” he says. dient, faithful to discipline, el myself with all my might to fulfiliment of my duty.” As a private in the Ber- uilizfl (“famous for their fast pace— & kind of monotonous and ground-cov=- ering dog-trot”) Mussolini served in the thick of the fighting on the high Alps, from September 1, 1914, to February 22, 1917. Bits of an exploding gun wounded him so badly that surgeons | were forced to operate 27 times in one month, make ok ok ok Sisley Huddleston, well known jour- nalist, critic and Bohemian, has a variegated list of personaliti his new book, “Paris Salon:. C Stu- in | identify most of present-day German novelists, | Q. tions that people who are hard of héar- ing can fllL.—N. A. L. A. A partial list follows: Do flling, typing and operate office machinés; audit and keep books, kéep stock and stockroom records; théy may become fine draughtsmen, or research workers in such lines as chemistry and bacteriology; in advertising departments they can do research Work, prepare copy, layouts and illustrations, and some might fit into complaint depart< mant correspondence or into the writing of policies and bonds. Q. What is the difference between Pilgrims and Puritans?—C. P. R. A. The term “Pilgrim” is used in refer- ence to the earliest immigrants to Mas- sachusetts, but more especially to the settlers at Plymouth in 1620. The term must be distinguished from “Puritan,” which was that given to a body of re- iglous reformérs who sought to reform the Church of England. The Pilgrims were Separatists from the first, who had already left England and formed an independent mmgum in Leyden, whence they came to New England. Q. Is it worth while to conserve a j‘n;)‘ tht';lry by using lower voltage tap? A. The Loomis Radio College says that, due to thé fact that there is an unavoidable shelf deterioration in dry- cell “B” batterles—that is, that they will gradually decrcase in voltage, whether or not—there is little to be gained in attempting to consérve the “B” battery by using a lower volt- age tap if a higher voltage will give Job asked, “If a man dié, shall he live again?” A more modern version might read “organization” in place of “man,” when it wou!d bé applied to the American Peace Society. I the pa- triotic, alias “nationalistic,” alias “ultra- militaristic” organizations are agreed that the American Peace Soclety, after living its allotted “threescore years and ten” found the surplus years full of trouble and misery, like many 8 man ‘n his dotage. In recent decades it has not been active, but babbling and prat- ing over what it was in its youth. For now it is & century old and the heat and burden of the day have a-wearied it overmuch. And there have clung to its skirts “relatives”—sisters and ~éousins .and aunts—who have hoped to fall heirs to its fortune—a motley crowd, mainly characterized by sentimental pac! and intérnationalism and near-social- definite labels. Some have distorted the very name of their aged “uncle” until he did not know when they were call- ing to him. “Peace” has been inter- preted into supineness and impotence, although the home guardians of “he original organization verbally disavow the interpretation. “Men are known by .the company they keep,” and when sn organization accepts upon its board of directors individuals who are also prom- inent in avowed subversive societies and themselves with “slacker oaths,” Old Glory wilts 2nd even weeps. and Liberty Enlightening the World sighs for the spirit of "76 and of the Nathan Hales of patriotic days. * kK K Out in Hooslerdom, which all poets hope to reach when they die—if their “feet” do not lag too much—there is a classic poet who has perpetrated verses like these: Comes a problem, great and trying, Stirring city, Nation, State: For an Atlas we stand crying— One to bear this burden great! Grave committees sit perspiring. They must solve the thing somehow; ‘Then you hear a voice inquiring. “What's Will Fortune doing now?” Faces find new glow instanter, Trouble rushes out the door; Now they drink from Joy's decanter— Gloom's cup it had been before. What had seemed a problem tragic, Furrowing each Hoosier brow, Changes with that song, all magic, “What's Will Fortune doing now?” * oK ok K ‘Today, the American Peace Society proudly announces that, after a yeans rsuasion, it has succeeded in getting he consent of Mr. Willlam Fortune of Indianapolis to be president and guiding spirlt of the resuscitated mummy, and to pulmotor it into real life, renewing its youth like the eagle's and outdoing Ponce de Leon and that sculptor whose classic art was so fine that his marble block breathed and moved and fell in love with him. That's at Will For- tune's doing now.” He has become the Atlas under the Américan Peace Soclety, and he's on the job. Will Fortune was once a reporter un- der Harry New (now Postmaster Gen- eral) and he developed into a city editor and even became that proud dignitary known as a “journalist.” Such training could not fail to bring efficiency. He became involved in the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, to the extent of saving taxpayers $3,000,008 | in his first year as secretary, and a total of $8,000,000 in five years. So he was made chairman of the committee on State and local taxation of the United States Chamber of Commerce. Paciflst? Nothing of that word be- longs to Will Fortune except its last syllable. He was one of the most ac- tive officials of the American Red Cross Soclety throughout the war, and is still, and he is credited with raising more money by contributions for public benefit than any other Hoosler who ever tried it. He was the official representa- tive of the National American Red Cross Society at the Paris convention of the American Legion in 1927. He is a chum of the present national com- mander of the American Legion, Col. McNutt, and he has talked over all the principles of national defense with Comdr. McNutt and found that the ideals of the Leglon agree exactly—not with those of the ancient and honorable A e duly pulmo organization as he vuunllnuplt. L3 * X % x President Fortune stands for the Leglon’s proposal of a universal draft in case of war, which draft will include the | Please give a list of office posi- | 1ogy. ism and many another “ism” without | p o more satisfactory signals. The exact amount of current used is extremely small in quantity, and depends upon the voltage of the battery at any time meas- urements are taken, the resistance re- maining the same. Q. When was life insurance inteo. alceod slnw England and America?— A. Life insurance was introduced into England by the establishment of the Amicable Sociéty in 1696. It was intro. from Great Britain to America, | Philadelphia, 1759, for the relief of Presbyterian ministers and their widows lnnd children. This was followed by & similar corporation for the benefit of b z, cl mlr:d u;oth' widows. rst company to attempt a 1 business was the Insurance Ca. om Ame”uflcl. organized in Philade¢lphia in Q. What city is older—Quebec or Montreal>—H. L. A. Both were founded as Indian villages about 1533, but Quebec was laid out as a city by Champlain in 1608, while Montreal was laid out as a city by the Prench in 1642, Q What is the science of correct pro- nunciation of words called? A. Tt is called “orthoepy” or “phene- Q. What portraits of Presidents’ wives are han in the White House basement gallery>—B. E. W. A. In the new basement picture gal- lery, through which certain guests ap- proach the principal dpartménts of the White House, aré the following portraits: The second Mrs. Tyler, by P. Anelli; Mrs. Martin Van Buren, w of President Van Buren: Rutherford Hayes, by Daniel Hunting- ton, presented by the Women's Chris- tian Temperance Union: Mrs. James Polk, presented by the women of Ten- nessee; Mrs. Benjamin Harrison. by Daniel Huntington, and Mrs, Roosevelt, by Chartran. Q. Are common colds in the head contagious?>—W. R. P. A on colds are contagious. A leaflet on the subject by a reliable au- thority is incloted which shows how colds are spread and gives some ideas upon preventing them. 'QWWMG g g’ -A. M. 8. n, D. C.2—A. 9 A. Christ Church, Washington Par- ish, located on G street between Sixth S s A, e est. :ndbeln‘medumlchlnthe District. of Columbia In fact, it is the oldest religious edifice now standing in the District. Q. What is béach gold?>—R. W. A, The Survey says beach gold is goid that from beaches and washed from the sand. BACKGROUND OF EVENTS BY PAUL V. COLLINS. | the of the Nation. There shail never again bé war profiteers at the ex- pense of patriotic defense. the World War, Fortune devoted his whole time to service with the Red Cross, and and efficiency which mar] guage of President John W. O'Leary of the United States Chamber of Com- those who are giving their time and ability to the American ?uhllc." It may be rutunlg‘m ferred msm ago ., Fortune quit newspaper for h’:‘rflold which better eo:w to ranking in salaries Ot the wotentates of base ball, movies and White House occupants. He no longer. works for a living but is living for work. 3 * X EE 1t should not be inferred that the ma- of the American upon its standing ominu of national defense. This criticism did not hold at all in the early years, when it counted in its ac- tive support William Ellerly Channing, Charles Sumner, John C. Calhoun, Ed- ward Everett Hale and John Greenleaf Whittler. e % During the World War, the society supported the Government, and, accord- ing to its secretary, Dr, Arthur Deerin Call, “it does not advocate that the United States should disarm as an ex- ample to the rest of the world"—& po- sition taken by some members. working for disarmament on & reason- able and_equitable basis,” says the sec- retary. “It believes that the surest way lstobo;lnwlmpolummlmdts- arming.” 1t gives support to the Kellogg-Briand treaty, signed by 50 nations, outlawing T it e e bagasine. of e an ed 1 the ma; e o society, Peace, raises many hypothetical quibbles as to what is “aggressive” war and what is meant by “war” and how enforce “outlawing,” etc. President Fortune might ask Comdr. McNutt to answer. All lonnalres can enlighten the Peace Soclety as to the characteristics of real “war,” and veterans indorse the idea that Secre- tary Kellogg's treaty is the greatest diplomatic achievement in the century: the veterans are not straining to find equivocations in the world agreement to “outlaw war” while refraining from weakness in national preparedness. The Peace editorial asserts: know of no ‘Teople who stand for war as & mational policy. All pegxln are against war. They are all s ving to avold it. It is difficult therefore to sec why the treaty should not be ac- ceptable to our Senate.” So_innocuous a treaty! How about the Kaiser's junkers? There have al- ready been 28 major wars since the armistice. To that extent the American Peace Society appraises the treaty outlawing war, almost using the language de- scribed by Pope: “l:nu:mlnfl with faint praise, assent with civil leer And, without sneering, teach the rest to sneer; . Willing to wound, and yet afraid to s trike, Just hint a fault and hesitate dislike.” ERE With such a fire alarm there is sure to be something doing under the new administration. The former president. Senator Burton, opposed the pact en- tered into even at the Disarmament Peage Conference when, under the in- fluence of Secretary of State Hughes, it was agreed that the navies of the United States and Great Britain should be of equal strength. Senator Burton does not want our Navy to be as strong as that of the nation with which we have already fought two bloody wars— the last one mainly on the high seas. He does not agree with President Cool- idge in national preparedness. Presi- dent Fortune does demand the agreed “five-five-three ratio” as to naval strength; he wants as much cruiser strength for the United States as has Great Britain and is not in sympathy with ex-President Burton's argument that because the British Empire is scattered over much conquered terri- tory, therefore she is entitled to more cruisers than has Uncle Sam with his continental country-—twice invaded by the British and never by any other enemy. It is obvious that President e every man, woman and child, and all —_— e long residence in France, every minute spent in the company of poets. painters, dios.” Asked how long | r. Huddleston recently sia‘ed i 1t has taken me every day of my novelists, philosophers, social - person- who Is in it, I should ‘a cityful o celebrities,’ " ors $ . & R Fortune will need the muscles of an Atlas to lift | the sentiment of his organization to his cwn patriotic ideals in national de- fonse. but now his is one of the great- est flelds of opportunity for patrietic ~rvice in fust that direction—Ameri- write, | ages and frequenters of cafes. As to)canism and the tranquillity of a giant eonseious of might. (Cooyrirht. 1928. by Paul V. Coliins.)