Evening Star Newspaper, December 7, 1928, Page 8

THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C FRIDAY.... THEODORE W. NOYES.. The Evening Star Newspaper Company Jusiness Ofce: lith St and Pennsyjvanie Ase. w York Office: 110 East & Chicago Office. Tower Build} European ::mm-z 1 m&-m St.. Rate by Carrier Within the City. The Evenine Star . 45¢ per menth The Evening and Sunds (wvhen 4 Sundass) o 60c per month The Eveninz ‘when 5 Sunday: The Sunday Star per Collection made at the end of each month. Orders may be sent in by maii or telepnone Main 5000. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. Datly and Sunday 1 yr.,$10.00: | mo., 88¢ Daily only 1 1 mo. Sunday only All Other States and Canada. Datly end Sunday..1 yr.$12.00; 1 mo., Daily only 1yr., $800; 1 mo, Sunday only ...0.071 ¥r, $5.00: 1 mo. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press Is exclusively entitled to the use for repuslization of all i ews dis- patches cradited 10 1t or not otherwise cred- ited in thi r and also the local Dews published h ‘Al tients of publication cf s e also_reserved. Inaugural Preparations. In accordance with custom Chairman Work of the Republican national com- mittee, representing the President-glect, will soon appoint the chairman of the local inaugural committee, who Is to organize Washingtonians to render a maximum of helpful co-operative serv- ice in honoring the next President of the United States on the occasion Of. his inauguration. Also in acccrdance with custom the wishes of the President-elect concern- ing the characteristics of his inaugural celebration will prevail and be faith- fully carried out. Enthusiastic Hoover- ites in Washington naturally express the desire that the inauguration of the next President shall be of a character to honor him adequately, and to show forth conspicuously the general public rejolcing on the occasion of his installa- tion as President. These demonstrations in favor of the most colorful and im- pressive inaugural celebration wh:ch[ can be made in consistency with the “simple” ceremonies upon Wwhich Mr. Hoover insists are in essence appeals %0 the President-elect to construe inaugu- ral simpli: as liberally as possible in broadening the scope of permissible features of inaugural celebration. The two vital features of the old- fashioned inaugural were the parade on Pennsylvania avenue and the inaugural “pall.” The paraders, organized and mobilized, followed the new President from the Capitol, where he had taken the oath of office, to the White Housc, and were reviewed by him from a stand erected on the Avenue and on the White House grounds. This review of the parade by the new President is es- sential to give it significance and stand- ing. Other parades on the same or following day. without this review by the President, are meaningless and futile. The new President has naturally the right to say whether he will stand for one hour or_for: four or five hours to review the marching thousands. The old-time parades were too long. They wearied reviewer, participants and spectators. In inclement weather they spread disease and death. The inaugural parades of the last three administrations have been too short to satisfy the desire of thousands that the parade shall be a demonstra- tion of general popular rejoicing and enthusiasm and not the demonstration of a selected few. Many hope today that with the Presi- dent-elect’s hearty assent the parade this year shall be a happy medium be- tween the old and new, combining the merits and avoiding the disadvantages of both. The pld-fashioned inaugural ball or reception (for the floor was too crowded for enjoyable dancing) found an ideal location in the Pension Building. This structure, with its immense court, sur- rounded by a narrow shell of rooms, was built more for governmental enter- tainment purposes than as a govern- mental work shop. For the latter pur- pose it is distinctly uneconomical. During the period when its use was permitted for inaugural reception pur- poses it gave pleasure to thousands of | Washingtontans and inaugural visitors, | who from the floor saw the new Presi- | dent and his wife in their box in the balcony, and who took a few steps to musle on the overcrowded floor in order to say that they danced at the in- augural ball. Through committee or- ganization the new President and his wife were caused to endure an absolute minimum of crowding and discomfort. Through the sale of tickets to the “ball” the heavy expenses of inaugfiral prepa- rations were readily met, the cost being taken from the shoulders of the few and distributed among the many who paid for admission to the ball. Probably the Government will never permit again the use of the Pension Building for the inaugural reception, and perhaps it will never provide any other Government building for this purpose. If the new President and his wife will attend an unofficial inaugural ball, the money vroceeds of which shall go to charity, the closest approximation to the old inaugural ball which is pos- sible today will probably be effected. e American politics is always good natured. Four more years never seems a very long time to wait. R Oregon to the Front. In The Star recently a wriesr called attention to the fact that the two com- mittees of Congress which will monopo- lize the spotlight for the indefinite future are both headed by chairmen from Oregon. The Senate committee on agri- culture has Senator Charles L. McNary, Republican, as its chief, while the House committee on ways and means is led by Representative Willis C. Haw- ley, Republican. Mr. McNary will have charge of im- pending legislation for farm relief, as befits one of the parents of that unfor- tunate congressional foundling, the late McNary-Haugen bill or bills. Mr. Hawley will sooner or later lend his name to a revised tariff measure, and thus take his place in legislative his- tory alongside McKinley, Dingley, Un- derwood and Fordney. When the late Ezra Meeker recently was gathered to his fathers, his passing ..December 7, 1828 . Editor 80¢ | of the mighty which they now so honor- Oregon in which he was so famous a ploneer. In 1852, when Meeker arrived along the trail in a covered wagon, Oregen's population was 20,000. Today, seventy-six years later, the State has an estimated population of close to a million. Its premier city of Portland is one of the great ocean ports of the | Pacific Coast, and as fair and metro- politan community as the great North- west contains. In 1848 Oregon wa$ represented In Congress by a delegate. In 1928 the Columbia River Commonwealth is a sovereign State, with two United States Senators and three members of the IHOHM of Representatives. Oregon’s prominence and effectiveness in the! legislative branch of the Federal or-| ganization are graphically exhibited in the persons of Senator McNary and Representative Hawley and in the seats ably fill. Westward, indeed, the course of American empire takes its way. Submission to the Senatz District | committee yesterday of the detailed analysis of the proposed merger agree- ment by Dr. Milo R. Maltbie completes the preliminary evidence upon which the’ committee must base its decision, and opens the way for the hearings soon to begin and which, it is to be hoped, will result in congressional ap- proval of merged operation of the trac- | tion lines at this session of Congress. The Maltbie report, which adds another indorsement to the principle of merger but cites various objections to the present form of agreement, is a care- fully prepared document which the Senate committee will find most valuable in its task of weighing all the considera- tions involved. It represents many months of labor by a man whose reputa- tion as an expert in such matters en- titles him to speak with authority. The outstanding difference between the Maltbie report and the report of the Bureau of Efficiency is found in the controversial subject of valuation for rate-making purposes. Throughout the long discussion of the merger proposal, this has been the chief stumbling block. When the Senate committee has de- | cided the correct procedure in this re- gard, the remaining issues may be solved | with comparative ease. Dr. Maltble is unwilling to accept the ‘‘compromise” valuation of $50,000,000 which the trac- tion companies have volunteered to set for the merged company. He does not take the view of the District Public Utilitles Commission nor that of the Bureau of Efficiency, both of which granted the fact that by going into court the traction companies could ob- tain even a higher figure than the $50,000,000, and, in addition, that resort to the courts would endanger any prospect of an immediate merger be- cause of the lengthy litigation. On the other hand, Dr. Maltbie not only believes that the traction com- panies would fail to receive judicial authority for any such figures as $50,000,000, but suggests that the whole matter of valuation for rate-making purposes be left out of the merger agreement. He believes there is dan- ger of having a fixed valuation written into the agreement. The alternative he proposes is to drop that matter now, bring the merger into effect and treat with the question of valuation and fares when it arises. There is little doubt that it would arfse immediately. Dr. Maltbie is of the opinion that a rate-making valuation written into the agreement to last for ten years would, during the decade, serve to tie the hands of the regulatory bodies dealing with transportation and public utilities in the District. This regulatory power should be jealously guarded. If, as Dr. Maltbie suggests, an agreement on val- uation at this time threatens the power of Congress and the Public Utilities Commission to prevent increases in fare later, possibly justified by a fixed valua- tion, open to question, he has raised an issue which the car-riding public will look to Congress to settle. Dr. Maltbie's report must not be re- garded either as a “blow” at the merger agreement or as a cause for lengthy delay in the ratification of some agree- ment. It merely constitutes another one of the valuable analyses of the question which Congress has received before proceeding to its final step. So vital is the effect of the merger upon Washington that no pains should be spared to obtain and to study all of its many issues. o A baby gorilla may pine away and die for lack of human affection to which it is accustomed. Whatever may be the degree of importance attached to the theory of evolution, this relationship, sentimental rather than physical, is one that psychologists can hardly afford to overlook. | | i | | oo Pass the Dale Bill. In all justice the House leaders should allow a vote to be taken in the House as soon as possible on the Dale bill to liberalize the Civil Service retire- { ment law and do fuller and more equi- table justice to the army of faithful THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. €, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1928. annuity of $1,200, which means a slight increase all along the line. It changes the divisor used in computing annuities from 45 to 40, which gives a better rate of annuity tu those in the lower salary ranges. It changes the number of years on which to compute the an- nuities—the present law designating the last ten years of service, while the Dale bill designates the last five years. The pending measure also provides for op- tional retirement two years in advance of the retirement ages of 62, 65 and 70 years in the several groups, after 30 years of service. The retirement age of 62 is for the railway mail clerks, sea post clerks, those working in tropical zones and | other hazardous employment. The re- tirement age of 65 is for the mechanical | forces and laborers, letter carriers, post | office clerks and, rural carriers. The re- tirement age of 70 is for all others, mostly the clerical forces in the de-| partmental service. The retirement fund is in a healthy condition. On July 1 last there was approximately $103,000,000 in the fund and the contributions of the employes is about $28,000,000 annually. The amount paid out in annuitles to those retired was about $14,000,000 during the last fiscal year. About $15,000,000 will be added to the surplus in the fund this year. As President Coolidge emphasized in his message to Congress, the Govern- ment has now started in with annual appropriations over a long-term pro- gram to pay up its accrued liability in | the retirement fund. ‘There therefore seems to be no good reason why the employes should not be given as nearly perfect and as gen- erous a retirement system as can be devised, and a system in which all shall be treated justly. If inequities and injustices are known to exist it is the duty of the lawmakers to see that they are smoothed out. ‘The Dale bill has been approved by the Senate, by the House committee, whose members are best informed on Civil Service problems, by the rules committee in ordering a special rule to give it privileged status. Practically the entire membership of the House has individually urged prompt action on this measure. It is generally known that the Dale bill will be passed with acclaim in the House as soon as the members are given an opportunity to vote. ‘The House leaders should not longer delay its passage. There can be no ex- cuse for not allowing so many members an opportunity to vote on a measure in which they are so much interested. It will not entail long debate. Let the Dale bill be passed —and soon. ) A spirit of generosity and good will befitting the holiday season is expressed in the readiness to heed the warnings “Shop early” and “Mail early.” Old friend Santa Claus, instead of an indi- vidual myth, becomes a manifestation of co-ordinate enterprise, in which the shops and the post office are important factors. o Being President of the United States is no easy task. President-elect Hoover has evidently decided to give its respon- sibilities and relationships in the West- ern Hemisphere as much study as possible. . The apxiety of all England concerning the health of the King is an assurance that, in spite of social agitations, it 1s still possible for a monarch so to con- duct himself as to retain the love of all his people. ——— e A short session of Congress permits any number of questions to be asked, without the responsibility of providing any answers. ] Some restraint is being placed on the man who thinks he can make a gun, shoved into the face of a bank cashier, take the place of a certified check. — Leftwver statesmen might organize a Rip Van Winkle club with the under- standing that they are to sleep for four | months instead of for 20 year: SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Youth’s Economy. Bunshine in December, Same as in the May— Something to remember, As Time goes his way! Smiling in the sorrow When the fields are sere, Sunshine we may borrow PFrom the earlier year. Save, for days hereafter, ‘While days dance along. Don't forego the laughter, Don't neglect the song. Kickers; Not Flyers, “What is a lame duck?" “It looks to me,” answered Senator Sorghum, “like a bird that has no wings with which to fly and retains only feet with which to kick.” veteran employes. This measure passed the Senate in the last session. It was unanimously reported by the House Civil Service committee. The House rules committee ordered a special rule giving it priv- {leged status for consideration in the House. This rule was never presented by Chairman Snell for action in the House, being held up, it was generally understood, at the request of the Pres- ident to avoid passage of the measure over his veto. The great majority of members of the House have placed themselves on record urging paseage of this measure, and no serious opposition has been shown by any member. Today an impressive committee representing hundreds of thousands of Civil Service workers through the na- tional officers of ileir respective or- ganizationz—such as the navy yard workers, the postal clerks and carriers, the railway mail clerks, rural carriers and others—has had a conference with Chairman Lehlbach and other members of the House Civil Service committee. Chairman Lehlbach pre- sented in the House an even more lib- eral measure, for which the Dale bill was substituted, and was the principal | spokesman before the rules committee setting forth why the special rule should be ordered. Jud Tunkins says the holiday season is a glad reminder that peonle ought to stop fault-finding long enough at least to say “Merry Christmas” and “Happy New Year.” The Good Old Friend. Let's not leave youthful hope behind. We'll still rejoice, because So long as Human Nature’s kind, ‘There IS a Santa Claus. Stalwart in the Faith. “Are you in favor of prohibition?” " answered Uncle Bill Bottle- top. haven’'t changed my opinion of years ago, that no licker at all is better than bad licker.” “Moral worth is always esteemed,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “No man is so powerful that he does not desire also to be considered good.” Human Element. We journey swifter every day ‘With mechanistic skill, Intelligence strives to display The might of human will. ‘Though Wisdom's prudence may reveal Just where each should belong, Some Moron grabs the steering wheel— And all the works go wrong. i “Your mafesty, THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. A man walking down historic Penn- sylvania avenue, where soon another inauguration parade will wend its way, raised his head suddenly and sniffed the air. A “whiff of something aromatic, pungent, cooling, wafted into his nostrils, and then was gone, but it was enough to stir up old memories, in the way odors have of doing. Cubebs! He hadn't smelled a cubeb cigarette since he was a child, but it is a fra- grance not easily forgotten. It is prob- ably true that it is never forgotten. Is there a man alive who did not smoke at least one cubeb cigarette when he was a boy? Maybe the youngsters do not indulge in cubebs any longer, but | in the old days they were quite the thing. At least once in every boy's lifetime it became necessary to smoke a cubeb cigarette. If memory serves us right, they were | purchased at drug stores. In those | days tobacco cigarettes were frowned upon for the young. Disapproval was s0 hearty and so unanimous that no regular kid thought of missing the opportunity of indulging in a substitute. The cubeb stage came after the corn- silk stage. The latter was more com- mon in small towns, where rows of corn were more easily reached. Lives there a boy with soul so dead who cannot remember when he said| to some other boy, “Let's make some cornsilk cigarettes!” The pretty brown strands of cornsilk | rolled easily into elongated cones which fitted neatly into rolled papers. As one. recalls, cornsilk cigarettes were not 50 “hot.” They were smoked more out of bravado than anything else. * K Kk The cubeb cigarette was better, but had a medicinal taste which somehow kept a boy from smoking more than a pack of them. As far as memory serves, there were no repeats. None was ever needed, however, to keep freshly in mind, or in the nose, rather, the memory of the aromatic berries of Piper cubeba. This small climbing shrub is a native | of far-off Java and Borneo, but has been successfully transplanted to other tropical countries. We do not know whether it will grow in this country, but it probably would in the South. The leaves are supposed to be very bright and green, but it is the fruit, or berry, which gives the cubeb, as com- monly called, a place in the dictionaries and encyclopedias. The crushed berry has various me- dicinal uses. Its smoke is held to have a palliative effect in some affections of the respiratory passages. Many flowers are aromatic in them- selves and some have berries or seeds which are highly so. Quite by accident we discovered last Summer that the tiny seed pods of the Calliopsis are fragrant when burned. Smoking a cigarette, we idly touched the glowing end to a dried pod, when it caught fire and began to smolder, &vmg off a pleasant though pungent or. A handful of the pods was gathered, in the fond belief that the experiment would be further tried in an incense burner, but the seeds are still sitting in the saucer on the shelf. * K K K Man’s keen nose has allowed few of | give new gustatory thrills. |catnip, sometimes called catmint. | but this particular brand he ate with | bean. | thing to do with it, but basically the the aromatic plants to get away from him. From the pleasant mint of julep WASHINGTON How King George V once ‘razzed” the United States Navy over pro- hibition is recalled, apropos the mon- arch’s fillness, by a Washingtonian, Arthur D. Condon, then a lieutenant in the Navy and aid/to Vice Admiral Albert P. Niblack, commander of our European squadron. Niblack's flagship, the Utah—the dreadnaught which will soon be bringing President-elect Hoover home from South America—was paying a -ceremonial visit to English waters. At Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, King | George and his staff came aboard to pay their respects to Admiral Niblack. The royal party was assembled in the skipper’s cabin. The morning—a raw, bleak English day in early November, 1921—was chilly. After a formal ex- change of greetings, the King said to Admiral Niblack: “Admiral, at this mo- ment nothing would cheer’ me so much as a nip of brandy.” The Yankee sailorman almost turned green with mortification. Finally, he stammered: I am overwhelmed with regrets, but you know our regu- lations.” Then George V slapped Niblack on the shoulder, laughed heartily, and let it be known that he was just putting one over on the only dry navy jafloat. * ok Kk Probably Republican hopefuls and others would flve a good deal to learn the identity of two personal friends of Herbert Hoover who were assigned a responsible job during the President- elect’s absence in Latin America. They were told off to keep in hour-by-hour touch with developments at the Capital, political and otherwise, and radio “the chief” a digest of them every 24 hours. The message goes to the battleship Maryland by way of the Navy's wire- less. Sometimes there are two digests a day, depending on the rapidity with which things transpire, or on their im- rormnce. Editorials, statements by po- itical leaders, business trends, cabinet gflulp, doings in Congress, White House appenings—all and sundry designed to show the incoming President how the national and international wind is blowing make ug the story that travels along the southern wave lengths to Hoover's far-away workshop. * ok Kk Reference has been made to the difficulties which the Quaker leaders of the country expect when the hoi polloi flocks to Friends’ meeting houses dur- ing the next four years, to watch Pres- ident and Mrs. Hoover at divine wor- ship. , The thing causing the most worry' s how to censor unauthorized speakers who may let the spirit move tgem to say things in Mr. Hoover's resence that they might not be able n any other way to “get across” to oresidential attention. The Quakers per- mit elders in charge of their meetings OBSERVATIONS BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. to interrupt obnoxious speakers. Now and then this happens. time a woman’s spirit moved her to sing. As the ¥riends ban music at their services, the: sister was required to desist and was gently but firmly led from the meeting-house. Thok ok ok Documentaty evidence reaches this observer—in Bis broadcasting incarna- tion—that the election isn't over, after all. A certain Rudolph Eschenburg writes to take exception to the alleged fact that on the evening of December 4 Rev. J. Gillis of the Paulist Fathers “made certain Hisparaging remarks about President-elect Hoover.” The priest (the correspondent asserts) denounced Mr. Hoover for having a year or two ago written the preface to a blography about a distinguished _ Washington sclentist and inventor. Father Gillis' indignation, it appears, was aroused by the fact that ‘the subject of the biog- raphy is a confessed agnostic. Mr. Eschenburg wints to know whether Mr. Hoover knew lie was “indorsing” a non- believer! H * koK Friends and: admirers of Stephen T. Mather, director of the National Park Service of the interior Department since 1917, are distfessed by news of the grave illness with which he was stricken Once upon a | him at Chicago a Jew weeks ago. Mather “P'litical enthusiasm,” | Eben, “relieves de mind. sald Uncle But three occasioned Nation-wide thought of the The Dale bill provides for a maximum cheers don't pay de taxes.” A took, charge of fhe national parks at the insistent demand of Secretary Franklin K. Lane during: the second Wilson ad- fame to the world-famed coffee bean the plant kingdom has been combed to Herbs, used in cookery and medicine, are widely used, although not to the extent once customary, as mankind has b;come more sophisticated in its medi- cine. Even the animals have taken part in the search. Cats show a partiality to box of Blue Ridge Mountain catnip. sent recently to the cat Jack Spratt, went over big with Jack and his feline friends. Jack hitherto had shown little in- terest in catnip, either fresh or dried, avidity, both when fresh and when dried. Evidently the mountain air lends a charm to catnip as well as to human beings. Who is there who has not sniffed with appreciation when the grocery man was grinding a pound of coffee for percolator use? ‘Then the fresh oils of the bean are released, and their fragrance goes on the air, to wend their delicate way into the nostrils of the purchaser. How good the ground coffee smells in the paper bag! If one takes it home on the street car, many a nostril will wiggle in tune to the aroma. * K Kok ‘The world’s most popular flavor, or taste, chocolate, comes from the cacao Just how this word got its vow- els reversed, and became “cocoa,” we do not know. Certainly the smell of fudge cooking is an enticing one. The small quan- tity of vanilla extract added has some- | | irh!armlnz smell comes from the choco- ate. We never think of fudge without re- calling a great white bulldog who would sit watering at the mouth in front of a fresh plate of it without touching it. It is impossible to give even so frag- mentary a survey as this without In- cluding the sassafras root. It has an odor entirely its own. This is the curious thing about the fragrance which come from the earth. These elementary odors are never confused. Nature has not blended her flavors in the manner of the modern ( perfumer, who takes a bit of this es- sence, combines it with 10 others and gives a final product subtle and un- known to her. Nature's pleasing smells are indl- vidual. No matter how many years it has been since you smelled a cubeb, no matter if you only got a whiff of it then, a passing odor on the street will recall it to you in all its intensity. The human memory of smells is ex- ceptionally good. One may forget dates, or faces, or names, but odors remain with thelr names. It may take a moment or two to go back over the years, but soon out of the mists of days gone by there floats the name sought. Nor is this strange, since the animal kingdom rl&cefl great reliance on its powers of smell. Wild creatures of forest and stream, domesticated ani- mals, all use their noses. They “see” food and enemies by smell rather than sight. Mankind's sense of smell binds him to his furry brothers, although it is elementary compared to theirs, only used when strange odors flash him backwards in time. ministration. He organized the service, withdrew from a business that was making him probably 50 times his Fed- eral salary and began developing an organization which is today as efficient as any branch of Uncle Sam's Govern- ment. Mather became the most suc- cessful lobbyist for the public welfare in Washington. He made a ceaseless drive against those who were trying to use the Government’s lands and water power for private profit, instead of leaving them free for people's ay- grounds in their natural state. Mather, like Coolidge, was a Fourth of July baby. He was born in California and made a fortune out of the borax trade. * ok ok ok There'll be mighty few countries— if any—represented at the forthcoming international conference on civil aero- nautics at Washington by quite so re- nowned a delegation as the spokesmen for the U. A. Orville Wright, ploneer of flying, and Charles A. Lindbergh are the aces of the Ameri- can representation. Wright will stand | out in special relief because the con-| ference part of the Government’ official commemoration of the twenty:- fifth anniversary of the famous broth- ers’ maiden flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903. Our three executive air secre- taries—MacCracken, Warner and Davi- son—are other American delegates, who | include in addition Harry F. Guggen- heim, head of the Foundation for Aero- nauties; Senator Bingham, the aviator of the upper house of Congress, and Nelson T. Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State. Johnson is to see that the Yankees at the conference don't do any | undiplomatic nose dives. * ok k¥ Cabinet prospect No. 3011 is Adolph C. Miller, a member of the Federal Reserve Board, who is honorably men- tioned as a possible Hoover choice for Secretary of the Treasury. The sug- gestion doubtless springs from the President-elect’s well known admira- tion for Miller's financial skill. The Reserve Board member happens also to be a Californian, which'll be no disqual- ification at the White House after March 4 next. Mr. Miller is in his fifteenth successive year on the board, which keeps the pendulum of the American financlal system swinging in the right direction. By profession he's a college professor, having taught finance -and_economics in his day at Harvard, California, Chicago and Cornell. (Copyright, 1928.) —————— Guilty Juries Called Parties to the Crime| From the Nashville Banner. In Chicago n few days ago a man was ‘on trial for robbing a filling station. The owner of the place identified the defendant L: the gunman who had held up on two occasions and was try- ing the trick the third time when ar- rested. Two policemen testified that they arrested the defendant and -took a_revolver from him in the station. The accused and his girl friend claimed to have been to a prize fight and a couple of cafes on the night in question. With the evidence standing as above outlined, the jury took the case and came back in 45 minutes with a ver- dict of not guilty. “Your verdict, gentlemen,” said Judge Marcus Kava- naugh, “illustrates the reason robbers and murderers are so fearless in Cook County. This defendant was proved guilty of three robberies. You haven't hesitated to set him free, and that without reason. The case was one with- out a reasonable defense. When you hear of another robbery or a murder by a robber in this neighborhood, you can consider yourselves as parties to the crime.”® There are juries guilty in many places other than Chicago, and not enough heed is paid to the fact by society. Small wonder the jury system is under a fire that grows steadily hotter! oo The Pigeons Couldn’t Duck. From the Butte Deily Post. Coolidge’s Thanksgiving was some- what ornithological. He went to Vir- ginia, met the Byrd who governs the State, dined on turkey, and spent the afternoon shooting clay pigeons. Ala dog, a certain moderate amount of | cation—even though they have neglect- Urbanites Spurred By Noise ““Cocktails™ | BY E. E. FREE, PH. D. A little noise may have much the| same effect on a person as a cocktail or a cup of coffee—it may stimulate his mind and body to a higher degree of activity. Absolute quiet, which is| what many noise-wracked city dwellers | believe that they desire, might be the worst thing in the world for thelr‘ efficiency. | Like the supposed merits of fleas on | noise may be a useful stimulaift for normal, successful human activity. So| suspects Dr. F. C. Dockeray, professor | of psychology at the Ohio ‘Wesleyan University Delaware, Ohio, who 1is studying the psychological effects of noise in co-opération with the com- mittee en the elimination of harmful noise—a committee of the National Safety Council. It seems to be a general laws of the human mind, Dr. Dockeray believes, that some outside stimulus is necessary to spur human beings to their best, ef- forts. This stimulus may be provided, it is probable, by many things which, in greater intensity, would be harmful. Preliminary tests with normal indi- viduals doing work in nofsy and in: quiet surroundings indicate that the best work is done when there is some noise, but not too muci.. It is not even impossible, from the psychologist's viewpoint, that city noise is a beneficial factor in stimulating the energy of the rban population. ¥ T’;w rmg between this beneficial stim- ulation and the greater stimulation that would be harmful probably is a very thin one. It may be also that it dGif- fers for different people, so that an amount of noise which would be harm- less or beneficial to one person might be too much for another. The exact amounts of noise which are just right for average individuals will need to be determined, Dr. Dockeray beli-ves, by further psychological experiments. In the meantime reduction of the average city noise is probably worth aiming at, but not reduction to the point of abso- lute quiet. B ) Three Great Rulers Of Mexico Eulogized From the Los Angeles Evening Express. Good fortune smiles on Mexico. The land proves as resourceful of great and good men as of the material things for which men strive. After travail such as few natiéns have borne and sur- vived, the republic has emerged tri- umphant, under leadership of her own sons, strong and able men, worthy of the tasks they were called to perform. Obregon was first. ‘Truly the man of the hour—bold, at times'seemingly reck- less in his.daring deflance of the estab- lished order and tradition, but always knowing the road over which he led his people out of the chaos of cen- turies of superstition and a decade of revolution. Then Calles, more calcu- Jating, treading with more caution, but keeping unswervingly to the same road. And now Gil, who ascends to the presi- dency Friday, a worthy third of the trinity of great leaders that the need of Mexico has called forth. The fact that Gil steps peacefully into the place of the murdered Obregon is the best proof of the greatness of Obre- gon and Calles. They had prepared the way. When Obregon fell at the hand of a fanatic, in the old condition chaos would have returned. Revolution would have followed disorder and the presi- dency again become. the prize of him who could fight his way to Chapultepec. But they had created a new condition, an ordered state of the public mind, and Gil comes in peace to the presidency, and, unless his past proves no index to the character of the man, peace- fully will surrender tb> high office when | the people shall again have selected one | to take his place, to complete the term for which Obregon had been chosen. And the United States, second only to Mexico itself, is to be congratulated on the new happy condition in the sis- ter republic, Good order and prosper- ity across the border is a guarantee of peace and good order on this side. e S Noah’s Ark Is Sought For Chicago Exhibit From the Fort Worth Record-Telegram. Archeologists in_airplanes are going to ride circles around the slopes of Mount Ararat in a search for the ark, which carried the parents and parents-in-law of Ham, Shem and Japhet with the world’s greatest menagerie out of the high water of the period. The ark was so well made, the seachers believe, that | it is still in something of preservation. There has been no way for it to have come down from the mountain resting place, so the excuse is sufficient for a searching party. It will be a great discovery—if they | find it. There will be little chance of confusion. Any vessel they find lodged on that mountain ought to qualify as the ark. If it happened that Noah had carved the name over the main en-| trance, it would still be there. It might be that the boys—particularly | Japhet—might have carved their ini-| tials and their wives on the walls some- | where—they not having passed beyond the honeymoon stage of lave's old sweet song. That would be positive identifi- ed to immortalize thoge girls' names. Were they “Mehitabel, Anastasia and Zenobia or Jane, Gladys and Mabel! We maybe will know if they find the ark. The world will follow the daily radio reports of that expedition with more interest than any now going on. The promoter of the grojecc says it is for the purpose of bringing the sancient passenger veseel to Chicago as an at- traction for the imminent World's Fair. That is the reason for a certain as- surance that it will be found. We would not be surprised it sometaing 1e- sembling a Cardiff giant is not found in the hold—a stowaway who got trampled to death by an elephant or rammed by a sea-sick rhinoceros, or something. When an expedition starts out look- ing for something to make a Chicago fair famous we are frankly on the “bull” side of the market. It may not, be much of one—but it will be an ark. | N ) Coul:; Ruling Raises Many Possibilities From the Philadelphia Record. The Supreme Court of the State of Georgia_ has decided that a ball club cannot be held liable for damages sus- tained by a spectator who was assaulted by a player. It seems that a gentleman named fiwrence persisted in giving McLaughlin, pitcher for the Atlanta team, what is known as the raspberry. McLaughlin left the box and, in the language of a witness, “socked Lawrence on the button.” The court decided that when McLaughlin left the box he stepped out of his character as a ball player and that his employers, therefore, were not liable for his actlons. This_raises many delightful possibili- tles. In the past it has been the privi- lege of an audience to assault by over- ripe tomato or egg the unhappy actor who does not please. In future the actor, when he sees his audience grow- ing restless, can, without endangering his_employer, step over the footlights and put to sleep one or two of the chief disturbers. Such an action would un- doubtedly have an excellent effect on the others. ‘This may, again, be the “out” which politiclans * have been seeking. The most vigorous and persistent hecklers could be silenced, should the politician prove quick enough. Haled into court, he could plead that he was the em- ployer of himself and that himself | th2 World Court is alive again and friends ANSWERS TO BY FREDERIC Many readers send in questions signed only with initials, asking that the an- swers appear in the newspaper. The space is limited and would not accom- modate a fraction of such requests. The answers published are ones that | may interest many readers, rather than | the one who asks the question only. | All questions should be accompanied | with the writer’s name and address and 2 cents in coin or stamps for reply. Send your question to The Evening Star Information Bureau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. Do civil service employes have to have their fingerprints taken?—C. N. | A. While those already under civil | service were not required to submit fingerprints, as fast as the innovation can be made, fingerprints of appointees will be taken and filed. With this sys- tem in effect, criminals will not risk under civil service. | Q. Are parrots often hatched in cap- | tivity?>—D. B. | A. They are seldom born in captiv- | ity, but Nature Magazine records a | case of a parrot hatched in a San An- tonio shop. Q. Is it possible for an American woman to lose her citizenship auto- matically through marriage?—A. D. W. A. According to the Cable act, an | American woman who marries an alien | ineligible for United States citizenship loses her citizenship. Q. What is the denomination of the largest postage stamp made for the United States?—C. G. A. The $5 postage stamp is the high- est issued at present. Q. Where did Edwin A. Robinson write “Tristram”?—R. E. A. “Tristram” was written in the poet’s studio at the MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, N. Q. When was the dispensary system of selling liquor tried in South Caro- lina?—P. E. S. A. The dispensary act was passed | December 24, 1892, and became effective | July 1, 1893. It was a pet project of the late Senator Ben Tillman's, then | Governor of South Carolina. The law | was suspended April 21, 1894, to August 1, 1894, then was more or less effective until 1902, when all except five dispen- saries were voted out of existence. Af- fairs drifted along in this shape until September 14, 1915, when South Caro- | lina voted State-wide prohibition, which | took effect January 1, 1916. Q. Are excursion trips by boat as popular as they were before the advent of the automobile?—L. T. D. A. While many people do take au- tomobile trips, the transportation of passengers on excursion vessels reaches enormous proportions. During the fis- ‘tal year ending June 30, 1928, there were 5,085,111 such passengers. Q. Why is China called the Celes- tial Empire?—C. P. A. This name is applied to China because of the title “Tien Chao” (Heav- enly Dynasty) which the Chinese glve’ to their country. Q. How is Mme. Curie's name pro- nounced?—M. E. A. Curie is pronounced as if spelled koo ree, giving the oo the same sound as in the word “cook.” Q. Why aren’t €louds frozen when l}x; an atmosphere below 32 degrees?— . K. A. The Weather Bureau says that clouds in an atmosphere whose tem- perature is below 32 degrees generally |beds were in the kitchen, QUESTIONS J. HASKIN. cast, or one despised by . This is not what the word meant originally, sinct a pariah was not an outcast nor the lowest in caste rank, but a member cf a low caste in Southern India and Burma, just pelow Sudra rank. Q. What is the meaning of “ibid"? —C. G. A. 1t is an abbreviation for the Latin “ibidem,” which means “in the same place.” Q Why are carnations called pinks? —N. M. A. This name is derived from the verb “pink,” meaning to puncture or pierce, and the flowers were so called onualccoum of the jagged edges of they/ petals. Q. How much are the diamonds owned in the United States valued at?— detection by applying for appointments | D- M ‘A. Nation's Business says that dia- | monds to the value of $4.000,000,000 are now owned in the United States. It is | estimated that 80 per cent of the world's%; iamond output comes to America. Pearls and emeralds are marketed here to the same extent. Q. Which division of the American Army held the most advanced position at the time of the armistice?>—R. J. M. A. The Department of War says that because of the irregularity of the line it is impossible to state which division of the American Expeditionary Forces held ‘the furthermost advanced position at the time of the armistice. There were 54 different American organizations lo- cated at various points along the west- ern front at that time. Q. How long did it take Edmund Burke to deliver his speech, “Concllia- tlon With the Colonies,” in Parliament March 22, 1775?—F. A. H A. It is said that it took Edmund Burke two and one-hall hours to de- liver this speech. - Q. What varicties of coniferous trees are best suited for windbreaks?—E. A. N. A. Trees which have dense foliage that is retained over Winter and whose lower branches hang on for a period of years are the best for windbreaks. These are spruce, firs, hemlocks, Doug- las fir, arborvitas, cedars and Monte- rey cypress. The white pines are nearly as good and Scotch pine is very ef- tective up to 12 or 15 years of age. Q. Please describe the early Colonial bed that was fastened up against the wall in the daytime.—H. N. _A._The turn-up bedstead was popular in New England. “This,” writes Alice Morse Earle, “was a strong frame filled with a network of rope, which was fas- tened at the bed head by hinges to the wall. By night the foot of the bed rested on two heavy legs. By day the frame, with its bed furnishings, was | hooked up to the wall and covered with homespun curtains and doors.” These the place chosen because the room was the warm- est in the house. Q. What is the name of the song which l;;}ms “In the evening by the moonlight*'?—C. E. J. A. It is sometimes listed as “South- ern Memories” and sometimes as “In the Evening. Q. What salary does a Justice of the Supreme Court receive?—E. K. A. The Chief Justice of the Supreme, Court of the United States has a salary of $20,500 a year. Each associate Jjustice receives $20,000. Q. How many families in-the United States are, said to possess two auto- mobiles?—F. S. A. More than 3,000,000 families now. do consist of particles of snow. Q. What is a pariah?—C. M. | A. The word is used to mean an out- | POsSsess tWo Or more cars, aCCOT estimated figures gathered from reliable sources. President W ‘The question of American adherence to of the court find in President Coolidge’s | desire to reopen negotiations on the subject hope for an agreement before the end of his administration. Some observers, however, fail to see any basis for reviving what they for a long time have agreed as a closed incident. Discussion centers about the Senate reservation providing that without the consent of the United States the court should not give an advisory opinion on any matter in which the United States claimed an interest. It has been pointed out that the question of whether the reservation would give this country an unfair advantage over others depends upon whether it is finally held that re- quests for advisory opinions require unanimous action by the League of Na- tions Council. Considering _this uncertainty, the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin _(inde- pendent Republican) suggests that “it would be helpful if the League Council should clear up the present doubt as to whether or not requests for advisory opinions require unanimous action by the council.” The Chicago Daily News (independent) feels sure that “should the decision be in favor of unanimity the one obstacle to American entrance into the World Court would be re- moved.” “It would seem that common sense and acceptance of the ‘eternal fitness of things,’” according to the Chatta- nooga Times (independent Democratic), “should move us to settle the issue, once and for all, by doing the thing that will settle it and restore the friendly rela- tions with our neighbors abroad, now somewhat abraded.” The Bangor Com- mercial (Republican) holds that “the gap to be bridged is but a slight one,” the New York Times (independent) as- sails “petty objections - which have Titherto kept us out” and the Worces- ter Telegram (independent sees “noth- ing in this dispute which could not be straightened out by a little sincere ne- gotiation.” * K K K “Statesmanship will show itself bank- rupt if it cannot compose this differ- ence,” declares the Newark Evening News (independent) and the Greens- boro Daily Record (independent) be- lieves that “the question might be set- tled if it were discussed at a conference of world leaders.” The importance of action is emphasized by the Rochester Times-Union (independent), which de- clares that “adhesion of the United States to the court would immensely enhance its prestige and usefulness.” “The important fact” to the Youngs- town Vindicator (Democratic) “is that Mr. Coolidge believes that there is still a possibility of our entering the court before he leaves office. If this is ac- complished, and the Kellogg treaty is adopted, we are facing a most impor- tant three months of our country’s Ais- tory.” In case of failure at this time, however, the Albany Evening News (independent Republican) believes the President “will at least able to forward America’s adherence so that it will take place in President Hoover’s administration.” “President Coolidge may effect this as one of the crowning achievements of his administration,” says the Pasadena Star-News (Republican), and the New York Evening World (independent) takes the stand: “The President is said to be greatly impressed by the eagerness of Americans to enter the court; by that token he may safely assume a real leadership if he will” The Hartford Times (independent Democratic) suggests: “The Senate may misbehave now, by stubbornly re- fusing to clarify what it has said or by refusing to let the State Department attempt to straighten out the muddle. naving stepped from his role of poli- ician in the heat of the moment, he, the employer, could not be held liable. There is no charge for this suggestion. We only ask that we be natified when, ‘where and by whom it will be tried out. An alert, interested and vigorous pub- lic opinion is the best protection against either contingency.” B ‘The admlnistration is criticized by the Lowsyilla Times (independent), 'Friends of World Coufl Hope ill End Impasse which states that “no progress has been made during the last two years toward showing foreign powers that the United States is disposed to accept the mediation of an international court”; and by the Terre Haute Star (inde pendent Republican), which declares: “In raising the question as to the exact significance of our fifth reservation, the World Court nations, having ac- cepted all the reservations ‘in princl- ple,;’ asked for a further ‘exchange of views,’ which would eliminate ground for misapprehension. That courteous and wholly proper request was denied and we remained outside the court.bes cause we declined to discuss the ne-n" ing of our terms.” 4 Unqualified disapproval of any move : comes from the Akron Beacon-Jou: (independent Republican) with the ask's sertion: “We took an awful bite of = that dreadfully sour European app! and:- the great rank and file of s ordinary American people want no morg ¥ of it. Indeed, the one thing for whicly " today we can give profound thanks that we escaped from the League ofj Nations or any of its subsidiaries.” “If there ‘remains real work to ~ done in composing differences and {) moving doubts,” in the judgment the Baltimore Sun (independent Dem: ocratic), “then we shall be agreeably’; amazed in case it should turn out thagf Mr. Coolidge is able to do in threg® months the work that he has beemt+ unable or unwilling to do in upwnr“ of three years.” : The New Orleans Item (Democratic), argues: “Unless Mr. Coolidge has . sound but secret reason to believe that the other powers would now waive theie objections to receiving the United States into the court’s fellowship on its own terms, his move remains only a | graceful gesture of friendly feeling toward other peoples by a retiring Chief Magistrate. For neither have we seen any indication that our people or the Senate have undergone any change of view on the subject.” ° “Unless the public comes to the sup~ port of the idea more than it has since America’s first decision to stay out, it will hardly be expedient for the Senate to press the matter further,” avers the Lausing State Journal (independent | Republican), and the Waterloo Tribune | tindependent Progressive) thinks that “there would appear to be nothing the President can do about making the United States a member of the court, in so far as Congress is concerned.” SR - If You Must Pun, From the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch. One of the most pious churchmg the times undoubtedly iy’ the mu:nog{ Westb \:ho de:l’mhed to contribute for any but an upright plano for day school. bl R White Ones, at That. From the Bay City Dally Times. Actors in the talkies mustaches or whiskers, as they ater i with the speech. Some of ‘the plots, however, will {urnish the whiskers, —— vt There's the Auto Radiator, Too, From the Kalamezoo Gazette. Cheer up! The man w bottle of forbidden SDH“.}IIOI(::”C!::Y::!’ mas can always save his gift until next Summer and use it as & mosquito spray, —r——— Quite, Quite So. From h:: Boston Evening Transcript, W] 2 man, unable to into the water to save a m:x'.'al?' it% be said that valor is sometimes -he better part of discretion. S = He Probably Would. From the Kansas City Jouraal-Post. Poincare would probal a a :Pe cnnndeir}c: o&;h.- Cham;r:\:‘ g?l;)cel;fll: es more t not ha so frequently.. i um “