Evening Star Newspaper, December 21, 1928, Page 8

r o THE EVENING STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C FRIDAY THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor The Evening Star Newspaper Company Business Office: 1ith St. and Pernsylvania Ave. New York Office: 110 Fast +2nd St. Chicago Office: Tower Building. Turopean Office. 14 Regent St.. London. England. Rate by Carrier Within the City. Star 45¢ per month and Sunday Star days) 60c per month 4 Sunday Star E 68c per month ay Star . ... Sc per ccpy fon made at fhe end of each month. say be sent in by mail cr telephone 00. Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. nday... 1 ¥r.$1000: 1 mo. 8 73 5r 18 00; 1 mo. 20e 1 yr. $400; 1 mo. 40¢ All Other States and Canada. Member of the Associated Press. The Associated Press is exclusively (ntitled %o the nuse for republication of all rews dis- credited to it er not othorwise cred: his paper and al e local s & of publication of erein e also reserved. Al T atches herein The Cramton Park Bill. The enthusiasm of the American Civic Association’s Washington com- mittee over the purpose of the bill by Representative Cramton of Michigan is shared by all who have the park development of the National Capital and its environs at heart. For Mr. Cramton has drawn a measure covering important schemes for extension of the Capital's parking system into adjacent Maryland; for the construction of a riverside parkway on both sides of the Potomac from Mount Vernon and Fort Washington to a point above GreulJ Falls and for the acquisition of park lands here in the District which soon will become unavailable unless they are bought within the next few years. Mr. Cramton has taken various projects en- tertained by Capital planners and lumped them into one measure. Speak- ing of its relative importance, he says: “Boulevards, monuments and marble buildings can be constructed at any time, but the natural beauties of Wash- ington and its environs, if not pre- served, can never be restored. The past fivg vears have seen the passing of some of the Capital's most delightful beauty spots and they are gone forever. The development and expansion of the Capital in population is so rapid and its suburbs are spreading so greatly that a few years more will make sad havoc with remaining scenic areas un- Jess prompt action is taken for their @cquisition and preservation.” Two sections of Mr. Cramton’s plan for financing the park extension and development program call for Treasury advances, to be repaid in five years swithout interest. The Federal Govern- ment would share with Maryland and Virginia, on a fifty-fifty basis, the cost of land and construction of the George ‘Washington Memorial Parkway on both sides of the Potomac from Fort Wash- ington and Mount Vernon to & point sbove Great Falls, except for those portions lying within Alexandria and the District. The extension of the Rock Creek and Anacostia parkways into Maryland would be paid for on & sixty- ¢ix and two-thirds—thirty-three and a third basis by the Federal Gov- ernment and Maryland, Maryland con- itributing two-thirds. The land for the District’s park, park- way and playground system would be financed by a Treasury advance of gixteen million dollars, repaid without 4nterest at the rate of one million dol- lars annually out of District of Colum- bia funds. While the purpose of Mr. Cramton's bill is excellent and indicative of the Congressman’s interest in the develop- ment of his National Capital, the ap- parent discrimination against the tax- paying but voteless citizens of the Dis- trict in financing this great national project is hard to understand. In one case the Federal Government would mgree to a Afty-fifty ratio with Mary- land and Virginia in buying and de- veloping park land ahd parkways. In another case the Federal Government egrees to pay-one-third. But in the case of the District the burden is shift- | ed to the shoulders of its residents, with no semblance of any guarantee as to Uncle Sam’s proportional contribution. Under the present lump-sum expedient the Federal Government in the mnext eixteen years conceivably might con- tribute approximately, twenty-two. per cent to national park development in the District, provided the District’s bud- gets for the next sixteen years do not exceed forty million dollars. But if history repeats itself, the budget will increase annually, while the Federal Government’s proportional contribution will dwindle with each increase. Mr. Cramton’s proposal, as it relates to the District, would make sixteen mil- lion dollars available in 1931. Its ef- fect on the annual appropriation bills for the National Capital Park and Planning Commission, however, would be merely to increase this annual ap- propriation by about four hundred thousand dollars. But the original legislation creating the Park and Plan- g Commission indicated the na- onal aspect of such legislation by limiting the annual appropriation to a sum not exceeding one cent a year per inhabitant of the United States, and 1g that the money should be ap- riated in accordance with the ex- isting ratio between the United States end the District, which, under substan- tive law, was then and is now sixty- forty. Mr. however, definitely the places ap- propriation for this national or semi- national project in the District’s an- nual supply bill, thus classifying it as 2 local undertaking. Since new legislation is proposed to finance park commission projects, the opportunity should be taken to remove this national or semi-national under- taking from the District bill, with its nine millions lump sum payment, and to make the District's degree of partici- pation as definite as in the case of Assuming the fair division arrived at as being sixty- forty, the District would repay to the “Treasury sixty per cent of the sixteen- This advance then would be placed on the fair basis Maryland and Virginia. million-dollar advance. December 21, 1928 Cramton’s amending bill, the latter was repaid on s basis of fitty-fifty. ‘There is much to commend in the Cramton bill. In general purpose the proposed legislation is wise and far- seeing, and anticipates and promises grand results. In securing parkland now it 1s wisely economical. In omit- ting interest charge on the suggested advance it is justly liberal. The exist- ing park commission law, as construed by Congress, not only gives power to collect from District taxpayers all of the national pennies due one a year from | every American, but authorizes the ex- | penditure of the dollars thus exacted without their consent from the District taxpayers for the purchase of land in Maryland and Virginia. The Cramton bill corrects one of these inequities. It shifts to Maryland, Virginia and the National Government in specific pro- portions the park development outside | of the District. | Why not make of the Cramton bill an all-around measure of justice and wisdom? Why not define specifically, | 2s in the case of Maryland and Vir- ginia, the District taxpayers’ percentage of contribution to this primarily na- tional project? In fixing this per- centage equitably why not recognize that the use of District dollars to con- vert taxable real estate into parks which are exempt from taxation im- poses a double burden, since the effect is not only to reduce current resources, but to strike millions from the Dis- | trict's tax list, to reduce the District's tax-raising capacity for the future and to increase the tax burden upon the real estate remaining subject to taxa- Ition? * And finally, in making definite the | fiscal relations between Nation and Capital why not recognize the mon- strous un-American injustice of permit- ting the national partner in the Capital- { making partnership to expend without limit and irrespective of the wishes of the local partner the money exacted from the latter in amounts increasing every year, both relatively and abso- lutely, and of empowering the national partner to impose upon the local partner the entire burden of Capital’ meintenance without permitting the latter to participate in taxing itself or in spending the taxes exacted from it? ] Hope for the King. In the Summer of 1891 Prince George, then a twenty-six-year-old commander in the British Navy, visited his elder brother, the Duke of Clarence, in Dub- lin. There he became desperately ill of typhotd fever, but his robust constitu- tion served him well. He recovered in time to stand beside the death bed of his brother, who, at the same time, had contracted pneumonis. His brother’s death made him heir to the British throne. Today's reassuring bulletins from Buckingham Palace strengthen hope that the King's remarkable vitality has carried him -over the critical stage of his present illness. At sixty-three, he retains some of the recuperative powers of his youth, for his doctors who signed this morning’s bulletin- assuredly base their optimism on scientific observation, and not upon hope alone. Throughout recting nn old one, is deeply to be re- gretted. Yet it should g noted that there is danger of doing just that thing. This new injustice would involve company officers—that is, captains, first lieuten- ants and second lieutenants of the Regular Army at the time of the com- petitive examinations in 1920. Many of ther: officers held rank dur- ing the World War considerably higher than the permanent rank to which they were demoted prior to the examinations in question. There were on the Regular Army lists hundreds of men who had held company or even higher command during the war, but who in 1920 were permanently ranked as lieutenants. And none of these officers was permitted to compete in the examinations of that year—those examinations being re- stricted, by War Department order, to the so-called ‘“emergency officers.” For those seeking to right the wrongs of the emergency officers adversely af- fected in the final make-up of the pro- motion list to neglect the just claims of these Regular Army officers would be entirely unfair. There can be no doubt that some method of meting out justice to all concerned can be devised. Proponents of revision will weaken their case unless it be genuinely based upon the demand that this be done. Opponents to revi- sion would do well to abandon tactics which discredit their perfectly proper insistence that they be not wronged in the quest for what they cannot but recognize is justice to the ex-emergency officers. — et A son hastens to the bedside of his father in days of dangerous illne The public is profoundly and sympa- thetically interested, as it would be in any case of human stress, even though the father was not a King and the son ‘a prince. The English monarchy has shown a rare felicity in keeping close to the hearts of the people. ————a—— An inauguration may be very modest so far as the new President is con- cerned. The matter is out of his hands when it comes to a spontaneous expres- sion of popular enthusiasm. ——— e Reporters find it difficult to ascertain what President Coolidge is going to do after the Fourth of March. Possibly Mr. Coolidge himself shares their doubts on the subject. 4 ——— e Polar exploration tends in a way to turn the world upside down. Arctic exploration has yielded comparatively little interest. Antarctic research prom- ises disclosures of untold value. v A so-called “lame duck” has usually acquired a reputation in public service which will serve as a pretty good crutch in a journey toward responsible private employment. ————— ‘The high cost of prohibition enforce- ment is taking rank along with the old question, repeated through each genera- tion, of the high cost of living. oo Every time the New York police padlock a night club they obligingly permit it to bp known what its next his illness the frank and intimate .Jna- ture of these terse bulletins has been notable. Fully cognizant of the de- pression throughout the empire to re- sult from bad news from the sickroom, the King’s physicians apparently held nothing back. Their royal patient be- longed to his subjects, who had a right to know. King George entered the Navy as a cadet when he was only twelve years old. He won distinction for his athletic prowess, commanded his own ship at sea and for years rose at six o'clock in the morning and was in bed by nine in the evening. His love of sports and the years he spent in the open air may yet give back to Britain a beloved ruler who, a few days ago, seemed standing at death’s door. America shares the joy of her cousin over the good.news. o Countries that have nursed a quarrel through many years find it difficult to turn their pet infant over to an au- thority that undertakes scientific training. oot Justice for AlL Some of the opponents to pending legislation looking to such revision of the Army promotion list as will correct a grave injustice done to certain emer- gency oificers of the World War at the time of their taking their places on the Regular Army lists present a variety of arguments in favor of their position. They assert that because a majority of all officers on the present list prefer their -present status to the proposed change the change should not be made. To The Star this seems tanta- mount to arguing that if a patent injus- tice benefits a majority the rights of the minority adversely affected should be neglected. Such a position is un- tenable. They assert that the officer who failed to interpret that clause of the act under which the injustice was worked as the War Department has interpreted it has no one but himself to blame for his present predicament. To The Star this seems tantamount to arguing that, granting, for the sake of argument, the literal correctness of the War Department’s interpretation of the phraseology of a legal clause now held to involve & gross inequity, that clause should not be so corrected by interpretative legislation as to correct the inequity involved. In other words, that Congress, having unwittingly passed legislation susceptible of an interpreta- tion which flouts justice, should not, now that that injustice is established, so legislate as to correct matters. Such a position is untenable. They denounce the proposed altera- tions as ‘“class legislation,” implying that because it is designed to right the wrongs of a specific group it should be branded as unjust to the balance of the Army. To The Star this appears merely to be the employment of a hackneyed catch phrase to becloud the real issues. The phrase could with equal inappro- priateness be applied to any legislation dealing with a group less than the entire population of the Nation, All of these arguments seem to The Star, by their very weakness, to benefit the chances of the prompt passage of the legislation under consideration. That address will be. ———— Law and medicine represent the two great professions. King George has been fortunate in his medical as well as his legal advisers. SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Every person has secret ambitions. Thess may be nothing more ferocious than longing for chocolate candy or (less terrible) than pining to be dictator of a free people. They may or may not have much re- lation to the general character of the holder, there being no sure way of de- ciding how far whimsicality goes in a given case. The writer here has three ambitions, which he now makes public for the first time: 1. Never to do anything he want to do. 2. To tell the truth when some one arsll; him, “Well, what do you think of this?” does not 3. To live at the seashore for an en- tire year. Probably the first is an inherent wish of mankind in general, but as far as we know this is the first,time it has ever been put so frankly in print. We shall continue to regard it, therefore, as an unexpressed wish of the human race rather than a peculiarity of one person. It is the fate of human beings, from the day they are born to the day they die, to be placed in positions which they do not care for, to be under compulsions which they fail to appreciate, to be told to do things which, everything else being equal—which they never are— they would not do. ‘This, it may be stated in passing, is life. Even the great Napoleon. when he became Emperor, had to do things which he did not want to do. No doubt there was many a state function which he willingly would have missed, if pol- icy had not made it imperative. Such compulsions will always attend | human beings. There is no escaping them. As far as the average man or woman may hope to go, therefore, in this -grand central ambition is to be free in habits. There is an affirmative as well as a negative side. He who detest banquets, yet often goes to them because of any one of a hundred valid reasons, will sometimes find that others desire him to indulge in practices which do not come natural to him. It may be nothing more than some game which a dear friend wants him to try. The latter, an ardent golfer, can see no good reason why everybody should not be equally enthusiastic about the royal game. “I don't want to play gol sufferer. “But you haven't tried it,” exclalms the other. Though the logic is good, the har- assed man stands firm. He does not want to play golf and refuses to do so_until golf shall have become com- pulsory on all human beings. So it goes through all the likes and dislikes of the human being. In mat- ters grave or gay the principle is ever the same. If one half of mankind does not know how the other half lives, as has been said, it makes up for it by attempting to tell the members of its own class how to conduct themselves. “The way for you to live, my dear friends, is exactly according to the laws which I shall lay down. I not only know how best to live for myself, but I have graciously solved the problem for you, too, and you must accept the plan upon the pain of my displeasure.” “Oh, is that s0?” you reply, if Secret Ambition No. 1 has become a fact. “Well, I never do anything I don't want to any more, so go chase yourself around the block, as the children say.” * K K X says the To tell the truth when some one asks “What do you think of this?” is WASHINGTON e THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. ©, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1928. . THIS AND THAT BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL. & pretty ambition, indeed. Of the three which have been presented, it is the one least likely of attainment. In the first place, any one with even a tinge of a desire not to hurt others would shrink from blurting out his real opinions except when confronting book agents (who deserve no mercy) and those who take candy from children. is all very well to call the first a nuisance and the second a sneaking how will one reply to her “How do you like my new The only possible answer, of course, is “Very much, my deas There is a mean, however, in which one would covet the chance to say firmly and truthfully what one thinks about things. One is asked opinions every day by people who are seeking not opinfon but support. Bluffo Jones brings you a new book. “What do you think of this?” he asks. He likes it, and wants you to say you like it, too. ‘What a relief it would be to say frankly, honestly, and firmly (above all firmly): “I think it is rotten. I think it is the worst story I have ever read. I am tired of these rampant male heroes chasing around after beautiful Mexican senoritas. I am sure Mexican senoritas are not like that, although I never had the-pleasure of meeting one.” Ruffo Smith, composer, has just fin- ished a new march. It sounds like Sousa strained through cheesecloth, if you get what we mean, which you prob- ably do not. Anyway, it isn't much of a march. It moves along, all right, but there is no tune. “How do you like this new march?" he asks, with a broad grin. “I am going to dedicate it to you.” ‘What joy it would be to be able to say, with malice toward none and charity for all (composers) : “Please don’t. Kindly dedicate it to some one else. As a composer, you know before I do that this march is not worth the paper it is written on. I will grant you that you have written it correctly. The bars possess the cor- rect number of notes. No doubt an average sized brass band could make a terrific clatter on this portion at the end of the first coda. They might fool the universe into thinking it really amounted to somethiny. You and I know better, don’t we?” As for the third secret ambition, to live by the sea for at least one year consecutively, that is purely personal. The next might prefer the mountains. Every man to his choice. The seashore is ours. Two weeks at the short is fine, a month is glorious, three months is heaven, but a solid year would be para- dise, indeed. Our ambition calls for a cozy cottage, all weather-stripped, fronting the sea. Preferably it shall be on a shore where tidal waves never come, but where the ordinary waves flow both grand and glorious, especially when a nor'easter comes sweeping in, cutting out the beach as if with a glant’s cleaver. We have no idea exactly what a giant's cleaver looks like, but it must be a wicked blade. Prefer- ably there shall be an unlimited supply of cord wood, to heap up in the’ big stone fireplace in the living room. There must be walls lined with book- cases, each case filled with volumes we have never read. There ought to be a radio, a phonograph and plenty of good things to eat. Here, by the sounding sea, one might live with the sun and the air and the great waters, be bathed in glorious sunsets and drink deep of the healing salty tang which is like nothing else on earth. Of our three secret ambitions, this is the only :l:le that has any chance of coming e. OBSERVATIONS \ BY FREDERIC WILLIAM WILE. The Navy draws first blood on Capitol Hill. At least, Senator Hale, Republic- an, of Maine, in charge of the cruiser bill, finds encouragement in yesterday’s vote during the parliamentary wrangle over one of Vice President Dawes' de- cisons while the Senate was milling over the priority rights of the Kellogg treaty and the cruiser measure. The naval affairs chairman bears chief responsibility for enactment of the The Goal. And here we are agin, Back to the Christmas Treel Lifs with our fellow men Seems what it used to be In gentle days of youth When singing and a smile That spoke affection’s truth Made living seem worth while. We've traveled 'round the earth, We've journeyed through the sky And viewed with tears or mirth The seasons passing by, Still knowing how and when ‘We'd meet in honest glee— 8o, here we are agin, i Back to the Christmas Tree! Standing By. “Your friends stood by you in the re- cent election.” “They did better than that,” answered Senator Sorghum. “Instead of merely standing by while studying political ad- vantage, a number of them honestly voted for me.” Jud Tunkins says a practical politi- clan is not always as great an example of statesmanship as he is of salesman- ship. Candor. Though candor all approve, it grows uncouth ' And may result in consequences sad. The man who tells the uninvited truth Is always liable to be In Bad. Turning to Professional Talent. “You intend to cross the gentle gyp- sy’s palm with silver?” “Yes,” answered Miss Cayenne. “I have listened to election forecasters, stock market prophets and race-track tipsters. Now I'm going to try a reg- ular fortune teller.” “We reverence heroes of the past,” said Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown. “It is our duty to prepare men who will be honored in the future.” Laughter and Tears. "I saw the motion picture run. I almost wept at so-called fun. Romantic scenes seemed idle chaff And nearly made me want to laugh. “I goes to church every Sunday,” said Uncle Eben. “I has to admit dat Old Satan has an advantage wif a free hand de other six days of de week.” e sl e o Filling Stations, Beware. From the Butte Daily Post. An Eastern inventor has devised an automobile engine which requires noth- ing but water for lubrication. No, the inventor’s name is not Volstead. . - Not Even Santa. PFrom the Louisville Times. Modern Version: “’'Twas the night before’ Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, ;luse none of the family had yet come ome.” . they should be resorted to, rather than that the energies of those advancing them should be directed ¢ the entirely which marked the one secured hetween |plausible task of persuading Congress 1900 end 1910, except for the fact that not to work a mew injustice while cor- equal to the Too Rigorous. Prom the Chattanoogs News Liquor penalties shoi be made cost of infioting them, _ shipbuilding program, The Vice Presi- dent’s ruling was favorable to cruiser cause. On an appeal the Senate sustained it by 63 to 13. Three or four pro-cruiserites voted against the chair, while one or two anti- cruiserites (like Norris of Nebraska) voted with the majority. Analyzing the roll call, Admiral Hale sees no cause for anxiety when the cruiser bill can actually be brought to a vote some time after January 3. The only question that's going to make Christmas a little less merry for the man from Maine is just when a roll call can be had. * ok K X Charles MacVeagh, American Ambas- sador to Japan, is the first member of the foreign service to indicate his re- tirement with the Coolidge administra- tion., Mr. MacVeagh has just reached his home at Santa Barbara, Calif., and does not plan to return to Tokio. It is not e certain he will present him- self in ' Washington for some time.; Meantime our diplomatic business in Japan is being looked after by Edwin L. Neville, as charge d'affaires. Mr. MacVeagh considers that his mission to Japan came formally to an end with his partieipation in the recent imperial enthronement ceremonies at Kyoto. As soon as they were over, he and Mrs, MacVeagh sailed for the United States. ‘The Aml dor's wife has not had the best of health in the Far East. Amer- ican representatives in Tokio are still camping out on rented premises, pend- ing the completion, a year or two hence, of our $1,250,000 embassy and consulate establishment. The lack of suitable living Mcommndltlon:xmmpud Ambassador MacVeagh to end his so- journ in Japan, though he has not yet formally _tendered his resignation. Enough official leave is due him to tide him over to March 4. * K kK Senator James Couzens, Republican, of Michigan, even though he is reputed worth__anywhere between $40,000,000 and $50,000,000, is in financial trouble. It’s due to that $989,000 tax rebate Sec- retary Mellon recently gave for Christ- mas.” A reporter having asked the Wolverine statesman what he intended doing with that tidy bit of spare change, Couzens_said he hadn't made up his mind, That was printed, and his trou- bles set in. Every deserving cause, move- ment, institution and individual in the United States—as far as the Senator is able to check up—proceeded to submit to him a scheme for disposing in part or in whole of the Treasury check. Few men in America give away, more money, or do it more unostentatiously, than Henry Ford’s former partner. An an- nual contribution of $200,000 to the Detroit Community Chest is one of the Senator’s regular donationg, * ok kK Charles Evans Hughes, who once again is effectively serving his country at the Pan-American Arbitration Con- ference in Washington, looks forward keenly to his forthcoming maiden ;&; pearance as a justice of the W« Court. The next regular session of the “Permanent Tribunal for International Peace” is set for June, 1929. Bfln‘nl newly-elected judge, Hughes may find it necessary to visit Hague and Geneva_prior to the session. Though Uncle Sam still boycotts the court, the former Secretary of State was the unanimous choice of the League of Na- tions authorities, with whom selection rests, when it became necmrfl earligr this year to fill a vacancy. The court sits once a year for seveqral months at a time. * Kok K ‘There's a certain Midwestern member of Congress who admits to & for the ladies—except in barber shops. One day this week gentleman from ——lflli&hfldhlmla!{wthllhfl%:: downtown Washington, where he fouflnullmuuou never been shaved before. “What' a relief it is,” the Congressman ejaculated, “to get into one of these places where no women come!” His shave was fin- ished and the barber had swathed his face and forehead in hot towels. When the towels were removed and the Con- gressman set upright, two bobbed-haired apparitions confronted him. Into chairs on either side of him middle-aged flap- pers had just taken their places for hair cuts. Representative —— is now off that tonsorial parlor, too. * X k X Chalk up another noteworthy honor for the woman in public life. “Repre- sentative Florence P. Kahn, Republican, of California, has just been made a member of House committee on military affairs. She is the first of her sex to achieve such a distinction. The House cheered when Representative Til- son, the Republican floor leader, pre- sented her name in a special resolution providing for new committee assign- ments, Mrs. Kahn's colleagues see poetic :ppm?mwneu in her accession to the commi{tee of which her late hus- band, Julius n, was the most famous chairman it ever had, His work in se- curing of the draft law is an important part of World War history. Mrs. Kahn, always the coadjutor of her husband in his public duties, long has had sympathetic familiarity with the Army and its needs. * ok K ok ‘The Republican members of the Massachusetts delegation in Congress have just helped one of their colleagues, Representative Allen T. Treadway of Stockbridge, to liquidate an election bet. The bet was made in the immediate presence of President-elect Hoover at| Col O. | emergency jumps and Capt. Frank O'D. Boston on October 15, though the G. P. leader didn't know it. Mr. Tread- way wi d Edith Nourse rs of Lowell that every Bay State Republican tative would be re-elected on November 6 by his “normal” majority. No single one of them achieved such a record. So Treadway, who staked a wild-duck dinner for the delegation on his hunch, has just played host in ex- piation of his optimism. illlam F. Whiting, Secretary of Commerce, the only Massachusetts man in the cabi- net, was a guest of honor at the feast. (Copyright, 1928.) e Roberts’ Success In Films Inevitable From the Memphis Commerclal-Appeal. tilkiigly on, the speaking stade s chat s y on the s g stage a char- acter t‘mfi uttered only a few unintelli- gible words and that expressed itself chiefly with grunts, gestures and pos- tures was tailormade for success in mo- tion pictures. Almost a quarter of a century ago Theodore Roberts essayed the role of an Indian chief in Willlam Faversham’s production of “The Squaw Man.” That gripping melodrama of the West proved a tremendous success under Faversham's artistic leadershin. And no small part of its triumph was due to the work of Theadore Roberts. Even before this great characteriza- tion Roberts had shown an artistic ver- satility as marked as his specialized excellence. He had done the romantic thing with James O'Neill, the comic with Willlam H. Crane and others and the classic in_several productions of e ypr::t'y. e wel gamut of stage apr—lnnlum And on the screen The- lore Roberts was even more successful, It was inevitable that a man who could make a great character picture out of grunts and gestures would be able to differentiate character shadings with nothing else than a black cigar. In motion picture dramas Theodore Roberts has made his cigar just as ex- pressive as make-up, costumes and prop- erties are with many other delineators of character types. In a career of al- most_50 years on stage and screen he established himself as one of the coun- try's outstanding character actors. And his passing will be mourned by of Americans who have re- celved amusement, entertainment and thrills from his work. Memphis joins fervent requiescat The Duty of the Citizen to Vote The following is the prize essay in the competition held by the District Department of the American Legion among the high school students of Washington, for which Miss Anne Woodward King of Central High School received a gold medal signi- fying her victory in the division in which she compelgd. Again in the Fall of 1928 citizens and future citizens of the United States are caught in the full tide of a presidential campaign. Tags and posters are exhibit- ed in automobiles and in the windows of homes; the names of the candidates are to be seen scrawled upon the walks, walls and public structures; the air is full of it—even the voteless Capital City. In the midst of such keen contro- versy and enthusiastic demonstrations the least interested persons must, per- force, take some part—if only an in- ward decislon in favor of one or the other party. It is a most appropriate time to recall to our minds the signifi- cance of suffrage to‘the citizens and to the Nation. Voting is commonly spoken of as a right of the citizens of a republic. In the strict sense of the word, it is not a right, for each State sets its indi- vidual standards whereby certain per- sons within its boundaries are disen- franchised. Therefore, when you cast your ballot you are exereising a privi- lege which not every resident in your State possesses; and, moreover, you are performing your most important clvic duty. It is a well known fact that you cannot have privileges without respon- sibility. If you are presented with a beautiful home and do not undertake the responsibility of keeping it in re- palr, it will cease to be beautful. Thus it is with your privilege of voting. You must_continue using it if you desire beneficial returns. And not only must you use it reg- ularly, but wisely as well. If your neighbor is a conscientious citizen, he will have investigated both the plat- forms and the candidates of the op- posing parties, and he will have come to an independent conclusion as to which will best serve the needs of the day, before he approaches the polls. Blind fealty to the name of a party or narrow prejudices against a candi- date will not influence his vote. He will vote for the statesman who, free from the control of corrupt political machines, has strength to stand up for his own convictions. How contemptible, in contrast, is the man who stays at home, either because he is forgetful or shamelessly negligent of his supreme duty as a citizen! Has he any right to be dissatisfied because the city officials are dishonest or inef- fielent? Whom has he to blame that the party in power does not foster his interests? So tremendous is the num- ber of non-voters such as he that ad- vocates of a compulsory voting law have arisen, pointing out the success of that system in Australia and showing that the people of the United States are no better represented than those in_Mexico. ' Is it possible that in the same coun- try where, a century and a half ago, their ancestérs fought a war over “tax- ation without representation,” almost half of the citizens do not care to par- ticipate in the government to the ex- tent of voting for those who are to govern? In the present campaign it is evident that the failure of a few thousand cit- izens to vote may defeat the candidate whom the majority of the people favor. Altough fourteen million more people have registered than in 1924, there is no way of telling how many Democrats and how many Republicans among these may go to the movies or take an automobile trip on election day. ‘The name of patriot, while generally applied to the intrepid heroes of war ime, belongs equally to the citizen who on the 6th of November performs the peace-time duty and service of casting an honest ballot. Discrepancy Claimed In Parachute Figures To the Editor of The Star: My attention was directed to an edi- torial which appeared in your paper on December 5 last with regard to the Caterpillar Club. After touching on the escape of Test Pilot James Collins from a disabled plane through the use of the parachute, the editorial goes on to say that the Caterpillar Club is said to have a membership of 107 out of 112 who have left their planes in midair, and, further, “Even the small percentage of failures detracts none from the value of the parachute, as it is probable that in most, or perhaps all, of the cases of the five flyers who met death the jump was either too close.to the ground or the aviator was unable to get free of the ship.” It is quite evident that the writer of this editorial labored under a misap- prehension. As a matter of fact, there is no instance of record in the Air Corps where the parachute failed to function once the jumper cleared the airplane and pulled the rip cord or releasing device. At the present time the roster of the Caterpillar Club bears 110 names, although 116 emergency para- chute jumps have been made. The dis- crepancy between the number of lives saved and the number of jumps made no doubt led the editorial writer to as- sume that lives were lost. This discrep- ancy in figures is due to the fact that L. Charles A. Lindbergh made four Hunter, Lieut. E. H. Barksdale and Sergt. F. P. Miller, Air Corps, each made two jumps. In order to correct any erroneous im- pression which may have been caused among your readers as to the efficiency of the parachute, will you not kindly set the matter straight in your valued paper. Very truly yours, IRA LONGANECKER, Major, Air Corps, Chief, Information Division. ——o— No More Privacy For Herbert Hoover From the Terre Haute Star. Herbert C. Hoover and members of his family must feel deeply moved by the overwhelming vote of confidence the American people have given in selecting the former cabinet member to direct the destinies of the Nation for four years. It is the greatest honor that can come to any citizen and it is particularly gratifying to see it be- stowed on the man who faced life with serious handicaps, but who worked his way through college to become world- famous as a mining engineer. ‘While resting from the arduous labors of the campaign and contemplating the task he will assume next March, Mr. Hoover must experience a tinge of regret over the loss of that freedom which has heretofore marked his com- ing and going. Prior to the verdict of the American people he was simply a vate citizen, not an ordinary one any means, but unhampered by any the surveillance which attends the of All of that movements of the is now ended and the familiar reference t» that of the goldfish. ‘When Mr. Hoover takes one of his accustomed strolls his steps are dogged by Secret Service men and the roads leading to his residence are guarded by other operatives. The President-elect is no longer a private citizen, but one who must be shielded from the curlosity seeker and the crank. Hun- dreds of folk already have sought a glimpse of the next Executive. Others eager for selfish advancement would grasp (an _opportunity * to Pres:.melr fancied claims for recognition. The This is a special department devoted to the handling of inquiries. You have at your disposal an extensive organiza- tion in Washington fo serve you in any capacity that relates to information. Write your question, your name and your address clearly, and inclose 2 cents in coin or stamps for reply. Send to The Evening Star Information Bu- reau, Frederic J. Haskin, director, Washington, D. C. Q. When was the first long_motion picture shown in America?—H. 8. B. A. “Queen Elizabeth,” with Bernhardt in the title role, was the first four-reeler exhibited in this coun- try. It had its initial showing in New York City, July 12, 1912, Q. How long have we had the sale of Christmas seals?—D. L. . In the Fall of 1907 Miss Emily P. Bissell of Wilmington, Del, launched the first Christmas seal sale, from which was realized $3,000. Q. Can the hour be told in advance that the earth will go through the densest part of the Leonids?>—C. P. A. The Naval Observatory says that the exact hour at which the earth meets the densest positions of the swarm of meteors known as the Leonids cannot be predicted in advance. The earth comes nearest the orbit of the Leonids ,November 14-15 each year, but as the nleteors are more or less bunched in their orbit and are -continually changing their positions due to the attraction of the planets, the time when they will be encountered in largest numbers is uncertain. The intensity of the display also varies considerably from year to year, as the earth meets different portions of the swarm each year. Q. How much of a grade has the Pilatus Railway?—F. N. D. A. The Pilatus Railway, Switzerland, called the railway that stands on end, hastn grade of 19 per cent to 48 per cent. Q. Why does water when passing from a basin into a drain pipe as- sume a rotary motion?—H. C. V. A. The Bureau of Standards says that the rotary motion of water passing down a pipe is caused by the shape of the opening and the friction of the sides. The direction in which it runs depends upon how it started, and it is not always the same direction. Q. Where did “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” appear first?>—R. L. J. A. From June 1, 1851, to April, 1852, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” appeared serially in the National Era, Washington, D. C. Q. How many Mohammedans are there in Paris?—M. H. A. It is said that Paris is to be the established center of the Mussulman world. The Mohammedan mosque, which was erected last year, is the mecca of 50,000; resident Algerians, Tunislans and " Moroccans, besides numerous other coreligionists of Egypt, Turkey, Persia and India traveling in France. Q. Have domestic rabbits ever had tularemia?—L. L. L. A. There is no record of 2 case among domestic rabbits. $ Q. Has Hawaii hlg a large pineapple crop this year?- h A. Statisticians have figured that if hiy privacy recalls | ges! the 9,000,000 cases of pineapples turned out this year by Hawaii were placed side by side, the line would be 13,636 miles Iongd—extendlnz half way around the world. Q. What acids are used in the Treas- ury to clean money?—W. F. C. A. The cleaning of money, both paper and coins, in the United States Treas-|R. ury has been discontinued. When money has become too soiled and dis- reputable for circulation, it is destroyed and replaced with new. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS « BY FREDERIC ]. HASKIN. Q. Should one sa: or “I differ from you’ . W. T. A. One differs with a person when he does not agree. To differ from i not to have similar physical character« istics. Q. When was the first almanac pub= lished in this country?>—C. B. McC. A. The first almanac in this country was published by Willlam Pilerce Cambridge in 1639. . What is “kyphosis” as applied to nlan ex-soldier?—E. L. H. A. It designates curvature of the spine. Q. Are the annual rings in wood wider some years than in others?— E. E. S. A. The Forest Service says that when weather, moisture and soil conditions are good the rings on trees are wider, and there is a higher proportion of Summer wood in the ring. Q. Who was Paul Bunyan?—R. C. A. A. Paul Bunyan is the mythical hero of a legend of the woods. He is a kind of super-lumberjack. Q. How were the boundaries between the United States and Canada estab- lished?—E. J. M. A. They were established by treaty. Q. If a ship tows another in response to an § O S, must it be paid for the service?—T. G. C. A. If a ship in midocean sends out an S O S call and is towed to shore by a relief ship, compensation is due the ship giving the service, unless it is done by the United States Navy. The exact amount of compensation depends upon the value of the cargo and the cost to the ship providing assistance. Q. What is the “third degree"?— D. B. H. A. The practice commonly known as the “third degree” has long been used as a means of obtaining information from persons under suspicion of crime. An eminent Chicago lawyer recently de- scribed this practice as follows: “The third degree is a popular phrase, mean- ing a superlative degree of pressure ap- plied to accused persons and persons detained as witnesses to compel them to confess or to give evidence such as the prosecutor desires—whether true or not. It is the general practice through- out the United States for police officers or prosecuting attorneys (usually the former), immediately upon the arrest of a suspect and before the formal inquiry of a magistrate, to undertake an informal investigation for the pur- pose of procuring a confession of crime or such information as will make ft possible to secure a conviction.” Q. Where is the original of the well :noswnppicture of Countess Potocka A. The celebrated pastel of the Countess Potocka is in the Berlin Gallery. Q. How many sailors are there on & battleship?>—F. C. W. A. There are approximately 1,400 sailors on a battleship. Q. Is it hot at the bottom of the ocean?—F. M. A. A. It is not hot on the bottom of the ocean. There is & rapid decrease in temperature of the ecean until a d:&:h of about 400 fathoms is reached, T which there is a the bottom. Here iperal mains practically uniform at from 32 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and is independ- ent of latitude. Q. Of what kind of wood are the rnfl‘x;old ties of South America made?— A. Species of the quebracho tree are used. The name may be transiated as “ax breaker,” and the hardness of the wood makes it ideal for railroad ties. Program for Calendar Reform Attracts Attention of Public The question of world calendar re- form, upon which public attention has been focused through the bill intro- duced in the House by Reépresentative Porter of Pennsylvania, providing for conferences with other nations, is dis- cussed by the press with emphasis upon obstacles of getting the people of the principal nations to aceept the uniform 13-month program. Behind this proposed reform, the Rochester Times-Union finds “a host of eminent representatives of finance, commerce, industry, insurance, railway, labor and the press. * * * ‘Fhe com- plex business world in which we live today,” says the Times-Union, “is all so new that we are only beginning to appreciate the inefficiency of the sys- tem of dividing the year into ‘unequal months.” “Since the calendar, as a measure of time for man’s convenience.” “ob— serves the Charleston Daily Mall, “has been changed a number of times with- out interfering with the earth's regu- lar march around its orbits, with the real length of the day, or with that of the week; since such a change has not brought or prevented hurricane, earthquake or flood and is not re- sponsible for epidemic; since empires have neither risen nor fallen because of such readjustments as it has pleased mankind to make—it would appear as if the world could make another change, if it chose, without experiencing dis- aster.” * kK K «“Old-fashioned years have followed one another without much change since the time of the Egyptians,” the Chi- cago Daily Tribune states, “and it re- mains for modern men to reconstruct the calendar to suit the modern need. Though time and eemperament are hard to change, the new year of 13 months gains new support as time goes on, and even Copgress will consider it this year, * * * The United States Weather Bureau, astronomers, business men have long advocated the year of 13 months. The plan and its promotion owe much to George Eastman of Rochester. The old calendar is an aggregate of whims and half-found science. * * * The time for & new calendar is here. Congress should su port Representative Porter's resolution. “Many difficulties in the way" are noted, however, by the Roanoke ‘World- News, with the conclusion that “the chief one is general inertia—the un- willingness to face any new change, however uncomfortable or unsatisfac- y the present situation ‘The Virginia paper believes that ‘“no ‘harm can be done by the adoption of the Porter resolution and the consultation of other.nations. A system of 13 months of equal length has its obvious advan- tages, if it can be uniformly installed without too much of confusion.” “It will be a weighty business, this changing of the calendar,” declares the Albany Knickerbocker Press, which sug- ts that “the movement has progressed now to the point where those citizens whose sentiments the advocates of re- form are anxious to assay should begin to look into the matter and study the advantages and disadvantages of the plan.” The Knickerbocker Press refers to action by the Pan-American Confer- ence and states that “since October, 1927, a committee appointed by the United States Chamber of Commerce in the calendar. That was in 1532 when the Julian calendar established by Julius Caesar was discarded for the present or Gregorian calendar. If Mr. Porter suc- ceeds in giving us a still greater. im- mtz’amzhewmhnmnflmm Y. * kA X “The plan is winning increasing sup- po) tries,” according to the Ottawa ~Journal, “and while no doubt it will be opposed vigorously by those who look upon even ‘daylight sav ing’ as unwarranted human interference with a celestial arrangement of hours and days, there seems to be_considerable ground for mtmlm." As to whether the advantages offered by the new system of reckoning time Ta duesion, I the opinion of the Ann a question, Arbor Daily News. “Looking into the future, and it with the present, one might readily say that the reform ought to be undertaken: however, the present, and likewise the future, have definite connections with the past, and in instances where dates are importantly involved the change easily could cause confusion. Students of history, for example, might well find remmble g‘bjecfio’}u." “The _subject challenging more attention and interest every year.” con- cludes the Atlanta Journal. “We are now told by its advocates that it is their hope fo have the nations of the world agree on a 13-month-year by 1933, when January 1 falls on Sunday. With this end in view they are striving for an international conference. * * * While the calendar reformers are at work, it is respectfully suggested that they might amend their pi am by provision that all holidays should fail on Monday. * * * It might be well, too, if the number of holidays were mate- rially reduced.” Community Kitchen Is Bad News for Men Prom the Columbus Dispatch. ‘The vast majority of American hus- bands will not greet the prediction of Miss Katherine Blunt (sic), chairman of the department of home economics of the University of Chicago, that the kitchen is doomed, with any great burst of enthusiasm, such as tossing of hats and parading through the main thoroughfares at high noon. Miss Blunt declares that the time will come when all cooking will be done in community kitchens, familles will file their orders a week in advance, and a man will call after the meals to cart away the dishes. The eight-hour day is at hand for the housewife, and the idea that homemaking is “a brainless task” is passing out, Miss Blunt says. Homemaking is to be “dignified” and placed on a scientific basis. That the kitchen is undergoing some sort o: e;nh‘xgomry process is very -n; paren! e neration o husbands. It mlmg room have shrunk, in our up-to-date apartment houses, until only their furnishings dis- tinguish them from the clothes presses. One can still tell it is the kitchen by the shelves of canned goods and the can-opener hanging on the wall. But we cannot believe in the community kitchen prognostication. Woman has been emancipated, to a large extent, from household drudgery through the efforts of science, but we prefer to be- has been studying the subject.” “Any one who starts out to make this change has a job on his hands,” says the Walla Walla Daily Bulletin, recalling that “the mightiest astronomers of for- constant -attendance of Secret Service men will no doubt prove somewhat irk- some, but it is one of the penalties on thege who attain that ted office, . gotten centuries wrestled with this prob- lem” and that “the wisest men of all time have contributed their best wisdom on the s t.”” The Bulletin continues: “There change been one important lieve she will seize upon these new in- ventions and use them, rather than lie down on the job entirely. As for dignifying home: 3 average American wife already has too much dignity to .allow herself to become a mwo ‘\uoleu ornament. And what o homemaking, pray, is more A'mpomnt than the preparation