Evening Star Newspaper, December 23, 1928, Page 26

2 [THE * EVENING -STAR With Sunday Morning Edition. WASHINGTON, D. C. SUNDAY......December 23, 1928 THEODORE W. NOYES....Editor ‘The Evening Star Newspaper Company 1ty st A Penmoivanta Ave Net Dork Sfice: 10, Bast snd 8L, Chicago_Office: Tower Building. European B 3t 1 Englan Rate by Carrier Within the City. nine Star... . .......45c per month The B:mng o8 Sinday Siar (when 4 Sundays) Sunday L] - s“.r%c per month Vening an {uwhen'nb gundl 65¢ per month “fhe Sunday Star . . ¢...5C per ccpy Collection made at d of cach month. Orders may be sent in by mail cr telephone Main 5000, Rate by Mail—Payable in Advance. Maryland and Virginia. 1 vyr.. $1000: 1 mo.. 85¢c 1y $6.00 1 mo.. foc 1 yr. 3400 1 mo.. 40c ily only day only All Other States and Canada. Ei}y and Sunday..1 yr. $12.00: 1 mo., 81,00 a5 only . Member of the Associated Press. The Assoclated Prons i exclusivaly (ntitled the use for republication of all es credited £o it oF RO in this paper and also otherwise cred- the local rews ished hersin. All rights of publication of dispatches hereln are also reserved. Coolidge Backs Farm Bill. President Coolidge, through his Secre- tary of Agriculture, has aligned himself stuarely in favor of the pending McNary farm aid bill. Mr. Jardine's Jetter to the chairman of the Senate @mmittee on agriculture, indorsing the MR, was no half-hearted affair. The sdministration is clearly ‘willing to go the limit for this legislation. It is quite true that the President would have been willing to sign such a bill had it been passed by Congress long ago. It is in Yne with the recommendations which President Coolidge has embodied in his message to Congress several times. But i happens that this is the first time that such legislation had a chance to pass. In the past there has been much difference of opinion as to what the farmers of the country really wanted. But the farmers themselves spoke forcibly in the recent election, which has effectually settled the matter. ‘The administration has battied long against the price-fixing plan of the old McNary-Haugen bill, which the Presi- dent held to be unworkable, unfair to many of the farmers and to have the effect of putting the Government into the farm business. Twice such a bill might have become law had not the President stood firm against it and A B8 ae B seeks new flelds of conquest. Big- scale merchandising, finance, lue- tion and specialized professional Serv- ice are some of the branches to which women’s attention is to be guided. Systematic attention, by co-ordination with schools and colleges, is to be de- voted to preparing young women for designated livelihoods, instead of let- tng them drift into them more or less haphazard. The organisers of the Institute of ‘Women’s Professional Relations are Justified in foreshadowing that. their program, if consistently carrled out, should result in vastly additional op- portunities for the advancement of | women as factors in business and the professions. e Preparedness. Dr. Hubert Work, chairman of the Republican natlonal committee, ~be- lieves apparently in preparedness. In | the interval between national elections much may be done, in his opinion, to {keep up & regular Republican organ- ization throughout the country, so that when the hour of battle arrives, and the forces of the G. O. P. must go Into action, they will be in shape to do their best. For this reason he has called a meeting of the national gcommittee in Washington on March 5 to discuss ways and means of maintaining at least a skeleton of the army of Re- publicans which won the recent elec- tion. Once every four years the major political parties undertake, or have undertaken in the past, to perfect their organization in the space of a few weeks to carry on their campaign for the election of a Chief Executive of the country. It is a tremendous job, mere- ly that of organization. Dr. Work feels that his committee, by keeping in touch with the voters and with the organizations which have functioned well during the last eampaign, can do much to eliminate the frantic rush, to build up a new organisation at the last minute. In some quarters the efforts of Dr. Work will be interpreted as an effort to begin already & campaign for the re- - THE SUNDAY STAR, gar unconsciously is buying something —the exalted euphoria of personal vir- tue which comes from a charitable act. The beggar is an adept in selling this comfortable sensation of spiritual se- curity. His entire art is directed to this end. It requires a thlent for mimicry which borders on genius. A single false note will destroy the whole sense of reality which he seeks to create. But begging is an art which com- | munities refuse to subsidize any long- er. The place of the master of men- dicancy today is in the theater, not on the street. Centuries ago begging may have had a legitimate place in the evo- lution of the drama. The wandering mendicant may have been the first tragedian. He laid the foundations of the art back in the days when the comedian was originating in the court Jester and the song-and-dance man in the wandering minstrel. The others have gone. The beggar survives. The practice of his art still is profitable— occasionally very profitable. The person who contributes to & beggar should realize that he is paying for a demonstration of realistic art and not giving to. relieve distress. But it is the beggar's business to build up so emo- tional an atmosphere that his prospec- the coin for the performance is in his pocket. his artistry. Dozens of social surveys in American cities have shown that there is no legit- imate excuse for street or- door-to-door mendicancy. In nearly every commu- nity there are other ways to provide for the destitute. Everywhere there are stringent laws against begging. Yet such is the skill of the artists in appealing to the emotions that they continue to sell their art to public and Dbolice alike. It is not likely that more stringent laws would accomplish any- thing. Even the strictest sort of en- forcement of the present laws probably would not eliminatc begging. The prac- tice of this fine art will continue until folks realize that the beggars are mak- ing fools of them. ———. ‘The bill proposed by Senator Sackett election of Herbert Hoover in 1932. It is obvious, however, that the Re- publicans will put forward a candidate for election to the presidency, whether it be Mr. Hoover or another. If he is successful in his proposed plan for keeping the Republican units con- stantly in touch with the national or~ ganization: of the party, he will have gone far toward the elimination of waste motion. John J. Raskob, chairman of the Democratic national committee, has had returned the measure to Congress with- ‘out his approval. It is not unreasonable for the President to desire to see during his own administration this farm prob- lem settled, at least to the extent of the ~establishment of & basic plan for gov- ernmental assistance to the great in- dustry which after all is the greatest in the country. ‘The battle in the Senate and House from this point to the close of the present session of Congress on March 4 will be between the forces who wish to put through the farm:bill now and to avoid a speclal session of the new Congress and those who wish such a sesslon called soon after Mr. ‘Hoover takes office ds President. Some of the Western Senators and Representatives would like to have the farm bill dealt with in a special session of Congress, believing that a session called par- ticularly for that purpose would give more adequate time for consideration of this important measure. - They have s allies in their demand for a special session of Congress those Senators and Representatives from industrial States who wish & prompt revision of the tariff schedules to give better protection to textile and other industries. ‘When Congress reassembles January 3 after the Christmas recess, only two months will remain of the present session. In that time the great bulk of the annual appropriation bills must be passed if a special session is to be avoided. The Kellogg treaty renounc- ing war and the bill for the construc- tion of fifteen new cruisers for the Navy have been made the unfinished business of the Senate, and both of them are likely to lead to much debate. There is the proposal that a bill for the reap- portionment of the House be put through, and that, t00, has strong sup- port as well as strong opposition. ‘Whether & farm bill, which is bound to lead to controversy and even to opposi- tion of a political nature, can be sandwiched in and put through is a debatable question, even with the powerful backing of the administration, supported by the returns ‘of the recent election. ———. & similar end in view, apparently. He has suggested that a national meeting of Democratic leaders might be held in the near future to discuss plans for the future, with the possibility of building up & permanent organization which shall function during the next four years and lay the Democratic party and its principles before the country to the best advantage, It seems to be & sound idea, although a number of the Democratic leaders take the position that it is better to allow time to heal the wounds in the party due to the discord which developed in the last Plenty of Cuss Words. A professor of English at Syracuse University bemoans the lack of new cuss words. Those of a generation ago are worn out and have lost their mean- ing, he believes, and today the depress- ing spectacle is presented of persons who call down upon their own heads the most blood-curdling curses—and nothing happens. In Prof. Burges Johnson's opinion, this country needs some new cuss words that really mean something. ¥ Professor—how could you! In the first place, cuss words cannot be made, like corn whisky. But that is not the point. The point is that Dr. Johnson, if he conducted his research in the right laboratory, would find that the old-time cussing that was good enough for grandfather is good enough for us. For cussing is an art. The words themselves are important, like the painter’s palette and canvas are im- portant. But famous paintings were not produced merely by the use of palette, brush and canvas. Nor will famous cursing ever be produced merely by curse words—new or old. Dr. Johnson should call a conven- tion. 'To this convention he should in- vite circulation managers of news- papers, city editors of daily journals, truck drivers, top sergeants of cavalry troops, drill masters who deal with re- cruits, & sprinkling of salty old tdrs, a few of the Navy's lusty young officers and a selected group of traffic police- A downward market on. the New York Stock Exchange has proved no discour- agement to Santa Claus, who apparent- 1y regards an opportunity to buy good securities at lower prices as a very good sort of Christmas gift, —— Women in Business. From the American Association of University Women is forthcomihg an announcement destined to have far- reaching effect upon the activities of women who dedicate themselves to business and professional careers. The assoclation has formed an “Institute of)*Women's Professional Relations,” with headquarters at the North Caro- lina College for Women. A statement of aims cites the “in- créase in the number of women em- ployed in business and the profes- sions, the increase in the permanency of! their employment, and the increase in, the number of married women so employed.” An indication of the spe- cial field which the institute is to fill is.the further statement that “there is a lack of information on the specific occupations open to college women, the aptitudes and training required, and the opportunities in various branches.” In order to cope with the resultant problem, the institute will function as a central organization to promote study of all the issues raised by the entrance of women into new spheres of activity. By serving as a clearing house for all available information on these sub- Jects, the institute hopes to ease the none too rosy path of women seeking in ever-mcrewp\g numbers to invade the occupational domain hitherto monopolized by the opposite sex. The institute apparently does not in- tend to confine itself to directing men. He should seek, at this conven- tion, to create the correct atmosphere for the delegates. Assemble the circu- lation managers, for instance, and tell them that it is snowing hard, the paper has gone to press late and then ask them what they think of the news de- partment. Assemble the top sergeants and give them a troop of recruits. Assemble the traffic officers and tell them to imagine a motorist who passed the white line against a stop signal. Dr. Johnson would be surprised. If he did not put cotton in his ears and change his views on the deteriorating influence of modernity upon the gentle art of cussing, he is entirely too hard- ened to be & college professor of English. ——— Saving on fuel expense has enabled & number of families to regard an ex- ceptionally mild Winter as a happy holiday greeting. Beggars. Begging often has been exposed as a highly profitable art. The latest exposure came the other day in a New York police court when it was shown that a subway mendicant had been clearing more than five hun- dred dollars a week for three months. The man was an artist. Most suc- cessful mendicancy is pure art. The beggar’s receipts depend entirely on his skill as an actor. His business is the portrayal of character and the creation of atmosphere. His act must be nicely adjusted to strike an altruistic impulse which appears to be almost universal in human nature. In a great majority of cases this impulse does not work auto- matically. There must be something to women exclusively into channels they ‘have entered in the past, for the sex set it off. ‘The person who contributes to a beg- of Kentucky to dismiss from Govern- ment service any one found driving while intoxicated offers a good sug- gestion, not only for Uncle Sam, but for employers in private life. ——o— Shopping and mailing early will not only relieve the crowding, but prolong the pleasant suspense of the holiday season. Only a vandal opens mysterious packages that he may discover at this time. —————— Health experts regard influenza as “epidemic.” As so often happens, the most efficacious prescription is least ex- pensive—sunshine, fresh air and warm clothing. ———— “Flu” is an epldemic. And yet sci- ence has not demonstrated that it is any more easily met with cautious, in- telligent treatment than an ordinary, old-fashioned “bad cold.” ——ee—s 4 visit to South America may yet heve miuence to convince quarrelsome elements that peace and prosperity are better than habitual antagonisms. Pr AR - Every man is permitted to be “a law unto himself” if he is genuinely desir= ous of prohibition for his personal use. et SHOOTING STARS. BY PHILANDER JOHNSON. Christmas Shopping. When bargains are calling to many ‘Wherever you're seeking to buy, You wonder what favors, if any, Can bring you a smile or a sigh. And Santa Claus, pictured so quaintly | had such As of the ethereal clan, Resembles quite clearly, though faintly, A pretty good business man. Keeping in Line. “You are a leader of the people.” “You mistake me,” said Senator Sor- ghum. “I am only an humble follower when the people decide to stampede.” Jud Tunkins says that when there is & pneumonia scare on hand, no citizen is so influential as & pneumonia germ. Provender. ‘The Elephant will raise a shout; ‘The Donkey, too, will bray. But if in plans they are left out, What will they do for hay? “Grafting,” sald Hi Ho, the sage of Chinatown, “is recognized in agriculture a8 valuable. They who favor it in poli- tics should be satisfled with the fruit.”. Spirit of Democracy. “Are you in favor of an inaugural ball?” “Certainly,” answered Miss Cayenne. “Any man selected by the hearts of the people should be permitted to show that he can dance a little, like the rest of us.” Turn of the Season. The Zodiac exhorter Keeps hope still going stronger, ‘With Nights becoming shorter And each Day somewhat longer. “I knows a man dat has read his Bible twenty times,” said Uncle Eben, “an’ he don't know enough yet to show me dat all dat Bible readin’ wasn't jes a good excuse foh loafin’. — re—— Always Were Analogous. From the Manchester Union. The discovery has been made that soap can be produced from coal. To which may be added the by mo means newly discovered fact that handling coal produces a demand for soap. oo Was the Money Recovered? From the Hamilton, Canads, Spectator. A New York man who stole 45 cents has been sentenced to a life term in prison, where he'll meet murderers who are doing a few months. r—oe—s Oh Yes, Very Much Worse! From the Worcester Evening Gazette. Not only is :very one reading detec- tive novels these days, but, what is worse, every one is writing them, t3o. The Sky Is Mistletoe Enough. From the Indlanapolis News. ‘Taking existing customs into consid- eration, the purchase of mistletoe seems to be a useless overhead expense. r—— . Senate No Place for Peace. From the St. Louls Times. 'hes peace pact confirmation promises to disturb the peace of the Senate, L} tive patron cannot realize this until |of nl.udepenuaonmmnot;m i WASHINGTON, EVERYDAY BY THE RIGHT REV. JAMES Bishop of “A little child shaill lead them.” “Leadership.” ‘The sovereignty of the child is the theme of Christmas day. To be unre- sponsive ‘to this sovereignty means to forego those deep tremsures that this day witnesses to. It is a strange fact that, of all the days in the calendar, none means more to us than the one that marks the birth of Christ. On this day all differences seem to be dissolved, all rivalries cease, all ungenerous thoughts are laid aside, and the world becomes a great merger of human in- terests, in which joy and peace are the central notes. It has been our practice fot years to read at this season Charles Dickens immortal “Christmas Carol.” We read it because it seems, as no other book does, to set before us the real central fact or facts of this day. It illustrates how the spirit of youth compels the abandonment of old prejudices, old and narrow points of view, and puts in their stead the cheery, hopeful spirit of the child. Old Scrooge at his ledgers reck- oning his gains and losses is one kind & man. Old Scrooge feeling the freshened impulses that spring from contact with Tiny Tim is quite another . From the loneliness of bed: chamber, in which visions of the night had distracted him, he emerges on a |the su frosty Christmas morning to confront the world with new ideals, new hopes and freshened uFluuons, ‘The spirit of youth had sef him. The call of the child had found him responsive. Christmas day places a new emphasis upon & unique type of leadership. It focuses the mind of the world anew upon those qualities and gifts that con- stitute the genius of the child. It isan amazing fact that the Christian re- ligion begins with the birth of a little Child. t the greater revelation of God to the consciousness of men should come in this way brings it within the range of our thinking and relates it to the commonest and dearest experjences of our everyday life. That the birth of a Child should mark a new day in the history of the human race is in consonance with our ideals and éxpec- tations. A birth is always a fresh D. RELIGION E. FREEMAN, D. D, LL. D, W ashington revelation. It signalizes a new day In the life of a home; it is a new and sacred tie between father and mother; it stirs expectancy end widens horizons of our thinking and living. It has always been true that “a little child shall lead them.” It has always been true that mew impuises are gener- ated with the coming of & new Iife. Christmas day then becomes, through the birth of the Christ Child, the reali- zation of the world’s highest hopes and expectations. ‘We- prepare for this day as for no other; we spend long weeks and months in anticipation of it; we exhaust both vitality and means in an endeavor to give expression to our love and generosity. Its effect upon our view of life—yes, upon our thoughts and habits—is inde- scribably greater than that of any other day in the calendar. The multiplying years with their accumulation of hopes and disappointments, of joys and sor- rows, seem on this day to sustain a marvelous change. The disparity of years is forgotten. Trembling hands and failing faculties give place to a spirit of rejuvenation; harsh judgments and bitter discords are laid aside and a new spirit seizes us. It is the spirit of eternal youth. Here, the captains and the kings de- part, the rulers lay aside their scepters, the scholars for the while forget their conceits of learning, and all recognize remacy of the child spirit and leadership. Christmas is a supreme interpretation of the spirit of Christianity. It is the religion of joy, of good will, of kindly deeds, of open-handed fenemuuy: yes, 1t is the hnheuc exemplification of all that is best and finest in life. A happy religion had its birth on Christmas day. Let it be a happy religion all the days; let its spirit pervade all our motives and all our acts; let it be a foretaste of that life toward which we are hastening on —the life of fulfilled ideals and realized hopes. “O holy Child of Bethlehem! Descend to us, we pray; Cast out our sin and enter in, Be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel!” The Voiceless City Editor's note—That the country at large is taking an active and en- lightened interest in the voteless and un-American plight of disenfran- chised Washingtonians 1s vividly demonstrated in the following edi- torial from the December 22 issue of the Saturday Evening Post. On November 6 last a presidential election took place, and, as far as can be computed at this writing, ap- proximately forty million men and women voted. But strangely enough, at the very heart of the Nation, in the District of Columbia, where the President, Congress and executive departments carry on their duties, all men and women are disqualified by law from voting because of the mere fact of their residence there. The men and women who live in Washington are compelled, just as if they were citizens, to pay Federal income taxes. They were required to send their sons to France, just as if they had been citizens. But neither the young men nor their parents had any voice in Congress in deciding upon the declaration of war, or will have if another war should occur, unless the Constitution be amended. In other words, they enjoy exactly the same status, when it comes to voting, as iens, minors, criminals and insane. The District of Columbia is the only community in the continental United States whose citizens enjoy no suffrage and have no form of representative government whatsoever. There is no locally elected body to pass laws, fix the rates of taxation and determine how the money shall be spent. It is |y unique in that all powers of govern- ment are vested exclusively in the United States. In all other communi- ties government is split up among the Federal, State; Muntyalmunlclpcl. town- ship, ward or similar divisions. But the Continental Congress in Philadelphia bitter experience with dis- satisfied soldiers who wanted their back pay that when the Constitutional Con- vention met, its members were deter- mined that Congress should have exclu- sive control over the new Capital. The framers were trying to prevent undue pressure being put upon Congress, and out of their provision came disfran- chisement. \ This did not matter in early days. Few people lived in the District except Government officials and clerks, who kept their legal voting residences else~ where. But the city now con- siderably more than half a milllon people, and is movlng_hstendfly toward the million mark. e framers did not foresee great, rounded metropolitan entities, with vast populations engaged in all manner of business, educational and artistic occupations. It is not a healthy thing y for the Nation to have at its very heart such an artificial and anomalous condition as a it wholesale disfranchisement of all classes of men and women. There are ary nts_ brought ug against suffrage in the District whic should not be dt{nmed by a reply. It is said that people need not live there if they do not wish to, and if they de- sire to vote, a legal residence might be established a few miles away in Mary- irginia by purchasing a shack. Far more serfous is the fear that suf. frage might attract to the District the lame ducks of politics—the defeal Congressmen—to engage in petty po- litical activities. There is the further fear that the large negro population— about one-fourth of the total—might hold the balance of power between two parties of whites. But without expressing any opinion concerning the complex and controver- sial negro problem as a whole, it should be noted that both these arguments lose much of their force when it is real- | ized that the only serious proposal now nding is that residents of the District | g: rmitted to Jote for presidenflal( electors, for two Congressmen—to; which their numbers entitle them—and | possibly for one Senator. This carefully worked out proposal does not include municipal suffrage. The present local government, which operates directly under the President and Congress, gives ! general satisfaction. Much of the de- tail work is done by engineer officers of the Army, and is by them efficiently performed. It is not proposed to take away any of the power which Congress now has to govern the District. What the Dis- trict seeks is representation in Congress, which it does not now possess, and the right to vote for presidential electors. 1t seeks to become a part of the Nation politically, its present status being that of an alien. No one suggcsts that the suff be taken away irom Atlantic City, N. J., although census figures show that it has practicaliy the same pro-| portion of negroes as the District has. If all negroes of voling age were counted out, thers would still be more| voters in Washington than in any one: of seven States. Even if all the civil| service employes, who are permitted by special laws dences elsewhere, were counted out, there would still be more voters in the District than in any one of eight States. If both negroes and civil service em- ployes together were counted out, the District would still have more voters than any one of several States, the people of each of which have two Sena- tors, at least one Representative and One of two things can be done: The exclusive legislation clause of the Con- stitution can be repealed and the Dis- trict given statehood or retroceded to Maryland. This idea is not seriously entertained. The other method is to retain the exclusive legislation provision and make consistent with it a grant of national representation to the people of the District, A new State is not wanted, but a new political status in accordance with the changes of a century is imperative. The 10-miles-square provision should be retained and a new American voting cnostituency created, controlled by Con- gress, yet with representation in that Congress; an enfranchised and liberated seat of government. It is not well to have a great body of people humiliated. It is not healthful for the country as a whole to have a totally unrepresented area at its very center, and the larger the city grows the clearer will this fact ‘become. N Real Mail Problem Faced by Kriss Kringle BY HARDEN COLFAX. Kriss Kringle faces & problem Monday night beside which the traffic maze of a boom city is as simple as a kindergar- ten puzzle. If Prancer and his teammates pull the load which Santa Claus and his as- sistants have prepared for them, they will be very tired reindeer indeed by the time sunrise Tuesday sends them gal- loping back to Wonderland for another ear, And if advanhce reports received by the Post Office Department are supported by final figures, there will be many thousand of mail workers who will be weary Tuesday. All of which means, in simple terms, that Christmas business has been heavy throughout the United States. Since the first week of November, reports re- ceived by Government departments here which keep fingers on the pulse of com- merce and industry, have indicated a steady pressure of retall buying. The crest of the Christmas trade came early, so that stocks were fairly well depleted in the week just ended. Judging from the increased volume of mall, Christmas business this year is about 3 per cent heavier than last year. The December statistics on retail trade to be issued next month by the Gov- ernment will afford a more accurate in- dex for comparative purposes. Preparations Extraordinary. ‘The Post Office Department made ex- traordinary preparations to handle Christmas mail, based on the rate of in- crease over the last three years in par- ticular. These were needed, reports to date show. If a single regiment of 1,000 men were assigned to collect, sort and de- liver all of the extra mall intrusted to the postal service this merry Yuletide the task would not be completed for three years if they worked eight hours a day every day in each year\ An army of 97,800 extra employes has been added by the Post Office Depart- ment for the Christmas rush. It is esti~ - | mated they will work 950,400 man days, and that their wages will aggregate ted | $4,979,000. This calculation does not include the railway mail service, with its extra employes and additional cars and cost of their transportation. Alto- gether the department expects the holi- day business to cost more than $9,000,- 000 above ordinary expenditures, with receipts, ‘of course, correspondingly in- creased. A proportionate story will be told by the express companies. Tendencies which have marked the last several years were accentuated in Christmas trade this year—early shop- ping and mailing and purchase of more substantial gifts. Re merchants now feel the stimulant of Santa Claus in early November. Reports from mer- chants also show a decided tendency of customers to favor advertised lines of goods. ‘With one exception, each week from the 1st of November to December 15 has shown an increase over the week immediately preceding in the volume of trade as measured by check payments, according to reports to the tment of Commerce, and each of these weeks has recorded a larger volume than the corresponding week of 1927. With the average of 1923-1925 as 100 check pay- ments reported for the week ended De- cember 15 stood at 140.9, contrasted with 120 in the corresponding week last year. The seasonal peak this year was the week ended November 24; last year the peak was one week later, which emphasizes the growing tendency to shop early. Imports Driven Down. Santa Claus will deliver more than $225,000,000 worth of toys this Christ- mas. Fully 95 per cent of these, in value, will be of American manufacture; to maintain voting resi-|imports are being driven downward jeach year. Extensive advertising cam- . paigns by makers of substantial toys. with a flavor of educational value, and by doll manufacturers have stimulated business this year above previous rec- lords. Productions for the 1929 Christ- |man rush already has started in the toy, factories and the annual exhibition of the manufacturers will be held late the right to vote for President. As the Constitution stands, Congress has no authority to grant any kind of suflrage to 6 of the Distript. to do some long-time planning. ‘The Christmas savings clubs dis- sroungd tributed thejr record amount ¢ C., DECEMBER 23, 1928—PART 4 Capital Sidelights 'To get the atmosphere of history and the thrill of human-interest anecdotes and to see how the old traditions are K:esm'ved. visitors to the Capitol should ve the good fortune to get an intro- duction to Assistant Sergeant-at-arms Col. Edwin A. Halsey, as did a group of yo women from Massachusetts, who are students at Trinity College. Col. Halsey has been an employe at the Capitol for more than 30 years, has performed notable service there and knows all the prominent men of the country and knows the old Capitol as few persons do. First these young women sat in the Vice President’s chair and were allowed to hold the historic gavel, shaped like a small hourglass, without a handle, which is the most historic relic in use today. This ivory gavel was used in the Continental Congress and has been used constantly by every Vice President, gncluding John Adams, the first of the ne. Next they saw the Senate snuff box, and_daintily helped themselves to & small pinch. This is on a ledge near the Vice President’s desk and is a relic of the olden days when practically all of the Senators used snuff and took it from the common box. The desks in the Senate are the very ones taken from what is now the Su- preme Court Chamber, and some of them were used by the t stat men in our_ history—Calhot Clay, etc. On’these desks till kep! the old silver-topped inkstands and the sandshakers, which in the elder days were used instead of our modern blot- ting paper. Today some of the Sena- tors occasionally dust some of this sand over a paper thel have signed for a c?snnltuent, to add a little touch of the historic past. The most historic desk in the Senate { is now occupied by Senator Pat Harri- son of Mississippi. Senators from that State always endeavor to secure the use of it during their term in the Senate. It was the desk of Jefferson Davis. During the Civil War the Senate cham- ber was occupied by convalescent Union soldiers. When they found the name of Jefferson Davis, then President of the Confederacy, on this desk, several of the more hot-tempered plunged their bayonets through the side of it to show what they would like to do to its former occupant. The places where the bayo- nets passed through are still noticeable to the touch and the young colle{hm t!’rom Mulmcl::s‘emn a great '!h\:lll v running their fingers along these slashes on the side of the desk. Then there is the Daniel Webster desk. About a quarter of a cemur{eln these desks in the Senate were being “improved” by putting hinges on the desk top so that it could be swung up, allowing the Senators to place books and papers under it. At that time the famous George Frisbie Hoar of Massa- chusetts was using this particular desk and gave orders that it was not to be changed. “What was good enough for ‘Webster is good enough for me.” he de- clared. Instead he had a shelf put un- der the desk to Jflsce books upon. So this Webster and Hoar desk is differ- ent from any of the others. It is now used by Senator Blaine of Wisconsin. Warren G. Harding is the only Presi- dent who went directly from the Sen- ate chamber to the White House. His desk has been marked for future gen- erations. It is now used by Senator McNary of Oregon. In the “Marble room,” which is the Senators’ lounging room, Col. Halsey pointed out to college girls the portrait of George Was] n in Rev- olutionary uniform which is one of the freaks of nature, unmarked by human hand, which -fnmnm in a slab of mar- ble in the ceiling. In the President's room, which is the most elaborately ornamented office in the world, the walls and cellings are beautifully painted in vivid color- ing by the great artsit Brumidi, who helped to decorate the Vatican. The furniture in this room has been pre- served since Lincoln's day and the center table was used formerly at the White House as a desk by Lincoln and is the one on which the famous Emancipation Proclamation rested when the “Great Emancipator” signed it. uln this epochal document Lincoln wroteé: “I do order and declare that all per- sons held as slaves within said desig- nated States and parts of States are, and henceforth shall be, free; and that the Executive Government of the United States, inciuding the military and naval authorities thereof, will rec- ognize and .maintain the freedom of such persons. * * * “And upon this act, sincerely be- lieved to be an act of justice, ware ranted by the Constitution upon mili- tary necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God.” One of the particularly attractive ceiling decorations is above the word “Religlon” and is called “The All-See- ing Eye” because the expression is the s:m& from whatever angle you look at_it. In the Supreme Court Col. Halsey points out the two marble companion mantels which are symbolic of “In Union There Is Strength” and these mantels were the subject of a famous speech in the Senate at the opening of the War Between the States. The young collegians from Massachu- setts got another big thrill out of sit= ting in the chairs of the two Massa- chusetts men who are now on the Supreme Court bench—Associate Jus- tices Oliver Wendell Holmes and Louis Dembitz Brandeis. ~ Justice Holmes, now in his eighty-eighth year, sits at the right of the Chief Justice and is the oldest man ever to sit on the Supreme Court bench. He was a first lieutenant of the 20th Massachu- setts Volunteer Infantry in the Union Army soon after his graduation from Harvard College. He was shot through the breast at Balls Biuff, through the neck at Antietam and through the heel at Maryes Heights, lericks- burg. and rose to the rank of colonel. ‘When the young collegians expressed surprise that there have been only 10 Chief Justices in the entire his of this Government, Col. Halsey told them that the principal reason for this is because Marshall and Taney together held the post for 65 years. ‘There are two small roll-top desks on either side of the bench in the Supreme Court which were used in the court in Philadelphia before the Gov- ernment moved to Washington in 1800. Just within the rail of the pit re- served for lawyers is an antique sofa on which John Quincy Adams of Massa- chusetts died. Also on this sofa the famous Gus Garland died after he was stricken while arguing a case be- fore the court. . There is a bust of John Quincy Adams and a tablet in the office of the Clerk of the House which memorial- izes that he died there “after 50 years of public service, the last 16 yonder hall (Statuary Hall, which was previously the House chamber), on February 23, 1848.” In the Vice President’s office is a sofa on which Grant's Vice President died after he was stricken whtle pre- siding over the Senate. There are 10 chandellers in the Capitol which came out of the White House—one in the office of Speaker Longworth, by a curious coincidence, is the one under which Longworth and Alice Roosevelt were married in the ‘White House. Some of the other his- toric chandellers are in the office for- merly occupled by “Uncle Joe” Can- non, in the office of the Clerk of the House, Willlam Tyler Page, who is author of “The American’s Creed,” and in the House appropriations committee room. December 1. The extraordinary activ- ity of the stock market this year means that bonuses in Wall Street will be con- siderably larger than heretofore. Sav- ings banks reported 53,188,000 deposi- tors, the largest number ever recorded, and an increase in deposits equivalent to_$17 per inhabitant over last year. Purchases of life insurance in 1928 have been $1,365,000,000 more than the orevious high record set in 1927. Philanthropic donations this year have boen enormous, and the underlying in January. After all, 8t. Nicholas has :pirit of Christmas is burning brightly chrough geperous gifts this season, Merry &'mmu. (Copyright, 1928.) In{are put to great expense to obtain the 1 I ‘The greatest gold hunt in the history of the world now is in ess. It is not being conducted by picturesque prospectors, equipped with pick and grubstake and hope, but by the geolog- ical ents of governments. ‘The International Geological Con- gress is an organization made up of scientists, which meets every two years. At each biennial conference the dis- cussion centers about one principal mineral, the topic being selected at each preceding conference Two years ago when the conference was held in Spain on the subject of mineral fertil- izers, South Africa Was selected as the next place of meeting and the subject chosen was gold. It was the first time that gold had been made the subject of this world gathering, iron, coal, oil and other mineral products having oc- cupied previous meetings. The congress is to meet in Johannes- burg, Union of South Africa, next Au- gust, and all principal nations of the world have been asked to furnish data on their potential gold resources. One strong reason for selecting gold as the mineral to be studied was the monetary situation throughout the world. The war threw many nations off the gold standard. The more important ones have s(rul’fled back, France, for in- stance, having returned only last June. But in addition, India is planning to go on a gold standard basis and China is not unlikely to follow. These two nations, the most populous in the world, will effect an enormous demand for gold as a reserve for their currencies and therefore it behooves the world to take stock of the potentialities. World gold production in 1926, the last year for which complete figures have been tabulated, amounted to $398,- 664,700. From 1860 to 1926 world gold production had amounted to $15877,~ 897,800. So, in round numbers, the existing gold stock of the world is $16,« 500,000,000, The work now being done throughout the world contemplates arrival at estimate of what amount of gold may be expected to come out of the ground within the next few years. In this country the work is being done by the Geological Survey in co-operation with the Bureau of Mines. Determination of what gold may be in ihe ground is one of the most dif- ficult of geological problems. The pres- ence of some other minerals is much easier to detect. Iron, for example, usually colors the rocks rusty red and even hidden fron ore will, under given circumstances, respond to magnetic ine struments. Oil shows surface seepages and colors streams. But gold, a chem- ically inert mineral, is responsive to no detecting instrument and does not vis- ually betray its presence. Search Is Often Blind. Geologists know the general types of formations which are hospitable to gold deposits, but the search, in the m}-{m. is ng:ersl blind one. » owever, the Survey and the Bureau o Mines are carefully canvassing known workings and attempting estimates as to how loxz‘thzy will last. There are 25 substantial prmelns gold mines in the United States and Alaska. The Dakota, is producing at the rate of about $275,000 & year and the mines in California are yielding annuglly in gxeeu‘; of tsog.m. The ornia gold or the most part is Weing recovered through T~ dredging and mlnln, streams just as it was in the days of ter's Mill. In gold mining the lodes are charted and the ground prepared for ore extrae- tion for about two years in advance on In The Star “It is not unreasonable to suppose,” says The Star of December 21, 1878, 2 “that whenever a National Museum vote s obtained in i1di Congress on the Building Needed. seoheiioi to wdt @ new building for the National Museum the decision will be in its favor. The Senat® some time ago passed without a dissenting voice a bill authorizing an appropriation for that purpose. Though the bill failed to be taken up in the House out of its regular order through lack of a two-thirds vote, it obtained a majority wote; and many of those opposing it gave its friends to under- stand that when the uncertainty as to | the return of the $1,500,000 loaned by the United States to the Centenpial Commission was removed by its repay- ment, they would withdraw oppesition to the pending bill. The House com- mittee which has the bill in cl is unanimous in its favor. These facts would seem to warrant the belief that when the bill comes up in its regular order it will . “The considerations which doubtless impel Congress to this step are indeed weighty. First, there is the necessity which arises from the condition of the present National Museum in the Smith- sonian Building. Even before the Cen- tennial Exposition the shelves - were crammed to overflowing so that it was impossible to make a satisfactory dis- play of specimens. As Congress makes ‘an annual appropriation for the support the collections made under its auspices & necessity. The four Building are more room is floors of the ment of the Smithsonian is in the same WORLD SUPPLY OF GOLD BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN. an average and this marks about the limit of future knowledge as to what may be e: in the way of produc- tion. Sometimes this is exceeded be- cause of favorable conditions, but, og the whole, the time of exhaustion of & working is a secret of the earth. On the Rand, in South Africa, the geologic formation is different and a better idea can be obtained with fairly accurate foreknowledge covering a longer term. So data are bem%e gathered there covering what may expected from existing workings and as good guesses as science permits concerning new discov- erles, lafter being based on the general promise of geological structures and type of reck. Other factors enter very largely into any estimate of future gold production. Cost of production is the chief one. If wages rise, ii freight rates on ore and costs of mining and smelting machinery 80 up, some mines are obliged to close down. Low-grade ores will not for the trouble of extracting the gold. This means a decline in total gold produc- tion. Conversely, if costs of production decline, old low-grade mines are re- (;pe&ed and additional gold is brought orth, Costs Influence Output. Improvements in mining machinery and in processes for the reduction of ore have the effect of adding to gold production. ‘Then, too, gold is found in many cases in combination with such other minerals as silver, copper, lead and zirc. The copper market might be especlally good and stimulate & produc- tion which, incidentally, would bring out gold when, if copper were low in price in relation to cost of production, the mine might not be worked at all. 8o the scientists have no easy job in mak- ing their survey and their estimate of future outturn. South Africa now is far and awav the greatest gold producer in the world n | Rand production is fairly steady at around $225,000,000 & year—the 1026 production was $226,418,000. pares with United States averaging just below $50,000, & yea —the 1926 figure being $48,260,000. American gold production, however, is on the decline. Although South Africa has forged so far ahead, such ires as exist recording gold ction from the earliest times indicate that our own country still holds the record, hav- ing produced about 22 per cent of the world total output compared with 321 per cent for South Africa. Russia is producing about $20,000,000 in gold a year and the indications are that the yield will be increased. It is felt among nolofm that Siberia holds fabulous possibilities for gold produc- tion. That extensive domain has mever been adequately explored for gold, but such Lrupecun: as has been gives promise of large deposits. It is entirely conceivable that the next big of the museum, it doubtless intends that | 0 shall be exhibited and to effect this | De8in 0 Armory packed with opened boxes; the base- high building five times as large as the pres- ent one. “The character of the collections fur- nishes an additional reason why they should not be hidden -away, exposed only to fire, mold and rust. They in- clude Centennial donations received from various States of the Union, from individuals and from foreign exhibitors, besides nearly a thousand separate packages sent since the time of the :xposition. Of about 40 governments and colonies represented at Philadelphia, 34 presented the choicest of their exhibits and the entire collection is valued at not_less than $1,000,000. “Most governments, when they wish to nave museums that can compare with the great collections of the world, specimens, but here we have the mate- rial on hand, as well as skilled exhibit- | ors already in the employ of Govern- ment, to show it to the best advantage and all that is needed to reproduce the Centennial Exposition in its useful fea- tures is the necessary building. Some action must be taken in the matter out of respect to the foreign governments who have poured their treasures at our feet; and worthy: disposition must be made of the gifts to counteract the bad impression produced by our long | delay and nezlecn b “The mal interest of the United Stales as well as duty is involved in the decision of the question. We would have here not merely curiosities and | bag raritles from China, Siam and other far-away nations, not merely Minton !tiles and mosaics, Doulton pottery and terra cotta work, one piece of wmch’ from the Centennial was valued at $15,000, to please the ! but the immense ons {llustrating gen: stitute a which will attract students from every- where and give a stimulus to the in- | dustries of t] "hou country. With ac- | ithsonian Building with valuable exhibits at little or no expense for collection, the Museum should become in time what the South Kensington Museum, the British Mu- seum and the School of Mines com- are to Great Britain,” s £ eyes of the people, | the will be to the bleak wastes of largest, the Homestake Mine in South | 575 have attended the congress in the and plan to attend 1929 and meet; but they il H ’49, when the strike was made at Sut- | thaf Jack Spratt inklsted on sticking his head out. Since the whole point of the ensuing narrative depends uj fact, the kind reader fim. ::mm that Jack tt, the cat,.insisted on - L e dauffle bag. Eve y hither An;n' off lo y good T cat here in this box,” labeled upon The beauty when closed it offers what is inside. It might a bathing suit and towels, or & clothes, or papers, or—a cat. ‘There is no telling hntm outwa are no Usually it is in gay red, green or blue plaid, closing along the top, with handles in the top center, * Kk x ‘The way Jack Spratt came to get his ride was as follows: Suffering from an ailment which put him “under the weather,” as the g is, the cat faced the necessity of going' t& the veterinarian's for an examina. n. The question was how to there. It was one thing to about taking & .at some place, and quite an- other thing to take him there. Cats are docile enough creatures, when they are get loose, bucking bron Eels are no more t him condition. There is material to fill a | ., climbs out by way of the m.lh,flmmthmmlflm‘ ‘Wrapping the creature in a large bath towel is an excellent maneuver, but this method attracts a great deal of atten- tion in public. It has its drawbacks. * kX ¥ x The duffie bag was placed on the dining room table, and Jack Spratt was placed in the duffie bag. No sooner had Jack’s four legs been put in the bag than the front two came out, one on each side. As soon as the front were crammed in again the right leg managed to ride up over the side of the craft. When this was tucked in in, the right forepaw came out. At last, however, all four legs were stowed away. Then came the problem of inducing Spratt to sit down so the bag nzl;’t be shut over his furry ears. A ded push in the middle of the back securcd the desired result, with the distinct ex- ception of his nose. n a space as little as an inch long was left for air, Jack crammed his ;m:lnmumwnunnmmw- ttle. {le thought he could force his way out. * ok ok K . On the way over to the hospital the was opened enough to permit Mr. Jack Spratt to stick his head out, which ::np to do with a right good A Nonlxtlnafleould l.nduu":h to wl.t:a raw it. He regarded streets, passing people, and the houses with ¥ ivays he Eept sticking his head out ways stickir out farther and farther. his best to get his shoulders through. His style, however, was decidedly cramped, owing to the fact that he was neatly incased— at least, nine-tenths of him was. Once at the hospital, Jack continued to struggle to get out, until he heard the step of the cat doctor, and when he saw him— ) Well, Jack Spratt drew in his head just like a turtle. He simply A